Wow, didn’t see that coming… you see, it might’ve taken you a “haunting” sermon to realize this, but the possibility of certain unbelievers repenting in the last second, maybe even just in their thoughts, is CONSTANTLY mentioned by Christians all over.

Great article. No “Hitchens was a good man and stood up for human rights, so do you believe our God can be so mean and send him for hell”, no glimpse of humanity beneath the servile, barbaric dogma, not even a trace of savviness regarding what Hitchens actually had to say about the hell doctrine and the morality of Christianity - just the good ol’ “you’ll go to hell without Jesus, but perhaps he accepted Jesus.”

The God in this belief system is a primitive, unjust dictator, and your complete endorsement of it is rather ironic after listening to Hitchens (and others) explain what exactly is wrong with these teachings.

It’s like everything he said, the “gospel-hater” part aside, completely went over your tiny head.
Like, “yea, whatever you say, pal, it says in the Gospel that you’ll burn in hell, and you’re an atheist, so yea”.

Primitive, servile, appalling. It would be great if you were at least self-aware, but you’re not.

Just a quick question:
“but he anticipated, wrongly, a blackness, a going out of consciousness forever”
How you know that?

I could argue about the fact that, if God were perfect he wouldn’t change from someone in the Old Testament who said told his followers (according to the people who wrote Leviticus and Deuteronomy) to kill people of other religions, to burn cities of different religions to the ground, to murder homosexuals, and do many other things the current Christian would find appalling, to a being that promotes piece and love because his son changed his mind. Things that are perfect don’t change. That’s the definition of perfect.

I could argue that, but instead I’d say who are Christians to make the final decision on what God is. If a homeless guy that kind of looked like what the paintings say Jesus looks like and said he was Jesus and the end days are here and even did some Chris Angel type magic trick that you couldn’t possibly figure out, would you believe him? No. You wouldn’t, because God told you not to be gullible. He not only told you that, but he also put all these people in your world that want to cheat and lie and hurt you. Whether it’s a priest that molests you when your a child or a head of your church that steals your money and leaves town, there are plenty of things in the world which can genuinely hurt you. Now why would God say, “You’re going to have all these people cheating and lying to you, but those are just tests, and in order for you to get into heaven, you have to believe other people (whom are capable of lying just as much as someone else who’s hurt you before) that I exist. Even the Catholic church admits that the closest person to Jesus that wrote in the Bible was separated from him by 15 years. Most say it’s more like 60-80 years. Does god suddenly not want us to use our questioning minds that he gave us?

This is why I believe it’s insulting that you even say that Christians would be right in assuming Christopher Hitchens is in hell. God created Christopher Hitchens and he knew exactly how he was going to be. He got people to use their brains where others said “Just have faith. Shut off that part of the brain that God gave you.” I’ll tell you one thing: if there is a God it would be like slapping him in the face worshiping him with such an imperfect, man-made thing like Christianity. Like most thinking people I’m open to a dialogue on the topic. I don’t wish you any ill will. most of my family is Southern Baptist so I know Christianity doesn’t make bad people, but bad people can be Christian.

[...]Moore to the Point – Christopher Hitchens Might Be in Heaven[...]…

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/10/christopher-hitchens-applauds-rick-perry-provides-reading-list-in-rare-public-appearance/#ixzz1hpvGD3YB

I also thought the ending where Hitch and the rest of the audience are simply incapable of understanding the plainly obvious barbaric moral horror of abortion belied his supposedly superior rational objective intellect.

If when we die we die, I’m not sure there is any point of living
everyday with purpose and meaning? Rather I’d see life in
the total opposite way….eat drink and be merry because tomorrow we die….unless of course that is the purpose and meaning you speak of

But this man’s calling in life was to trash His Maker at every turn and often crudely and mockingly. There was not even a glimmer of light to give a scintella of a hint that there was any possiblity that he would turn to God in his last moments. He obviously didn’t believe. That was his choice and he is now paying the consequences of his choices. That should not cause us to in any way gloat, because each of us are sinners saved by grace and we should be eternally grateful.

There really seems no value in even discussing the man after his death. So many others are passing into eternity every day, some to eternal bliss and some to eternal torment. If we know Christ we have the responsiblity of livilng for Him and sharing the Gospel to others as we have opportunity.

Perhaps if someone had reached young Hitchens in his early youth with the Gospel before his heart became hardened, the outcome might have been different.

Your comments resonated with me, Frank. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on brain science and the study of when death actually occurs. I know that in Dr. Moore’s piece he wrote that our chance for reconciliation with God is open until we take our last breath, but it is now becoming pretty evident that we don’t die until some time following our last breath. The brain shuts down slowly and who knows how God intervenes with each of his beloved when they are in those “closing moments” of life.

-rd

This is beautifully put, pastor.

Could this essay not have been written with virtually any name inserted? Kim Jong Il has died–might he be in heaven? How about the Marquis de Sade? Perhaps Hitler, Stalin or Mao when faced with death considered the millions they had murdered and repented. We can shrug our shoulders and whisper, “I don’t know” but that seems an awful lot like vain speculation.

I struggle so much with arrogance…believing that my status is somehow due to my goodness, my faithfulness, my perserverance. Such rubbish, I know. But the deceipt of Satan is thorough if nothing else.

We need to constantly remind ourselves and other professing Believers that no one DESERVES grace. It’s a gift, and that’s what makes it such a miracle. If no one can deserve grace, then no one is too low for grace to reach down and transform.

Arrogance is an awful lot like poo-poo, I think. There’s far too much of it… and it’s never pretty. :-)

Nobody likes you except other Evangelicals, and you know it.

But let me get to the juicy part. I’ve just been informed via Twitter. Christopher Hitchens is now King God. He is a He now, spread the word!

Satan is like the god of sin right? Satan doesn’t scare me anymore! Hitchens! Hitchens! Hitchens!

Mr. Dingess, I didn’t realize that Romans 10:13 was “fluffy speculation.” Can you elaborate?

Barth is dead, like ol Hitch. However, Jesus is alive, thus He speaks with absolute authority (cf, Heb 1:2-3), so this concept of “Godself” Barthian or post-mortem salvation is simply wishful thinking for people who are spiritual, but not willing to surrender to biblical authority.

As others have pointed out, Moore’s intent with this article was not to judge Hitchens’ life based on what he believed; to the contrary, he was illustrating the fact that when it comes to a person’s salvation, we are by far the LEAST qualified of all judges to determine such a thing. If you have issue with God being that judge or with a “judge” existing at all, that’s another issue entirely from the one in this article (which is written from the perspective of a Christian worldview and DIRECTED to those with the Christian worldview).

What an insightful point! Thanks for sharing.

I think the goal was to get to not be so rigid or certain about the fate of a life-long rebel or even someone who become an apostate, because in their final moments they could have repented and looked to Christ, on this point I agree with Dr. Moore, whom I respect, admire, and love.

However, the hope that we offer to the living should not be predicated upon whether or not their loved one is in heaven or hell (as speculative as it would be in Mr. Hitchens case), but upon the goodness of God found in the Gospel of Christ.

I am greatly offended by your point, that death bed conversions are somehow “damaging” because if we say, “You can wait until the last minute,” everyone will. That is the kind of Christianity that alienates people, the kind where the whole purpose is to avoid Hell. The kinds that says that life without Christ is somehow more agreeable, and that if it weren’t for Hell we would all just go around being heathens. Equally offensive is the idea that other HUMANS have to hear our confession to be counted as confessed. When we acknowledge Jesus, it is instant, without words or show. It happens internally, not externally. We should rejoice in anyone who finds salvation, no matter when or how they do it.

Even at funerals (or especially at funerals!) Christian pastors have a responsibility to speak the truth of God’s Word. This means proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Way and the Truth and the Life–apart from Whom no one comes to the Father.

While we can never fully know what was in someone’s heart, we most certainly can know what they publicly confessed. It is only on the the basis of their public confession that a Christian pastor can participate and preach at a funeral–giving testimony to the deceased’s confession of faith in Jesus Christ.

We know Christopher Hitchens’ confession. He blasphemed God, denied Jesus Christ, and resisted the Holy Spirit. He vigorously maintained this confession throughout his life and took pains to make sure that confession would continue to be heard even after his death.

As to whether or not he converted in the last moments of his life you say, “I don’t know”. Precisely! And so the only thing that the Christian pastor can truthfully say at a death like this is: “The wages of sin is death.”

I recommend you spend more time seriously interacting with the teaching of reformed theology before comments like this one. It is obvious that you have not done so at this point and I am not sure that is how you want to be perceived.

The theif on the cross demonstated a heart changed by God in his fruit that he produced while hanging there on the cross. There is nothing in Scripture that states such is impossible, and there is nothing in Scripture that would justify such presumptive pontifications either. Here is a copy of Christopher Hitchen’s response to death-bed repentance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q5VZzDWWj8

We have a terrible tendency in the church to forget that it is indeed a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. It seems that all the church wants to talk about these days is a single-attribute God as if He has nothing to offer but love. People who think that God is sitting in heaven, fingers crossed, cheering people on to their last breath have not got the biblical God in mind.

“and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Rom. 1:32

We should be vexed in response to Hitchens’ rejection of God to his last breath. But we should remind his followers that, today, even now, we have no reason to think that he is anywhere but confined to the eternal torment that is his just due. If per chance he should be otherwise, God knows. It is the God that Hitchens spent a life time mocking that had the final say in the matter. It is a profoundly dangerous and wicked thing to be consumed by the objective of blaspheming God as often and in as many places as you can.

Christopher Hitchens should not be remembered as a great man, a icon in the field of philosophy. No. Hitchens should be remembered for that which serves to best define him: blasphemer of God par excellence. That is what he spent his time doing and it consumed him as a human being. One would have to look far and wide to find a more vile enemy of the Christian faith than Christopher Hitchens. Yet, we loved him enough to give him the good news of the gospel, repeatedly. The tolerant, gentle, fluffy culture in which we live has caused many Christians and pastors to lose their nerve when it comes time to tell the truth.

I do not hate Hitchens. I do not hate his followers. But I refuse to say remarkably glowing things about this blasphemer, who, as far as anyone knows, blasphemed God so long as he was able. Mr. Hitchens, we leave you to God.

In summary, then, Dr. Moore, your article is far from what John the Baptist, or Peter, or Paul, or James or Jesus would have said. I see this type of fluffy speculation entirely missing from Scripture. It is anachronism of a politically correct, postmodern culture run amuck. Such speculation has only added to the presumptive disposition that numerous pseudo-Christans are all too fond to embrace.

However, the idea that he “could have” repented at the last minute reminds us of the great mercy that God extends — even to those who curse Him.

Consider the situation from his point of view:

You’re very ill, and know that you are soon to die. Do you think that you would suddenly change your mind, and decide that you’re an atheist? Perhaps you decide to accept Allah as your savior?

It’s a ridiculous idea. Even if he did convert to a religion, there are many different religious groups, what makes christianity so special? To an atheist all religions are equally absurd, the chances of a death-bed conversion range anywhere between nothing and zero.