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

This polemic from preachers Chan and Sprinkle offers a direct rebuttal to Love Wins, evangelical leader Rob Bell’s recent bestseller that outlines a theological case against the doctrine of eternal damnation for nonbelievers. The authors—who take great pains to emphasize their initial reluctance to dwell on the subject of hell—assert there is no evidence to support Bell’s optimistic take on the afterlife. With the refrain “We can’t afford to be wrong about this,” the authors firmly—if not theatrically—posit that the idea of universal salvation lacks biblical grounding. Sprinkle’s folksy narration is steady and sincere. His conversational reading makes the book’s grave topic accessible to listeners and his delivery reflects that he and his coauthor don’t want to alienate anyone—even listeners who may (or may not) be headed to hell. This audiobook should find a ready-made audience among those seeking a conservative counter to Love Wins, but with an approach that offers more teaching than preaching. A David C. Cook paperback. (July)