Hell? Nah!

An author, described as an Evangelical, writes a book that implies that there is no Hell, and a Methodist pastor is fired after he endorses the book on his Facebook page and we have ignition, a news story, or as William Randolph Hearst might say Puff the religious guy who doesn't believe in Hell. Hell is the easiest of concepts to accept if one has come to know that they themselves deserved it but were rescued from it, and the hardest concept to even consider if told that they themselves may go there. Great compassion and fairness is drawn out of people as they argue against the existence of Hell, or so they believe it to be compassion and fairness, but it is much deeper than this. If the message of the gospel was one of simply being a pretty good person, some day to be welcomed by God into Heaven, there would be little if any problem with the concept of Hell, or with Christianity for that matter, for most everyone would consider it highly unlikely that they they would ever be sent there, but that isn't message coming from the Bible. It wouldn't matter if nine out of ten community churches proclaimed salvation through living a "good" life, for there would always be that one in ten speaking directly to them with God-breathed Scripture that truly is a two-edged sword. It is often said that a stopped clock is right two times a day but this is not correct, for time never stops, never in this life that is, but time, as we know it now, will stop in eternity. So the grand argument of thousands upon thousands, and millions upon millions of years of punishment for 20 years as a rebel are baseless, but on them we have convicted God of unfairness. He hasn't met our strict standards of goodness even though we have no idea of what eternity is like without the creation that we live in called time.  So we have installed another god who has been thoroughly vetted and found acceptable. There is no Hell with him and we are comforted, but alas, there is nothing of substance, or value, or joy with him either. Hell is not the only problematic concept of eternity for the concept of Heaven is also problematic. One still has to consider millions upon millions of years. So although Hell is described in Scirpture as one of horror, and Heaven is also described, one of bliss and ecstasy, if we automatically hold them up to the grid of time, both descriptions become overshadowed by what that which we have no ability to even conceive of. We wind up either rejecting Hell as unfair or we relegate Heaven to something that  may be good but definitely not Hawaii.  Although we cannot conceive of, let alone describe eternal damnation, we can conceive of the concept of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a very clear Biblical description of one's reaction to banishment there. There's another problematic area today in the discussion of Hell, that being that the one warning of it implies that he is not going there. Add to that that those saved seem to be very much like those not saved, at least the better ones of those not saved. The audacity of such a warning coming from those who are far from perfect! A few things need to be considered here. Every person born into this world comes in at enmity with God from that first breath and there is no place for them with God in eternity in such a state. No one can change this by their actions. One of the first objections that comes up is why God would create someone that He knew beforehand was going to Hell. Well, there are trillions upon trillions that God potentially could have created but did not create, that escaped this condition and possibility. You are not one of them. You are one of the minuscule, in comparison, number who were created. Have you gone to God and pleaded with Him for mercy? If not, does your original objection not lose its validity for you are no longer innocent, even by your own standards? Consider this also, If you should come to trust in what was done on Calvary, for you, you will then find that you are still in the same body that the ones who warned you of Hell are, with the same temptations. The difference will be that you will then see yourself as even more vile than you may see us now for you will be a new creation, one that sees not only the necessity of a Hell but a place, that by rights, you should go. How do I know this? I know this because I see that in myself, and because it is the truth. You will want to go to your own friends and warn them and advise them, not of the unfairness of God, but of the amazing grace offered to even the blasphemer.  One cannot understand the extreme fairness of being banished until one gets a glimpse of the extreme holiness of the One offended. One cannot see Hell before one begins to see God. One cannot see a place reserved for the rebel until one sees the rebel in himself. The clearer one sees God the less the issue of Hell dominates and the more the issue of His mercy does. The idea of a Hell will continue to draw out great opposition to the Bible. We... will continue to fall short of what the mercy extended to us should be evidenced in us, but no weak Christian kept me from trusting in Christ prior to 1982 and no strong and faithful Christian caused me to believe. Rather, the Word of God, through God's Holy Spirit, became a mirror to me. Objections to a Hell were overwhelmed by objections to my deserving anything good. The topic of Hell needs to be preached and discussed, for even in a perceived enlightened age as today, good is meaningless without bad, law is worthless without punishment, and there cannot be mercy without judgment.

America, America...God Mend Thine Every Flaw

Not since the Civil War has America been imperilled as it is today. The national debt can never be paid down and it went over that edge because of political motivations. We are so globally intertwined that even if we straightened out our own paths, we are handcuffed to others who have no desire to do so. China, no friend to us whatsoever, at least their civilian and military leadership, can bring us down if they want to and if their own current events go south they may implement this option. Israel is surrounded and its enemies, like a pack of wolves or shiver of sharks, need only the smell of blood to unleash another war. Russia would sell our enemies the noose to hang us. Both China and Russia are building their militaries while we are more concerned with what armament contracts can bring in the most votes. Our media, in the main, hates conservative principles, our traditions and heritage, to such an extent that the Marxist, Bill Ayers, Saul Alinsky cabal has a veritable free rein in propagandizing a sizable postmodern, politically correct, idol craving culture. Our borders are porous, bureaucrats legislate and George Soros sits on a mountaintop with his minions ready to swoop down on Dorothy and Toto to steal those ruby slippers. The events of 9/11 even pale in comparison to the organized effort today on every level to bring us down. Yet with all these dangers, and many more, the President of this besieged nation golfs on weekends, parties at night and has shown today that he is more informed and interested in picking the winners in March Madness then any of the aforementioned problems, and others, any one of which can send this world into a tailspin. I wrote in a November 13, 2009 blog titled America...The Beautiful that We know who built this nation. They were in the pulpits, pews and courts, on farms and in the cities, under pilgrim, tricorn and coonskin caps, Civil War kepis, Cavalry hats, helmets and berets. They cooked and sewed and drove rivets when needed. They wore blue and grey, G. I. Brown, navy white, air force blue, jungle and desert camo. Heroes are born in the cauldron of trying times and we are seeing them again today. One can start with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who is actually doing what he promised in his campaign. One might look to Congressman Pete King who refuses to listen to the politically correct crowd as he brings the topic of domestic Islamic fundamentalism under the scrutiny of Congressional hearings, and Florida Congressman Alan West who also steps out to sound this alarm. How about South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint (my choice for President) who warned the incoming Tea Party freshman that they could expect the establishment pols to apply every pressure for them to stay quietly at the end of the line (and some have). Indiana Congressman Mike Pence says that its time to fight. Florida Senator Marco Rubio says he didn't come to the Senate to play games.You can use the term African-American with Thomas Sowell, Star Parker, Herman Cain, and many others who have the same intelligence and grit if you want but I only hear American! Brigitte Gabriel is more a patriot than those who dismiss her. Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann pushes so hard against the gangster mentality of this administration that she draws more spasmodic tantrums than anyone from the leftist revolution. Even Newt Gingrich, to his credit, may have been the first to bring up the subject of possible impeachment. Sarah Palin took on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (sit down big fella, your not anointed yet.) More than a dozen states are saying prove your eligibility before running to be our President. And Sheriff Joe Arpaio....now there's a real American sheriff! How about the Christian women who, in their limited free time, would rather read of Ruth and Orpah than watch Ellen and Oprah; Christan fathers whose children see them thanking God before every meal, Faithful pastors who say you can keep the crowds, I'll preach Christ and seek the approval of the crowds of witnesses gone on before; of teachers whose first priority is the children; of conservatives on university campuses who are two bright to be scammed; of every country music singer that sings of God, family and country; of every retiree who did their part and now shares their wisdom; of every union member who says I'll fight for what is right  and not for what isn't; of every janitor at a Tea Party who is a giant compared to the executive who would rather be on the golf course, and of our military in every mess hall and PX, behind every desk or 50mm gun-wearing private stripes or brass. These are some of our heroes. This nation may not survive. Why God has not ended this experiment as of now is the real mystery but even if we do, their will be a remnant giving glory to God for past mercies given to us that we might help others. I'll finish this blog as I did on November 13th of 2009 with lyrics from that amazing song written by Katherine Lee Bates a century ago.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
and crown thy hood with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
and every gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

Informed Citizenry

When the Tea Parties were in full swing last year, the mainstream news media would search for a few signs that were not deemed proper and highlighted them on their newscasts. For the past two weeks we have seen the opposition's version of Tea Parties. There have been reporters assaulted and their reporting literally prohibited through harassments and there have been numerous other instances that were far more like mob rule than petition for redress of grievances...yet the media saw no problem in them but the average American who raises the banner of Liberalism must recoil at the tactics and the immaturity, let alone the self-centeredness and deception that our media cannot hide.  Democracy without law is fertile ground for anarchy. We lost an election on 2008, an election that in itself was more a product of a supportive news media than the result of votes cast after open and honest debate. Yet we sat back and worked for the next election, and were successful. How does the opposition react...obfuscation and in your face tactics. The situation is serious. As long as the Charlie Sheens' of this nation continue to be of more interest to Americans than the George Soros's, we will remain vulnerable to agitation from outside our borders. Thomas Jefferson wrote on the necessity of an informed citizenry and warned against the expectation of being ignorant and remaining free but it is hard for a citizenry to become informed without a full functioning journalistic profession, and even with one, the lures of this culture offers everything imaginable but leaves despondency in its wake. Nietzsche is not dead. The battle for America is being defended in prayer on our knees, on conservative talk radio, in libraries and Barnes and Noble bookstores, in peaceable rallies at courthouses, in legislatures, on school boards and around lunch tables but the war against us is being planned, not only in caves in mountainous settings and within mosaic tiled walls, but around long tables in lavish Alpine resorts. Chaos is what they want and a mobocracy can deliver this. Order is what we need and that, along with precision, is a tenet of Conservatism.