Yesterday, a friend and colleague of mine shared one of the hardest questions skeptics ask Christians and wanted to know how I would answer it: Why would a loving God send people to hell? Honestly, I kinda fumbled the answer at the time, and I've been thinking about how to answer it better.

Inherent in the question itself is the idea that eternal condemnation is entirely undeserved. I think this reveals the heart of the matter with this question, which is a misunderstanding of the moral and spiritual condition of all human beings and a misunderstanding of the character of God. So, I would perhaps begin my response by asking one of these questions:

Would you prefer that there be no final and perfect justice in the universe? Are you satisfied with the limited and temporary nature of justice that human authorities carry out in this world? We have a deep and fundamental longing for real justice, so are we unable to trust God to see clearly and wisely and to do what is right as the Judge of the Universe?

Do you think there's anyone who would deserve to be condemned to hell? Do you think truly evil people - mass murderers, child rapists, human traffickers, drug kingpins, racist leaders who commit mass genocide, and others - deserve eternal condemnation?

Sometimes people will express their objection to eternal condemnation by asking, "Why would God send good people to hell just because they don't believe in God?" By asking it this way, they are acknowledging that perhaps some mass-murdering terrorists, genocidal dictators, or serial child abusers might deserve such condemnation but not the good people of the world.

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