"Erasing Hell" by Frances Chan

In "Erasing Hell", Chan says over and over again, "We can't afford to get this wrong." He's talking about what we believe and teach about Hell. He makes a compelling case for discarding everything we've been taught about Hell and reforming our conception of it based on a careful analysis of what the full body of Scripture says about it.

What seems to have become popular today is to formulate our idea of Hell (and whether or not it even exists) using scraps of Bible verses taken out of context and without regard to harmonizing those tidbits with the rest of the Bible. Add to that a strong inclination to reason the ways of God out according to our human feelings, wisdom and logic, and you encounter a potential error of epic proportions as mankind strives to redefine God, the gospel and the doctrine of Hell in his own terms. Chan, in a brief 164 pages, disarms that notion and presents a fully substantiated description of Hell and why it is important for us, as believers, to get it right.

His argument is this; If it is a place of eternal, conscious torment, then we are making a big mistake in trying to make it sound more pleasant than what it is, something the church has been fond of doing in recent years. If it does not exist, then we have created untold agony for those who have lost unsaved loved ones.

Chan manages, in 6 short chapters, to debunk those that question the existence of Hell or its severity, among them Rob Bell and his recent diatribe against Hell, "Love Wins". He also wisely admits that we don't have all the answers and that Bell makes a few good points albeit at the expense of an extreme and perhaps damaging lack of clarity on Bell's part.

I was challenged and moved by Chan's overall approach. He began his study with a desire to conform his thinking to the Scriptures rather than try to conform the Scriptures to his thinking. His prayer is one we should all be praying as we study the Scriptures on any issue,

"Please forgive me, Lord, for wanting to erase all the things in Scripture that don't sit well with me. Forgive me for trying to hide some of Your actions to make You more palatable to the world. Forgive me for trying to make You fit my standards of justice and goodness and love. You are God; You are good; I don't always understand You, but I love you. Thank You for who You are."