![]() ![]() This doctrine, known as universalism, envisioned that everyone-including Satan-would eventually be redeemed and reunited with God.Ĭontemporary theologians generally credit Irenaeus of Lyons, a second-century bishop, as the intellectual forefather of annihilationism. Origen Adamantius, a third-century theologian, believed the wicked were punished after death, but only long enough for their souls to repent and be restored to their original state of purity. In its earliest years, Christianity didn’t have a consensus on the nature of hell. ![]() I think that we are at a time and place when there is a growing suspicion of adopting tradition for the sake of tradition.” In the Beginning “I base that on how many well-known pastors secretly hold that view. ![]() ![]() “My prediction is that, even within conservative evangelical circles, the annihilation view of hell will be the dominant view in 10 or 15 years,” says Preston Sprinkle, who co-authored the book Erasing Hell, which, in 2011, debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list. But, annihilationists believe they have already made significant inroads within the evangelical community. Traditionalists are pushing back at this doctrine, which they view as heresy born out of misguided sentimentality. Although it’s not a positive outcome for the wicked-in fact, it amounts to spiritual capital punishment-it’s deemed a far more merciful and just fate than an eternity of torture. “What if the biblical foundations thought to endorse unending conscious torment are less secure than has been widely supposed?”įudge is among those who endorse an alternative doctrine, known as “annihilationism” or “conditional immortality,” which holds that, after death, sinners simply cease to exist, while those who are saved enjoy eternal life under God’s grace. “What if the muting of hell is due neither to emotional weakness nor loss of Gospel commitment?” writes Edward Fudge, whose 1982 book, The Fire That Consumes, is widely regarded as the scholarly work that jump-started the current debate. The once taboo topic is being openly discussed as well-regarded scholars publish articles and best-selling books that rely on careful readings of Scripture to challenge traditional views. While religious philosophers have argued over the true nature of hell since the earliest days of Christianity, the debate has become especially pronounced in recent decades among the millions of Americans who identify themselves as evangelicals. "Everlasting torment is intolerable from a moral point of view because it makes God into a bloodthirsty monster who maintains an everlasting Auschwitz for victims whom he does not even allow to die," wrote the late Clark Pinnock, an influential evangelical theologian. Underlying these statistics is a conundrum that continues to tug at the conscience of some Christians, who find it difficult to reconcile the existence of a just, loving God with a doctrine that dooms billions of people to eternal punishment. Heaven, by contrast, fares much better and, among Christians, remains an almost universally accepted concept. Over the last 20 years, the number of Americans who believe in the fiery down under has dropped from 71 percent to 58 percent. ![]()
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