For the Hurt, the Blessed, and the Damned

With all the beauty, hope, and love that Christianity gives, there is an undercurrent of fear. Often that undercurrent is overt and clearly spoken, "Believe in Jesus or go to Hell." Even though many Christians do not believe that theology, it is still there, foundational for the faith from as far back as the third and fourth centuries BCE. That fear has often eclipsed and tarnished the beauty of salvation: love and connection with God and one another.

Exploring the theologies that formed this fear, we find that the God these theologies describe, and support is rather monstrous. Looking then at scripture, the realities we face in life, and Jesus' life of healing, we find that Christianity is not a religion of fear. Rather Christianity is a religion of healing, connection, belonging, and love. We need healing. God knows this, and God loves us, so rather than threaten us with eternal torture, God becomes one of us, Jesus, sharing every aspect of humanity with us. Knowing that we may end up in Hell (a place of redemption, not retribution), Jesus even went there so that anywhere we are, Jesus is there offering us healing, connection, belonging, and love.