The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large.

In the final episode of this season, the conversation takes a downward turn – into hell, that is. Adam, Joey, David, and Keith finish discussing the purpose of Jesus’s death before turning to the subject of God’s character and what hell is like.

Athanasius may emphasize God’s goodness, but is that how modern Christians describe God? This issue bookends a discussion of various ideas about hell in light of God’s character. The group characterizes hell as an experience caused by a negative response to God’s love instead of being a punishment for sins committed; however, the fact of God’s wrathfulness cannot be ignored, and Joey and Keith wrestle with how justice fits into the picture. 

This concluding episode is not only full of eruditeness but funny anecdotes about Martians, asbestos, and Sunday school. Listen in to hear the end of the discussion of Athanasius’ On the Incarnation!


About Adam Whitescarver

Adam is passionate about seeing God’s people possess vibrant prayer lives to help them make a difference in the sphere of influence God has given them. In ministry since 2001, Adam enjoys his family, teaching, singing, and reading a myriad of subjects. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in North GA with their four children.


Jump Through the Conversation:

• [1:07] Adam’s intro
• [2:33] How Athanasius emphasizes God’s goodness
  • Connection to several heresies
  • God isn’t just wrathful
• [4:55] Athanasius’ optimistic/comprehensive view of Jesus’s death
  • You have to “opt out” of God’s redemption
  • Does God make the choice for us to go to hell or do we?
• [6:15] David: God is somewhere in the middle of our benevolent and wrathful pictures of Him
  • God’s love is still shown by people existing in hell as non-existence is worse
  • Why God wouldn’t force people into heaven
• [8:31] David: heaven and hell are “the same reality perceived differently”
  • Analogy of loving/hating an embrace
  • [10:09] Keith: Orthodox view of hell is hating God’s love for you
  • [10:50] David: hell is emotional separation from God
• [11:42] Rabbit trail on Lewis and accents
• [13:37] Joey: Protestants agree that righteousness is love of “the things of God” and wickedness is opposing those things
• [14:24] Debate about whether God is punishing and wrathful or loving and if those attributes can coexist or are contradictory
  • [15:46] Joey: God’s justice is an important part of His character
    • Keith: punishment is not the same as justice
    • Consequences vs punishment
  • [18:52] God’s character and the Reformation
• [19:52] The “how” of God’s redemption is simply Him taking a body
  • [20:40] Doctrine of justification developed later
    • Keith: it’s overexplaining
    • Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification in the 1990s
• [21:41] More on God’s motivation for redemption
  • Book recommendation from David
  • Stories from Sunday school

Links and Resources:

• A Beautiful Church website
• Chattanooga House of Prayer website
• Give today
• On the Incarnation (Adam’s recommended edition)
• Joey Sherrard’s ministry
• Keith Kettenring’s ministry
• David Carter’s ministry
• Jesus Shock by Peter Kreeft (book recommendation from David)

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