I’ve had this song running through my head for about, oh, twenty-one years now. Other songs come and go, but I find this one cannot be silenced by death metal, industrial, goth rock, rockabilly, or Björk. It’s now really at the forefront since everybody’s been talking about how Rob Bell has inadverdently ticked off a bunch of traditionalist Christians.

There is my kite
Caught around a signpost
The sign says: You are almost there.
So I was right—there is a Heaven
Very near

But there are no fires in hell
There is only Mercy

Some days my kite goes where I cannot see
And I feel happy for its freedom
When it’s tangled in the trees and wires
I know it’s my own fault
All my fault

But there are no fires in hell
There is only Mercy
(I believe)

One day my kite will escape forever
And I will jump to catch the trailing string
Wishes and wants will fall from my pocket
As I wave, full of peace

—Karen & Don Peris, “Mercy”

As usual, the Slacktivist (now in a new blog home at Patheos) has a great series of posts on the subject:

• Team Hell Gets Loud
• The epistemology of Team Hell
• Should I Not Be Concerned?.

The last one is my favorite.