One of the hardest things to do is to convince a Christian that the version of Hell they’ve been taught isn’t actually in the Bible. This is challenging because: A) They have never been told anything else B) They’re convinced the Bible supports their view C) They’ve been taught that fear is necessary for conversion D) Evangelism as they know it won’t work without an eternal Hell to escape from E) Some of them wouldn’t remain a Christian if the… Read more
October 17, 2019
Wrath Is NOT One Of God’s Attributes
October 17, 2019 By Keith Giles
8 Comments
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:7-8 Every time I point out that God is Love, and quote the verse in the New Testament that affirms this truth, someone will invariably try to counter this by saying, “Yes, but God is also wrathful!” But, is God wrathful? Is that who God is?… Read more
October 16, 2019
Jesus Did NOT Preach More About Hell Than Anything Else
October 16, 2019 By Keith Giles
18 Comments
You hear it all the time: “No one spoke more about Hell than Jesus!” But, is that true? Is Jesus really our primary source for the doctrine of Hell? No. And yes. It’s complicated. On the one hand, yes, Jesus is where those who teach the Doctrine of Eternal Torment go to most often for verses that support their view. That is true. So, in one sense one could affirm that “No one spoke more about Hell than Jesus!”… Read more
October 11, 2019
Where The Hell Did Hell Come From?
October 11, 2019 By Keith Giles
26 Comments
If you look for the traditional view of Hell – Eternal Conscious Torment – in the Old Testament Scriptures what you’ll find is a giant goose egg. There’s not one verse – literally nothing whatsoever – to suggest that those who perish without faith in God will suffer endlessly in a lake of fire without any hope of rescue or relief. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nil. Which, in itself, should tell you a little something about the doctrine. I mean, if… Read more
October 10, 2019
Christians Go To Hell [Just Like Everyone Else]
October 10, 2019 By Keith Giles
61 Comments
“And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire.” – Jesus [Mark 9:47-49] Yes, according to Jesus, and also to the Apostle Paul [and most of the early Church Fathers for the first 500 years of Church History], EVERYONE will… Read more
October 9, 2019
What I Wish Most Christians Knew About Deconstruction
October 9, 2019 By Keith Giles
1 Comment
We’re only on week 2 of our journey from Deconstruction to Reconstruction over at Square 1 and already I’m amazed at how wonderful it is. On our first video conference call last weekend, I listened to people share their hearts with one another and the most amazing thing was this: They were mostly concerned about not disrupting the faith journey of those around them. That was seriously beautiful. Yes, our group is focused on learning how to move from… Read more
October 4, 2019
Yes, God Will Absolutely Let You Down
October 4, 2019 By Keith Giles
11 Comments
I know I’ve written about this topic once before, but I really felt like this was something I needed to talk about once again. There’s a modern worship song that drives me crazy. I mean, most of the song is fine, but there’s this one section that says over and over, “You’re never gonna let…You’re never gonna let me down…”, and I’m here to tell you, loud and clear: Yes, God will absolutely let you down, so you better… Read more
October 3, 2019
We Were Made For Community
October 3, 2019 By Keith Giles
0 Comments
Some of us may find it hard to believe, but we humans really do need one other to thrive. Now, some of us may claim that we’re lone wolves and mavericks who don’t need other people and who get along better on our own, or what have you, but the truth is, we really are wired for community. I can remember way back when I had graduated college and taken a new job that moved me from Texas to… Read more
September 27, 2019
Goodbye Treasure Valley
September 27, 2019 By Keith Giles
12 Comments
Moving sucks. But, you already knew that, I’m sure. Wendy and I moved to Boise, Idaho a year ago. We left behind our house church family, our two sons in college, and 25 years of our life in Southern California to take a new job that seemed too good to be true. [It was]. So, since January of this year I’ve been focused on growing my freelance copywriting business, writing and publishing two new books, starting online courses based… Read more
September 25, 2019
Will Women Be Saved Through Childbearing?
September 25, 2019 By Keith Giles
9 Comments
It’s one of the weirdest verses in the entire Bible. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy and reminds him to encourage women in Ephesus not to adorn their hair, or to wear expensive clothing, and then after saying he won’t permit a woman to teach drops this bomb: “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” [1 Tim. 2:15] Uhm….what now? Before I go into what this verse actually means, I have to stop… Read more
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