Hell is an uncomfortable topic, even for those who believe that Scripture speaks clearly of eternal punishment. However, if God has His good and sovereign purposes for an eternal punishment of the wicked, shouldn’t we press in to know why? And shouldn’t those good purposes sit and stew in our souls until they seem good to us as well?
Is There Anything Good about Hell? explores our natural discomfort with hell, and then turns to argue for its goodness and glory. If there is no hell there is no gracious warning to goad us to heaven, no ultimate value in humanity, no esteem or honour in creation, no loving God, no merciful and free Sovereign, and no vindication for God’s people. Drawing not only from Scripture, the early Church Fathers, and the Puritans, but also from secular philosophy and history, the book aims not to defend the doctrine of hell, but attempts something bolder—to persuade that hell, in all its terror, is good.
As such, this book about hell is encouraging and hopeful. It not only explores hell, but everything else in its light. It is aimed at a mature Christian audience, but without overly technical or academic language.
The paperback is available here from Decretum Books and from Amazon.com. The Kindle E-book is available from Amazon. Decretum Books will also be re-publishing Hartman’s Diving Penology before summer 2021.
Chapter 6, “Woe to Those Who Harm,” is available as a freed download here: http://anythinggoodabouthell.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Ch-6-Woe-to-Those-Who-Harm-Sample-AGAH-Paul-Dirks.pdf
The author, Paul Dirks, is Lead Pastor of New West Community Baptist Church, where he has served for 12 years. He lives in New Westminster, BC, Canada, with his wife Rachel and their five children. Dirks has published on other topics including sexuality and gender at The Public Discourse.
