Category Archives: Eschatology

The Doxastic Problem: If you really, really believe in hell, you may already be in it

Posted on 6 August 2019 by

I have saved the best for last. Okay, that’s a tad inaccurate. I imagine that most readers of Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God will find the chapters devoted to the divine pres­ence model of hell to be the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Divine Presence and the River of Fire

Posted on 28 July 2019 by

The title of Zachary Manis’s book Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God succinctly summarizes his constructive proposal. He calls it the divine presence model: “the eternal suffering of hell is not the result of any divine act that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Despairing into Gehenna: Manis, Kierkegaard, and the Choice Model

Posted on 21 July 2019 by

For over fifteen hundred years, the dominant Christian understanding of hell has been one of everlasting punishment. Zachary Manis summarizes the traditional position (particu­larly as taught in the Western Church): “The purpose of hell is retribution: one’s consign­ment to hell … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 108 Comments

Book Review: ‘Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God’

Posted on 14 July 2019 by

Hell will always be a compelling topic for Christian preachers, theologians, philoso­phers, and believers everywhere. Preachers love it, because it dramatically raises the homiletical stakes—congregants are guaranteed to sit up and take notice. Theologians love it, because it provides a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Hell of Self and the Redemption of the Outer Darkness

Posted on 9 April 2019 by

In his unspoken sermons George MacDonald takes up the task of redefining our inherited notions of justice and punishment. The principle of retribution, he avers, is an unfit vehicle for the proclamation of the gospel. The lex talionis must be jettisoned. … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The True Grit of God’s Justice

Posted on 8 April 2019 by

Is God bound to punish sin? George MacDonald’s answer is no. If the answer were yes, then forgiveness would be impossible. Justice and mercy would find themselves opposed to each other, generating a schism within the Godhead. But we know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Preaching Apokatastasis: It’s All About Gospel!

Posted on 6 April 2019 by

I finally obtained a copy of the published version of my paper “Preaching Apokatastasis.” A few editorial changes were made before publication, but on the whole this is the same paper that I shared with everyone a couple of years … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Preaching | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments