Welcome to the Influence Podcast! I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

"The doctrine of hell can be a powerful motivator," writes Allen Tennison. "Many believers initially responded to a salvation message for fear of going to hell. Christians have also dedicated themselves to prayer, evangelism, and global missions over the threat of hell."

"Images of hell can also move people in the other direction," Tennison says. "Some reject Christianity because of its teaching on hell. They refuse to believe in a God who would allow people to suffer eternal torment or dismiss what they see as fear-based threats from preachers,"

"What some view as motivation, others consider manipulation," Tennison concludes.

In this episode, I talk to Tennison about the problem of hell based on his article, "What We Believe About the Final Judgment," from the Winter 2026 issue of Influence.

Allen Tennison is theological counsel to the General Council of the Assemblies of God and author of the long running What We Believe series in Influence magazine. He will conclude that series in the Spring 2026 issue with an article titled, "What We Believe About the New Heavens and New Earth."

Show Notes

• 00:00 — Introduction
• 01:28 — What words does the Bible use both to name hell and to describe it?
• 09:12 — Why is hell a "problem" for believing Christians?
• 13:03 — Questions about annihilationism/conditional immortality
• 20:14 — Questions about universalism
• 26:26 — Questions about eternal conscious torment
• 35:33 — Advocates of the traditional doctrine of hell utilize use two apologetic strategies: retribution and choice. Does the AG have a position?
• 45:53 — How do we preach the doctrine of hell in a spiritual formative way?
• 49:10 — What are you reading right now that is interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging?
• 58:02 — Conclusion