Honk if You're Going to Hell
As I was driving with my daughter this morning I noticed the following bumper sticker on the car in front of me:
“Eternal hell awaits those who question God’s unconditional love.”
Naturally, the letters were stylized in a fiery font meant to convey the literal flames of Hell and the excruciating (no pun intended) torment that would surely accompany such a punishment. When I first read it a flood of questions invaded my mind: “What makes the driver think that bumper sticker is a valid expression of the gospel?” and “Does the driver really believe this is an effective means of conveying the gospel or is it just that their personal sense of spiritual validity is derived from presenting an acutely polarizing brand of religion?” and “Is it even possible in a post-Christian culture to present God’s justice (including His judgment) in a way that won’t be understood against the historical backdrop of horribly twisted theology and practice?“ But all these questions were quickly crowded out by a sudden realization:
If the bumper sticker statement is true, then I am definitely going to hell.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making light of this fact. It’s quite a serious observation, because somewhere inside this sudden light bulb over my head burns a very real mandate to either judge another man or judge myself. Of course, it’s always safest to judge yourself…first. But at some point, like it or not, we must all judge others. So…what about you? Let me invite you to join me on the judgment seat (don’t worry, it’s a big chair). Do you think the statement is true? If so, why, and if not, why not?
(Extra points if you can guess why I disagree with it)
Seems wrong.
1) If God’s only attribute were unconditional love, then nobody would be in Hell. The sticker presents an almost-contradiction by omitting important details of God’s character (namely, justice and holiness).
2) To question God seems like a central reality of the Christian life. Those who never question God are those who have rejected him, whereas those who have accepted him have a long tradition of asking weird questions about God and then writing about it.