An Atlanta evangelist named Bryant Wright runs 30-second radio spots as well as tv spots and even a half-hour long radio program from his ministry. The Georgia News Network runs the half-minute radio spots with nearly every one of their 3-minute newscasts running down statewide headlines. Over the years I have found the spots to be anywhere from annoying to mildly interesting. But as I was shaving yesterday morning, I heard this week’s spot, in which Mr. Wright attacks the question of whether someone who has never had the opportunity to hear the gospel has a one way ticket to the lake of fire upon death. Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, of course, I was taught essentially that there’s an urgency to reach the entire world because anyone we don’t reach is going to fry.

I always asked the question, “do we claim our God is a just God?” If so, then it’s obvious – how could He condemn someone to death simply because they are ignorant. How could they choose Him if they didn’t know about Him? This is of course just another reason the Catholic Church was so attractive to me – because She allows for the possibility that one could come to salvation by living according to conscience in the best way one knows how in the absence of awareness of the Gospel (the whole baptism of desire concept.)

What I heard on this Bryant Wright spot was almost agreement with the Church’s concept. Mr. Wright asks the question much as I did, and then simply answers it with a snippet of scripture which says each man will be judged according to his knowledge. It’s interesting that he won’t actually say what will happen to the person’s soul who has never heard the Gospel, possibly because it will enrage his followers and colleagues who are into selling fire insurance. But I have had a conversation with a Deacon who is acquainted with Mr. Wright, who says that Mr. Wright once essentially told him he hears confessions all the time but he can’t give people absolution, in a half-joking way.

Listen to the spot yourself!