Both

A rather long excerpt from a post by Dan Kimball on Social Justice - yes.....Heaven and Hell - yes

...

I shared in the teaching how as we talk about this, we don't see this as a "program" of the church but instead see it is part of the DNA of who we are and who we desire to be as a church. There is a big difference between the two. I told how if you asked me 8 or 9 years ago what is Christianity all about and the gospel, I would have answered "it is about putting faith in Jesus and His work on the cross so we can go to heaven when we die." I wrote about my change of understanding about this in The Emerging Church (2003) on page 282-283 where I wrote about the importance of "living in the Kingdom now, not just when we get to heaven". I wrote about the difference of focusing the gospel entirely about going to heaven in the next life when it is more than that the focus is also on the Kingdom now on earth and our roles as followers of Jesus in it.

I spoke Sunday about we need to repent if we have simply bought into the "going to heaven when we die" mindset and not taken our role in this life and on this earth seriously now. God seems to be moving amongst the church as the many churches who did not take this seriously have seemed to awaken to this false dichotomy. So it is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to see this happen. I have nothing but thrill to see and hear this happening and I can only imagine the delight of God as He sees this happening. We only have just begin too as there is so much work to be done, the marginalized, the oppressed, even the way we steward caring for the earth and environment really all plays into this. But it is just incredible seeing the work that is now beginning and happening with those of us who did not understand the impact the gospel holistically makes.

But, I as I listen, watch, read, observe.... I have a sort of nagging in the back of my mind/heart concern......questions.... trying to project things out 10 years, 20 years...... I did speak about this Sunday at Vintage Faith Church as part of the message. I also raised it up at Willow Creek Community Church when I was there 2 weeks ago which you can read about and see a video clip here and also it was written about here by someone who covered the event.

What I am wondering about, is how do we avoid patterns of the past when the church jumps strongly in the realm of focusing on the gospel's impact for this earth and in this life - but slowly neglects teaching and reminding people of the gospel's impact about the reality of eternal heaven and eternal hell in the life to come after we die?

...