The other day one of my readers asked for advice regarding how to get over the fear of Hell. This is a common problem for ex-members of the Christian religion (ex-Muslims and ex-Mormons complain of the same fear, by the way). I recommended that my reader read NT scholar Bart Ehrman’s “Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife”. I’d heard good things about it but never read it myself.
I’ve decided to read it now and review it here on my blog.
If you don’t know the personal history of Bart Ehrman, let me give a short summary: He was raised Episcopalian. However, as a teenager some evangelical friends invited him to attend their evangelical church where he was introduced to the concept of “a personal relationship with Jesus”. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, you aren’t really a Christian (and you will go straight to Hell when you die), according to evangelical teaching. Bart Ehrman accepted Jesus Christ into his heart (that is how you start a personal relationship with Jesus) and became a born again (evangelical) Christian.
Ehrman went on to attend a fundamentalist evangelical college where he studied the Bible. He decided to further his biblical studies in seminary and was accepted to Princeton Theological Seminary, definitely not an evangelical institution. It was there when this devout evangelical Christian began to doubt the truth claims of Christianity. His “liberal” seminary professors were teaching him shocking things that undermined the credibility of the Bible as God’s inerrant Word.
One night relaxing in a very hot sauna, it struck him: “Geez it’s hot in here! It’s REALLY hot in here!!” He began to think about Hell: What will happen if I lose my faith because of what I am learning at this liberal Presbyterian seminary? Will I end up in Hell?? This really scared him.
Anyone who grew up in conservative Christianity was taught that the punishment for disbelief in Jesus Christ is eternal punishment in Hell. And for many of us, Hell means being burned alive forever and ever.
Where did we get this concept? Did the OT Jews believe in Hell? Did Jesus believe in Hell? Did Paul?
Well, that is what we are going to find out reading and reviewing Ehrman’s book!
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End of post.
Escaping Christian Fundamentalism 
This should be fun!
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That so many people have such a fear of Hell, even exchristians is tragic! However, such fear is difficult for me to understand. Even though I grew up in fundamentalism, a Baptist preacher’s son in Nebraska, my parents never instilled such a destructive fear in me. On the contrary what was emphasized was the infinite love of God for every single human.
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You are lucky. Which branch of Baptist fundamentalism were you? We were Baptist Bible Fellowship (Springfield, MO):
“independent, fundamental, premillennial”
A Bible Baptist is one who believes in a supernatural Bible, which tells of a supernatural Christ, Who had a supernatural birth, Who spoke supernatural words, Who performed supernatural miracles, Who lived a supernatural life, Who died a supernatural death, Who rose in supernatural power, Who ascended in supernatural splendor, Who intercedes as a supernatural priest and Who will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on the earth.
Source: https://www.bbfi.org/articles-of-faith
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We were American Baptist (older name of Northern Baptist from the split in 1840’s, nothing like the Calvinistic Southern Baptists, etc.) The central focus of our church and my folks was on living morally true. I remember having a keen sense of conscience, felt guilty if I was mean to my sister, and once when at 6 I tried to steal a piece of candy at local drug store, etc. I am very thankful that I didn’t grow up with the other forms of Baptist. My childhood gave me an emphasis upon equality (my parents were very supportive of the civil rights movement, etc.
Of course there were negatives. In our church, were the 12 No-nos–no movies, no dancing, no playing cards, no smoking, etc. A few of those were good but some of them were excessively legalistic.
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Ah, the good ol’ American Baptists (my uncle is a retired American Baptist pastor in Kansas).
In our circle (the BBF), Southern Baptists were unsaved, cigarette-smoking, liberals, bound for the flames of Hell. As you are aware, the Southern Baptist Convention has always been considered more conservative than American Baptists. All that to say, we viewed American Baptists as hair-on-fire liberals who God would cast into Hell with one push of a button immediately upon their demise, to burn in flames just a little hotter than those prepared for Southern Baptists.
We were hardcore fundies!
No movies, no dancing, no playing cards, no smoking, no mixed swimming, no long hair on boys (no hair over the ears). “EVERYONE (except for a few General Baptists) is going to Hell…except us.”
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BBF was nothing like us–except for the No-No’s which sounds about the same.
Thanks for the dialogue. We’ve both had quite the life journey:-)
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Yes, we have, Daniel.
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Not to be nit-picky, but Wheaton College isn’t a fundamentalist college.
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You are correct. I was referring to Moody Bible Institute. I forgot about the fact that he went on to Wheaton, and then to Princeton. My bad. Thanks for the correction.
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I didn’t get my fear from being raised in church. It came when I was an adult and should have known better! But it was my first exposure to religious indoctrination so I got swept into it. Today I recognize religion/Christianity for what it is—a tried and true form of fear and manipulation.
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Amen.
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Gratefulness is the beginning of wisdom and the ending of fear. This poster’s mother was full of fear (of God/hell) throughout her adult life except the last 3 years before she passed at 89. Instead of speaking of fear (of God/hell) as she did before, she only spoke of gratitude for every and any little thing done for her. Thankfully she was given the capacity to change and to be thankful even though only for the last 3 years of her life. Hopefully your friend is luckier and doesn’t have to wait till near the end of his/her life.
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To save Gary the effort? It’s a one-star book (will have even longer review at my blog up in a week).
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