In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis famously wrote about hell: “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason” (HarperOne, 1940, p. 119-120).

Throughout the history of Christianity, the reality of hell as the destination that unbelievers go to when they die has been an essential tenant of the faith. Individuals like Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon regularly taught about the danger of going to hell if someone rejected Christ.

We see this teaching reflected in the writings of C. S. Lewis. Yet, the modern church of the Western world has somewhat moved away from this teaching, with many believers accepting other views that were not embraced by the church in the past.

Today, hell is a controversial subject among Christians. Many believers do not want to dwell on the fiery fate of those who do not place faith in Christ, while others scoff at the idea of hell altogether. Some Christians even argue that hell and eternal punishment are pagan concepts.

I think the problem is that there are numerous misunderstandings because people are not gleaning their views of hell from the Bible.

Instead, some believers base their beliefs about hell on their feelings, depictions in popular culture or literature, or the desire to appease the world. Others are influenced by members of “Progressive Christianity,” who seek to rewrite the historic, biblical faith of followers of Christ.

As believers who want to uphold the truth faithfully and lovingly, we need to know what Scripture teaches about hell. The reality of hell and the fact that unbelievers go there after death are essential points of Christianity.

Not only is this doctrine important because it addresses the fate of those who reject Jesus, but also because this doctrine is tied to other essential tenets, such as sin, judgment, and God’s holiness.

Since hell is an important teaching of Christianity, we need to carefully examine the views that challenge what the Bible teaches.

Let’s look at five myths about hell that are not biblical.

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