“Two Christian students and two atheist students squared off Tuesday night in a 90-minute high school debate about the existence, role and relevance of God. Focusing on the philosophical implications of believing in Christianity vs. atheism, the students explained to an audience of about 125 why their beliefs made logical sense and attempted to poke holes in the other side’s arguments…..”
Last night I taught a seminar at our church addressing the question – Is Hell for Real? What follows is a brief overview and summary.
“This final dimension of judgment and hell is anticipated in the Old Testament (Dan. 12:1-2; Isa. 66:24) and taught in every section of the New: the Gospels (Matt. 5:22; 29-30; 7:13, 23; 8-12, 29; 10:28; 13:42, 49-50; 18:6-9; 22:13; 23:33; 24:51; 25:30, 41, 46: 26:24; Mark 1:24; 5:7; 9:43, 45, 47-48; Luke 3:17; 4:34; 12:5; 13:3, 5; 16:23-25, 28; John 3:16-18, 36; 5:28-29; 8:21,24); Acts (10:42; 17:31); the New Testament letters (Rom. 2:5, 8-9, 12; 6:23; 9:3, 22; 1 Cor. 11:32; 2 Cor. 2:15-16; 4:3; Gal. 1:8-9; 6:8; Eph. 5:6; Phil. 1:28; 3:19; Col. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:3, 9; 2:10; Heb. 6:2; 9:27; 10:27, 39; James 4:12; 2 Peter 2:1, 3 ,4, 9, 12, 17; 3:7; Jude 4, 6, 7, 13); and the Apocalypse (Rev. 2:11; 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10-11, 19; 16:19; 17:8, 11; 18:8, 9, 18; 19:3, 15, 20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8; 22:15). Plainly, the New Testament has much to say about the final destiny of the unsaved.” (1)
Summary of what these passages reveal about the nature of hell:
“The Bible’s picture of hell, therefore, indicates that upon death some people will be translated into a different, nonspatial mode of existence. They will be conscious, and they will await a resurrection of their bodies, at which time they will be banished from heaven and secured in hell where they will experience unending, conscious exclusion from God, his people, and anything of value. This banishment will include conscious sorrow, shame, and anguish to differing degrees, depending on the person’s life on earth.”—J.P Moreland and Gary Habermas (2)
As Christians, what should our response be to the doctrine of hell?
“No orthodox Christian likes the doctrine of hell or delights in anyone’s condemnation. I truly wish universalism were true, but it is not. My compassion toward those in other world religions is therefore expressed, not in pretending that they are not lost and dying without Christ, but by supporting and making every effort myself to communicate to them the life-giving message of salvation through Christ.”—William Lane Craig (3)
1 Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, eds., Hell under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 168.
2 J. P. Moreland and Gary R. Habermas, Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2003), 291.
3 http://wri.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/politically.html Politically Incorrect Salvation by William Lane Craig.
(CNN) – A frail man sits in chains inside a dank, cold prison cell. He has escaped death before but now realizes that his execution is drawing near.
“I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come,” the man –the Apostle Paul – says in the Bible’s 2 Timothy. “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
The passage is one of the most dramatic scenes in the New Testament. Paul, the most prolific New Testament author, is saying goodbye from a Roman prison cell before being beheaded. His goodbye veers from loneliness to defiance and, finally, to joy.
There’s one just one problem – Paul didn’t write those words. In fact, virtually half the New Testament was written by impostors taking on the names of apostles like Paul. At least according to Bart D. Ehrman, a renowned biblical scholar, who makes the charges in his new book “Forged.”
“There were a lot of people in the ancient world who thought that lying could serve a greater good,” says Ehrman, an expert on ancient biblical manuscripts.In “Forged,” Ehrman claims that:
- At least 11 of the 27 New Testament books are forgeries.
- The New Testament books attributed to Jesus’ disciples could not have been written by them because they were illiterate.
- Many of the New Testament’s forgeries were manufactured by early Christian leaders trying to settle theological feuds.
Were Jesus’ disciples ‘illiterate peasants?’
Ehrman’s book, like many of his previous ones, is already generating backlash. Ben Witherington, a New Testament scholar, has written a lengthy online critique of “Forged.”
Witherington calls Ehrman’s book “Gullible Travels, for it reveals over and over again the willingness of people to believe even outrageous things.”… (rest of article on CNN by John Blake)
Two must read reviews of Ehrman’s book Forged that argue that the Biblical authors are who they claimed to be:
Also, for a great introduction to New Testament authorship issues, see:
The short answer to this question is that nothing really follows (with logical necessity) from where I happen to be born; the truth or falsity of a religion is not determined by where someone is born. Paul Copan responds, “the same line of reasoning applies to the pluralist himself. If the pluralist grew up in Madagascar or medieval France, he would not have been a pluralist!” Furthermore, this question seems to imply that people can’t escape the cultural views they were born into. Also, the number of conversions from within closed countries to a different belief system undercut the weight of this objection. Finally, the notion of the Christian God’s providential ordering of the world rules out people being born somewhere by historical accident:
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of you.” – Acts 17:24-27
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Hello everyone! I had a blast on mornings with Brant (WAY-FM) talking about college life. Here is the audio.
WARNING – Shameless Plug Alert – Here is my book Welcome to College. This would make a GREAT graduation gift for seniors or students already in college. Youth Pastors could work through these chapters with groups and there are small group discussion questions in the back. Also, for parents to work through with their teenagers while in High School to prepare them for the opportunities and challenges of college life.
“This is the book I’ve been waiting for. . . It is the single best volume I have ever read for preparing students for how to follow Jesus and flourish as his disciple in college.”—J.P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
“Jonathan Morrow has both the intellectual resources as well as the practical experience to provide an effective students’ survival guide to university life. I’m impressed with the wide array of issues he discusses, from intellectual challenges to financial problems to sexual snares to getting enough sleep! All this is done in easily digestible bits for the student on the run.”—William Lane Craig, theologian and author of Reasonable Faith
“Jonathan Morrow has written an extremely practical, insightful guide for navigating the challenges of college life. It is wide ranging and wise. I enthusiastically recommend it!”—Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University and author of Is God a Moral Monster?“I love this book. Being in college myself, this book is phenomenal. Jonathan does a great job of having a little bit for everyone. Whether you need relationship advice, a little lesson in apologetics, to just basics like how to take care of your health. It really is great. To college students” This isn’t one of those cheesy books your grandparents buy you and the you use to fix that lop-sided dorm bed. This is the real deal!” – Josh (student)