Affirms
Hell is a real consequence of unfaithfulness; God's mercy and judgment coexist
Hutterites affirm the reality of hell as a place of separation from God and eternal consequence for those who reject God's grace. This is affirmed in the Rechenschaft and in the Hutterite martyrdom tradition, where the prospect of death for faith was contrasted with the promise of eternal life for the faithful.
Hutterite teaching on hell is tempered by the Anabaptist posture of humility and trust in God's mercy. The community focuses on faithfulness in the present — maintaining communal life, Gelassenheit, and nonresistance — rather than on detailed speculation about the eternal fate of those outside the community.
Key Distinctions
- Hell nature:
- eternal separation from God; emphasis on God's mercy
- Duration:
- eternal
- Who faces hell:
- those who finally and willfully reject God
Scripture References
Sources
- Peter Riedemann, Rechenschaft (1542)