Conditional Immortality

Conditional Immortality

Author: Douglas Barry

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Published: 2013-03-13

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 9781482698053

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A growing number of well-known Christian leaders, such as Dr. David R. Reagan, John R. Stott, Greg Boyd, Roger Forster (co-founder of the March for Jesus events), Philip Hughes, Michael Green, Stephen Travis, and Clark Pinnock have declared support for part, or all, of the biblical doctrine of "conditional immortality." Even the British Bible translator, William Tyndale, also defended Conditional Immortality during his lifetime. Also, the very well respected scholar F.F. Bruce states, "Eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the revealed character of God" so he chose to write the forward to an excellent evangelical book on this topic called, "The Fire that Consumes" by Edward Fudge. While some call it annihilationism, simply stated, "Conditional Immortality" is the biblical belief that the "immortality" of the soul is not inherent (Greek philosophers thinking) but conditional (Biblical thinking) upon receiving the gift of everlasting life through faith in Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew). It is part and parcel of the gospel. God alone has immortality -- anyone else becomes immortal only as a result of God's gracious gift (1 Timothy 6:16, Romans 2:7). For centuries, church theologians have wrongly assumed the Greek doctrine of the immortality of all souls. Therefore, it is no wonder that the message of immortality has been completely dropped from modern preaching. I ask you, when have you ever heard a message offering "immortality" as part of the gospel presentation? It is almost never done, because today most people falsely assume the soul is already immortal. Yet, immortality through Jesus (Yeshua) alone is what the Jewish Apostle Paul preached: * (He/Jesus), has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:9b-10) Paul clearly links immortality to the gospel. Paul did not believe the Greek philosophy of his day which taught the immortality of all souls. Before the Messiah, Jesus, came, no one had a chance at immortality because of sin. If they did, then Paul's statement would make no sense. Why would immortality come through the gospel if all had it from birth? The gospel would not have brought about immortality - since all had it. But immortality is uniquely and only with believers... Here is an actual comment (one of many) gotten after reading this scriptural argument: *Thank you so much for the wealth of solid biblical insight you have given. I grew up attending several different denominations of Christian churches, and I was taught the traditional view of hell. All the churches I have attended as an adult have taught the traditional view. I've always wondered why the word, "perish" didn't actually mean "perish" or "be destroyed." I was taught that it meant "be eternally tormented." I have always wondered why the Bible said eternal life was a gift if it was something we already were going to have no matter where we ended up. Now I know I was right to question these things. Paul never preached about eternal torment, only of the gift of eternal life one could receive by putting their faith in Jesus. How sad it is that so many people only hear of a God that will send them to hell where He will torment them eternally instead of the God who gives eternal life as a gift because of His great love. -- Heidi So read this book to see how unbiblical the concept of the immortality of the unsaved soul is. Immortality is reserved only for those who put their faith in Jesus. All the rest are destroyed (not preserved) (see Matthew 10:28) after a period of time. They will suffer no more and no less than their sins deserve - then will be destroyed forever. God is just and Holy.... but not cruel


Rethinking Hell

Rethinking Hell

Author: Christopher M. Date

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2014-04-15

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 1630871605

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Most evangelical Christians believe that those people who are not saved before they die will be punished in hell forever. But is this what the Bible truly teaches? Do Christians need to rethink their understanding of hell? In the late twentieth century, a growing number of evangelical theologians, biblical scholars, and philosophers began to reject the traditional doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell in favor of a minority theological perspective called conditional immortality. This view contends that the unsaved are resurrected to face divine judgment, just as Christians have always believed, but due to the fact that immortality is only given to those who are in Christ, the unsaved do not exist forever in hell. Instead, they face the punishment of the "second death"--an end to their conscious existence. This volume brings together excerpts from a variety of well-respected evangelical thinkers, including John Stott, John Wenham, and E. Earl Ellis, as they articulate the biblical, theological, and philosophical arguments for conditionalism. These readings will give thoughtful Christians strong evidence that there are indeed compelling reasons for rethinking hell.


Death and Immortality in Ancient Philosophy

Death and Immortality in Ancient Philosophy

Author: Alex Long

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-06-13

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1107086590

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Provides an accessible account of the variety and subtlety of Greek and Roman philosophy of death, from Homer to Marcus Aurelius.


Erasing Hell

Erasing Hell

Author: Francis Chan

Publisher: David C Cook

Published: 2011-07-01

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0781407257

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Addressing a variety of views on hell, the Bible, and the character of God, offers an eloquent response to the recent media storm surrounding questions of eternal destiny.


Four Views on Hell

Four Views on Hell

Author: Zondervan,

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2016-03-08

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0310516641

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Recent years have seen much controversy regarding a unified Christian doctrine of hell: Do we go to heaven or hell when we die? Or do we cease to exist? Are believers and unbelievers ultimately saved by grace in the end? By focusing on recent theological arguments, Four Views on Hell: Second Edition highlights why the church still needs to wrestle with the doctrine of hell. In the fair-minded and engaging Counterpoints format, four leading scholars introduce us to the current views on eternal judgment, with particular attention given to the new voices that have entered the debate. Contributors and views include: Denny Burk – representing a principle of Eternal Conscious Torment John Stackhouse – representing a principle of Annihilationism (Conditional Immortality) Robin Parry – representing a principle of Universalism (Ultimate Reconciliation) Jerry Walls – representing a principle of Purgatory Preston Sprinkle concludes the discussion by evaluating each view, noting significant points of exchange between the essayists. The interactive nature of the volume allows the reader to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and come to an informed conclusion. BONUS CONTENT: Includes entire first edition of Four Views on Hell to help readers grasp the history of the discussion and how it has developed over the last twenty years.


The Fire That Consumes

The Fire That Consumes

Author: Edward William Fudge

Publisher: Lutterworth Press

Published: 2012-10-25

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0718841042

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While carefully examining the complete teaching of Scripture on the subject of Final Punishment, Fudge defends the view that the destiny of the unsaved will be final destruction, rather than eternal conscious torment in hell as defended by the traditional view. The 3rd edition of this meticulous and compelling book takes a close look at the traditionalist critics, and brings an overview of developments in the last thirty years.


Death and the Afterlife

Death and the Afterlife

Author: Robert A. Morey

Publisher: Faith Defenders

Published: 1984

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 0871234335

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An exploration of the rituals, beliefs, art, and mythology humans have used to understand death and the afterlife examines a wide range of practices and traditions--Mexico's Day of the Dead, Victorian funeral customs, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the burial of Pharoahs, cryonics, and ideas from the Bible--to show a variety of human responses to death.


Hell and Divine Goodness

Hell and Divine Goodness

Author: James S. Spiegel

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-04-16

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 1532640951

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Within the Christian theological tradition there has always been a variety of perspectives on hell, usually distinguished according to their views about the duration of hell’s torments for the damned. Traditionalists maintain that the suffering of the damned is everlasting. Universalists claim that eventually every person is redeemed and arrives in heaven. And conditional immortalists, also known as “conditionalists” or “annihilationists,” reject both the concept of eternal torment as well as universal salvation, instead claiming that after a finite period of suffering the damned are annihilated. Conditionalism has enjoyed somewhat of a revival in scholarly circles in recent years, buoyed by the influential biblical defense of the view by Edward Fudge. However, there has yet to appear a book-length philosophical defense of conditionalism . . . until now. In Hell and Divine Goodness, James Spiegel assesses the three major alternative theories of hell, arriving at the conclusion that the conditionalist view is, all things considered, the most defensible position on the issue.