Here are links to some articles of interest:
"Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years" - an interesting article on universalism (universal reconciliation) as taught by the early Church Fathers. While Orthodoxy does not expressly teach universalism, I believe you will find this article informative: http://www.tentmaker.org/books/Prevailing.html. Also, for a comprehensive site on universalism, including many links to articles and other resources, please check out the website of the Christian Universalist Association (CUA): http://www.christianuniversalist.org.
Regarding universal reconciliation, Bishop Kallistos Ware's comments from his classic book, The Orthodox Church, are worth considering:
"Hell exists as a final possibility, but several of the Fathers have none the less believed that in the end all will be reconciled to God. It is heretical to say that all must be saved, for this is to deny free will; but it is legitimate to hope that all may be saved. Until the Last Day comes, we must not despair of anyone's salvation, but must long and pray for the reconciliation of all without exception. No one must be excluded from our loving intercession. 'What is a merciful heart?' asked Isaac the Syrian. 'It is a heart that burns with love for the whole of creation, for humans, for the birds, for the beasts, for the demons, for all creatures.' Gregory of Nyssa said that Christians may legitimately hope even for the redemption of the devil." (1997, p. 262)
Here are links to some of my articles dealing with a number of theological and psychological topics:
"The Destiny of the Race of Man": www.westernorthodox.com/destiny
"Elements and Influence of Judaism Prior to the New Testament Period": www.westernorthodox.com/judaism
"The Development of Monasticism From Prior to Anthony the Great to Benedict of Nursia": www.westernorthodox.com/monastic
"A Comparison of the Theological Schools of Alexandria and Antioch": www.westernorthodox.com/schools
"Biofeedback for Reducing Stress": www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=87025&from=PROFILE
"Don't Let Technology Psych You Out!": www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=48570&from=PROFILE
"Refuse to Worry About Your Health!": www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=48563&from=PROFILE
"Thought Stopping, Thought Distraction, and Negative Self-Talk": www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=87028&from=PROFILE
How to purchase my books:
You can find my books listed at online sites such as www.amazon.com and www.bookfinder4u.com. Just type my last name into the sites' search engines to see a list of my currently available books.
