Sinners are gonna go to Hell!

[benedictine]

No, they probably wouldn't like it if the masses actually read the Bible for once and didn't just gobble up what they're told in a Sermon or Homily.

 

[mycatspice]

How come most churches don't teach about sinners going to Hell anymore? It seems they encourage us to be nice to others, shake hands, put money in the basket, and finally offer a joke or amusing anecdote before sending us on our way... Is there a reason scaring people of Hell has fallen out of fashion, and is it correlated to emptier pews, rampant divorce, and open homosexuality among self professed Christians?

Personally, I find it hard to stereotype churches.

 

[Lambert]

Personally, I find it hard to stereotype churches.

I find it easy to see where people's incentive lies. Money is asked for. Forgiveness is often the carrot. Sin is seldom mentioned. For shame to those who preach the work in part instead of whole.

 

[benedictine]

It's not hard.

 

[AngelusSax]

It's never hard to stereotype a church, but it's kinda hit or miss as to whether that stereotype is right, unless you've gone to the church often and judge their methods/teachings from that.

 

[Evee]

The idea of loving people into heaven doesn't seem to be consistent with what Jesus said and did. When he met sinners he pointed out their sin and said, "Go and sin no more." Today we seem to find sinners and place them in positions of authority in churches without holding them accoutable to avoid sin. We also remarry people who are not properly divorced, which makes us party to adultery. We seem to be tolerating sin. Doesn't this encourage sinners to NOT change, in effect aren't we loving unrepentent sinners straight into Hell!

Did Jesus do a lot of hell preaching?
I don't think sin is accepted more than ever myself.
I believe the greatest commandment is love God and then love your neighbor.

 

[Evee]

ALSO.... Hell is not forever.
This is because God is going to destroy the Heavens and Earth with fire after the Millennium.
If he destroys the earth and Hell is inside the earth then Hell as a dwelling place will also be destroyed.


2 Peter 3:7 (English-NIV)
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Revelation 21:1 (English-NIV)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

Revelation 20:14 (English-KJV)
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death

 

[Onesimus85]

I think that one of the main reasons we do not have the preaching about hell anymore is because the message did not go very deep. To often a person would be scared into salvation and then would not be taught anything else. It is almost like having a baby and leaving it out on the street corner. Too often, people would be saved and would be left out in the world to be devoured because the church only taught about sinners going to hell.

Going to hell is a joke to those who do not believe. I know that in some cases preaching hell will run a person off. My roommate, a non-Christian, heard preaching (more like yelling) that if you were not saved that you were going to hell. He was immediately turned off. Perhaps if they would have explained that not only do you receive eternal life after you accept Christ, but that you are also enabled to live the abundant life, he would not have been turned off.

Furthermore, I am a youth leader of a junior high group. One girl is struggling with her salvation because every time someone preaches about hell and goes, “If you died tonight do you know where you would go?” she questions her salvation. This is because the only thing she hears is repent or burn. We have a church in my hometown that does a youth revival that preaches like that for 5 nights. I find it interesting that each year the same people go up. And each year they have failed to turn from their sin.

I will try to be careful with my words here, but there is very little spiritual growth in churches that solely preach hellfire and brimstone. If the only thing being taught is repent or burn there will be no growth. The scripture refers to the Lord as the shepherd and to us as sheep. While this might portray a cute analogy it is not a very nice one. Sheep are stupid. If you can get one sheep to walk off the ledge of a cliff the other sheep will follow it. They do this in slaughterhouses. They get one sheep to go in, and the rest follow. Pastors and leaders have to guide the flock. Not just towards salvation, but towards the path that leads to the abundant life.

The 10 commandments were not issued to say if you do this, you’ll go to hell. The 10 commandments were given to a group of people that had been slaves for generations. The 10 commandments were given so that they could live a life of freedom, not a life of condemnation. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him,"(John 3:16 and 17)

I think that churches are more focused on true repentance. Turning from sin and living the life that is centered around Christ. It is important to bring people to Christ, but we have to remember to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matt 28:19 and 20).