Heretic's Guide to Eternity
I recently finished Spencer Burke's Heretic's Guide to Eternity
Reading this book is a lot like eating a northern pike. There are some tasty morsels -- but you have to do an awful lot of bone picking.
I appreciate his refreshing view about the wideness of God's tender mercy, which reaches out to us all. I applaud his emphasis on spirituality v.s. dead religion. Sadly, these themes have been neglected too often in the organized church.
However, his leanings towards univeralism is disturbing. In fairness -- he claims NOT to be a univeralist in the classical sense -- but this writing is dangerously close to the cliff!
He says he believes in hell, but it sure seems to me to like a "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", sort of way.
I don't preach on hell very often -- but I believe there is one and we need to do everything we can to avoid it. Like Burke, I don't think God wants ANYBODY to go there. However, there are some folks who choose that path. I don't think anybody ends up there by accident.
One Sunday, after I had mentioned hell in a sermon, a guy came up to me and said, "I don't believe in that!"
I replied, "I wish I had that option. I'd rather not believe in it too -- but I believe in the Bible, and the Bible says there is one. So, I have to either make myself and my own opinions the standard of truth, or I have to go elsewhere. I choose the Bible."
I have found, however, that most preachers who talk about hell seem to enjoy the idea that people are headed that direction. Something's twisted about that!
So, I do agree with the gracious spirit of Burke -- even though I disagree with some of his conclusions.
I'd rather assume there IS a hell to avoid -- and then find out in eternity that there isn't one, than to assume there isn't one -- and to find out later that there IS!
Reading this book is a lot like eating a northern pike. There are some tasty morsels -- but you have to do an awful lot of bone picking.
I appreciate his refreshing view about the wideness of God's tender mercy, which reaches out to us all. I applaud his emphasis on spirituality v.s. dead religion. Sadly, these themes have been neglected too often in the organized church.
However, his leanings towards univeralism is disturbing. In fairness -- he claims NOT to be a univeralist in the classical sense -- but this writing is dangerously close to the cliff!
He says he believes in hell, but it sure seems to me to like a "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", sort of way.
I don't preach on hell very often -- but I believe there is one and we need to do everything we can to avoid it. Like Burke, I don't think God wants ANYBODY to go there. However, there are some folks who choose that path. I don't think anybody ends up there by accident.
One Sunday, after I had mentioned hell in a sermon, a guy came up to me and said, "I don't believe in that!"
I replied, "I wish I had that option. I'd rather not believe in it too -- but I believe in the Bible, and the Bible says there is one. So, I have to either make myself and my own opinions the standard of truth, or I have to go elsewhere. I choose the Bible."
I have found, however, that most preachers who talk about hell seem to enjoy the idea that people are headed that direction. Something's twisted about that!
So, I do agree with the gracious spirit of Burke -- even though I disagree with some of his conclusions.
I'd rather assume there IS a hell to avoid -- and then find out in eternity that there isn't one, than to assume there isn't one -- and to find out later that there IS!
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