By Rusty Weller
     It’s the crime of the past century! Something extremely important is missing in America.
    God? No, He’s still here, working where we let Him, being glorified by a remnant.
    No, something else is missing. Look again. Sniff the air – smell any fire and brimstone these enlightened days?
    Not hardly!
    When’s the last time you heard anything about h-e-double hockey sticks? Hell has disappeared, hasn’t it?
    It’s extinct, gone the way of the dinosaur – outmoded, debunked and dismissed by most. In fact, as all truly intelligent people will tell you, hell doesn’t exist.
    Isn’t it just like the devil to steal off with the certainty of hell’s everlasting torment? The evil one has never been so active, and yet he’s no more real than the eternal flames that await all unforgiven sinners.
    Wait -- that’s giving the devil too much credit. Why, a peewee football team could score on Dallas if the Cowboys were too apathetic to don their gear and take the field.
    So what happened to hell? We believers have either forgotten to talk about it or we’ve been coerced into keeping silent.
    Oh, but talking about hell makes sinners squirm and drives them away from the church where they could get help, right? Let’s be honest, such talk makes many a church member uncomfortable, doesn’t it?
    That’s because too many "Christians" really aren’t right with God. Thus they don’t want to hear about the horrors of hell. They’d rather have their ears tickled while secretly sliding down the slippery slope.
    They really don’t like to listen to Jesus, because nobody had more to say about hell. Again and again, He warned of eternal torment so fierce you’ll gnash your teeth.
    Many church officials avoid mention of hell in trying to package God and market Jesus in a positive way sinners can stomach. That’s lowering Almighty God to society’s standards of acceptance, when it ought to be the other way around.
    Selling Christ without mentioning hell denies who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us. Jesus was humiliated, battered, lashed, pierced and crucified in our place. With His blood, He paid hell’s price in full for each and every sinner.
    I believe our Savior then descended into hell’s horrible flames in our place to seal the deal.
    You say we can’t help the situation if hell, fire and brimstone preaching isn’t coming from pulpits? Sure we can!
    When sharing with others what Lord Jesus did for you, be sure to mention the flip side of God’s free gift of salvation – escape from the certain fires of hell. Their eternal lives depend on us.