Every pastor sees the damage that is done to people by too heavy an emphasis on God's judgment. The damage often begins in childhood. Because children can be rambunctious, adults too often try to frighten them into obedience. The church is no exception to this practice. Parents sometimes report that their children have come home from Sunday school or vacation Bible school in tears and trembling because some misguided adult had tried to frighten them into faith with horrifying images of the punishment that awaited them after death. The adults behind such fear-mongering often claim that they have to do this in order for the children to understand.

Such tactics might get a quick walk down the aisle, but the damage shows up later. Some people in their seventies, eighties, and even nineties we…