Of all the teachings of
Christianity,
the doctrine of hell is easily the most
troubling, so much so that in recent
years the church has been quietly
tucking it away. Rarely mentioned
anymore in the pulpit, it has faded
through disuse among evangelicals and
been attacked by liberal theologians.
Hell is no longer only the target of
those outside the church. Today, a
disturbing number of professing
Christians question it as well. Perhaps
more than at any other time in history,
hell is under fire.
The implications of the historic view
of hell make the popular alternatives,
annihilationism and universalism, seem
extremely appealing. But the bottom
line is still God’s Word. What does the
Old Testament reveal about hell? What
does Paul the apostle have to say, or
the book of Revelation? Most important,
what does Jesus, the ultimate
expression of God’s love, teach us
about God’s wrath?
Upholding the authority of Scripture,
the different authors in Hell Under
Fire explore a complex topic from
various angles. R. Albert Mohler Jr.
provides a historical, theological, and
cultural overview of “The Disappearance
of Hell.” Christopher Morgan draws on
the New Testament to offer three
pictures of hell as punishment,
destruction, and banishment. J. I.
Packer compares universalism with the
traditional understanding of hell,
Morgan does the same with
annihilationism, and Sinclair Ferguson
considers how the reality of hell ought
to influence preaching. These examples
offer some idea of this volume’s scope
and thoroughness.
Hell may be under fire, but its own
flames cannot be quenched by popular
opinion. This book helps us gain a
biblical perspective on what hell is
and why we cannot afford to ignore it.