Stott has endorsed it now will certainly encourage this trend to continue." Furthermore, this movement away from the traditional doctrine of hell is part and parcel of a larger evangelical "megashift" away from other standard orthodox teachings - such as the substitutionary atonement, sin, and judgment - in favor of so-called "new-model" views. The fact that no less of a person than J. As Clark Pinnock notes, the annihilationist position "does seem to be gaining ground among evangelicals. There is every reason to think that more evangelicals will jump on the annihilationist bandwagon. Dean, also actively propagate annihilationist views. In addition, Adventist scholars who regard themselves as evangelical, such as Edward Fudge and David A. Clark Pinnock, John Wenham, Philip Hughes, and Stephen Travis have all positioned themselves as annihilationists within the evangelical camp. Though Stott is probably the most respected evangelical to espouse the annihilationists' cause, others have joined this growing movement as well. It was in response to Edwards's position on judgment and hell that Stott presented his reformulated views. In this book, Stott responds to liberal Anglican David Edwards on a range of theological issues. Stott's shift came to light in a book published by InterVarsity Press entitled Evangelical Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue. Stott, Rector of All Soul's church in London. Probably the most prominent evangelical to go over to the annihilationist position is Anglican John R. Today, individuals who have been regarded as solidly within the evangelical camp are abandoning the doctrine of conscious, eternal punishment in favor of various "annihilation" scenarios. Īlternative, unorthodox views concerning the final state of the wicked are no longer limited to the fringe. While Seventh-day Adventism may not be a cult in the technical theological sense of the term I am using here, they nonetheless have been perceived commonly as a "fringe" group by orthodox Christians. Besides these undeniably cultic groups, the Seventh-day Adventists also reject the historic doctrine in favor of annihilation. Likewise, Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God, Christian Science, Mormonism, and the New Age movement all repudiate the orthodox doctrine. They teach that the wicked will be "annihilated" rather than suffer eternal torment. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses vociferously reject the orthodox teaching on hell, denouncing it as an error of apostate Christendom. Denial of this teaching has, until recently, been limited almost exclusively to cultic or quasi-cultic groups. Clark Pinnock, Professor and Noted Evangelical Author Ĭhristians through the centuries have affirmed that those who do not accept God's offer of salvation in Christ will suffer conscious, everlasting torment. How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness whose ways include inflicting everlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinful they may have been? Surely a God who would do such a thing is more nearly like Satan than like God, at least by any ordinary moral standards, and by the gospel itself. Joseph Franklin Rutherford, Watchtower Society's Second President 14ff.Įvangelicals and the Annihilation of HellĪnd now, who is responsible for this God-dishonoring doctrine? And what is his purpose? The promulgator of it is Satan himself and his purpose in introducing it has been to frighten the people away from studying the Bible and to make them hate God. Gomes, "Evangelicals and the Annihilation of Hell, Part One," Christian Research Journal, Spring 1991, pp. Evangelicals and the Annihilation of Hell Bible Research > Interpretation > Hell > GomesĪlan W.
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