A controversial religious paper from the pen of convicted Maurice Bishop assassinator, Major Leon “Bogo” Cornwall has caused a stir among religious clerics.
Cornwall, a former Methodist preacher, is advocating that God will “Save All” which has angered many religious preachers who over the centuries have been telling their congregations that some will go to heaven but the evil ones and sinners will end up in Hell.
One Grenadian Pastor has condemned the Leon “Bogo” Cornwall doctrine for advocating that no one will go to Hell which has been mentioned 165 times in the Bible.
Heaven has been described in the Bible as the dwelling place of God in 2 Chronicles 30: 27 where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for those who love him (John 14:2) while Hell was created for “the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41.”
Cornwall is known to have quit the Methodist Church to join forces with Pastor Stanford Simon at his Baptist Church in Springs to preach the Gospel of the Lord.
However, there are reports that he is no longer performing in a leadership role in the church where it is believed that he had penned the controversial Gospel that “no one will go to Hell” as God will save all.
Cornwall is no longer playing a leadership role in the church due to the controversial sermon which is believed to have upset many of the followers.
As a public service, THE NEW TODAY brings The Conclusion of the controversial Leon “Bogo” Cornwall religious edict:
If hell and the lake of fire were for eternal conscious torture of unbelievers etc, one would think that a prolific New Testament writer as the apostle Paul would have said something about that. There is no mention of this torturing hell in Paul’s writing.
Instead, we find a rather curious passage in 1 Corinthians that each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3: 13 – 15).
Thus, the judgment is not retributive but salvational. Even though there might be stages and agony, regrets, tears and gnashing of teeth for some, nevertheless the end result is the salvation of all. God will wipe away every tear, heal the nations, make all things new and be all in all. This is a gospel worth vigorously and widely proclaiming. It is indeed good news! God wins completely!
If this is not the gospel but what has been proclaimed with dual results is the gospel, it would mean that Jesus did not do a full, complete and comprehensive work. In this regard, calling Him the Savior of the world would be a misnomer. It would mean that in the battle for souls Satan outperformed God. It would mean that the problem of sin, evil and death has not been solved but has been eternalized.
In the end, the archenemy Satan is still around, albeit being tortured. Satan is together with the demons and the numerous recalcitrant sinners. Although they are all being tortured, they are implacably hostile to God and not voluntarily submissive. That is a mayhem of existing evil having permanent residence in God’s world, no matter the name now given to the world or part of it.
Even more troubling is that in the struggle against evil, God has to resort in the end to using torture – a method that one would think is satanic. Does this mean that Satan has co opted God? I know that many will be shocked by the last conclusions and questions because they never considered them before as they embrace the view about hell handed down to them. But these conclusions and questions are the logical implication of that eschatology (final end).
It stands to reason that this dual results, partially successful narrative, cannot be the gospel of grace that Paul proclaimed, claiming that all things will be reconciled and united in Christ who will submit to the Father so that God may be all in all. Neither can that narrative be the gospel Peter preached at Solomon’s Portico when he referred to “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3: 21).
Why Proclaiming the Gospel of Salvation of All is Important
It can be said, if the salvation of all is true, then it does not matter whether this all-embracing full gospel or the customary partial gospel is preached. Regardless of what is preached, the fact is that all will be saved. Why upset churches with this teaching, even if it is true? Leave things as they are, because in the end all will still be saved. Such a point is a version of the question why preach at all if all will be saved.
It is a caricature of Christianity to hold that the sole purpose of Christianity is getting souls into heaven. I think that that reductionist view of Christianity has done tremendous damage, making Christians other-worldly and neglectful of serious issues concerning peace, justice, the environment and the balanced development of the earth.
In the creation story, God mandated human beings to take good care of the earth (cf. Genesis 1: 26 – 28). An individualistic, get-souls-out-of-hell-and-into-heaven Christianity has so trained Christians to disregard this that a charge of disobeying God can be laid at the doorstep of numerous churches.
In an ironic way, this reductionist Christianity has fostered a subtle selfishness in many Christians. This is because of an obsessive concern with the postmortem blissful survival of their souls. The same attitude that would drive persons to grab after material things on earth so they won’t suffer any deprivation gets transferred into the spiritual sphere.
Fear of an eternal hell of torturing fire and brimstone is the driving force. This has warped the human consciousness that only a depth psychologist might be able to explore.
This type of Christianity is the product of an us versus them thinking. Because of the built-in sectarian spirit, this understanding of Christianity often gets co opted into worldly segregationist, discriminatory and unjust systems. It can naturally gravitate to “us and them” movements because it is itself a us-and-them religion.
Salvation of all, on the other hand, puts inestimable value on each and every human being regardless of color, creed, class, or moral status. This is because the revelation that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God is taken seriously.
Therefore, each and every person is valued and loved by God whether or not in this life the person is a Christian. Thus, the proponent of salvation of all is challenged by the universal love of God to love, defend and advocate for all. The abused and oppressed are defended and fought for because of their inestimable value.
The abuser and the oppressor are opposed in love with the aim of raising their consciousness of their own value and the value of those they are abusing and oppressing. It is on the basis of God’s love for all that he or she must order and orient their moral life. In other words, the believer in salvation of all has no legitimate basis for living immorally.
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ came to release people from the bondage of the fear of death (cf. Hebrews 2: 14 – 15). However, rather than liberating people from fear of death, popular Christianity uses the fear of death as a recruiting mechanism by portraying both God and the devil as two beings who can do them terrible things when they die and enter into the unknown. This fear is engendered not only in unbelievers but in many believers.
By its own logic, salvation of all is the remedy for this fear of death in keeping with what Jesus accomplished.
Conclusion
Although I have expressed a rather strong position for salvation of all, nonetheless I am conscious that many Christians have been transformed into beautiful loving persons even though they grew up in churches proclaiming the partial gospel. It is all the grace of God!
I also understand the noble motivation behind many who proclaim the partial gospel. They believe that the fear of hell will keep people on the straight and narrow, preventing them from sinning. But sadly, this has not been so.
Only an ongoing openness to God and a deepening of one’s relationship with and knowledge of God is transformative. I therefore believe that we are witnessing a move of God. In this historical period, God is calling Christians beyond what they had known and into the wider and deeper truth of who God is and what he is about.
I cannot help thinking about Paul saying that preaching should present the unsearchable riches of Christ “to make all see what is the [b]fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things [c]through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the [d]manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the [e]principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which.
He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3: 9 – 11). The eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ! God will not give up or compromise
May the God of grace and truth be with us all as we seek to respond faithfully to the love of Christ which passes knowledge.
Leon “Bogo” Cornwall