This week I happened to witness a street preacher at a train station near my workplace. Even as a Christian it’s hard to know how to respond to this. Culturally we’re not used to people expounding Biblical truths in public.

Theologically, the guy sounded fine. It wasn’t wacky ideas he was declaring. What I could hear sounded, well, sound. Perhaps someone could have told him that there was no need to shout into his microphone; it would amplify itself. Other than that, he was doing a decent job.

I was somewhat amused because I knew that evening I would be online for a Christian history class in which the main focus was on John Wesley, known for his field preaching. We tend to relegate such things to the past, but my friend at the train station was demonstrating that this is not the case.

At a young age, John had been miraculously rescued from a house fire, as though saved out of hell. And as though saved for a particular calling, of critical value.

Whilst there are many theological discussions to be had about John Wesley’s beliefs, his unrelenting focus on holiness is notable and praiseworthy.

There seems to have been around in those times, a focus on holy living which perhaps the church would do well to focus on today. At risk of sounding like my mother – reflecting her upbringing – I’ll suggest that there is actually a lot we can learn from the Methodists, which John founded.

Their fear of God displayed in their “Holy Club” living is an inspiring challenge.

Culturally we’re not used to people proclaiming the fear of God and holy living. We prefer something softer.

And I get it.

For class this week we also had to read Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

Dear golly, that’s a terrifying piece of rhetoric.

The fact that I listened to an AI generated YouTube reading of it probably made it even more terrifying. A robot talking about hell is just a little too dystopian.

Or maybe that’s exactly how we should listen to it.

Because hell is real and people who don’t know salvation in Christ are going there.

Maybe that street preacher at the train station was onto something.

Maybe he was shouting into his microphone because he couldn’t tone down his zeal that everyone, everywhere knows that they need to escape hell. And that they can through faith in Jesus Christ.

Culturally, hell is not something we talk about much these days.

People tell Christians they’re being offensive or ideologically dangerous or crazy or rude if they talk about hell. But love is not rude. Love tells the truth.

Even if the truth isn’t wanted.

Yet, wanted or not, the truth is still needed.

So here’s something I need to think about more: how to talk about the reality of hell, in a cultural age that isn’t open to hearing it, but needs to, perhaps more than ever before.

Yours pondering eternity,

Alison