“…they, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 13:10,11, TNIV)
Hell. It’s freakishly unsettling to many (even to me), so this topic is becoming knocked out from the pulpits, for the dismay of some. Just thinking of the fact that we’re headed straight to hell is not comforting- at all! Just the fact that Christ can save- now you’re talking different! It has become a debate on what type of “hell” really exists, if (according to many denominations, they question) exists any. And how people envision it can be hilarious, or scare the bejeebers out of you!
Now that we’re in Halloween, it’s imperative we should talk about hell houses. Like a haunted house, it is the Christian-alternative version of it, growing in number (and kits!) for many Evangelical churches. Some say it’s a fundamentalist tactic, some say it’s an emotional manipulation, some say they’re nuts, others defend that they’re presenting the evils of the world, showing them the truth, and saving them with the true Gospel. It’s confusing!
As you know, with “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, there have ever been pictorial representations of Hell in view. But allow me to explain: a scene has a date rape; another scene has a gay marriage and subsequent death of one of the spouses by AIDS; a Columbine-like shooting; a teenager tempted by the devil to commit suicide- and succeeds; drunken car crashes; a botched abortion. These are day-to-day scenes of life here in America, and they’re presented in a bloody way.
In a world which loves blood, these hell houses sure are giving some blood! Hell houses, unfortunately, have become a fear-mongered spectacle. This really has become adept at making the world, Godly! However, I cannot say: they are doing a great job by acting out these parts, but this can’t cover for the faulty representation of many things- gay people aren’t the only one who die from AIDS, and not all abortion procedures (though wrong, in my viewpoint) are that botched. This has succeeded to see that many have been “saved” because of it; was it for the medium, or for Jesus?
Food for thought: Read “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, from Jonathan Edwards. (We'll use for much of this week!)
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