What I Should(n't) Have Said

My head and heart are EXHAUSTIFIED tonight.  I've been on a roller coaster ride of thought loops ever since news broke last night that Osama Bin Laden had been killed -- finally.

One thing I know FOR SURE tonight.  It's never a good idea to break my own rules.  I have just a few rules for myself.  Every single one of them has been established to keep me from making painful mistakes, and breaking them almost always leads me directly to the pain I was attempting to avoid.  The rule I broke last night?  Using short-form social media (Twitter, Facebook Status) when emotional about a subject to attempt to succinctly communicate very complex thoughts.

I shouldn't have said anything.

If I was going to say something, it should have been timed differently ... and it should have been here, not there.

I should have led with a few disclaimers, such as:

1. I am exceedingly grateful to our military.  A lump swells in my throat at the sight of a man or woman in uniform.  Every. Single. Time.  I appreciate more than I will EVER be able to say any who has been willing to put his or her life on the line to protect my freedom.
2. I know that Osama Bin Laden deserved death.  I don't wish we'd captured him and given him a "fair" trial.  
3. I am relieved that his reign of terror is over.  I am grateful that specific threat is undone.
4. I do not begrudge the world for being elated over the achievement of a tactical military goal that will hopefully bring us another step closer to the end of a long season of war.
5. I have not confused relief or the rightful celebration of "justice" with the celebration of a soul in hell.

That being said, when I tweeted the following thought and Scripture, I was specifically troubled by Christians, especially influential leaders, who were openly mocking a soul in hell.

• "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways & live? Ezek.18:23"
• "It seems incongruous to me that we who believe hell exists could rejoice in the death of any man who would go there."
• "Food for Thought tonight: Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, let not your heart rejoice when he stumbles."

A sample of the type of sentiment from influential church leaders to which I was responding?: 

• Now would be a good time to ask Is there a Hell? & is Bin Laden there? The answer is YES AND YES. Justice wins!!

I could quote PLENTY of others, but I'll just stop with that one.  The thoughts that kept me up last night and have weighed heavily on  my heart throughout the day:


ALL of us apart from Christ deserve death and hell (eternal separation from God). See, Ephesians 2:1-7 Hell is a horrific reality.  Because I believe in hell, I cannot rejoice in or make light of it. At all. For anyone.  I know that death is a part of life.  I know that bad guys lose and good guys win (sometimes), and we cheer when the good guys win.  I know that there are dozens of examples throughout the Old Testament where God grants victory in battle to His people, Israel, and they celebrate.  I get it.  I'm not naive or ignorant, but I am conflicted.


I just can't reconcile that the same people who argued vehemently just a few weeks ago that there is indeed a hell and it is indeed eternal punishment apart from God are now rejoicing that someone would go there.  Incongruous. 


I believe there's a hell.  I believe OBL is very likely there.  I believe that God has sovereign control in the universe, and is therefore ultimately responsible for his punishment.  I do not believe God takes any pleasure in his destruction.


Other bloggers, much more eloquent than I on the subject of reconciling these difficult ideas:


Aaron Lutz
Shaun Groves
Christopher Morgan