Is the Gospel Really Good News?

"Most sections of mainstream Christianity preach what they call the good news. But, in many of these, it really is a mixture of good news for a few and very bad news for the majority." (Quote from page 23 of "The Really Good News About God".)

It does not seem to faze these Christians that they gather each Sunday to worship a God of supposed unconditional love who will oversee, even orchestrate, the fearful unending torment of the majority of His creation, the same ones for whom Jesus died.

When I try to explain to any of these Christians what the really good news is, I am treated like a heretic who should be burned at the stake.
Questions like "You don't really believe God will save people like Hitler, do you?" are designed to put me on the defensive and make me abandon the discussion.
And I sometimes do ... until very recently.

I now offer my own provocative questions.
"You don't really believe a God of love would torture those he loves and created in His image, do you?"
"Do you think Jesus was successful when he died for the sins of the world?"
"Do you love your children? If one of them disappointed you, would you torture him/her forever?"

I have changed from leaving myself open to being attacked to asking those sorts of uncomfortable questions. I now avoid being put on the back foot by a person advancing an unbiblical, traditional church position by advancing the true good news found in the Bible.

And what is this good news that the Bible announces?

The end of all things is ...

• Jesus, the Omega (Revelation 1 : 8, 11 and Revelation 21 : 5 - 6)
• When all of creation have life and God is everything to everyone
  (1 Corinthians 15 : 22 - 28)
• When all of creation has come to repentance (2 Peter 3 : 9)
• When all of creation is in unity and perfect harmony (Ephesians 1 :  10)
• When everything is reconciled to God (Colossians 1 : 19 - 20)
• When the whole world is saved (John 3 : 17 and Luke 3 : 4 - 6)
• When all of creation is restored (Romans 8 : 20 - 21)
• When all of creation will worship God ( Revelation 15 : 3 - 4 and
  Philippians 2 : 9 - 11)

The Bible has a much better "end of all things" than does mainstream Christianity, and I am becoming much more adventurous in sharing this good news.

Blessings, Barry

(BTW, Hitler is discussed on page 159 of "The Really Good News About God".)