Not in my experience. Whether for good or ill, the churches I've been involved in—all Bible-believing, theologically orthodox churches—for the last 33 years, have not had a huge amount to say about hell. Nor, for that matter, has the preaching of hell been a large feature of the evangelism I've been involved in or witnessed on tertiary campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane over the same period. Nor do most of the Bible-believing church attenders I've asked at various times report anything different. Claims to the contrary are, as far as my experience goes, a slightly puzzling furphy.
I remember a lady years ago, a regular church attender who sang in the choir, offhandedly dismissing Billy Graham as a fire and brimstone preacher. As I lived across the road from her for nearly 10 years, attended the same church for a time, and sang in the same choir, I can say with a reasonable degree of confidence that she never heard Billy Graham preach. I don't doubt that Billy could have preached up a fire and brimstone storm if he'd wanted to, but it didn't happen when I went along to hear him speak at the crusade in 1979, and John Pollock's biography doesn't at all speak of his preaching in these terms. Billy Graham's description of hell on his website is straightforward, unembellished and biblically based, sparing a lot of detail and pointing to Christ.
So, maybe my friend from across the road was telling the truth as she saw it, but I really think her description was wrong to the point of being untrue.
And I wonder if a similar distortion occurs in the portrayal of Bible-believing teachers and preachers within Sydney Anglicanism. If so, it's a problem.
2 comments:
I'm wondering if it is a difference of emphasis. While I wouldn't say I have heard any 'fire and brimstone' sermons, once I left my (evangelical)Anglican church and climbed the candle to an Anglo-Catholic church, there was far less emphasis on 'wrath' and 'judgement' during sermons: I didn't realise how much 'judgement' was preached until I left [or, perhaps, I noticed its absence].
In these 'God is a nice Santa Claus in the sky' times, perhaps people may be mistaking wrath for hell-and-brimstone?
Though I still wouldn't want to hear fire-and-brimstone to be honest: I'll come and visit you and hear you preach on an off week if that is alright? :)
So, do you think the lack of 'hell preaching' is for good or ill??
It is hearing hell and judgement preacher about when I was 12 that made me decide to stay a Christian.
So, maybe my friend from across the road was telling the truth as she saw it, but I really think her description was wrong to the point of being untrue.
Interesting sentence.
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