Технические характеристики
Soon as from earth I go what will become of me? Eternal happiness or woe must then my portion be. Charles Wesley`s words from his moving hymn, `Idumea`, seem to encapsulate the traditional Evangelical standpoint on the afterlife. And it is in response to such a conservative `sheep and goats` eschatology, as found in the Evangelical Alliance`s `Report on the Nature of Hell` (2000), that the Reverend David Clayton has penned this sensitive yet carefully argued work. From a pastoral point of view, preaching `hell` today is a thankless task. Punishment is an alien concept to a whole generation. Criminals are simply `unlucky to get caught`. So the concepts of moral obloqy and enduring punishment are alien to our modern liberal minds. David Clayton`s approach is theological and scripture-based. Careful analysis of key terms - `condemnation`, `judgment`, `eternity` and `hell` itself - reveals a convincing counter-argument to the traditionalists. Positing an intermediate state after death, he uses sources as diverse as Dean Farrar and Jan Bonda to offer hope of a `second chance` to those who have lost sight of God`s kingdom, or who have never glimpsed it, here on earth. Yes, we were `born to die` in Wesley`s words. No, we were not fashioned in God`s likeness in order to suffer eternally. And the proof is found in the message of love preached by His son, Jesus Christ.