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Unquenchable Fire: The Traditional Christian Teaching about Hell
The doctrine of hell as a place of eternal punishment has never been easy for Christians to accept. The temptation to retreat from and reject the Church’s traditional teaching about hell is particularly strong in our current culture, which has demonstrably lost its sense of sin. Fr. Lawrence Farley examines the Orthodox Church’s teaching on this difficult subject through the lens of Scripture and patristic writings, making the case that the existence of hell does not negate that of a loving and forgiving God.
240 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2017
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86 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence R. Farley
36 books42 followersFather Lawrence, born in 1954, completed his M. Div. at Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology in 1979. After 6 years in pastoral ministry with the Anglican Church of Canada, he entered the Orthodox Church and completed a Certificate program at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986. Since 1987 he has served as the pastor St. Herman of Alaska Church in Langley BC, a missionary parish of the OCA (Archdiocese of Canada) founded by local laity, which has since grown to attain regular parish status and purchased its own building. Several priests, deacons, and lay members of new missions have emerged from the membership of St. Herman’s. Fr. Lawrence is the author of the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series from Conciliar Press, and of a number of other books and articles, and appears in regular weekday podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio. He lives in Surrey B.C. with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 4, 2024
Incredible book that presents a damning case against Universalism and Conditionalism.
Father Lawrence strikes a perfect balance between being thorough and concise. One of his main strengths as a scholar is his understanding and ability to pull from the totality of orthodoxy, that is, not limiting himself to just the Bible but all of the church’s teaching and tradition. Father Lawrence presents evidence from apocryphal writings, the church fathers, the liturgy, the councils, Christ’s historical context, and even iconography. Breadth and depth of evidence and yet the book never drags.
I most enjoyed three chapters in particular.
Chapter 6: Origen and His Legacy
I found the discussion of how Origen was regarded during his lifetime vs how his legacy went on to be regarded as not only of great historical interest but also a very strong point against the Universalist.
Chapter 8: The Morality of the Teaching about Hell
Here Father Lawrence does an amazing job philosophically arguing against several common objections against the morality of Hell. His use of Lewis to combat the common atheist view of ‘God as a vindictive tyrant’ is nothing new but is worded exceptionally well and clearly. Most impressive, however, are his arguments against Dr. David Bentley Hart. Contra Hart, Father Lawrence argues that humans do indeed posses the power pervert our ‘primordially oriented-toward-the-good power’ into something entirely different. Father Lawrence then correctly identifies Hart would not want to call this ‘free-will’, to which Father Lawrence concedes, not wanting to “quibble about term[s]”. This is a great example of Father Lawrence’s ability to cut through the peripheral and go straight to the heart of any given issue. An ability that is in full display throughout the rest of the book.
Chapter 10 (conclusion): A New Day and Another Gospel
To conclude the book Father Lawrence briefly turns his attention to the question, ‘why does this even matter?’ He writes: “What we believe in our hearts matters, for sooner or later it will be lived out in our lives.” Great stuff!
On a personal note, I’ve had the opportunity of speaking with Father Lawrence on several occasions while I attending his church St. Herman’s of Alaska in Langley, BC for a few weeks. Father Lawrence is very kind, patient, and welcoming man who gives thoughtful answers no matter the question. Contrary to what you would expect from someone who wrote a book on such a severe topic, Father Lawrence carries with him a palpable levity. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who radiates as much love for God and love for their neighbour as Father Lawrence.
A great book written by a great man!
Father Lawrence strikes a perfect balance between being thorough and concise. One of his main strengths as a scholar is his understanding and ability to pull from the totality of orthodoxy, that is, not limiting himself to just the Bible but all of the church’s teaching and tradition. Father Lawrence presents evidence from apocryphal writings, the church fathers, the liturgy, the councils, Christ’s historical context, and even iconography. Breadth and depth of evidence and yet the book never drags.
I most enjoyed three chapters in particular.
Chapter 6: Origen and His Legacy
I found the discussion of how Origen was regarded during his lifetime vs how his legacy went on to be regarded as not only of great historical interest but also a very strong point against the Universalist.
Chapter 8: The Morality of the Teaching about Hell
Here Father Lawrence does an amazing job philosophically arguing against several common objections against the morality of Hell. His use of Lewis to combat the common atheist view of ‘God as a vindictive tyrant’ is nothing new but is worded exceptionally well and clearly. Most impressive, however, are his arguments against Dr. David Bentley Hart. Contra Hart, Father Lawrence argues that humans do indeed posses the power pervert our ‘primordially oriented-toward-the-good power’ into something entirely different. Father Lawrence then correctly identifies Hart would not want to call this ‘free-will’, to which Father Lawrence concedes, not wanting to “quibble about term[s]”. This is a great example of Father Lawrence’s ability to cut through the peripheral and go straight to the heart of any given issue. An ability that is in full display throughout the rest of the book.
Chapter 10 (conclusion): A New Day and Another Gospel
To conclude the book Father Lawrence briefly turns his attention to the question, ‘why does this even matter?’ He writes: “What we believe in our hearts matters, for sooner or later it will be lived out in our lives.” Great stuff!
On a personal note, I’ve had the opportunity of speaking with Father Lawrence on several occasions while I attending his church St. Herman’s of Alaska in Langley, BC for a few weeks. Father Lawrence is very kind, patient, and welcoming man who gives thoughtful answers no matter the question. Contrary to what you would expect from someone who wrote a book on such a severe topic, Father Lawrence carries with him a palpable levity. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who radiates as much love for God and love for their neighbour as Father Lawrence.
A great book written by a great man!
March 15, 2022
This is one hell of a book. *ba dum cha* Boo. Hiss. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. :)
This book is basically the Orthodox answer to Rob Bell's Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. It's aim is to look at the universalist (everyone will be saved) and conditionalist (the unrighteous will cease to exist) viewpoints as espoused by various modern Christian theologians and set them against the teachings of Christ, the Apostles, ancient Jewish culture, the Church Fathers, and the history of the Church itself. It's very thorough and precise, full of references and history as evidences that eternal suffering is very much a reality for those who chose to live a life apart from the Christian God.
The book is well-researched. I appreciated especially its exploration of ancient Jewish culture and thought, especially leading up to the time of Christ, and its chapter devoted to Origen, which was particularly instructive and respectful. I appreciated the way the argument was laid out, and honestly I found it surprisingly encouraging. You don't go into a book on hell expecting to feel joyful and edified, but I did. It brings a lot of ancient wisdom into our understanding of the world beyond and presents it in ways that are not commonly taught in Western worldviews. I definitely found myself enlightened by it.
However, I think it is a bit too focused and scholarly perhaps for the average reader. It's definitely written to and for the serious student of religion, and though it isn't overly technical, it assumes that the reader knows and understands certain phrases and concepts that are typically only used within the Bible college or seminary world. It's full of proof texts, which is great for a research paper, but does bog it down for a casual reader. Its focus is mainly on the refutation of universalism and conditionalism, but I think it would've served a broader audience if it had also included a look at the Orthodox views of heaven and salvation as those relate to the subject of hell. Most people who pick up a book on hell are going to want more than just the evidences of its reality but also a look at the solution and alternative to it. As it stands, it really is just an answer to a certain train of theological thought instead of something written to the average Christian.
Overall, I liked it. I learned a lot. I think if you're a Christian who wonders about or struggles with the concept of eternal punishment and how it's consistent with the view of a loving God, this book is very helpful. I think it would definitely make a good seminary read.
This book is basically the Orthodox answer to Rob Bell's Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. It's aim is to look at the universalist (everyone will be saved) and conditionalist (the unrighteous will cease to exist) viewpoints as espoused by various modern Christian theologians and set them against the teachings of Christ, the Apostles, ancient Jewish culture, the Church Fathers, and the history of the Church itself. It's very thorough and precise, full of references and history as evidences that eternal suffering is very much a reality for those who chose to live a life apart from the Christian God.
The book is well-researched. I appreciated especially its exploration of ancient Jewish culture and thought, especially leading up to the time of Christ, and its chapter devoted to Origen, which was particularly instructive and respectful. I appreciated the way the argument was laid out, and honestly I found it surprisingly encouraging. You don't go into a book on hell expecting to feel joyful and edified, but I did. It brings a lot of ancient wisdom into our understanding of the world beyond and presents it in ways that are not commonly taught in Western worldviews. I definitely found myself enlightened by it.
However, I think it is a bit too focused and scholarly perhaps for the average reader. It's definitely written to and for the serious student of religion, and though it isn't overly technical, it assumes that the reader knows and understands certain phrases and concepts that are typically only used within the Bible college or seminary world. It's full of proof texts, which is great for a research paper, but does bog it down for a casual reader. Its focus is mainly on the refutation of universalism and conditionalism, but I think it would've served a broader audience if it had also included a look at the Orthodox views of heaven and salvation as those relate to the subject of hell. Most people who pick up a book on hell are going to want more than just the evidences of its reality but also a look at the solution and alternative to it. As it stands, it really is just an answer to a certain train of theological thought instead of something written to the average Christian.
Overall, I liked it. I learned a lot. I think if you're a Christian who wonders about or struggles with the concept of eternal punishment and how it's consistent with the view of a loving God, this book is very helpful. I think it would definitely make a good seminary read.
July 3, 2017
This book is on one level redundant and unnecessary. As the author Fr Lawrence Farley states, he is presenting nothing new, and only restating classic Christian teaching about God's justice and the reality of hell.
Nevertheless, timeless Christian truths do indeed need restating in each generation, and in doing so, it is important not only to repeat what has been taught before, but also to address the question anew in order to engage with the particular concerns and language of the day.
That is what Fr Lawrence does so successfully here. In our time the pious and altogether traditional Christian hope and prayer for all people to be saved and reconciled to God have frequently strayed well off course into a stubborn determination to redact the gospel and faith to leave only words of comfort and joy. As Fr Lawrence explains, the result of this "universalist" view, far from setting the world to rights and reconciling all things, is that nothing on earth or in this life matters any more -- neither our choices nor our Christian commitment to work for heaven to come to earth and for God's will to be done -- and that is really no solace at all.
Fr Lawrence's survey of the teaching about God's judgement from the Scriptures -- both Old and New Testament -- and their wider context, as well as various patristic authors of the early church, is concise and on point, and provides an extremely useful reference for further study. Where the book hits its stride is in Fr Lawrence's addressing of the "distastefulness" of the doctrine, which has always been noted by Christians but is a particular concern in our day. In his chapter, "The Morality of the Church's Teaching about Hell," he carefully examines and sympathetically overcomes objections to the church's teaching. He does not shy away from using authors like CS Lewis to add further insight to what he has presented from the Scriptures and Fathers, particularly on the question of the asymmetry of heaven and hell: those who by their own self-will choose to populate the latter are only the "remains" (Lewis's word) of human beings, no longer fully human.
I only have a couple of small quibbles with this book -- ideas perhaps for a second edition? In his discussion (and rejection) of "conditionalism" -- the view, popular among some evangelicals, that hell involves the annihilation of the human person -- it would have been helpful for Fr Lawrence to draw a clearer distinction between the kind of partial conditionalism he has taken from Lewis (the increasing "nothingness" of a humanity separated from God, as depicted in "The Great Divorce") and the full-on conditionalism implied by annihilation.
Likewise, Fr Lawrence's treatment of "gehenna" (the burning rubbish heap on the outskirts of Jerusalem) in the New Testament and wider first century context would be strengthened with some reference to recent Biblical scholarship that encompasses an understanding that Jesus was not (merely) talking about the consequences in the age to come of not repenting in this one, but (also) fairly pointedly referring to the immediate consequences to the people of Israel of trying to establish the kingdom on their own terms -- that is, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. New Testament scholar, Tom Wright -- whose views on judgement, salvation and hell are thoroughly in line with Fr Lawrence's -- would be a good witness to this view of "gehenna", which careful analysis shows strengthens the overall point that with God's kingdom and our Christian life, "it is on earth that things matter, not somewhere else" (Wright, "Surprised by Hope").
Nevertheless, timeless Christian truths do indeed need restating in each generation, and in doing so, it is important not only to repeat what has been taught before, but also to address the question anew in order to engage with the particular concerns and language of the day.
That is what Fr Lawrence does so successfully here. In our time the pious and altogether traditional Christian hope and prayer for all people to be saved and reconciled to God have frequently strayed well off course into a stubborn determination to redact the gospel and faith to leave only words of comfort and joy. As Fr Lawrence explains, the result of this "universalist" view, far from setting the world to rights and reconciling all things, is that nothing on earth or in this life matters any more -- neither our choices nor our Christian commitment to work for heaven to come to earth and for God's will to be done -- and that is really no solace at all.
Fr Lawrence's survey of the teaching about God's judgement from the Scriptures -- both Old and New Testament -- and their wider context, as well as various patristic authors of the early church, is concise and on point, and provides an extremely useful reference for further study. Where the book hits its stride is in Fr Lawrence's addressing of the "distastefulness" of the doctrine, which has always been noted by Christians but is a particular concern in our day. In his chapter, "The Morality of the Church's Teaching about Hell," he carefully examines and sympathetically overcomes objections to the church's teaching. He does not shy away from using authors like CS Lewis to add further insight to what he has presented from the Scriptures and Fathers, particularly on the question of the asymmetry of heaven and hell: those who by their own self-will choose to populate the latter are only the "remains" (Lewis's word) of human beings, no longer fully human.
I only have a couple of small quibbles with this book -- ideas perhaps for a second edition? In his discussion (and rejection) of "conditionalism" -- the view, popular among some evangelicals, that hell involves the annihilation of the human person -- it would have been helpful for Fr Lawrence to draw a clearer distinction between the kind of partial conditionalism he has taken from Lewis (the increasing "nothingness" of a humanity separated from God, as depicted in "The Great Divorce") and the full-on conditionalism implied by annihilation.
Likewise, Fr Lawrence's treatment of "gehenna" (the burning rubbish heap on the outskirts of Jerusalem) in the New Testament and wider first century context would be strengthened with some reference to recent Biblical scholarship that encompasses an understanding that Jesus was not (merely) talking about the consequences in the age to come of not repenting in this one, but (also) fairly pointedly referring to the immediate consequences to the people of Israel of trying to establish the kingdom on their own terms -- that is, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. New Testament scholar, Tom Wright -- whose views on judgement, salvation and hell are thoroughly in line with Fr Lawrence's -- would be a good witness to this view of "gehenna", which careful analysis shows strengthens the overall point that with God's kingdom and our Christian life, "it is on earth that things matter, not somewhere else" (Wright, "Surprised by Hope").
June 30, 2025
Scripture says what it says…. But
It’s important to know that
Hells doors are locked from the inside.
The enlightenment era has brought down Christianity. Protestantism has watered it down to a whole new level due to their golden calf named “emotionalism”. This has only caused confusion and weak theology. Cs. Lewis does a good job trying to erase this with his work.
It is said Hell and Heaven are two states or places and depending on your psyche and alignment with Christ what you experience is either Hell or Heaven, either way they are both the Love of God, the unquenchable Love of Christ.
On Johnathan Pageaus YouTube Fr Stephen De Young has a 2 hour talk on The souls after death and it is a mind opening perspective.
The book does well not to speculate and even when bringing up Origens ideas, condemns anything that isn’t what scripture directly says, Origen and his ideas are something new I learned and extremely fascinating.
It’s important to know that
Hells doors are locked from the inside.
The enlightenment era has brought down Christianity. Protestantism has watered it down to a whole new level due to their golden calf named “emotionalism”. This has only caused confusion and weak theology. Cs. Lewis does a good job trying to erase this with his work.
It is said Hell and Heaven are two states or places and depending on your psyche and alignment with Christ what you experience is either Hell or Heaven, either way they are both the Love of God, the unquenchable Love of Christ.
On Johnathan Pageaus YouTube Fr Stephen De Young has a 2 hour talk on The souls after death and it is a mind opening perspective.
The book does well not to speculate and even when bringing up Origens ideas, condemns anything that isn’t what scripture directly says, Origen and his ideas are something new I learned and extremely fascinating.
December 18, 2022
"Our life in this age is poised between darkness and light, between doom and salvation, and we live our life on the razor's edge between two eternal alternatives. That is why our choices matter and why struggle is crucial. That is why the New Testament is filled with apostolic warnings to avoid the terrible possibility of apostasy and with encouragements to persevere in our faith. Either glory or disaster awaits all the children of men, and every day brings us closer to either unshakeable joy or everlasting misery. The stakes could not be higher. The mere fact of being alive itself brings awful responsibility.
"Universalism overthrows this entire vision, for it involves not simply a single speculation about the ultimate fate of the unrighteous, but one's entire approach to the world and our place in it. It no longer regards mankind as standing on the razor's edge, teetering from our choices, and in danger...."
I read this book at the recommendation of a friend grieved to see my passionate embrace of the doctrine of final restoration. Since discovering that I learn the most from those I disagree with, I purchased the book new and read it sentence-by-sentence, weighing it, praying, shaking my head, smiling, a little awed at Farley's dogged prose.
Farley has many bizarre ideas about hell—but then, once you start to notice, so does everyone. For instance, he makes repeated references to a coming (endless) banishment from God’s presence, and then uses Revelation 14:11 as a prooftext for what he calls a “traditional” doctrine. Fortunately for people like me…and for all the people I love, and for orthodox archpriests like Farley…it is not belief in impeccable doctrine by which we are saved, but rather simple faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Farley’s book leaves me grateful to serve the God of II Samuel 14:14, Jeremiah 32:27, and Romans 8:38&39.
I'm pleased to put this book on my shelf beside Thomas Talbott's diligent The Inescapable Love of God; Mark Clark's problematic The Problem of God; David Artman's musical Grace Saves All, and Steve Gregg's thorough All You Want to Know About Hell.
I'm giving the book five stars for the beauty of the paragraphs I've copied above, which I gasped to read near the end of Farley's discourse. Teetering on the razor's edge and in danger! No one had yet put into words for me so well the life of fear and torment in which I lived before God in His perfect, inscrutable love...cast out my fear...forever.
"Universalism overthrows this entire vision, for it involves not simply a single speculation about the ultimate fate of the unrighteous, but one's entire approach to the world and our place in it. It no longer regards mankind as standing on the razor's edge, teetering from our choices, and in danger...."
I read this book at the recommendation of a friend grieved to see my passionate embrace of the doctrine of final restoration. Since discovering that I learn the most from those I disagree with, I purchased the book new and read it sentence-by-sentence, weighing it, praying, shaking my head, smiling, a little awed at Farley's dogged prose.
Farley has many bizarre ideas about hell—but then, once you start to notice, so does everyone. For instance, he makes repeated references to a coming (endless) banishment from God’s presence, and then uses Revelation 14:11 as a prooftext for what he calls a “traditional” doctrine. Fortunately for people like me…and for all the people I love, and for orthodox archpriests like Farley…it is not belief in impeccable doctrine by which we are saved, but rather simple faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Farley’s book leaves me grateful to serve the God of II Samuel 14:14, Jeremiah 32:27, and Romans 8:38&39.
I'm pleased to put this book on my shelf beside Thomas Talbott's diligent The Inescapable Love of God; Mark Clark's problematic The Problem of God; David Artman's musical Grace Saves All, and Steve Gregg's thorough All You Want to Know About Hell.
I'm giving the book five stars for the beauty of the paragraphs I've copied above, which I gasped to read near the end of Farley's discourse. Teetering on the razor's edge and in danger! No one had yet put into words for me so well the life of fear and torment in which I lived before God in His perfect, inscrutable love...cast out my fear...forever.
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