Here's an interesting clip of N.T. Wright talking about his understanding of Hell. I appreciate some of the points that he makes. In particular, he does a good job of highlighting how Western Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) were heavily influenced in the middle ages by what may be an incorrect understanding of heaven and hell (e.g., Faust's Red Devil with a pitchfork roasting you over a spit, etc.).
It's a point that we don't talk about too much, but if we take Rev. 21-22 seriously, then we won't spend eternity in Heaven, but here on a recreated Earth, an Earth much more similar to Eden than to some fluffy clouds and golden mansions in the sky.
On the flip side, I appreciate how he talks about Hell. It's not where we go to get tormented by demons (remember, demons will be tormented worst of all, without much time or ability to take pleasure in the pain of others). Instead, hell is filled with people who by rejecting God are becoming less and less human as that divine spark and image fades and distorts. Eventually, they're left alone with themselves for eternity (which reminds me of C.S. Lewis' description from The Great Divorce). Billions of isolated houses moving further and further away from each other because they can't stand to be around anyone.
So you don't have God (or Peter) standing at the gates of Heaven consulting a book before granting you admission or pulling a level, which causes you to fall through a trap door into damnation. Instead, you have an eternal continuing of the journey you started on Earth... either in a life-giving journey towards greater intimacy with God Almighty or in a hopeless trudging away from Him as you continue to seek your own way.
It's a point that we don't talk about too much, but if we take Rev. 21-22 seriously, then we won't spend eternity in Heaven, but here on a recreated Earth, an Earth much more similar to Eden than to some fluffy clouds and golden mansions in the sky.
On the flip side, I appreciate how he talks about Hell. It's not where we go to get tormented by demons (remember, demons will be tormented worst of all, without much time or ability to take pleasure in the pain of others). Instead, hell is filled with people who by rejecting God are becoming less and less human as that divine spark and image fades and distorts. Eventually, they're left alone with themselves for eternity (which reminds me of C.S. Lewis' description from The Great Divorce). Billions of isolated houses moving further and further away from each other because they can't stand to be around anyone.
So you don't have God (or Peter) standing at the gates of Heaven consulting a book before granting you admission or pulling a level, which causes you to fall through a trap door into damnation. Instead, you have an eternal continuing of the journey you started on Earth... either in a life-giving journey towards greater intimacy with God Almighty or in a hopeless trudging away from Him as you continue to seek your own way.
1 comments:
He is seriously brilliant. Reading and listening to some of his work has made me realize how locked into certain debates (and certain sides within those debates) American Christians are. His mindset is a breath of fresh air blown from clear across the Atlantic.
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