SEE SUSANNE

4/9/2008 - CHRISTIAN STOP DAMNING

I think that Billy Graham is very wise, when asked about his belief about hell he says "I am certain that nobody will be there who does not deserve to be there."
He is really acknowledging that there is a very real and problematic difficulty with the doctrine of eternal punishment as it is presently held among evangelicals.

It is one thing to make statements of a controversial nature in the hush of an auditorium or in a church sermon where more than 90 per cent of the audience is in agreement with you, but to make the same statements, out in the general public, in the workplace or the school or college where the hearers are liable to be hostile to what you are saying is a different kettle of fish altogether.
The all important question is what do the scriptures say? If something is in scripture then that is God's word, I will stick to that in the face of any opposition and have done so in regard to what I have always believed the scripture says about the doctrine of eternal punishment, and I do believe in hell, I believe that people will be there and that it will be just as awful as Jesus said it would be.

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But what I am finding harder and harder to sustain, as one who does actively share the gospel, and I may add harder to abide, is this hard-nosed believe or be damned message so beloved of such a vast number of my evangelical brothers and sisters, this is not at all to say that this is not the view most commonly held to be the orthodox doctrine of protestantism from the reformation on, and I do count myself, as one who has been cleansed of my sin by the atoning blood of Christ and born again of the Holy Spirit, as being orthodox
But as I read the scriptures and in particular the parables of Jesus concerning the day of judgement I am beginning to believe that it is not so clear cut black/white, christian/sinner, saved/lost, child of God /child of the devil. I think the whole doctrine needs to be looked at again carefully and prayerfully to see whether indeed we have got th right balance and the right interpretation of God's word on this vital subject.