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Why a Perfect God Can Only Lead to Atheism

by Brian Niece in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Brian Niece.

There is a popular understanding of God that holds God as perfect. Of course, there are many definitions of “perfect.” Perfection could mean: flawless, absolute, exact, or complete. But most of these definitions give us a God that is immutable. “Immutable” is a churchy word that means “unchanging over time and unable to be changed.”

I say this is a churchy word, because the word “immutable” exists nowhere in the Bible. It is a concept gleaned from a slightly off-kilter reading of the text. An immutable God cannot move, cannot act, but can only exist as the opposite from everything else, like some divine dark matter.

The inherent problem with projecting a perfect God is that it leaves theology nowhere to go, and nothing to do. Theology that has nowhere to go is simply metaphysics. By definition, “metaphysics” are concepts that deal with abstractions and have no basis in reality. Thinking about God in a way that matters must have something to do with reality and must connect with people.

Many of us would prefer a God who connects with reality and connects with people. If God were wholly and ultimately unchanging and unable to change, what would be our connecting point? There would be none.

The contemporary predicament of God is one of misperception. The traditional theistic classification of God emphasizes the changelessness of God, the extreme independence of God, the absolute control of God, and God’s… [Read more…] about Why a Perfect God Can Only Lead to Atheism

Hell Might Be Empty

by Brian Niece in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Brian Niece.

Theologian Jürgen Moltmann once said in a discussion, “In the final analysis I believe hell will be empty.”
God’s Future
This theological idea comes from Moltmann’s understanding that all who are dead are dead in Christ, just as the living are alive in Christ, whether they acknowledge the presence of the deity or not. God’s presence is in all and through all. Therefore everyone, the living and dead, are contained in the loving presence of the God who Jesus called “Father” and are moving with this God toward God’s future.

That’s some heady stuff, for sure.

Moltmann further asserts, as do many Christian theologians, that all time is already contained in the life of God. Past, present, future, and eternity all glow with God’s presence.

More heady stuff, I know.

If you, like me, are an outsider to the Western institutional church, it could be for any number of reasons. It pains me to know how many friends I have who walked away from the whole faith thing because they were told that anyone who didn’t measure up to an institutional standard was going to hell.

Maybe you’ve experienced the very damaging and un-Jesus like narrative that creates an “us” versus “them” mentality. The kind of thinking that elevates groups of the “ins” over the “outs.” Please hear this: you aren’t going to hell.
Unbounded Grace
See, God’s grace, as displayed through Jesus of Nazareth, is unbounded grace. There is no limit to it. So there’s no way that… [Read more…] about Hell Might Be Empty