LOL, Glenn. (‘LOL’ as in the original, etymological sense of the word.)
Very special irony.
Very well done.
The producers of Downfall (acting on behalf of whomever is the so-called “owner” of the relevant “intellectual property” – ain’t no such thing, but I digress) wanted all Downfall parodies pulled from the Net and YouTube complied … a few years ago now. Wikipedia has more info … it was April 2010. It makes me cringe when cultural treasures are lost to posterity … (IP is bad, mmmkay?)
That was the best laugh I’ve had in a long while. The subtitles matched every expression and emotion perfectly. Though I did read the disclaimer at the end, the Nazi portrayal is still a bit rough.
I have found your work on annihilationism very helpful (and this video certainly provided few chuckles). Becoming a Christian, I naturally had a traditional perspective on hell, but after reading more on the issue (especially from you) I am currently undecided. I have one major concern, and I am sure you have heard this before, so if you have addressed it elsewhere please just refer me to it. My major concern are the implications of an annihilationist perspective on hell on evangelism. Now, I am not saying that you or all annihilationists don’t do any evangelism, but, it is not too far fetched to think in my opinion how one can have a mindset of “Well, all that will happen to the lost is that they will cease to exist without any pain or torment, so it might not be that bad”. Such a mindset could discourage Christians from sharing the Gospel.
What advice would you offer to keep evangelism a high priority as an annihilationsist, and not fall into a mindset like that? All I can think of is the great loss unbelievers have of not knowing God and being in His presence, the greatest gift and meaning of life!
Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Patrick, part of the answer – and I’m sure you’ve thought this – is that the truth of the matter cannot be determined by people’s psychological reaction to it. Some people are reluctant to preach a Gospel that includes the eternal torments of hell because it’s embarrassing – but of course that doesn’t make it false.
Perhaps these two lines of thought are the way to go: Firstly we need to encourage a pro-life ethos among Christians. It’s common in our culture to think of death as relief, rather than the greatest loss. The goodness of life is something we need to get back to. This is especially so from a classical Christian point of view, where being exists on a continuum from the perfect being (God) right down to non-being (annihilation). Suffering is in between. Death is at the bottom.
The second prong to this is that we need to focus on what God offers. As in John 3, what Christ offers is not condemnation, but life. The life that can be had eternally in Christ is like blinding light. It’s not just free of fault or want, it is perfection, beauty and a goodness that transcends comprehension. So the point of the Gospel is not simply that we need to get hell right. We are calling people to something, and it is that something that should drive us more than fear of hell.
Roy
Maybe you should use that as a conference opener 🙂
very funny!
Richard
LOL, Glenn. (‘LOL’ as in the original, etymological sense of the word.)
Very special irony.
Very well done.
The producers of Downfall (acting on behalf of whomever is the so-called “owner” of the relevant “intellectual property” – ain’t no such thing, but I digress) wanted all Downfall parodies pulled from the Net and YouTube complied … a few years ago now. Wikipedia has more info … it was April 2010. It makes me cringe when cultural treasures are lost to posterity … (IP is bad, mmmkay?)
Brian
Not sure Adolph Hitler is really ever very funny.
James
That was the best laugh I’ve had in a long while. The subtitles matched every expression and emotion perfectly. Though I did read the disclaimer at the end, the Nazi portrayal is still a bit rough.
Patrick S
Hi Glenn,
I have found your work on annihilationism very helpful (and this video certainly provided few chuckles). Becoming a Christian, I naturally had a traditional perspective on hell, but after reading more on the issue (especially from you) I am currently undecided. I have one major concern, and I am sure you have heard this before, so if you have addressed it elsewhere please just refer me to it. My major concern are the implications of an annihilationist perspective on hell on evangelism. Now, I am not saying that you or all annihilationists don’t do any evangelism, but, it is not too far fetched to think in my opinion how one can have a mindset of “Well, all that will happen to the lost is that they will cease to exist without any pain or torment, so it might not be that bad”. Such a mindset could discourage Christians from sharing the Gospel.
What advice would you offer to keep evangelism a high priority as an annihilationsist, and not fall into a mindset like that? All I can think of is the great loss unbelievers have of not knowing God and being in His presence, the greatest gift and meaning of life!
Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Glenn
Patrick, part of the answer – and I’m sure you’ve thought this – is that the truth of the matter cannot be determined by people’s psychological reaction to it. Some people are reluctant to preach a Gospel that includes the eternal torments of hell because it’s embarrassing – but of course that doesn’t make it false.
Perhaps these two lines of thought are the way to go: Firstly we need to encourage a pro-life ethos among Christians. It’s common in our culture to think of death as relief, rather than the greatest loss. The goodness of life is something we need to get back to. This is especially so from a classical Christian point of view, where being exists on a continuum from the perfect being (God) right down to non-being (annihilation). Suffering is in between. Death is at the bottom.
The second prong to this is that we need to focus on what God offers. As in John 3, what Christ offers is not condemnation, but life. The life that can be had eternally in Christ is like blinding light. It’s not just free of fault or want, it is perfection, beauty and a goodness that transcends comprehension. So the point of the Gospel is not simply that we need to get hell right. We are calling people to something, and it is that something that should drive us more than fear of hell.
Patrick S
Thank you for the reply. I agree that focusing on the gain, not loss can be a motivation to evangelism.
Cheers.