Hell Houses - Scaring Teens Into Salvation?

[AKLRULZ]

What are your thoughts on "hell houses"? I'm a huge critic of "evangelizing by fear", as it's rarely effective. I think there are much better ways of getting the message across. Anyone ever been to one?

Ten years ago a Colorado preacher wrote a manual about how to stage a Christian-themed haunted house. It sold for $199.

Like everything else, scaring the hell out of teens is getting more expensive.

The Hell House Outreach kit now costs $299.

Rev. Keenan Roberts has distributed his product to 800 churches in every state and in 18 countries. He estimates 3,000 ministries will sponsor similar attractions this harvest season.

These Halloween spook houses lead kids through graphic, reality-based skits portraying sin's consequences. Roberts' New Destiny Christian Center calls its Denver-area Hell House the most "high-flyin' . . . death defyin' . . . Satan-be-cryin' . . . evangelism tool of the new millennium."

In one of Roberts' Hell House sketches, a "demon" tour guide performs an unholy marriage between two men. The skit fast-forwards to a hospital room where one of the partners lies dying of AIDS.

"We're not saying if you have AIDS or an abortion you're going to hell," Roberts said. "There is forgiveness."

Some human-rights groups denounce the ministry as misguided. Even some church leaders say salvation-by-fear evangelism is inappropriate.

"In what way is this the good news of Jesus?" asked Rev. Eileen Lindner, a Presbyterian pastor with the National Council of Churches.

In Burleson, south of Ft. Worth, The Church at Burleson charges $15 admission to The Living Hell--Resurrection. Because of the show's graphic nature, children younger than 14 must have a parental release signed at the ticket booth.

On opening night the youngsters were divided into three groups and then herded into pitch-black closets. Once the doors slammed closed, suddenly the floor began to shake and rumble, creating the sensation that the enclosures were elevators, and they were descending into the pit of you-know-where.

After glimpsing the netherworld and its wailing torment, the group journeyed on. In one softly lighted room, they faced the Son of God, speaking from the cross.

Later they silently filed past the biblical empty tomb.

"You do have a choice," an angel calmly assured.

After the emotional roller coaster ended, the youths entered a bright room where several adult church members smiled in greeting and offered soft drinks. The counselors began engaging the kids in one-on-one dialogue about the drama.

One teen headed to a sign on a wall that read, "We would appreciate your comments about Living Hell."

She wrote, "I think it should be more scaryer."

Link to Article

 

[Hedy]

1. I highly recommend the movie Hell House
2. I personally believe that modeling Christian virtues is a more effective way of evangelizing than scare tactics.

 

[JennyMominRI]

What are your thoughts on "hell houses"? I'm a huge critic of "evangelizing by fear", as it's rarely effective. I think there are much better ways of getting the message across. Anyone ever been to one?

I'm glad you feel that way. I agree with you

 

[snowwite]

I have never heard of a hell house. How bizarre.

 

[NikiM20]

There is one that comes around to the different churches around here it is final exit..... I looked at the website once and I didnt have the stomach to go. It was very graphic and included scenes such as abortions etc... I will see if I can find the link

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I think that they are promoting HATRED and it disgusts me.

 

[snowwite]

Did these churches miss the new testament? What happened to forgiveness and salvation?

 

[Virgo10]

That's just silly.

Just a slight OT but the movie Hell House was good but the book was extremely scary. I think I'll post that on the book thread.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Did these churches miss the new testament? What happened to forgiveness and salvation?

I can tell you that we Tanakh(OT) followers would NEVER support something like that.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I think it is terrible and no I don't think anybody can be "scared" into accepting Peace and Love into their hearts.

 

[Shugardrawers]

I went to one. Once. We were herded into a room, given a number and members of our group were seperated. We were told once we went past the door there would be no leaving. You had to see the whole thing and there was only one exit

I found it's depictions of drunken abusive parents living in trailers, promiscuous teens, abortion and gay relationships the most offensive thing I've ever encountered and I told them so. They absolutely refused to allow me to leave and not knowing my way around the darkened church basement I pretty much HAD to wait to be guided out. So during each little skit I loudly proclaimed my disgust with their intolerance, homophobia and discrimination. When the "angels" at the end tried to take me by the hand to go for "counseling" I told them if they didn't let me go I'd call the police and have them arrested for kidnapping and unlawful detention. That worked On the way out I made sure to tell everyone still waiting in line how offensive it was and all about the strong arm tactics they were using.

Ya wanna know the best part? I wasn't a teen at the time. I was a 38 year old grown woman! Fear, hate and intolerance is not the way to spread a message that purports to be one of love and forgiveness. I was really on the fence but that night I became a card carrying athiest.

 

[JoyG]

I've been to two. I don't remember them trying to actually "portray" hell with those houses though.

In high school our youth group used to do "Hallejulia (sp?) Night" instead of "Halloween night". The youth leaders would create a "horror house". It was pretty campy...they'd lead you through different rooms and there would be people with chainsaws and spagetti for guts. I didn't get the impression that they were trying to show me "hell". We knew what we were seeing was just there to try to scare us for fun.

The point was to get as many as our unsaved friends to come for the fun. Afterwards, we'd eat and then our youth leader would present the gospel. Sometimes it was the only time our friends have ever heard it.

I remember having a blast at these events. However, my church did move away from having those types of "horror houses" and I understand why they would...but as a teenager I thought it was really fun.

We had other activities that we could invite unsaved friends for...like all night rollerskating, snow camp etc...but the "horror houses" was the activity scheduled around Halloween.

eta: I definitely don't remember anyone portraying gay people, abortion doctors, etc. in these houses. Maybe I'm not talking about the same thing? We just had your run of the mill gore fest, missing limbs, skeletons, people popping out of corners.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I guess they're taking the idea from programs like "Scared Straight", where they take teens into prisons to scare them away from crime. I suppose if that could work, so could the Hell House, but I'm not comfortable with scaring kids into doing the right thing. I would rather see them find the right thing based on good example and good spiritual formation at home.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I personally don't believe in scaring someone into accepting Christ. OP, I am very critical of them, too.

 

[Uncle Remus]

Just another way for some people
to ruin a good fun holiday!

 

[LukenDC]

I think that they are promoting HATRED and it disgusts me.

I agree., What if I opened a "Hell House" and it featured:

1. Inquisition room
2. Slavers sitting comfortably in churches
3. Pedophile priests
4. Abusive nuns in Irish laundries (see film Magdalene Sisters )
5. Missionaries converting natives by force
6. Televangelists defrauding the poor and gullible
7. Church facilities used as meeting rooms for anti-civil rights activists
8. Aftermath of IRA terrorist attack
9. Aftermath of battles between Protestants and Catholics
10. Anti-Catholic and anti-Mormon propaganda prepared by Protestants

I could go on, but you get the point.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Scare tactics rarely work. I am not a fan of emotional appeal methods of evangelizing. Scaring somebody into religion is not effective and will only appeal because of something that person wants to avoid (i.e. hell) rather than the appeal and/or benefits of the religion itself.

Religion (whatever you believe) should not be intellectual suicide. I feel that it should be a committed, rational decision that you have thought out and not a spur-of-the-moment insurance policy against something unpleasent.

Another problem with "hell houses" is that there is rarely any follow up with the newly "saved." Frankly, if you are going to all that effort to convert people, I feel like you should at least make sure they have a grasp of the basic principles of the religion. Scaring the "hell" out of them and then ignoring any spiritual growth-- why even bother? I believe that modeling the tenents of your faith and truly investing in people's lives is more effective than any method.

I am a Christian (though I would call myself a post-moden Christian) and I would never support tactics like this in my church. Thankfully, my church doesn't try to scare people into being saved.

 

[Lanshark]

I firmly believe that you cannot scare someone into Salvation. In fact, I find the whole concept disgusting.

Salvation is freely given. You don't charge admission.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Around here on 10/31 they have Truth or Terror at the Evangelical Christian Churchs. Those really turn me off. I believe they actually turn kids away from the church not toward it.

 

[LukenDC]

The comments about these types of events turning people away from the chuch made me remember an experience that my brother had when he was a teenager. It was around Halloween and he went to a youth night at a friend's evangelical church. They played games, one of which was to blindfold the kids and have them eat different foods. When the blindfold was taken off, he discovered that he had been eating corn and beans out of a diaper.

My mom was furious and did not allow him to return to that particular church. This happened in Hemet, CA which was home to a lot of religious extremists and fundamentalists (including the American al-Qaeda wanted by the FBI). I went to high school in that town and will admit that my experiences there helped to shape my views of religion.