Monday, November 1, 2010

‘Hell is Real’…and other things I learned driving through Kentucky.



On a recent family road trip I got to see a lot of Kentucky – once on I-75, and again along I-65. I find myself on the road a lot, so I try to make it a point to absorb a bit of the culture wherever I am. I learned several things while driving through the Bluegrass State.

First, don't try booking a hotel in an SEC football town (Lexington) anywhere near the weekend of a home game – even the Motel 6 had become the Motel $600. Second, and directly related to the first, when driving well off the beaten path (which is not too hard to do in KY) in search of an affordable hotel, don't trust your GPS. Sometime around midnight we found ourselves staring at a pasture that was supposedly the address of a Hampton Inn. Third, people in Kentucky are apparently big fans of 'bagel toppers' (a half bagel with a quiche-like substance baked on top). We spent two nights in Kentucky, and both hotels were serving them as the 'main entrée' for breakfast.

Finally, I learned that the religious establishment in Kentucky (and southern Ohio) wants to make it perfectly clear that "Hell is Real." That was the message plastered on multiple billboards along the highway, usually complete with a listing of the Ten Commandments on the reverse side – to make it obvious why so many will be going there I guess. It's not the most uplifting message, but it did get me thinking about the two things I imagine the authors behind the signs were hoping for – Hell…and Jesus.

What did Jesus say about 'hell'? Not as much as you'd think if you grew up in the southern 'hell, fire and brimstone' traditions, but Jesus certainly covered the topic. In Mark 9 Jesus contrasts life and hell – the Kingdom of God and Gehenna (9:43-47). Notably, he does not contrast heaven and hell. While I do not doubt the eschatological overtones of the Markan text, it begins with something intriguing – Jesus says, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power" (9:1). Is Jesus here predicting – incorrectly – the 'end of days'? Or might Jesus be referencing something more temporal and more in sync with his mission on earth?

Interestingly, only a few days later something miraculous happens in the passage. No, not the 'transfiguration' narrative that immediately follows that statement. Rather, the next event seems more telling. After descending the mountain Jesus finds his disciples amidst a crowd of onlookers. A father had brought his son to them for healing. His son was mute, foaming at the mouth and prone to seizures. His life had from birth been rife with danger and pain. In that moment Jesus performed an act of healing, and in that moment the kingdom of God became present for all to see (verifying his earlier prediction) – "Jesus took him by the hand and raised him…" (9:27). Here a tangible transfiguration takes place, as the boy's experience transformed from one of a living hell to truly living. Of no little significance, just a few verses later Jesus will highlight the importance of service to others through a series of hyperbolic statements contrasting life and hell, and interchangeably, the kingdom of God and hell. Hell is a reality. But, service, loving action toward and with others, is the catalyst that offers an alternate reality – life.

Might it be possible that just as the kingdom of God has much to do with the here and now, that hell is not merely an eschatological concept? Many people throughout the world are experiencing hell on a daily basis – many are experiencing violence, persecution, torture, poverty, hunger, disease and isolation. Hell is real…this we know. Yet, as I read those numerous billboards scattered along the highway, I wondered where the gospel, where the good news was in such a message? What about love, what about service, what about peace, what about the transformative power of Jesus' way of life? Aren't these the messages Christians should be sharing with the world?

As part of my daily commute I pass a billboard advertising Newcastle beer in midtown Atlanta. Next to a glistening pint of the brown ale, it simply states, "Hell is waiting…but, it's a dry heat." I can't help but laugh at the lighthearted ad, and the stark contrast between it and the signs I saw along the highway. The beer sign, enveloped in its satirical humor, has an underlying message: "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" - an oft-quoted conflation that finds its roots in biblical tradition (Ecclesiastes 8:15, Isaiah 22:13).

In light of the alternate realities of the kingdom of God and hell in this world, I would like to offer another billboard worthy message: "Eat, drink and be merry…BUT, share your food, share your drink and share your joy so that all may know peace on earth." That is a message I think even Jesus might approve. – D. Christian Nix, 11/1/10

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"No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white / Just our hands clasped so tight / Waiting for the hint of a spark / If Heaven and Hell decide / That they both are satisfied / Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs / If there's no one beside you / When your soul embarks / Then I'll follow you into the dark…" – Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Follow You into the Dark.

"…take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" – Matthew 25:34-36 (TNIV)

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