The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions
I like to joke that, on any given Sunday at any given church of Christ, one of only four possible sermons is being preached: (1) Everything Fun Is Sinful, (2) Why We're Right, Everyone Else Is Wrong, and They're All Going to Hell, (3) Let's Study One Word from One Obscure Bible Passage Until We All Pass Out from Boredom, and (4) Women Were Put on this Earth to Make Dinner, Make Babies, and Keep their Mouths Shut. But there's one more sermon that's possibly even more toxic and soul-crushing than all the others combined: Why Everything You Do, No Matter How Small and Innocent, Could Send You to Hell.
Such sermons usually went along these lines: "Billy was a good little CoC boy who went to church 3 times a week with his parents. When Billy was 7, he became good friends with Bobby, a boy from his school. Unfortunately, Bobby's family was not part of the one true and right church. Things were innocent enough when they were young, but as the boys grew, Bobby tempted Billy to do terrible things like smoke and drink and watch R-rated movies. One night, when the boys were 16, Bobby and Billy got drunk, took Bobby's father's car out for a drive, and were killed in a terrible accident. Since neither of them had been baptized, they went straight to Hell. None of that would have happened if Billy hadn't befriended Bobby when he was 7 years old."
I heard many sermons like that in my years growing up in the CoC. The names and details were changed, but the overall message was consistent: any action, no matter how innocent, could eventually, through unforeseen circumstances, lead to you losing your soul. The net effect of a lifetime of these sermons was devastating. Essentially, the people in the church become the Frozen Chosen. They're frozen in their pews, afraid to get out and do or say anything or socialize with anyone who isn't part of the church (except to try to convert them) for fear of accidentally sinning or doing something that might lead to sin. They seem to have forgotten completely about God's grace and instead focus on a judging, vengeful god who is looking for any opportunity to strike them down. They live in a constant state of fear, worried about every word, deed, or thought and how it might be sinful. I think they should stop worrying about going to Hell. They're already there.
Such sermons usually went along these lines: "Billy was a good little CoC boy who went to church 3 times a week with his parents. When Billy was 7, he became good friends with Bobby, a boy from his school. Unfortunately, Bobby's family was not part of the one true and right church. Things were innocent enough when they were young, but as the boys grew, Bobby tempted Billy to do terrible things like smoke and drink and watch R-rated movies. One night, when the boys were 16, Bobby and Billy got drunk, took Bobby's father's car out for a drive, and were killed in a terrible accident. Since neither of them had been baptized, they went straight to Hell. None of that would have happened if Billy hadn't befriended Bobby when he was 7 years old."
I heard many sermons like that in my years growing up in the CoC. The names and details were changed, but the overall message was consistent: any action, no matter how innocent, could eventually, through unforeseen circumstances, lead to you losing your soul. The net effect of a lifetime of these sermons was devastating. Essentially, the people in the church become the Frozen Chosen. They're frozen in their pews, afraid to get out and do or say anything or socialize with anyone who isn't part of the church (except to try to convert them) for fear of accidentally sinning or doing something that might lead to sin. They seem to have forgotten completely about God's grace and instead focus on a judging, vengeful god who is looking for any opportunity to strike them down. They live in a constant state of fear, worried about every word, deed, or thought and how it might be sinful. I think they should stop worrying about going to Hell. They're already there.
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