Triggered to Thinking

The topic of hell is a profoundly unsettling topic for many Christians and non-Christians. This issue alone is responsible for deconversion and the questioning of God’s grace. The images of Dante’s Inferno and medieval portraits make hell seem like a ghastly experience. However, not all Christians hold to the view that hell is a place of eternal punishment. There have been three main views of hell in Christian history: eternal conscious torment, annihilationism and universal reconciliation.  Eternal conscious torment is often called the “traditional view”. In recent times, the view of annihilationism has gained ground among Christians.

One reason for this growth is the work of the theologian Edward Fudge. Fudge’s seminal work, The Fire that Consumes, was published by Paternoster Press in 1994. A shorter work, Hell: A Final Word, elucidates Fudge’s theological arguments for annihilationism. It includes several short chapters. Fudge explains that Richard Bauckham, a traditional scholar, endorsed annihilationism (19). He explains that hell is, in fact, real, and this is something all three schools of thought on the topic of hell have maintained. For annihilationism, it is the punishment that is eternal, but eventually, people will not experience torment forever.

Fudge explains in chapter five about how the idea of eternal conscious torment is an insult to God’s character, and it has led to unbelief. He also explains that the wicked will “die, perish or be destroyed”. In Chapter 13, he describes his research into the doctrine of hell and explains how the Old Testament says virtually nothing about hell. One possible exception is Daniel 12:2. Fudge examines texts from the Hebrew Bible about the fate of the wicked. Despite more metaphorical connotations, the image of final destruction is prevalent. In Chapter 15, Fudge examines the concept of “eternal fire” and mentions the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed by it. Jude 7 references the punishment of eternal fire, but he argues that “the fact that its destruction is permanent and that it will never be reversed” (15).

The image of maggots destroying corpses and fire in Isaiah 66:24 was later used to depict eternal fire in Judith 16:17. Here, Fudge examines some of the reception history of Isaiah’s imagery. He writes, “Isaiah pictures corpses; Judith talks about living people” (83). Rabbis held different views in relation to hell after the death of Jesus. Some expected a fire that would purify people’s sins, some held that fire was tormenting, temporary or permanent, and others held that fire would consume (84). Fudge writes, “The Dead Sea Scrolls look for a fire that consumes; they do not mention anything that resembles a fire that torments forever” (85). 

Fudge recounts how the word Gehenna was created from the “valley of the son of Hinnom” (88). This was a place where maggots and fire consumed corpses. He reiterates how Jesus explains to “fear him who can destroy both in Hell (Matthew 5:28). Fudge surveys the meanings of the word perish and argues that the Greek meaning relates to being destroyed (92-94). He also claims that this final destruction is the eternal punishment that Jesus mentioned in his parable on the sheep and the goats (101-104). 

Fudge briefly examines the text of James’s letter. He explains that, “If the wicked continue in wickedness and refuse to repent, their destiny will be death” (James 1:5). Additionally, he writes, “having gone full circle, James closes his book as he began: the end of the wicked is death (James 5:19). Fudge then examines the final judgement in Acts, Paul, Hebrews and 2 Peter and Jude. He writes, “Second Peter says false teachers will perish like brute beasts” (133). He also argues in Chapter 43 that the image of the lake of fire is the second death (143). He ends the book with a brief discussion of church history, including the church fathers like Tertullian, Origen, and Anselm of Canterbury. Also, he explains in Chapter 50 that many scholars have begun to reject the traditional doctrine of hell and have adopted the annihilation view.