Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 87:2 (Fall 2025)
Article: The Problem Of Hell And The Goodness Of God
Author: Andrew P. Slay

WTJ 87:1 (Spring 2025) p. 235

The Problem Of Hell And The Goodness Of God

Andrew P. Slay

Andrew P. Slay is Pastor of Students and Families at Westwood Baptist Church in Cleveland, TN, and is currently a PhD student in Apologetics and Culture at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans, LA.

This article critiques Stephen Kershnar’s claim that an eternal hell is incompatible with the goodness and justice of God. Kershnar argues that if God is perfectly just and omnibenevolent, he cannot impose infinite punishment on finite creatures whose actions and character are not infinitely blameworthy. I challenge this conclusion by first examining Kershnar’s premises—particularly his assumptions about justice as an external standard to which God must submit—and contend instead that justice flows from God’s own nature. Consequently, God, as the self-existent moral arbiter, determines the proportionality and legitimacy of punishment.

Human sin, when viewed theologically rather than philosophically, constitutes an offense of infinite gravity because it is committed against an infinitely holy and worthy being. Human beings possess not only finite transgressions, but an enduring disposition of rebellion—an infinitely corrupt character that persists into eternity. Thus, eternal punishment is justified both by the qualitative weight of sin against God and the unending continuation of hardened resistance in hell.

Moreover, I maintain that the doctrine of eternal punishment magnifies divine goodness rather than diminishing it. It displays God’s holy love through his hatred of evil, upholds human dignity by honoring the significance of moral freedom, and illuminates the immeasurable worth of Christ’s atoning sacrifice—only an infinite substitute could bear the penalty of infinite guilt. In conclusion, I affirm that a traditional view of hell coheres with God’s goodness, revealing a deeper understanding of divine justice, human culpability, and the magnitude of redemption.

WTJ 87:1 (Spring 2025) p. 236

I. Introduction

In this article, I will contend that Stephen Kershnar’s arguments against Christian theism and God’s justice fail.1 I will make this case in two ways. First, I will present and explain Kershnar’s argument from his essay entitled “Hell and Punishment.” Second, I will critique his argument and demonstrate how his argument fails and that God is, in fact, good and morally justified in condemning those who freely reject him to eternal punishment in hell.

Before diving into Kershnar’s argument, two issues need to be clarified. First, philosophers and theologians describe the doctrine of ...