Bringing Many Sons to Glory: How Your Journey Will End - Paperback

by Stanley C. Baldwin (Author)

The title of this book, "Bringing Many Sons to Glory," is a direct quote from the Bible (Hebrews 2:10). The quote sums up what Jesus is all about-why he came, what he preached, why he died, and what he is up to now. Yet, churches and individual believers often hold tenaciously to two views at odds with that quote. First, they think God will bring few rather than many sons to glory. Second, they think most humans will end up in hell, a place of eternal shame and pain, not glory. What are we to do with these conflicting views? The gospel, which means "good news," fits with bringing many sons to glory, but the shame and pain message is an asterisk gospel: "Jesus saves . . . *but most people will still be lost." That is devastatingly bad news since it damns so many and damns them so horribly. It also makes God look mean rather than loving. Why do people cling to such bad news? One reason is that they think the Bible teaches it and therefore they must accept it by faith. "Bringing Many Sons to Glory" looks at Bible passages relevant to both sides of the question. Sometimes this involves observing a distinction between related but different words in Bible text, such as the Greek krisis, krima, and krino, all of which are translated judgment but usually relate respectively to a trial, a verdict, and a sentence. There is a great difference between being on trial, being convicted, and being sentenced for a crime, but in English each one may be called a judgment. "Bringing Many Sons to Glory" shows how this one biblical teaching (about judgment), resolves much of the conflict over man's final destiny. Other passages and teachings also shed light without turning the book into a difficult theological treatise or an intricate word study of the type produced by and intended for professionals. In just under 200 easy-to-read pages, the author brings the Bible and common sense together to defend God's goodness and offer realistic hope to all who seek it. An alphabetical index enables the reader to quickly access 136 related topics, from "age of accountability" and "annihilation" to "reconciliation" and "wrath of God." A second index lists 210 Bible references and indicates the page numbers where they are applied to the "many-sons-to-glory" concept. A unique feature of this book is its "Prospectus." On the page facing the Table of Contents, the prospectus lists eight questions related to human destiny and indicates pages where each is discussed. For example, Question 1 is "Will evil exist in some form eternally or will it disappear from the universe completely?" (See pages 44, 100-102, 106, 169-170, 174-176.) Baldwin, 20 years a pastor of evangelical churches and a prolific author, traces his own journey from a troubling asterisk gospel to what the Christmas angel called "good news of great joy that will be for all the people." In "Bringing Many Sons to Glory," Baldwin says that God, who is love, is also wise enough and powerful enough and good enough and big enough to ensure that glory becomes the final destination of many sons and daughters, including some we think least likely to be there.

Author Biography

Google the name Stanley C. Baldwin and you will find listing after listing of his many books published over the years. And, yes, all those listings are for one and the same author who in 2017 has written "Bringing Many Sons to Glory." You may find also a posting or two relating to the death of Stanley C. Baldwin. I am pleased to announce that's a different fellow. As you will discover, Stanley C. Baldwin was writing and publishing on the subject of heaven as early as 1964. That means he has been exploring these truths in depth for more than 53 years now. His extended article, "The Glories of Heaven" is not only listed on Google (on the fourth page of Stanley C. Baldwin notices) but the text of the article is carried in full as it was published by "Christianity Today" on May 22, 1964 and reissued in June of 2003. Over the years Baldwin has been published by almost every major Christian publisher and he has produced four best-sellers numbering in excess of 300,000 copies each. Those titles are "The Kink and I--a Psychiatrist's Guide to Untwisted Living" with Dr. James D. Mallory; "What Did Jesus Say about That?"; "Your Money Matters" with Malcolm MacGregor, and "Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness" with Jerry Cook. On a more personal note, he has been married to Marjorie Antoinette Iverson Baldwin for 68 years. They have five children, four of whom survive, and 14 grandchildren, plus a large extended family. What joy! Stanley and Marjorie live in Portland, Oregon.