Christopher Hitchens, author and essayist, died Thursday night at age 62 after a long battle with esophageal cancer. A militant atheist, Hitchens understood Christianity better than many so-called Christians. From a January 2010 conversation with a liberal minister reported in the Portland Monthly:
Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is a generally fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?
Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.
An audio recording from Hitchen's conversation with Sewell.
Hitchens-Sewell
December 20 Update
I tracked with Hitchens somewhat more after he began writing about his cancer and the painful treatments. He described excrutiating burning and pain and he knew death was imminent; that, along with his spending a good deal of time with Christian leaders debating the merits of Christianity during his book tour, seemed like the kinds of experiences the God of all grace might use to humble and draw an atheist to himself. Hitchens was far beyond my grade intellectually but I considered him no more a sinner than myself, and Christ has saved me. He saved Paul, who until his conversion was a fire-breathing persecutor of Christians. He saved C.S. Lewis, another British intellectual who espoused atheism before turning to Christ. I knew people around the world were praying for his conversion, and that was another reason why I anticipated his turning to Christ. I thought he might in some way become another C.S. Lewis. But we did not see that happen. I linked elsewhere to an article about deathbed conversions; while rare, the thief on the cross turning to Christ at the last possible moment is a memorable proof that it can happen. My earnest hope is that at the last Hitchens found forgiveness and salvation. But given his avowed atheism and in the absence of any evidence of repentance and faith, the probability of his being in torment now is high. That has sobered me. And it has put an edge on my concern about other people I've been praying for with similar anticipation of a conversion.
Is Christopher Hitchens in Heaven now? That's the question I think many Christians are asking, especially those of us who were praying for his conversion and thought it would happen one day.
Maybe
What do you think?
Why believers loved Christopher Hitchens...
The Believer's Atheist
Victor Davis Hanson reflects on his conversations and relationship with Hitchens...
Goodbye, Mr. Hitchens
Andy McCarthy was not impressed with Hitchens...or his admirers
Why They Wept for Hitchens
Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is a generally fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?
Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.
An audio recording from Hitchen's conversation with Sewell.
Hitchens-Sewell
December 20 Update
I tracked with Hitchens somewhat more after he began writing about his cancer and the painful treatments. He described excrutiating burning and pain and he knew death was imminent; that, along with his spending a good deal of time with Christian leaders debating the merits of Christianity during his book tour, seemed like the kinds of experiences the God of all grace might use to humble and draw an atheist to himself. Hitchens was far beyond my grade intellectually but I considered him no more a sinner than myself, and Christ has saved me. He saved Paul, who until his conversion was a fire-breathing persecutor of Christians. He saved C.S. Lewis, another British intellectual who espoused atheism before turning to Christ. I knew people around the world were praying for his conversion, and that was another reason why I anticipated his turning to Christ. I thought he might in some way become another C.S. Lewis. But we did not see that happen. I linked elsewhere to an article about deathbed conversions; while rare, the thief on the cross turning to Christ at the last possible moment is a memorable proof that it can happen. My earnest hope is that at the last Hitchens found forgiveness and salvation. But given his avowed atheism and in the absence of any evidence of repentance and faith, the probability of his being in torment now is high. That has sobered me. And it has put an edge on my concern about other people I've been praying for with similar anticipation of a conversion.
Is Christopher Hitchens in Heaven now? That's the question I think many Christians are asking, especially those of us who were praying for his conversion and thought it would happen one day.
Maybe
What do you think?
Why believers loved Christopher Hitchens...
The Believer's Atheist
Victor Davis Hanson reflects on his conversations and relationship with Hitchens...
Goodbye, Mr. Hitchens
Andy McCarthy was not impressed with Hitchens...or his admirers
Why They Wept for Hitchens
From my friend's email:
ReplyDeleteWhile reading through the embedded link to Russell Moore's website, I was once again given pause as the passage about the thief on the cross was cited as an example of how some are saved on the very doorstep of death now and then.
>>>“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." I don’t know. But I do know that the gospel offers forgiveness and mercy right to the edge of death’s door. And I know that the kingdom of God is made up of ex-thieves, and ex-murderers, and ex-atheists like us.<<<
While I can't say for sure where Mr. Hitchens's heart actually was with God at the time of his death---and do agree that heaven is offered to all as long as we still have breath, I ask this question in regards to citing the above passage for a 'brink of death salvation' passage is this: How do we know with any certainty that this thief on the cross who asked Jesus to remember him was not already a believer when he was crucified that day? It seems that most have concluded that he was not, simply because he was being crucified. But I have thought for some time now that he may have been indeed. Peter admonished his readers to not be among those who suffered as a result of their own sins. And we know that there are many jail cells today occupied with genuine Christians who have stolen, killed, raped, and more. In days gone by, they would have been crucified, I suppose. So, I've always been reluctant to use that passage as in the way that Mr. Moore has done.
A little off the track of your blog, I realize. But what do you think? Was the thief saved on death's door while hanging from a cross...or perhaps not?
Thanks for your thoughts, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThe scenario you raise--of the thief having already been a follower of Jesus before being crucified with him--hadn't occurred to me, but I don't see why it couldn't have been the case.
But even if we knew that to be the case, this is still a vivid example of the mercy of Christ reaching out to reassure a repentant dying sinner (whether he had repented earlier or on the cross) of eternal life. Christ is willing to safe the worst of sinners in the most extreme circumstances, if they acknowledge their sins and turn to Christ--that is the important truth.
I imagine there are many unsaved souls who find it hard to believe that God CAN or WILL forgive them at the very last. They may need extra encouragement to believe, and this may help them. Another example of God showing mercy to an old sinner is wicked king Ahab in I Kings 21:27-29, "So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days."
At the same time, it is reckless and dangerous to conclude from the story of the thief on the cross or Ahab's example, that (a) God is obligated to show mercy at the last moment, (b) it is an easy thing to repent whenever we please, or (c) it's safe to persist in sin and put off repentance and faith in Christ until our final hour on earth.
Maybe this is a reason why you have been reluctant to use the thief on the cross as a salvation story?
Well said, regarding the dangers of 'waiting to end' to accept the gift of salvation. Quite a risk to gamble on just when the end might be...
ReplyDelete