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Where in the Hell is Hell in the Bible? Clothbook Sample 7/3/08 By the way, neither of us is excited about writing a book about hell - or the lack thereof; however, this is an incredibly important topic that has received very little thorough, balanced and honest evaluation. We have attempted to do this without being cocky or saying that we are right and everyone else is wrong. Enjoy this little sample. FEAR OF HELL IS REAL (Glen) “Glen, you’ve got to visit my father!” Deep urgency, indeed panic, cascaded from the voice on the other end of the phone. “The doctor says dad has only one or two days to live.” Sheila was talking about “Dad won’t let me talk to him any more about God, but he really likes you and agreed to talk with you one last time. Oh please hurry, the doctor says he will slip into a coma by tomorrow.” Sheila introduced me to Sheila got religion in her late 20’s at the legalistic, fundamentalist church she started attending after she and Ron (Sheila’s husband) started having children. As time went on, Sheila became so consumed with serving God according to her church’s rules and regulations that Ron ended up leaving her over it. Ron agreed to return home but only if she left her church and found a neutral counselor. I was that counselor. Ron and Sheila eventually worked things out, restored their marriage and started attending a different church. Through that process we became friends. Sheila slowly gained a fresh understanding of Christianity that wasn’t so negative, works oriented and judgmental; however, the image of an eternal fiery hell still burned deep in her mind. People who didn’t confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord were certain to go there – people like her father. An hour after Sheila’s phone call I knocked on the hospital room door. A few minutes later “Well Chet, this is it; you don’t have long. Sheila’s scared to death that you’re not right with God and she wants me to fix that…” Before I could finish I knew I couldn’t force Sheila walked to the parking lot with me after I came out of her father’s hospital room. “Well, did Dad pray with you?” Sheila was physically trembling - her deep love and concern for her father was obvious. Her future and her father’s eternal state seemed to rest in my answer. What should I do? If I lied and told Sheila that her father had prayed the sinner’s prayer, she would live out her years in peace because she’d think that she and “Sheila,” I said reassuringly, “there’s no better place for your dad to be than in the hands of his loving heavenly Father. You have nothing to worry about.” I wish I could say that this was an isolated incident, but it’s not. The church has been emotionalizing hell for centuries. Countless millions have lived with the fear of the dreadful fires of hell torturing them long before their earthly lives are even over. Within hours, Clothman on the Book of Revelation Actually I have Clothreaders like Steve (see Clothmail on Hell 3/6/07) to thank for this. He said: "I am very disappointed that you want to avoid talking about Revelation. Two of the three proofs of hell I offered from scripture came from there. Although from your position I can see why you want it to be off limits. Revelation offers some of the most clear proof of all there is a hell. If you are going to dismiss some of my scriptural references altogether, I'm afraid we are not on an even playing field, meaning I will look at your references, but you won't look at mine. I don't see that as being fair. What happened to open dialog? Would you reconsider?" It isn't that I am afraid of Revelation or that I see it "off limits," I just don't think it can be used to prove the doctrine of hell. However, I have never explained why and Steve was correct to call me out on that. I don't expect that Steve or others who have a different approach to Revelation will be satisfied with my position, but they are correct in pointing out that without further explaination I was cutting off dialogue. So here is my position on Revelation - and I stand corrected. Clothman’s Position Statement on Revelation Revelation was written in the first century as a Holy Spirit inspired letter to the seven churches in Many apocalyptic writings were political in nature written to protest power abuses. The context of John's Apocalypse (Revelation) was the Roman persecution of Christians and spiritual problems that were developing within the churches. The primary message of the book was to those seven churches and it must first be applied to them in their time and circumstances. Any interpretation which divorces itself from this context and imposes itself primarily upon different people in different circumstances at a different time is violating foundational principles of biblical study - an error I think many futuristic approaches to Revelation make. Therefore, as with Matthew 24, the primary meaning of Revelation should be seen as the impending judgment and collapse of an evil system that stands in opposition to the Projecting Revelation out of the past and far into the future and in specific geographic locations only leads to wild interpretations about the meanings of dragons with many heads, bizarre plagues, armies on horseback, walled cities, a lake of fire and actual books in heaven. While those who hold to the inspiration of Scripture, as I do, believe that Revelation complements the other books of the canon and contains universal truths that apply to every Bible reader, it is unwise to attempt to posture it as a book that defends later established creeds or doctrines. Thus, the doctrine of eternal conscious torment (hell) cannot be drawn from Revelation when read in its proper context. Anyone quoting from Revelation to defend this doctrine may likely be extracting proof texts from it to defend an already assumed point of view. This is why I say that if hell cannot be found or proven in the first 65 books of the Bible, I’m not going to rely on the 66th to prove it. It is also why I am hesitant to spend a lot of time debating verses out of Revelation that are said to be referring to hell. Clothman's "Excommunication" Comments After hearing countless rumors (many of them outrageous and most of them painful) for nearly a year regarding the unfortunate chain of events that occurred between myself and the Evangelical group here in Missoula, I have decided to finally post my exact comments from these meetings. For those who do not know, once I revealed that I no longer believe in a literal, eternal hell, I was quickly "excommunicated" from a group that I dearly love: The Missoula Christian Network or The Net for short. This is the local expression of the National Association of Evangelicals. I had been a member of this group for 18 years and a leader of it for 12. In fact, I was one of the leaders when I was no longer allowed to be a part of the group. I use the term "excommunicate" only rarely and carefully, understanding that it is loaded. It means "to be excluded from fellowship." This is indeed what happened. It is an unpleasant term that accurately describes an unpleasant experience for both myself and the members of The Net. I am still deeply saddened, but please believe me when I say that I am not angry. So why would I now post my final words to The Net? I do so to clarify two things. First, that there was a spirit of restraint demonstrated by all parties at both of the meetings. Nobody enjoyed being a part of these events. We were (and I pray still are) friends. It is painful to tell a friend that he is no longer welcome. It is painful to be told you are no longer welcome by friends. The second reason is, to be honest, is a bit self-serving. My comments at these meetings have unfortunately been distorted by many and I simply want to clear up what was actually said. Before you read these comments let me say that things don't have to be done this way in the Body of Christ. I remain optimistic that in the end reconciliation will occur between myself and The Net and that grace and forgiveness will ultimately win the day. Excommunication Ceremony Comments 5/18/06 I’ve always wanted to be first at something, but kind of hoped it would be in a 4-H contest or body building competition or a triathlon …being the first to be excommunicated from MCN was never on my list. In fact, it has never been on any list that I could have ever imagined. However, such a moment is now here and I’ve been given only 5 minutes to respond so I’d better get to it. May I first say that I respectfully disagree with the decision to excommunicate me - and how the decision was reached, especially considering that no one has looked at the biblical basis by which I arrived at my “working” conclusions. I know we don’t all agree on doctrine, but then we never have. As you all know I have a deep, deep love the MCN and I still believe in it; however, is this really the direction we want to be going? However, that said, I refuse to argue or debate this decision, that would not be beneficial for anyone or for The Net. Thus, I have accepted this ruling and am prepared to move on into whatever the Lord has for me next. So since this is the last MCN meeting/event which I will be attending - I want to thank you for 18 years of teamwork in Christ toward the goal of seeing the great commission fulfilled in Missoula County – of seeing Missoula become known far and wide as a city of life and healing. And I thank God for the friendships I have forged with all of you – some of you for nearly 2 decades. I can still remember my first MEMA meeting in the fall of 1988 at the Sizzler. As I’ve said countless times over the years, many of the relationships I have enjoyed in this group far exceeded those I experience within my own denomination. Though I will no longer be allowed to be a part of this group, it is my hope and deepest prayer that both Rhonda and I can continue those friendships outside of this organizational context. Obviously, I am not leaving The Net because I want to - indeed this is one of the saddest days of my life. However, it is imperative for you to know that I do not leave with anger or malice. I may be sad - and please hear me well on this - I am NOT mad. Finally, as I thought about what my last words to you might be, and knowing that they had to be few, I decided to chose these: I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from where he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the church universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. And, as Edward Mote pinned many years ago: My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand. Nicer-Excommunication Ceremony Comments 5/25/06 Thank you SALT for taking the extra time and effort to help us maneuver through these difficult waters with more grace and peace than last week. Let me tell all of you how in the world we got to this place. About three months ago I preached a sermon at Shortly thereafter, ____ and ______ felt my resignation was unnecessary and wanted to defend my remaining on SALT. Unbeknownst to them, this created a great moral dilemma for me. Over the past 5 years, and the last year and a half in particular, I have been doing (and am still doing) a lengthy, in depth, biblical study of hell. Though I would not say I don’t believe in hell, it is true that I no longer endorse the traditional Evangelical view of hell being a place that God assigns people to for an eternity of conscience torment. Though I’ve been a part of the Network, and indeed SALT, with this view for nearly five years, it has only been in the last 6 months that I’ve actually started teaching this in our High Point Adventures circles. Because I had started to cautiously go public with this view thus it would word would soon be getting out, and because honesty is my highest virtue, I felt it was of utmost importance that I let ____ and _____ know about the doctrinal shift I have made. So, my “coming out” wasn’t for the purpose of stirring up an argument or debate, it was merely to protect ____ and _____ from a potential future situation. Since then, one thing has led to another like an avalanche barreling down a mountainside – until we all find ourselves here today. I appreciate so much the effort ____ and _____ have made to handle this in a Christ like manner. They have shown themselves to be true friends to me despite the awkward position I have placed them in. And I want to publicly say “thank you.” I have heard the discussion by the Network today and I will honor your decision to make the Statement of Faith the basis for your fellowship. Furthermore I understand that this naturally excludes me for it is indeed true that I no longer agree with all of article 6 of the Statement of Faith. (Although I dare say who of us doesn’t have people in our churches who don’t agree with every word of our particular Statements of Faith yet we allow them to still participate – though probably not lead.) However, I comply according to your wishes, not mine. And please allow me this second last time to address you, to state that I see this as a very dangerous precedent that may in fact put the future of the Network in jeopardy. Paul rhetorically asked the Corinthians, “Is Christ divided?” Obviously the answer is “no.” And yet we have decided today that the answer really is “yes!” How I long for the day when we will indeed function as one Body, as the Unit that the In preparation for this meeting today the comment was made, “If this was anyone but you Glen, this wouldn’t be so difficult because we have such a history of relationship with you.” My response is: Isn’t that the point! Shouldn’t our fellowship be based upon relationship with Christ, not doctrine? Still, by God’s grace, I know will find other sources of Christian fellowship – for as I have said for nearly 20 years there is only one church in Missoula and I know both you and I are part of it. It continues to be the prayer of both Rhonda and I that somehow much of that fellowship can still come with many of you in this room. Finally, I want to repeat what I said last week, that though I depart the Network with a deep sadness, I am, and again please hear me well on this; I am NOT angry or mad at any of you - and I can only pray that you aren’t with me. And I give you my word that I will continue to do everything in my power to guard my tongue and heart on this issue so as to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
by Clothman
Here is a brief overview of how I didn’t find Hell in the Bible. Because of space restrictions, I’ve only included a sampling of verses on most topics below. Paul’s Letters It all started for me with a sermon series I did through Romans. I found myself constantly saying something like, “Paul says ____, but he really means _____.” Why? Because what Paul says doesn’t fit a doctrine of hell and the end time’s judgment of eternal doom that supposedly awaits most people. Yes, Paul says all humans are sinners (3:9-20). Yes, he speaks of God’s wrath in Romans (1:18; 2:5; 2:8; 5:6) and judgment (2:5; 2:12-16); and there is no doubt a day of judgment ahead for the whole world (14:12; also see Acts 17:31). However, no where does Paul speak about an endless suffering for sinners. Instead he is shockingly optimistic about the future for all sinners (notice all the all’s in Paul’s writings). For example: 1:1-8; 3:21-24; all of 5; 6:10; 8:28-39; 14:11. Romans 9-11 is an extended argument where Paul uses the Jewish unbelief to defend that God has every right to extend his mercy to all humans. In summary, Paul teaches that all are judged so all may be saved. A quick survey of the rest of his letters confirms Paul’s doctrine of God’s redemptive plan for all humans (1 Cor 3:10-15; 15:20-28; Eph 2:1-10; Phil 2:10-11; Col 1:15-23; 1 Tim 2:1-7; 4:9-10; 2 Tim 2:8-13). (By the way, 2 Thess 1:5-12 is problematic only when taken out of the context of rest of Paul’s writings, for Paul wrote both 2 Thess 1:8-9 and Rom 5.) POINT: Hell is not in Paul’s Letters Apostolic Writings The same can be said for the rest of the Apostolic writings in the NT. I found it amazing that in Acts, which is the story of the gospel being preached to all the known world that hell is never mentioned. The call is to repent, be baptized, received the gift of forgives and be identified with Jesus Christ. The message was, “Jesus Christ is Lord” not “Believe in Jesus or you are doomed to hell.” The reason why you have never heard a hell sermon preached from Acts, Peter, James, etc. is because it is not there. POINT: Hell is not in the writings of the Apostles Where in the hell is Hell? Preaching that series through Romans I found myself violating one of my primary goals in life: “Never shape scripture; scripture must shape me.” I was so certain that my doctrine about hell couldn’t be wrong that I assumed my reading of scripture was. However, the studies I briefly outlined above told me that indeed something was wrong with my doctrine. That is when I decided to really go searching for hell in the rest of the Bible. Here is an overview of what I found. Searching for “Hell” The KJV uses the word hell 54 times. (31 OT; 23 NT) The NIV uses the word hell 14 times. (0 OT; 14 NT) The original Hebrew uses the word hell 0 times The original Greek uses the word hell 0 times Hell: -The word hell originated from “Hel” the Norse goddess of the dead and who was queen of the underworld. -The concept of hell comes from Greek mythology. It is similar to Hades the underworld in Greek mythology (Hades was the name of the God of the underworld). -Hell did not become an official doctrine of the church until the Council of Constantinople in 543AD. This decision was to counter the belief of most of the church fathers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa. For the first three centuries after Christ, most of the church subscribed to universalism and a rehabilitatory view of the after life for unrepentant sinners and even demons. It wasn’t until Augustine (354-430 AD) that our modern view of hell began to truly take form. He believed in a combination of spiritual and natural penalties for sin and that “hell” was retributive in nature and unending in duration. In the middle ages that folks like Aquinas and Dante (Dante’s Inferno) added the torment and eternal nature to hell. The reformers later added the concept of predestination (that God prepared hell and those whom he would send there to give an eternal display of his justice). POINT: Hell is not in the original languages of the Bible or doctrines of the church -KJV translates it as hell 31 times / NIV never translates Sheol as hell, for good reason -Sheol is where ALL people go - nowhere in the OT is Sheol described as a place of torment or punishment for the wicked. At most it is a place of confinement away from the land of the living. POINT: Hell is not in the Sheol and thus not in the Old Testament Gehenna, used 12 times in NT -Translated hell in the KJV and NIV every time -Is literal a place just outside the E. gate of -Comes from Hebrew word Hinnom, as in the Valley of (Ge)Hinnom (also called “Tophet” the place of burning) which is where King Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Chr 28:3; 33:6) offered hideous child sacrifices to the god idol Moloch. -Jeremiah prophesied against it (Jer 7:30-34; 19:1-14) and Josiah destroyed it (2 Kings 23:10) -Eventually became a cursed place and the dump of -When Jesus said Gehenna his audience thought of this place just as Jesus intended and expected them to. The traditional view of Hell didn’t even exist yet. -Gehenna is the proper name of a valley which has unexplainably been “translated” Hell. I’m unaware of any other literal geographical location in the NT which has been renamed. POINT: Hell is not in Gehenna Hades, used 10 times in NT. -Translated hell 10 times in KJV. NIV = 5 times Hades, 2 depths, 2 grave and once hell. -It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Sheol (see above) in the Septuagint (the Greek OT) which of course meant death or the grave -Hades was the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. This underworld eventually became known in Greek mythology as Hades – may have originated with Homer POINT: Hell is not in Hades Tartarus, used once in NT (2 Peter 2:4) -Is translated hell in both KJV and NIV -In Greek mythology, the place to restrain sinning gods and where angels await judgment POINT: Hell is not in Tartarus Luke 16:19-31 -Context: Parables of the Great Banquet, Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son, Shrewd Manager yet NIV subtitle doesn’t say “Parable of” in front of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” -4 major doctrines of hell come from this passage. -Parable or Literal? We conclude parable - which means you can’t teach doctrine from it. Otherwise, for example, we could make it a doctrine that the mustard seed is the smallest seed in the garden – which it isn’t, Jesus was simply making a point. He never intended us to take parables literally and to form concrete doctrine from the details contained within. -A literal interpretation of this text implodes the doctrine of hell (works determine who goes to heaven or hell, not faith; poor people automatically go to heaven; our bodies are sent to hell, not just our souls; people in heaven and hell can see each other and converse). -Note the point of the Luke 16 parables is to point out that no one is lost. Even the son who rejected the father (God) is never not a son to the father during the whole time he is lost. He does loose his inheritance (rewards), but not his relationship with his father (salvation). POINT: Hell is not in Luke 16:19-31 Matthew 25:31-46 -Mt 23 Jesus’ judgment upon the religious and their system -Is Mt 24-25 addressing the 2nd Coming of Christ or The Fall of Jerusalem? Mt 24:3 says the fall of -Account of the actual fall of -Examined other world history around 67-70AD -“world” in v.16, trans in Lk 2:1 “ -Plain meaning of “this generation” and “you” in 24-25 means the Jewish people of that day, not us -Parallel passage in Luke 21 clearly indicates Jesus was talking about the fall of Context Conclusion: apart from vv27-31, which may have a double meaning (referring to the 2nd Coming) Mt 24-25 is about the Fall of Jerusalem -Mt 25:1-13 Be prepared keep watch for coming disaster (destruction of -Mt 25:14-30 Live wisely – judgment is coming – fall of Thus, this parable is about the fall of Understanding Matthew 25:31-46 -Note: The NIV again omits “Parable of” before heading of “Sheep and the Goats” -Judgment of nations, not individuals v.32 (“the people” in the NIV actually reads “them” in Greek) -Judgment (Lk 16:24; Mt 24:9; Is 42:1-3; Mt 12:15-21; Is 26:9, 16; Hb 12:9,10; 1Cor 3:11-15) -Judgment based upon deeds, not faith -Parable or Literal - again, must be a parable -Verse 46: -“eternal” – Greek word “aion” “aionian” comes from Hebrew “olam” and it literally means “age” not “eternal” we get English word eon, eons from this -in Ephesians alone, translates “aionian”: age, world, ages, eternal, forever and ever. -Greek word for “world” is kosmos, used dozens of times in NT, so translating “aion” as “world” is a poor translation. -aion, aionian means a period of time, which could be endless, but never eternal. The vast majority of the time aion is used it refers to a period of time with a beginning and an end. -Only God is eternal (without beginning or end), nothing created is, including time -so neither the punishment nor the life here are eternal, but they do come from the Eternal One, just as the “eternal fire” in Jude 7 is not still burning but did come from God, the Eternal One -“punishment” is Greek word “kalasis” which means “to prune” trees in order for them to grow better. It can also mean remedial punishment. The concept is clearly punishment with a redemptive purpose – as are all of God’s judgments. Summary: this is a parable talking about a judgment of nations, not individuals, in regard to works, not faith - all in the context of the fall of POINT: Hell is not in Matthew 25:31-46 Matthew 5:27-30; 18:9 / Mark 9:42-48 -These parallel texts contain 6 of the 12 uses of Gehenna in the NT – that’s half. -Clearly, Jesus’ main point in these texts is to address the sins of adultery and causing others (especially children) to sin – not hell. The application is about life on earth, not the after life. -The above understanding enhances the meaning of these passages – that Gehenna was a literal, cursed garbage dump just outside -If we’re to take the eternal fire, the never dying worm and hell literally then we must also take literally the chopping off of hands and plucking out of eyes to avoid sin. We must also expect to see people in heaven who are still missing hands and eyes. No, as he often did, Jesus was using rabbinical hyperbole to shock the listeners into paying attention to the main message of the teaching. He never expected us to take this literally. -“Eternal Fire” in Mt 18:9 is same configuration as Jude 7 (See Sheep & Goats above). Appears Jesus is using it synonymously with Gehenna in v.9. Thus, it isn’t a reference to a traditional hell but to Gehenna just outside the gates of Point: Hell is not in Mt 5:27-30 & Mk 9:42-48
Matthew 5:22 -Use 9 of Gehenna. Matthew 12:22-32 The Unpardonable Sin / -Is there is a sin that can never be forgiven? Did Jesus only die for some sins? Most Christians admit they have committed it. Are they all going to hell or have we misinterpreted Jesus?
John 3:16 must be read with 3:17. To interpret “perish” as “eternal hell” is an impossible stretch. “Everlasting life” is better translated “life of the ages” Regardless, we can’t conclude that Jesus will condemn people to hell when the very point of these verses is that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it. TRUTH -Truth is a person, not a commodity Jn 14:6 -To know the truth means first and foremost to know God Jn 4:39-40 -The truth that sets us free is not if hell is real or not, or if Mt 24 & 25 are about the destruction of -God has children/friends everywhere regardless of their denomination, view of hell, etc. -Does that mean all paths lead to God? No, 1 Tim 4:10, Jesus leads all people to God -Goal of truth: to love God, others and self. -God, not any person or group, has the corner on truth. The second we think we do, we just lost it. SUMMARY Whether or not one agrees with my conclusions, it is certain that Hell is not as certain as once thought. Though there is much, much more that I could present (the bad news gospel of salvation by works that hell produces is an even more powerful argument against a literal hell than the above), it is clear that the uncertainty of a literal hell should at least be allowed to the table of discussion and not dismissed so quickly as heresy. Frankly, I’ve become convinced that mercy has triumphed over judgment and that as Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22). ORGANIC CHRISTIANITY I have a consuming passion beneath everything I write and say - Organic Christianity. It is an enormous topic and very difficult for me to get my mind around all of its possibilities. It embraces everything I know. In a nutshell, Organic Christianity is natural, non-processed, good-for-you Christianity. Like a great piece of organic fruit, it is wonderful to consume because you know that only God had a hand in making it. Sometimes human altered, overly processed food and Christianity leave a bad taste in my mouth. Furthermore, neither is really very good for me. So, I've decided to start recording some of my thoughts on this topic for you to chew on. MAINSTREAM SOCIETY LOVES ORGANIC CHRISTIANITY 11/20/04 George Gallop has often taken surveys on the spirituality of Americans. Without fail, his results reveal that some 90% of us say we believe in God. Over 70% always say we pray. But wait, that doesn’t seem to align with the steadily declining statistics regarding church attendance. Shouldn't we be moving more and more toward being a pagan nation. Shouldn't Gallup's statistics be in serious decline - like traditional churches. Using James Emery White’s excellent research in, “Rethinking The Church," we get a picture of what’s happening in our culture. It is only shocking to those who have chosen to have their heads buried in the pews over the last few decades of church decline. “Studies on church growth indicate that for the vast majority of American churches membership numbers have either plateaued or are declining. This decline began in earnest at the end of the twentieth century. For example, a twenty-year study of membership between 1965 and 1985 revealed that virtually every mainline denomination was in decline, including United Methodist (-16%), Presbyterian (-24%), and Disciples of Christ (-42%). “More recent figures have not altered this portrait, with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) losing close to 100,000 member in 1995 alone, and the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) combining for another 50,000 members lost. “According to the latest report from a series of ten-year studies conducted at the same time as the U.S. Census, this stunning decline of mainline churches is comprehensive and shows no sign of ending. From 1990 to 2000, the United Church of Christ lost almost 15 percent, the United Methodist Church 6.7 percent, the Episcopal Church 5.3 percent, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 2.2 percent - all while the U.S. population increased by 13 percent. “Figures from the Southern Baptist Convention - easily one of the more evangelistic Christian denominations - while growing to 20 million at the end of the 1990’s, also reveal that nearly 70 percent of all Southern Baptist churches are either plateaued or declining, with overall growth well below the pace of U.S. population growth. “Even the 20 million figure is misleading, for as Thom Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has noted, 4 million of those haven’t joined the church. Another 8 million are nowhere to be found. Only around 8 million of the 20 million are actually in church on any given week. “Rumors of a mid-decade revival during the 1990’s supposedly counteracting these declines, were premature. In January 1996, the Barna Research Group found that within the week prior to being polled, only 37 percent of Americans attended a worship service. The polling firm noted that this was the first time the percentage of attendees had dipped below 40 percent and the lowest recorded level of attendance among Americans since the firm began tracking religious involvement in 1986.” In my own county in Montana, we have regularly taken surveys to determine the average number of people who attend a weekend service in any Christian church. Over the last 20 years the average church attendance has dropped from 25 percent to 12-13 percent a year ago. Meanwhile our county has experienced a tremendous growth rate. I’ve personally interviewed dozens of these church drop-outs, bluntly asking them to tell me why they no longer attend church. Here is my most recent one. “I left church because I got tired of the charade.” Churches typically call these folks backsliders, because church attendance is the thermometer we use for measuring one’s spiritual temperature. However, the folks I talk with are very much in love with God and Jesus.
I think one of the greatest revivals in American history could be starting right under our noses, yet it is completely off the radar screen of the contemporary church. I think Organic Christianity could be one of the keys to this incredible revival. Over the past few years I've found myself relying on two main sources for my understanding of Church Structure: The Bible and Creation. I've put some of my thoughts regarding the biblical model for church structure in a column called, "Yacks And the Early Church (#349)." (Also see #348 The Sacredness of Secular Work and #347 Church Houses Our House Churches in my Clothfiles). But what about this bazaar notion of looking to creation for church structure. Has Clothman become a lunatic? Yes, but not regarding this issue. What is the primary metaphor that the Bible uses to describe the church? That's right, the human body (1 Corinthians 12). What is the pinnacle of God's creation? Humans. So, yes, creation is a great place to start when understanding church structure. I like to say that the church's organizational structure looks more like Morrell Falls (a beautiful mountain falls near to where I live) than Microsoft. And that the relational structure of the church looks more like Bill Gates than Microsoft. Yet, most churches would unapologetically admit that they look more like Microsoft than either Morrell Falls or Bill Gates. |
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