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.

Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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

Robert C. Crosby

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

News

Quotation Marks

News

Canceled Flights: New Policies Threaten Settlement Agencies

Susan Wunderink

News

Gender Debate: SBC Pastors Denounce NIV

Bob Smietana

News

Polling Evangelical Leaders

News

Purity Practices: Coed Leadership Concerns

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

News

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

News

Passages

News

Should We Still Give Out Tracts?

Compiled by Ruth Moon

View issue

Our Latest

The Bulletin

Pete Hegseth’s Future, Farmers on Tariffs, and Religious Decline Stalls

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll

Hegseth scrutinized for drug boat strikes, farmers react to Trump’s tariffs, and a Pew report says religious decline has slowed.

The Debate over Government Overreach Started in 1776

Three books to read this month on politics and public life.

The Call to Art, Africa, and Politics

In 1964, CT urged Christians to “be what they really are—new men and women in Christ.”

Turn Toward Each Other and Away from the Screen

Perhaps technology has changed everything. But God is still here, still wiring humans for connection and presence.

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

BONUS: Amanda Knox on the Satanic Panic and Wrongful Convictions

How elements of the satanic panic and conspiratorial thinking shaped a wrongful conviction.

Death by a Thousand Error Messages

Classroom tech was supposed to solve besetting education problems. The reality is frustrating for students and costly for taxpayers.

The Chinese Christian Behind 2,000 Hymns

X. Yang

Lü Xiaomin never received formal music training. But her worship songs have made her a household name in China’s churches.

The Surprising Joys of a Gift-Free Christmas

Ahrum Yoo

Amid peak consumerism season, I prayed for ways to teach my children about selfless giving.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube