FOUR VIEWS ON HELL

• Zachary J. Hayes

• Clark H. Pinnock

• John F. Walvoord

• Stanley N. Gundry series editor

• William Crockett general editor

ZONDERVAN

Four Views on Hell

Copyright © 1996 by John Walvoord, William Crockett, Zachary Hayes, Clark Pinnock

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Four views on hell / edited by William Crockett.

p. cm.

Originally published: Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1992.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-310-21268-3

1. Hell—Christianity. I. Crockett, William V.

[BT836.2.F68 1996]

236’.25—dc20

96–27859

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

Foreword

1. THE LITERAL VIEW

JOHN F. WALVOORD

Responses

2. THE METAPHORICAL VIEW

WILLIAM V. CROCKETT

Responses

3. THE PURGATORIAL VIEW

ZACHARY J. HAYES

Responses

4. THE CONDITIONAL VIEW

CLARK H. PINNOCK

Responses

General Index

Index of Scripture and Other Writings

FOREWORD

Probably the most disturbing concept in Christian tradition is the prospect that one day vast numbers of people will be consigned to hell. Almost everyone has friends or family members—people we dearly love—who are outside the faith and who, if they die in this condition, will be cast away from the presence of God. So disturbing is the idea of hell that most pastors and church members simply ignore the doctrine of final retribution, preferring to talk in vague terms about a separation of the wicked from the righteous.

But what is hell? A literal place of flame and smoke? A banishment from God? Annihilation? Is there such a place as purgatory where people are readied for the presence of God? In this book four professors describe in nontechnical language what they think the final judgment will be like, and then at the end of each chapter, they evaluate the opinions of their colleagues.

Those who have always wondered about the nature of hell will find the differing perspectives interesting and informative. Although the authors differ sharply on some points, they do so in a congenial spirit, with hope that the arguments in this book will help readers to form their own opinions. Above all, the authors agree that ...