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.
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