Question of the Week: Does Hell Exist?

This Sunday in church, we are going to be taking a look at Matthew 25:31-46. In this passage Jesus is telling his disciples about the final judgment, the day that Jesus will separate those who are saved from those who are not, just like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. In this passage, the topic of heaven and hell is brought up. According to what Jesus says, there will come a day when some people are brought into eternal heaven and some are brought into eternal punishment.This topic of heaven and hell has been pushed into the forefront of theological conversations within the last few months. Much of this is due to a recent book published by Rob Bell, called Love Wins. I have not gotten a chance to read this book so I will refrain from commenting on the controversy it contains. If you haven't gotten a chance to watch the video, you can view it here, and you can view some of the blog controversy here, here, and here.Some people are calling Bell a Universalist and a heretic, while others are commending him for finally standing up and confronting a doctrine that most non-Christians and even many Christians have a problem with. How can a loving God send people to hell? Is Hell a real place and if so what is it like? Is someone like Gandi in Hell? Although these questions might seem to spit in the face of Christian orthodoxy, they are nevertheless difficult questions and ones that deserve answers.I have been thinking a lot about this lately. I don't know if it's just because of the Rob Bell book or because of this weeks sermon, but I've felt particularly burdened about the topic of heaven and hell lately.So what do you think? Does Hell exist?