A Challenge for the Church

The Church of Jesus Christ has a huge problem on its hands: a large and growing number of Christians worldwide believe that God is ultimately going to save everyone. This belief represents a serious threat to the orthodoxy that has held sway for centuries. If the belief in universal salvation is false, then the Church is in danger of being corrupted by a dangerous heresy. On the other hand, if the belief is true, then the Church has been horrifically misrepresenting God for centuries by saying that He created billions of people only to have them end up forever banished from Him and subjected to endless conscious torment.

So either way—whether ultimate restoration is false or true—the Church faces an enormous challenge. Personally I believe that the whole matter of heaven and hell and who goes where and why and for how long is one of the top five critical issues confronting the Church, if not the most crucial. What could be more important than the eternal destiny of mankind? What part of the Christian message is more essential than presenting the truth about one’s relationship to God and how it affects what happens beyond this life? Those who accept the Bible as the Word of God believe that it is the only reliable source of information about the afterlife, so it is exceedingly important that we get it right and that we accurately present God’s truth to a lost world.

If you are a Christian, then no matter where you stand on this issue—whether you are a staunch supporter of the traditional view of hell, a firm believer in God’s plan to reconcile all to Himself, or a seeker who is open to considering what God may be saying—you probably agree that it is imperative to rightly divide the word of truth and accurately represent God and His purposes. So what should be done?

It seems to me that some of you here on Christianpost are as passionate about the traditional view as I am about the restoration view. Your comments on my blogs reflect an intense desire to defend the orthodox view against the “heresy” of universal redemption. So I want to challenge you to start a blog of your own to promote your understanding. A blog would have more visibility and permanence than comments on my posts. In addition to your audience being wider, you could develop your ideas more systematically, rather than just reacting to my ideas. You have made many points that need to be answered, and putting them together in a blog would bring them to the forefront. Having a balanced presentation of the different viewpoints would contribute to the whole conversation, which I think we agree is an important one to have. You could also, as I have done, post essays on other subjects as the Lord teaches you. Any takers?