An Alternate View of Hell

Summary

Today I’m going to talk about hell. If you were here two weeks ago, you’ll remember a sermon on what happens to Christians after they die. After that sermon, the college class suggested I do something on hell.

So I’m going to talk a little about hell today, but I want you to know that heaven and hell are complex topics. Therefore I brought two books with me today that I suggest you read if you want to think more carefully about heaven and hell. The first book is by N.T. Wright and is called Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.[1] Most of what I said two weeks ago about paradise and heaven came from this book. The book on hell that I suggest is by Sharon Baker, called Razing Hell: Rethinking Everything You’ve Been Taught about God’s Wrath and Judgment.[2] Both authors are conservative New Testament scholars and theologians. They are not fundamentalists or liberals, so I think many of you will find their thought processes appealing. Today I’m using ideas from Baker’s book. She has the added appeal of teaching at Messiah College, a Brethren in Christ school, and she’s passionately committed to peace and justice. I’m happy to lend these books out. If there’s enough interest I can also work with our librarians to get copies for our church library.

[1] (New York: HarperOne, 2008).

[2] (Louisville: Westminister John Knox, 2010).