Progressive Christian author and influencer Jen Hatmaker has announced that she no longer believes in a literal Hell, describing the shift as a transformative moment that strengthened rather than weakened her faith. In a recent Substack essay titled “There You Are. Laying down my belief in hell didn’t cost me my faith — it rescued it,” Hatmaker reflected on her Christian upbringing and the fear-based theology that shaped her understanding of God.
“From my first memory, all my ideas about God were tied to punishment,” Hatmaker wrote. She described growing up with an image of God as “punitive” and “vengeful,” saying those beliefs left her feeling afraid rather than loved.
She said that years of theological study and personal reflection ultimately led her to reject the traditional doctrine of eternal punishment. She said the process involved extensive research and conversations with other Christians, including influential figures within evangelicalism.
After reaching her conclusion, Hatmaker said she felt a profound sense of relief. “Rather than the crushing fear you might think I’d experience, I felt ten million pounds roll immediately off my shoulders,” she wrote. “My head and heart came back into alignment, and my belief in God was rescued.”
Hatmaker argued that abandoning belief in Hell allowed her to embrace a view of God centered on love rather than judgment. She questioned whether Christians have wrongly projected humanity’s most destructive traits onto God instead of focusing on divine goodness and mercy.
The bestselling author also contended that a faith without Hell eliminates what she sees as unhealthy attitudes of self-righteousness and condemnation. She suggested that Christians would no longer rely on fear-based evangelism and could instead focus on loving their neighbors and serving their communities.
While discussing her position, Hatmaker acknowledged that she was not presenting a detailed theological defense in the essay. However, she maintained that substantial scholarship exists challenging traditional interpretations of biblical passages commonly associated with Hell.
Her comments place her at odds with historic Christian teachings. Traditional Christian doctrine has generally held that Hell is a real place of eternal separation from God for those who reject salvation through Jesus Christ.
Hatmaker has been a controversial figure within evangelical Christianity for nearly a decade. In 2016, she drew widespread criticism after expressing support for same-sex marriage, prompting Christian retailer Lifeway to stop selling her books. In 2020, Hatmaker announced her divorce from husband Brandon Hatmaker after 26 years of marriage, citing infidelity as a factor.
More recently, she revealed that she had stepped away from church attendance altogether. In a September interview with Time magazine, Hatmaker said she was taking a break from organized church life and was uncertain whether she would return. “I’m out of the church right now,” she said. “I don’t know that I will ever go back, and I don’t know that I will never go back.”
Biblical Connections: In 2 Timothy 4: 3-4, Paul wrote, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” That there continues to be a rise in false teachers that deny clear biblical ideas and instead create their own theology seems to be exactly what Paul was warning about. While it may seem easy for many of us to understand false teachers, they do have large audiences that are being led astray.
PRAY: Pray those who deny the doctrines of God will no longer have platforms to share their heresy and those that follow them will quickly see the truth.