Southern Baptists affirm belief in ‘eternal’ hell

Southern Baptists delivered a group rebuttal to Michigan pastor Rob
Bell for writing a book that questions traditional views of hell.

Their
resolution, calling hell an "eternal, conscious punishment" for those
who do not accept Jesus, urges Southern Baptists "to proclaim faithfully
the depth and gravity of sin against a holy God, the reality of hell,
and the salvation of sinners by God's grace alone, through faith alone,
in Jesus Christ alone, to the glory of God alone."

Several leaders
at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix  in mid-June
coupled warnings about hell with pleas for evangelism—especially in
areas where there are no churches or missionaries. Statistical declines
in recent years have already spurred a focus on evangelism, and Bell's
book sparked calls for greater effort.