Well? When was the last time you actually saw someone express or show shame publicly?

It seems to me that Americans have lost their capacity for shame. Of course, some sub-cultures within America continue the practice of feeling/showing shame when called for. But (by and large) our culture no longer imposes, or evokes it from those who are discovered in a shameful act or condition.

And this is bad news for all of us!

Why? Because it reflects a growing lack of sensitivity to moral standards and propriety, and a disregard for dignity (the image of God in you and in others). And this, in turn is a terminal diagnosis for any culture.

Edward Marbury once said: “Sin carries two rods [punitive consequences] with it: shame and fear.” Without feeling shame, men and women can sin with impunity.

Now please note: I am not defending the abuse of shame. Some wrongly use a form of shame to manipulate a family’s public image (ie: “you can’t drop out of college – what would people think!”), or to suppress the truth (ie: “no one must learn about what you did…”). Such behavior robs shame of its role — of its usefulness in delineating moral norms and standards. Donald Carson has concluded, “We have been debilitated by the virus of indifferentism.”

For shame.
david

Yes, you read that right: HELL. What’s the “7734”? Back a decade or so, it was the way you could “spell-out” the word hell on an old calculator — enter 7, 7, 3 and 4, then turn the calculator upside down to read the word. (You could also enter a decimal point first, then 7734, to add the letter “o” to form the word hello!) You may also recall the phrase “H, E, double-hockey-sticks” as a euphemism for saying “hell” outright. I mentioned these as I introduced my sermon on hell (an unscheduled topic) last Sunday.

Why don’t people like to mention hell, or talk about it? Even many Bible-believing Christians [should there really be any any other kind?] don’t like the doctrine of hell as taught in the New Testament. The answer is a growing way of thinking (and behaving) that is not God-centered but man-centered. Such thinking views “sin” as simply an offense between people – not God. Such man-centered thinking views God only in terms of being like the best “man” imaginable – and such a “God” would never send anyone to hell.

But the TRUTH revealed in the Bible (like it or not) is this:
• there is a real place, created by God called hell;
• Jesus spoke about hell more than He did about heaven;
• hell is a place of retributive (not remedial) punishment;
• there is no such place as purgatory;
• hell is the permanent (eternal) abode of the wicked

I’m putting this in my journal to see if there is anyone interested further in these statements (or my defense of them); I’d be happy to elaborate. Let me know….

I do hope to add (this week, DV), comments about how the doctrine of hell brings real benefits to Christians here and now… really! There are several good points to be made.

Stay tuned…
dave