Coming to Terms

Five key phrases in the hell debate.

1. Eternal conscious physical and spiritual torment.

The damned in hell will suffer in body and soul forever. Advocates: John Blanchard, Donald Carson, Ajith Fernando, John Gerstner, Robert Morey, J. I. Packer, David Pawson, and Robert Peterson.

2. Eternal conscious spiritual torment.

The unsaved will suffer spiritual or psychological torment rather than physical torment.Advocates: Murray Harris, Anthony Hoekema, and Peter Toon.

3. Eternal separation from God.

This less specific way of talking about hell is relational, stressing the terrible fate of never-ending loss of communion with God.Advocates: Kendall Harmon, Peter Head, and Alec Motyer.

4. Conditional immortality.

Souls are not inherently immortal, but persons are granted immortality by God when they are justified. In contrast, the unsaved do not receive the gift of immortality and ultimately will cease to exist.Advocates: Robert Brow, Earle Ellis, Edward Fudge, Michael Green, Clark Pinnock, John Wenham, and Nigel Wright.

5. Annihilationism.

The final extinction of the wicked. Evangelicals who propound annihilationism usually do so from a conditionalist foundation. Consequently, The Nature of Hell uses the term conditionalism to denote belief in both conditional immortality and the ultimate annihilation of the lost.—Summarized from The Nature of Hell

Related Elsewhere

Be sure to read the related stories to this sidebar, ” Undying Worm, Unquenchable Fire | Will unbelievers endure eternal torment or will they be annihilated? An assessment of the Evangelical Alliance’s The Nature of Hell” and ” Rightly Dividing the Hell Debate | Key Advocates and Writings.”

Copyright © 2000 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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Undying Worm, Unquenchable Fire: What is hell—eternal torment or annihilation? A look at the Evangelical Alliance's The Nature of Hell.

Cover Story

Undying Worm, Unquenchable Fire

Robert A. Peterson

Biotech: Tissue of Lies?

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Is the Stock Market Good Stewardship?

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Camus the Christian?

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Machiavelli Marooned

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Gwen Shamblin in the Balance

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School Vouchers Face Tight Races

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Briefs: North America

Quotations to Contemplate

Fire and Ice

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Vatican: Protestants Not 'Sister Churches'

Luigi Sandri, Cedric Pulford and Edmund Doogue

Smack Down

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Colombia: Abducted Pastor Pays His Own Ransom on Installment Plan

Deann Alford

Briefs: The World

Nigeria: Will Shari'a Law Curb Christianity?

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North Korea: 7 Christian Executions Suspected

Compass Direct

Ecuador: Word and Spirit Together

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Grunge Boomers in Concert

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Good News for Witches

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Rightly Dividing the Hell Debate

Free to Be Creatures Again

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Beyond Self-Help Chatter

Big-Picture Faith

Love Your Heavenly Enemy

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The Transcendental Gore

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More Than a Badge and a Gun

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Lessons From Two Sides of AIDS

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Shelly Wift's Tips for Witnessing to Witches

A Wicca Primer

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