What Happens When We Are Reluctant to Tell the Whole Story?

Hell has quietly disappeared from many pulpits. But without it, have we forgotten what Jesus really came to save us from?

Do non-Christ Followers have the right to know what the Bible says about hell? Take this quick survey and help us design an educational survey for the everyday non-believer: https://bttb.org/HellAndSalvation 

Char and I are at our favorite vacation spot in Mexico this week (the same place we have gone to for like 20 years in a row) and I am continuing my efforts to overcome my reluctance to share Jesus to non-believers.

While here, we have become close quickly with this elderly couple, maybe because they too, tragically, lost their son. In getting to know them, it didn’t take very long to see that even though their son’s death was well over 30 years ago, they pretty much didn’t believe in God and might even still be pretty angry.

This was especially evident when she told us her favorite song was “Imagine.”  And of course, her loving husband would play it while we all sat on the beach.

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us, only sky…

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion, too

Imagine all the people

Livin' life in peace

I realized it’s hard to talk about salvation in Jesus Christ when we have imagined a spiritual world without imagining hell. The idea of avoiding hell is no longer a compelling need for non-believers. Eternal consequences are ignored in this age when comfort is king. Across pulpits, podcasts, and parachurch platforms, one doctrine has quietly slipped into the shadows: hell.

It’s not that churches have officially removed hell from their theology. Most statements of faith still affirm it—eternal separation from God, a place of judgment, a destination meant not for mankind but for Satan and his angels. Yet when was the last time you heard a sermon about it? Or saw it mentioned in a ministry’s “gospel” presentation?

This isn’t merely a stylistic choice—it’s a theological and cultural shift. In fact, a Pew Research study analyzing over 50,000 sermons found that less than 10% of evangelical churches even mentioned hell over several weeks. And among mainline churches? Almost none. Love, grace, purpose, encouragement—these dominate today’s pulpits. But judgment? Consequences? Eternity? Not so much.

It’s as if we've traded in the warnings for warm feelings. But by muting hell, are we altering the Gospel itself?

What’s at Stake

Jesus Himself talked more about hell than He did about heaven. Not to manipulate with fear, but to awaken the spiritually numb. He used vivid terms—unquenchable fire, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth—to describe what awaited those who chose to reject God’s love. His message was urgent, not polite. Direct, not domesticated.

But today, many churches fear alienating seekers. Ministries worry about online backlash. Pastors want to be liked. And in the process, we’ve raised a generation with little sense of what we’re saved from—or if there’s anything to be saved from at all.

And here’s where the comparison gets chilling.

When We Stop Teaching, People Forget

Recent national research shows that over 1 in 4 young adults in America don't believe the Holocaust happened, and 60% of Gen Z cannot name even one concentration camp, despite there being over 40,000 of them. The horrifying reality of six million Jews being systematically exterminated in gas chambers, work camps, and ghettos is disappearing from memory—because it’s disappearing from education.

If we don’t talk about hell, will it follow the same path?

• Will the next generation view it as a myth?

• Will they dismiss the idea of consequences entirely?

• Will they grow up in churches where Jesus saves—but no one can say what He saves us from?

The parallel is clear: silence breeds ignorance. And ignorance opens the door to distortion, denial, and disbelief.

A Call to Courage—and Clarity

We must reclaim what has been lost in our preaching, teaching, and conversations. Not to scare, but to speak truth in love. Not to manipulate, but to motivate urgency. Because if hell is real—and Jesus says it is—then warning people is the most loving thing we can do.

We’ve created a short, eye-opening Biblical Hell & Salvation Assessment—an anonymous quiz that is a mix of true/false and multiple-choice questions. And with each question we provide a detailed answer that will help you:

• See what the Bible actually teaches about hell

• Understand your own eternal future

• Start conversations with others that matter most

Take the Assessment Now: https://bttb.org/HellAndSalvation 

Once you’ve taken it, forward it to a few friends. Your small step could change someone’s eternal direction.

Let’s not be the generation that forgets what matters most.

Let’s tell the whole story.

Send your comments to me here.

All in, eyes up!

-Arnie