Shelburne Cross Currents: The Word Purgatory

Pope Innocent IV gets credited by historians as the first church leader to use the word “purgatory” officially. That was way back in 1254, twelve centuries after Jesus taught willfully wicked folks to expect the fires of hell. Twelve centuries too late for purgatory to be a biblical concept By the time the famous Czech church reformer Jan Hus came along in the early 1400s, purgatory had become a highly profitable concept. Duped into believing that they could buy relief for loved ones trapped in the torments of purgatory, wealthy Europeans poured fortunes into the church coffers as they paid for what was called “indulgences.” Staunchly protesting this mercenary use of questionable theology, Hus found himself embroiled in the fierce church politics of that day. For his efforts to restore the church’s integrity, he got burned at the stake. Even more famous, of course, was the renowned church reformer Martin Luther. A bit more than a century later, he began to echo the protests of Hus against the use of purgatory to frighten rich Christians into filling the pockets of corrupt church leaders. Few of us modern Protestants have ever had to worry about purgatory. For most of us it’s as unreal as a fairy tale. But, since “hell” seems to show up on every other page in our Bibles, we’ve heard a lot about it.We still use “hellfire and damnation” to describe the content of the uglyspirited preaching heard from some pulpits or spewed by some radical television evangelists. It upset Hus and Luther that priests used fear of eternal punishment to extract dollars. It troubles me when I hear preachers using fear of hell to pad their conversion stats or to finance their television ministries. Unfortunately, all through the centuries some spokesmen for the church have abused and misused the topic of hell. So it is our fault that a well-educated writer recently referred to “the medieval notions of Hell and Purgatory.” The concept of hell is not medieval. It’s biblical. The count will vary slightly depending on which Bible version you consult, but in the Gospels we hear Jesus using some form of “hell” or eternal fire twenty times. The Savior who came to teach us about love and grace still warns repeatedly about the eternal consequences of unforgiven sin. What a blessing it is, though, that just as he assured the thief on the cross, Jesus tells all of us who turn to him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Gene Shelburne may be addressed at 2310 Anna St., Amarillo, TX 791064717 or at GeneShel@ aol.com. Get his books or magazines at www.annastreetchurch.org. His column appears weekly.