After the House of Representatives passed a bill designed to "repeal and replace" Obamacare last week, John Pavlovitz — head of the teen ministry at North Raleigh Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina — jumped on his popular blog and titled his May 4 entry, "Today, I Hope That There's a Hell."
While Pavlovitz admitted he's "skeptical" that hell exists since it seems "incompatible with a loving God and with the very idea of Grace," he said that "today I admit to being strangely hopeful."
Today I cling to the idea that somewhere beyond this life, there is a place where horrible people pay for the atrocities; where the evil humankind unleashes upon this world is returned to them in kind, and they are finally made personally accountable — where they feel the pain they have inflicted while here.Today it feels like this world has failed the good people, and maybe hell is the only chance there is for things to be made right.
Because if there indeed is a hell, it will be surely getting more crowded after today.
Pavlovitz wished hell upon Republican President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Paul Ryan, writing that they "and all those who conspired to perpetrate this horror upon our most vulnerable and most at-risk, might actually come to the humility and repentance and decency that they seem incapable of here."
He also wished hell upon "people who claimed faith in Jesus, while spending the National Day of Prayer stripping the sick of care and the vulnerable of protection — and acting as if this was a righteous victory." Pavlovitz said that hell "should be packed to the rafters with Christians who chose to turn the other way or to be silent as they watched it all happen."
"Honestly, I’m not at all proud of this admission," he noted. "As a follower of Jesus, I suppose it’s a fairly terrible confession of faith, and that is something I’ll wrestle with and pray through."
Pavlovitz said that "it feels like the bad people are winning" and wants "to believe that they will one day face their Maker and the mirror and the blood upon their hands."
Noted for other blog entries such as "Relax Christian, You Don't Have to Go to Church," "The GOP Is Not a Pro-Life, Christian Party" and a few other ones about that fiery place ("Hell is for Homophobes" and "The Party We'll Have in Hell"), Pavlovitz got some rousing support for wishing hell upon Trump, Pence, Ryan and certain believers in Christ.
"Finally a pastor has given me the permission I’ve been secretly craving to allow my disdain for Trump and all who voted for him to boil over into hatred and rage," one commenter wrote. "I hope we Christians who follow Pavolovitz’ way of love get front row seats to watch the Devil and his demons push Trump, and Ryan and all the Trumpsters screaming into the fiery pit. It will be so friggin awesome!"
Another commenter added, "You damn bet I hope Trump, Pence, Ryan and all the other smirking pieces of crap at that 'victory lap' fry in Hell. Every last one of them. They are so far beyond redemption at this point. Unfortunately for us, they’ll all probably live forever – Heaven won’t have them, and Hell’s afraid they’ll take over!"
Another noted that Pavlovitz's blog post "states what so many of us are thinking……how much longer will the evil ones rule the Earth? Seems like the more honest and kind you are, the more you get screwed over. But I keep on the path because I have seen in my own life that God rewards those of us who are kind, honest and care about others. He also will punish those who are not. Keep the faith and believe in him and he will always take care of you!"
