What the Hell Do We Do with Hell?
Yep, I'm Tackling the Hottest of All Topics
Believe it or not, I used to come from a more literal perspective. I was actually in the ranks of the fundamentalist Calvinists.
And I used to believe in a literal hell as a place for all of those people who are not part of the elect.
One day, one of my Presbyterian pastors (who was a post-liberal theologically, if you know what that means), mentioned that many Christians thought belief in a loving God and belief in eternal hell were incompatible. Instead, they believed in annihilation, which is a much more merciful end.
Interesting thought. So I explored it.
I learned a lot on the internet.
What I learned created a crack in my fundamentalist armor. A big one. Because I was now starting to think more theologically.
And, eventually, I ended up where I am today.
Thinking theologically about hell
Like most progressive Christians, I do not believe in an afterlife experience called “hell”. This is because I have shifted away from thinking biblically to thinking theologically.
When we think biblically, we are primarily concerned with what the text says.
When we think theologically, we are primarily concerned with what the text means in general.
When we think theologically about the text, we look for general, dominant themes. Of course, sometimes these themes duel with each other, and we’re comfortable with that. In fact, that’s part of the theological fun.
We also recognize that the Bible isn’t a simple document. Its books were written in ancient contexts, and certain elements of those contexts simply don't apply or translate well to ours.
Overall, I think that most progressives would agree that the dominant theme in the Christian Testament (I do not call it the “New Testament”) is "God is love". So, for us, everything theologically flows from that understanding of the nature of God and aligns with it.
So, despite some vibrant imagery in the Bible, progressive Christians tend to believe that a loving God would never send anyone to burn in the fiery pits of hell for all eternity.
In fact, we would probably consider any God who would do that to be downright psychotic.
So, progressive Christians are okay with just saying “no” to eternal torment in hell.
"If we don't have to worry about hell, what's the point of being Christian?"
Yes, I have been asked that. Even better, back in my more literalist phase, I even asked that.
So, I totally get it. If someone understands Christianity as being a religion that is designed specifically to free people from hell, it's a fair question.
But what if that's NOT the point of Christianity?
While our more conservative sisters and brothers are primarily concerned with being saved from something, progressive Christians tend to focus more on being saved for something.
That thing FOR WHICH we have been saved is to proclaim the Kingdom of God.
The Gospel isn't just about us as individuals. It's not about getting me or you out of hell.
It's about caring for creation as a whole.
It's about transforming the world in which we live into a more loving place so that all may experience abundant life.
It’s about re-membering the body of a fractured humanity so we can all know true peace.
To be a progressive Christian is to become a herald of justice, healing, and hope in this world.
We are called by God and empowered by God to become agents of divine reconciliation.
This is our common calling, our common purpose.
So, can we just get rid of hell then theologically?
That is a tricky question. I'd say we can get rid of any notion of eternal torture. But there may still be times when the concept of hell speaks to situations better than the alternatives.
I can think of a couple of different ways “hell” can be helpful.
First, places or situations can become “hell on Earth”.
Right now, someone is dying because they live in a warzone.
Right now, someone is experiencing domestic violence and doesn’t know what to do.
Right now, someone is struggling with an addiction that’s destroying their life.
Right now, someone is entering homelessness and feeling helpless.
Right now, someone is crying because they don’t know how they are going to feed their children in the upcoming month.
Right now, someone is losing a loved one to a fatal accident.
Right now, hell is real for each and every one of these individuals. And for all of them, Christ is entering into their personal hell in order to comfort them and deliver them from it.
Theologically, this is called the “Harrowing of Hell”.
The Harrowing of Hell theology comes from the early church, which looked at passages like 1 Peter 3.18–19 (“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison…”) and concluded that after the crucifixion and death, Christ went into hell, liberated souls, and took them to heaven.
So, wherever there is hell, there is the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. “the Comforter”) actively working to unleash the power of redemption.
For progressive Christians—and all Christians claim the call to follow Christ wherever he goes—this means that we are not meant to hide from the suffering of this world. Rather, we are called to enter into it as Jesus’ hands and feet (inasmuch as we are able) and work to bring about liberation and healing (as best we can).
While we may have other ways to talk about and describe this call to bring healing into disastrous situations, the word “hell” seems to capture the spiritual depth and tragedy of the situations in a way other words cannot. This is where the language of “hell” is uniquely helpful.
Second, hell symbolizes divine anger and wrath.
The Christian God is a God of grace. In the eyes of God, we are all equal as human beings. We are all equally beloved.
While God accepts all of God's children as equals, that doesn't mean we get to treat others however we want. We do not get to use and abuse others for personal gain or fulfillment. That is a strict boundary.
Hell reminds us that God has established certain boundaries, and we are not to cross them.
To help connect with this idea, here's a short video I did as an introduction to liberation theology. (I’m sure I’ll talk about liberation theology another time.)
Please click here to watch the video before continuing. (Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel while you are there.)
After watching that video, I’m sure you can imagine where "hell" comes in.
Hell emphasizes theologically that those who have crossed divinely-established boundaries need to get back on the right side of them. For nothing less than the God of the universe stands against them.
Or, here’s how the Gospel of Luke describes it (6.21–31)
“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Yes, God takes sides. And there will be hell to pay. So, take care of those around you and don’t abuse them.
If it's really about “disaster” and "justice", can't we just replace the concept of "hell" with the concepts of “disaster” and "justice"?
Yes, we could. And I think that's a good idea.
But, I admit it loses some of the poetry and impact.
In the case of those who suffer, it seems to me that using “hell” to describe their experience respects their part in it in a way that “disaster” does not. It validates the degree of pain they endured without respite. As such, it validates them.
In the case of justice, consider these two statements.
"There will be Justice."
"There will be Hell to pay."
We equate "justice" often with courts and legal systems, which are very human.
"Hell" is mythical language that evokes unfathomable implications to convey the significance of the terrible behavior that triggers its coming.
Because of the cultural imagery wrapped around each of the words (“justice” and “hell”), I find the second statement far more powerful.
Outside of all that, though, I do believe that it may be time for a replacement, largely because of the way the "hell" has been used to terrify people into conversion to Christianity.
Regardless of the language we use, I suspect most progressive Christians are primarily concerned about responding to the call to become agents of divine reconciliation in a shattered world.
We hearken to the clarion call to “feed the poor”. But, for us, “the poor” means more than those who are actually “the poor”.
I’m going to talk about “the poor” and their significance next week.
Until next time,
Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net
Want to Know More About My Perspective?
Feel free to pick up my book, Drinking from an Empty Glass: Living Out of a Meaningless Spirituality on Amazon.
Please Help Me Spread the Word
As I try to grow my audience, I need your help. If you know anyone who would find value in what I have to say, please let them know about this newsletter. I would greatly appreciate it.