An Ironic Tilt at Christian Neo-Fundamentalists

Neo-fundamentalists are rather famously known for their literal reading of select portions of scripture … which is exactly what happens here as well, just with a different selection. While I am very sympathetic to the concept here, the author’s support becomes problematic by the use of poor academic research and questionable exegesis. For example, in attempt to highlight the influence of Persian Zoroastrianism, we get a complete erroneous connection between the term and the word Farsi (aka Persian) … when in fact, it is known to be related to the Hebrew pārūš which is commonly interpreted as pious or separate. Then we get an introduction to Sheol, the early Hebrew concept of death and/or the grave, having two levels or compartments … a concept that was only developed in the apocalyptic literature of the late Second Temple period (circa 200 BCE) showing the author has a tenuous grasp of how such concept actually evolve over time. In fact, the Book of Enoch divides Sheol into four levels … but this was conveniently ignored by the author. However, despite all of that, there is some truth behind the idea that the Jewish understanding of Sheol development through some syncretism with other world-views (such as Greek and Persian). In addition, there is no effort to actually separate potential legend/myth with actual practice … which is painfully clear in the treatment of Gehenna and its association with the tophet (of which there is no archaeological support in or around Jerusalem … which includes the valley of Hinnom). To be fair … a lot of the basic facts appear to be accurate, with just some of the minor details slightly off …

The problem here is that Christianity is an incredibly diverse religion, so using neo-fundamentalists as a proxy is just lazy and allows the author to completely ignore the centuries of tradition and debate within the early Church that actually does address many of these questions … in fact, even when some of these beliefs are referenced in his straw man arguments, they are so incredibly erroneous (ref: Limbo et al) that it is not surprising that any conclusions are based upon faulty theology … and this is extremely sad because many of the questions raised are good ones. This is all exacerbated by an extremely sarcastic (at times even mocking) and antagonistic presentation that is highly likely to put many readers immediately on the defensive. Frankly he ascribes way too much conspiracy level credit to the motivations of christian clergy to be taken seriously.

Finally … the narrative was often awkward and even irritating (with some incorrect pronunciations and slurred enunciation), making it difficult to dispassionately evaluate some of the silly antics and fallacies presented (IOW I was ROFLOL … a lot :-).

The chapters and sections in this work are:

Introduction (12:58)
Chapter 1 - Where Did Hell Come From? (1:35:40)
Chapter 2 - Why Heaven is Impossible If There is a Hell (59:19)
Chapter 3 - Did Jesus Believe in Hell? (1:19:03)
Chapter 3b - Did Jesus Believe in Hell? Part B (1:16:23)
Chapter 4 - Is Hell Necessary for the Sake of Justice? (56:59)
Chapter 5 - Why Didn’t God Keep Hell a Secret? (3:41)
Chapter 6 - Why Pascal Didn’t Wager for Ammit? (28:26)
Chapter 7 - What Evangelization Would Be Like Without Hell (10:52)
Chapter 8 - Why Hell Retards Morality (35:05)
Chapter 9 - The Day of Judgement (47:09)

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#HellNo #FreeAudiobookCodes #KindleUnlimited

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Good Listen

I was given this book for free,

I enjoyed the book, and the narration was fine as well.

Worth a listen for sure.

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Great Use of Scripture, Logic and History

I found the author's arguments against the modern conception of hell to be sound, well-researched, and solidly grounded in history, logic, and scripture. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of the Old Testament view of the afterlife and Sheol, as held by the ancient Israelites and informed by their Mesopotamian neighbors of the time, and he also examined the Persian and Greek views that were prevalent among the Jews' of Jesus' day. He also examined the NT passages that are often cited in support of hell as a place of eternal conscious torment (ECT) for non-believers, like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the lake of fire in Revelation, the parable of the sheep and the goats, and other passages. I found his arguments quite compelling and well worth a listen. His logic reminds me of David Bentley Hart (and communicated in language I can understand without needing a dictionary!)

The narrator had a pleasant voice and good inflection, though he misread and/or mispronounced several words, which was a bit distracting at times. For example, he referred to First and Second Maccabees, which are in the Protestant canon, as "non-conical." (Not shaped like a cone?). I did get a chuckle at his description of Pontius Pilate as the Roman "Perfect." But I enjoyed the narration.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the book. The author clearly loves God, he takes his faith and modern scholarship seriously, and he strives to honestly, fairly, and reverently engage with scripture. Many conservative evangelicals will disagree with his positions, but that's OK. Competing views of eschatology and heaven/hell have been debated since Christianity's inception. This book makes a great contribution to the modern ECT/universal reconciliation debate and it deserves a wide reading. Whether you agree or disagree, give it a try and see what you think!

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An important perspective for all Christians

Having been brought up since young with the myth of Eternal Conscious Torment, it hasn't been easy to shake the terrible tentacles of this diabolical doctrine from my subconcious mind. Rick Lannoye does an excellent job of illustrating how this teaching has no basis in the written scriptures, first century Jewish culture, nor basic logic, and expertly deflates the various defences that support the image of a psychotic divine despot rather than a loving etermal Father.

I felt I got a little bogged down due to the share amount of material covered, although it was well worth hanging in there as the final section on the Day of Judgement was especially helpful. The narration is well done and overall I found this to be an excellent audiobook.

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Gross misinterpretation of scripture

While I agree on the misinterpretation of most in religion of a “place” of eternal punishment called hell, I don’t find scripturally accurate how the author came to this conclusion. The gross misapplication, and misinterpretation of scripture on judgment and afterlife is dangerous and misleading to the unlearned and those who haven’t thoroughly studied the Bible for themselves, which I feel all should do, to come to a knowledge of the truth. I am sorry I gave any money to support the heresy I found in these pages. The narration was well done , and easy to listen to, but I recommend not further supporting this author by purchasing this book.

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