Christian BoyLove Forum #66209
My favourite view of 'Hell' is that of CS Lewis in 'The Great Divorce'. The point he makes there is that Hell is ultimately the choice of the individual, which does make a lot of sense. What winds me up in this sort of debate is the statement 'A loving God can't possibly do "X"'. Anyone who starts there and explicitly ignores the biblical data has lost the plot. NT Wright does indeed engage with the material, and the fact that John Stott ended up as an annihilationist is a reminder that it's not easy.
The challenge for the church is to continue to affirm that we are accountable to God for our lives, and that He will, in some sense, judge us for what we've done. For many in Europe this has become hard work, with the phrase 'don't be judgemental' thrown at any attempt to raise the idea. The fact, of course, that those who are inclined to be 'non-judgemental' have no space for the Boylover merely shows how flawed their position is. However it doesn't make for easy conversations! |