Still Dangerous Over a Year Later!!

Yes, I've been accused of being dangerous once again by someone who has never met me, talked with me or heard me speak. The gossiping guardians of religion are trading in a lie that some power-hungry, religious pharisee has chosen to spread about me. What are the lies? Here they are:

Lie No. 1) Mark doesn't believe in hell. (somewhat true - I'll explain in a moment)
Lie No. 2) Mark thinks everyone is going to heaven. (I wish!)
Lie No. 3) Mark is a Universalist.

OK, let me respond. I THINK there is a hell but I don't BELIEVE in hell. I believe in Jesus - only God is worthy of believing in. I think there will be a hell but I refuse to state dogmatically exactly what hell will be like. I don't know! I don't think there will be literal flames but I could be wrong. I think most of our notions of hell have been influenced by Dante's "Inferno" more than Scripture and whatever hell will be like will be bad and I don't want anyone to experience it.

Lie 2 - Wouldn't it be great if everyone was going to heaven?!! I wish that were the case!! But I don't think that will happen. I think a lot of religious people will choose hell over being with Jesus and the riff-raff (remember the prodigal son's older brother?). The confusion rests with the fact that I believe God, in His amazing grace, preemptively forgave us while we were still sinners. I think that when 2 Corinthians 5 says that God no longer holds the world's sins against them, it means that God no longer holds the world's sins against them. The problem is that most people think that forgiveness equals heaven. That's like saying that medicine equals health. Not! Medicine only gives health when the medicine is taken and forgiveness only gives heaven to those that take that forgiveness to heart. (By the way, the gossiping pharisees really want people to go to hell! Someone has to pay because they haven't had fun in this life!)

Lie 3 - A Universalist? Well the gossiping pharisees are trying to impress with their big word. Pssst - universalists believe everyone is going to heaven - read my answer to lie No. 2.

I guess I am dangerous by emphasizing the love of Christ as a call to change over the threat of hell. Why does the scripture say that the kindness of God leads us to repentance? Listen to these religious folks and you'd think that the threat of hell is the best method to wrestle repentance out of people. It's dangerous to tell of God's first strike of grace by dying for those that thought God was their enemy. Weird - I thought you did harm to your enemies but God demonstrated his love for us by dying for us while we were against him. Love your enemies? That is dangerous!!

This is the point that I hope you don't miss. God's love and grace is dangerous! It destroys the strongholds and powers that keep people in bondage. It exposes the false, religious dictators as impotent and tells you that you've been emancipated and they no longer have claim to you and power over you. It's dangerous to the powers and principalities that have an interest in ruling over you but it's NOT dangerous to those who are set free. It's good news - salvation - liberation - abundance of life! The man who has been set free is free indeed and it still frosts those that once possessed you and impressed you!

Dangerous!!!