In this episode, I briefly discuss why I used to hold to the eternal conscious torment view of hell but have come to believe that the annihilation view of hell is the most biblical. You don’t need to agree with me! But, if you claim to be a Christian, you do need to make sure your view of hell is based on Scripture and not just your church’s doctrinal statement or your tradition.

Most people assume that “hell” means “eternal conscious torment forever and ever.” But the doctrine of hell has actually been widely disputed throughout church history. There are actually three quite different understandings of hell that have been believed and taught in the historic, orthodox Christian church: eternal conscious torment, annihilation, and ultimate reconciliation.

Preston is working through a stack of questions in this Q & A podcast.
Would he ever participate in a pride parade?
How should gay/SSA Christians build healthy relationships with people of the same sex?
What are his thoughts on Vaccines?
His thoughts on Robert Gagnon’s approach to same-sex sexuality/marriage?
The value of reading books vs. blogs vs. periodicals?
What’s the meaning of “the worm shall not die” (Mark 9:48)?
How does the parable of the rich man and Lazarus fit in with the Annihilation view of hell?
Is corporal punishment (i.e. spanking) biblical?
My thoughts on attending a UMC church that’s not taking a clear stance on marriage.

Today on the podcast Preston is talking with Chris Date again from the Rethinking Hell podcast. 

Preston and Chris are taking this episode to address arguments against the Conditionalist's view of hell raised by Stand to Reason's Greg Koukl and Tim Barnett.

The arguments Preston and Chris are addressing are from Part 1 and Part 2 of "Hell Interrupted". 

In this episode Jay and Isaac are interviewing Preston and discussing the various views on hell and Preston's personal journey from one particular view on hell to the uniquely different view he holds today.

For many people, the topic of hell poses one of the greatest challenges to embracing the idea that God is good and loving and just. We hope this conversation opens up the dialogue and helps to broaden your horizons as you think about the topic of hell.

My first Baptism wasn't immersion, do I need to be baptized again?

How can you go against years of history and church tradition and believe in an Annihilation view of Hell? 

Do you say congratulations to an engaged lesbian couple?

How do we put to death the deeds of flesh and move pass residual and habitual sin in our lives? How do we live in the tension that Paul provides - being righteous and yet being the chief of sinners? 

Preston is in the basement answering your questions. 

Looking for a church to attend? How should you decide what church you attend? 

Is annihilation in opposition to the Apostle's Creed? Can you be an Annihilationist and affirm the Apostle's Creed?

Is Open Theism heresy or not? 

Is Penal Substitution the 'only' biblical Atonement Theory? 

How do you deal with political family disputes? 

If good fruit is being produced in same sex marriages, then why shouldn't we, as Christians, approve of this? 

Can we trust that the New Testament gives us a true and accurate representation of Jesus? It is commonly assumed that Jesus probably spoke Aramaic when He was here on the Earth. The New Testament was written in Greek. Since this is the case how can we ever know what Jesus actually said and continue to build theological doctrine around those words?

How do we read the book of Job? Whole sections of Job are full of bad theology; the original Hebrew is difficult to translate; the poetic nature is totally lost in the English language. 

How can we have a perfect existence in heaven if we know millions of people are being tortured eternally in Hell? 

Today Preston is in with John Mark Comer. He's a writer, speaker and a teacher. He's the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church, right in the center of the city (by Powell's Books if you've ever been to Portland). They're talking about all kinds of topics but also his new book, God Has a Name.

Some other books by John Mark that Preston suggests you check out is Loveology, and Garden City.

Check out his website johnmarkcomer.com or Tweet at him @johnmarkcomer

Preston is in with Francis Chan talking about what's going on in his life and how he's been doing church. Francis has been creating a group of house churches that has been looking to do things differently. They're talking about the pros and cons of doing church this way and the pros and cons of how church is typically done in America today. 

We Got Some Changes! Preston is no longer bound to 15-minutes. So he's going for a half hour and he's talking about all kinds of stuff.

How can Christ be the substitute or sacrifice for our sins when he didn't take on the punishment of unbelievers? Shouldn't Jesus have spent an eternity in hell? Many people believe that a sin against an infinite God demands an infinite punishment but does the Bible seem to suggest this way of thinking?