This is mostly in response to thinking about what Sarah wrote about the BBC TV show "The Root Of All Evil". You may want to got there and read that post first or just laugh at her fringe or something for kicks.
So there are these things in America called "Hell Houses". Wikipedia describes them as "a haunted house-style attraction typically run by fundamentalist Christian churches or parachurch groups. These attractions are meant to depict the divine judgements that await unrepentant sinners and the torments of the damned in Hell." Personally I prefer the description from the official Hell House kit website though, "Shake your city with the most 'in-your-face, high-flyin', no denyin', death-defyin', Satan-be-cryin', keep-ya-from-fryin', theatrical stylin', no holds barred, cutting-edge' evangelism tool of the new millennium!". Word indeed homeboy.
If you haven't gotten the jist of these things by now, basically you walk through a series of rooms in each of which is a scene from someone's life showing how they've screwed it up. The penultimate scene is all the screwed up people making their way through the gates of Hell to the eternal hellfire and damnation that waits. The final scene is a pseudo-Jesus in heaven going "Want to avoid that happening to you? Follow me!"
I have issues with this on so many levels that I've had to install new elevators in my brain to get the neurons there, but fundamentally my issue with it is this: Isn't Jesus supposed to be good? I don't mean just good as in does right, which obviously He is, but good as in something you want. Good like sunshine and warmth and happiness are good. I mean, gosh, isn't Jesus meant to be the person we want to run to and turn to? Isn't He so fantastically good that everything else is rubbish when compared to him? I'm not objecting to telling people about sin and hell (hey, I'm writing my dissertation on why we need to) but when we start preaching of Christ the escape route as opposed to Christ the saviour then we're doing something wrong.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!" (Psalm 34)
I do think on that website the "pseudo Jesus" looks like he's playing a mean air guitar! I also particularly like the picture of the magnifying glass over "leap frog"...
But yeah, I agree, Marko. Here's an interesting idea, is it just as 'wrong' when 'churches' go for the complete opposite (i.e. "nothing is really all that bad, but heaven's better")?
Just occasionally I have to pinch myself that I am not dreaming when I read something so wise and sane and gracious and realise my son wrote that.
Good work Mark, thank you for researching that for us public.
Very enlightening.
Also I'd rather people mock my fringe than my face...like they do with you.
Yeah ok, poorly don't insult there.
Good work Mark, thank you for researching that for us public.
Very enlightening.
Also I'd rather people mock my fringe than my face...like they do with you.
Yeah ok, poorly done insult there.
Touch typing will be my downfall, you better delete the first one Mark.
Your fringe will be your downfall.
I suppose Phil the opposite of all this could be true as well, and I guess it happens fairly often. People going, hey the world's not too bad but heaven's better. But then what does God save you from? Nothing. I suppose the balance is saying God saved you from something and saved you too something. I dislike not talking about what God saved you too more than I dislike the opposite because it seems to think less of God. I'd rather someone say "yeah I quite like this world, but I can't wait for heaven and seeing Jesus" than someone going "I hate this world and can't wait till I escape it in heaven". Both aren't great, but the later seems to think less of God.
aye...
having just looked on the "hell house" website one thing anoyed me from what i read was where it describes heaven as a "reward for those whose names are in the book of life" as if it is something won or deserved. i have spoken to a non christian about it and i can tell you they aren't helping to convert people.
This is a website by Mark Walley. If you want to find out more or get in touch, that'd be nice.
Getting around this website can be a tad confusing. If you're looking to explore the better stuff of what I've written then this navigation should help you. If you're after a specific post then searching or looking through the archives chronologically may help.
This site tries its best to be accessible for everyone. Atom, and RSS feeds are available. All content licensed through a creative commons licence. I may have stolen ideas off you when you weren't looking, but it was almost certainly an accident. As with all claims of originality and ownership Psalm 24 v1 applies.
Gareth
Rock on brother!
Couldn't have put it better myself!