Compromised, ecumenical, worldly evangelicalism has been moving in the direction of downgrading the doctrine of hell for a long time. In fact, as early as 1865, Charles Spurgeon warned, “There is a deep seated unbelief among Christians just now, about the eternity of future punishment. It is not outspoken in many cases, but it is whispered; and it frequently assumes the shape of a spirit of benevolent desire that the doctrine may be disproved. ... I am afraid it is the old nature in us putting on the specious garb of charity, which thus leads us to discredit a fact which is as certain as the happiness of believers” (cited by Iain Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon, 1978 edition, p. 13). In 1996, Frontline magazine published Robert Vincent’s “Hell under Fire,” which begins with the author’s statement that he had not heard a whole sermon on hell since he was a child. He said further, “Over the last century and a half, the teaching of endless punishment has evolved into a doctrinal albatross for many evangelicals.” C.S. Lewis, the godfather of evangelicalism, said hell is not a place God sends people who do not believe the gospel, but a state of mind one chooses to possess and become. “And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind--is, in the end, Hell” (Lewis, The Great Divorce). In 1966, George Ladd, professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, told the Los Angeles Times that hell will simply “be an eternity outside of fellowship with God.” In 1983, Billy Graham said, “I think people have a hard time believing God is going to allow people to burn in literal fire forever. I think the fire that is mentioned in the Bible is a burning thirst for God that can never be quenched” (Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida, April 10, 1983). In 1985, the Harvard Theological Review published “Hell Disappeared and No One Noticed” by Martin E. Marty. In 1987, Verdict Books published Edward Fudge’s The Fire That Consumes, which denies everlasting torment and yet was praised by prominent evangelicals Clark Pinnock and F.F. Bruce. In 1988, John R.W. Stott stated in A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (InterVarsity Press) that the torment of hell is not eternal in duration. In 1990, the Radio Bible Class published Herbert Vander Lugt’s What Does the Bible Say about Hell?, which postulates that the fire of hell might be symbolic. In 1991, Kenneth Kantzer, former editor of Christianity Today and head of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, said that “when Jesus spoke of flames ... these are most likely figurative warnings” (U.S. News & World Report, March 25, 1991). That same year, J.I. Packer, prominent Anglican evangelical and former senior editor of Christianity Today, said that he does not believe that the essence of hell is “grotesque bodily discomfort.” When drawing up a resolution on hell, the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) refused to state that there is “literal fire” (D.A. Waite, Four Reasons for Defending the King James Bible, 1993, pp. 20, 21). In April 2000, a commission of the Evangelical Alliance of Britain published a report entitled The Nature of Hell, which states that evangelicals have agreed to disagree about the doctrine of hell. In his 2011 book Love Wins, Rob Bell said the statements in the Bible about hell being a place of fire and torment are mere poetry.
The following is excerpted from “Kirk Cameron changes stance,” Christian Post, Dec. 10, 2025: “Actor and podcaster Kirk Cameron stirred up a theological hornet’s nest after he revealed he no longer believes in a Hell that includes ‘eternal conscious torment.’ Cameron, 55, shared his changing views during a Dec. 3 episode of the Kirk Cameron Show in which he and his son, James, explored biblical references to Sheol, Hades and Gehenna to ‘examine whether God’s justice is compatible with endless suffering.’ Acknowledging the doctrine of Hell is an ‘uncomfortable subject,’ Kirk said the topic is a popular point of contention for atheists who characterize it as the ‘eternal barbecue for sinners.’ ‘Jesus died so that we could have eternal life. But do the wicked have eternal life in Hell? And if they do, why does the Old Testament describe the fate of the wicked in the opposite terms?’ he asked, pointing to references using words like ‘destroy,’ ‘perish’ and ‘death’ when describing the fate of the wicked”.
The eternal suffering of the unsaved is the clear teaching of the Bible rightly divided and has been stated in a great many Protestant and Evangelical confessions. On the other hand, cults such as Seventh-day Adventist and Jehovah’s Witness have denied it, using the same arguments that Kirk is using. Eternal hell fire is a most frightful thing. In eternal hell we see holiness beyond human comprehension and justice beyond comprehension, just as we see in the cross of Jesus Christ. But the Bible teaches eternal suffering and it must be believed and preached and defended as part of the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Eternal judgment is what we are saved from when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! It is a massive incentive to be saved and to be zealous in proclaiming the gospel! Imagine the first day in hell.
