LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

People are afraid of God and for good reasons. For most of human history, which includes a great deal of the Judaeo-Christian literature, God was described and written of as a monster of sorts. Maybe God wasn’t all that bad; however, He sure wasn’t likable, definitely not lovable, and all too often coming on the scene to beat the hell out of someone for something. And you wonder why people are afraid of God? Read the Old Testament. Talk about someone needing anger management lessons, the Old Testament God should enroll immediately.

I have counseled and tried to help way too many people who have felt that God was mad at them. They could list a lot of reasons why God would be right in so doing. Subconsciously, you can read it over and over again. One of the most repeated one-liners in the Old Testament is “Don’t be afraid“. It usually came before a moment when God was to show up.

Forget God being GOOD. Hell, He wasn’t even NICE!

Therefore an eternal, everlasting, tormenting HELL fits God’s character so how could one not BELIEVE in a LITERAL HELL? How can I convince one to not be afraid when He was seemingly always punishing someone for doing something wrong, killing a baby for the parents misdeeds (can you say David?), wiping out 70,000 innocent people (genocide) for the mistake of one person (can you still say David?), sending plagues, sickness, and you name it.

Love God? Are you kidding me!

Well, that was Israel and the Hebrews perceptions of God. It’s what they thought of Him and it’s what they wrote of Him. The Old Testament isn’t God describing Himself. If you want an accurate description of God, read what Jesus said about God. Now there’s a God you cand love. There’s a God or mercy, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, and outright LOVE. God is not out to nail me, you, or anyone: as angry as that makes fundamentalists.

I’m not afraid of the Father of Jesus, who is my Father as well.

Neither do I therefore need to adopt all those old stories about an eternal hell, a God who cannot forgive finite sins but then asks me too, nor is the Creator of the universe one whom I need be afraid. He’s one I can run to…..and do. How about you?