Books

My Top 5 Books On Hell

Picks from Robert Peterson, co-editor of ‘Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go to Heaven?’

Universalism and the Doctrine of Hell: Papers Presented at the Fourth Edinburgh Conference on Christian Dogmatics, 1991 Edited by Nigel M. de S. Cameron (Paternoster Publishing)

These essays stimulated my thinking on universalism, annihilationism (or conditional immortality), the Cross, the number of the saved, the problem of evil, and the key figures of Origen and Karl Barth.

Two Views of Hell: A Biblical and Theological Dialogue Edward William Fudge and Robert A. Peterson (InterVarsity Press)

A spirited biblical and theological debate between a leading conditionalist (Fudge, author of The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment) and a traditionalist (me; my book Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment presents this view).

Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment Edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (Zondervan)

Outstanding essays on history (R. Albert Mohler Jr.), Scripture (Daniel I. Block, Robert W. Yarbrough, Douglas J. Moo, and Gregory K. Beale), alternative views (Christopher W. Morgan on annihilationism, J. I. Packer on universalism), and pastoral theology (Sinclair B. Ferguson).

The Doctrine of Endless Punishment William Greenough Thayer Shedd (General books LLC)

Though dated, this remains the classic Protestant work on hell. After a brief historical survey, Shedd expounds on “the biblical argument” and “the rational argument.”

The Decline of Hell: Seventeenth-Century Discussions of Eternal Torment D.P. Walker (University of Chicago Press)

This significant source, which makes for fascinating reading, increased my understanding of some historical predecessors of contemporary universalism and annihilationism.

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Related Elsewhere:

Robert Peterson is co-editor of Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go to Heaven?

Universalism and the Doctrine of Hell, Two Views of Hell: A Biblical and Theological Dialogue, Hell Under Fire, and The Doctrine of Endless Punishment are available from ChristianBook.com and other book retailers.

Additional Christianity Today articles on hell include:

Will Graham on Preaching Hell and Why He Doesn’t Believe in Mass Evangelism | The son of Franklin Graham and the grandson of Billy Graham discusses his family and ministry. (April 8, 2011)

Heaven, Hell, and Rob Bell | He’s not the first to try to resolve old biblical tensions in new ways.  (March 2, 2011)

Three Models of Hell | “Is hell nothing more than eternal torture of the unsaved? Why would God engage in punishment that seems so cruel?”—Tony De Luca, New York, New York. (February 12, 2007)

Previous Top 5 lists have featured heaven, technology, forgiveness, dating, poetry, C.S. Lewis, the historical Jesus, family ministry, the problem of evil, biographies of theologians, orphans, prayer, doubt, community, sports, parenting, Advent, life ethics, emerging movement, Islam, loss, Calvin, spiritual memoirs, neglected doctrines, spiritual memoirs, marriage, Lent, fiction books for the soul, managing your money, devotionals, how character shapes belief, food, atheism, China, presidents, world Christianity, ancient-future faith, the civil rights era, social justice, church history, popular culture, the Civil War, apologetics, atheism, and sex.

CT also has more music, movies, books, and other media reviews.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Americans Like Evangelicals After All

Bradley R.E. Wright

Books to Note

Mark Noll on the Foundation of the Evangelical Mind

Signs of the End Times

Wilson's Bookmarks

John Wilson

Review

King James and Queen Victoria: John Wilson Reviews Timothy Larsen's Latest

John Wilson

News

Homeless Shelters Face Sharp Cutbacks

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

Dave Ramsey Goes Beyond Credit Card Shredding

Rob Moll

Ethiopia's River of Death

Matthew D. LaPlante

Agents of Translation: Philip Eaton on 'Engaging the Culture, Changing the World'

Interview by Hunter Baker

Real Happiness: Colson and George Bemoan our National Virtue Deficit

A Dream of a Center: 'A Model for Faith-based Organizations'

Interview by Robert Crosby

A Both/And Path to Truth

God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Body

News

Go Figure

Review

What Jesus Never Said

Phillip Cary

Feeding the Poor Through Pay-As-You-Can

Catherine Newhouse

Do They Like Us?

Readers Write

No More Band-Aids: Shannon Sedgwick Davis Wields Law to Halt Genocide

Mark Moring

News

Pastors: Alabama Immigration Law Will Crimp Outreach

Ken Walker

A New Kind of Pentecostal

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Drones: Is It Wrong to Kill by Remote Control?

Paul F. M. Zahl, Daniel M. Bell Jr., and Brian Stiltner

Editorial

Good Religion, Bad Religion

A Christianity Today Editorial

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Quotation Marks

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Canceled Flights: New Policies Threaten Settlement Agencies

Susan Wunderink

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Gender Debate: SBC Pastors Denounce NIV

Bob Smietana

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Polling Evangelical Leaders

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Purity Practices: Coed Leadership Concerns

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

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Colleges Deemed Not Religious Enough, Refugees Improperly Quizzed on Religion, and More News

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Passages

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Should We Still Give Out Tracts?

Compiled by Ruth Moon

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The Russell Moore Show

Why Do Faithful Christians Defend Harmful Things?

Russell answers a listener question about how we should perceive seemingly harmful political beliefs in our church congregations.

The Complicated Legacy of Jesse Jackson

Six Christian leaders reflect on the civil rights giant’s triumphs and tragedies.

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An Ecuadorian immigrant with legal status fell into a detention “black hole.” Church leaders across the country tried to pull him out.

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AI Predictions, Climate Policy Rollback, and Obama’s Belief in Aliens

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

The future of artificial intelligence, Trump repeals landmark climate finding, and the existence of aliens.

Troubling Moral Issues in 1973

CT condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and questioned the seriousness of Watergate.

Ben Sasse and a Dying Breed of Politician

The former senator is battling cancer. Losing him would be one more sign that a certain kind of conservatism—and a certain kind of politics—is disappearing.

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