Believing in Hell

My Dear Wormwood,

I wonder that you should ask whether it is essential that you should keep the patient in ignorance of your own existence. That question, at least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered for us by the high command. Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics.

If any suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade him that he cannot believe in that, and therefore he cannot believe in you.

The Screwtape Letters... C.S. Lewis


As a 21st century Christian man, I hate believing in hell. It goes against my sophisticated, human expectations of a loving God. But there are over 162 references in the New Testament which warn of Hell. Over 70 of these references are attributed to Jesus. It is also problematic that the New Testament speaks of Satan 250 times... Almost once per chapter.

In order to believe in hell, I think you must first get beyond your little sense of justice... Your little sense of fairness... And your unholy desire to fashion a graven God in your image.

I think you must first understand the audacity of going 24 hours without prayer... The insolence of embracing entertainment that grieves God... The impertinence of perceiving your life as your own.

Until you despise, and are humbled by, your lukewarm moments... Until you fully grasp the seriousness of sin... You probably won't truly believe in hell.

The prophets were "on their knees," sometimes "face in the dirt" in their supplication. We are upright and proud, as we treat God like an old friend we could walk up to in a restaurant and slap on the back. We are casual and presuming when we approach the Almighty... At a comfortable distance... Accepting Him on our terms.

In short... The fear of God is not in us.


We continue to fuse our love of the world with our diluted faith, ever oblivious to the spiritual warfare that rages around us. We reduce God's dynamic plan to a lifestyle... A peripheral tradition... A set of guidelines that help us raise clean cut, respectful children.

If you're a churchgoer, consider how many times this year you've heard a sermon on the grace of God, as opposed to sermons about - or even the mention of - hell. Christ talked more about hell than heaven, but today's church knows better than He... That the opposite makes better business sense... And better relates to the fashions of the world.

Deleting hell makes the church more palatable to the world. Deleting hell neutralizes urgency and accommodates passivity. Deleting hell just makes a better show.

I think we can conclude that the ignoring of hell is a symptom of a much bigger problem.

Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.

Home Again... Pink Floyd

Softly spoken... Eternal Judgement served up in pastels.