Hell Under Fire Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment

Hell under Fire Copyright © 2004 by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. PetersonRequests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hell under fire / Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, general editors-1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-310-24041-7 1. Hell-Christianity. 2. Hell-Biblical teaching. I. Morgan, Christopher W. 1971-II. Peterson, Robert A., 1948-. BT836.3.H45 2004 236''.25-dc22 2004006766 CIPThis edition printed on acid-free paper.All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.Interior design by Nancy WilsonPrinted in the United States of America04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /.DC/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1We affectionately dedicate this book to our students, at California Baptist University and Covenant Theological Seminary, respectively, who have helped us grapple with issues concerning heaven and hell.CHRISTOPHER W. MORGAN and ROBERT A. PETERSONChapter 1 MODERN THEOLOGY: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HELL R. Albert Mohler Jr."At some point in the nineteen-sixties, Hell disappeared. No one could say for certain when this happened. First it was there, then it wasn''t. Different people became aware of the disappearance of Hell at different times. Some realized that they had been living for years as though Hell did not exist, without having consciously registered its disappearance. Others realized that they had been behaving, out of habit, as though Hell were still there, though in fact they had ceased to believe in its existence long ago. . . . On the whole, the disappearance of Hell was a great relief, though it brought new problems".David Lodge, Souls and BodiesA fixture of Christian theology for over sixteen centuries, hell went away in a hurry. The abandonment of the traditional doctrine of hell came swiftly, with centuries of Christian conviction quickly swept away in a rush of modern thought and doctrinal transformation. Historian Martin Marty reduced the situation down to this: "Hell disappeared. No one noticed."The traditional doctrine of hell now bears the mark of odium theologium-a doctrine retained only by the most stalwart defenders of conservative theology, Catholic and Protestant. Its defenders are seemingly few. The doctrine is routinely dismissed as an embarrassing artifact from an ancient age-a reminder of Christianity''s rejected worldview.The sudden disappearance of hell amounts to a theological mystery of sorts. How did a doctrine so centrally enshrined in the system of theology suffer such a wholesale abandonment? What can explain this radical reordering of Christian theology?The answer to this mystery reveals much about the fate of Christianity in the modern world and warns of greater theological compromises on the horizon, for, as the church has continually been reminded, no doctrine stands alone. Each doctrine is embedded in a system of theological conviction and expression. Take out the doctrine of hell, and the entire shape of Christian theology is inevitably altered.Background: Hell in Christian HistoryThe traditional doctrine of hell was developed in the earliest centuries of Christian history. Based in the New Testament texts concerning hell, judgment, and the afterlife,Morgan, Christopher W. is the author of 'Hell Under Fire Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment', published 2004 under ISBN 9780310240419 and ISBN 0310240417.