Confessions of a Tomboy Grandma: On the Eternal Destiny of the Human Race

by Diane Perkins Castro

Is there any hope for our world, or have we made an irreparable mess of it? Do you put your trust in government to bring about true justice and world peace? Or is your faith in science to save the planet, or in medicine to heal all ills? Or do you think that human lives are damaged beyond repair, that relationships are hopelessly fractured, and that the planet itself is hurtling toward inevitable destruction?

The premise of this book is that the Creator of the world is both willing and able to rescue His entire creation, including every human being who has ever lived. He will right all wrongs, heal all infirmities, reconcile all relationships, and restore the entire planet and beyond. The fact that He has given us the opportunity to make our own choices, which often are destructive ones, opens the door to the possibility that the final redemption of the world will be more spectacularly glorious than if we had never had the chance to go wrong.

If you hold to any religion, you probably believe that at least you and others of your faith will have a blissful future; imagine if that bliss and perfection could be extended beyond yourself and your circle of faith. If you are a Christian, you believe that Jesus will “save the world” in some sense; let yourself explore the possibility that He will rescue the world in a greater sense than you ever imagined. And if you have no religion at all or have given up on any hope that life can be better beyond what we make of it in this world, then you may actually be in a good position to consider these truths objectively, without the preconceptions of a religion. Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to entertain these ideas. And whatever good you long for most—for yourself or for others—be encouraged that with God, nothing is impossible.

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2018

Reviews

[Cralls · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was given a copy of this book to review, I knew only very broadly what the book was about and knew nothing about the author herself. It can be a bit uncomfortable reviewing books from mostly unknown writers because there’s no way to tell what the book will be like, let alone its quality. This book surprised and delighted me in its warmth, unconventional style and incredible diversity of genre.

I typically like to give summaries of the book’s teachings when I write a review. I will not, or perhaps cannot, with this one, but don’t let that nor this review’s relatively short length mislead you, I loved and highly recommend this book.

Diane Perkins Castro’s book is incredibly unorthodox in structure. In fact, the only book I know of that I can compare its structure to is Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese Taoist writing. Each chapter of her book, like Zhuang Zhou’s, is a complete surprise. One chapter will recount a personal experience, the next will be an exegetical analysis, the next simply a poem or song and the next chapter will be a logical argument complete with diagrams. It is not progressive and the chapters can be read in any order. They are typically quite short and can be read in a handful of minutes each. This makes for a wonderful book to slowly poke through as I did -- just a chapter a night and perhaps one while waiting for the bus.

I will not give much of a summary of her beliefs in this book. I can say that she does believe in orthodox Christianity all the way as far as I can tell, parting only on the duration of hell. Yes, there is judgement after death. And yes, salvation only comes through Jesus, God’s only son. But no, not one person will be abandoned until all have been saved by his blood. She is not overly pushy on the subject. In fact, the pushiest she gets is when she encourages us to “put this proposition [that all will be saved] to the test to see if it is true." In this book, she challenges the reader to “explore the possibility that Jesus might actually save the [whole] world” and to “examine your assumptions and question what you have been taught.” Her goal is to shake up your beliefs and make you rethink them, but she refuses to insert her own beliefs into your mind for you. She goes about this in a variety of ways. For the intellectually inclined, her analyses of the original Greek in the New Testament, references to a diverse range of books and logical arguments show this grandma is no slump. But she will also capture your heart with reflections on the Boston Marathon bombing, children’s stories she reads with his grandchildren and conversations she has with her family, friends and even strangers. Each page oozes with Biblical thought. Many pages are covered more in scripture itself than her own words. Finally, she uses poetry and songs to make her point. Many of these you will already know and love; Many others will you fall in love with for the first time.

The topic of Universal Reconciliation is a scary topic for many Christians. The tension between a God of justice and love pulls at the hearts of many, often tearing it in two. Diane Perkins Castro attempts to bring those two halves together and she does it with deep humility and charm. I highly recommend any Christian who wishes to deepen their faith to read this book. It will challenge you, but it is only through challenge that we grow. Whether or not you end up agreeing with her, if you give this book a chance, by the end you will have grown.

[Ben Swanepoel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very easy-to-read introduction to the idea of Christian Universalism. It really helped me.