Does hell exist?
Are biblical references to it just metaphoric? And if it does exist, what are the implications for our
everyday life?
Francis
Chan addresses these issues in his new book: Erasing
Hell. He co-wrote the book
with Dr.
Preston Sprinkle (best name ever!)
I love Francis Chan’s writing mostly because of the zeal that He has for
God, not just in the things he says, but in the way that he lives his
life. He is not afraid to live out
the things he teaches; in fact I dare say, he is afraid not to.
Erasing Hell is only an exception to this in the sections
that Dr. Sprinkle (still the best name ever!) helped write, and it’s fairly
easy to tell where he jumps in because instead of focusing on God and how we
should live for God in light of the issue of hell, he focuses on history and
context.
These things aren’t bad, and I learned some things for them.
For instance there is no record of the Gehanna Valley being a city dump for trash
and corpses with fires that burned continuously. That idea doesn’t even appear until the 13th
century from a European rabbi trying to dispel Christian thought on the idea of
hell. The references Jesus makes to Gehanna is in reference to the Jewish 1st
century understanding of hell as punishment after judgment, which is evidenced
in other Jewish writing of the time.
And that’s a good thing to know. Jesus is talking about a real, honest to goodness, fire and
brimstone, hell. Nothing
else. But it’s Francis’ parts of
the book that make the idea of hell less abstract.
He talks about how sometimes he thinks about his grandmother
who denied Christ until her death and how much sorrow he feels knowing that she
is probably spending eternity in hell.
He talks about how he was sitting in a coffee shop writing this book,
and when he looked up and saw all the people sitting in front of him, he
realized they might all be going to hell too. And how he had to stop writing and talk to them about Jesus.
This is the rub isn’t it?
If you believe there is a hell, and that your friends and
family, coworkers, peers at school, teachers, your boss, the wait staff at the
restaurant, the guy on the street corner, anyone who doesn’t know Christ may be
heading there, how can you go on with life as usual. The only way to do it is to push thoughts of hell out of
your mind, and just send all those people on to their eternity.
Is that loving others as you love yourself? Is that loving God with all your heart,
soul, and strength?
I recommend the book, but don’t get if you’re just looking
for some more knowledge about the subject. Get it if you want to gain the heart of Christ when it comes
to hell and the multitudes trekking blindly towards it everyday.
6 comments:
I like Francis Chan also and it's sad that nowadays, not many pastors are talking about the reality of hell. So many wolves in different churches are in, too. Come to think of it, is this where life is? If we believe in His Word, then life is not here. Life is with Him. And I pray that I will remember how many still need to be told about the Good News. I pray that the Lord will empower His children to boldly share what they know, what we know...Blessings to you.
I was wondering if it was good. I love Francis Chan! He has great sermons and I like his crazy love book as well.
His Forgotten God and B.A.S.I.C. series are excellent as well.
In 2011 world population will reach 7 billion (vs. 3 billion in 1960). There are now approximately 2.2 billion Christians. Chan and Sprinkle seem to be saying that 4.8 billion people may be facing eternal hell.
Concepts of afterlife vary between religions and among divisions of each faith. Not all Christians agree on what happens after this life, nor do all Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or other believers. Rebirth, resurrection, purgatory, universalism, and oblivion are other possibilities...none of which can be proven.
Mystics of all faiths have more in common than the followers of their orthodox religions. True mystics realize that eternal life is here and now; it does not begin after mortal death. The age of Earth is said to be 4.5 billion years, of the Universe 13.7 billion, yet few humans live to be 100. This lifetime is a fleeting moment.
Scriptures are subject to interpretation; people often choose what is most beneficial for them.
I plan on reading this soon. My pastor references the literal hell often. God bless you.
http://boydweeklydevotional.blogspot.com
In the Case For Faith, Lee Strobel interviews J.P. Moreland on the subject of hell and, much to my surprise, Moreland stated that "fire" is referring to judgment, not necessarily physical fire.
I may be wrong but it seemed to me that Moreland did not think of Hell as a fiery furnace but more like C.S. Lewis in "The Great Divorce"...
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