Air Conditioning Hell: How Liberalism Happens - AlbertMohler.com

Air Conditioning Hell: How Liberalism Happens - AlbertMohler.com

Part 2 of what happens when Christians allow ourselves to be embarrassed out of upholding truth, specifically when Christians affirm the truth of a doctrine but with regret and embarrassment.

"What does this say about God? What does this imply about God's truth? Can a truth clearly revealed in the Bible be anything less than good for us? The Bible presents the knowledge of hell just as it presents the knowledge of sin and judgment: these are things we had better know. God reveals these things to us for our good and for our redemption. In this light, the knowledge of these things is grace to us. Apologizing for a doctrine is tantamount to impugning the character of God.

"Do we believe that hell is a part of the perfection of God's justice? If not, we have far greater theological problems than those localized to hell.

"Several years ago, someone wisely suggested that a good many modern Christians wanted to 'air condition hell.' The effort continues.

"Remember that the liberals and the modernists operated out of an apologetic motivation. They wanted to save Christianity as a relevant message in the modern world and to remove the odious obstacle of what were seen as repugnant and unnecessary doctrines. They wanted to save Christianity from itself.

"Today, some in movements such as the emerging church commend the same agenda, and for the same reason. Are we embarrassed by the biblical doctrine of hell?

"If so, this generation of evangelicals will face no shortage of embarrassments. The current intellectual context allows virtually no respect for Christian affirmations of the exclusivity of the gospel, the true nature of human sin, the Bible's teachings regarding human sexuality, and any number of other doctrines revealed in the Bible. The lesson of theological liberalism is clear--embarrassment is the gateway drug for theological accommodation and denial."