Troubled Paradise
ByPublisher Description
Grief over the loss of those we love is one of the most painful parts of life. But Christianity has long offered consolation to those who grieve in the form of the Easter promise. Death is not the end. Beyond it lies a realm of perfect joy, where mourning is no more and every tear is wiped away. But won't this promise have limits if, as Christians have traditionally believed, some of God's creatures are eternally lost? Can I really be perfectly happy in heaven if, say, my children are damned or annihilated? And what about the Christian teaching that those in heaven are morally sanctified? Doesn't this mean they will be perfected in a love so wide it includes even our enemies--and hence the lost? While delving deeply into the nature of grief and its relation to Christian ethics, this book explores the reasoning that generates this "problem of heavenly grief," examines purported solutions, and invites deeper reflection on a frequently dismissed idea that avoids the problem altogether: the universalist notion that there are no limits to Easter's promise because all are ultimately saved.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesNo Reviews
About Eric Reitan
Eric Reitan is professor of philosophy at Oklahoma State University. He is the author of Is God a Delusion? A Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers (2009), The Triumph of Love: Same-Sex Marriage and the Christian Love Ethic (2017), and the novel So Eden Sank to Grief (2024). He is co-author (with John Kronen) of God’s Final Victory: A Comparative Philosophical Case for Universalism (2011).
Other books by Eric Reitan
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
Similar Books
Save to a list
0
/30
0
/100
Private List