What's the Deal with Hell?

Despite my deep immersion in church culture growing up, I didn't discover there was more than one Christian view of hell until my twenties. It was always just assumed that there was one way of understanding it. But this revelation changed a lot for me.

In my recent podcast episode, I explore the three dominant views of hell throughout Christian history. This isn't just academic theology – for many people, their concept of hell fundamentally shapes how they view God, Jesus, and Christianity itself.

The first view, which I refer to as infernalism (also known as eternal conscious torment), has dominated Western Christianity for centuries. It envisions hell as a place of never-ending suffering. While Biblical passages like Revelation 14:9-11 seem to support this view, I've come to question whether it truly reflects the character of Jesus.

Can we reconcile the Jesus who healed, forgave, and showed compassion with a deity who would subject people to endless torture? This contradiction has become increasingly apparent as I've studied Scripture more deeply. When we motivate people to follow Jesus through fear rather than love, we contradict passages like 1 John 4:16-18, which tells us that "perfect love casts out fear."

The second view, annihilationism, suggests that those who reject God cease to exist after death. This aligns with verses like John 3:16, contrasting "perishing" with "eternal life." This perspective felt more aligned with Jesus' character than eternal torment. However, it still left me with questions – was this really the best outcome God could achieve?

The third view, Christian universalism (or universal reconciliation), proposes that Jesus will ultimately save everyone. Verses like 1 Timothy 4:10 describe God as "the savior of all people, and particularly of all believers." This view doesn't necessarily deny hell's existence but reinvisions it as temporary and restorative rather than eternal and punitive.

What I find most compelling about universal reconciliation is how perfectly it aligns with Jesus' character. If we believe Jesus came to "seek and save the lost," why would we limit his ability to accomplish this mission?

Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of traditional hell theology is the belief that death "seals the fate" of every person. Why would we attribute such power to death when we follow the one who conquered it? Jesus' resurrection fundamentally challenges the idea that death has the final word.

Regardless of where you land on this subject, I hope we can all resonate with how Brad Jersak beautifully puts it, "I am more hopeful of Jesus than I am sure of hell." This perspective allows us to hold our theological questions with humility while maintaining confidence in Jesus' goodness and power.

Does your view of hell align with a Jesus-looking God?

Hell graphic by my friend Jef Caine.