Responses to ‘progressive Christians’

LAST WEEK’S column entitled ‘O to be a ‘progressive Christian’!’ certainly saw some unexpected responses. Responses via email were surprisingly positive indicating that many had not given prior thought to the term “progressive”.

“Thanks so much for this.” “I never thought of it this way before.” “This was helpful especially since I always wondered about the term.”

Then there were questions: “What are your thoughts on hell? Do you really believe that people will burn forever if they do not accept Jesus?” Am I to understand that the Anglican Church teaches people to be “progressive Christians”?

I am indeed grateful to respondents for reading, sharing, and responding. Most importantly is promoting an appreciation for conversation, discussion, and opposing views.

WHAT HELL IS SUPPOSED TO BE

O hell, I really do not want to offend cherished views on what hell is supposed to be. Many people have accepted the literal images of hell depicted in the art forms imprinted on their childhood memories. This is more so if their Bible showed ‘pictures’ of white Jesus versus black Satan. It is never easy to process arguments later in life when they come into conflict with a long-held image of who God is, and what hell is, and so on.

Where though does this image of hell come from? In Judeo-Christian doctrine concerning last things, there is a place known as Gehenna. It was understood to be the place for those who are damned in the afterlife. Of course, Gehenna was a disgusting place. It was just outside of Jerusalem and was commonly used for the sacrifice of children to Moloch a god of the Ammonites. Children were offered to this god as their parents offered them to be engulfed with flames.

The Prophet Jeremiah in 7:31 notes, “They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire – something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.” Ge bene Hinnom is “the valley of the sons of Hinnom”. This place eventually became for them what Riverton City Dump is in Jamaica. It is a place where much of the garbage from the city is dumped. It is a space where combustion takes place and as such there are often areas of burning and smoking. And sometimes the fire gets out of control.

GENESIS OF EVIL

The gospel writers present Jesus using this image. So, in the parable of the weeds, for example, (Matthew 13), the bad weeds represent those evil people who will be thrown into the fire and burned. However, we should not lose sight of the very important challenge to accept the message and truth that the good and the evil live and operate in the same space in this life. Apocalyptic thought, however, always rushes to the destruction of those who are the genesis of evil, oppression, and wickedness in this world.

Gehenna which became hell, or the lake/furnace of fire is therefore a metaphor. I hate to disappoint readers. Hell is not a geographical location. Neither is heaven. They are states of being. I agree with the hymn writer, John Greenleaf Whittier (1856) in his hymn Immortal Love, for ever full when he says, “Alone, O Love ineffable,

thy saving name is given;

to turn aside from thee is hell,

to walk with thee is heaven.”

As many lovely folks flooded social media with ‘Happy Emancipation’ greetings seasoned with reminders that Jesus is our emancipator and that heaven will be our real emancipation, I had some other thoughts. We should always beware of who is telling us that our emancipation is in the afterlife. That afterlife theology was used to pacify our ancestors in slavery. They lived in hell while the oppressors had their blessings of prosperity.

The question of whether I believe people will burn forever if they do not accept Jesus is such a lovely one. Well, my view is that only a narcissistic Jesus would want to see you burning forever if you do not believe in him. Mind you, I do not wish to take away the power from pastors who continue to use the fire and brimstone message to frighten people into church.

PERSONALITY CULT

On the matter of the Anglican Church and ‘progressive Christians’, the Anglican Communion is neither a personality cult nor a monolithic context. It does not require people to lean left or lean right. They do not have to be pro this or pro that; anti this or anti that in terms of culture wars. The Anglican Church is often referred to as having a via media or middle of the way tradition.

It is not Roman Catholic (though catholic); and it is strictly speaking not protestant (not born of the Protestant Reformation), though influenced by Reformation concerns.

The Anglican Church therefore does not teach people to own a label such as ‘progressive Christians’ or ‘Christian nationalists’. It is, however, worthy of note that the teachings of the biblical prophetic tradition do lead many Anglicans to fit the praxis of progressive Christianity. Anglicans, however, unite in belief that the body of Christ is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. And most of all, Jesus the Christ (crucified yet risen) is Lord of the Church.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Fr Sean Major-Campbell is an Anglican priest and advocate for human dignity and human rights. Send feedback to seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.