Shades of Hell

Here's a couple of observations on the subject of heaven and hell, made by a character in Brian McLaren's The Last Word, and the Word After That that have my head spinning:

"I could never be happy in a party upstairs in the heavenly living room knowing that so many people were being tortured in the basement... "

Then, later...

"I don't mean to judge, but the little I know about Jesus - I don't think he would want to sit up in the living room having a big party with his Father and all his friends, while some of his other friends are frying in the basement. Everything I know about Jesus tells me he would go down there and get them out."

So what's the answer, guys? How do you deal with this subject? (Or has this thought - or something like it - never plagued you?)
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Coming up in the next entry (probably): More on Max the Bear.