Sometimes fear blows onto your doorstep. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a piece of paper had blown onto the path near my office’s back door. The only word I could read was REPENT! Intrigued, I could not tell if it was for me or not. But I could not help but walk outside and pick it up. Wiping off an ant and some dirt, I noticed it was a two-sided handout from a church calling itself “The Gathering of Christ Church.” The handout listed their beliefs. Honestly, I found some of them disturbing. They were adamant that “Heaven’s Door is Closing,” so repent now. Interestingly, they listed several scriptures to support each point. But just as interestingly, there was no mention of grace or mercy anywhere in the pamphlet. There was nothing about loving neighbors, serving the vulnerable, or participating in God’s healing work in the world. It spoke far more about escaping punishment than participating in God’s redemption of the world. There was a description of hell and an i...