An article recently appeared in the New York Times, titled “Why do people believe in hell?”. Here, we reflect on this article, as well as on the Bible’s teachings on hell.
Hart’s article is a reflection on why Christians would believe in hell, and even more confusingly for him, why the emotional attachment and sense of personal stake in hell is so strong for Christians. His main diagnosis is that there can be no sense of feeling winners (Christians feel we have won heaven) if no one else is a loser (non-Christians going to hell), which is a neat and simple way of saying that Christians need a sense of being superior, “in” and accepted only be creating a category for people “out” who are condemned and inferior.
We must I think, say that Hart is not entirely wrong. He is on to something when he laments the smugness of Christian self-congratulation when we say “we’ve made it” and others haven’t. Sometimes hell can be a tool for reinforcing legalism, self-righteousness and self-justification. Christians must always be wary of that. We must never forget, as Jonathan Edwards resolved each day, that our deeds were deserving of hell, and that we ought to remember this frequently. We must repent of sin, and self-righteousness regularly. We must plead the mercy of God to give us tender consciences, and supple hearts to bend towards His compassion when we think of hell. To quote another Bible teacher – we must never speak of the truth casually, and we should never do so without tears.
Of course, Hart's article warrants some more critical response. First, the methodology of how one knows anything at all. Hart claims that no truly accomplished New Testament scholar believes hell is taught in Scripture, and that it is absent in the writings of Paul. Of course this is sophistry. Jesus Christ, in the gospels, speaks more about hell than anyone, and the writings of John and Peter, not to mention, huge swathes of the Old Testament affirm the reality of God’s final judgment on the Day of the Lord, all of which, Hart conveniently omits. Paul’s writing cannot be stripped of its references to the wrath of God, His judgment, eternal punishment, etc, unless one chooses willfully to do so.
Second, Hart also leaves out the fact that in Christian circles, the debate is actually that many Christians are uncomfortable with the doctrine of hell, and do wrestle with it – which is not to say that they do not believe it – but that Christian history is replete with struggles of the believer to agree, even applaud this doctrine. Reality is far more nuanced. Many Christians would much rather say, we don’t know, although we do believe what Jesus taught wholeheartedly, simply because we trust Him. So if the angry, hateful, hell-affirming Christian is a strawman that Hart is creating just to take down, we should recognize the strategy for what it is – an attempt to get people to buy his books, see how enlightened he is, and grow disdain for the religious right that is itself, fuel for polite books on religion. This is another way of saying that Hart does not need to oblige himself with this struggle, because Hart probably doesn’t believe in God, much less a God who speaks, or tells us how reality really is. Hart doesn’t need to struggle with what God has revealed, because Hart is not constrained by a Thought outside of his own making. For the Christian, we struggle with what God has said, including hell, because we didn’t think of such a thing. While we long for justice and righteousness, we lack the just and righteous character to dispense true justice and righteousness, so we likely assume, that since God doesn’t exist, or only a man-like caricature of God exists, there couldn’t possibly be a good reason for hell.
Third, Hart’s appreciation of hell, anyways, is clearly simplistic and at best, a caricature. Hell, in Scripture is where each of us, living without reference to God, is bound for. It represents the full pouring out of God’s active wrath, unrestrained and in final judgment. But the Bible also tells us that Creation today is laboring under God’s passive wrath, which has been in place ever since the Fall when God cursed our first parents. Paul, in Romans, can thus say that the wrath is being revealed from heaven on sinners who in unrighteousness, suppress the truth. We are already, in one sense, experiencing the wrath and judgment of God in a world that is broken and by our actions, breaking. When we break the law of God, we are breaking His world and making it more hellish. One day, this will culminate in His final judgment. In this sense, humanity is either on a course of redemption or not, and Hell is the terminal point of the broad, open, wide pathway that leads to destruction. As you rightly said of hell as the ultimate indication that there are two paths, two destinations in the universe: “there is also no real tangible difference between living faithfully on this side of eternity and living persistently in sin and rebellion.
And why then should we count the (very high) cost of taking up the cross?”
But should Christians be gleeful about this? Should we clap our hands and celebrate that the world in its fallen state, is sliding towards a destiny apart from God? Do we stand apart from the world in cold unfeeling self-righteousness and fold our arms and refuse to dig in? Do we hold the good news of the light of the world to ourselves like children clutching their candy refusing to share? Those may be caricatures that Hart, from the emails he receives, chooses to fashion of believers. But hell is the motivation for missionaries to leave their homes in compassion to share Christ. Hell is the reason why we tremble when we remember what we were saved for and is the anchor that pulls towards humility, reflection and empathy for others. Hell is the mystery that causes us to deny that we are judges, but putting off our tainted judgment and desire usurp God’s place, we bow our heads and weep for our sins and others. Hell is the fuel for service in a darkened world, and remembering that whatever light we can offer, we must shine as bright as we can.
Christians believe in hell because the Bible teaches us so, and because Jesus believed it. He believed it so much that He descended into death itself and then rose again from it, triumphant. We believe it because it reminds us of the future. It speaks to us of the future, of destiny, of the teleological culmination of all history, and of the God-ness of God.
We believe in hell because it would be hellish of us not to.