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TechnoratiIn his study of "seeker sensitive" churches, researcher Kimon Howland Sargeant notes that "today's cultural pluralism fosters an under-emphasis on the 'hard sell' of Hell while contributing to an overemphasis on the 'soft sell' of personal satisfaction through Jesus Christ." The problem is thus more complex and pervasive than the theological rejection of hell--it also includes the avoidance of the issue in the face of cultural pressure.
The revision or rejection of the traditional doctrine of hell comes at a great cost. The entire system of theology is modified by effect, even if some revisionists refuse to take their revisions to their logical conclusions. Essentially, our very concepts of God and the gospel are at stake. What could be more important?
The temptation to revise the doctrine of hell--to remove the sting and scandal of everlasting conscious punishment--is understandable. But it is also a major test of evangelical conviction. This is no theological trifle. As one observer has asked, "Could it be that the only result of attempts, however well-meaning, to air-condition Hell, is to ensure that more and more people wind up there?"
Hell demands our attention in the present, confronting evangelicals with a critical test of theological and biblical integrity. Hell may be denied, but it will not disappear.
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Dr. Mohler is the author of a major essay published in Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, published by Zondervan. Dr. Mohler's essay, "Modern Theology: The Disappearance of Hell," is the first chapter in this important new book, available at your local bookstore.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. For more articles and resources by Dr. Mohler, and for information on The Albert Mohler Program, a daily national radio program broadcast on the Salem Radio Network, go to www.albertmohler.com. For information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to www.sbts.edu. Send feedback to mail@albertmohler.com. Original copy from crosswalk.com.
