A Short Q and A with Rebekah Davis

Hello friends! A while ago when I was wrestling with some difficult theological problems related to the doctrine of hell, a lady named Rebekah left some comments on this blog directing me to a YouTube video she had made on the subject. Being the very guarded and cautious person that I am, I was too scared of absorbing false doctrine to investigate Rebekah’s views in any real depth. However, we had a good chat in the comments, and I subsequently came to share some of Rebekah’s beliefs related to the afterlife and the way hell is depicted in Scripture.

In recent weeks, Rebekah and I have become online friends (a brother and sister in Christ), and I’m looking forward to reading Rebekah’s book entitled Bridges of Love and Understanding: How to Bring the Message of Jesus to Muslims and Everyone Else Too very soon. I invited Rebekah to answer a few questions in relation to her life and ministry, and you can read her answers below. Thanks Rebekah!

1) Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Last year I signed up for the Desert Warrior Challenge. Halfway through the race I realized something about myself: I want to do cool things, but I don’t want it to be hard. I decided to retire from hard things like the Desert Warrior Challenge — effective immediately. Other than signing up for races and dropping out in the middle, I spend my time making videos, writing, singing and playing my guitar, leading Bible study in small groups, and hanging out with my husband and two teenage boys.  

2) You run something called the Bread of Life Channel, what is this and why do you do it?

The Bread of Life Channel is a YouTube channel and website dedicated to sharing the good news about Jesus, encouraging Christians, and answering hard questions related to Christianity and the Bible. I started the Bread of Life Channel two years ago because I had a burning desire to share the good news with more people. It was also important to me to encourage other Christians with the things I have learned about God and the Bible on my journey of faith. My husband is the one who encouraged me to put these messages into videos, and I am glad I listened to him. I really love doing this!

3) I noticed that you have some quite strong views in relation to the doctrine of hell. Please could you talk about this a little?

After quite a lot of study, I came to realize that hell (as a place of unending torment) is not a concept taught in the Bible. I am passionate about sharing this information with people, because in my experience, hell causes many people to unnecessarily doubt God’s goodness and justice. Hell is a concept that prevents some people from having faith in the God of the Bible, and for others, it causes fear and makes it difficult for them to see God as a loving Father.

In my early years as a Christian, I believed in hell because I thought it was what the Bible taught (though the idea of hell filled me with dread). As I grew in my relationship with God, and started reading about annihilationism, I quietly stopped believing in hell. I was not sure how strong the case was for annihilationism, but hell did not mesh with God’s character as I knew him. When I embarked on making my first video about hell, I did not plan to come out with a strong conclusion about hell. My strong views about hell are the result of much study on the topic. A few years ago, I was a timid nonbeliever in hell; now I’m a bold nonbeliever!

4) What’s your advice for people who are struggling during the lockdown?

An atheist once asked me, “Isn’t your belief in God just to give you comfort about the afterlife? How does believing in God benefit you in this life?” I responded, “Having a relationship with God means that it is impossible to make me bored. You could sit me in a room alone and with nothing and I could have a great time, because I will have fun with God.” My advice for people who are struggling with the lockdown is to realize that there is nothing and no one more fun than God. With him, you can do more than endure the lockdown, you can enjoy it. Invite him in!

5) Where can people find out more about your ministry and connect with you?

You can check out my website breadoflifechannel.net, or look up the Bread of Life Channel on YouTube.  One of my favorite things about online ministry is that I get to connect with people all over the world.  You can send me an email at breadoflifechannel@gmail.com.  I love to hear from people.

Thank you so much Rebekah for taking the time to answer a few questions! If you would like to check out the book written by Rebekah that I mentioned in the introduction, you can find it on Amazon here. Thanks for reading everyone and peace be with you!

Please note: For my personal views in relation to the doctrine of hell, please see my comment below.