The Modern Spiritual Masters class will conclude with the life of Henri Nowen, one of the most popular and influential spiritual writers of his time. Through his writings he invited countless persons to enter more deeply into the spiritual life. Much of his impact came from his frank willingness to confess his own wounded ness The call of Jesus was addressed to the lame and broken .His was a call to conversion, to healings, a call to come home.
As we continue our walk through Genesis we will now turn to family turmoil, intrigue and insight, lies and the truth, jockeying for position and wrestling with angels. All this and more will be revealed in the story of Jacob/Israel who steals a blessing and ends up recognizing that God was present in a wild and forlorn place.
Is there a Hell? What if there isn’t? It’s not a new question, the idea of universal salvation has been around since the beginning of Christianity but the question has been given new life by, of all people, Rob (Nooma creator) Bell. The Wired Word will take up the discussion Bell has reignited in his book Love Wins, which debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list in late March. With this book, Bell, who is pastor of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is regularly attended by more than 7,000, has unleashed a flood of debate and controversy. TIME magazine calls it "a new holy war in Christian circles."
Bell's support of the idea has become big news because he is a celebrity of evangelical Christianity, not of the mainline church. Evangelical Christianity has generally maintained a clarity about salvation and damnation, insisting that while God offers salvation to all through Christ, only those who accept Christ's forgiveness of their sins receive eternal life; the unrepentant end up in hell, completely separated from God. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says "when you adopt universalism and erase the distinction between the church and the world, then you don't need the church, and you don't need Christ, and you don't need the cross." Mohler pronounces Bell's book "theologically disastrous."
You too can weigh in on the issue.
See you Sunday,
Bill
