Baptists reaffirm that Hell is a really real place

Did I miss something? Was there ever any doubt that Southern Baptists really believed in Hell as a really real and eternal place for those who reject God (and the Baptist way of following God)?

But I guess that the Southern Baptist Convention felt the need to restate its position after Rob Bell, who is not a Baptist, published “Love Wins,” which has been a little controversial.

RNS reports on the Baptist resolution reaffirming Hell:

Southern Baptists on Wednesday called hell an “eternal, conscious punishment” for those who do not accept Jesus, rebutting a controversial book from Michigan pastor Rob Bell that questions traditional views of hell.

Citing Bell’s book “Love Wins,” the resolution urges Southern Baptists “to proclaim faithfully the depth and gravity of sin against a holy God, the reality of hell, and the salvation of sinners by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.”
Several leaders during the Baptists’ two-day meeting in Phoenix coupled warnings about hell with pleas for evangelism—especially in areas where there are no churches or missionaries.

“Is hell real? Is hell forever? Did God really say sinners would perish in eternal torment forever and ever?” asked pastor and author David Platt of Birmingham, Ala. “Oh, readers of Rob Bell and others like him, listen very carefully be very cautious, when anyone says, `Did God
really say this?”’

Read the rest here.