Four Views on Hell (Part 4/4): The Conditional View

This is it readers....the last post of the series!  The 4th view. If you’re just joining us now....I’ve been summarizing in 300 words or less the four predominate views of hell: The Literal view, the Metaphorical view, the Purgatorial view, and the Conditional view. Now, you can read entire books on just one of these views...so go easy on me as I try to summarize the view, probably badly, in 300 words or less.

View #4 - The Conditional View

The Conditional View takes an approach altogether different from that of the traditional and purgatorial views and only slightly different from the metaphorical view. There appears to be four overarching principles. First, conditionalists support the notion that hell is a place where one is punished for sin for a period of time determined by God and ultimately annihilated. Body, soul, mind, spirit are extinguished in the fires of hell. They take, “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) to be absolute death (annihilation). Second, regarding the New Testament usage of “eternal punishment”, the conditional view holds that “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46) is simply the notion that the punishment of death lasts forever. Therefore, eternal punishment does not equal "eternal torment".   So, not eternal torture but eternal punishment. Death is forever, and therefore, eternal. Third, in regard to the immortality of the soul, the conditional view of scripture holds this notion to be severely influenced by Hellenism finding its origin in Plato and Augustine, and not in the biblical witness (where in scripture do we learn that humans are made with a mortal body encasing an immortal soul, they ask?) Fourthly, regarding the question of justice, the conditional view suggests that eternal torment for mortals whose sin was time locked to a limited number of earthly years is unjust retribution and therefore out of God’s character.

Ok folks...that's it.  Their are other views and variations...but those are the 4 main ones.  I hope you've enjoyed our little 4 day theology tour.  Now....it's off to Starbucks for some morning coffee and a date with my daughter.  Peace!

Four Views on Hell (Part 3/4): The Purgatorial View

Ok, this is the third post in this series. If you’re just joining us now....I’ve been summarizing in 300 words or less the four predominate views of hell: The Literal view, the Metaphorical view, the Purgatorial view, and the Conditional view. Now, you can read entire books on just one of these views...so go easy on me as I try to summarize the view, probably badly, in 300 words or less.

View #3 – The Purgatorial View

The Purgatorial view, quite distinct from the first two views, places a high emphasis on a place called “Purgatory.” Purgatory is a term understood to denote a “state, place, or condition in the next world between heaven and hell, a state of purifying suffering for those who have died and are still in need of such purification. This purifying condition comes to an end for the individual when that person’s guilt has been expiated” (For Views on Hell, Gundry).  There seems to be four overarching ideas that lead a person to this way of thinking. First, because people die in sin, they need some time of purification before heaven, the place where God is. This “purgatory” is an intermediate place of suffering and a place of preparation. Second, because humans are not only individuals but also communal beings, purgatory is an intermediate place of coherence between mortality and immortality where loved ones still bound to their mortal state can be in solidarity with the deceased. This, in fact, reemphasizes the historic Christian practice of praying for the dead. Third, the doctrine of purgatory is an accepted doctrine of the Catholic church and therefore considered authoritative. One commentator writes, “Tradition is not a second source of doctrine next to and independent of the Bible. Rather, it is the living communication of the biblical revelation in ever-changing circumstances and in new and different communities and cultures.” In this sense, a historic doctrine is an authoritative witness. Fourth, 2nd Maccabees 12:41-46, which is found in the Apocrypha, is a key text for the purgatorial view. Here, a final line of the narrative reads, “Thus he [God] made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.” The purgatorial view places emphasis on the intermediate state of the dead in hope that eventually they might be freed from sin altogether.

Four views on Hell (Part 2/4): The Metaphorical View

As I said in my last post....for the next few days I'm summarizing in 300 words or less the four predominate views of hell:  The Literal view, the Metaphorical view, the Purgatorial view, and the Conditional view.  Now, you can read entire books on just one of these views...so go easy on me as I try to summarize the view, probably badly, in 300 words or less.

View #2 - The Metaphorical View

The Metaphorical View, in contrast to the literalistic attention to word usage, takes a more symbolic approach to the biblical interpretation of hell. Paying more attention to literary technique, the Metaphorical View takes the words used in the New Testament as part of a genre meant to symbolize the horror of hell. One author puts it, “In Jewish literature, vivid pictures of hell are given to show that God has ordained an end to wickedness. The writers do not intend their descriptions to be literal depictions of the fate of the damned, but rather warnings of coming judgment” (Four Views on Hell, Gundry). Therefore, any attempts to detail the nature of hell utilizes the biblical text improperly based on the fact that metaphors are being used. So, what exactly do those who hold the Metaphorical viewpoint believe about hell? There seems to be two overriding beliefs (among others). First, hell is complete banishment from God’s presence. The metaphors used in both the Old and New Testaments describing hell give the impression that hell is a place where God is not. Second, hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment.  Taking for example the verses quoted in the last blog (Luke 16:19-31), while the metaphorical view wouldn't define the nature of hell itself (full of fire, darkness, etc.), the story does depict a rich man who is conscious in hell. So like the Literal View, the Metaphorical View does not have a problem suggesting that a similar state of consciousness awaits those destined for hell.

Is this helping?  OK, tomorrow....the Purgatorial View.

Four views on Hell (Part 1/4): The Literal View

As I said in my previous post...since some folks are interested, for the next four days, I'm going to summarize in 300 words or less the four predominate views of hell:  The Literal view, the Metaphorical view, the Purgatorial view, and the Conditional view.  Now, you can read entire books on just one of these views...so go easy on me as I try to summarize the view, probably badly, in 300 words or less.

View #1 - The Literal View

The Literal View of hell uses the Hebrew word sheol to formulate its understanding of what hell is like.   But, due to the fact that the Old Testament usage of sheol is limited (in some instances, can best be understood as “grave”, or “the place where a dead body is placed") the Literal View takes the New Testament term hades, gehenna and tartaros to shed light on sheol...all that to say, the literal view uses these 4 words in combination to understand hell to be a place of everlasting punishment.  So in passages such as Jude 7, eternal life is juxtaposed with “the punishment of eternal fire.”  That's the key for the Literal view...hell is eternal conscious torment. And to give more support to the idea of an literal eternal fire, the literal view take the language used in Luke 16: 19-31...shall I say, literally, because it is seems coherent and logical.  For example, Lazarus, after dying, is in the agony of fire (hell) and asks for a drink to cool his tongue.  Thirst, in this sense, would be the logical reaction to fire, and therefore, due to the inherent logical qualities (among other things) the language can be taken literally (i.e. a literal description of what hell is like).

OK, tomorrow...The Metaphorical View  

Joe, what do you think of Rob Bell and his new book Love Wins?

Good question.
Take me out to coffee and I'll tell you.
I drink decaf americanos with a bit of cream
And yes, I actually read it.
No seriously, I suck at book reviews (if you'd like a good one, go here)...so sorry, but no written book review here.  But, since I know you're interested...
Here are a few hyper short and general reflections:

• Rob Bell's style annoys me (so many questions, so few answers) but it's nothing to crucify the man over.  Over coffee, ask me about this.  
• Rob Bell is no universalist.  Well, he may be...but his book doesn't suggest it.
• Love Wins is not a systematic theology of the doctrine of hell.  And if I ever see people quoting his book, Love Wins, in their MDiv eschatology papers....I'm going to have a hernia.
• Rob Bell was very right (wonderfully right) and very wrong (frustratingly wrong) on key biblical passages.  Welcome to theology.
• Love Wins has very real implications for how we live our lives...and while I heartily disagree with a few of Bell's key conclusions (can I call them that?) all the internet/twitter hoopla seems....well, silly.             

So that's it.  Well, not really...I have LOADS more to say on the pedagogy of Rob Bell, theological reflections of the book, as well as implications of Bell's message for Christian discipleship...but I want decaf americanos...so call me.
In the meantime...here are a few resources for you that I've read and found helpful over the years regarding eschatology (the theology that deals with "last things"):
Some good books:

• Crockett, William (ed).  Four Views on Hell. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992.
• Grenz, Stanley J. The Millennial Maze. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992.
• Travis, Stephen. I Believe in the Second Coming of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982
• Packer, J.I.  Concise Theology.  Wheaton:  Tyndale, 1993.
• Moltmann, Jurgen.  Theology of Hope.  London:  SCM, 1967

Some other reflections on Rob Bell's Love Wins:

• A summary of the internet's pre-book release uproar and condemnation of Rob Bell as a universalist  
• Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Seminary, article on "The orthodoxy of Rob Bell"
• Christianity Today book review of Love Wins
• Ben Witherington on Hell in response to Love Wins  
• Scott Mcknight's two part blog post on Love Wins and the doctrine of hell, part 1 and part 2

Other potentially helpful summaries of what eschatology is really trying to clarify:

• How can I understand mortality, hell, judgment, and heaven? 
• What's hell like?

As a final note...I'm seriously considering for the next four days describing the four most common methods of understanding the nature of hell, based on the Biblical text:  The Literal View, The Metaphorical View, The Purgatorial View, and the Conditional View. The reflections won't be super long (maybe like 300 words each)....but they might help you understand why there is a theological discussion.  It also might help you decide what the biblical text is actually saying and not saying...which is the goal...right?