The Cold Steel of Pure Theology

Some scriptural truths are inconvenient, in fact so distasteful that teachers today either explain them away or ignore them altogether. Depending on our disposition, they can feel like the kiss of cold steel and provoke a strong reaction.

Like the existence of hell and eternal judgement, where things don't go right for religious people and everyone else who doesn't repent, submit to God, and embrace a Matthew 5 lifestyle.

Like the mandate and priority of male leadership in the injil (New Testament) (way uncool in missional and prophetic/intercessory circles).

We are in the middle of a generational error, where we have reacted against mean preachers who love hell more than people by creating a romantic Sky Fairy who would never break things and reject the wicked. Where we have embraced the complaints of modern feminism by going further than the Bible and insisting on women leading men and boys.

We know that men are screwups. Do we know that women are screwups, too, and God's solution is complementarianism, where men and women are equally important but have different roles?

We get what we make room for. If we insist on promoting female leadership, we'll get more women and girls, while the guys sit still like good church boys or else head for the exits.

If we've never engaged the teachings of Jesus on the rigors of hell, or else believe and promote the idea that the Lord is going to save everyone in the end, especially those who have never heard the good news, then we've occupy ourselves with cool stuff while the folks next door as well as the folks in Bosnia, or India, or (name your country) head for a very unhappy eternity.

Reread Jesus. He's shocking with razor clarity while exercising the most merciful ministry in history.