Working on my story "Jeepers Jacobs" gave me reason to read many defenses of Hell by theologians and preachers and other concerned parties. I became a big "fan" of this amazing genre.
Now I see the debate has flared up (!) again due to a forthcoming book by good ole Rob Bell (wiki), and dudes all over the internet are lining up for battle. I first heard about it today, here.
"A new book by one of the country’s most influential evangelical pastors, challenging traditional Christian views of heaven, hell and eternal damnation, has created an uproar among evangelical leaders, with the most ancient of questions being argued in a biblical hailstorm of Twitter messages and blog posts." (link)
There are a few links in that article, and then you can follow links in blogs and tweets further down the line if you're interested. I'm sure the same old arguments will get rehashed, the same verses--but what you should be looking for are mind-blowing sentences, several examples of which I used in "Jeepers":
Also calls to be spiritually strong (meaning logical, manly, punitive, uninquisitive), not weak (emotional, feminine). Also puns and witticisms in bad taste..."to hell with hell," "hell under fire," etc. Also the quick switches between metaphorical and literal ("eternal" is literal, "worm" is metaphorical, etc.).
(advertisement) "Jeepers Jacobs" appears in Kramers Ergot #5 and in my collection Curses, both of which are currently out of print, but you can probably find a copy somewhere if you search around. I know that Star Clipper here in STL has two Curses on the shelf, and I'm sure they'd be happy to sell you one.
"...and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever." (Rev. 20:10)
