Most contemporary Christians acknowledge the doctrine of hell, but they'd rather not think about how God punishes the wicked. The authors of Four Views on Hell meet this subject head-on with different views on what the Scriptures say. Is hell to be understood literally as a place of eternal smoke and flames? Or are such images simply metaphors for a real but different form of punishment? Is there such a thing as "conditional immortality," in which God annihilates the souls of the wicked rather than punishing them endlessly? Is there a Purgatory, and if so, how does it fit into the picture? The interactive Counterpoints forum allows the reader to see the four views on hell--literal, metaphorical, conditional, and purgatorial--in interaction with each other. Each view in turn is presented, critiqued, and defended. This evenhanded approach is ideal for comparing and contrasting views in order to form a personal conclusion about one of Christianity's key doctrines. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Exploring Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.

About the Author

William Crockett is professor of New Testament at Alliance Theological Seminary. Stanley N. Gundry is senior vice president and editor-in-chief of the book group at Zondervan. With more than thirty-five years of teaching, pastoring, and publishing experience, he is the author or coauthor of numerous books and a contributor to numerous periodicals. Zachary J. Hayes is a retired teacher of theology at the Catholic Theological Union. Clark H. Pinnock is professor of theology at McMaster Divinity College. John F. Walvoord was president of Dallas Theological Seminary and author of numerous books on eschatology and theology. He held the A.M. degree from Texas Christian University in philosophy and the Th.D. degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in Systematic Theology.