Voices on Hell from Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, and Islamic Traditions - Additions to Second Thoughts about Hell

 

In 2025, Ron Allen and I published our sequel to Second Thoughts about the Second Coming (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023), which we titled Second Thoughts about Hell (Westminster John Knox Press, 2025). We wrote both books because we felt that many folks in our churches were asking questions about these topics, but their pastors and congregational leaders shied away from dealing with them. When we wrote the second book, the book on Hell, our manuscript went a bit over the contracted word count. Therefore, three chapters were removed, not because they were not valued but because we needed to address the question of page count. Fortunately, Scott Seay of Christian Theological Seminary, the editor of the seminary's academic journal, was willing to publish them, even asking one of the faculty members, Robert Saler, who is Eastern Orthodox, to write a response to the three essays. Thus, our essays became the foundation for the latest issue of Encounter. 

Published digitally, it can be downloaded as a PDF by clicking on this link. Permission is given to reproduce the chapters for use in congregational discussions that are focused on our book, Second Thoughts about Hell. Below are the titles and page ranges for our three articles, plus the introduction to the issue. If you've read either of the earlier books, you will know that Ron and I offer the chapters without judgment so that the reader can consider them thoughtfully and make their own determination. I will say that we believe that these particular essays may address questions about traditions that readers are not well acquainted with, especially on these matters.

“Introduction to the Issue.” By Robert D. Cornwall and Ronald J. Allen. Encounter. 86.2 (2026): 3-8.

“Voices On Hell from the Orthodox Tradition.” By Robert D. Cornwall and Ronald J. Allen. Encounter. 86.2 (2026): 8-19.

“Voices on Hell from Judaism.” By Robert D. Cornwall and Ronald J. Allen. Encounter. 86.2 (2026): 2-34.

Voices on Hell from Islam.” By Robert D. Cornwall and Ronald J. Allen. Encounter. 86.2 (2026): 35-45.

We offer these essays to our readers for their use.