The Problem of Eternal SufferinG II
“The God I believe in would never condemn anyone to Hell.” Have you ever heard this statement, or thought it yourself? Knowing how to engage a tricky topic like eternal suffering can be challenging and more than a little frightening. In our previous article in this series, we talked about the importance of term definition when it comes to fielding questions about Hell and punishment. What might it look like if we applied our Engaging Christianity framework of AED–Affirm, Expose, Direct–to address this issue?
Reality, Reason, and Reassurance
When using AED to engage questions about Hell, it is useful to remember three “R”s: Reality, Reason, and Reassurance.
The Reality is that a straightforward reading of Scripture tells us Hell is real. This is not a mic drop, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it!” statement, but rather an acknowledgement that Hell is consistent with what Scripture is actually saying. While this may seem like a small thing to remember, it actually informs how we approach questions about this topic: Hell exists, and the implications of that are big and worth discussing.
Reason means both the reason someone has a problem with the concept of Hell and our own intention when discussing it. Do they think Hell is a scary bedtime story meant to get children to behave, or do they themselves have fear buried deep in their hearts at the idea of eternal judgment? Do they know what the Bible says, or are they repeating ideas they have heard? When we talk to others, we are to give an answer to anyone who asks us the reason for the hope that is in us. Is our hope in the concept of Hell, or did our Hope descend into Hell, rise from the dead, and save us from punishment? Keeping Christ at the center of our conversations reminds us that God did something about this problem, and that’s the good news we want to share.
Finally, reassurance is crucial when it comes to difficult topics. Not only do we want to reassure others that they are welcome to ask questions, we ourselves need the reassurance that things will be okay when we engage in hard conversations. Our goal is not to embarrass people or stop every possible objection they might have. Our goal is to affirm, expose, and direct, not belittle, be the smartest person in the room, and have every answer. Approaching this topic as a conversation, asking questions, and being patient with others (and yourself) will help to take some of the pressure off. As we’ll see in a little bit, this topic actually brings us very quickly to the person of Christ, the ultimate reassurance and only answer. Let’s prayerfully dive in!
Mr. Rob Bell once wrote,
A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear (Rob Bell, Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person who Ever Lived (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2011), 9).
Using AED, how might you give an answer to someone who felt this way? Let’s take a look at one possible way.
One Way To Respond
Hell is real, and people will have objections to it. A straightforward reading of Scripture and our everyday conversations with friends don’t allow us to explain or wish away either of those facts. Because this is both a “head” (intellectual) and “heart” (emotional) objection, it is important to recognize what is actually being said. Let’s take a look at some possible ways we might respond to someone who agrees with Mr. Bell’s objection.
Affirm: While I can’t affirm Mr. Bell’s conclusion that Hell is a toxic concept, I can ensure I understand the position and I can also acknowledge the difficulty of the topic. I will also need to gather definitions, because it appears that Mr. Bell is making an assumption that the existence of Hell is contradictory to “love, peace, forgiveness, and joy.” We’ll need to glean some more information in order to adequately understand and engage this position. We don’t want to straw man (misrepresent his position so it’s easier to defeat) or mock, but put the best construction on his position so we can have a thoughtful conversation. What does he mean by “Jesus’ message”? “Love”?
Example language: [Open body posture, eye contact, friendly and unsarcastic tone, arms uncrossed and paying genuine attention] “Hell is definitely a hot topic, isn’t it!”(Ok, ok… you don’t have to start off with a terrible pun) “I can tell you’ve spent some time thinking about Hell and how it relates to Jesus. What I’m hearing is that you believe Hell contradicts Jesus’ message, and since contradictions are two things that can’t be true at the same time, Hell therefore isn’t true. Am I understanding your position correctly?”
“Could you help me understand what you mean by ‘Jesus’ message’?”
“It does feel strange to talk about Hell and love in the same sentence. How do you think love is defined?”
Expose: Mr. Bell states that Hell is contradictory to “Jesus’ message.” This is actually a very similar argument to those who reject Christianity because they don’t see how a loving God could condemn anyone. This can be a type of personal incredulity fallacy. Personal incredulity, in this case, is saying that because someone finds Hell hard to believe, Hell doesn’t exist, Christianity is wrong, or both. Unfortunately, just because we don’t like something doesn’t mean that thing doesn’t exist. Mr. Bell is also saying that there is a contradiction between the idea of eternal punishment and what Jesus taught. A contradiction is two things that cannot both be true at the same time, which means that Mr. Bell would need to demonstrate which of Jesus’ teachings absolutely rule out the possibility of Hell. The same holds true for those who say a loving God couldn’t allow Hell to exist.
Example language: “Can you help me understand how Jesus’ message contradicts the idea of Hell?”
“I hear you saying that a loving God wouldn’t send people to Hell. Can you tell me more about why you think that?”
“If I understand correctly, you find it hard to believe in God and Hell at the same time. Can you tell me why that is a challenge? I’ve struggled with it myself, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on it.”
Direct: It’s important to acknowledge the Scriptural basis for Hell and also point questioners directly to Jesus. Matt. 25:31-46, 2 Thess. 1:5-12, Romans 10, and 1 Cor. 15:21-23 affirm both the existence of Hell and the way to escape it: through Christ.
Example Language: “I’ve been reading about what Jesus taught concerning Hell. It gave me a lot of comfort. May I share it with you?”
TIP: Greg Koukl, a Christian apologist and teacher, has a key question he asks when speaking with someone about the concept of Hell: “Do you think people who commit moral crimes should be punished?” (Greg Koukl, “Am I Going to Hell?”, Stand to Reason (blog), February 21, 2013). In other words, should there be consequences for people who do bad things? Notice how we have drifted back into the “realm of should” where we are (knowingly or unknowingly) using a standard to judge behavior. How might this question dig deeper into the concept of Hell? If there are no consequences, is there actually a standard for behavior?
For many of us, talking about eternal suffering is our idea of Hell. It’s uncomfortable, it’s unpopular, and people don’t like the idea of God (literally) damning people to suffer apart from Him. Like the problem of earthly suffering, the problem of eternal suffering can have a very strong emotional component. It can also be very heavily “bad news.” The bad news is that Hell is real and if you’ve ever broken God’s law even once, you deserve to go there. However, the story doesn’t end there: the good news is that God isn’t peering down at us from Heaven, anxiously waiting for us to mess up so He can smite us. Instead, He sent His Son to fully experience the punishment that we deserve. Jesus experienced Hell when He was forsaken by the Father on the cross and became the very sin that would have condemned us. Hell is real, and so is Jesus’ resurrection. In our dealings with people who may be afraid of God’s punishment, or who don’t understand what God’s love truly is, it is vital to not let our conversation end on the bad news. Jesus Christ is the answer to all fear and uncertainty.
Parts I & II Recap
Affirm: Hell exists, and the idea of it is scary and uncomfortable. Oftentimes people use words without understanding what they mean (love, Hell, judgment, God, Jesus…).
Dig Deeper: What is one way we can use affirmation to make sure we are both defining our terms and encouraging conversation?
Expose: Just because it’s scary doesn't mean that Hell is contradictory to God’s love or a Christian worldview.
Dig Deeper: Do the opposing worldviews offer an adequate answer to how evil will be judged? In other words, do they have consequences for bad actions? How does Hell fit consistently into the Christian worldview?
Direct: God did something about the problem of eternal suffering: He sent His Son.
Dig Deeper: How does the issue of Hell actually help us in our discussions with people? (Hint: how quickly does this discussion bring us to Jesus on the cross?)