I recently asked the youth of my church, "If you discovered tomorrow there is no afterlife, would you still be a Christian?" In other words, is there more to being a Christian than fear of death or the guarantee of heaven? Would there be any reason to follow the way of Christ without an implicit threat of punishment or promise of reward? Where do feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and working for justice fit into "hell house" theology? Was the writer of 1 John wrong when he wrote "God is love . . . There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love"?
Perhaps it takes real faith to trust that we don't have to use fear to draw youth closer to Christ. The love of God has always been enough.
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