I’ve written about what happens when the unreached die before. It hardly seems the thing to write it all again. So I’m writing this short post for those searching for anything to do with this rather controversial book. For my thoughts on the unreached and death, go see this post.
Later Update: Relevant magazine has what seems to be a very thoughtful and fair review of the book (I say this not having read the book).
I mostly don’t think about hell because it just makes me angry. If our evangelical view of hell is correct, if all of the bashers are right, if all the doctrinal purists are right, the result for me (if I let myself think about it over much) is a stunning, volcanic, probably bitter anger at an apathetic church that spends hours and days and weeks and months thinking about, talking about, and debating about hell yet that spends not even seconds each year on behalf of 2 billion people who, according to the standard view, are consigned to eternal torture—because the church can’t be bothered to surmount the challenges and reach them with the saving good news if Christ.
(deep breath.) I will grant that some like Piper are concerned about missions but far too many aren’t. (another deep breath.) (this is the chief reason I don’t let myself think about it much.)
If I had an idol (and I pray I do not), like any good evangelical (and I probably still qualify for that label) it would most likely be C.S. Lewis. And although Lewis’s writings are not divine Scripture (though we are sometimes tempted to treat them as such), his interpretation of hell was clearly not eternal torture. Just read either the Last Battle or the Great Divorce and you get a different but far bigger picture of heaven (and a smaller, grayer, duller picture of hell than what many evangelicals paint). I say this only as a (very weak) defense: if I am wrong in thinking hell is not exactly eternal torture, in my musings I stand in good company. (Although this is probably no great consolation.)
So I’m not reading Bell’s book because hell is not a critical issue to me that requires my time. I really don’t have to believe in hell to be saved: it’s not a requirement. I only have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing him as Lord and Savior. He saves me and redeems me for his kingdom. What he saves me from is less important. And because my sights are primarily on heaven, not hell, I try to primarily be about blessings, not curses.
I have no idea if I agree with Bell’s book or not, since I haven’t read it. Do I agree with the positions he espouses as it has been discussed on many websites? Eh… not with most of them (and perhaps not with any, but I haven’t read them all).
I just wish unreached peoples got as much press.
As always, my thoughts are my own, and obviously not an official position of my agency, my friends, my church, my wife, or, probably, of God himself. Undoubtedly in many aspects I am wrong or a least mistaken. I guess in 50 years or so we’ll all find out who was right, who was wrong, and how wise God was all along.
{ 0 comments… add one now }
{ 1 trackback }