Wednesday, April 02, 2008
At first glance you’d probably think I’m resistant to change. I don’t drink Starbucks coffee. I’m still not used to women having tattoos. I’m not getting an earring any time soon. And my wife says I still have the same haircut I had when I was in fifth grade. I assume she thinks that’s a bad thing.
By all appearances you’d think I’m someone that wants to keep things just the way they are. But I’m not. I love change. I love the thrill of staying current, or even staying one step ahead. I love anticipating trends. I’m usually not too concerned with running with the pack.
But there is one change that troubles me: It’s the lack of talk about hell by pastors.
I’m not troubled by who is going to hell. Unfortunately for Boston Red Sox fans, this is one thing we all agree upon.
I’m troubled by the lack of talk about, writing about, preaching about and deeply held conviction regarding the reality of hell by pastors today.
Why is this happening?
We Pastors Want To Appear Compassionate And Inclusive
My daughter’s Elementary school puts on an annual holiday musical program. Every year as I stand there with our camcorder I joke with my wife that it should be renamed, “The Christmas-Hanukah-Kwanza-Buddhist-Skeptic-Hindu-Catholic-Keep everyone from being offended holiday special.”
As a public school, the lengths to which they are willing to include everyone’s traditions and beliefs appear comical, but should be applauded. However, when that same spirit infiltrates the church, it must be cast out. Accommodation in the kingdom of Jesus is always the first sign of betrayal.
Too often we want to appear more moral than God. Too often in outreach-focused churches we feel the need to acquiesce to the avalanche of pluralistic pressure to back off of this key doctrine. However, I believe that if you really love people, at some point you’ll compassionately tell them the truth, even if you risk having them walk out your church doors.
As important as being compassionate and inclusive are in the context of a growing church, the overriding virtue that should be held up is faithfulness – both to scripture and the God who breathed it.
We Pastors Have Strayed From Sound Doctrine
Two years after leaving graduate school I came to the realization that I really didn’t believe in hell anymore. I was too smart to believe in hell. Three years sitting under the gentle but consistent pressure of doctrinally questionable professors quietly eroded my convictions on this key teaching. Like so many church leaders I’ve met over the years, I bought into the lie that I could serve the God of the Bible but not believe in the entire Bible.
During a long retreat at a local monastery I performed an exhaustive word study of the phrase “false doctrine” in the New Testament. When I was finished the Holy Spirit did a number on me. I felt convicted, as I should have. I felt awful, as I should have. I came to the conclusion that I was a liar, as I should have. I dropped to my knees in tears. I repented before God of my duplicity.
I rushed home and called together my Leadership Team, repented, and asked for their forgiveness as well. That Sunday I stood before my congregation and wept, asking for their forgiveness. It was a turning point in my calling before God.
Over and over again we are warned that church leaders must hold to the deep truths of the faith. Hell is one of those deep truths, albeit unpopular. Over and over again we are warned not to be drawn away by unsound doctrine. With pain in his voice that came from years of heading off church train wrecks, Paul pleaded in his final words to Timothy to preach the word, every last bit of it, regardless of how unpopular it becomes.
I’m pretty sure that exhortation still stands.
Read other posts in this series:
Pastors Gone Wild – New Series Begins Today
Why Pastors Yield To Sexual Temptation (Part 1)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? (Part 2)
Effeminate Pastors (Part 3)
Overweight Pastors (Part 4)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 2)
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8 comments:
Mr. Jones, you're pretty lighthearted about this subject with your poke at Red Sox fans. I hear many Christians make similar comments in an attempt to make people laugh. They say they're serious about Jesus or God or, as in your case, hell. Then they make a joke. Why do so many of you do that? How serious really are all of you?
I guess the only thing I can say is that if you hang around here for very long you'll get a better sense of when I'm being serious and when I'm interweaving sarcasm.On this topic I'm dead serious, but that doesn't mean a person can't be serious and weave light-hearted humor throughout a discussion.
The alternative (hellfire and brimstone) isn't very pleasant, wouldn't you agree?
on today's blog - AMEN!
Keep up the good work. That is what makes you a special person/pastor to a GREAT church. To the write before me, soften up. Life is too short not to laugh.
I never thought Hell was funny. Is that not where we will go if not for saving grace. Don't all liars suffer in the lake of fire? At our church we haven't heard the consequence of a life without Jesus, let alone that calling ourselves Christian should have some evidence to that claim. I think Paul called it Fruit of the Spirit. Many will claim, "Lord, Lord" but how many will Jesus know. Sure I can walk up to the White House and say, dude, I know George Bush. That gate won't open. But if George knows me, I will be welcomed with open arms. If the gate doesn't open, where am I? Hell.
Hey bro,
I tend to agree with you wholeheartedly, but..., like the idea of heaven; the issue of hell is very similar. What I mean by that, “What are the "deep truths" of what Heaven and Hell are”? I think many teachers shy away from not teaching on it because they just are not certain what the deep truths are?
Yes, some are being to overly sensitive to being offensive, but I think it is also a certain lack of understanding; thus creating a certain amount of uncertainty. Just my humble opinion of course.
IHL,
Richie
Brian,
Maybe you could do a series on Heaven and then a series on Hell.
People are generally motivated by greed and/or fear. In the Christian context people are motivated to God by the greed for the really good eternal life in Heaven with God or the fear of really the bad life in Hell without God.
For me I think, the fear of going to Hell for eternity without God was stronger than the greed for eternal life in heaven with God.
I wonder what you would learn if you took a survey of Christians on this?
I could try to come up with some jokes which you could add to the Hell series but I think it would be a difficult task. I think Hell would be a very difficult place to joke about. It's a pretty serious situation to be in with no way to get out.
However, I think God probably has a sense of humor and would not forbid us from having a little fun at times while we are here on earth and when we are gathered together.
What did the disciples do in the book of Acts? They were constantly getting together breaking bread and sharing everything. They probably shared some funny stories about their lives and probably had a few laughs, don't you think? I don't think there is anything wrong with a little fun mixed in with serious kingdom business? They probably had a few lost people in their midst while they were sharing their stories. Thousands of people were added to the church each day. I think that is a record that still stands today!
If I was a lost person looking for God, I don't think I would be drawn to any group of people who were boring and didn't seem to know to have any fun. Get me out of there ASAP! Tell me a funny story and would be all ears for what you have to say next.
Ed
If you take all the writers and prophets and disciples of the Bible and put them all together, you would find that Jesus talked more about the doctrine of hell than all of them!
Joel Olsteen has said that he doesn't speak of hell because he just wants to teach what Jesus taught?? Either he has never read the Bible or he is lying?
Ike
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