Hell or victory?

Sitting beside their bed, each in their turn although fifteen years apart, I watched my parents die. Neither of them had made a profession of faith in terms that matched my evangelical preconceptions, but I didn't believe that they would go to hell. Despite my nominal beliefs, I couldn't have lived with myself if I had truly been convinced that God was like that. Many Christians show by their behaviour that they also are unconvinced of the strange and repulsive doctrine of eternal damnation.

What I believed, and still do, is that God's character is better than mine. If I am truthful, he is much more so; if I grieve over violence, hatred, jealousy, revenge and retribution, he grieves even more. This kind of reasoning suffers from anthropomorphism (meaning that it attributes human characteristics to non-human beings) but that is the problem with human language. Whenever we describe thoughts, feelings, opinions or attitudes we use words that were invented to convey human behaviours. Language is a human artifact, whether expressed in the spoken word or in writing, and it is equally man-made when used in the Bible.

The Bible presents big problems to sincere Evangelicals who struggle with the traditional concept of hell. It is mentioned many times in the Scriptures and sometimes in apparently uncompromising terms. This kind of problem mattered less in ancient times when people were more accustomed to think allegorically. Literalism is a modern problem and overlooks the fact that the Bible's words are human language; otherwise we would not be able to understand them. Words are symbols that attempt to express substances or truths, but are not themselves realities. The word "cup" does not look or sound like the drinking vessel it symbolises, and other languages use quite different words to symbolise the same kind of utensil. Even in the same language the meaning of a particular word varies within context and over time. Doctrines of hell and condemnation depend on a variety of words from two languages used in varied contexts and in possibly allegorical terms.

Three words are commonly translated as 'hell' in English translations of the Bible - the Hebrew word 'sheol' and the Greek words 'hades' and 'gehenna'. Insofar as any word in one language can be said to be equivalent to a word in another tongue, the words sheol and hades express similar ideas and are used in similar contexts. Roughly speaking, they describe life after death with a more-or-less neutral moral value - more of a limbo than a heaven or hell (a quite unacceptable doctrine to Evangelicals). The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus contrasts hell with 'Abraham's bosom' in terms that nobody takes literally. The word gehenna has rather stronger connotations of punishment and destruction and is close to the 'lake of fire ' image portrayed in Revelation. Each of these words conveys a different concept, some of which are cherry-picked by one denomination or another to represent their preferred dogma. In the face of these indefinite biblical references, many respected saints of ancient and modern times to have held strongly to the view that God does not inflict eternal punishment on humankind.

Several strong New Testament references imply quite a different outcome for the human population of the world, past present and future. Consider familiar texts like Paul's declaration that "every knee should bow" and "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" or his prediction that Christ will "reconcile all things unto himself" . There is an exciting vision of conquering love contained in these texts. The question I ask is, "Is the God in whom I trust going to be defeated by evil?" Despite some dreadful concepts in a few long discarded hymns, most of us would not take pleasure in anyone's condemnation to everlasting pain. What kind of victory would it be for grace if over 90% of all the people that ever lived were condemned to suffer for all eternity?

The image that is attached to the 'hell' concept more than any other is that of fire. However, that image is continually used in the Bible to imply purification rather than destruction. Jesus was the one who would "baptise… with the Holy Ghost and with fire" . Paul describes a purging process of judgment by which people will "be saved; yet so as by fire" . The Bible's support for the doctrine of eternal damnation is ambiguous, to say the least.

On the other hand, I don't see God as a weak minded liberal with no stomach to face up to evildoers. I have been insulted, abused, cheated and defrauded and I have been a victim violent crime. So I understand that justice would not be served by ignoring every evil intention and vicious act. On the other hand, I have generally found some good even in people whose morals were reprehensible. However evil men may have been, I believe in the possibility of their redemption. The greatest moral victory is to win over evil people and turn their hearts towards righteousness and love, and that is what I believe God will do in the end. If the best we can hope for at the end of all ages is that a small minority will cling to the Lord and the vast majority will suffer everlasting torture then we are contemplating the defeat of love. It will not be that way. Good will not be overcome by evil, though we can cite many instances when that seems to be the case for the time being.

In the words of Julian or Norwich "all shall be well ". She knew God by experience rather than by teaching and her visions led her to see a sensitive divinity who is non-human rather than inhuman. Spiritual thinkers and writers have, at various times, conveyed angry images of God, just as I expressed anger at my children at various stages of their upbringing. But God does not remain angry and will not abandon his creations. Biblical criticism has questioned many well-known texts, but every biblical scholar confirms the authenticity of one special teaching which all the gospels attribute to Jesus… he spoke of God as our Father. I am sure he is a much better father than I have ever been.

©Derrick Phillips
April 2000