Holy Hell

What if everything we’ve heard about hell is wrong?

Eternal torment. A lake of fire. Wailing and gnashing of teeth. Many of us have sat through enough sermons to know what awaits us if we slip up. These dark visions of the afterlife seem a bit sadistic. Is there any hope within the Christian faith if this is the God of Love we serve?

In this lively debut, Derek Ryan Kubilus makes the case for universal salvation. Kubilus shows how our ideas about hell have been distorted by mistranslation of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures. Armed with proof-texts, those in power have used threats of eternal damnation as an instrument of control. Arguing that such torture is contrary to God’s nature, Kubilus offers an alternative understanding of hell—a temporary and holy rehabilitation, reconciling all creation in Christ.

Theologically serious and culturally engaged, Holy Hell will shake readers’ assumptions about a seemingly implacable Christian doctrine that chains so many to eternal dread. In its place, Kubilus offers a vision for a church that serves all people with compassion, wherever they are in their journey toward Christ.

Table of Contents

1. Haunted by Hell

2. What We Talk About When We Talk about Hell

3. A Hell by Any Other Name

4. A Paddle in the Hands of an Angry God

5. Breaking Out of Baby Jail

6. The Bureaucracy of the Afterlife

7. The Great Work

8. Protestant Purgatory

9. The Circles We Draw

10. Kicking and Screaming

11. A Generous Heresy

Appendix: A Sample Christian Universalist Sermon

Notes