[.ca] Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal ... (ISBN 0310240417)

Good...But Could Be Better:
"Hell Under Fire" is an appropriate title for at least two reasons: (1) it seeks to defend the traditional orthodox teaching concerning Hell as eternal conscious punishment, and (2) it reflects the same purpose (and, hence, the similar title) of Michael J. Wilkins and J. P. Moreland's, Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus (also published by Zondervan). While this work reflects excellent scholarship, clarity of thought, and strong argumentation, it is a little "thin." This work left me constantly wanting more. It could have been the definitive work on Hell had 200-300 pages been added. Entire chapters should have been devoted to each of the significant issues, esp. Matthew 25.31ff; Revelation 14, 19-21; aion/aionios lexical-semantic analysis; "destruction" language analysis; philosophical analysis; ethical analysis; etc. Ultimately this work adds very little to previously published works, e.g., Robert Peterson, Hell on Trial; Larry Dixon, The Other Side of the Good News. Despite my disappointment, this work is perfectly suited for those who want an introduction to the debate (cf. Crockett, ed., Four Views on Hell) and gives a well-reasoned defense of the traditional view (contra universalism and annihilationism/conditional immortality). The definitive work remains to be written. The best brief reflection is that of D. A. Carson, "On Banishing the Lake fo Fire," in his, The Gagging of God.