Cooling Twilight

Tag: hell

  • Does universalism subvert free will?

    Does universalism subvert free will?

    Salvation?

    A common objection to universalism (the view that all people will eventually be reconciled to God) is that it violates our free will — that in order for God to save everyone, he would have to force some to love him. Those who argue from that point of view disavow universalism in part because they believe that some people will freely choose to reject — and will always choose to reject — God’s saving love and grace.
    (more…)

  • Are you planting trees or just cutting them down?

    Are you planting trees or just cutting them down?

    Oak tree

    Are you planting trees or just cutting them down? 

    Are you making coffee or just drinking it?

    Are you the main character or part of the supporting cast?

    Are you reading sentences but missing the story?

    Are you talking about Jesus instead of showing who Jesus is?

    Are you teaching the “truth” instead of living love?

    Are you looking to the future and ignoring the present?

    Are you waiting for heaven after death and missing heaven during life?

    Are you trying to save people from going to hell when they die instead of trying to save them from the hell they’re experiencing now?

    Are you praying for what you want instead acting how God wants?

  • Follow-Up: Can you be a Christian and still believe … ?

    Follow-Up: Can you be a Christian and still believe … ?

    Chi RhoMy post Can you be a Christian and still believe … ? caused quite a bit of furor on the interwebs, so I’d like to take a moment to offer a few explanatory notes as well as provide some resources for further exploration of these topics.

    First, the point of the post wasn’t to provide a litmus test for Christian faith (liberal or otherwise). The moment we use any of these issues to judge someone else’s relationship with God, we’ve stepped into dangerous territory — territory that belongs not to us, but to God alone. What you believe about these things doesn’t include you in or exclude you from the Kingdom of God. (more…)

  • Can you be a Christian and still believe … ?

    Can you be a Christian and still believe … ?

    Chi RhoGuess what? You can still be a Christian even if you believe that:

    1. Evolution is true.
    2. The Bible isn’t inerrant.
    3. Women have the same rights as men.
    4. Homosexuality isn’t a sin.
    5. Owning a gun isn’t a God-given right.
    6. America isn’t God’s chosen country.
    7. Republicans aren’t God’s chosen political party.
    8. The modern state of Israel isn’t God’s chosen people.
    9. Decisions about abortion should be left up to individual women.
    10. Non-Christians won’t burn for eternity in hell.

    And you just might be a bit closer to the Kingdom of God if you do believe some of those things.

    Update #1:
    For those of you on Facebook, I’ve created a nice little meme of this post.

    Update #2:
    I’ve provided a list of resources regarding these beliefs in my follow-up post, coincidentally titled: Follow-Up: Can you be a Christian and still believe … ?