A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life

A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life
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This blog is a place for the discussion of all things significant and not so important as well. If you read something you disagree with, don't get angry; post a comment and join the discussion.

Passionate and lively debate is encouraged in the context of civility. Comments that include name calling and profanity will be deleted.

Anonymous comments are allowed as long as they do not engage in criticism. Anonymous criticism lacks integrity. Honesty and courage demand that we stand up and be counted for our convictions. Thus, any anonymous comments that engage in critique will be deleted.

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Jesus and Hell

Scot McKnight reviews a portion of Edward Fudge's Book, Hell: A Final Word. Fudge makes the following five points:
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1. Gehenna, Jesus' typical term, is a trope for the place of destruction/fire south of Jerusalem. It cannot be proven to have been the dump in the 1st Century.

2. What happens there? The wicked are destroyed, they perish there. Matt 10:28: "fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell/Gehenna."

3. Gnashing of teeth means anger, not pain. Cf. Acts 7:52-54.

4. Eternal punishment fits with other uses of "Eternal" as an adjective: salvation (Heb. 5:6), redemption (9:1), judgment (6:2), punishment (Matt. 25:46), destruction (2 Thess. 1:9). Big conclusions: the term refers to something in the Age to Come, it is endless and it refers to the result of an action. An action leads to something being permanent: one is not redeemed forever, one is redeemed and then lives forever; one is not judged forever, one is judged and then has consequences forever.

5. Rich man and Lazarus: it's a parable; Fudge sees Jewish folklore at work here; it's Hades not Gehenna; this parable says nothing about hell; it's not literal; it aims to motivate Jesus' contemporaries to care for the poor with the threat of irreversible consequences.
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The details are here.

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