If someone doesn't know about Christianity, and they sin, do they go to hell?
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There are lots and lots of different positions on this matter, this link is a very good summary.
To summarise even further the points in the article:
1. Church Exclusivism - outside the church there is no salvation (therefore there is no salvation for unreached people)
2. Gospel Exclusivism - outside the gospel there is no salvation (therefore there is no salvation for unreached people)
3. Special Revelation Exclusivism - outside special revelation there is no salvation (special revelation includes the gospel/the church, but also includes dreams/visions/direct words of God to non-believers and unreached people)
4. Agnosticism - neutral position, committed only to not knowing
5. General Revelation Inclusivism - anyone can be saved by general revelation (belief in a non-religion specific God) but other religions are in no way instrumental to salvation
6. World Religions Inclusivism - similar to (5), but also holds that other religions can be used for salvation.
7. Postmortem Evangelism - unbelievers who die will have a chance to trust Christ after death
8. Universalism - everyone will be ultimately saved by the Christian God
9. Pluralism - everyone will be ultimately saved by God, the Christian image of which is no more or less valid than that of other religions
There's also a tenth position I'm aware of, but I can't find anybody willing to give it a name:
10. Universalism for the unreached - all unreached people will be saved, God only rejects those who reject him first
This is a very problematic position though, because it begs the question, why evangelise in the first place, given that it only decreases one's chance of salvation.
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