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Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love
A former evangelical pastor explains why we can stop worrying about hell and start focusing on love
There is a black hole at the center of Christian the doctrine of hell. No matter how hard we try to believe in a loving God, the fear of eternal torment always lurks at the back of our minds, warping our sense of what love means. Worse still, many churches act as if the point of Christianity is not to follow Jesus but to secure a get-out-of-hell-free card—and to “save” everyone you know by converting them to your religion. For many of us, the whole story of Christianity has punishment at the very center. But does the Bible really say we’re going to hell if we don’t do or believe the “right” things?
In this taboo-shattering book, former evangelical pastor Brian Recker takes an honest look at scripture and reveals what has been true all Hell isn’t real, and God’s universal love is radically inclusive, in this life and the next. By removing punishment from Christianity's center, Recker boldly reimagines the core questions of faith, such as why Jesus lived and died, and what it means to be “saved.” It’s time to rediscover spirituality as Jesus taught loving God, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Whether you’re Christian, exvangelical, or anywhere along a deconstruction journey, Hellbent is the perfect resource to help you replace fear and church hurt with healing and peace.
There is a black hole at the center of Christian the doctrine of hell. No matter how hard we try to believe in a loving God, the fear of eternal torment always lurks at the back of our minds, warping our sense of what love means. Worse still, many churches act as if the point of Christianity is not to follow Jesus but to secure a get-out-of-hell-free card—and to “save” everyone you know by converting them to your religion. For many of us, the whole story of Christianity has punishment at the very center. But does the Bible really say we’re going to hell if we don’t do or believe the “right” things?
In this taboo-shattering book, former evangelical pastor Brian Recker takes an honest look at scripture and reveals what has been true all Hell isn’t real, and God’s universal love is radically inclusive, in this life and the next. By removing punishment from Christianity's center, Recker boldly reimagines the core questions of faith, such as why Jesus lived and died, and what it means to be “saved.” It’s time to rediscover spirituality as Jesus taught loving God, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Whether you’re Christian, exvangelical, or anywhere along a deconstruction journey, Hellbent is the perfect resource to help you replace fear and church hurt with healing and peace.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published September 30, 2025
337 people are currently reading
1984 people want to read
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September 12, 2025
TL;DR: If you ever felt like Jesus wasn’t talking about everyone — that maybe you or your neighbor were outside of, or apart from, God’s love — then I suggest giving Hell Bent a try.
***
This book is thoughtful, thought-provoking, passionate, and deeply committed to inspiring a more loving internal and external world for all of us to flourish within. I have sought bite-sized spiritual wisdom from Recker’s online presence for some time now, and this book was a wonderful blend of callbacks to those online videos/essays mixed with fresh insights that had me in a constant state of highlighting.
As a queer kid raised in Christianity, I always felt like God’s love and blessings weren’t meant for me. I was a sinner by nature, and even though that was supposedly true about everyone, it felt a little extra true about me. The fear of Hell was deep, to the point that my only path to self-preservation felt like I had to reject faith altogether. If I wanted to believe Hell wasn’t real, I had to believe God wasn’t real either. In my adulthood, I’ve taken the scenic route back to Christianity, and I’ve now joined a Christian church that unequivocally embraces me, my wife, and our children. It’s a community I never thought I would find, and I cried during my first church service there, because I realized it was the first time I was in an explicitly Christian space where I didn’t feel crushed by the vision that I was going to Hell. I wasn’t holding my breath, or putting space between me and the holy things. This book evoked that same sense of relief, spirituality, and community, for all the same reasons.
***
This book is thoughtful, thought-provoking, passionate, and deeply committed to inspiring a more loving internal and external world for all of us to flourish within. I have sought bite-sized spiritual wisdom from Recker’s online presence for some time now, and this book was a wonderful blend of callbacks to those online videos/essays mixed with fresh insights that had me in a constant state of highlighting.
As a queer kid raised in Christianity, I always felt like God’s love and blessings weren’t meant for me. I was a sinner by nature, and even though that was supposedly true about everyone, it felt a little extra true about me. The fear of Hell was deep, to the point that my only path to self-preservation felt like I had to reject faith altogether. If I wanted to believe Hell wasn’t real, I had to believe God wasn’t real either. In my adulthood, I’ve taken the scenic route back to Christianity, and I’ve now joined a Christian church that unequivocally embraces me, my wife, and our children. It’s a community I never thought I would find, and I cried during my first church service there, because I realized it was the first time I was in an explicitly Christian space where I didn’t feel crushed by the vision that I was going to Hell. I wasn’t holding my breath, or putting space between me and the holy things. This book evoked that same sense of relief, spirituality, and community, for all the same reasons.
October 15, 2025
I haven't felt this hopeful in a long time. ❤️
September 30, 2025
How might your faith be different if it were not based around fear?
What if you could think of God as the overflowing source of love in your life, because nobody told you God was like an abusive parent who would punish you for questioning, doubting, or backsliding?
What if you felt like you could love yourself, because nobody told you that you were born broken and stained and deserving of punishment?
What if you felt like you could “follow your heart,” because nobody told you that your heart was full of fleshly desires and “deceitful above all things?”
What if you felt like you could love the people around you as people rather than see them as projects, because nobody told you that your neighbors’ happiness forever depended on whether or not you could convince them to mentally assent to your sect’s specific doctrinal beliefs?
What might your faith look like if almost every aspect of it wasn’t, sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly, bent around hell?
And what if somebody told you that the biblical case for hell isn’t as strong as you think it is?
Brian Recker’s book Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love seeks to offer answers to these questions (and many more). With his refreshingly down-to-earth voice, Recker provides example after example for how the evangelical conceptions of hell, sin, and salvation have twisted into a fear-inducing need for eternal fire insurance and that this doctrine has borne sickly, bruising fruit. Christians hate or fear God, hate or fear ourselves, and hate or fear our neighbors.
He then methodically, yet deftly re-examines the Scriptures that underpin our fire and brimstone understandings to make plain a reading that might rattle the evangelical but which is actually as old as the Scriptures themselves. Hell is real and it is here on Earth. It is the suffering and pain and oppression and hunger and loneliness the Christ called his people to go out into the world and alleviate. The wages of sin are paid out to us not on a cosmic ledger, but daily: in the disconnection, hurt, and anguish that come with rejection of love. Finally, if God is all in all, and if he will ultimately “reconcile to himself all things” then “all things” must mean more than the minority of humans who are Christians.
The last part of the book engages seriously with what this sort of reframing means for the most important tenets of the Christian religion. If there is no hell, if it wasn’t to save us from that place, then why did Christ live? Why did he die Why was he resurrected? It is because God is with the oppressed and with those who would speak out for their liberation. With them in the darkest depths of their suffering. And ultimately triumphant over it all.
Most importantly, Recker goes on to unpack what this can mean. Freedom from hell might be cool water on our tongues, but it’s less meaningful if it does not free us TO something and Recker explicates that beautifully. It would mean a church that is radically loving and accepting of other people without preconditions. It would mean a church deeply invested in justice and righteousness in this world, and a rejection of the notion that such things don’t matter because ‘it’s all going to burn anyway.”
I expect that this book could make waves in 2025 the way that Rob Bell’s Love Wins did in 2011. I imagine it could spawn its own cottage industry of response articles and (new since 2011) Tiktok responses. But I implore anyone even remotely curious to give it a read. Though written in a (refreshingly) irreverent voice, I found it to be deeply considered and presented honestly. This is not a book that threatens to lead you astray, it is a book that threatens to free you to love.
In the terms I started this review with:
What are you afraid of?
What if you could think of God as the overflowing source of love in your life, because nobody told you God was like an abusive parent who would punish you for questioning, doubting, or backsliding?
What if you felt like you could love yourself, because nobody told you that you were born broken and stained and deserving of punishment?
What if you felt like you could “follow your heart,” because nobody told you that your heart was full of fleshly desires and “deceitful above all things?”
What if you felt like you could love the people around you as people rather than see them as projects, because nobody told you that your neighbors’ happiness forever depended on whether or not you could convince them to mentally assent to your sect’s specific doctrinal beliefs?
What might your faith look like if almost every aspect of it wasn’t, sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly, bent around hell?
And what if somebody told you that the biblical case for hell isn’t as strong as you think it is?
Brian Recker’s book Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love seeks to offer answers to these questions (and many more). With his refreshingly down-to-earth voice, Recker provides example after example for how the evangelical conceptions of hell, sin, and salvation have twisted into a fear-inducing need for eternal fire insurance and that this doctrine has borne sickly, bruising fruit. Christians hate or fear God, hate or fear ourselves, and hate or fear our neighbors.
He then methodically, yet deftly re-examines the Scriptures that underpin our fire and brimstone understandings to make plain a reading that might rattle the evangelical but which is actually as old as the Scriptures themselves. Hell is real and it is here on Earth. It is the suffering and pain and oppression and hunger and loneliness the Christ called his people to go out into the world and alleviate. The wages of sin are paid out to us not on a cosmic ledger, but daily: in the disconnection, hurt, and anguish that come with rejection of love. Finally, if God is all in all, and if he will ultimately “reconcile to himself all things” then “all things” must mean more than the minority of humans who are Christians.
The last part of the book engages seriously with what this sort of reframing means for the most important tenets of the Christian religion. If there is no hell, if it wasn’t to save us from that place, then why did Christ live? Why did he die Why was he resurrected? It is because God is with the oppressed and with those who would speak out for their liberation. With them in the darkest depths of their suffering. And ultimately triumphant over it all.
Most importantly, Recker goes on to unpack what this can mean. Freedom from hell might be cool water on our tongues, but it’s less meaningful if it does not free us TO something and Recker explicates that beautifully. It would mean a church that is radically loving and accepting of other people without preconditions. It would mean a church deeply invested in justice and righteousness in this world, and a rejection of the notion that such things don’t matter because ‘it’s all going to burn anyway.”
I expect that this book could make waves in 2025 the way that Rob Bell’s Love Wins did in 2011. I imagine it could spawn its own cottage industry of response articles and (new since 2011) Tiktok responses. But I implore anyone even remotely curious to give it a read. Though written in a (refreshingly) irreverent voice, I found it to be deeply considered and presented honestly. This is not a book that threatens to lead you astray, it is a book that threatens to free you to love.
In the terms I started this review with:
What are you afraid of?
November 15, 2025
This makes me not hate the idea of Christianity which is cool. Hey, maybe it has nothing to do with believing the right thing?? What if you were already loved by Love itself? What if we all were?? What if you didn’t have to fear… well… idk… eternity in torment for not “accepting Jesus into your heart”?
Anyways, this was refreshing and makes me want to love on people freely and openly. What a crazy idea!
Anyways, this was refreshing and makes me want to love on people freely and openly. What a crazy idea!
November 5, 2025
A friend told me he remembers the first time he heard about hell. He was in Sunday school, and he was astonished. He looked around him at the adult faces, stunned. Did they really believe this, or were they all lying?
Turns out they were not lying.
I wonder what that would be like, to remember the first time you heard about hell. My children won't be so protected; we've heard half a dozen hell sermons over the past several years, and I fear it is partly my fault, pastors endeavoring to refute the by-some-unheard-of hope I've expressed, in the final restoration of all things. Curt Parton (https://youtu.be/HHaIwI3Bcp4) says there's nothing to fear from eternal-conscious-torment defensiveness; it's as likely to unconvince as to convince. (Indeed, another of my friends read Erasing Hell and dropped her belief in ECT in favor of conditionalism.) But still—to raise a child without knowledge of hell?! I hope someone somewhere is doing it.
When my second-grader comes home from school saying this person or that person will go to hell, I tell her we can't know who will go there, but what is the most important thing to know about hell? She answers correctly: God is there.
Just this past weekend, we attended a church in another state, and the deacon invited us all to read Psalm 136 together, aloud. Five minutes after we had ALL said, twenty-six times, "His mercy endureth forever," the deacon clarified: "Someday His mercy will come to an end."
Everyone sat in serene silence.
For the record, folks: Only His wrath is finite. See Rev. 15:1.
Brian Recker won't be raising his children without knowledge of hell. He wrote a book about it. In it, he describes hell in the same way I have described feeling the presence of hell in my childhood—as a deep dark pit that could never quite leave my consciousness. It was the One Worst Thing Ever That Could Happen to You. And when it's the One Worst Thing, truly no holds are barred, no effort, no anger, no fear is too great to yield to, in persuading children to avoid it.
Based on this premise, I appreciate Recker's intentions in writing this book. He connects the fear of hell to any number of evils in present-day Christendom. I think he's right in this matter.
My chief discomfort—though not my only one; I was also uneasy with his wholesale hero-worship of MLK—with Recker's book is that he repeatedly states that there is no hell. And I don't think it is possible to say, definitively, from Scripture or from experience, that there is no postmortem hell (whether literal or metaphorical, who knows? But GOD IS THERE). To say "there is no hell" seems to me in some ways as dogmatic (though perhaps not as dangerous) as to say "hell has no end."
That being said, I admired the spirit in which Brian wrote of those who have wronged him. That covered a multitude of ills for me. And while I don't see this book being in any way appealing to those in my own circles—like ECT apologetics for someone like Parton, they would not find it a strong argument, and would be as liable to be More Fully Persuaded in the verity of their own beliefs—I trust it will be healing to a certain demographic also scarred by the discovery that the adults around them are, crushingly, not lying when they speak of hell.
Turns out they were not lying.
I wonder what that would be like, to remember the first time you heard about hell. My children won't be so protected; we've heard half a dozen hell sermons over the past several years, and I fear it is partly my fault, pastors endeavoring to refute the by-some-unheard-of hope I've expressed, in the final restoration of all things. Curt Parton (https://youtu.be/HHaIwI3Bcp4) says there's nothing to fear from eternal-conscious-torment defensiveness; it's as likely to unconvince as to convince. (Indeed, another of my friends read Erasing Hell and dropped her belief in ECT in favor of conditionalism.) But still—to raise a child without knowledge of hell?! I hope someone somewhere is doing it.
When my second-grader comes home from school saying this person or that person will go to hell, I tell her we can't know who will go there, but what is the most important thing to know about hell? She answers correctly: God is there.
Just this past weekend, we attended a church in another state, and the deacon invited us all to read Psalm 136 together, aloud. Five minutes after we had ALL said, twenty-six times, "His mercy endureth forever," the deacon clarified: "Someday His mercy will come to an end."
Everyone sat in serene silence.
For the record, folks: Only His wrath is finite. See Rev. 15:1.
Brian Recker won't be raising his children without knowledge of hell. He wrote a book about it. In it, he describes hell in the same way I have described feeling the presence of hell in my childhood—as a deep dark pit that could never quite leave my consciousness. It was the One Worst Thing Ever That Could Happen to You. And when it's the One Worst Thing, truly no holds are barred, no effort, no anger, no fear is too great to yield to, in persuading children to avoid it.
Based on this premise, I appreciate Recker's intentions in writing this book. He connects the fear of hell to any number of evils in present-day Christendom. I think he's right in this matter.
My chief discomfort—though not my only one; I was also uneasy with his wholesale hero-worship of MLK—with Recker's book is that he repeatedly states that there is no hell. And I don't think it is possible to say, definitively, from Scripture or from experience, that there is no postmortem hell (whether literal or metaphorical, who knows? But GOD IS THERE). To say "there is no hell" seems to me in some ways as dogmatic (though perhaps not as dangerous) as to say "hell has no end."
That being said, I admired the spirit in which Brian wrote of those who have wronged him. That covered a multitude of ills for me. And while I don't see this book being in any way appealing to those in my own circles—like ECT apologetics for someone like Parton, they would not find it a strong argument, and would be as liable to be More Fully Persuaded in the verity of their own beliefs—I trust it will be healing to a certain demographic also scarred by the discovery that the adults around them are, crushingly, not lying when they speak of hell.
November 10, 2025
This was by far one of the most interesting books I’ve read (audiobook). Still navigating what I agree & disagree with, but either way this book lead me to a deeper relationship with Jesus by reminding me of His love- Ephesians 3. It also opened up A LOT of questions & helps me understand other peoples perspectives (which I think is what Brian Reckers desire was from this)
December 10, 2025
i’ll start this by saying this isn’t my typical type of book and i’m not religious. didn’t grow up super religious or anything but this was absolutely incredible. BR was incredible and came with receipts aka verses. highly recommend this to anyone regardless of religious beliefs or affiliation.
October 22, 2025
I am SURE that evangelicals are already mad about this book. Still worth it.
My library got the audiobook before the ebook on Libby, so that's what I read. Audio is read by the author, and you can definitely hear his passion.
I grew up nondenom/SBC, and Recker was a little more fundie, I think IFB? So while I related to some of the fear-based theology stories that he told, I guess I'm thankful to have not been in that depth. Nevertheless, anyone who grew up in evangelicalism or scared of Hell could appreciate this book.
Recker, a former evangelical pastor, talks about his faith journey, what the Bible actually says about Hell, how that impacts the rest of Christian theology (and why people are scared to change), and what faith can look like when you leave the idea of Hell behind. As I just told an exvangelical friend, I haven't read Rob Bell yet, but he does of course also mention that evangelical cancellation early on.
I have said for a while now that I hope that God is more gracious than I was taught, and that I like the idea of Universalism but I'm unsure. I think this book was a helpful introduction to some of the debate among actual theologians and Biblical experts about Hell and eschatology, and I feel better equipped to seek out more books on the subtopics that intrigued me. I also felt that this book fits well with some of the Liberation Theology that I have been reading, though it's obviously not a Liberation Theology book. This is not meant to answer every question, but it's very accessible and introduces the reader to new ideas and writers for deeper study.
In short, I thought this was a helpful introduction to historical contexts and research that I didn't know about, and it addressed an area that I've had discomfort with. I listened in audio so I couldn't see a bibliography, and I think that it would be helpful to check that later for further reading. I think this is a worthy book that can help a lot of exvangelicals think about Jesus in a new, more justice-filled way. Definitely worth the read.
My library got the audiobook before the ebook on Libby, so that's what I read. Audio is read by the author, and you can definitely hear his passion.
I grew up nondenom/SBC, and Recker was a little more fundie, I think IFB? So while I related to some of the fear-based theology stories that he told, I guess I'm thankful to have not been in that depth. Nevertheless, anyone who grew up in evangelicalism or scared of Hell could appreciate this book.
Recker, a former evangelical pastor, talks about his faith journey, what the Bible actually says about Hell, how that impacts the rest of Christian theology (and why people are scared to change), and what faith can look like when you leave the idea of Hell behind. As I just told an exvangelical friend, I haven't read Rob Bell yet, but he does of course also mention that evangelical cancellation early on.
I have said for a while now that I hope that God is more gracious than I was taught, and that I like the idea of Universalism but I'm unsure. I think this book was a helpful introduction to some of the debate among actual theologians and Biblical experts about Hell and eschatology, and I feel better equipped to seek out more books on the subtopics that intrigued me. I also felt that this book fits well with some of the Liberation Theology that I have been reading, though it's obviously not a Liberation Theology book. This is not meant to answer every question, but it's very accessible and introduces the reader to new ideas and writers for deeper study.
In short, I thought this was a helpful introduction to historical contexts and research that I didn't know about, and it addressed an area that I've had discomfort with. I listened in audio so I couldn't see a bibliography, and I think that it would be helpful to check that later for further reading. I think this is a worthy book that can help a lot of exvangelicals think about Jesus in a new, more justice-filled way. Definitely worth the read.
October 20, 2025
Brian Recker’s “Hell Bent” explores the concept of hell, redemption, and the nature of divine justice through a progressive theological lens. The book challenges traditional Christian teachings and invites readers to reconsider long held views about punishment, mercy, and salvation. Recker combines biblical interpretation with personal reflection, presenting a vision of faith that is both questioning and provocative.
The wonderful thing about the Bible is that it’s open to personal interpretation. Theologians can share their perspectives and describe Scripture as they best understand it, and that’s fine. While I agree with some of the ideas Brian presents, the overall tone of Hell Bent feels wildly liberal and, at times, borders on blasphemous. Still, I can appreciate the author’s courage to express his convictions, and some sections genuinely made me pause and think more deeply about complex spiritual topics. Regardless of where you stand politically or spiritually, it’s a decent read that may spark conversation, but for me, it missed the mark in both balance and biblical grounding.
The wonderful thing about the Bible is that it’s open to personal interpretation. Theologians can share their perspectives and describe Scripture as they best understand it, and that’s fine. While I agree with some of the ideas Brian presents, the overall tone of Hell Bent feels wildly liberal and, at times, borders on blasphemous. Still, I can appreciate the author’s courage to express his convictions, and some sections genuinely made me pause and think more deeply about complex spiritual topics. Regardless of where you stand politically or spiritually, it’s a decent read that may spark conversation, but for me, it missed the mark in both balance and biblical grounding.
November 1, 2025
I'm sure this book would trigger a lot of people, but I loved it. A good starter for those interested in further research. What is Christianity, without the threat of hell as a physical place of torment? Some excerpts I would like to return to (forgive my lack of page numbers):
The (modern) traditional view of hell:
"For most Christians, the whole point of Christian spirituality is salvation. Salvation from what? Salvation from hell. If you remove hell, there is no punishment to be saved from. For many people, that defeats the entire purpose of religion and spirituality. If you discard hell, the whole Christian story must be reconsidered."
"The sense of guilt I would feel during sermons like this was such a familiar sensation in church that, from a young age, I associated that feeling with true spirituality. In other words, I felt at my most spiritual when I was taking hell the most seriously."
Regarding the cognitive dissonance required to carry this concept of hell and a condemning god: "Unless you wanted to be very weird socially, you had to compartmentalize it...I believe that most evangelicals would prefer to avoid preaching to others about hell not because it's awkward or because their faith is weak but because they intuitively know it is a wicked doctrine that does not reflect the love of God."
Later, he says, "No amount of theological mental gymnastics can make fear and love coexist...Jesus, who commands us to love our enemies and do good for those who harm us (Luke 6:27). How nonsensical would it be if God didn't take God's own advice?"
What is the effect of this hell doctrine?
"For example, evangelicals often speak of good deeds like caring for the poor as a distraction from the 'main thing.' After all, no earthly justice is as important as keeping people out of hell. What good is feeding the hungry if we don't save their souls?" I heard this all the time!!
"This focus on hell doesn't just make conservative evangelicals ignore social welfare; it frequently causes them to actively oppose it…One of the hallmarks of toxic theology is that it causes you to reason yourself out of doing obviously good things for people in the name of your theology…The most unloving beliefs could be called loving when they were done in the name of saving people from hell."
Whenever something bad happens on Earth, the "vague platitudes" like "remember where your citizenship lies" piss me off, because they "actually enable oppression by failing to confront it directly and minimizing the importance of our earthly involvement."
If someone dares to question the doctrines: "For all their bemoaning of 'cancel culture,' nobody knows how to execute swift judgement on dissenting opinions quite like evangelicals."
So if hell isn't a physical place, what then?
"If hell is real, then it's true that this world doesn't matter very much. The suffering of the world is but the blink of an eye compared to everlasting torment. Our lives in this world are a blip compared to eternity. If there is an eternal hell for the unsaved, then the only valuable purpose of this life is to be 'saved' to avoid such a fate. This is slaveholder logic, and it has justified every possible evil under the sun...But this life is not about escaping hell. There is no hell to escape except the hells we create for ourselves and for others."
So then why did Jesus die?
He didn't just die, "[he] was an executed enemy of the state...If Jesus only died as a substitute for God's punishment against sin, then Jesus did not have to be killed as a political agitator fighting for a better world…If we fail to acknowledge the political connotations of Jesus's death, then we hamstring his message."
"(It remains unclear to me why Jesus's payment only works if we believe in it, since the Bible says repeatedly that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world)"
Regarding the Eastern Orthodox belief of the "harrowing of hell," that when Jesus died and descended into hell, he lead out all of the souls who had repented:
"you will still find images of Jesus entering hell and leading out a train of captives, in a kind of transcendental prison break. Evangelicals, however, rarely discuss this doctrine, because it implies that salvation is something that can happen after death, which defies their core assumptions about salvation. If Jesus could deliver souls from hell once, then why couldn't the love of God continue to liberate souls after death, eventually drawing all people into the love of God?"
So then what is hell, if not a physical place?
"Hell is what happens when we fail to recognize our connection to each other."
The (modern) traditional view of hell:
"For most Christians, the whole point of Christian spirituality is salvation. Salvation from what? Salvation from hell. If you remove hell, there is no punishment to be saved from. For many people, that defeats the entire purpose of religion and spirituality. If you discard hell, the whole Christian story must be reconsidered."
"The sense of guilt I would feel during sermons like this was such a familiar sensation in church that, from a young age, I associated that feeling with true spirituality. In other words, I felt at my most spiritual when I was taking hell the most seriously."
Regarding the cognitive dissonance required to carry this concept of hell and a condemning god: "Unless you wanted to be very weird socially, you had to compartmentalize it...I believe that most evangelicals would prefer to avoid preaching to others about hell not because it's awkward or because their faith is weak but because they intuitively know it is a wicked doctrine that does not reflect the love of God."
Later, he says, "No amount of theological mental gymnastics can make fear and love coexist...Jesus, who commands us to love our enemies and do good for those who harm us (Luke 6:27). How nonsensical would it be if God didn't take God's own advice?"
What is the effect of this hell doctrine?
"For example, evangelicals often speak of good deeds like caring for the poor as a distraction from the 'main thing.' After all, no earthly justice is as important as keeping people out of hell. What good is feeding the hungry if we don't save their souls?" I heard this all the time!!
"This focus on hell doesn't just make conservative evangelicals ignore social welfare; it frequently causes them to actively oppose it…One of the hallmarks of toxic theology is that it causes you to reason yourself out of doing obviously good things for people in the name of your theology…The most unloving beliefs could be called loving when they were done in the name of saving people from hell."
Whenever something bad happens on Earth, the "vague platitudes" like "remember where your citizenship lies" piss me off, because they "actually enable oppression by failing to confront it directly and minimizing the importance of our earthly involvement."
If someone dares to question the doctrines: "For all their bemoaning of 'cancel culture,' nobody knows how to execute swift judgement on dissenting opinions quite like evangelicals."
So if hell isn't a physical place, what then?
"If hell is real, then it's true that this world doesn't matter very much. The suffering of the world is but the blink of an eye compared to everlasting torment. Our lives in this world are a blip compared to eternity. If there is an eternal hell for the unsaved, then the only valuable purpose of this life is to be 'saved' to avoid such a fate. This is slaveholder logic, and it has justified every possible evil under the sun...But this life is not about escaping hell. There is no hell to escape except the hells we create for ourselves and for others."
So then why did Jesus die?
He didn't just die, "[he] was an executed enemy of the state...If Jesus only died as a substitute for God's punishment against sin, then Jesus did not have to be killed as a political agitator fighting for a better world…If we fail to acknowledge the political connotations of Jesus's death, then we hamstring his message."
"(It remains unclear to me why Jesus's payment only works if we believe in it, since the Bible says repeatedly that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world)"
Regarding the Eastern Orthodox belief of the "harrowing of hell," that when Jesus died and descended into hell, he lead out all of the souls who had repented:
"you will still find images of Jesus entering hell and leading out a train of captives, in a kind of transcendental prison break. Evangelicals, however, rarely discuss this doctrine, because it implies that salvation is something that can happen after death, which defies their core assumptions about salvation. If Jesus could deliver souls from hell once, then why couldn't the love of God continue to liberate souls after death, eventually drawing all people into the love of God?"
So then what is hell, if not a physical place?
"Hell is what happens when we fail to recognize our connection to each other."
October 31, 2025
Brian Recker lives in Raleigh and I was able to attend his book event at Quail Ridge Books on publication day. I loved getting to hear him share more about his experiences of deconstructing the beliefs he was raised with as he grew up in a fundamentalist sect of Christianity, centered around the threat of eternal conscious torment in hell. Seeing someone reclaim the truth of God’s love from such damaging theology is always so encouraging and inspiring.
“Salvation is not about choosing the right theological beliefs to avoid hell. It's about recognizing the goodness and divinity in the despised "other" and joining in on the party God is throwing, where everybody is invited. Jesus never tells people they need to change their doctrine or convert to another religion in order to be saved from hell. Jesus doesn't defend theology, he defends the humanity of the vulnerable and the marginal. Jesus doesn't explain the one correct statement of faith to his disciples; he meets real human needs, while calling out religious leaders for the hypocrisy of caring more about dogma than justice and mercy.”
***
“So many Christians, especially evangelicals, tend to make the Bible about the afterlife, which causes them to interpret everything Jesus said to be about heaven or hell. But really, the Bible is about this life. The narrow gate isn't about going to heaven, and the wide gate isn't about going to hell. It's about treating people in this world the way we would want to be treated. We want health care for ourselves and our loved ones, so we should want everyone to have health care. We wouldn't want bombs dropping on our babies, so we should demand that our country stop dropping bombs on other people's babies. This difficult practice of solidarity and love—love for oneself, one's neighbors, and even one's enemies—leads to life: the wholeness and flourishing of the beloved community.
“This is a narrow way; few there are that find it. It is easier to look out for "me and mine." Self-preservation and tribalism come naturally to us. Empathy is harder. The wide gate—the way of empires, the way of power, the way of "othering" and oppression—leads to a languishing downward spiral of violence and dehumanization. Jesus isn't talking about hell; he's talking about a world without love, without empathy and solidarity. Hell on earth. That is the meaning of Gehenna.”
***
“So let us not spiritualize Jesus's words into vague threats of a fiery afterlife. Let us hear them as the urgent wake-up call they are: to see the hells around us, and within us, and commit to the hard work of repentance and repair; to build a world where "the least of these" can flourish and where God's love and justice are known on earth, as they are in heaven.
“The alternative is hell.”
***
“This evolution of our understanding of God is always moving from judgment toward mercy, from exclusion toward reconciliation. In many ancient scriptures, God seems to be a tribal God. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is pitted against the gods of other nations: our god versus theirs. But that is not the final picture of God. This view is repudiated by the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, and the coming of Jesus pushes the narrative even further toward universalism. In 1 John, one of the latest written books of the Bible, we finally get the majestic definition that "God is love." There is nothing more universal than love; it is the inheritance of all people, and it's where the story is heading.
For everybody.”
***
“Crucifying people isn't what God does; it's what the rulers of this world do. By putting Jesus on the cross, the powers of domination said an emphatic no to the kingdom of God They say no to inclusion for all people, no to centering the marginalized, no to valuing people over religious dogmas, and no to lifting up the poor and letting the last be first. They said no to liberation.
“But the cross is not the end of the story. Three days later, an empty tomb vindicated the mission of Jesus. Because no matter what the Roman Empire said about Jesus's mission, God said yes. Living the way of Jesus may not lead to success under the powers of this world, but the resurrection is God's stamp of approval that the way Jesus lived is the way God wants us all to live. The struggle for liberation may lead to a cross, but God vindicates that way of love with an empty tomb. The world puts love to death, but God raises the dead. This is a powerful reminder for those of us joining the fight for a better world.”
***
“On the cross, Jesus went through hell—not in the sense that he was punished in our place so that God isn't forced to punish us, but in the sense that Jesus did not sow the seeds of hell, but he reaped hell anyway. He reaped the violence that other people sowed. That's how he died for our sin. His life of love reveals where our hateful actions lead, and when we see this, and when we are moved by it, we have the opportunity to be transformed by this vision of love and called to a better way. We can be saved…
“The cross shows me what God wants: liberation. The cross reminds me that God is with the movement of the kingdom of God, and that wherever we struggle for justice against the forces of domination, God is with us, even when the odds are against us.
“The cross shows me what God can do: God can redeem even the darkest sorrows. A vision of the cross can give me hope that God is at work in my suffering. God is not the author of evil, but God can wring good out of bad.
“The cross shows me what God is like: love, all the way down. A never-stopping love, for the victims and the perpetrators. This is a God who would rather suffer for their enemies than punish them.
“The cross shows me who God is with: the marginalized, the scapegoats of history, the suffering ones. And God invites me to join Jesus there…
“The good news is, God's presence with you and love for you are not dependent on what you believe about the cross. The cross itself shows us that you couldn't break free from God's love if you tried.”
“Salvation is not about choosing the right theological beliefs to avoid hell. It's about recognizing the goodness and divinity in the despised "other" and joining in on the party God is throwing, where everybody is invited. Jesus never tells people they need to change their doctrine or convert to another religion in order to be saved from hell. Jesus doesn't defend theology, he defends the humanity of the vulnerable and the marginal. Jesus doesn't explain the one correct statement of faith to his disciples; he meets real human needs, while calling out religious leaders for the hypocrisy of caring more about dogma than justice and mercy.”
***
“So many Christians, especially evangelicals, tend to make the Bible about the afterlife, which causes them to interpret everything Jesus said to be about heaven or hell. But really, the Bible is about this life. The narrow gate isn't about going to heaven, and the wide gate isn't about going to hell. It's about treating people in this world the way we would want to be treated. We want health care for ourselves and our loved ones, so we should want everyone to have health care. We wouldn't want bombs dropping on our babies, so we should demand that our country stop dropping bombs on other people's babies. This difficult practice of solidarity and love—love for oneself, one's neighbors, and even one's enemies—leads to life: the wholeness and flourishing of the beloved community.
“This is a narrow way; few there are that find it. It is easier to look out for "me and mine." Self-preservation and tribalism come naturally to us. Empathy is harder. The wide gate—the way of empires, the way of power, the way of "othering" and oppression—leads to a languishing downward spiral of violence and dehumanization. Jesus isn't talking about hell; he's talking about a world without love, without empathy and solidarity. Hell on earth. That is the meaning of Gehenna.”
***
“So let us not spiritualize Jesus's words into vague threats of a fiery afterlife. Let us hear them as the urgent wake-up call they are: to see the hells around us, and within us, and commit to the hard work of repentance and repair; to build a world where "the least of these" can flourish and where God's love and justice are known on earth, as they are in heaven.
“The alternative is hell.”
***
“This evolution of our understanding of God is always moving from judgment toward mercy, from exclusion toward reconciliation. In many ancient scriptures, God seems to be a tribal God. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is pitted against the gods of other nations: our god versus theirs. But that is not the final picture of God. This view is repudiated by the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, and the coming of Jesus pushes the narrative even further toward universalism. In 1 John, one of the latest written books of the Bible, we finally get the majestic definition that "God is love." There is nothing more universal than love; it is the inheritance of all people, and it's where the story is heading.
For everybody.”
***
“Crucifying people isn't what God does; it's what the rulers of this world do. By putting Jesus on the cross, the powers of domination said an emphatic no to the kingdom of God They say no to inclusion for all people, no to centering the marginalized, no to valuing people over religious dogmas, and no to lifting up the poor and letting the last be first. They said no to liberation.
“But the cross is not the end of the story. Three days later, an empty tomb vindicated the mission of Jesus. Because no matter what the Roman Empire said about Jesus's mission, God said yes. Living the way of Jesus may not lead to success under the powers of this world, but the resurrection is God's stamp of approval that the way Jesus lived is the way God wants us all to live. The struggle for liberation may lead to a cross, but God vindicates that way of love with an empty tomb. The world puts love to death, but God raises the dead. This is a powerful reminder for those of us joining the fight for a better world.”
***
“On the cross, Jesus went through hell—not in the sense that he was punished in our place so that God isn't forced to punish us, but in the sense that Jesus did not sow the seeds of hell, but he reaped hell anyway. He reaped the violence that other people sowed. That's how he died for our sin. His life of love reveals where our hateful actions lead, and when we see this, and when we are moved by it, we have the opportunity to be transformed by this vision of love and called to a better way. We can be saved…
“The cross shows me what God wants: liberation. The cross reminds me that God is with the movement of the kingdom of God, and that wherever we struggle for justice against the forces of domination, God is with us, even when the odds are against us.
“The cross shows me what God can do: God can redeem even the darkest sorrows. A vision of the cross can give me hope that God is at work in my suffering. God is not the author of evil, but God can wring good out of bad.
“The cross shows me what God is like: love, all the way down. A never-stopping love, for the victims and the perpetrators. This is a God who would rather suffer for their enemies than punish them.
“The cross shows me who God is with: the marginalized, the scapegoats of history, the suffering ones. And God invites me to join Jesus there…
“The good news is, God's presence with you and love for you are not dependent on what you believe about the cross. The cross itself shows us that you couldn't break free from God's love if you tried.”
November 9, 2025
Great stuff! Really love the structure of how the main message is presented. Negatives of fear based spirituality, main arguments against classical hell, the rebuilding a new spirituality of Love in place of the one he just took down.
Agree or disagree with his position of Universalism this book is well written, organized, and is clearly made with a deep love for the reader as well as the heart and message of Jesus.
I absolutely recommend a read, and beyond that allow your heart to be open. God speaks in mysterious ways sometimes and as the Bible makes clear that sometimes is from those we tend to label as outsiders and heretics. And if you find yourself in disagreement still you're bound to have a lot of questions to work on better answers too, and a whole lot of psychological and spiritual work to figure out how to answer his challenges for your own heart.
So reading it is a win/win regardless of if you are convicted or convinced.
Agree or disagree with his position of Universalism this book is well written, organized, and is clearly made with a deep love for the reader as well as the heart and message of Jesus.
I absolutely recommend a read, and beyond that allow your heart to be open. God speaks in mysterious ways sometimes and as the Bible makes clear that sometimes is from those we tend to label as outsiders and heretics. And if you find yourself in disagreement still you're bound to have a lot of questions to work on better answers too, and a whole lot of psychological and spiritual work to figure out how to answer his challenges for your own heart.
So reading it is a win/win regardless of if you are convicted or convinced.
December 10, 2025
I enjoyed this book. Well, I kind of had to read this book regardless because Brian’s instagram post about hell actually sent me in a full spiral of my 29 year old faith and completely disoriented me and out of panic, I read this. It brought up a lot of the questions that came out of my spiral of my faith, which I appreciated. Some of the questions even followed with the same follow up questions I had.
Did I agree with everything Brian said…not necessarily. I am totally open to the concept of universalism and I pray that Christians try to build the kingdom here on earth and not just wait for eternity. However he made some sweeping, broad statements that made me think…I’m not really sure what is connecting him to Christianity anymore. To be fair to him, he did explain why. Maybe I am just uncomfortable because I am working through my own deconstruction and reconstruction.
I do feel more comfortable knowing that I am building a faith out of knowing God is good and full of love, and his Kingdom is worthy rather than my faith being based on a get out of hell free card.
Definitely a good read, but also a very difficult one if you aren’t prepared to completely analyze everything you’ve ever believed.
Did I agree with everything Brian said…not necessarily. I am totally open to the concept of universalism and I pray that Christians try to build the kingdom here on earth and not just wait for eternity. However he made some sweeping, broad statements that made me think…I’m not really sure what is connecting him to Christianity anymore. To be fair to him, he did explain why. Maybe I am just uncomfortable because I am working through my own deconstruction and reconstruction.
I do feel more comfortable knowing that I am building a faith out of knowing God is good and full of love, and his Kingdom is worthy rather than my faith being based on a get out of hell free card.
Definitely a good read, but also a very difficult one if you aren’t prepared to completely analyze everything you’ve ever believed.
November 30, 2025
As someone who grew up Christian and very involved in my church community but eventually stepped away from the church when I got older for personal belief reasons, this is the first book I’ve read that aligns so closely with my feelings. Listened to the audiobook which is read by the author, he did a great job but once in a while it felt like I was listening to a sermon. In my opinion he has very grounded and thoughtful conclusions about Christianity and God
October 20, 2025
Wow. Such a powerful and thought-provoking read. Raised in a traditional, hell-focused environment, I’ve long struggled with ideas of eternal damnation and the Christian community, especially since becoming a parent.
This book unpacks deeply rooted beliefs while still being sensitive to those who may want to remain in the faith or those who want to leave. Brian Recker’s insight and compassion shine throughout.
I highly recommend Hell Bent to anyone on their deconstruction journey. It left me feeling affirmed, encouraged, and hopeful. The Christianity Brian describes is one I want to belong to—and one I want to raise my children in.
This book unpacks deeply rooted beliefs while still being sensitive to those who may want to remain in the faith or those who want to leave. Brian Recker’s insight and compassion shine throughout.
I highly recommend Hell Bent to anyone on their deconstruction journey. It left me feeling affirmed, encouraged, and hopeful. The Christianity Brian describes is one I want to belong to—and one I want to raise my children in.
December 3, 2025
No book has been or will be more healing for me than this. I highlighted 92 excerpts. As someone who was raised in fear of all the things that would send me to hell, I’ve spent a years as an adult untangling this manipulation from the loving God I know exists. Brian’s words and explanations of scripture will continue to bring me joy and hope. There are too many evangelicals using God as a weapon to divide us. The book reminded me of all the places I can find spirituality. ❤️🩹
October 13, 2025
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. incredibly compassionate and healing views on hell, spirituality, and love. borrowed the audiobook from the library since it became available first and so glad I listened. it's clear he used to be a charismatic pastor and served him well in the message. will likely purchase so I can read again.
November 19, 2025
This book has changed my life. My walk with Jesus is stronger because of this. Read it!
October 13, 2025
This book was so well done. I listened to the audiobook but will probably get a hard copy of it so I can reread it again. I think I will remember this book as helping to shape by faith as much as books I've read by Richard Rohr and Pete Ens.
October 14, 2025
Very conversational, but also very smart and intriguing. Sometimes I felt like he just kept circling for awhile there before getting to the point, but that’s also just kind of how he talks.
October 28, 2025
I have too many thoughts to leave a cohesive review, so if you know me in real life, read it and let's discuss. I'm a big fan of Richard Rohr, Thomas Merten, Rob Bell, and Pete Enns, who are mentioned quite a bit, so a lot of Recker's ideas in the book aren't new to me. I think we've been reading the same books and listening to the same podcasts, haha. Regardless, I'm able to relate to much of his story. I love the final chapter. It gives me a lot of hope that I will find a spiritual community again one day, if I want.
September 26, 2025
I was able to get an advanced copy of this book and I’m so glad I did! I’ve been working through my deconstruction from evangelicalism for the past two years, and fear of hell is something that’s continued to linger. The only book so far that I’ve been able to find on hell is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife by Bart D. Ehrman. While Ehrman’s book was good, it was very heavily theological and difficult to understand in places. The thing I most appreciated about Brian Recker’s Hell Bent was that it addressed the concept of hell from an easy to understand perspective, while still bringing in history and theology to back up his points. While Recker is still an active pastor (one who had deconstructed and rebuilt his spiritually), he writes from a compassionate viewpoint that is inclusive of those who have deconstructed, those who are still actively in Christianity, and those who know nothing about it. Recker is a uniquely gifted communicator and this book really showcases that.
You know a book is going to be good when it opens with a quote from David Bowie, and goes on to include quotes, stories, and poems from the likes of Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Richard Rorh. This is the type of spirituality that originally drew me further into my faith, and that I’ve been trying to get back to since leaving the church. Throughout the book he keeps going back to the point that when Jesus talked about “hell” (“Gehenna” in Hebrew), it’s not hell as we currently think about it (eternal punishment for rejecting Jesus), but the consequences for our harmful actions on Earth now. He traces this concept through scripture, but also through history (Augustine, Middle Ages theology, and modern interpretations). He does an excellent job of framing current problems with this concept. In the end he concludes that Christian spirituality is not about trying to avoid punishment, but about transformation. No matter where you are in your spirituality, if you’ve been touched in any way by the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment then this book’s for you!
You know a book is going to be good when it opens with a quote from David Bowie, and goes on to include quotes, stories, and poems from the likes of Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Richard Rorh. This is the type of spirituality that originally drew me further into my faith, and that I’ve been trying to get back to since leaving the church. Throughout the book he keeps going back to the point that when Jesus talked about “hell” (“Gehenna” in Hebrew), it’s not hell as we currently think about it (eternal punishment for rejecting Jesus), but the consequences for our harmful actions on Earth now. He traces this concept through scripture, but also through history (Augustine, Middle Ages theology, and modern interpretations). He does an excellent job of framing current problems with this concept. In the end he concludes that Christian spirituality is not about trying to avoid punishment, but about transformation. No matter where you are in your spirituality, if you’ve been touched in any way by the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment then this book’s for you!
September 26, 2025
I’ve never resonated so much with a book before. This book had me crying as I relived my childhood and upbringing, reminiscing on a lot of religious trauma. Touching on how fear based religion causes us to doubt ourself and our intuition.
One of my favorite quotes: “We should be serving and loving people for love’s own sake! If we’re only doing works of love to save people from hell, then our love isn’t pure—it has an agenda!”
Brian truly depicted how God is loving God and not a punishing God, calling us to love one another regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. I laughed when he stated “claiming that a relationship with a punishing God is actually all based on love is a kind of gaslighting.” literally, so true! LOL
This is one of my favorite and healing reads of the year, highly recommend, especially if you have religious trauma!
One of my favorite quotes: “We should be serving and loving people for love’s own sake! If we’re only doing works of love to save people from hell, then our love isn’t pure—it has an agenda!”
Brian truly depicted how God is loving God and not a punishing God, calling us to love one another regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. I laughed when he stated “claiming that a relationship with a punishing God is actually all based on love is a kind of gaslighting.” literally, so true! LOL
This is one of my favorite and healing reads of the year, highly recommend, especially if you have religious trauma!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2025
As someone who grew up deeply embedded in church culture—purity culture, fear-based teachings, and the terrifying idea that God’s love was conditional—Hell Bent by Brian Recker felt like someone finally turning on the lights in a room I didn’t know I was still afraid of.
Recker writes with clarity and compassion, offering a compelling case for love over fear, joy over shame, and grace over gatekeeping. Reading his work, I found myself returning to memories I’ve carried for decades, like being ten years old and lying awake at night because my church taught me I might not be “worthy” enough to be taken in the rapture. That kind of fear settles deep into a child’s bones.
But what struck me most about Hell Bent is how it affirms something I’ve slowly, painfully discovered on my own spiritual journey: I never lost my love for God or for Jesus. What I lost were the fear-soaked interpretations handed to me by people who believed control could produce holiness.
Recker’s message gave language to what I’ve believed in my heart for years, that the God I love is not the God I was taught to fear. God is love. And we cannot claim to follow a God of love while participating in cultures of exclusion, judgment, and hate.
This book is a gentle, powerful reminder that faith can be expansive, healing, and rooted in acceptance. It was a balm to old wounds and an encouragement toward a freer, truer spirituality.
I choose love. I choose acceptance. And I choose the God of love and acceptance. This book beautifully affirms that choice.
Recker writes with clarity and compassion, offering a compelling case for love over fear, joy over shame, and grace over gatekeeping. Reading his work, I found myself returning to memories I’ve carried for decades, like being ten years old and lying awake at night because my church taught me I might not be “worthy” enough to be taken in the rapture. That kind of fear settles deep into a child’s bones.
But what struck me most about Hell Bent is how it affirms something I’ve slowly, painfully discovered on my own spiritual journey: I never lost my love for God or for Jesus. What I lost were the fear-soaked interpretations handed to me by people who believed control could produce holiness.
Recker’s message gave language to what I’ve believed in my heart for years, that the God I love is not the God I was taught to fear. God is love. And we cannot claim to follow a God of love while participating in cultures of exclusion, judgment, and hate.
This book is a gentle, powerful reminder that faith can be expansive, healing, and rooted in acceptance. It was a balm to old wounds and an encouragement toward a freer, truer spirituality.
I choose love. I choose acceptance. And I choose the God of love and acceptance. This book beautifully affirms that choice.
September 22, 2025
“Take a moment to breathe deeply and remind yourself that nobody actually knows exactly what happens when we die” - Brian Recker
As a queer who was raised in Evangelicalism, this book was a book of fresh air. I never realized how much of my perspective on life was rooted in the fear-based belief system I was given as a young child. Being taught that your only escape from eternal burning was a man dying on a cross for all the bad you have done and ever will do, you’ll do and believe just about anything to get out. Unfortunately, I’m not alone in this belief and Brian really brings this to the surface in this book. He outlines exactly how that belief system has damaged so many of us and has created a religion of exclusion and hate. Throughout the book, Brian walks the reader through some of his own deconstruction journey and how he learned to see Jesus’ teachings as a path to love and heaven on earth, not just a get out of jail free card.
If you’re curious about Jesus, interested in spirituality or even just grew up in a home that offered nothing more than authoritarian style principles, this book is definitely a good read! It opens your eyes to so much more than abrasive rules and systems of oppression, instead offering a path to hope, love and inclusion. And I must say this book could not have been released at a better time when this world can use all the hope and love we can get!
As a queer who was raised in Evangelicalism, this book was a book of fresh air. I never realized how much of my perspective on life was rooted in the fear-based belief system I was given as a young child. Being taught that your only escape from eternal burning was a man dying on a cross for all the bad you have done and ever will do, you’ll do and believe just about anything to get out. Unfortunately, I’m not alone in this belief and Brian really brings this to the surface in this book. He outlines exactly how that belief system has damaged so many of us and has created a religion of exclusion and hate. Throughout the book, Brian walks the reader through some of his own deconstruction journey and how he learned to see Jesus’ teachings as a path to love and heaven on earth, not just a get out of jail free card.
If you’re curious about Jesus, interested in spirituality or even just grew up in a home that offered nothing more than authoritarian style principles, this book is definitely a good read! It opens your eyes to so much more than abrasive rules and systems of oppression, instead offering a path to hope, love and inclusion. And I must say this book could not have been released at a better time when this world can use all the hope and love we can get!
November 25, 2025
God is love, to all of us. And we bring God to others through love, not condemnation…and no, there is never a circumstance where those can be one and the same.
This is a great book that I suspect will help a lot of people who desperately want and need to escape a version of their religion that has so often and for so long taught exclusion as its primary message. But no…love.
There were times I wished this was a little more scholarly, but ultimately I’m glad this is so approachable. And that’s not to say that it isn’t well-researched and thoroughly cited because it certainly is! (With lots of those citations being the Bible itself, mind you.)
I especially love the chapters where Recker explores what the love and sacrifice of Christ can mean without the fear of eternal torment in hell as the alternative.
Love one another.
Bookstagram - @chelsealikesbooks
This is a great book that I suspect will help a lot of people who desperately want and need to escape a version of their religion that has so often and for so long taught exclusion as its primary message. But no…love.
There were times I wished this was a little more scholarly, but ultimately I’m glad this is so approachable. And that’s not to say that it isn’t well-researched and thoroughly cited because it certainly is! (With lots of those citations being the Bible itself, mind you.)
I especially love the chapters where Recker explores what the love and sacrifice of Christ can mean without the fear of eternal torment in hell as the alternative.
Love one another.
Bookstagram - @chelsealikesbooks
October 13, 2025
This author does a wonderful job at breaking down scriptures into historical context while also addressing translation errors that evangelical Christianity does not acknowledge. Growing up in the harmful theology of evangelical Christianity/christian nationalism, there has always seemed to be a disconnect between the church, what scripture says, and how christians behave. Today, Jesus' love is replaced by superiority, egos, and power grabs. This book is a wonderful breakdown of what Christianity is at it's core, how modern day religion ignores it, and how we must reconcile these errors.
October 5, 2025
This book is very relevant for understanding some of the key impacts of fundamentalist and evangelical fear-enforcing that has been affecting America even before segregation, and is still present in the modern day. I think this book is most helpful for people who are Christians or deconstructing, but this was very informative for myself. This was a bit a long but the structure was still fine and largely successful, it was just somewhat hard to hold onto the information.
October 21, 2025
I finally worked up the courage to read Rob Bell’s Love Wins a few months ago—after a decade of believing it was heresy.
And I agreed with so much.
It turns out that the view of Christianity I was raised with has crumbled under the world we live in.
Hell Bent was the logical next read, and I devoured it.
Could it really be a book that revered Jesus, upheld scriptures, and still said hell (as an eternal afterlife) doesn’t exist?!
What a beautiful, tender, and biblical read Recker gives us in this book.
As an exvangelical who believes wholeheartedly in reconnecting to God, myself, and others, I’ve found myself evangelizing for this book.
And I agreed with so much.
It turns out that the view of Christianity I was raised with has crumbled under the world we live in.
Hell Bent was the logical next read, and I devoured it.
Could it really be a book that revered Jesus, upheld scriptures, and still said hell (as an eternal afterlife) doesn’t exist?!
What a beautiful, tender, and biblical read Recker gives us in this book.
As an exvangelical who believes wholeheartedly in reconnecting to God, myself, and others, I’ve found myself evangelizing for this book.
October 26, 2025
This book felt like getting advice from a wiser friend or older sibling. I really needed this message of hope and love right now. I loved the honest writing style and the way Brian provided critique without hate. My inner curious child was finally given permission to openly ask the questions about God that had been stifled before and I finally feel at peace with a faith different than I was taught.
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