I’ve never been to Hell but I think I would like to go, just to experience it once in my life. Of course, I would want to take Brenda with me – after all she deserves to see Hell too. I am told by some reputable sources that Hell even freezes over – but I find that hard to believe because if that was true, then the Toronto Maple Leaf’s would have won the Stanley Cup by now.
According to Map Quest, Hell’s a little NE of Ann Arbour, off I-94. Of course, I’m talking about Hell, Michigan. Seems it was first settled in 1838 by George Reeves who had a grist mill and general store on the banks of Hell Creek. Back in those early days George had a habit of paying the local farmers for their grain with home distilled whiskey, which became very troublesome to the farmers’ wives and disruptive to their families ― so much so that when the farmers’ wives were questioned about their husbands’ whereabouts during harvest time, the wives would reply, “He’s gone to Hell again.” This name stuck and ‘Hell’ became an official town in 1841. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now it is one thing to visit a town called Hell, Michigan, where people are nice and pleasant; where you can have a few pictures taken with your wife by Hell’s Gates and then leave to go on your merry way ― but the Hell spoken of in the Bible is not that sort of place. It does not take visitors . . . you will probably never see its gates . . . and it never freezes over ― which leads me to conclude that the Toronto Maple Leaf’s are NEVER going to win another Stanley Cup. Sorry!
Hell, with its 9 levels of suffering according to Dante’s “Inferno”, is not nearly as popular among folks as Heaven is. I understand! After all, who wants to sweat it out ‘down there’ where the smell of sulphur burns the nostrils, when they can dance on streets of gold and hang out with chubby angels?
I have some good news! According to a recent poll by the Cultural Research Centre [CRC] at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, it seems a whole lot more folks are headed for ‘Glory’. The American Worldview Inventory 2022 surveyed 1,000 Evangelical pastors between February and March of 2022, across several denominational families and examined more than three dozen beliefs, with several surprising responses. Researchers discovered that at least one third (30%) of senior pastors in the United States believe you can earn a place in Heaven by simply being a good person. Amazing news, you think?
One third of senior pastors believe you can earn a place in
heaven by simply being a good person.
Cultural Research Centre Poll, 2022.
Faithfully hand out donuts downtown to homeless folks? On, the way to Heaven!
Help little ole ladies cross the street? Heaven!
Water your neighbour’s house plants while they are beach-barbequing in the Floridian sun? Heaven!
Believe Jesus is not the only way to God? Heaven!
Never spank your young crop of family hellions? Heaven - because who likes bullies?
Cook supper for your wife every evening (except weekends)? Hello streets of Gold!!
Donate to the local food bank? Picnic time under the ‘Tree of Life’, for sure!
Well-mannered and soft-spoken? Hello Paradise!
Compassionate? You’ve got a Mansion Just Over the Hilltop!
Work tirelessly to restore and protect the integrity of the earth? Stop by the tailor to be fitted for your white linen robe, on your way to those horse riding lessons!
Support gay marriage, gender-fluid identity, a loose interpretation of divine authorship, and do not believe that sexual difference is a constant thread in Scripture. No problem! The Pearly Gates swings open for such ‘enlightened’ people.
At this point I ‘almost’ want to sing that widely popular song, “I Can Only imagine” but will resist! Still, the possibilities are endless when you make ‘being a good person’ a highwater mark . . . a kind of secular apogee beyond the familiar, biblical requirement of confessing our sins and accepting Jesus Christ as savior (I John 1:9).
Now, precisely ‘Why’ or ‘How’ these Evangelical pastors came to this conclusion is up for grabs! Perhaps they believe NOT going to heaven is racist. Perhaps it has something to do with cultural traditions, expectations, and narrow religious norms – which regrettably shape the dichotomous belief that some ‘make it’ . . . while ‘others do not’. Maybe they do not believe there is a personal God who places demands on your life in any meaningful way? Maybe they are simply modern Moralistic Therapeutic Deists (MTD) who sincerely believe God wants nothing more than people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, just like the Bible teaches; after all, this is the age of the therapeutic. Or . . . maybe it has something to do with the thought that going to hell is not fair, too excessive, simply unjust, and discriminatory of God. Interestingly, George Barna, the CRC's director of research said the results could be linked to another trend observed in the data:
“While studying the spiritual behavioral patterns of pastors, it became evident that a large share of them do not have a regular spiritual routine. There was a correlation between possessing biblical beliefs and a consistent regimen of Bible reading, prayer, worship and confession.”
I find that a rather telling marker!
Having a fondness for God is not the same
as having a relationship with God.
Wolves among the sheep is nothing new, so pastors who believe ‘being good’ is good enough for heaven should not surprise us. I sometimes think the smarter ‘some’ folks get, the dumber they become.
Most will know the Parable of the Good Samaritan, as told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notoriously known as the ‘Way of the Blood’ because of the amount of blood shed by opportunistic preying robbers. So, to read that a priest and Levite came across a fallen traveler is not surprising. What was surprising was that they avoided the person, failed to check whether he was ‘Dead or Alive’ and continued their merry way. The Mishnah made exceptions for neglected corpses (Mishnah Nazir 6:5; 7:1), but they were having none of it. However, when a Samaritan happened upon the crime scene, he intervened, prompting this response from Jesus:
“Of these three men, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?” The expert said, “The one who was kind enough to help him.” Jesus told him, “Go and imitate his example!”
Now I mention this story because it is sometimes offered as ‘proof’ that ‘good’ gets you into heaven. Considering the story and Jesus’ words, can it be that these one third (1/3) of senior Evangelical pastors in the religious survey who believe you can earn a place in Heaven by simply being a good person are on to something the rest of us have not figure out? Hardly!
In general terms:
Can people exhibit moral behavior superior to other groups with a better approval rating? Sure!
Is compassion something all humanity (believer / unbeliever) should consciously always have in mind and practice? Absolutely!
Is a sincere act of goodness, which ultimately comes from the Source of all goodness, commendable? Even a philistine would not disagree!
More specifically and to the point here, having Jesus say nice things about our neighborliness, should not be confused with the other things He also said. Do not take my word for it – listen to Jesus, who permits no ambiguity: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) . . . or “Truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again . . . You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.” (John 3:3 and 5) . . . or, John 3:16-18 . . .
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
I suspect there will always be those who think I need to ‘exegete’ every sentence... ‘parse’ every Greek work and subject every ‘jot or tittle’ to a Jesus type Seminar to decide a collective view of whether Jesus actually said these things - but to borrow the words of Lutheran theologian Carl Braaten (he was referencing the Jesus Seminar) . . . that would be the “latest example of a pseudo-scientific approach that is ‘dogmatically’ opposed to basic Christian dogmas,” so I have decided to pass!
Cutting the real and radical Jesus down to our size to win the approval of ‘good people’, both in the pew and in the public, does not square with Jesus saying,
“You must be born again.”
With regards to the Good Samaritan parable, a couple of thoughts.
The Samaritan, whose central holy text is the Pentateuch, performed the law as one whose actions are consistent with an orientation towards eternal life. So, it is self-evident that the Samaritan here actually practiced the Law he believed in. In other words, he was a ‘believer’. Regrettably, the world is brimming with people who are ‘good’ but reject any form or requirement of the Gospel.
We should not confuse justification (how we are reconciled to God) with sanctification (how we grow in grace and obedience because we have been reconciled) in the story. While Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that our reconciliation is by grace alone through faith alone, verse 10 reminds us that out of our reconciled state (born again) we do good works. The Good Samaritan parable is to direct our sanctification, NOT be the source of our justification.
The purity-holiness matrix is a dagger in the heart in the parable. There is no room for self-preserving non-involvement by God-followers. What is important is an embracing worldview that sees all, especially those marginalized, as deserving of neighbourly love. Then, perhaps through that action, these same folks come to personally embrace the work of Christ salvifically.
Being a ‘charitable person’ (i.e., Good Samaritan) should not be confused with what Jesus said in John 3:36, namely, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Even the truth of Galatians 2:16, “for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified,” you would think would settle the matter for even the most obtuse of preachers.
So, while the good news is that God alone is the Judge of every human heart and knows ultimately those who belong to him, the bad news is that ‘good’ does not merit getting to heaven. At least, that is what Jesus said . . . and he should know! To suggest otherwise demonstrates a vapid misunderstanding of the parable and its meaning.
The belief that ‘good people’ go to heaven is absurd. The words of the 7th century prophet, Jeremiah 6:14 (also 8:11; Ezekiel 13:10 and 16) come to mind: “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” Jeremiah’s message that the nation must surrender to Babylon was unacceptable to the priests. His message of bloodshed, destruction and coming judgment did not fit with the times.
If a more recent example is needed, Rob Bell comes to mind. If you don’t know Rob – he was, until his unscheduled departure, lead pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, a converted mall outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where 10,000 people a week would show up to hear him preach. In 2011 he published Love Wins – a book that challenged the idea that there is a literal Hell, a place where people who reject Christ are separated and punished.
Results of the 2022 poll by the Cultural Research Centre suggests we can no longer unswervingly trust pastors
to consistently provide biblical guidance
on basic Christian beliefs.
In his book Love Wins, Rob Bell the Christian . . . becomes Rob Bell the Christian Universalist ― someone who believes that in the end, God will save every person and if necessary, everyone gets a 2nd chance, 3rd, 4th, 5th . . . 77th, 78th, 79th – You get the idea. Bell writes “The love of God will melt every hard heart, and even the most ‘depraved sinners’ will eventually give up their resistance and turn to God.” (p. 107). According to Bell, it seems Jesus gives everyone a universal hug …. as we all gather around the heavenly campfire singing Kumbaya - with Jesus no doubt playing the guitar. “Does God Get What He Wants” Bell asks? He responds:
“But there’s a better question, one we can answer, one that takes all this speculation about the future . . . and brings it back to one absolute we can depend on in the midst of all of this . . . It’s not, “Does God get what God wants?” but “Do we get what we want?” And the answer to that is a resounding, affirming, sure, and positive yes. “Yes, we get what we want. God is that loving.” (pp. 116-7)
Our world’s version of the gospel has always been something other than the truth of Scripture. That over 30% of Evangelical pastors have succumbed to such man-centered thinking is sad, but not surprising. Paul did write to the Corinthians of infiltration by false apostles who teach false doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, and he did caution Timothy to preach the Word:
‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.’ (2 Timothy 3.13-4.4)
What we have here is a self-indulgent charade by some evangelical pastors, to achieve a social goal. Foolishness has invaded and endangered the pulpit.
‘Fables’ – are made up stories that lack the substance and truth of the Gospel’s authentic message. Peter called them “cunningly devised fables” (2 Peter 1:16). That ‘good people’ go to heaven is one of those clever stories indeed! No wonder evangelical pastors are hardly newsworthy.
Throughout history we have always had personal opinionated heresies from the pulpit, whether the diversity agenda that calls us to affirm that ‘all paths lead to God’ or the absurd idea that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. That ‘good people’ can go to heaven is simply another nutty idea in a long list of nutty ideas. Personally, I expect increasing more religiously therapeutic language to flourish as the spirit of antichrist takes a firmer hold on lukewarm, silly people . . . and even sillier preachers. “Only Saying …”
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