Raising Hell

Christianity's Most Controversial Doctrine Put Under Fire

By: Julie Ferwerda

Narrated by: Julie Ferwerda

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Have you ever considered the apparent injustices, inconsistencies, and even contradictions of the doctrine of hell? For starters, do earthly parents love their children more than God? Does God ask you to forgive your enemies when He is not willing to do the same? Is being punished forever for sins committed in a short lifetime really "justice"? Does everybody really get the same fair chance to believe in Jesus before they die? If hell is the worst possible fate of mankind, and if God is truly loving, then....

• Why did He fail to mention hell in Genesis as the price for sin?
• Why doesn't the Old Testament ever teach about or even mention hell?
• Why doesn't Paul, the apostle to the non-Jewish world, ever once mention hell?
• Why has orthodox Judaism (to whom Scriptures were given) never believed in any kind of eternal punishment or hell?
• Why was hell not the orthodox position of the early Church for five centuries after Christ?

Dare to question. What have you got to lose? If you've ever had doubts or questions about the incompatibility of eternal torment with a merciful God, Raising Hell will open your eyes to a radical view of God's loving purpose for all humanity and what the "Good News" is really about. Picking up where Rob Bell and others leave off, Julie Ferwerda offers compelling evidence historically, philosophically, and scripturally as to why the doctrine of eternal torment is the biggest and most damaging deception of the modern Church.

What people are saying about Raising Hell....

"Such a book as this is seriously needed to liberate people for a loving God!" (Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Author of Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life and Immortal Diamonds: The Search for Our True Self)

"The traditional view of hell is highly contestable. If you're ready to venture into some new territory, Bible in hand, you'll find Julie Ferwerda to be a wise, patient, and intrepid guide in Raising Hell." (Brian McLaren, Author of A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that Are Transforming the Faith)

"Raising Hell is one of the first books I recommend to anyone who has questions about hell." (Kevin Miller, Director of Hellbound? The Movie)

"Julie has devoted a great deal of time and energy to producing such a well-researched and well-written book--probably hundreds of hours! She is right on target in saying that we really need to understand the intent behind the Hebrew Scriptures in order to be able to properly interpret them." (Boyd C. Purcell, Ph.D., Author of Spiritual Terrorism: Spiritual Abuse from the Womb to the Tomb)

©2011, 2014 Julie Ferwerda (P)2022 Julie Ferwerda

Great information, horrible execution

I really appreciate all the information in the book! There is so much food for thought there, that even if the author doesn’t convince you, she at least gives you food for thought to mull over for awhile after reading it. The information is so good, which is why it is SO FRUSTRATING that my friend and I (we read it together) can’t in good conscience recommend the book to anyone. If the book had been better edited/formatted, it would have been amazing. It is set up to give you bits of the information all at once, and doesn’t entirely separate the topics by chapter in a way in which it is easier to reference. This book SHOULD be set up so it is easy to reference back to! It would have made more sense to do a quick overview, then set up the book with the history, of how the views evolved, then how those views influenced the different translations, then how that affects us today. The book tries to throw too much at you in the intro, when it should really be overall themes that will be referenced later, then thoroughly explained in later chapters. Also, there are several topics (chapters even) in the later parts of the book that, while interesting, are not actually relevant to the overall point that it’s likely we inserted hell into a gospel that didn’t originally have it. Later points (like what the different ages might be) don’t actually matter to the main point, so they take away from the point because they aren’t as concrete for evidence and are speculation. The logistics of them doesn’t really matter, maybe just evidence that they could exist, but not spending so much time talking about each one.

Also, I hate not eating performance well, but the narrator was close to monotone and very dry. It made the book difficult to focus on, and the editing/format didn’t help my focus either.

I really, REALLY wish this book was more well done so I could recommend it! So if you are willing to wade through an unclear layout of the information, you should try it! I wish you the best of luck because the topic is important and worthwhile and great to mull over/ponder on.

Get a narrator

Decent content but you need a good narrator to make your story work . It makes it easier to listen too