Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2 CSB, emphasis mine)
The doctrine of final judgement is a foundational, though perhaps not essential doctrine of scripture. Modern evangelical Conditionalists (a.k.a. annihilationists) view their movement as part of the continued reformation of Christianity, intending to conform our doctrine of final judgement to the scriptures (Fudge, 2011, pp. 9–11). Through standard and accepted principles of reason and hermeneuticsHermeneutics (/ˌhɜːrməˈnjuːtɪks/) is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, as well as philosophical texts. It involves considering the genre, historical context, authorial purpose (stated or implied), narrative and linguistic context, logic, and other rules for interpretation and application. More Conditionalists make their primary case, rather than through a low view of scripture or starting with philosophical assumptions, as is sometimes accused. In this paper, I first summarize the three major New Testament biblical themes that support Conditional Immortality (CI):
- the biblical view of eternity
- the atoning death of Christ
- the language of destruction
Secondly, I address in detail the relevant scriptures in four major groupings:
- the language of destruction
- eternal fire
- eternal punishment
- the symbology of Revelation
Thirdly, I address additional objections and draw conclusions. Lastly, I provide an epilogue of my own journey from the traditional view, sometimes called Eternal Torment (ET), to CI.