Bible Tools

"The risk of being wrong is too high to rely on emotions and name calling. The eternal destiny of multiple billions of people hangs in the balance. Christians should have compassion for all, but we must think critically, and our thinking must be informed by careful exegesis of the Bible."

Traditionalists postulate an all-loving, all-powerful God who has revealed Himself in His inspired, inerrant Word. Non-traditionalists claim God is neither just nor loving if He tortures everyone in hell forever regardless of the life they lived. They are offended by such an idea and believe God is too. Since His Word speaks of hell, questions about hell in the final analysis are not philosophical but hermeneutical. Bible interpretation, properly done, provides ready answers for such life-and-death debates. We should not practice eisegesis, reading into the text what our philosophical penchant may be, but exegesis, getting out of the biblical text what the original author put in.

In his book "Shades of Sin: Underscoring God’s Love by Understanding Hell’s Fire," Pastor Bill Hofer inserts into the debate on eternal punishment an idea that undergirds God’s justice while maintaining the traditional doctrine of hell. You can read more here Westbow Press - Shades of Sin