The doctrine of hell stands as a vitally important reminder of the reality and seriousness of the experience of alienation, isolation, and estrangement, and the consequences of evil in human life, though to speak of hell can so easily make God morally obnoxious and repellent. In eschatology, as in other areas of theology, the theologian's path is perilous, as the men of the nineteenth century, who debated the issues with such agony and passion knew to their cost. In their controversies, they not only uncovered the confusions of the past, they also opened up perspectives of vital importance...

The doctrine of hell stands as a vitally important reminder of the reality and seriousness of the experience of alienation, isolation, and estrangement, and the consequences of evil in human life, though to speak of hell can so easily make God morally obnoxious and repellent. In eschatology, as in other areas of theology, the theologian's path is perilous, as the men of the nineteenth century, who debated the issues with such agony and passion knew to their cost. In their controversies, they not only uncovered the confusions of the past, they also opened up perspectives of vital importance for the future.