Heaven and Hell

Though caring deeply about heaven and hell may seem passé in our 'approved' culture, our "Touched By An Angel" popular culture is rampant with fascinating, self-serving forecasts about the boundaries of the world. We relentlessly twist heaven and hell into projections of our selfishness and limitless ambition, turning our hopes and fears into distorted caricatures of the Christian concepts. No wonder we are embarrassed to enter the popular fray.

Yet we should treat heaven and hell both carefully and seriously, for we are deeply shaped in our moral lives by what we hope for and what we fear. Our contributors offer thoughtful reflection to enrich our understanding of these transcendent realities, through articles, inspirational pieces, book reviews, an interview, Christian art, new hymns, and worship aids.

The study guides and lesson plans integrate Bible study, prayer, and worship to enrich our understanding of the roles that heaven and hell should play in our moral lives. The guides can be used in a series or individually. You may download and reproduce them for personal or group use.

Download the entire Heaven and Hell issue and the set of six Study Guides. Or, download individual pieces by clicking the titles below.

Articles

• "Living Under Vacant Skies," by A. J. Conyers
• "The Virtue of Hope," by John E. Hare
• "Unquenchable Fire," by E. Anni Judkins
• "The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail," by Ralph C. Wood
• "My Maker was the Primal Love," by Douglas V. Henry
• "Left Behind and Getting Ahead," by David Lyle Jeffrey

Art

• "Confronted," by Heidi J. Hornik, on Michelangelo's Last Judgment
• "Falling," on Rodin's The Gates of Hell

Hymn and Worship Service

• "Forever Where Our Hope is Born," by Terry W. York and C. David Bolin
• "Heaven Shall Not Wait," by John L. Bell
• Worship Service by David M. Bridges

Inspirational Pieces

• "Why Stand Gazing?," by Julie Pennington-Russell
• "Hell is a Bar in Adams-Morgan," by Jim Somerville
• "Heaven is My Home," by Susan R. Garrett

Book Reviews

• "The History of Heaven and Hell," by Rikk Watts
  • Alan Bernstein, The Formation of Hell: Death and Retribution in the Ancient and Early Christian Worlds,
  • Piero Camporesi, The Fear of Hell: Images of Damnation and Salvation in Early Modern Europe
  • Jeffery Burton Russell, A History of Heaven: The Singing of Silence
• "Ecstasy, Symbol, and Rhetoric," by F. Matthew Schobert, Jr.
  • Gordon Mursell (ed.), The Story of Christian Spirituality: Two Thousand Years, From East to West
  • Andrew Wilson-Dickson, The Story of Christian Music
  • Helen de Borchgrave, A Journey into Christian Art

Interview

• "Nothing but the Truth: A Conversation with Peter J. Kreeft," Susan Dolan-Henderson

Study Guides and Lesson Plans 

Download the set of six Study Guides

• "Living Under Vacant Skies"
• "The Virtue of Hope"
• "Heaven is Our Home"
• "Unquenchable Fire"
• "The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail"
• "The Art of the Final Judgment"

Further Reading

• "An Authorized Look into the Life Beyond," by Harold T. Bryson (Apocalyptic Vision)
• "Satan and the Powers," by Susan R. Garrett (Apocalyptic Vision)