Questions for discussion and reflection

  1. Can you recall hearing a sermon on the wrath of God, the final judgment, and/or the doctrine of hell? What was the goal of the sermon? How did you react to it?
  2. Keller writes: “for the sake of argument, let’s imagine that Christianity is not the product of any one culture but is actually the transcultural truth of God. If that were the case we would expect that it would contradict and offend every human culture at some point, because human cultures are ever-changing and imperfect. If Christianity were the truth it would have to be offending and correcting your thinking at some place” (pp.72-73). If this is true, what aspects of Christianity ever offended and challenged your thinking?
  3. Keller says many people are offended by the notion of a God who judges, but are there also benefits of this attribute of God? Here are a couple of examples to get you started: 1) if God always forgives, to whom should the victim plead his or her case? 2) if God always forgives, to whom should the victim look for rescue?
  4. Is God’s judgment related to our responsibility to judge others, as in cases of criminal conduct? Why are many people offended by the notion of a judging God but not offended by the notion of a judgment-rendering legal system?
  5. Keller asserts that people who end up in hell chose that destination by rejecting God (which God allowed them to do as a mater of free will). In this way, God doesn’t judge as much as he allows people to choose their own fare (seep.78). Do you find this argument satisfactory?
  6. After reading chapter 5, complete the following statement. I believe in a God of ”        “.