A classroom's crucible for evangelical ideas

In our "Reflections From the Classroom" series, seasoned teachers talk about their experiences walking with students and guiding their learning.

“Is there a back door out of hell?” I asked the students seated across the table from me. The question hung there for a minute as they considered it. If they said yes, what would that mean about how they had always thought about hell? If they said no, what would that mean about how they had always thought about God?

In fall 2014, I had the opportunity to teach a class called Contemporary Religious Thought. Although the title says “religious,” the course is meant to be an examination of contemporary evangelicalism. I only had three students enroll. But considering who the three students were, I knew there would be good discussion.