Welcome To Hell, Mr. Gandhi

Last updated on: March 6, 2011 at 8:12 pm by Jeffrey L. Falick

Welcome To Hell, Mr. Gandhi 2011-03-06T20:12:00-05:00 Jeffrey L. Falick

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Is Mahatma Gandhi twisting in hell? This, believe it or not, is the question that is torturing America’s Christian community, according to yesterday’s New York Times:

A new book by one of the country’s most influential evangelical pastors, challenging traditional Christian views of heaven, hell and eternal damnation, has created an uproar among evangelical leaders, with the most ancient of questions being argued in a biblical hailstorm of Twitter messages and blog posts.

…[T]he pastor, Rob Bell, known for his provocative views and appeal among the young, describes as “misguided and toxic” the dogma that “a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better.”

Yes, this is what they argue about in Wingnut-ville. And it’s a topic that has taken off like crazy:

“It is unspeakably sad when those called to be ministers of the Word distort the gospel and deceive the people of God with false doctrine,” wrote [blogger Justin] Taylor, who is vice president of Crossway, a Christian publisher in Wheaton, Ill.

By that same evening, “Rob Bell” was one of the top 10 trending topics on Twitter. Within 48 hours, Mr. Taylor’s original blog had been viewed 250,000 times. Dozens of other Christian leaders and bloggers jumped into the fray and thousands of their readers posted comments on both sides of the debate, though few had yet seen the entire book.

One leading evangelical, John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, wrote, “Farewell Rob Bell.” R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a blog post that by suggesting that people who do not embrace Jesus may still be saved, Mr. Bell was at best toying with heresy. He called the promotional video, in which Mr. Bell pointedly asks whether it can be true that Gandhi, a non-Christian, is burning in hell, “the sad equivalent of a theological striptease.”

I find it fascinating that they actually use so much modern technology. It’s such a wonderful irony, but that’s for a different post.

Unfortunately, most of them will never come to the realization that when they die they just won’t exist anymore, much less loll about a posthumous paradise of endless praise. I suppose it’s the hope for that everlasting reward that keeps them living in their narrow-minded ghetto of ignorance.

What a waste of life to spend all of your time and energy focused on what happens to you when you die. Especially when the answer is so obvious.

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