Can I question hell without rejecting Jesus?
By Will Bourne · Question 67
The direct answer
Yes. Asking whether a particular account of hell is biblical or morally coherent is not, by itself, rejecting Jesus. The question still needs serious examination, including Jesus’ own warnings about judgment.
Fuller explanation
A person may be questioning endless conscious suffering, a preacher’s images, the interpretation of a word, or the existence of any final judgment. Those are different claims. Treating them all as the same rebellion makes the actual disagreement difficult to discuss.
As source Question 33 explains, Christians disagree about the nature and duration of final punishment. That does not mean the question is unimportant or that all readings handle the texts equally well. It means a ministry should explain its position and why it rejects alternatives.
Jesus speaks of judgment in the Gospels. A response centered on Him cannot simply remove those passages because they are uncomfortable. It should read their setting, imagery, audience, and relation to other texts. It should also distinguish an inherited picture of hell from what a passage actually says.
Someone may eventually conclude that a doctrine they were taught is mistaken. That conclusion should be evaluated by its reasons. Someone else may remain troubled without reaching a settled view. Neither situation authorizes a speaker to claim knowledge of the person’s motives or final standing before God.
A church may have a defined doctrinal position affecting teaching roles or membership. It should disclose that clearly. Such a boundary is different from declaring that anyone who asks a question has ceased to care about Jesus.
The objection we still need to face
Are you making Jesus acceptable by refusing to believe what he said?
That is a fair challenge to any interpretation that simply discards difficult material. A responsible alternative must account for the relevant sayings, not only the comforting passages. The same requirement applies to the traditional interpretation: it must explain its readings rather than assume its conclusion is identical with Jesus’ words.
Scripture and its use
Matthew 10:28; Matthew 25:31–46; Mark 9:42–48; Luke 12:4–7; John 5:24–29.
Read these passages in their surrounding chapters alongside the explanation.