[Note: This is one post in a series on Greg Boyd’s book Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with his Father’s Questions About Christianity. The aim of these posts is to help you start conversations with people in your community. Invite someone to read this book with you and discuss it together. You don’t need to agree with each other or the author to benefit from doing this type of activity.]
For this session, we’ll cover Correspondences 21-23
SUMMARY
Greg and his dad turn their conversation to the issue of hell in the next several letters. Edward raises a very common and appropriate question: how can the love of God be squared with the idea of hell? As Edward describes, this question is a hugely important matter for many people. It may impugn the character of God.
Greg acknowledges the difficulty of the issue and lays out a way of thinking about the topic that might be helpful. First, he admits that the Bible is rather “opaque” on this topic. He argues that we should proceed from solid ground in the Bible to our thinking on hell. For example, we know that God is revealed through Jesus Christ but that Old Testament saints who did not know Jesus and yet will be with God… even non-Israelites. Thus, we may suspect that God can/will do similar things for people who do not hear the Gospel because of tyrannical governments or inaccessibility to the gospel.
Additionally, Greg argues that the Bible teaches that humans who end up in hell actually choose this for themselves. He argues that heaven is locked from the inside by their own free-will choices and that God has not locked the doors to hell from the outside.
INTRIGUING QUOTES
If the chance evil in our world is difficult to accept, the chance evil in eternity is utterly impossible to accept. How can one go to hell by the accident of where he happened to be born? -Edward, April 4th, 1991
If you’re looking for absolute certainty in resolving the issue, you’re probably going to be disappointed. -Greg, Apirl 27, 1991
The character of God is on trial in my life, and this is very relevant evidence which needs to be considered. -Edward, May 12, 1991
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Is the concept of hell a difficult one for you? Why or why not?
What are your thoughts on hell? Are they based on scripture or popular imagination?
If you’d like more questions, make sure you pick up a copy of the book. It has several questions for each correspondence.
Next time we’ll cover correspondences 26-27