Comments on: Thanks, Philip Gulley

By: Betty Whitworth

Betty Whitworth — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:03:10 +0000

If Grace is True: Why God Will Save Every Person

I’m still working on the above book, and since I’m no Bible scholar, I keep coming up with two questions. One: how can a gift be a gift when it isn’t received? and two, how much of the Bible do we discount as being untrue before we finally conclude that it is only a book of literature with a good story line?

By: Mike Drooger

Mike Drooger — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:11:26 +0000

I started reading Gulley’s works a few years ago after a friend gave me his first books. I read “Front Porch Tales” and later “Hometown Tales” and they were followed by Gulley’s Harmony series of books.
Being from a small town myself (Edgerton MN pop. 1,033) I can relate to much of what Gulley writes about, especially in his Harmony series books.
I look forward to his next book, which is due to be released next month.

By: Erika

Erika — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:58:17 +0000

Like you, Peacebang, I picked up “Porch Talk” at the library (because I love his fiction) — but on the same day I also checked out Robert Fulghum’s new book, “What on Earth Have I Done?” I went home with these two books of essays, each written by a liberal minister, famous in his own right for the warm, avuncular voice of wisdom behind the text.

I can report that Gulley’s book blows Fulghum’s out of the water.

Reading these books side-by-side made me wish for someone like Gulley in our movement — although our colleague Kate Braestrup’s memoir “Here If You Need Me” shines with brilliance (it’s just an altogether different genre).

It might not be charitable to say this, but I’m sad that Fulghum — a reluctant UU evangelist if there ever was one — has about two decent essays in his new book, and just a handful of laughs. The rest of it is a dottering skeleton of a book.

I’m with Peacebang: Ga-ga for Gulley!

By: PeaceBang

PeaceBang — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:37:34 +0000

Derek, thanks for letting us know. Now my crush is even deeper and more serious.

By: Derek

Derek — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:08:10 +0000

Phil is an awesome pastor, and all around good guy. He pastors a Friends meeting near the one where I serve as pastor. Your readers should know, however, that his Universalist Christianity and his outspoken advocacy for the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the Church has not come without a price. The conservative leaning Western Yearly Meeting of Friends (it is like a diocese for Quakers) has been trying to pressure Phil into leaving the ministry, has tried to pressure his congregation into getting rid of him, and failing that is trying to pressure his congregation to leave this yearly meeting.

A witness like his does not come without a price.

By: Comrade Kevin

Comrade Kevin — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:33:07 +0000

I think my number one most dreaded phobia is being stuck in an elevator. Although, being stuck in a dark tunnel has got to be a close second.

By: fausto

fausto — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:19:51 +0000

A year or two ago, I signed up for an online discussion group with Gulley on Beliefnet.com, to discuss the book he had just written with Jim Mulholland, If Grace is True: Why God Will Save Every Person. As you might guess, it’s about universal salvation, and they’re for it.

Well anyway, as it turned out, Gulley had a conflict so Mulholland led the discussion. It was sounding a little as though the two of them thought they had worked out this position on their own from scratch, so I started talking a bit about the historic Universalist Church and what we UUs understand and preserve from our heritage. All of a sudden, instead of Mulholland teaching everybody else, the discussion seemed to morph into, “Oh wow, how cool is that, you’re a real Universalist? Did I get it right?”

To which I had to respond, “Dude, you’re asking me? You’re the trained theologian in the room,” or words to that effect.

But yeah, I think he and Gullley do pretty much get it right.