I got a text from my sister on Sunday. She and her husband were on their way to say good-bye to his sister. She was quite literally on her deathbed, after a year long battle with cancer. My sister asked us to pray that the dying sister-in-law would sense the loving presence of the Lord in their visit.

Than, it hit. Another sister reminded them to get the poor dying woman to pray the “sinner’s prayer”. Her soul was at stake. This set me off, and a string of messages that either supported or opposed (my position) such an action.

I haven’t written for a time, because I am having some vision problems, but this example is one reason I left Fundamentalism. The “hard sell”. Get someone to pray that sinner’s prayer before they die, because eternity is at stake.

The thing is, my brother-in-law has consistently shared his love of Jesus around his dying sister. She knows the theology. To approach a vulnerable young woman who is dying way too soon with a “close the deal” mentality is, to me, monstrous. I bet this woman already knows how much she is loved by the Father. She knows who Jesus is. She doesn’t need a magical incantation to be certain of her destiny.