APATHY

Topping the list of challenges faced by pastors in a recent Lifeway Research study of 1,000 pastors was this: 

• People’s apathy or lack of commitment

75% of pastors polled indicated their flock's apathy was a significant challenge to them. 

3 out of every 4 pastors!

A word of advice to pastors: Guard yourselves. Your attitudes and your words. This frustration over your congregation's apathy can leak into your sermons. I have heard it happen plenty of times.

It reveals itself in condescension. And complaining. And assuming. The pastor may end up preaching only to the uncommitted, leaving the spiritually mature unfed.

I once heard a pastor say, "People never change".

Woe to you if you preach a book that holds out the promise of transformation while resigning yourself to a belief that people's hearts are forever static. 

What do we make of the 25% who did not see their congregation's apathy as a serious challenge?

Maybe some segment of those pastors have such low expectations that they aren't bothered. Maybe they quit asking for commitment years ago.

Or maybe they have so many other problems that apathy just doesn't rank in their top 20. 

But I have to believe that a large part of that 25% isn't bothered by their flock's apathy precisely because their flock is engaged and ever-growing in their commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.

Is there a secret anti-apathy recipe?

I am sure this is a gross oversimplification, but what if those pastors are ...

Preaching the whole gospel?

Expecting transformation?

Discipling individuals?

Calling out sin?

While also ...

Accepting that there are tares among the wheat and that's just the way it's always going to be?

SOME PASTOR STATS

Lifeway Research asked 200 pastors for a list of challenges they face in ministry. That list was run past another 200 pastors and ultimately the researchers compiled a comprehensive list of 44 items that were frequently mentioned.

Next, 1,000 pastors were asked to check which items on that list of 44 were challenges for them personally.

That seems a solid way to gather accurate data. 

Nevertheless, it is safe to assume some of these may not accurately portray the whole truth. Even if the survey was completely anonymous, it would be hard for some pastors to admit to struggling with certain issues. So I am guessing some of these are on the low side.

With that in mind, here are the challenges that got the most "votes":

• People’s apathy or lack of commitment: 75%
• Consistency in personal prayer: 72%
• Friendships and fellowship with others: 69%
• Training current leaders and volunteers: 68%
• Consistency of Bible reading not related to sermon or teaching preparation: 68%
• Trusting God: 66%
• Relationships with other pastors: 64%
• Consistency in taking a Sabbath: 64%
• Stress: 63%
• Personal disciple making: 63%
• Confessing and repenting from personal sin: 61%

In future posts, I would like to offer some thoughts on some of these statistics from the perspective of someone who has had some experience pastoring a small country church. 

In the meantime, read that list again and give it some thought. Pastoring is a tough job. Pastors deserve more empathy than we generally offer. And more of a helping hand.

You can see more details about the research and its findings HERE. 

SPRING BANQUET

A few bleary-eyed reflections on an eventful evening after a long day... 

Our Mission Resource Spring Banquet was tonight. There is so much I could say about it, but I have so little energy and focus to say it.

It is now after midnight because ... after all the festivities, I had to spend some time catching up with my friend Tim Price.

He came all the way from St. Louis area to provide our music tonight and brought along his daughter Ruby. Both are incredibly talented. (I gladly take credit for being the one to not only incorporate some worship time into our evening but to invite Tim to lead it.)

Scott Laskowski gave the keynote address, an impressive presentation. Who would have guessed we would be focusing on fertilizer for the evening. And its connection to missions. I am still getting to know Scott, but I can tell you he is a fascinating guy. 

Here's the guy who has given me the opportunity to continue life as a missionary: Dave Ketchum. He's got such a heart for the poor and oppressed. The more I get to know him, the more I admire him.

We had a good crowd despite a good number of last minute cancelations. 

A group of awesome people. My only real regret for the evening was that I couldn't just sit and enjoy a relaxed dinner with these folks.

MOSES

It's the night before the Spring Banquet - Mission Resource's annual celebration of the past, look to the future, and fundraiser. This date has been on the calendar since before I started with Mission Resource in January. 

Somehow this feels like my official start.

And I am a bit nervous. Mostly excited though. 

I am using Exodus 3 in my speech tomorrow night and parts of that story feel very relevant to me at the moment. I guess I am feeling a bit like Moses must have felt like as he approached the burning bush: scared beyond belief, unsure of how the future will unfold, feeling inadequate ... 

And knowing there's nowhere else he would rather be. 

THE EXPERTS

In the age of "trust the science" and "fake news", my estimation of any particular person's "expertise" on anything has been greatly diminished. 

For one thing, experts are still human beings - with their own unique biases and vast areas of complete ignorance. Add in faulty human reasoning. In fact, the more years that person invested in that study, the greater the pull of confirmation bias: everywhere they will see evidence that confirms "I was right!" 

Meanwhile, all evidence to the contrary will be downplayed or ignored entirely. We all do this.  

(Besides, how often do 100% of the experts agree on anything? You can only get 4 out of 5 to agree on which toothpaste is best. Somebody is wrong. Is the majority position always right?) 

So I must confess something: When it comes to theological "experts", if such an expert is recommended to me, the first thing I do is check out their stance on Calvinism.

I just type "Was J.I. Packer a Calvinist?" into Google and - boom - I learn something about this particular expert. (He was.)

To be clear, I am not saying that when I discover some theologian is a Calvinist that in my mind it calls into question every last thing that person has taught. (But definitely SOME of what they have taught.)

It simply serves to remind me that any expert can be wrong in big and important ways. 

And that, I think, is a good and useful perspective to keep in mind.

_____________________________________

And if you think that I am wrong in my stance on Calvinism, then good for you! You might be right. Feel free to question everything an Arminian expert teaches. The fact still stands that SOME THEOLOGIANS are 100% incorrect on at least one important topic. We might disagree about who is wrong, but we both should conclude that "expert" does not equal "right". 

By the way, it should be obvious that I have a confirmation bias against Calvinists, so anyone wanting to sway my opinion on a theological matter would be wise to quote "experts" who lean Arminian. 

😏 

COFFEE SHOP

As a general rule, I don't pay for coffee away from home. What I pay is the price of admission to a coffee shop.

I am buying an experience, not a beverage. 

When indoor seating in coffee shops was suspended by the pandemic, I was amazed to see people continue through the drive-thru. 

Why? For heated bean water?

That's not worth 3 or 4 or 5 bucks a cup. Not in my book.

(If you are going to get addicted to something, find something cheap. That's my motto.)

But the value of even 20 minutes in a coffee shop cannot be easily calculated.

It's a place to think. To discuss. To breathe. 

A coffee shop reminds you that you are an adult.

And that being an adult is not all bad.

LILIES

Today I am embarrassed by a long delay in my comprehension of something which happens in our yard every year. And I never made the connection. 

Each spring we get daffodils, but we also get these big bushy sprouts of long, green leaves that look like they should be MORE daffodils, but they produce no flowers. They are in the front yard, on the side of the house, and in the backyard. After a few weeks the leaves start looking pretty ragged and I cut them down and throw them on the yard waste pile. 

Each year I think, "I need to figure out what that is and see if I need to get some specific fertilizer to get it to bloom." 

Of course, I never get around to it. 

It has crossed my mind to dig them up and just be done with them. They have been saved only by my inherent optimism ("someday they will bloom!") coupled with my inherent procrastination ("someday I will pull those out of the ground!"). 

But yesterday I remembered one of the many capabilities of the modern smart phone: the "Google Lens" app. I took a picture of the mystery plant to identify what type of flower I should be expecting.

The app worked: Lycoris Squamigera.

Also known as the Resurrection Lily or Surprise Lily. Or, as Melissa heard it: the Pop Up Lily.

And once I saw photos of the bloom, I instantly recognized it:

These things bloom at the end of summer - in the front, side and back yard of our house! - and I never made the connection that it was the same plant. Of course, the blooms coming so long after the spring foliage fades away is exactly why they are called Resurrection/Surprise/Pop Up Lilies. 

Thank goodness I never dug them up.

I am sure there is a great life metaphor in there somewhere. 

Maybe it's a metaphor about our impatience and giving up on something - or someone - too quickly. 

Before the blooming...

 

WALK

I think most present-day Americans would agree that our collective thinking leaves much to be desired. (Those who haven't noticed this problem are probably not doing too much thinking at all, in my opinion.)

We blame it on the short attention span that has been fostered by technology. To an extent, I am sure this has an impact.

But maybe the bigger issue is how much of our time the screens consume. Especially the percentage of our leisure hours. There is no longer any "down time", only "screen time". 

I doubt the cure for our lack of critical thinking will come through our education system. And it won't come from the internet - critical thinking skills run counter to the business model.

Here's my suggested cure: a mandatory daily walk for every citizen. Twenty minutes minimum. No headphones. 

** Just alone with your thoughts. **

(Or holding hands with your sweetheart, your kids, or your elderly parent.) 

Mandatory walks for every man, woman, and child in the country. No matter the weather. Day after day after day.

It's impossible to institute, of course, but can you doubt that such a thing would result in a real shift in our culture? 

Of monumental proportions. 

And 100% for the better.

BETRAYED BY CHEESE?

Tonight I fear I have discovered the cause and the cure for two minor health issues that have plagued me for years. 

Problem #1 is in my left ear. It's like a perpetual ear infection without the pain: the sort of sound distortion you get when your ears don't "pop" as you drive up a mountain. It especially bothers me with hearing my own voice. I have stopped singing in church because of it. 

(A minor inconvenience since I don't care to sing along with most of the contemporary praise songs anyway.)

The other problem is my voice itself. I catch myself clearing my throat quite a bit and - lately - feeling like my vocal cords are tightening up when I speak. My words come out strangled. Like my hearing issue, some days it's worse than others.

On our evening walk two days ago, Melissa commented on how much I clear my throat lately. We had never talked about it before. She suggested I might need to "see somebody". 

With that conversation, something clicked inside my head. Melissa has certainly learned in recent years how much certain foods can affect her health. How a person can develop allergies or "sensitivities" over time. 

My morning coffee was lately making my throat worse rather than better... ever since I had started buying my own creamer instead of using Melissa's almond milk.

What if the culprit is milk?

I have never had a dairy allergy before but ...

          A) I am now 54, and things do fall apart.

          B) Allergies, I know, can develop suddenly.

          C) Allergies, I also know, can start mild and progress to unbearable.

So I decided to cut out dairy entirely as an experiment. 

And I am sad to report that after just 48 hours my hearing has improved. 

I am hoping it's my imagination...

OPTIONS

As a freshman in college, I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue. And I was scared. 

And ignorant.

I was ignorant of my own skills and interests and I was ignorant of the incredible variety of jobs and workplaces in this big old world.

So I went for the one job that I knew (outside of running a cash register at the family hardware store). 

That was teaching. Very familiar territory by the time you have finished 12 years of schooling.

Ultimately, it turned out that teaching was a good fit for me. So I had moved in the right direction even though my motivation was skewed by fear and ignorance.

Now it amazes me that I had so little imagination regarding my career choice.

At 54, I can easily think of a couple of dozen careers I could have really enjoyed. 

Don't worry - I am not talking here about regret. (Even though most other career choices would have paid significantly better than teaching and youth ministry ever did.) I don't sit around wishing I had become a psychologist or a novelist or an architect instead. All I am saying is that I have wider interests now than I ever entertained as a teenager. 

And that's a good thing. It keeps life interesting.

Besides, I don't have to regret anything since my current situation allows me to build my own job description. It looks like it will involve cross-cultural missions, teaching, writing, preaching, studying, and photography, among other skills and interests. 

And that's just fun. God has been good to me.  

SECONDHAND

An old high school classmate of mine posted about his adult son on Facebook: "I am really not a religious person, but my son could use all the prayers he can get. He has just entered a rehabilitation center."

It's heartbreaking. Not only because of all the pain and destruction which addiction brings, but even more because this man seems to grasp on some level that faith holds the key.

But the key is not in his hand. He is left to summon secondhand faith.

It seems to me an indictment of the church that my old friend has no idea that authentic Christian faith offers exactly what he desires for his son: the breaking of bondage to sin followed by an actual desire AND ability to live a new, righteous life. 

It is doubtful the radical transformation my friend desires for his son could come apart from the power of God. I fear neither of them will find it in a culture of discount Christianity. 

I will pray, of course.

But will secondhand faith suffice for this father or his son?

EQUATION

Does anyone else have a fear of the following equation?

Our human propensity to Believe just about anything...

+

The current hair-trigger on getting Offended (On behalf of ourselves AND on behalf of others) ...

+

The Internet as a whole and Social Media in particular...

+

America's Poverty (Which is a poverty of relationships, not of material stuff)

=

Impending cultural Disintegration

Please tell me my fears are unfounded. 

Tell me the pendulum will swing back toward genuine conversations, rational disagreements, and grace-filled forgiveness. 

LEARNING

"Learning is so much fun. So enjoyable."

My students always protested whenever I said something like this. They would shoot back, "Are you serious? I hate school!"

A handful seemed to grasp my reply: "I didn't say school. I said learning. There's a huge difference."

Sometimes I would use this example to clarify: "Take your favorite video game. The first time you sat down with it, you had no idea what to do. But you learned. And that learning was so much fun that it didn't even strike you as learning. Now you keep coming back, drawn by the prospect of learning something new."

I am truly enjoying life right now and the fun of learning is a big part of that.

I am learning about writing. About psychology. About John Wesley, Mission Resource, and business as ministry. Self-discipline and habits. Even fertilizer.

I even feel like I am more attentive to what I can learn about my wife and kids.

Most importantly, I am continuing to learn about Faith. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I am truly excited to open my Bible each morning. 

There's so much to take in.

I don't remember the last time I felt bored. 

A MORNING LIKE THIS

Why do we experience a profusion of Christmas carols each winter and such a scarcity of "Easter carols" each spring? We get plenty of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" but maybe a single Sunday morning of "Up from the Grave He Arose" or "Christ the Lord is Risen Today". 

I am left to conjure up some good Easter music in my imagination. 

Do you recall the name Sandi Patty? She was a popular Christian vocalist in the 80s with a powerful voice. Her Easter song, "Was It a Morning Like This?", has been nearly forgotten by everyone else, but the melody and tune, buried deep in my brain, rise again every Easter for me.

For a Christian culture that has grown overly familiar with the resurrection story - to the point of being almost blasé about it - Patty's lyrics capture the wonder and surprise of that first Easter. She imagines those moments just before the disciples heard the incredible news, the moments when only nature itself was aware of the seismic spiritual shift that had just occurred. 

Only Jesus and the grass under his feet were aware of this new reality that had risen with the morning sun:

Was it a morning like this

When the Son still hid from Jerusalem?

And Mary rose from her bed

To tend the Lord she thought was dead.

Was it a morning like this

When Mary walked down from Jerusalem?

And two angels stood at the tomb

Bearers of news she would hear soon.

Chorus:

Did the grass sing?

Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?

Over and over like a trumpet underground

Did the earth seem to pound "He is risen!"?

Over and over in a never-ending round

"He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

Was it a morning like this

When Peter and John ran from Jerusalem?

And as they raced toward the tomb

Beneath their feet was there a tune?

What it a morning like this

When my Lord looked out on Jerusalem?

He is risen!

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

And of course the answer to Patty's question is "Yes, it was a morning exactly like this morning!"

The same wonder is due this morning. The same resurrection power stands ready today.

Happy Easter!

----------------

You can listen to the song on YouTube right here. 

It's a good use of 3 minutes!

TAX TIME

Every April the gratitude I feel for my wife skyrockets. 

Because she does the taxes.

This year Sarah is the only one in the family to avoid Uncle Sam's scrutiny. As for the rest of us, we look to Melissa to take care of all the paperwork. 

Our three college students have no idea what mom is saving them from. Yesterday evening she presented neat stacks of finished tax papers for each one around the kitchen table and called on them to add their signatures and address the envelopes. 

That was the sum of their responsibility, and still they groaned.

Me? I know how good I've got it. Those forms are a royal pain in the backside: The tiny print. All the numbers. The math. The documentation. The obtuse government language. The fear of going to prison.

So when Melissa finishes our taxes (after spending a good chunk of her Easter weekend on them), I plan to pour her a glass of wine and massage her feet.

In fact, as my tax preparer, she could charge me 365 foot rubs a year and I would gladly pay it.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean - if, God forbid, the feds ever came for us - that I wouldn't pin all the blame on her.

TYPOS

Sometimes I think it would be cool to write a book. But I don't know if I could ever do it. 

Not because I wouldn't have enough opinions or stories to fill a book. And not because I couldn't figure out how to say what I wanted to say.

The writing part I suppose I could handle. I just would be hesitant to publish it.

Why? 

I am the stereotypical "judgmental English teacher" type. If even one typo made it into MY final publication, I would be mortified. I know I would obsess over that mistake.

"Here's a copy of my book. Please ignore the misspelling at the bottom of page 95." 

And if I made more than one mistake? Lord have mercy. 

It's not like I never make mistakes. I make plenty of mistakes in my writing here and elsewhere. I suppose I catch 99% of them. And the ones I don't see, I can always go back later and edit.

But a mistake in a book? That's forever.

I bring this up because I have been reading a book about how John Wesley nurtured spiritual formation in other people.

Chapter 1 was fine, but apparently the author's proofreader quit before tackling Chapter 2, where the author discusses various influences on Wesley's approach. There's a mistake on every page, beginning with the first. 

The second sentence of the first paragraph reads "By 1742, the general format of [Wesley's] educational framework was complete, except for minor altercations." 

And I thought, "What an unfortunate typo - to add a 'c' and accidentally turn 'changes' into 'fights'."

But when the author wrapped up the chapter 48 pages later, I came across this sentence: "Wesley's methodology continued to undergo minor altercations, but the pattern remained basically unchanged throughout his lifetime."

And my heart ached for the author. I said a little prayer for him.

I could never publish a book.*

--------------------------------------------------------

(*Maybe I could - I would just have to hire ten proofreaders.)

PROOFTEXTS FOR ANNIHILATIONISM

At least one more post on Hell versus annihilation. (I would quit writing about it, but the more I consider it, the more I see the importance of getting this issue straight in our heads - and making sure our theology is based on the Bible and not tradition.)

If one wanted to do some proof-texting favoring annihilation, here are some verses which "disprove" eternal punishment if you read them as literally as the traditionalists read the Revelation verses on torment: (In no particular order.) 

Proverbs 12:7 - "The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm."

Proverbs 24:19-20 - "Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."

Psalm 30:5 - "For [God's] anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

Hosea 13:3 - "Therefore [the wicked] shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passes away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney."

Malachi 4:1 - "For, behold, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that comes shall burn them up, said the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."

Deuteronomy 30:15,19 - "See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil."

Matt 10:39 - Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

James 5:19-20 - My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Psalm 1:4-6 - "Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor the sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction."

Psalm 103:8-10 - "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities."

And Psalm 103 ends with one of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture - one that makes it hard for me to imagine him roasting any of his creations for all eternity:

v.14 "For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust."

BIRTHDAY BREAK

Today was my 54th birthday. It makes a convenient excuse to break from the topic of hell and move on. 

Tomorrow is a new day and a new year of life. And all that jazz.

I have long passed the age where birthdays are something to look forward to, but today was a pretty good one.

It started with Bible study and running the dogs one mile each. (No record times, but I got the exercise.) 

I got a little work in before a lunch date with my beautiful wife.

Then a little more work and ... the day being both rainy and my birthday ... I couldn't resist a short afternoon nap.

(There are few thing we old people enjoy more than an afternoon nap.)

In the evening, Melissa and Sarah and I went to the Thai restaurant downtown. We were halfway through our crab rangoon appetizers when in walked Hannah - home for Easter several days earlier than I expected. A most pleasant surprise for me!

Since twenty years ago Hannah and I missed sharing a birthday together by two hours (she was born at 10 pm on April 12th just before I turned 34 at midnight), Melissa got us some cupcakes to celebrate both birthdays once we returned home.

(Twenty years!?)

Then we had a quiet evening watching a movie together as two-thirds of a family. 

Blissful! 

A good way to cap another year of life. God is good!

THEOLOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS

The gospels tell a story about a man who taught rather outlandish ideas and the handful of people who were able to lay down preconceptions and objections and say, "I think this guy is speaking truth!" Everyone else mocked and threatened violence.

And those who opposed Jesus most violently did so believing their theology was infallible. The theology of the Pharisees was built on various assumptions about where the Messiah would come from and what he would do when he arrived. Those assumptions worked against them and against God's mission.

The book of Acts tells how Paul and others had to battle those same folks AND new believers in Christ. At least the new believers were not as violent. 

But they were just as certain of their theology. "This good news isn't for Gentiles." 

Unlike the Pharisees, in time these people were able to admit their theological error. I suppose the difference was the working of the Holy Spirit who "guides into all truth". (John 16:13)

But while the Spirit revealed their mistake, it still took quite a bit of persuasion. It wasn't quick or easy.

It's important to note that while being filled with the Spirit led to a correction of their mistaken theology, it did not prevent it in the first place.

Although many of them knew Scripture very well, they had always read it under the assumption that God was the God of the Jews only; the good news was not for Gentiles.

Not only the size and scope of the church's mission, but that mission's very nature was threatened by that assumption. 

What sort of theological assumptions could be holding you and me back today?

PERISH

The Greek word "apollumi" is used 92 times in the New Testament. It is translated as perish, destroy or lose. 

It is the word the disciples use in the midst of the storm at sea when they ask Jesus in Mark 4:38, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

It is the word that Peter uses to describe silver and gold as "perishable" things (I Pet 1:18). 

It is one of the words Paul uses in 2 Cor 4:8-9: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

And he uses "apollumi" to refer to rules that are "destined to perish with use" (Col 2:22). 

It is the lost coin and the lost sheep. And it is the prodigal son who "was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found." (Luke 15:24)

AND it can describe a life that is lost, like in Mark 8:35-36:  "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"

(Read that again. Jesus here makes it sound like one can lose his soul permanently, doesn't he?)

Most notably, this word "apollumi" is used to designate the opposite of salvation:

1 Cor 1:18: "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.'"

2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

And in the most universally recognized evangelistic verse of all time: John 3:16.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Is there good reason to read more into "perish" here than the plain meaning of  "destroyed", as in "existing no more"? 

Why are we conditioned to read die/perish/destroyed as "suffer eternally in Hell"?

________________________

A few bonus uses of "apollumi":

Luke 13:1-5: "Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." 

1 Cor 15:12-18: "Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." 

James 4:12: "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?"

Matthew 10:28: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

VERSES SUPPORTING TORMENT IN HELL

The traditional understanding of Hell is that it is:

1. A fiery lake
2. Where those who die apart from faith in Christ
3. Are separated from God's presence
4. After facing the Day of Judgment
5. And go on to face an eternity of torment

As I now lean toward "annihilationism", I want to be clear that I am only rejecting #5, the eternal torment. Annihilationism would simply substitute "eternity of death" for "eternity of torment". The other four points stand.

There is a fair amount of talk in the New Testament (and even a bit in the Old) about a lake or a furnace of fire being the ultimate destination for those who are wicked. So I have no choice but to embrace the "fire" as being reality. But it still strikes me as mainly a metaphor.

But my question is this: If you had no prior assumptions and no images in your head, what would you assume would happen to a person dropped into the middle of a lake of fire? Would you assume he would remain alive for eternity?

I wouldn't. 

Because ... fire.

Would Jesus's audience assume that if someone were thrown in Gehenna that they would sit and the flames would burn them forever? (Gehenna was the burning garbage dump outside the city walls which is translated as Hell in the gospels.)

I doubt it.

The Old Testament's Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were the exception to the rule. They walked around in the fiery furnace, yes, but only because an angel was there to protect them. Everyone knows what should have happened. 

So that narrows my search down to specific verses which support the notion of eternal torment for the souls in Hell. 

But verses like Matthew 25:41 and 46 aren't quite enough to convince me: "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' ... And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

It's not enough to tell me that the fire is eternal because that doesn't necessarily mean that the torment is eternal. And I do not see why an eternal death could not be described as "eternal punishment", meaning simply that it is irreversible. 

So where are the verses that are clear about eternal punishment in Hell?

Here is one: Revelation 14:9-11 -

"If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Pretty convincing? But consider two things:

1. Does this even describe every person who dies apart from Christ? Do all unbelievers worship the beast and have its mark on their hands or foreheads? Because those are the people being tormented here.
2. This is the book of Revelation - notorious for its cryptic wording. And for its symbolism. Is this the one image out of the entire book that should be taken 100% literally?

Here's another verse in support of the concept of eternal torment: Revelation 20:10 -

"And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

1. Again, this is from Revelation!
2. This verse does not say that all souls will be tormented day and night forever and ever - only the devil, the beast and the false prophet. 

I think I can live with those three being tormented eternally.

Now, to be fair, a few verses later, it does say that "if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." But I still maintain that to be thrown into fire does not necessarily equal eternal torment. 

By the way, both death and "Hades" are also thrown into the lake of fire in verse 14! 

So what do you do with that?

Anyway, if you think there are other relevant verses I have not addressed here, I would be glad to hear them. 

PROOF-TEXTING

Here's another way of looking at what I was trying to convey yesterday: Are the Bible verses cited in support of a literal eternal Hell of torment representative of what we find throughout the Bible? Or are they simply proof-texts? 

Citing particular Scripture verses  to illustrate a particular teaching is useful if they are a sampling of verses that represent a thread of teaching running through an entire book, section, or the Bible as a whole. 

But proof-texting is the practice of cherry-picking a handful of verses to teach a "truth" which runs counter to the general tenor of the rest of the Bible.  We need to beware of Bible teachings completely dependent on a handful of verses. Especially if the chosen passages could be legitimately interpreted in other ways.* 

In the next couple of days I want to look at particular passages that support the existence of Hell and some that support annihilationism. And since "proof-texting" can be "in the eye of the beholder", I will make a case that Hell is built on proof-texts but then let you decide for yourself.

And then I will move on to other topics besides Hell. This has just been me thinking out loud about a topic that I have always assumed was perfectly clear in the Bible. Now I am questioning that assumption. And the process of writing about it in some depth has been very helpful to me.

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* In my opinion, this is the trap Calvinists fall into: a handful of (misinterpreted) verses used as proof-texts for a concept (Determinism) which is contradicted repeatedly throughout the rest of the Bible.

THE DOG NOT BARKING

 In an 1892 Sherlock Holmes story called Silver Blaze, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has his famous detective solve a mystery based on a clue's absence rather than its presence. 

The crime - a murder and the theft of a racehorse - occurs late at night. There are no witnesses, of course.

In all of the testimonies given by the household staff, Holmes notices something that is not there.

There is no report of the dog barking. 

And thus, Holmes correctly reasons, the perpetrator was not a stranger. 

*****

Those who want to prove that the Bible teaches that unbelievers suffer eternal punishment in Hell have a handful of verses to point to. But it is "the dog not barking" that has me leaning the other direction - towards annihilationism.

I have hinted at this in some of my other posts on this topic, but let me state it plainly: It seems to me that justice exacted by a holy God through torment of billions of human souls over millions upon trillions of years in a lake of fire is such a horrifying and weighty idea that it deserves to be introduced early in the Bible and then repeated often. 

If it is indeed reality, Hell - and how to avoid it - should be woven into every step of the Bible narrative.

But take a look at the Old Testament.

Scripture begins with God warning Adam and Eve that if they eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they will surely ... die. 

Funny not to mention the eternal torment thing at this point. Seems like a logical place to introduce the fact that the vast majority of humanity is now doomed to everlasting torture and suffering. 

By Genesis 6, we have God regretting making man. 

God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth." 

It's a safe bet that the Lord judged these people as deserving of Hell, so it seems like another good place to introduce the concept. But I suppose we can't fault God for not including a little diatribe on Hell here. 

It might have come across a little hypocritical for him to judge humans for their violence to each other by subjecting them all to eternal pain and torment.

And so it goes. Story after story in the Old Testament, but no time to develop any doctrines regarding the afterlife? 

It's not for lack of various characters dying. We're told repeatedly where their bodies get buried. But that is typically the end of the story.

Then a new story begins.

So ... why is the Hell dog not barking? 

Perhaps when humans sinned in the garden they lost their shot at immortality? 

Maybe the only way for humans to have immortality is if God goes out of his way to provide a new path to eternal life? 

SOME BRAGGING ON MY KIDS

I am reminded tonight of how many reasons Melissa and I have to be proud of each of our four kids. Each is strong in faith and in character. Here's what I am seeing just this week:

SARAH has had play practice every evening for 3 to 4 hours in preparation for tomorrow's opening night. This is the musical that she auditioned for in spite of her fears. Now she is proving to be, not only courageous, but strong and persistent in the face of great demands on her time. I am amazed at how she stays positive and energetic.

SAMUEL took time out of his college activities to help me renovate the Mission Resource website this past week. He recently gave a speech about the Koran in a class and decided to read the book firsthand rather than simply research it online. Meanwhile, he is also sharpening his apologetics skills on a thoroughly secular campus and frequently has informed and compassionate discussions with atheistic classmates. 

HANNAH has been working her tail off, holding down 3 or 4 different part-time jobs while keeping up her studies. Recently her Honors Program workload began conflicting with the waitressing work she is doing to keep her debt low. Instead of just dropping the program, she took it upon herself to approach her professor to see if there might be some scholarship money that would enable her to drop the job to stay in Honors. She says if the prof doesn't come through with anything she will next talk to the President of the university!

CALEB has had a super tough academic load this semester - papers due and tests to take every time he turns around. In the midst of that pressure he has managed to drive to Purdue weekly for ROTC commitments and work a job at the local Chamber of Commerce. Not only that, but he has been leading a twice weekly Bible study. During today's Bible study 5 students came in as a sort of silent protest against having a Christian group on campus. They sat in the back, perhaps in an effort to provoke a reaction of some sort. Instead Caleb treated them to a very lively discussion of James 3 and taming the tongue! I am certain it was the best Bible teaching the protestors had sat through in their lifetimes. 

The world is a better place for having these 4 in it.

THE GOD WHO TORMENTS

Yesterday I attempted to answer the objection to annihilationism that it doesn't satisfy justice. I wanted to move on, but there's more to say about this.

As I have been poking around the internet trying to make up my mind about the doctrine of Hell, I have come across quite a few statements in this vein: "Sinning against an infinitely holy God is an infinite offense and it merits an infinite punishment."

But this strikes me as a philosophical way of justifying an idea that is otherwise extremely unpalatable: God tortures people that he claims to have once loved. And he does it eternally. But at least he is justified in doing so because he is so holy. 

But where is the verse that makes this clear?*

It's not Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Why doesn't Paul take the opportunity here to lay out the awful truth in clear terms: "For the wages of sin is eternal torment, but the gift of God is eternal life"?

What does "the wages of sin is death" even mean if everyone - the wicked and the redeemed - live eternally?

If everyone does live eternally, wouldn't it be clearer if all of the New Testament - starting with Jesus - instead spoke of the two afterlife options in terms of "eternal pleasure or eternal pain"? 

As Paul's wording stands, it sounds like the opposite of eternal life is ... death. Did he make a mistake? 

Or by "death" does Paul mean what we commonly take "death" to mean?

Here's a similar question: Why does Jesus soft peddle eternal torment to Nicodemus? 

In John chapter 3, the most famous evangelistic passage in all of Scripture, Jesus explains, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

But should he have added, "And just so we're clear, Nicodemus, when I say 'perish', I don't just mean 'cease to be'. I mean 'tortured for millions of billions of years', so I would suggest you believe in me"?

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* I see the same approach among Calvinists who want to argue in favor of Determinism/Predestination. If Determinism is how the universe works, I would expect Scripture to teach it clearly, unapologetically, and repeatedly. Instead, Calvinists put a lot of weight on a handful of verses they interpret as deterministic and then are forced to explain away numerous passages that make it clear that humans actually have free will. But do other passages that don't line up with their assumptions get acknowledged? No, they get run through the Calvinist filter. 

I am starting to think I may have been doing the same thing with my assumptions about Hell throughout my life. 

ANNIHILATION OBJECTION #1

Some good objections were raised to my recent post on Hell. I had suggested I was open to "annihilationism" - the idea that dying apart from Jesus leads to complete cessation of being rather than eternal torment in Hell. In other words, the unsaved die and are forgotten; their conscious existence ends after the final judgment.

So here is the first objection: Hitler. 

If you kill 6 million people it seems like you are getting off pretty easy if the punishment is ceasing to be. (Which is the same punishment that everyone else gets!) That doesn't seem like justice. 

I would agree. 

But first of all, we have to admit that Hitler is an outlier, to say the least. 

You might be able to make the case that Hitler and a handful of other individuals deserve to be tortured eternally for his crimes against humanity, but what about Uncle Burt, who did his share of cussing and fighting and lying on his taxes, worked his job and raised his kids and loved his wife but refused to acknowledge Jesus as Lord?

Does Uncle Burt deserve the same fate as Hitler?

I would hope Hitler's section of the lake of fire is at least significantly hotter than Burt's. 

Secondly, I don't know that annihilationism necessarily precludes the wrath of God being poured out on Hitler's or Burt's head. Or anybody else's. It could happen before those souls cease to be. 

I don't see why God's wrath cannot be terrible in intensity while also being finite in duration.

We talk of the wrath of God being poured out upon his Son on the cross ... which was certainly terrible, but also finite. 

I will take this opportunity to repeat my "I may be wrong" mantra - especially as I am just now exploring Hell vs. Annihilation from philosophical and Scriptural angles. Getting pushback is extremely useful.

So ... more objections tomorrow. 

WWJND

In decades past it was popular for Christians to consider WWJD - "What would Jesus do?"

I always thought the bracelets were a little hokey, but the question was excellent.

I don't remember anyone ever asking WWJND - "What would Jesus not do?"

If you can't picture Jesus doing what you are currently doing, saying what you are currently saying, or even thinking what you are currently thinking, it would be wise to put the brakes on. 

For instance, try to imagine Jesus being involved in gossip. Can you picture Jesus looking over his shoulder to make sure Peter doesn't walk up unexpectedly as He is telling James and John in a secluded corner of the boat how shocked he was at Peter's lack of faith? And then Jesus doing an impression of the stupid look on Peter's face as he sank into the waves? And the three of them laughing only to quickly change the subject when Peter walks up?

Nope. Can't picture it. So there's one answer to WWJND - "gossip". 

Some others: Jesus would not slander, lie, avoid work, cut corners, covet, complain, or look at porn.

And yet, WE do these things. And pretend like they are no big deal. 

Stop doing what Jesus would not do.

HELL?

The concept of a physical place of eternal torture called Hell looms large in contemporary Christian pop-theology. And has for years. But is this because the Bible makes it central? 

We're told - or assume - that "salvation" means "being saved from Hell". But if that is the sole focus of salvation, why is there so little talk of Hell in the Bible?

Out of curiosity I did a search of all mentions of "Hell" in the New Testament. I was shocked at the numbers. 

First the gospels. 

Matthew takes the lead with 7 uses of "Hell". And that is significant because they are all from the mouth of Jesus himself. 

But Mark has just 3.

And Luke has just 1.

And John? John has zero. 

Can you imagine? A gospel with no mention of Hell?

Then we move into Acts. With all the evangelistic preaching recorded throughout the 28 chapters of Acts there has to be quite a bit of Hell talk, right?

Acts also has zero mentions of Hell. 

And how about Romans, where Paul lays out his theology in great detail? Surely some Hell talk there you would think.

Romans, too, has zero Hell.

In fact, look through the rest of the New Testament and you will find just two more references to Hell - one in James and one in 2nd Peter. 

Compare those 13 mentions of Hell in the New Testament overall to the 137 references to "righteousness" and the 257 for "love". 

I know this doesn't prove anything - and I have left out other references that could be read as synonymous to "Hell", such as "outer darkness" and "lake of fire" - but it still seems to me that Hell might not deserve the place of prominence it holds in our theology. 

What do you make of the concept of "annihilationism" - the concept that those who die apart from faith in Christ do not suffer eternal torment in Hell but rather simply cease to be?

AUTHENTIC JUDGMENT

 Romans 2:1-4 shows us how legitimate judgment of someone's sin is done ... and why we happen to be incapable of doing it.

Paul writes:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 

We should hear echoes of Jesus's challenge to the men who caught the woman in adultery: "You who is without sin can cast the first stone." 

So Requirement #1 could be stated like this: None who are guilty of crimes themselves can issue a legitimate judgment.

In the section before this, Paul laid out a list of sinful behaviors including truly horrendous acts like murder, but then also envy, gossip, slander, and arrogance. He adds being generally senseless, faithless, heartless, or ruthless. 

So you and I are pretty much disqualified right off the bat. 

Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 

Requirement #2: Legitimate judgments can only be made by someone who knows the Truth. ALL of it. A proper judge not only needs to know exactly what a person did or failed to do, but must also be able to look into that person's heart and see their deepest motivations. 

You and I, being mere men and women, cannot do this. (And when we think we can, we are fooling ourselves.)

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Requirement #3: Before getting to the sentencing, an authentic judge, out of kindness, will patiently tolerate a whole lot, in hope of the offender's repentance. 

You and I, though, tend to be biased in favor of prompt punishment for others' sins.

In the end, it looks like on all three counts there is only One qualified to judge. 

We need to come to grips with this fact.