Posted on 07/18/2008 6:46:18 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP)--Have you ever noticed that when a discussion turns to a recently deceased celebrity, someone invariably says, "I know he's looking down on us right now"? It doesn't matter how godless the person was, his peers refer to him as being in a better place and then gesture skyward.
Mark Coppenger, professor of Christian apologetics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sees a lamentable example of that in the 1941 poem "High Flight," which was quoted in tribute to astronauts who died in the 1986 explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Not all the astronauts were Christians "but we were told they 'slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God,'" Coppenger noted. He also recalled a cartoon in a Chicago newspaper that depicted the late sports announcer Harry Caray being welcomed by Saint Peter at the pearly gates, even though there was no evidence Caray was redeemed.
"Everywhere you turn, culture ignores the Bible to make gassy pronouncements on the afterlife," Coppenger said.
Such secular cultural perceptions are uninformed by the truth and seem to be based on the delusion that one's eternal destiny is determined either by heinous deeds or good poll numbers.
Some people assume the dearly departed are in heaven because they weren't notorious sinners. People want to believe the departed went to heaven because they know they themselves are sinners and want to believe they are not bad enough for hell. "I'm not as bad as the other guy," goes the thinking. "God will somehow understand in the end that we were pretty good people, and based on our overall behavior He should let us into heaven."
In a 2004 address at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., said, "Even those who retain some vague idea of heavenly bliss beyond this life are slow to acknowledge the reality of final judgment and condemnation. Modern men and women live with the mindset that there is no heaven, no hell and therefore no guilt."
FOCUSED ON THIS WORLD
Steve Lemke, provost of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said so much error is found in popular thinking about eternity because there's "less preaching now about heaven and hell than in previous eras." He attributes that trend to the upward social mobility of Southern Baptists.
Until the 1950s, Southern Baptists were mostly rural, small-town folks and heaven was the only respite many poor people expected from their hardscrabble existence, Lemke noted. "So we lived with hope and our eyes on the skies, awaiting Christ's return," he said.
But with increased education and income, Southern Baptists moved to suburbia and began enjoying a fairly comfortable lifestyle with a focus on coping in this world, Lemke added.
"We don't give nearly the attention we should to eternity," he said. "Popular preaching focuses on how to have a better marriage, better relationships and how to cope with struggles.
"It is important that we address these topics in preaching and teaching, of course, but not to the neglect of a focus on eternity," he said. "By this very focus on meeting needs in this world -- to the neglect of preaching on heaven and hell -- we are showing by our actions that this world is more significant than the world to come."
Malcolm Yarnell, associate professor of systematic theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, sees two causes for the neglect of preaching on eternity, both of which "reflect the power of contemporary culture to distort the message once-for-all given to the saints."
"First, our people and pastors are increasingly interested in making heaven here on earth," Yarnell said. "The modern pursuit of material wealth and comfort, alongside the overarching desire to avoid pain or physical problems of any type, is a longstanding and pervasive influence in our culture. Rather than challenging such a mindset, some of us quietly cave into the demand for sermons to consider primarily mundane matters.
"Second, the subject of hell is not exactly the most comfortable subject to address," he said. "Postmodernism, with its attendant religious inclusivism and aversion to judgment, is the dominant outlook of our cultural elite, especially in the media; to condemn non-Christians to an eternity in hell is considered impolite, even rude."
"In the 1950s of my childhood, it was easier to preach on hell because there was more widespread conviction that the Bible was true," Coppenger added. "Or perhaps it worked the other way around: There was greater respect for the Bible because ministers preached the whole counsel of God, including the reality of hell, without embarrassment, mumbling, or marketing spin."
A NEED TO HEAR THE TRUTH
People think about the afterlife, but they need to hear the truth amid the eschatological blather espoused by the New Age movement, Mormonism, universalism, and other false religions, Coppenger added.
Yarnell agreed: "We don't clearly enough make the biblical connection between the doctrine of heaven and hell and the life we live today. The unfortunate consequence of this neglect is that we too easily live like permanent residents of the City of Man rather than the resident aliens we are, headed to our good end as Christ's people in the City of God."
Even people on opposite sides of the Calvinism issue seem to agree on certain matters of eternity, Yarnell added.
"Both traditional Baptists and Calvinist Baptists look at Scripture as inerrant and the supreme source of our doctrine," Yarnell said. "The New Testament is filled with references to heaven and hell. There is not a page of Scripture that, directly or indirectly, does not call the hearer to consider his eternal standing before an eternal God. If you derive your proclamation from Scripture, you will preach heaven and hell. On this, all conservative Southern Baptists will agree."
Muslims may talk more about eternal consequences than do evangelicals, says former missionary Eddie Pate, associate professor of missions at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.
"Heaven and hell are issues I talked about all the time with Muslims," Pate said. "Many of my best conversations revolved around these topics. I would guess that, during our years on the mission field, heaven and hell were topics in at least half the conversations I had with Muslims.
"Muslims believe people who follow the pillars of Islam will go to heaven -- at least they hope so," Pate added. "But Muslims can't speak with any assurance like Christians can. They can't embrace 'Christ died once for our sins, once for all, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God' (1 Peter 3:18). They have no such confidence."
Mormons, on the other hand, teach a universalistic view of an afterlife, explained Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Philip Roberts, who has written and lectured extensively on cults.
LDS founder Joseph Smith was traumatized by the accusation that his brother who died as a teenager had gone to hell and fashioned a religion in which "everyone is going to a better place," Roberts said. "Whether you are as evil as Adolf Hitler or whatever your lifestyle, you're at least going to go into a celestial kingdom, which Mormonism teaches is a far better place than this life and world, a place of great bliss and happiness."
Smith included all his elements of an afterlife -- becoming like gods and having many wives -- after becoming involved in polygamous affairs, Roberts noted. "His doctrine of the afterlife was created to satisfy his need to provide some kind of quasi-universalism and to cover his moral failures," he said.
THREE REASONS TO PREACH ON ETERNITY
Preaching on the doctrines of heaven and hell are vitally important because they "teach us not only of the life to come, but teach us much about how we should live in the everyday of life today," said David Nelson, theology professor and academic vice president at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.
"The doctrine of heaven and, yes, the doctrine of hell, lead us to reflect on the greatness and goodness of God who is holy and who is love, who is beautiful and glorious," Nelson said. "To fail to teach these doctrines is to fail to teach of the fullness of God by whom we are all to be filled, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 3."
"No preacher in his right mind enjoys preaching on hell," added David Allen, theology dean at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Hell is a place terrible beyond imagination. But no preacher in his right mind can avoid preaching on hell. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:11, 'knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.'"
Allen said he preaches about hell for three reasons:
1) It is a biblical doctrine. Jesus spoke more about hell than about heaven. Jesus uses the word "Hades" four times in his preaching and the word "hell" 11 times. Eighteen of the 28 times Jesus uses the word "fire" in the Gospels, he is talking about hell. If there is no hell, then there is no punishment for sin.
2) We are commanded to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). The Lord will hold his preachers accountable for preaching all of the Bible, not just the parts of it people like to hear.
3) Jesus lived, died and rose again so people would not have to go to hell. Only Jesus can save someone from his sins and from hell.
"Doctrinal preaching is drastically needed in our churches," Allen said. "Believe it or not, most people in the churches want to know what God said about heaven and hell. In fact, most lost people want to know as well. When I preach on hell, I have found most people give serious attention during the message.
"Remember, one should never preach on hell as if he were glad people were going there," he added. "If you don't preach with a tear in your eye, at least preach with a tear in your heart when you preach on hell. Speaking the truth in love in the power of the Holy Spirit is a powerful thing. Trust God to bless your preaching in this area and you will not be disappointed -- and neither will your people."
Eddie Pate remembers when he first listened to a cassette tape of Jerry Spencer, his uncle, preaching on hell.
"One summer, 30 years ago, as I painted a house, I listened to that same cassette tape over and over," Pate recalled. "The title of the sermon was 'If Hell Is Hell and We Don't Tell, What Kind of People Are We?'
"The title and the theme might sound 'old school' these days, but I hear that question go through my mind almost every day," Pate said. "As leaders and pastors we must regain the passion, emotion and depth of feeling that comes from understanding that our unsaved friends are indeed lost and bound for an eternity in hell outside of Christ. We must bear precious seed, weeping."
No I don't. I am just saying that an evil guy like Hitler cannot mouth words he does not believe so that God will say "Drat! Another evil guy saved because he uttered the secret words at the right time! I was going to send him to Hell, but he tricked me!". I am saying an empty confession is empty, and that someone cannot "beat the system". I expect a lot of deathbed confessions are of the empty variety, though not necessarily all.
That’s because I forget who I asked, and since I’ve always said that I ask these questions to get answers from people, not from God, I’ll continue to ask...unless I happen to remember.
I don’t think rejection is an adverse fate...besides, it’s obviously what God wants me to do, or I wouldn’t be doing it.
Anyway, no one really answers, they just say because the bible says so. If someone actually said that they didn’t really know, it’s just what I believe, then I probably wouldn’t ask them anymore...unless I forgot that I had already talked with them.
Besides, everyone else always says the same things in these discussions, so what’s the problem?
That’s quite the Gordian knot your constructed! Wow. Is it comforting to you?
I'm surprised to see you post this. Maybe I'm mixing you up with someone, but I could have sworn you were Christian.
Hey, I didn’t construct it, God did.
Well said. It isn't about men, it isn't about how we can work to save men, it is all about Christ Jesus who redemptive work has already been accomplished. It is not about what we can do, but what He has already done and where He is leading us.
Probably because, as I’ve said many time before, I don’t believe we have free souls...we do as God designed us to.
I've always thought that would be a fascinating scene to recreate in a Hitler biopic : Him as a young boy, giving his "sermon"...But with intimations of the famous hand gestures and postures of the later dictator.
The Church is prevented from error in matters of dogma.
OK, I get the unquencheable fire part. But doesn’t the chaff get burned up?
I don't think any major denomination teaches that God can be tricked by mere words. He knows men's hearts.
Let me get this straight. You believe God created you to reject Him?
As a Christian, we know 2 things for certain:
1) Hell is a bad place. You don't want to go there. Mankind, because of the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, is destined to go there because they do not meet God's standards of perfection.
2) Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, on a Roman cross, you don't have to go to Hell...IF you believe that He died, rose again from the dead, AND are willing to freely turn your life over to His care and direction as Lord.
Now, having said that, it does follow that a Christian, knowing that Hell is a bad place, would not wish for anyone to go there. However, that is not true for all. I'll 'splain...
One of the things that Hell signifies is the concept of Ultimate Justice. It doesn't matter your social status, how much money you did or did not have, who you know on earth, or any other factor SAVE for the submission of your life to Jesus. It means that all the terrible people we've heard about over the years who have passed away are now, and will forever more be punished for their crimes. Every unrepentant soul, no matter who they are, who either decided that they openly reject Jesus and want live their own way, or simply did not care, is now and forever more will be tormented in eternal flames.
This means that people who mock the Christian religion, although Christians might be unable to do anything about it, unless they repent, will be ultimately punished.
It means the foul creep who kills a family and robs their home, even though he is never caught, unless he repents, will be ultimately punished.
It means that the fat cat who cares nothing for the poor person and lives only for his own pleasures, unless he repents, will be ultimately punished.
It means the Congressperson or Senator who passes laws that fly in the face of the laws of God, or who's inaction causes the death of innocents...no matter their age, or whose lives are monuments to corruption and greed, unless they repent, will be ultimately punished.
It means the judge, no matter how high the bench they sit on, that do not provide true justice but instead rule on laws that prevent justice from happening, unless they repent, will be ultimately punished.
It means that everyone from the illegal alien to the DUmmies who deride us...from the liberal Democrat who demands special rights for homosexuals, to the environmentalists who wish to cripple the economy and throw us all back to the Middle Ages in the name of "Mother Earth"...from the Islamic Jihadist who wants all American infidels dead, to the former President who sullied the office he held with adultery (and his wife who likely had people murdered)...
Unless they ALL repent and name Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God as their Lord and Savior...then they will eventually face Ultimate Justice and be sent for an eternity in the everlasting fires of Hell.
What you call blame, I call accepting things as they are.
I don’t believe there is anything to escape from.
I will always do as God wants. If at some time, it happens to agree with what you believe, it’s OK by me.
Apparently, He wants you to call me names.
How come your church is prevented from error, but the Calvinists aren’t?
What makes you say that I reject God?
The Calvinists have a much more encompassing view than just that. It doesn't matter if you were born next door to a Calvinist church, attended it all your life, and did your best - if you're not among God's elected you were born to fry.
You may ask how do you know if you're among the elected. Apparently if you have to ask, that means you not one of them.
This means that the God who knew you in your mother's womb decided before your birth that you'd be eventually sent to his eternal fry cook and there's not a thing you can do about it. And that's the Calvinist God of ever lasting mercy and love.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.