Kirk Cameron, a well-known actor and Christian podcaster, recently drew criticism for announcing that he no longer believes Hell to be “eternal torment.”
In a podcast on December 3rd, Cameron rejected the idea that Hell is an “eternal barbecue for sinners,” calling it an invention of the early church. Instead, he now insists that rejecting the Gospel merely results in a soul being “destroyed” and ceasing to exist.
Cameron’s claims about Hell, however, don’t align with Scripture, which describes this judgment of God as “everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43-48, 1 Thess. 1:9, etc.), where people are “tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Matthew 13:50, Revelation 20:10, etc).
Some may look at this error, shrug their shoulders, say, “Well, it’s not a salvation issue,” and move on. Not so fast. While Cameron’s newfound view on hell may not be a salvation-affecting issue for him, as a person publicly sharing this inaccuracy, it could be a salvation issue for others.
I recall a conversation I once had with a person who grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness, a group that holds to the same false view of hell being voiced by Cameron. This former Jehovah’s Witness argued that salvation through Christ was almost unnecessary: Why give up an enjoyable, sinful lifestyle, when Hell is no big deal?
We live in a secularized culture that already believes that when they die, they will cease to exist. While simply going ‘poof’ is a disturbing thought, it is nothing compared to the eternal torment that the Bible says awaits those who reject Christ’s free offer of forgiveness and everlasting life.
Failing to understand God’s judgment means that you also neglect to recognize your desperate need for a Savior—and what you have been saved from. Severely downplaying the horrific nature of Hell may be popular in a culture not wanting to be judged for their sins, but it undermines the entire Gospel message.
Jesus Himself underscores the importance of people understanding Hell as eternal torment. Christ detailed a story of a wealthy man; the moment this man died, he opened his eyes in Hell (Luke 16:19-31). The man cried out for a lick of water, being “tormented in [the] flame.” Realizing the eternal punishment he was facing, he begged for his brothers to be warned about the judgment they would face: “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”
This man in Hell desperately wanted his family to be woken up to the dangerous road they were on, because he now understood the reality of everlasting torment. As believers, we should already be aware of this reality by our faith in the accuracy of God’s Word. Twisting the Scriptures to soft-peddle the severity of God’s judgment is eternally harmful. Imagine warning someone not to run out onto a busy roadway because they could “trip and skin their knee.” Shrugging off your warning, they jump onto the road, facing the real danger of cars barreling toward them that you neglected to mention. For people to take a warning seriously, they need the full picture.
An individual who knows this well is Ray Comfort, the Founder of Living Waters Ministries. Comfort uniquely centered his street evangelism around helping individuals understand Hell—and why they are deserving of this eternal judgment by God. Why focus on sin and Hell? Because without grasping the bad news, people have no way to fully grasp the good news.
God became flesh in Jesus Christ, willingly laid down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose again. Jesus took our place so that we could inherit eternal life and not receive the punishment we rightfully deserve. Christ rescues people from eternal damnation and torment. It is a dangerous thing to downplay the price He paid for us.
