Questioning Hell?

I'm back!  Did you miss me?  Sorry for the absence; life got a bit crazy.

So, have you read Rob Bell's Love Wins?  Okay, so it came out last year (and I read it about that time, so my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details), but the questions Bell raises in the book have both represented a segment of the Christian population, as well as have created a firestorm of controversy.  So many times people accept what is taught them without stopping to wonder if it is correct.  Does the typical understanding of hell really come from the Bible, or is a later development that gets read into the Bible (especially as words such as "hades" get translated as "hell", two words that have very different connotations)?

I encourage you to think about what place "hell" has in your understanding of God, life, and Christ's work on the cross.  What does the Bible actually say?  Below are two links, one to a blog series and the other a single blog entry, that challenge the typical understanding of "hell."  Read them and come back here to let me know what you think!

95 Tweets Against Hell
Hell Yes. Hell no! Or Who the Hell Cares?

What do you believe about hell?

By Paths As Yet Untrodden...

Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (from the Book of Common Prayer)

Isn't that what life is so often like?  "Life is a highway" as the song says.  We are walking along the way.  God, through Scripture and the Spirit, gives us two main things for this journey of life.  We have the Way we are called to walk, a Way of loving God and our neighbor, a Way of Justice for all and hope for the oppressed.  God has give us the Torah and shown us the best way to live this life.

But, that's not all!  God doesn't just give us a map and sends us on our way.  God promises to be there with us every step.  Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us. God has sent us his Spirit to live inside of us.  We know that God is for us, so who (of consequence) can be against us?

So, as we set out on our unknown ventures and untrodden paths, let us remember each step of the way that the  God who loves us more than we can ever imagine is with us every moment, every breath, every heartbeat.

AMEN!

The Good News (REALLY!)

The true gospel (good news) that Jesus brings is this:  "God loves you, and..."

"God loves you, and will give you peace."
"God loves you, and will never leave you or forsake you."
"God loves you, and will keep you safe."
"God loves you, and accepts you as you are."
"God loves you, and forgives all of your bad choices."

The most important message that Jesus came to give was that each of us (YOU included) is especially beloved by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what struggles or joys you are facing, you are infinitely LOVED.  Isn't that good news?

What is the good news you want to hear from Jesus today?

What is the Question?

You might have heard people say "Jesus is the answer."  But, what is the question?  What is the question that Jesus answers.  What is the problem that Jesus solves?

Previously, I wrote about the work of Jesus bringing or transforming us from "the bad" to "the good."  The work of Jesus is transforming the universe.  In the end, I believe that Jesus is the answer to every problem we face, whether we know it or not.

• Are you lonely?  Jesus (and the loving community he creates) is the answer.
• Are you scared?  Jesus (and his loving power) is the answer.
• Are you worried or stressed?  Jesus (and the loving peace that surpasses all understanding) is the answer.
• Are you an outcast?  Jesus (the loving friend of the outcast) is the answer.
• Are you frustrated with the Christian church (or just some Christians)?  Jesus (the real one) is the answer, and he can be frustrated with the church as well!   (Don't believe me, check out Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22).
• Are you feeling guilty?  Jesus (and the loving forgiveness he offers) is the answer.

No matter what problem you are facing, the Almighty God of the universe, who became flesh as Jesus the Messiah, is the answer.  Now, the real Jesus is not the same judgmental, exclusive "us vs. them" savior that many Christians say he is.  The real Jesus preferred the company of outcasts and criminals (prostitutes and tax collectors) to the self-righteous religious establishment.  The real Jesus suffered and died to show his love.

Also, here's an excellent blog article:  Atonement, Theoretically  Read it!!!

Can You Wear an Empty Tomb?

As (Western) Christians, we so often focus on the cross.  It's not a bad thing to focus on.  I really believe it's not.  It shows us just how much Jesus loves me.  We could sing, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Cross it tells me so!"

But, this Easter season, I wonder, "Can you wear an empty tomb?"  Do we sometimes focus on the death of Jesus as the substance of our "salvation" to the exclusion of the Incarnation and Resurrection?

I just wanted to say that.  Now on to the real post.

Going back to my last post, I questioned whether the death of Jesus was "necessary" or "inevitable."  I will admit that it might be both, but I'm going to argue that the death of the Messiah was inevitable, not necessary.  (If you disagree, please argue back!)  God freely forgives our errors and bad choices, freely heals our sicknesses and slaveries, and freely transforms our hearts into temples by and for the Holy Spirit.

Here's an analogy:  A firefighter, who has devoted his life to fighting fires and saving lives, arrives at a fire.  His experience tells him it's a bad one.  A neighbor tells him that the family, parents and children, are still inside.  He knows that if he doesn't act, they will all die.  He knows that if he does act, he might not make it out alive.  So, out of love and duty, he plunges into the burning building and makes a way for the family to get out.  He does not.  His last act in life was to get others to safety.

This firefighter is a hero.  We can say that he saved others.  We can say that he delivered them from the power of the flames.  We can say that he sacrificed his life for this family.  In a very real way, he traded his life for theirs.  But, we cannot say that the fire required the death of one to save the others.  We definitely cannot say that God required the death of the firefighter in order to save the family.

The firefighter knew that his death was inevitable.  He could have walked away and lived a longer life.  But, that is not the choice he made.  He chose to walk the path that led to his death, a path God knows only too well.

God knew that in order to transform the world that he had so lovingly created, a world twisted by selfishness, fear, and doubt, God would have to do something different.  The creation could not heal itself.  God would need to infuse himself into creation in a new way to renew the face of the earth.  God also knew what happened when those in power encountered a challenge.  He knew that when God became incarnate, some would love him, and some would hate him.  And, he knew that Jesus would die, nailed to a Roman cross.  God could avoid the pain of the cross, the suffering of the Son of Man, but to do so would be to walk away from the Creation God loves.  And, God could not deny himself.  So, God the Son became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended to the dead.

God knew this was going to happen.  And, he knew the end of the story.  He knew that the death of the God-man would lead inevitably to the resurrection of this same God-man.  He knew that the whole movement of transformation required the Incarnation, the suffering, the death, and Resurrection of the Messiah, and the sending of the Holy Spirit in power.  All of this was inevitable for the necessary transformation of the human heart and all of Creation.

Jesus came into this world knowing that he would suffer and die.  But, he loved YOU so much that he was willing to do it.

Problems with the Cross

Okay, so I know that we are in the season of Easter (I come from a liturgical tradition), but I felt my last full post was unfinished.  The question still haunts me:  "Why did Jesus have to die?"

I believe that Jesus, God in the flesh, did die on that Roman cross.  I believe that God is ultimately the King of the Universe.  But, I also believe that a lot of bad stuff happens that is not how God wants life to be.  That is why Jesus teaches us to pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  God's kingdom and will are not always (usually, or even often) done on earth.

The question I struggle with is whether the crucifixion of God's Son was inevitable or necessary.

Necessary means that for God's good purposes for transforming the world into his kingdom, the perfect blood of Jesus had to be shed as a sacrifice.  This means that the story of Abraham attempting to sacrifice his son Isaac by his own hand (which I find extremely disturbing) was perfectly fulfilled in God using the sinful hands of the religious and political leaders to kill (sacrifice) his own Son.  To put this even more crudely, God couldn't forgive the sins of the world without killing his own Son.

Inevitable means that God, in his infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, knew that when Jesus came as the Incarnate Word (preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God, healing and bringing life, shining light into the darkness) some people would love him, but many would hate him.  The message of God throughout the whole Bible is bad news for those who love power, pride, oppression, and greed.  God's kingdom is topsy-turvy to our fallen world.  So, many try to extinguish a light shining into the darkness.  The shedding of Jesus' blood was not the ultimate aim, but the Incarnation of the Word and the Victory of the Resurrection were.  Suffering and death was an inevitable step, but not a desired one.

What do you think?  I know I'm struggling with my own comfort zone with this one.  What about you?

Your Turn: Easter Edition

Happy Easter!  Before I go further, I'd like your thoughts.

So, how has (does) the empty tomb changed your life?

How has (does) the empty tomb change the world?