Is Hell Too Mean? Why Compromising This Doctrine Impacts The Gospel

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

Fortis Institute

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Segment 1 • John Stott’s cautious support for annihilationism sparked theological tension. • The church, historically, has rejected annihilationist views. • Reinterpreting hell marks a break from church history and doctrine. Segment 2 • Our view on hell should be guided by God’s word, not emotion. • Bible examples show instant judgment for “small” sins—divine justice is deadly serious. • Hell’s eternality, rather than compromising God’s justice, magnifies it. Segment 3 • Annihilationism’s survival is more cultural than biblical because it speaks to modern sensitivities. • Enlightenment and Victorian culture softened God's justice to adjust for human tastes. • Theological liberalism grew where a biblical fear of God faded. Segment 4 • Each generation reshapes God, in some way, to fit its comfort level. • Vatican II and modern psychology blurred the lines on judgment and accountability. • As God becomes more “sentimental,” hell disappears—and so does the gospel. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn’t be more thankful for you if we tried!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ritchard Radio begins in three, two, one.
0:09.1	I want to mourn the old tree and tell them that we loved us.
0:14.3	I've looked at clear cuts and burnt forest, and I felt outraged.
0:19.8	We are the crowning glory of God's creation, and all of nature was made for us.
0:26.0	Nature is more productive because of us, not less.
0:29.9	It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.
0:33.0	A valid alternative?
0:36.1	This is Wretched Radio. Anglican, evangelical. If you think those two go together
0:43.0	these days, they probably don't. But perhaps about 15, 20 years ago, you could make evangelical
0:50.2	Anglican work, as was the case with Dr. John R. W. Stott. He died in 2011, and yet he wrote over 50 books and was very influential in evangelical Christianity, but he caused no amount of kerfuffle when he tentatively, and we need to note this,
1:16.0	it was a tentative holding of the doctrine of annihilationism,
1:20.9	which of course teaches that the individual who is not born again,
1:26.4	who goes to hell and ultimately is annihilated, exists no more.
1:33.2	It wasn't a full-on embrace from John R.W. Stott. It was tentative.
1:41.2	And yet he said the ultimate annihilation of the wicked should at least be accepted as a legitimate, biblically founded alternative to their eternal conscious torment.
1:47.6	Now, it's interestingly phrased it that way, asking for that view to at least be accepted.
1:53.4	Why? Because historically, that view wasn't accepted. That view was considered heterodox, not secondary, not tertiary, heterodox, which means it was outside of orthodoxy.
2:07.7	Some say it's heresy, the first councils that happen in Constantinople in the 6th century.
2:14.8	It was the second one really that addressed it. The third one that really
2:19.1	made it clear that Origins' understanding of annihilationism is anathema. Gulp, that means this is a
2:28.4	big deal. And that is why any pleading for accepting annihilationism as a legitimate biblically founded alternative to ECT is no small request.
2:40.1	Now, there is a book titled Hell on Trial. It is written by one Robert Peterson. There are two forwards, actually, John MacArthur and David Wells.
	...

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