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| Frequently Asked Questions |
different religions? |
Answers:
Answer: This truly is not so much about whether God punishes or rewards as it is a question of your theology. In other
words who is God and what does God do. There are as many camps as there are people discussing theology. For example
here is one from the Rev. S. Tusing:
Not only is it in the New Testament but I have lived it. In 1991 while I was in prayer the Lord told me to quit smoking, but I told
the Lord, "No, I will cut down but I will not quit!" A few days later my left lung collapsed. I went to the hospital, was treated
and released in a couple of days. During the next few days I had smoked about 7 cigarettes. My lung collapsed again. After
my release from the hospital I finally quit. I have no doubt that God was punishing me because of my sin.If your theology
embraces a theistic being who hovers in the sky with nothing better to do than keep score of every human being and not
only tally the scores but render punishments and rewards than this understanding makes sense.
Now, I understand that I would be hard pressed to say that scripture does not have examples of God’s wrath, punishment
and theocracy. However, in such writings and understandings most anything outside the realm of normal was seen as God
intervening to either curse of bless you. If one was ill, had epilepsy, bleeding, leprosy, etc it was always deemed as God’s
punishment for either their sin or the sin of the family. It is my hope that we have evolved in not only in our theology but also
in our understanding of science, biology and physiology.
We tread on some very shaky theology when we proclaim that even natural disasters are the wrath of God as many
televangelists have alluded too. Whether it is homosexuality, sins of the Haitians, that causes planes to crash into buildings
or tsunamis to destroy societies because God is angry, my belief is that this understanding truly limits our perception of
God and reduces it to the great accountant in the sky.
I embrace that in this life there are natural laws and often when we violate these laws we either blame or assert the
consequences to God. To put it another way, we have a tendency to relinquish responsibility and use God as a scapegoat,
which I feel makes us theologically weak and God no more than a celestial dictator.
So we are left with passages like Hebrews 12 that talk about punishment and discipline but I think our responsibility is to
look within. To see how we are the cause of our demise and brokenness and see God as a path to wholeness and
restoration not by condemnation but by grace and mercy.
words who is God and what does God do. There are as many camps as there are people discussing theology. For example
here is one from the Rev. S. Tusing:
Not only is it in the New Testament but I have lived it. In 1991 while I was in prayer the Lord told me to quit smoking, but I told
the Lord, "No, I will cut down but I will not quit!" A few days later my left lung collapsed. I went to the hospital, was treated
and released in a couple of days. During the next few days I had smoked about 7 cigarettes. My lung collapsed again. After
my release from the hospital I finally quit. I have no doubt that God was punishing me because of my sin.If your theology
embraces a theistic being who hovers in the sky with nothing better to do than keep score of every human being and not
only tally the scores but render punishments and rewards than this understanding makes sense.
Now, I understand that I would be hard pressed to say that scripture does not have examples of God’s wrath, punishment
and theocracy. However, in such writings and understandings most anything outside the realm of normal was seen as God
intervening to either curse of bless you. If one was ill, had epilepsy, bleeding, leprosy, etc it was always deemed as God’s
punishment for either their sin or the sin of the family. It is my hope that we have evolved in not only in our theology but also
in our understanding of science, biology and physiology.
We tread on some very shaky theology when we proclaim that even natural disasters are the wrath of God as many
televangelists have alluded too. Whether it is homosexuality, sins of the Haitians, that causes planes to crash into buildings
or tsunamis to destroy societies because God is angry, my belief is that this understanding truly limits our perception of
God and reduces it to the great accountant in the sky.
I embrace that in this life there are natural laws and often when we violate these laws we either blame or assert the
consequences to God. To put it another way, we have a tendency to relinquish responsibility and use God as a scapegoat,
which I feel makes us theologically weak and God no more than a celestial dictator.
So we are left with passages like Hebrews 12 that talk about punishment and discipline but I think our responsibility is to
look within. To see how we are the cause of our demise and brokenness and see God as a path to wholeness and
restoration not by condemnation but by grace and mercy.
scripture only, to know the complete and total will and mind of God.
It would seem to me from that premise that the conclusion is terribly flawed. That somehow we could even fathom the God’
s will, mind and ways. No don’t get me wrong, religion has figured out that if we can convince people that we do know God’s
mind then they can control behavior, purse strings, fear, procreation and generational beliefs, then life becomes much
more controllable and simpler. If religion can become, judge, jury, jailer, executioner, interpreter and bailiff, then what
else is left to conquer?
Again I believe the premise is flawed when we entertain discerning completely, “I am”, the maker of heaven and earth,
eternity, “Word of God”, where God’s call in life is to solve the questions rather than live the questions.
“Whenever you take a theological stance, your not just marrying a spouse, you’re getting a set of in-laws as well.”
Theological ideas have consequences and the more specific your position the more likely it is you will carry baggage you
had not intended.” For example, if we take John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except
by me.” This is the fundamentalist playground for exclusive salvation where in that line of thinking it becomes the
newly married spouse. May I introduce some of the unexpected in-laws when it comes to salvation or as most Christians
understand, “getting to heaven?”
Lk 18:29 “I assure you that anyone who leaves home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom
will receive eternal life.” Ie: cults.
Mt 12:36-37 “You can be sure that on judgment day everyone will have to give account of every useless word they have ever
spoken. Your words will be used to judge you – to declare you either innocent or guilty”
Mt 25:45-46 “I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of the least important ones, you refused to help me. These then,
will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.”
My litmus test is this in my theology, “God is Love”. In every situation how is love being lived out, transforming and
witnessed. If I understand anything about the life and ministry of Jesus it was always taking the exclusive certainty of the
religious establishment and turning it upside down and backwards. Jesus always took the supposed outsiders, the
unredeemed; the cast offs from the in crowd and embraced them. His ministry was never one of abandonment and elitism
but one of inclusiveness.
“There are many rooms, “In my Father’s house” – why do we assume this is heaven? Mt, Mk, Lk always refer to the overall
message of Jesus as the KOG where John translates it as “Life” or life to the full”
“The place where I am going?”, Is this really heaven? Many scholars believe that it is the place of suffering, death and
crucifixion in which he must go alone.
I continue to struggle with what I call Geographical salvation, that is dependant on genetics, culture and world view vs. God’
s love that is transcendent, merciful, providential, majestic, and creative which from the very beginning in God’s word, was
good!
Am I confident that someone incapable of understanding God will be saved, yes! Am I confident that those who have never
called on the name of God, as we know it, will be saved? I am confident that God’s ways are not my ways and that God’s
way is far deeper, wider, longer and greater than my understanding when it comes to the thought that, “God is love”.
It would seem to me from that premise that the conclusion is terribly flawed. That somehow we could even fathom the God’
s will, mind and ways. No don’t get me wrong, religion has figured out that if we can convince people that we do know God’s
mind then they can control behavior, purse strings, fear, procreation and generational beliefs, then life becomes much
more controllable and simpler. If religion can become, judge, jury, jailer, executioner, interpreter and bailiff, then what
else is left to conquer?
Again I believe the premise is flawed when we entertain discerning completely, “I am”, the maker of heaven and earth,
eternity, “Word of God”, where God’s call in life is to solve the questions rather than live the questions.
“Whenever you take a theological stance, your not just marrying a spouse, you’re getting a set of in-laws as well.”
Theological ideas have consequences and the more specific your position the more likely it is you will carry baggage you
had not intended.” For example, if we take John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except
by me.” This is the fundamentalist playground for exclusive salvation where in that line of thinking it becomes the
newly married spouse. May I introduce some of the unexpected in-laws when it comes to salvation or as most Christians
understand, “getting to heaven?”
Lk 18:29 “I assure you that anyone who leaves home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom
will receive eternal life.” Ie: cults.
Mt 12:36-37 “You can be sure that on judgment day everyone will have to give account of every useless word they have ever
spoken. Your words will be used to judge you – to declare you either innocent or guilty”
Mt 25:45-46 “I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of the least important ones, you refused to help me. These then,
will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.”
My litmus test is this in my theology, “God is Love”. In every situation how is love being lived out, transforming and
witnessed. If I understand anything about the life and ministry of Jesus it was always taking the exclusive certainty of the
religious establishment and turning it upside down and backwards. Jesus always took the supposed outsiders, the
unredeemed; the cast offs from the in crowd and embraced them. His ministry was never one of abandonment and elitism
but one of inclusiveness.
“There are many rooms, “In my Father’s house” – why do we assume this is heaven? Mt, Mk, Lk always refer to the overall
message of Jesus as the KOG where John translates it as “Life” or life to the full”
“The place where I am going?”, Is this really heaven? Many scholars believe that it is the place of suffering, death and
crucifixion in which he must go alone.
I continue to struggle with what I call Geographical salvation, that is dependant on genetics, culture and world view vs. God’
s love that is transcendent, merciful, providential, majestic, and creative which from the very beginning in God’s word, was
good!
Am I confident that someone incapable of understanding God will be saved, yes! Am I confident that those who have never
called on the name of God, as we know it, will be saved? I am confident that God’s ways are not my ways and that God’s
way is far deeper, wider, longer and greater than my understanding when it comes to the thought that, “God is love”.
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