Go to hell!

The pastor at my church gave a fascinating sermon this morning. He had spent the week studying what Jesus had to say about hell. He built his sermon around what he had learned.

The guy in charge of the visuals on the screen tried to help out. He created an image with the words: "Want to find out what hell is like? Come hear our pastor."

Jesus mentioned heaven 11 times more frequently than he mentioned hell. Therefore, it is more important for this pastor to preach about the love of Jesus rather than damnation in hell.

Jesus talked about the Kingdom of Heaven being with you now. So, let's talk about how we can bring heaven to this life and alleviate hell in this life rather than worrying about what comes after this life.

When Jesus talked about hell he was addressing the religious leaders of his day, the equivalent of the modern church council. He accused them of putting people in hell. Jesus did not talk about hell when addressing the common man, the outsiders, those in need of his message of love.

When Jesus spoke of hell he was referring to a real place, a valley outside Jerusalem named Gehenna. Two things about Gehenna – it was where children had been sacrificed to the god Molech, and it was outside the protection of the city walls. That means, said our pastor, it referred to a nasty place outside the community, a place without love and support.

So what should we as a church and community be doing? Go to hell! … and bring those who are in hell back into the community.