Here’s the deal: we humans either have free will or we don’t. If we do, then God cannot strip us of the right to choose, even if we choose something He did not want for us. That means it would be a violation of our free will for God to force us to be with Him for eternity if we don’t want to be. By allowing us to say no to Him, God is actually showing respect for us and keeping human dignity in tact.

To Moreland one last time: “Hell will forever be a monument to human dignity and the value of human choice. It is a quarantine where God says two important things: ‘I respect freedom of choice enough to where I won’t coerce people, and I value my image-bearers so much that I will not annihilate them.’”