Rob Bell on Hell

See the video: http://vimeo.com/20272585

This is probably worth a view; its' causing quite a stir related to his book to be released at the end of March: Love Wins. Who, exactly is in hell? Has Rob Bell gone universalist? Would that be the end of the world if he did?

Non-Cooperation With Evil

To our most bitter opponents we say: “We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws, because non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Throw us in jail, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our communities at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom, but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.

-- MLK

Why Group?

A new guy joined us for group last night, and perhaps in light of that (but a great exercise either way) Jack offered each of us the opportunity to express our expectations for small group. I was surprised how clear and defined my own expectations are, and surprised again how selfish my list sounded – but I think it’s a good list. Here's it is:

1. Authenticity. I don’t want to waste time pretending to be something I am not, or hearing you do likewise. Group is a sacred place where we determine to be honest, including our fears, difficulties, and failures.

2. Confidentiality. Authenticity doesn’t happen without a reassurance of safety. It’s hard enough to risk rejection in the group by letting you know my crap, I certainly don’t want it shared outside the group.

3. No advice. I enjoy and learn from the advice that sometimes will surface in group, but that’s not why I come. I simply need to be heard an accepted. My true challenges have little to do with needing guidance. I pretty much know what I need to do. More often, I simply need to be honest with myself, and honesty in group helps me do that.

4. Presence. The thing I really come to group for is to be with the guys. When there is a good exchange of ideas and I am challenged (as actually happens at every group), I consider that a bonus. The most significant thing for me is simply the time spent with people who know me well, and whom I know well, and where there is mutual concern.

5. Change. If I leave group with more knowledge, that’s nice, but what I really want and need at the end of the day is to be different for the time spent. Positive life change is my litmus test for time well spent.

What’s your list?

What's Next?

I’ve been wondering about the relative value of assuming the existence of an afterlife. Really. I think it might frequently get in the way of things. For those not religiously disposed, that probably sounds like a non-statement. For those who are, (and who hold typical convictions found in my circles) that might sound a bit heretical. Let me narrow my scope to what I am familiar with: that flavor of Christianity often found in suburban America. I wonder if we wouldn’t be more inclined to make the most of our time now in this life, if we had no strong convictions about the great beyond.

Assume for a moment that this temporal life is it. I don’t think you need to dismiss faith to engage the exercise. I’m told that there’s good evidence that belief in an afterlife was only a late developing, unclear, and disputed concept for the people of Israel before Jesus. But there’s no doubt Israel was a people guided by faith in God and faithfulness to God.

Do we really need the promise of eternal bliss to find God faithful? Are we so tied to heavenly reward that we would walk away from God without it? I think not. I think if it was removed from our vocabulary as if never conceived of, there would remain a strong (God given) impulse to honor and serve him -- and to do it by honoring and serving the people around us.

To me there is something liberating about this. I can’t fully identify why, except perhaps that the idea of heaven is usually tied to its opposite. And there's an idea I honestly find hard to accept without difficulty. Yes, I know the arguments for the necessity of hell. I think I know them pretty well. And I struggle with it.

Maybe we think too little of ourselves. Maybe we think too little of God. If he is real, he deserves our faithfulness to him regardless.