Chapter 2: Here is the New There

Part One

This is a long chapter.

He begins talking about a painting in his grandmother's house and how it traumatized him.

In the center of the picture is a massive cross, big enough for people to walk on. It hangs suspended in space, floating above an ominous red and black realm that threatens to swallow up whoever takes a wrong step. The people in the picture walking on the cross are clearly headed somewhere - and that somewhere is a city. A gleaming, bright city with a wall around it and lots of sunshine.

Bell's sister recalls the painting saying, "It gave us all the creeps."

And here's where it gets interesting: [Jesus] speaks about those who cause children to stumble [declaring] that the only fitting punishment is to tie a giant stone around their neck and throw them into the sea.

A haunting warning if there ever was one about the spongelike nature of a child's psyche.

I'm not saying that my grandmas' painting did that, but it clearly unnerved at least two of us.

See the painting here.

1) There's nothing frightening about the painting.
2) This may explain Bell's personal problem with God.
3) Perhaps Bell should be wary when near the sea, particularly if there's a large stone nearby.

But this is his Heaven chapter and here's the problem he was with this painting. It shows "movement from one place to the next."

Bell doesn't see Heaven as a place we go to "with the cross as the bridge, the way, the hope." He has a problem with the idea that what's happening in the painting is "happening somewhere else." (23)

Giant crosses do not hang suspended in the air in the world you and I call home. Cities do not float. And if you tripped and fell off the cross/ sidewalk in this world, you would not free-fall indefinitely down into an abyss of giant red caves and hissing stream.

Gee, Rob, can you say symbolism? I guess not.

Then he writes that our culture things of Heaven as "harps and clouds and streets of gold, everybody dressed in white robes."

I know that sometimes heaven is pictured that way, but I don't believe there are too many people who think of heaven in those terms literally; these images work together to create an all-over image of peace, happiness... it's soothing, carefree, perfect...

He even writes: Does anybody look good in a white robe? Can you play sports in a white robe? How could it be heaven without sports? What about swimming? What if you spill food on the robe?

Now, I'm sure he's speaking tongue-in-cheek, but it comes off as condescension, mockery.

He further muddies the water by mixing serious questions with his ridiculousness:

What will we do all day? Will we recognize people we used to know? What will it be like? Will there be dogs there?

I've heard pastors answer, "It will be like a church service that goes on forever," causing some to think, "That sounds more like hell."

(I plan to read Heaven by Randy Alcorn next. Should be interesting.)

Page 25 brings up a serious point regarding who will and who won't be in Heaven. A woman is crying because she is the only Christian in her family, and she doesn't want to not see them again in Heaven. The pastor tells her she'll be too happy being with God that she won't worry about her family any more, words that don't give her any comfort. So Bell says,

Are there other ways to think about Heaven? I say yes, there are.

Hmmm.

Part Two

tomorrow