Yes, exactly. Before FR, I had no idea there was anything wrong with Protestant leaders like Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, et al. I saw Osteen a couple of weeks ago on Larry King Alive and just shook my head through the whole thing. Hell is erased. It is too uncomfortable to talk about and doesn't cater to the needs of the congregation. Good grief, what a mistake! Just as you said, Harley, it's no accident that Jesus Himself talked about hell and sin so much. What those in the laity NEED are the facts, not some feel good self esteem message.
Watering down the reality of hell is a disservice to all Christians. I think it lowers the sacrifice Christ made for us because it deemphasizes what He was saving us FROM.
It also removes the Justice from a Just God, and relegates the likes of Adolf Hitler to a peaceful eternal death after passing in the arms of Eva Braun.
Amen, FK. To understand God's true love for us one has to understand what precisely we are saved from and why. But it's not only that. To ignore hell is to deny fundamental principles set forth by the fathers and spoken of directly by our Lord Jesus. It is difficult to repent when you don't understand why you should repent.
Christ revealed the Good News, not the "bad news." The whole focus of Christ's ministry is salvation, not condmenation; the Kingdom of Heaven and not Hell. It's an optimistic and joyful religion, FK. I highly recommend it.