This week I stumbled across an article on CNN's belief blog that asks the question: Should we abandon the idea of hell? Now when an outfit like CNN endeavors to grapple with matters of the Christian faith, one should approach their commentary with extreme skepticism and discernment. In my experience, a major news outlet's handling of matters of Christian doctrine and practice is a bit like watching a chimp on a Steinway: amusing to watch but hard to listen to. It their simian attempts at handling the truth, they juxtapose yea and nay on the abandonment of hell. In the yea category is Frank Schaeffer, son of Francis Schaeffer, whose thoroughly unbiblical perspective can be fairly well ascertained by his closing quote, "We need 'hell' like a hole in the head. It’s time for the alternative of empathetic merciful religion to be understood." I submit that the very fact that we would know almost nothing of the doctrine of hell were it not for the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ himself so strongly contradicts this "Frank" assertion, that such a quote deserves no further consideration among God's people.
