Recent publications have seen many a debate surrounding the doctrine of Hell, particularly in response to Rob Bell’s latest book, ‘Love Wins’. Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle’s approach is not to directly attack Bell’s theology – although parts of his book are quoted in places – but instead to draw people’s attention away from the dangers of human reasoning and back to the basics of the Bible.
The opening line of ‘Erasing Hell’ sets the tone for the whole book as it soberly states: “If you are excited to read this book, you have issues”. Right from the outset, Chan and Sprinkle aim to convict the reader of the seriousness of the topic. The doctrine of Hell is not an interesting theology to be avidly debated within academic circles, they say. Instead, it is a real, and terrifying, destination for a large number of people; we should approach it reverently and sombrely, with a genuine love for people and God’s Word as our guide.
Chan’s clear writing style and Sprinkle’s research make for a compelling combination. Together, they consider what the First-Century Jews would have understood about Hell, what Jesus taught about it specifically, the numerous warnings in the Bible of an eternal punishment for sin, and how Universalist teaching has distorted biblical truth today.
They are very careful to ensure that God’s Word and His glory are given centre stage throughout the book. They admit that if they were God, they would do things differently. The doctrine of Hell – along with so many other doctrines of the Bible – is a difficult one to swallow. Admitting that they find it tough, however, isn’t a reflection on their faith or on their view of God. Chan emphasises Isaiah 55:8 which states that God’s thoughts and ways are beyond our understanding, and because of this he knows that God’s sense of justice is also far superior to ours.
The greatest challenge of this book is to ‘let God be God’ (p.17). Chan encourages us that while we might not understand, or even like, the picture that God’s paints for unbelievers, we can be confident that He is completely sovereign, completely good and completely just. The message is difficult, but the reality of the Hell should only spur us on further, urgently, to preach the good news to all.
This review can also be found on The Good Bookstall website
0 Comments