Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We’ve Made Up Audiobook

" A refreshingly honest view. Chan, as usual, turns to Scripture and the Greek and Hebrew text for every single point. He also refuses to back down from even the truths that he himself does not like. "

" Not an easy read, but worthwhile. The best information I've seen for countering Universalist's warped view of Scripture and specifically the false teachings of Rob Bell. Always a Chan fan - I am not disappointed. "

" This could have been SUCH A GOOD BOOK if only it got over itself. It started out so promisingly--the voice was easy to read, the historical contexts of the Jewish concepts of hell and the Christian ones later were well stated and interesting, and there is a deep respect for the topic that I think grounds the book in a way that other responses to universalism don't. If Hell is real--even if it isn't--it's best to treat it with care and utmost attention rather than as a purely academic exercise without applicable meaning, Chan and Sprinkle say. I agree with this, even though I'm an academic who spends lots and lots of time on purely academic exercises. The best way they put this is on p. 118: "So often these hell passages become fodder for debate, and people miss the point of the warning. Jesus didn't speak of hell so that we could study, debate, and write books about it. He gave us these passages so that we would live holy lives. Stop slandering one another, and live in peace and brotherly unity. Jesus evidently hates it when we tear into our brothers or sisters with demeaning words, words that fail to honor the people around us as the beautiful image-bearing creatures that they are." WELL SAID. But then it falls apart. The book ends rather abruptly, I thought; there's this buildup of what is said and what isn't said, and then there's a chapter that basically says keep calm and carry on because heaven is awesome, and that's it. What? Then there's the Appendix of Frequently Asked Questions, as if the universalism debate is a navigable website, filled with the things that were left out "to keep this book a reasonable length." If you want to talk about something, put it in the book proper. Don't give me a 10 page appendix of trite answers. And the thing that confused me the most was that after all of this space-saving and economy, there's a full chapter of one of Chan's other books tacked on to the end. Really? Fiction writers who have a next part of the series do that. Nonfiction theology writers should not. If I'm that interested in your writing, I'll look at the four other pages you have referencing your works. I picked up this book for this topic, and now you've taken all this extra space to talk about something else--namely, yourself, no matter how you cloak it. Also, while I'm grateful that this has notes, they're end chapter notes, which are the worst of the three available options (footnotes and end notes after all main text being the others). So boo on that. All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this. There are some great things said here about the authority of God and the understanding of Scripture, but it gets swallowed by the commercialism of the authors. "

" A challenging book. Thoughtfully and humbly done. "

" Compared to Bell's writings about the subject of Hell - far superior and Biblically well thought out. "

" Again, this is Francis Chan we're talking about here so .... Read it ! It wasn't my favorite book ever. But it was also inspirational and helped solidify what I believed due to The Bible. I still recommend it. "

" Best read alongside Love Wins by Rob Bell. "

" For the research driven mind you could spend a lifetime in this book! Common sense backed by exhaustive scripture. "

" I did not really like it. I loved Rob Bell's book Love Wins. In this book the author all but calls Bell a dilusional heretic. "

" A solid defense of the classical understanding of hell. Not perfect, but the tone is passionate, informal, and does justice to scriptures. "

" This is a popular level rebuttal of Rob Bell's Love Wins. Chan (and Sprinkle) are humble and conversational and tone and review a number of texts. I don't think they are right about everything, but I don't think Rob Bell is either. "

" This book was written with what I consider a spirit of humility, educated insight, and reliance on Biblical text. It encourages and guides its reader to discover through the Word of God the truths revealed about eternity, heaven, and hell. "

" Hard book to swallow, but gracious and truth giving all at the same time. "

" Very accessible book on the doc of Hell. Not just the cold hard truth, but with heart on how these truths should spur us onto action. A great response to Bell's book. "

" Quick honest read. Chan uses a lot of scripture which I really like... although the topic is a touchy subject, Chan goes at it with truth. "

" Tough read but truthful and necessary. "

" Really disappointing and I like Chan :( This felt like it was prematurely written and he was admittedly still working through the doctrine. He should have waited to write it, if at all. All the best to Francis as he's done a lot of good for many people. This book, however, is not part of that good. "

" I think this was a Biblical response to "Love Wins" . "

" A short but excellent overview of a Biblical understanding of hell in opposition to Universalism. "

" Another book that Chan writes that says it right to your face. The bible says there is a hell, do you believe it or not? "

" This book got better once it spoke less about what Rob Bell said and more about what God said (which, admittedly, I think was Chan's intention all along). A clarifying resource on the doctrine of hell. "

" almost as good as Crazy Love, think it was written hastily in response to a book riddled with mis-information. Clearly defined. "

" This was a really good book and very well written. I am always amazed at how a writer can counter another writers book without sounding snarky. Francis Chan did a great job pointing ou tthe errors in Rob Bells book without being rude or insulting. Impressive. "

" An excellent and well written response to Rob Bell's "Love Wins." "

" Very good survey of the subject. Handles the topic lovingly. There are many things I will research on my own, not because I don't trust Pastor Chan but because the subject merits personal investigation. "

" A good survey and introduction to the topic. "