The Uncommon Christian

You may not be able to recite all 7 deadly sins, but I’m sure you’ve at least heard of them once or twice. Regardless of what denomination you consider yourself to be, Christians typically only talk about the ten commandments or the 7 deadly sins when it comes to being obedient to God. I remember a few “fire and brimstone” sermons from my childhood that discussed damnation to hell.  My father was Catholic and brought me and my siblings to church with him on occasion. Usually the mass would precede games, food, or some other celebratory event. It was rare to hear anything about hell or displeasing God, but the 7 deadly sins were almost a guarantee if the priest was trying to scare you into being obedient to God. As a young child it made perfect sense to me. If you believe in God you have to avoid doing 7 things or you will die. However, I didn’t believe in God at the time and didn’t care to learn more about Him or His commandments. 1.        Prid...

Almost every single day, someone mentions Heaven. I live in Oklahoma, so it’s not surprising. But Oregon was the same way. Anyone that is going through a rough patch or who just lost a family member seems to go into this default state where Heaven is repeatedly mentioned. It makes sense, too. As Christians, we’re all taught that Christians go to Heaven when they die. Plus, the thought of our loved ones retreating from the problems of this world to a place of complete paradise is comforting. Do those thoughts have any biblical backing, though? Where did the thought of immediate ascension into Heaven upon death come from? From what I can tell, no one truly knows. So many people make claims and try to disregard, or discredit, the opposing opinion. “Soul sleep is unbiblical.” “Immediate ascension into Heaven is unbiblical.” I’ve seen people go back and forth with those two lines for hours. Each person has a long list of verses to pull from, and each verse is vague and open to interpreta...