To Hell in a Handbasket

I'm probably breaking some blogger code of conduct, but here's something I just posted on a forum about hell:

Racism.
Sense of entitlement because of wealth, race, religion.
the gospel of individualism.
Heterosexism.
Sexism.
Slavery.
War.
Artificial famines.
Survival of the fittest.
Commodified beings.

"And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell." These are the things that allow us to say someone is worthless. And because we call these things our gospels, we create hell. Here, now. If you're not suffocated by the heat of the struggle, if you're not burned by the fire of pain, you're insulated. If your eye is desensitized to the starving bodies, it is insulating you; gauge it out. If your hand is reaching to grab for more while your neighbor dies, it is insulating you; cut it off. For it's better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown hell; than for your whole body to be thrown into the isolation of never knowing the beauty and courage that can be found when you shed insulation and dare to claim the dying child as your own child, when you dare to call her mother your sister and when you dare to love the Christ who is in each and every one.

It is indeed the power in our conviction to follow Jesus that saves us from hell. But hell is not a place to be travelled to; hell is where we relegate those we deem worthless. Sin births death, death to others and death to ourselves, and out of sin is created the hells of oppression and injustice. Thanks be to our rebellious savior, who proved that even the injustices and oppression of death can be overcome by the beauty of life and love.

We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome one day.

And when we, too, being transformed by the renewing of our minds and the holy fire of the Spirit, seek to make Christ's gospel real--here, now--we beat back hell that was birthed by isolation and insulation, and we build God's kingdom--here, now--and love becomes our truth.