The author, Thor Ramsey, describes himself as “a Christian, husband, father, pastor, author, speaker, vertebrate, biped, and stand-up comic, in that order”. Can we trust that someone with this self-description can write a serious book about Hell?
Well, in a word, yes. And that book is The Most Encouraging Book on Hell Ever.
Ramsey tackles a tough subject with great respect, all along peppering his text with humorous anecdotes and insightful glances into his personal experiences. His words concerning his mother are both shocking and touching, but important.
Ramsey states that it is important to emphasize the existence of a literal, eternal, awful Hell for the following reasons:
First, because Hell glorifies God.
Second, because we lose the following if Hell is not real:
The fear of God (Chapter One)
The Holiness of God (Chapter Two)
The Gospel of God (Chapter Three)
The Love of God (Chapter Four)
None of us wants to be seen a cruel or hard-hearted, but we need to recognize that it is love that compels us to warn others of the frightening reality of eternal punishment for those who reject the love of God in Christ. We need to “preach on Hell unashamedly, forcefully, and with tears”. (pg. 101)