Jump to content
IGNORED

Hellfire preachers vs GoodNews preachers?


Recommended Posts


  • Group:  Members
  • Followers:  1
  • Topic Count:  9
  • Topics Per Day:  0.00
  • Content Count:  43
  • Content Per Day:  0.02
  • Reputation:   25
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  07/04/2018
  • Status:  Offline

Hey all! Just a quick morality/doctrine question. Like food for thought. There seems to be two types of evangelists in the world; one type I call hellfire preachers and the other I call the goodnews preachers. Type 1 speaks of Hell far more than Christ and they stress the scrutinization of every aspect of your life to weed out your sins lest you burn forever. They more or less try and “scare” people to God and to the faith. Type 2 leans away from teachings of Hell and of punishment and sticks to the Biblical good news of having faith and love and fellowship. Does either group “have it right?” Or does the right way sit somewhere in the middle? I feel like we should adapt our evangelizing to what people respond to in the age...and, like it or not, yelling at people that they’ll burn won’t  bring them IN to the faith it usually scares them off. By the SAME token, however, neglecting the teaching of divine punishment may lead people to believe that God’s grace is a license to sin. Not looking to start a flame war here ? just a sensible and loving conversation! Bless and thanks! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Worthy Ministers
  • Followers:  52
  • Topic Count:  1,010
  • Topics Per Day:  0.15
  • Content Count:  12,205
  • Content Per Day:  1.79
  • Reputation:   16,281
  • Days Won:  92
  • Joined:  07/19/2005
  • Status:  Offline

There should be a balance.   I think most Good News preaching types would speak of hell at times but still do it in a loving manner.  The Bible does say to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Examples of what not to do (true incidents I observed): Years ago a little old lady was standing by the door of the market angrily yelling at people they were all going to hell!!   She didn't say anything about Jesus or salvation!!  Just kept yelling they're going to hell.

Another time a middle-aged guy and a teenage girl were standing outside of an abortion clinic in protest.   I was wearing slacks (not tight)...as I walked by, the guy angrily yelled at me because I was wearing slacks!  I was just back from Bible college and was stunned.  I told him I thought he would reach more people with love.  If he yelled at me just walking by in slacks, how would he have acted with a girl going into the Family Planning Facility?

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest shiloh357
7 hours ago, Tyler S. said:

Hey all! Just a quick morality/doctrine question. Like food for thought. There seems to be two types of evangelists in the world; one type I call hellfire preachers and the other I call the goodnews preachers. Type 1 speaks of Hell far more than Christ and they stress the scrutinization of every aspect of your life to weed out your sins lest you burn forever. They more or less try and “scare” people to God and to the faith. Type 2 leans away from teachings of Hell and of punishment and sticks to the Biblical good news of having faith and love and fellowship. Does either group “have it right?” Or does the right way sit somewhere in the middle? I feel like we should adapt our evangelizing to what people respond to in the age...and, like it or not, yelling at people that they’ll burn won’t  bring them IN to the faith it usually scares them off. By the SAME token, however, neglecting the teaching of divine punishment may lead people to believe that God’s grace is a license to sin. Not looking to start a flame war here ? just a sensible and loving conversation! Bless and thanks! 

You need to preach about Hell and preach about it a lot.   Why?    Because that is what makes the good news "good."   Permit me to illustrate. 

Let's say, you are at the doctor's office and he tells you about a new pill that has just been approved by FDA to treat Mesothelioma. Take this pill for three days, once a day and you're cured.     Now, you don't have Mesothelioma.   You are glad it's there for people who have that disease, but you are not going to demand it be prescribed to you.   It's not really relevant to your situation, so have nothing more than a passive response. 

But let's say you are at the doctor's office later on and he does diagnose you with Mesothelioma.   And you know that it is death sentence because you know people who died because of it.    But the doctor reminds you about that pill that will  cure you in three days.    Suddenly, that pill got waaaay more interesting, right?   Suddenly that pill is good news for you because you are staring down the barrel of a death sentence without it.   You want that pill because that pill will save your life.

In the same way, unless  people understand the danger their sin, and unless they understand that they are facing a death sentence without Jesus, the good news won't be relevant to them.  They may think it is okay for someone else, but they don't see it as something they need.   And they won't see it as something they need until they understand their need.  

And old time preacher used to say, "I got to get 'em lost before I can get 'em saved."   People have to be confronted with the reality of sin and hell in order to for them to see why the good news is so good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Advanced Member
  • Followers:  1
  • Topic Count:  3
  • Topics Per Day:  0.00
  • Content Count:  223
  • Content Per Day:  0.11
  • Reputation:   76
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  06/15/2018
  • Status:  Offline

If the Word goes out it will cut like a two-edged sword , I've been preached to and so convicted I was convinced the preacher was spying on me as the Word flamed and played on my guilty butt :blow-up:I was going to tech school after work and had started kinda sneaking and dropping by the pool room to drink a couple beers and shoot a couple games of pool .. The preacher had said ''you can't be running around getting drunk hanging around these beer joints'' he didn't know me from Adams housecat but boy did he hit home with that one ..

Edited by brujaq
add
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  12
  • Topic Count:  75
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  3,399
  • Content Per Day:  0.43
  • Reputation:   1,307
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  09/01/2002
  • Status:  Offline

A balanced preacher will use both types of preaching. Choosing what one is more applicable to the person they are preaching to..  Preachers who only use one type are the ones who have the least positive effect on the people they are preaching to..

I have never been a supporter of hell fire and brimstone preaching to the saved.. It is pointless to preach hell fire and brimstone to the saved. They have already been saved from the eternal lake of fire..

But when it comes to unbeliever there is a need to use that kind of preaching on occasions.. People who do not know need to know what we want them to be saved from..

So for atheists unbelievers and seekers a mix of preaching using both is essential, within reason..

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Worthy Ministers
  • Followers:  35
  • Topic Count:  99
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  40,780
  • Content Per Day:  7.95
  • Reputation:   21,262
  • Days Won:  76
  • Joined:  03/13/2010
  • Status:  Offline
  • Birthday:  07/27/1957

Hell is fact and to deal with it any other way is simply irresponsible to reality....

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  3
  • Topic Count:  5
  • Topics Per Day:  0.00
  • Content Count:  1,502
  • Content Per Day:  0.67
  • Reputation:   662
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  02/05/2018
  • Status:  Offline

10 hours ago, Tyler S. said:

Hey all! Just a quick morality/doctrine question. Like food for thought. There seems to be two types of evangelists in the world; one type I call hellfire preachers and the other I call the goodnews preachers. Type 1 speaks of Hell far more than Christ and they stress the scrutinization of every aspect of your life to weed out your sins lest you burn forever. They more or less try and “scare” people to God and to the faith. Type 2 leans away from teachings of Hell and of punishment and sticks to the Biblical good news of having faith and love and fellowship. Does either group “have it right?” Or does the right way sit somewhere in the middle? I feel like we should adapt our evangelizing to what people respond to in the age...and, like it or not, yelling at people that they’ll burn won’t  bring them IN to the faith it usually scares them off. By the SAME token, however, neglecting the teaching of divine punishment may lead people to believe that God’s grace is a license to sin. Not looking to start a flame war here ? just a sensible and loving conversation! Bless and thanks! 

The third type of evangelist is honest about Hell while also speaking of fellowship, faith and love for and of believers.

Hell is the logical response to man being unable to live in utopia without transformation. Those who trust Jesus for salvation will be changed "on that day" so that they no longer sin against conscience by hurting others "when it feels good".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

  • Group:  Advanced Member
  • Followers:  2
  • Topic Count:  14
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  134
  • Content Per Day:  0.07
  • Reputation:   22
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  09/13/2018
  • Status:  Offline

On 7/23/2018 at 12:00 AM, Tyler S. said:

Hey all! Just a quick morality/doctrine question. Like food for thought. There seems to be two types of evangelists in the world; one type I call hellfire preachers and the other I call the goodnews preachers. Type 1 speaks of Hell far more than Christ and they stress the scrutinization of every aspect of your life to weed out your sins lest you burn forever. They more or less try and “scare” people to God and to the faith. Type 2 leans away from teachings of Hell and of punishment and sticks to the Biblical good news of having faith and love and fellowship. Does either group “have it right?” Or does the right way sit somewhere in the middle? I feel like we should adapt our evangelizing to what people respond to in the age...and, like it or not, yelling at people that they’ll burn won’t  bring them IN to the faith it usually scares them off. By the SAME token, however, neglecting the teaching of divine punishment may lead people to believe that God’s grace is a license to sin. Not looking to start a flame war here ? just a sensible and loving conversation! Bless and thanks! 

There's a third option: they're simply called, Evangelists. The previous two you mentioned are probably just seminary grads. A true evangelist parties with sinners and gives them an alternative to the reckless life they've been living, or gives them hope in times of darkness. Prophets were evangelists, Apostles were Evangelists. Prophets walk up to rebellious nations and say, "This is what you're doing wrong, and you're going to be wiped out if you don't stop what you're doing."

Apostles say, "Come with me, its warm and friendly over here."

Different methods for different people.

Regardless, the god of existence expects everyone to abide in its rules. Gravity, for example.

Many of god's punishments are implicit in the system. For example, if you're an idiot and you bump into a wall, you get a bruise on your forehead. That's your punishment. If you're selfish and hog all the money, everyone is going to resent you. If you're dumb, you're going to do something stupid and get hurt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...