What's Next?

Where have I been?
What have I been doing?

Very reasonable questions given my last post was in October and nothing new has appeared on the Worksite Blog or the main Website for several months also.

Apart from time spent in medical waiting rooms and attending funerals (many of my friends are dying), I have been studying topics other than those specifically relevant to this BLOG.

If you've read the Preface to "The Really Good News About God", you will know that my earliest serious Bible studies were in eschatology - until I ran into the question, "What happens to those who have never heard the good news about Jesus?"

This began a search that spanned a few decades and resulted in sermons, writings, this BLOG, and the book mentioned above being published almost ten years ago.

During my "absence" (and a bit more) I have been studying eschatology again. I have explored most of the common views, and a couple of the less common ones, and have tried to put one together for myself using the "good" bits from the others.

However I found both good and not so good points and arguments in every one of them (including my own) and have come to the conclusion that creating an end-times scenario that is Biblically supported at every point is beyond us mere creatures, and is only totally known by The Creator.

So although eschatology is of great and enduring interest to me (now spanning about sixty years), I am returning my major study efforts and writing to the extravagant grace of God and His plan for the eventual reconciliation of the whole of creation to Himself.

So there will be a few new posts here, but my major emphasis will be producing an updated version of "The Really Good News About God".

Although I don't plan to change the popular style of the present book, I do want to make it a little more robust by including (maybe as appendices) things like:
A Scripture Index to the book
A Response to common objections to the theme of the book
An historical journey through the opinions of the early church fathers regarding universal reconciliation.
A Study Guide for Bible Study groups.
 
Even though I work more slowly these days, and therefore my days fill up more quickly, and my mind does drift off to other interests (particularly eschatology), it would be good to see this new project completed and published by the tenth anniversary of the publication of the first edition.

Your comments, as always, are most welcome and appreciated, especially those that challenge opinions I express, and which cause me to "think some more".

Blessings, Barry