The Gospel From Outer Space – Robert Short

[MikeBigg]

Here's a little bit from THE GOSPEL FROM OUTER SPACE – ROBERT SHORT

“The gospel of love heard from the churches is at bottom a gospel at gunpoint. This gospel claims to speak of a great love, but only one step behind this “love” is an unspoken, or often very vocal great threat – the threat of eternity in “hell” if we refuse this love. What a travesty of love, even human love, not to mention God’s! For one would think that God’s love ought to be at least as great as what human beings are capable of. It is precisely the implied or expressed threat of eternal perdition that compromises the churches’ ‘gospel of love,’ and gives this ‘gospel’ the lie to ordinary people, and is in fact behind by far, most of atheism.

On the other hand, this is not the quality of mercy I see in God. I get the strong feeling of an infinite, unconditional, no-strings-attached love for all people. At the same time this love is all-powerful and sovereign. It is not so flimsy and pitifully weak that it can be finally frustrated or defeated by mere human whim or by meager man’s arrogant illusion called ‘free will.’ ”

 

[drstevej]

God is Holy
God is Just

Isolating a single attribute is distortion.

 

[timewerx]

Love is has a miserably contorted meaning in the world.

It is selfish, doesn't have care for the rest of the world, it's always me first, then my family, then friends, then co-workers, then neighbors and I don't care if some nation wallows in misery. I don't care if the system I work for encourages the poverty and unsafe working conditions in other nations just so they can harvest cheap labor, make cheap products and make a lot of profits. I don't care if the system I work for turns parts of the world into a garbage heap, pollute the oceans, kill lots of animals in cold blood. I don't care if the system I work for has blood in its hands. I don't care if the system I work is unsustainable mathematically and mathematically proven to have nothing but empty promises for most people in the world.

 

[MikeBigg]

God is Holy
God is Just

Isolating a single attribute is distortion.

Maybe.

But, isolating God's justice and holiness from His love is distortion.

God is Holy. God is Just. God is Love. All at the same time.

God expresses love in His justice. He never stops being love, even when administering justice.

To think otherwise is a distortion.

Blessings,

Mike

 

[MikeBigg]

Love is has a miserably contorted meaning in the world.

I agree.

Good job that the Bible helps us know the nature of love.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Regards,

Mike