Session Five: November 26 2012

Are the church doors open to welcome you in or take your faith out into the world?



We have talked about some of the scriptural images linked to beliefs about hell:

Hades, Luke 16:19-31, the “chasm” between Lazarus (with the angels) and the rich man (in torment).  A very Greek notion, described by Luke, writing in the midst of Greek culture.  The imagery is not likely from Jesus – though the original story might be. 

Sheol, Psalm 139, the unseen state or land of the dead, or the ground where the dead are buried.  God is just as much in Sheol as on earth or heaven, and will seek us there.  The original Jewish belief about life after death was that “reward” came through long life and wealth, afterlife through ones children (specifically sons.)

Heaven, 2 Peter 3:3-13, the place were God and all the angels reside, in contrast to earth where all the creatures/ created ones dwell.  According to “Peter” both realms will be burned up in a final fire, Heaven is not eternal.  Hell is not mentioned, though the righteous will be saved from the fire, and others destroyed.

Apocalypse, Daniel 12:1-4, Revelation 20: 7-15, the end of life on earth, and earth itself,  the ultimate destination that God will bring about.  Images of thrones, and books, and lakes of fire are often taken from these apocalyptic visions and applied to images of life after individual death.  Usually written in symbols and metaphors in times of persecution, to encourage those being persecuted for their faith.

Today:  Gehenna or Valley of Hinnom

The three synoptic gospels use the term:  Mark uses only Gehenna.

A couple of evil associations with the area, some proven by archaeology:

·         In Solomon’s age, evidence of child sacrifice to Molech taking place here: 1 Kings 11:7.

·         Later, it was desecrated and turned into the garbage dump, where fires burned continuously and scavenging animals gnashed their teeth.  Talmud later saw it as a place of “purification”, where the evil were made clean by fire and then released (to Sheol.)  This is often disputed by conservative churches. 

·         “Hill of Evil Counsel” closest to Jerusalem, where Caiaphas plotted to kill Jesus (obviously a tradition acquired later!) Also attributed to be the Potter's Field where Judas took his life.

Was it truly an image of eternal torment, or a wasted life?  Opportunities for faithfulness to God, justice for the vulnerable abound, but we neglect them and end up in Gehenna.

Have to watch our English translations:  Where it says “hell” substitute garbage dump!

Read Mark9:43-45; Matthew 23:33; Luke 12:4-5; Matthew 5:22-29 from different translations. Then James 3:6.

Chapter 7:  Evil and Our Response to it

Irrefutable evil in our world always raises the question “why?”

We have enough resources, we have relationships and creative outlets in abundance. 

So why do we end up in evil?

Genesis 3:  the choice of Adam and Eve.  Breaking God’s command.  The snake’s role is to plant the seed of doubt in the human’s conscience.  Is the snake from the devil?  Or part of God’s plan?

Pendulum:  from Absolute Trust                     Mistrust/Skepticism

p. 135 “Our traditional understanding of evil as disobedience would lead us to believe that it can be conquered simply by making the consequences painful…” avoiding punishment of hell

not really successful, it simply justifies eye for an eye, capital punishment kinds of justice

p. 135 “If we see the origin of evil coming primarily from mistrust, then we see that our task is one … of creating the atmosphere in which trust can be nurtured. “  Does that absolve the individual of the consequences?  No, we pay realistic consequences for our choices, and God’s love sees us through…

Scott Peck:  sin as the refusal to acknowledge that you have done badly, or from a social perspective (Wright), that society has gone astray. 

Biblical image of “principalities and powers” – corporate evil – when the powerful are in the grip of something greater, a dark spirituality.  Attributed to demons in the Bible, Wink suggests in modern times that there is a misplaced spirituality replacing divine vocation.  Structural Injustice happens due to a domination system that has been handed over to idols or ideology.

Chapter 8: Implications of a Different Understanding of Hell

Wright affirms these conclusions:

1)      Need for a punishing hell results from exclusive religious beliefs (US not THEM.)

2)      Bible points us away from system of punishment reward to encouragement to love.

3)      This could be really attractive in a church!

1.

War finds much of its inspiration in exclusivity, and Wright specifically points to religious exclusivism. 

Another view

Story of Exodus – root cause of slavery was economic, not religious – though religion/ethnicity became the visible dividing line.

p. 147 – “What we are fighting over is who has not just the best way, but the ONLY way, to avoid the fires of Hell.  But suppose we came to realize that there are no fires of Hell?... if we turn out the fires of Hell, we will make exclusivity unnecessary.”

2.

Wright quotes 1 Corinthians 13, and Matthew 25.  The Biblical imperative is to love, without thought for reward or punishment.  So what is the motivation?  For Wright, p. 150, “They were responding to a love that had been lavished upon them and that set them free to love others and be responsive to their needs.” ie. God’s love

3. 

Wright’s belief that “turning off the fires of hell” could open the doors to people longing for a more open, accepting faith – greater integrity with the gospel. 

Question for Reflection:  Do you think society is longing for that kind of gathering place?  Or are we too individualistic?  How does it shape our evangelism? 

Session Four: November 19, 2012

Picasso's Guernica - an image of war, hell on earth.

Some of our imagery about hell is derived from scriptural passages about the end of time on earth or the apocalypse, from the Greek meaning when our ultimate destiny will be "revealed".

There is often confusion of afterlife (an individual's destiny after our bodies die) with end time (when life on earth ends for all living beings.)  The scriptural images of "Judgement Day" in the end time get mixed up with beliefs about the pearly gates and St Peter.  There is no scriptural foundation for the belief that we are judged immediately after our last breath and sent to either heaven or hell, this is a belief that evolved later, as early Christians struggled to understand the waiting period between personal death and the second coming of Christ. 

Take a look at these two passages:

Daniel 12:1-4

‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ²Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth^* shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky,^* and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. ⁴But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end.

Revelation 20:7-15

When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. ⁹They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven^* and consumed them. ¹⁰And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; ¹⁵and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Most apocalyptic literature found in the Bible was written during the period 165 BCE through the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE, to about the end of the first century (Revelation) - from the persecution of the late Persians, Greeks and Romans, occupying Israel and Palestine. 

Views on apocalyptic literature (in the broadest generalization) depend on your appraoch –

For example, interpretations of Daniel are different depending on when you believe it was written:

Conservative Christians generally believe that Daniel was captured by the Babylonians circa 605 BCE, spent the rest of his life in Babylon, and wrote the book circa 540 BCE. In this way, Daniel's prophecy is seen as being fulfilled and trustworthy.  As we approached the year 2000 CE, many sermons by conservative Christians interpreted the book of Daniel as predicting the end of the world as we know it in the very near future. This book is one of the most important books in the Hebrew Scriptures to Evangelical Christians, next to Genesis.

Liberal Christians generally believe the book was written around 160 BCE.  It was based on stories probably transmitted orally from the time of the Babylonian exile until the 2nd century BCE. The 4 beasts in Daniel's dream refer to 4 ancient civilizations:  Babylonian, Median, Persian, Seleucid (Macedonian)

Since the book was written after the rise of the final empire, the author had the advantage of hindsight; the book is a history of past events, not prophecy of the future. The goal of the author is to say:  therefore we must live faithfully even in times of trouble…

HELL is what happens when apocalyptic imagery gets amalgamated with our ideas about afterlife AND atonement theory, which is a good lead in to chapters 5 and 6.

Chapter 5:      Hell in the Present Tense

Wright quotes Marcus Borg Paul’s justification is not about who is going to Heaven or Hell:  “Here, as in much else, preoccupation with the afterlife has profoundly distorted Christianity.”  Wright suggests that all the talk about “Future Hell” prevents us from dealing with Present Hell/s

“Once we admit that Hell is a present reality, we can work with God to change our society, our world and ourselves so that the exit gates of Hell are opened and we can start to live as God intended.” P. 93

Hell in the present time can be seen as a “social/corporate issue”: 

p. 94 “Those who worship a God of justice must recognize that God has built into our social structure natural consequences for selfishness and greed and injustice… Take seriously the biblical message that our failure to love justice and to show compassion will have dire consequences for us and for the society in which we live.”

 The opposite to HELL on earth is not heaven, but SHALOM, a harmony brought about by peace, justice, compassion and faithfulness. 

Social/Corporate hell needs a corporate solution, by individuals who have awoken to the grip of that greater power, whether they are victim, survivor or oppressor, and who then draw others into the movement for change. 

Hell in the present time can also be an "individual/personal issue":

p. 99 Wright speaks about self-fulfilling prophecies, when our values are distorted, so our personal sense of being in right relationship is distorted, setting us apart from God; oftentimes, putting us in Hell.  There can also be an almost supernatural sense of being “in the grip of a power beyond our control”. This is a state referred to in groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, who work in addictions, where the alcohol or drug takes on personal power over the individual. 

The role of confession in regaining right relationship.  Confession in worship should be a reality check of our true priorities, not a checklist of how we think we have been unpleasing to God, which only increases our feelings of unworthiness, and despair about change.  Instead worship should lead us to trust in that greater power (as in the Assurance of Forgiveness.)

Seeing “sin” as our alienation from God which leads to wrong action, not wrong action leading to alienation by God.  

Chapter 6:  Heaven as Past, Present and Future

Many times the motivation to become Christian is seen as being for the rewards of heaven: “If I didn’t believe that there was an everlasting life, this life wouldn’t be worth living.”

Is heaven more meaningful to Christians if we believe others are not going there?  A more exclusive club? 

Wright speaks of heaven as being a blending of past, present, and future.

Heaven begins with our roots deep in the past, where Creation is evolutionary and we are partners in it.  What seemed like a resolution of suffering or evil 3000 years ago may not be the resolution now.  God's creation is always unfolding, always in the present moment (even the end time – Jesus said over and over "the kingdom is near.")

In the present moment, we speak about entering into the true nature of God through living out servanthood (Jesus) with every choice we make.

So the hope of resurrection, or realized eschatology, means that eternal life begins now.

Heaven is also about the universal appeal of our belief in life’s continuation, just not in earthly form, but in life that continues after our last breath.

p. 129 “Our trust is based on the reasonable confidence that the God who called this world and us from non-being into being can also call us from death to life.”

Closing Prayer:  If Darwin Prayed by Bruce Sanguin

            Archetypes of Evolution, p. 116

 

Session 3: November 5 2012

An observation about last week’s study – most of us were quite comfortable giving up the idea of Hell as "a metaphysical place of eternal punishment."

BUT there was still a strong belief or longing for some understanding of eternal life (Heaven?)

What seemed most objectionable was the idea that some were excluded from Heaven on the basis that “God would never forgive this person, or that sin, or that un-belief…”

So our opening scripture reading looked at “heaven”.  Surprisingly, very few biblical references to heaven are related to the idea of after-life.  Instead they focus on heaven as being the realm of God and the angels, or in Matthew, Jesus' phrase "the kingdom of heaven" meaning what the other gospel writers refer to as the kingdom of God, only Matthew was careful not to use God's name.  this was not after-life so much as the presence and power of God on earth. 

So we looked at 2 Peter 3:  3-13, written in a time when early followers of Jesus were being tested for their faith, tempted by false teachers, and waiting for the second coming of Christ.  Still not heaven as after-life, but rather the end times for all life on earth.

First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts ⁴and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died,^* all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!’ ⁵They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, ⁶through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. ⁷But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and destruction of the godless.

8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. ⁹The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you,^* not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.^*

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, ¹²waiting for and hastening^* the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? ¹³But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; ¹⁵and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, ¹⁶speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. ¹⁷You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 It seems that the message is "everything" will be burned in the end times, not just hell, but earth and the heavens as well, so that a new heaven and earth can be established.  Apparently "Peter" did not have a strong belief in hell, since it is not mentioned here.  Somehow those who are godly will be saved, and the godless destroyed in this fire. 

There is no mention of judgement or going to heaven for individual lives that end before this end time scenario.  As the time of waiting for Jesus to return became longer and longer, the early Christians had to respond to the question of where the departed spirits go - theories of heaven, purgatory, hell seem to evolve as the waiting time grew longer.

Wright's Chapter 3:  The Hell Jesus Never Intended

How did Jesus' words about "hell" (Gehenna, fire, Hades) become the HELL of Dante's Inferno?

Wright points to the 11th theology of Anselm, of Canterbury, writing to defend the notion that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.  According to Anselm, Jesus had to be both to meet the need for a "perfect sacrifice" to appease God's anger over original sin.  Jesus, being born of a virgin and never sinning in his life on earth, gave his life as sacrifice, building up so many merit points that all who align themselves with him will also be saved.  Saved from what?  Eternal punishment in the fires of hell!

This by-product of Anselm's Christology is called "the Atonement Theory", and answers the question:  Why did Jesus have to die?  It became very popular in the context of a time where there was a strict hierarchy of power, and the feudal Lord could demand "justice" by demanding payment for every infraction. That culture of "justice" was then applied to God's relationship with humanity.  And it gave rise to lots of literature about the nature and climate of hell.

However, if you don't hold such theological notions as virgin birth or original sin, the theology of atonement is built on a pretty tippy foundation. 

Chpater 4:  Looking Through a Broader Lens

Jesus' image of God is less feudal Lord and more loving Father - where God is always seeking a way to restore the broken relationship.  This is our legacy from the Hebrew scriptures:  that God's love is relentless.

In a complete misreading of Israel's tradition of sacrifice, Anselm saw it as a method of appeasing or paying off God.  The prophets, however, saw God as already loving, and seeking reconciliation.  Sacrifice was meant to be a sign of humanity's change of heart, and willingness to seek God's way, not a way of forcing God to forgive. 

Peter Abelard (14th century) proposed the theory that Jesus's life (and death and resurrection) should inspire humanity to reconcile ourselves with God.  Maybe we need to read more Abelard! 

Modern psychology suggests that we need reassurance that we are loveable, and that the parent God loves us in spite of all our flaws.  Wright cites the biographies of Karen Armstrong and Rachel Naomi Remen, contrasting the demanding religious institution or strict parent with the image of a loving God who gives us the original blessing of unconditional love.

We closed with a prayer from Bruce Sanguin's book If Darwin Prayed, called The View from Thirty Thousand Feet.