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WHAT, IN HELL, IS GOING ON?:
An Examination of Annihilationism and the Boundaries of Evangelicalism
Presented by Lloyd A. Harsch on 14 November 2001, at the national meeting
of the Evangelical Theological Society in Colorado Springs, CO.
The 31 January 2000, edition of U.S. News & World Report has hell as its cover
story as it did on 25 March 1991. Christianity Today focused on the same topic on 27
May 1991, under the title of "Heaven and Hell." Hell is a hot topic. Especially in Texas
where there are August days when one wonders if the Lord had already returned and left
us behind. This attention seems to be part of a growing interest within present-day culture
in death and the life beyond that is partially piqued by reports of near death experiences.
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The uniformity of opinion which once characterized evangelicals on hell no
longer exists. In prior debates on the subject, evangelicals debated with their counterparts
on whether hell existed or not. In recent years, there has been growing discourse within
evangelical circles in regard to the purpose and function of hell.
The traditional view holds that individuals who reject God will go to hell where
they will experience eternal, conscious torment. The non-evangelical view states that hell
will be empty, since a loving God would never send anyone there. A third view, known
as conditional immortality or annihilationism, is now gaining strength within the
evangelical community.
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In this debate, the ultimate question is, "What, in hell, is going
on?"
This third view, held by Clark H. Pinnock, John W. Wenham, John R. W. Stott,
and others, will be examined and critiqued in this paper. This view has strong
representation within the British Commonwealth and growing popularity across the pond.
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Alan W. Gomes, "Evangelicals and the Annihilation of Hell," (Part 1) Christian
Research Journal 13 (Spring 1991): 14.
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Clark H. Pinnock, review of The Other Side of the Good News: Confronting the
Contemporary Challenges to Jesus' Teaching on Hell by Larry Dixon, in Calvin
Theological Journal 29 (November 1994): 554. Pinnock credits the rapid growth to John
Stott's public support for the view. For continuity, this study will refer to supporters of
this view with the term which Stephan H. Travis utilizes: conditionalists.