Letter: Who's angry? Yes, Hell is here on earth

Sir: In vain I looked for the 'explosions of anger throughout the Church of England' in your report that the Bishop of Durham had taken the 'torture out of hell' (15 December). Where are these explosions of anger? Only, I suspect, in your imagination and hopes to fan flames of some new controversy. Well said, Bishop, say I.

Bishop Jenkins has simply stated what nearly all responsible Christians believe and you are irresponsible to speak of anger at a perfectly orthodox statement of Christian teaching. Hell-fire and perpetual torture are medieval pictures and have no place in 20th-century theology. Do not, however, read that as saying belief in hell does not exist. It does and you can see it every day in newspapers or on television. It may interest you also to learn that in Iceland the notion of hell is a very, very, very cold place.

Yours faithfully,

RICHARD LEWIS

Dean of Wells

Wells, Somerset