Annihilationism

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Annihilationism is one of several doctrines of hell and judgement in the Christian religion. It states that the final fate of the wicked (sinners) is total destruction, similar to eternal unconsciousness. It rejects the Traditionalist view that hell is a place of never-ending torture and/or separation from God.

Annihilationism in the Christian tradition

In contrast to Traditionalism, which holds that the wicked will suffer in torment forever, and Universalism, which holds that all humanity will eventually be saved, Annhilationism asserts that God will eventually destroy or annihilate the wicked completely, leaving only the righteous to live on in immortality. Some think that the wicked will be punished for their sins in hell before being annihilated, but others consider the idea that God would inflict torture on someone, even in punishment, is inconsistent with God's personality.

The doctrine is often, although not always, bound up with the notion of "conditional immortality", a belief that the soul is not innately immortal. At death, both the wicked and righteous will pass into non-existence, only to be resurrected (or more precisely re-created) at the Final Judgment. God, who alone is immortal, passes on the gift of immortality to the righteous, who will live forever in heaven or on an idyllic earth, while the wicked will ultimately face a second death.

The vast majority of Christian writers, from Tertullian to Luther, have held to traditional notions of hell. However, the Annihilationist position is not without some historical warrant. Early forms of conditional immortality can be found in the writing of Theophilus of Antioch (d. 185), although Amobius (d. 330) was the first to defend Annihilationism explicitly. The Second Council of Constantinople (553) and later the Fifth Lateran Council (1512-17) condemned the idea. Since the Reformation, Annihilationism has periodically surfaced, as in the 1660 confession of the General Baptists.

Today the doctrine is most often associated with groups descended from William Miller and the Adventist movement of the mid-1800s (see Millerites), including Seventh-day Adventists, Bible Students, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the various Advent Christian churches. It is also held by some liberal Christians within mainstream denominations. Recently, a handful of evangelical theologians, including the prominent evangelical Anglican author John Stott, have offered at least tentative support for the doctrine, touching off a heated debate within mainstream evangelical Christianity.

Those who believe in this doctrine may not like to use "annihilationist" to define themselves. In his book The Fire that Consumes, Edward Fudge coined the term "conditionalist." Moreover, he limits "annihilationism" to refer to that subset of people who believe that the wicked do not rise to face the final judgment. In this sense, the term would refer to Jehovah's Witnesses, but not to Seventh-day Adventists and other conditionalist Evangelicals.

Justifications of the doctrine

Inherent in the Annihilationist stance are notions of divine justice and love. Annihilationists claim that the idea of an eternal place of torment is morally repugnant, and an unfair punishment for finite sins. How can this accurately reflect God’s ultimate victory over suffering and evil, they argue, when it permanently installs a place of suffering in the final, eternal order? Likewise, how can the saved live in blissful joy knowing that some of their loved ones burn forever in hell? Traditionalists retort that only God is qualified to determine divine justice, and raise suspicions that Annihilationists may be succumbing to modern cultural pressures.

Annihilationists also claim that traditional notions of hell depend on Greek ideas of an immortal soul, which have been erroneously read back into Christian scripture. Traditionalists find this irrelevant, pointing to passages in the Bible which they claim support the idea of an immortal soul.

Annihilationists also defend their beliefs by stating that those who believe in the eternal torture theory have misunderstood particular verses of the Bible. Some suggest that the idea of man having an immortal soul is essentially a paraphrased version of the Serpent's lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Indeed, in the final analysis, both Traditionalists and Annihilationists believe their view most accurately reflects the Bible’s statements about hell. Much of the debate revolves around terminology and the highly symbolic imagery of Revelation. Annihilationists argue that passages that speak of the unsaved as perishing (John 3:16) or being destroyed (Matt. 10:28) should be taken literally. Traditionalists argue these should be taken metaphorically. Traditionalists argue that the passages in Revelation that speak of everlasting torment should be taken literally. Annihilationists claim the torment is limited in duration or metaphorical in meaning, as shown [Jude 1:7] in reference to the eternal fire and burning of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as in many other texts.

Since the 1960s, Annihilationism seems to be gaining as a legitimate minority opinion within modern, conservative Protestant theology. It has found support and acceptance among some British evangelicals, although viewed with greater suspicion by their American counterparts.

Annihilationism

Annihilationism in the Christian tradition

Justifications of the doctrine

See also