since eunice didn't tag anyone, i'll jump in.
after one week at YTI, i've decided to make the most earnest effort to never discuss hell again. no matter how hard we try, if the gospel is allowed to venture into saying who is going where, hell becomes the dominant issue. it makes sense; if hell is a place of eternal, conscious torment, wouldn't you like to find out how to not go there?
and that's the problem-- the gospel is then reduced into drawing boundaries, seeing who's in and who's out. do i just have to ask for forgiveness? how much life change is necessary? isn't all grace? what about those who never heard? what about those who heard, but still lived a good life? this is very personal for me, since my family is not christian, and most of my aunts/uncles/cousins aren't either.
instead, i want the gospel to be about the availability of the reign of God. we can now be reconciled to God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. even more exciting is the invitation to live and participate in God's restoration of creation. the gospel becomes dynamic, fluid, alive and unpredictable.
and now the dominant motif shifts from forgiveness to journey. bring hell into the picture, and the gospel centers on forgiveness, with transformation being a consequence. a gospel of the kingdom will also have forgiveness as a fundamental value, as well as invitation, repentance and renewal.
as for hell, i have faith that our God is just. when the judgment day comes, and God sifts the wheat from the tares, i know i will see what God has done and think, "that was right. that was good. that was just."
anyway... just some thoughts. i tag pastor young to go next.
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3 comments:
i have informed p.young
i'm incredibly frustrated that i have to deal with procrastinating work (during the summer, no less!?!)right now, so i'll indulge myself a little more and muse here before picking up the work i should be doing.
this entry made me want to write. a lot. just thinking back on the last few years, i remember having conversations with people about God that essentially boiled down to one issue: hell. i think i categorize myself as having a history of being a legalist-turned-grace-based-but-still-dealing-with-the-fallout-of-growing-up-with-leaglism christian (can anyone relate or is this just me?). thus, i want people to not let hell be the focus (and not let myself think about it too much either), but then that makes me feel a little uneasy at times because i wonder if i'm trying to undermine God's justice, holiness, etc., etc.
i agree with danny that as acf, we should direct people towards Jesus as the ruler of his perfect kingdom where everything good and right that he intends is just so - however, i still can see people asking, "but wait..." and wanting to discuss all the ramifications of the hell issue. even if we steer the topic towards a kingdom-minded view of salvation, i can see acfers still needing to discuss hell. and i don't discredit them. i think they ask a lot of questions that i'm sometimes too complacent to ask.
i was kinda in the mood to rant, so i'm not sure what conclusions this comment leads to, but these are just some of my thoughts.
btw, this entry stirred something in my memory that made me think of an article called "confessions of a dangerous mind." it ran in portland's version of creative loafing called "willamette week" and is about a writer that i like, a cool cat named don miller. if you're in the mood, google it. it's not specifically relate to this entry, but it was a good read (a bit long, fyi).
also, i'm just bursting to share this b/c i just read it an hour ago, but i found a recent op-ed by david brooks (google: "a partnership of minds") to be really compelling. in some loose (or maybe not so loose) way, i could see it relate...it's just an awesome read. all i've been doing is reading/writing this summer - this is how i get my thrills= ) i've lost all social skills....yikes.
i envy you, eunice. all i've been doing is reading/writing this summer sounds like more than enough excitement for me. what i wouldn't do to just kick back and read novels and getting lost in my thoughts. although most of your reading and writing is probably for your job but still...
anyways, i agree with eunice in that it's hard to avoid talking about hell. i believe we, as sinners, are due just punishment for our sins and thus there must be conversation regarding that punishment, hell. i know it sounds very old-school, john edwards-y but as followers of Christ, we have to acknowledge and fear the "wrath" of our creator. otherwise, where is Justice (in the truest sense) for God?
although these might be shallow thoughts from me (it is 3am), cutting out pieces of the gospel so it's easier to swallow is a dangerous move. i say "dangerous" because if you do choose to cut things out, it's harder to understand the big picture, the whole story. like eunice said, it's hard to talk about following Christ without talking about hell. people are going to ask why. now obviously, i'm sure you (danny) know like a million times more than i do about hell and its theology so i know you understand it but others may not be so quick to understand. therefore, i think there is a need to talk about hell.
however i do agree with you, danny. it is hard to accept good people with good morals "deserve" hell. but the beauty of the gospel is that it doesn't lie w/in good acts or good intentions. as i'm sure you know, it's about christ so that everyone and anybody can join in! also, i don't think the whole focus of being christian in the world is to get to heaven. i believe it's for us to worship God in our lives and eternally, to live our our response to God's love for us for Him.
hmm sorry this comment is all over the place. i can't get my thoughts in a coherent order. maybe that's why i can't finish this DARN AAMCAS primary. >:O
anywho, where's pastor young at? haha
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