Where would modern day Christianity be without hell?

[Howard Cneal]

I'm wondering where modern day Christianity would be without its belief in hell? Would it even still exist? Why or why not? What do you think?

Modern day Christianity tends to often almost 'scare' people into having faith (or some semblance of faith) so I'm curious what would become of Christianity without such a belief? Could Christianity even survive without the belief in hell?

The heart of the gospel, as told by many Christian movements, is that hell is real, you're going there unless you accept Christ as Savior and that is your ticket to escape God's wrath, right?

So, what are your thoughts?

Where would Christianity be without hell???

 

[Walter Kovacs]

The heart of the gospel, as told by many Christian movements, is that hell is real, you're going there unless you accept Christ as Savior and that is your ticket to escape God's wrath, right?

What Christian movements? I have to confess, in my entire life I've never heard a single sermon like this or heard anyone ever say something like this.

 

[Howard Cneal]

What Christian movements? I have to confess, in my entire life I've never heard a single sermon like this or heard anyone ever say something like this.

Uh... most mainline Protestant evangelical, fundamentalist denominations. I'm not going to name names because I'm not here to malign any movements or religions. I just want to know where Christianity would be without hell.

Would it be thriving more than ever? Would it cease to exist? It's mostly hypothetical, but humor me and answer anyhow. smiley face.

 

[Yab Yum]

What Christian movements? I have to confess, in my entire life I've never heard a single sermon like this or heard anyone ever say something like this.

!

You're kidding.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Uh... most mainline Protestant evangelical, fundamentalist denominations. I'm not going to name names because I'm not here to malign any movements or religions. I just want to know where Christianity would be without hell.

Would it be thriving more than ever? Would it cease to exist? It's mostly hypothetical, but humor me and answer anyhow. smiley face.

I don't remember ever hearing a sermon about the subject of hell either. I don't believe that modern Christianity would be any different if there were no hell. There might be a few less radical cult groups talking about hell ( I'm sure they would find some other thing to rail about) but modern mainstream Christianity focuses on love not hell.

 

[Walter Kovacs]

to the above post, I guess I'm just lucky...I know they're out there, I suppose, but I've never actually heard it preached before.

Would it be thriving more than ever? Would it cease to exist? It's mostly hypothetical, but humor me and answer anyhow. smiley face.

Well, while I don't view hell as the main point of the Gospel, it is a reality, and it is pointed out in Scriptures that that's where we send ourselves if we reject God's divine love. Without belief in hell, however, I think Christianity would just become a "be excellent to each other," philosophy, so in that sense, it would probably flourish even more than it has, since those ideologies generally are pretty accepted. I'm not someone like Paul Washer, who effectively bounces people off the backboard of hell into the net of heaven, but I do believe it's a key point in the Gospel. But I don't think of hell in the same way most westerners do; ie Dante.

 

[Yab Yum]

Where would Christianity be without hell???

I used to be a universalist. Then I realized that it was presumptuous of me to decide what God was going to do at the end of time and how he was going to do it. These days I believe that this life is not a game - our choices here matter. It is possible for a soul to choose to irrevocably turn away from God.

 

[Howard Cneal]

to the above post, I guess I'm just lucky...I know they're out there, I suppose, but I've never actually heard it preached before.




Well, while I don't view hell as the main point of the Gospel, it is a reality, and it is pointed out in Scriptures that that's where we send ourselves if we reject God's divine love. Without belief in hell, however, I think Christianity would just become a "be excellent to each other," philosophy, so in that sense, it would probably flourish even more than it has, since those ideologies generally are pretty accepted. I'm not someone like Paul Washer, who effectively bounces people off the backboard of hell into the net of heaven, but I do believe it's a key point in the Gospel. But I don't think of hell in the same way most westerners do; ie Dante.

I was gonna mention Paul Washer, you beat me to it. I'm not naming names in terms of denominations or sects, but every since the Protestant Reformation, the idea of believing in hell as "fire insurance" to "escape God's wrath" is a key point of the "good news." How believing in a God of wrath who is waiting to send you to hell for whatever reason is "good news" I will never know.

Dante believed hell was ice and had different levels of punishment. Most mainline evangelicals see it as fire, brimstone, torture and the fate of all except a select few.

 

[Howard Cneal]

I used to be a universalist. Then I realized that it was presumptuous of me to decide what God was going to do at the end of time and how he was going to do it. These days I believe that this life is not a game - our choices here matter. It is possible for a soul to choose to irrevocably turn away from God.

I totally agree.

But where would Christianity itself be, if there was no belief or teaching of hell?

Would people still follow and love God, even without threat of eternal damnation?

 

[Walter Kovacs]

Would people still follow and love God, even without threat of eternal damnation?

I certainly would, but then again, I've never thought that one should follow anything out of fear, most of Christianity.

 

[Yab Yum]

I totally agree.

But where would Christianity itself be, if there was no belief or teaching of hell?

Would people still follow and love God, even without threat of eternal damnation?

For me, the stick is not necessarily worse than the carrot.

 

[grasping the after wind]

I was gonna mention Paul Washer, you beat me to it. I'm not naming names in terms of denominations or sects, but every since the Protestant Reformation, the idea of believing in hell as "fire insurance" to "escape God's wrath" is a key point of the "good news." How believing in a God of wrath who is waiting to send you to hell for whatever reason is "good news" I will never know.

Dante believed hell was ice and had different levels of punishment. Most mainline evangelicals see it as fire, brimstone, torture and the fate of all except a select few.

I think you need to name names if you expect people to accept your generalizations.

 

[Howard Cneal]

I certainly would, but then again, I've never thought that one should follow anything out of fear, most of Christianity.

I agree. But the impression I get, is that many modern Christians don't follow God out of love, but out of fear instead. (Which is ironic, because an opposite of faith is fear... so how does that work?)

Based on the way the gospel is presented by most Christian movements, it appears to be more rooted in fear than love. (I'm not so much talking about in Catholic or Orthodox churches, mind you.)

 

[Howard Cneal]

I think you need to name names if you expect people to accept your generalizations.

Nah, no flame wars, sorry.

If you want to start attacking certain groups, that is your perogative. I am just generalizing because it is the heart of most Protestant churches presentation of the "good news."

 

[grasping the after wind]

For me, the stick is not necessarily worse than the carrot.

You're not saying you would as soon go to hell as go to heaven are you? Hell being the stick and heaven the carrot.

 

[Yab Yum]

You're not saying you would as soon go to hell as go to heaven are you? Hell being the stick and heaven the carrot.

lol

No I was referring to the teaching methods. Stick for hell, carrot for heaven.

 

[Walter Kovacs]

Based on the way the gospel is presented by most Christian movements, it appears to be more rooted in fear than love. (I'm not so much talking about in Catholic or Orthodox churches, mind you.)

I think a lot of that (Calvinism in particular) stems from the fact that a lot of it was 'reaction' theology; Calvin was brought in to bring order to a very secular, lewd, 'carnal' city, and certain tenets of Calvinism certainly reflect that. I certainly don't mean to bash folks who hold to Reformed theology and I have a lot of respect for and agree with a fair amount of it, but the facts are facts, and I hold that a lot of what is prominent in western thought stems form that.

 

[Howard Cneal]

YouTube - Wrath of God - Paul Washer - Sermon Jam

 

[grasping the after wind]

Nah, no flame wars, sorry.

If you want to start attacking certain groups, that is your perogative. I am just generalizing because it is the heart of most Protestant churches presentation of the "good news."

So you won't flame in particular only generally. I don't agree with that at all. The ELCA EVANGELICAL Lutheran Church in America rarely mentions hell and my experience with other Protestant denominations that I have visited are similar. The emphasis is always on the love of God and God's grace. Funnily enough, growing up in a Catholic Church I was exposed to much more of the idea of hell as a motivator, yet earlier you seemed to think the RCC is not that type of church but most Protestant churches are. Granted, the RCC has undergone many changes since I was in Catholic school and I include them in what I earlier described as mainline Christian churches that focus on love not hell.

 

[Walter Kovacs]

Dang, I thought that was going to be a remix

But yes, Washer is pretty wild. He tends to ignore a lot of Scripture. Yes, there are elements of judgement and wrath, but to think that God is 'offended' by us or is ONLY wrathful towards the sinner imo limits God, whether Washer thinks it or not. I could spend a while discussing that video, but I'm sure no one wants to hear me ramble.

He has conviction, I'll give him that, but he's only preaching one side of the Gospel.