Pastor Andrew Stoecklein's Widow Explains Why His Suicide Does Not Condemn Him to Hell

Kayla Stoecklein, widow of late Inland Hills Church Lead Pastor Andrew Stoecklein, who died after attempting suicide at his church last month, says she is confident her husband is in Heaven despite the enduring "myth" that suicide victims are condemned to Hell.

"This is a common misbelief about suicide and it breaks my heart. I'll be the first to admit prior to Andrew's death I may have actually believed it to be true," Kayla, 29, wrote on her family's God's Got This blog Tuesday.

"I remember leaning over to my mother in law, Carol, in the hospital room as my husband lay there dying, whispering through my tears, 'Will he go to heaven?' She quickly reassured me, as I am confident now: whether you are accepted into heaven or not has nothing to do with how you die. The only way we are accepted into heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus," she said.

The Chino Police Department told The Christian Post that at 11:08 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, they received a call from the Chino, California, church about an attempted suicide. When they arrived, Pastor Stoecklein who had been battling anxiety and depression for months was identified as the victim. He died hours later at a local hospital and prompted a national discussion on mental health and the church, which Kayla vowed to continue.

"I believe with 100% of my soul that Andrew is in heaven. Andrew had a real, raw, authentic, and infectious relationship with Jesus. Thousands of people will be in heaven because of him," she noted Tuesday.

"Andrew got sick, he was given a diagnosis, much like any other deadly diagnosis. His illness grew worse over time. This illness caused him to lose his ability to make wise decisions, to think clearly, and to properly articulate his feelings. If Andrew were sitting here today, healthy and strong, I am confident he would want a redo. He did not want to die. I can rest assured that he is no longer in pain, he is completely healed in heaven; a place more beautiful and wonderful than any human mind could ever comprehend," she added.

Albert Y. Hsu, senior editor for IVP Books at InterVarsity Press who earned a Ph.D. in educational studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, agrees that the idea that Christians who commit suicide are condemned to Hell is a "misconception."

Hsu, who lost his own father to suicide, authored a book on the subject called Grieving a Suicide: A Loved One's Search for Comfort. He explained his position in a CT interview last fall.

Read more about Pastor Andrew Stoecklein's Widow Explains Why His Suicide Does Not Condemn Him to Hell on The Christian Post.