Do Christians really feel it's beneficial to have "fire and brimstone teachings"?

Correct, the so called preachers who make their fire and brimstone sermons to help Christians learn to follow is not a good way to show God's love. Rather it encourages hate for others, and violence which are not in any way Christian doctrines. Those poor "Christian preachers" should teach their congregants in a more caring and Christian environment

"Love Edifies" (1 Cor 8:1). Love builds up.

Should we use the carrot or the stick? Jesus and His apostles and prophets use both.

If the carrot does not work, what would you do to edify; i.e. to bring a person to Christ.

I prefer to use love too as it requires more sensitivity and skills to use the stick. But if all of us use carrots, who would save the people who require the sticks to repent.

My management professors often tell the class that what the world needs is CEO's, officials, executives and people with integrity. They implies that these CEO's, officials, executives, and people are "good" only because of the sticks of the laws, but they always try to find loopholes instead of desiring to do real good. They do not behave "good' out of regenerated hearts. The 2009 financial collapse comes from the greed and corrupt hearts of officials and citizens and not from the lack of financial knowledge; i.e. the current sticks are not good enough for them to do goods. This is the reason we need more Christianity, people who desire to do good even if there are no laws, and not less

Chuck Smith is very interesting. He teaches that we are saved by Grace alone, but if his people do not repent, he will pull all the sticks in the Bible as he descibed below in the Cavalry Chapel Distinctives:

http://www.calvarychapelofhope.org/library/smith-c...

I don't...and a hearty "Amen" to everything you said.

...I'd take it a small step farther to suggest that the "hellfire and damnation" doctrine is questionable at best. While, like you, I don't believe that those who don't serve God won't go to "hell", I'm just not convinced that they will go to "hell"...at least in the "eternal torment/punishment" perspective on the term "hell".

I think if someone does not want to follow God, the fear of God will make them seek Him until they genuinely want to follow him... but I'm not sure about that.

it sure beats the hell out of... say... the fire and brimstone

raining down on peoples' heads from a collapsing building,

or an airliner being blown out of the sky.

Whatever the King James Bible says is what is to be taught; also known as the TRUTH, which does mention judgment and the lake of fire. You may want to get a King James to read, asking God humbly for the truth, since there are only appx 500 days until the Rapture and judgment day, based on the Bible and unsealed information of Daniel and Revelation. Aren't you glad God has been kind enough to give us the warning that it has been 7000 years since the flood of 4990 and you may consider that a warning for the rapture: one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day.

It's the old carrot and stick diplomacy. If you can't appeal to people with peaceful messages from Jesus and the promise of heaven, then threaten them with hell. Fire and brimstone preachers have the opposite effect on me, an atheist, though. I run far away from them and their churches.

I agree. We should follow God out of love, not fear. We should follow Christ because He loved us. The greatest commandment is to "Love God with all your might, mind and strength. And to love thy neighbor as thyself."

We should teach people to love God not to fear Him.

Yes, so that when you see it falling you'll know what it is.

I want them to preach the full delusion, uncut. It's disingenious and dishonest to try to serve a prospect milk first, before making them aware that the meat is rotten.