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Read anything interesting lately?

On Faith

Hello, Jessica here.

The Washington Post hosts an online forum called "On Faith" where religious leaders and other notable people in society write columns in response to questions that the moderators pose. These columnists include Jewish leaders, Islamic leaders, Christian leaders in seminaries and elsewhere, atheists, and more.

Questions they have posed include, "Do you believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God? If so, what exactly does that mean? If not, who was he?" and "Can a Christian, Muslim or Jew embrace eastern spiritual practices -- yoga or Buddhist meditation, for example -- and remain true to the laws of the God of Abraham?"

The most recent question is, "Do you believe in heaven or hell? If not, why not? If so, who's going there and how do you know?"
Now, I very rarely visit this column. I usually go when someone points me to it, at a frequency of once every two months or so. And when I go, I usually don't have time to read most of the posts, but I choose a few to see where their position lies. I'll read something by a Jewish guy, skim over something else (i.e., Sam Harris), and then open up the "Christian" posts to see what they say. People I've read include T.D. Jakes, N.T. Wright, Al Mohler, Richard Mouw (president of Fuller Seminary), and syndicated columnist Cal Thomas.

Why am I surprised by what I read? I really shouldn't be, anymore. I "know" about the state of American Christianity, liberal theology and what not. After all, the Apostle Paul did say in 2 Timothy 4,

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."

and yet I am still dumbfounded when I read what some of these people write.

To the latest question on whether heaven and hell exists, and who goes there,

Chester Gillis, Professor of Theology at Georgetown and old Chair of Theology, writes, "I do not know if heaven and hell exist, but I believe they do. I would not presume to know who is, or is not, going to either fate."
I don't know if heaven and hell exist, but I believe they do? What kind of statement is that? It either does or doesn't.

Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, makes some statements about heaven and hell with scripture references but largely misses the point. He writes, Heaven is Hope's address, Grace's goal and Faith's destination. Hell is evil's lair, injustice's reward, and hatred's bosom. ... Hell is Death's invitation to eternity; eternity without God. Who will enter? Only Heaven knows.
nice and fluffy, but its Compelling Factor is about negative 2. hell is death's invitation to eternity without God! oooh. if I hate God in this world, why would I want to be anywhere else but Hell? Heaven knows who will enter? Who's heaven? It's ridiculous.
Are these our nation's Christian leaders? or rather, the leaders of the leaders?

[ continued ]

N.T. Wright's response, as expected, raised more questions then he answered. He says that Heaven and Hell are not the final destination, but there will be a bodily resurrection onto life (the new heavens and the new earth) but ignores the resurrection to judgment (John 5:28-29). He muddles the concepts of people being saved "out of every nation, tribes, peoples and languages" (Rev 7:9, prooftext for limited atonement) and the universalist idea that all people will be saved. Again, there are some good points that he raised, but overall seemed to make the discussion more confusing than anything.

Other responses by Christians include Gardner Calvin Taylor, who says, "I believe heaven is the immediate presence of God. I believe hell is the total absence of God. As to who will be in heaven, I plead a reverent agnosticism."
Chuck Colson writes, "We aren’t sent to hell by God, we send ourselves there by refusing God’s gracious offer." (not horrible, but his piece asserts man's free will and thus, denies God's sovereignty)

Perhaps the one redeeming columnist answer was Cal Thomas' answer. He writes,

Because God is holy, He cannot abide the unholy and that is why hell exists…for the unholy who would pollute perfection. God is, indeed, love and that is why – while we were yet sinners – He sent His only Son to die for us that we might escape hell. Imagine in a court of law the plaintiff who has been wronged offering to pay the penalty for the one who is guilty and you get a tiny sense of what it cost God to redeem us from hell.
....
Scripture repeatedly teaches the existence of a literal Heaven and a literal hell. Whether you believe depends on whether you think God is telling the truth and His Word is reliable. Waiting to find out for sure is too late. Tickets are “on sale” now. Choose your destination. Both are one-way journeys. The trip to Heaven is a free gift that has already been paid for, but like any gift you have to receive it. The trip to hell you must pay (and pay and pay) yourself.

Thank you, Cal Thomas. And note that none of the Christian leaders (seminary professors, seminary chairs, theology professors, senior ministers, etc) said anything like this. This surprised me because heaven and hell is a relatively simple doctrine (compared to other essential but more complex doctrines such as the Trinity, or penal substitution)

A couple thoughts:

1. Respected Christian leaders and teachers do not necessarily have right theology, though they will be judged more strictly if they lead people astray (James 3:1)
2. When presenting a Christian doctrine on a public forum, one can make correct statements, but if he or she fails to present the whole case or purposely ignores a portion of the doctrine, he or she will at best misguide people, or at worst lead them into a heretical doctrine.
3. This is a call for us to pray. and pray hard, for the leaders in the society, for the seminary professors, the theology teachers, for those who are training the leaders. (1 Tim 2:1)
4. Don't be surprised at all the false teaching or the lack of good teaching, though you should mourn that it's happening. All the NT epistles warned us about false teachers (again, see 2 Timothy 4:3-4), and Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)
5. This is a call for us to stand. To take a stand for the Truth, to persevere and endure in the face of opposition. I love the theme verse for the Desiring God 2007 National Conference: Revelation 14:12, "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."

Hebrews 12:1-2 (one of my favorite verses) reads,

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

- Jessica