Christopher Date

Joshua Anderson

Gregory Stump

Most evangelical Christians believe that those people who are not saved before they die will be punished in hell forever. But is this what the Bible truly teaches? Do Christians need to rethink their understanding of hell? In the late twentieth century, a growing number of evangelical theologians, biblical scholars, and philosophers began to reject the traditional doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell in favor of a minority theological perspective called conditional immortality. This view contends that the unsaved are resurrected to face divine judgment, just as Christians have always believed, but due to the fact that immortality is only given to those who are in Christ, the unsaved do not exist forever in hell. Instead, they face the punishment of the "second death"--an end to their conscious existence. This volume brings together excerpts from a variety of well-respected evangelical thinkers, including John Stott, John Wenham, and E. Earle Ellis, as they articulate the biblical, theological, and philosophical arguments for conditionalism. These readings will give thoughtful Christians strong evidence that there are indeed compelling reasons for rethinking hell. Peter S. Grice - Igniting an Evangelical Conversation Glenn A. Peoples - Introduction to Evangelical Conditionalism Edward W. Fudge - The Final End of the Wicked Stephen H. Travis - The Nature of Final Destiny John R. W. Stott - Judgment and Hell Clark H. Pinnock - The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent John W. Wenham - The Case for Conditional Immortality Basil F. C. Atkinson - The Doom of the Lost E. Earle Ellis - New Testament Teaching on Hell Ralph G. Bowles - Does Revelation 14:11 Teach Eternal Torment? Harold E. Guillebaud - The General Trend of Bible Teaching Anthony C. Thiselton - Claims about "Hell" and Wrath Philip E. Hughes - Is the Soul Immortal? Henry Constable - Divine Justice Christopher D. Marshall - Divine and Human Punishment in the New Testament Nigel G. Wright - A Kinder, Gentler Damnation? Richard G. Swinburne - The Future of the Totally Corrupt Kim G. Papaioannou - The Development of Gehenna Between the Old and New Testaments LeRoy E. Froom - Conditionalism in the Early Church Evangelical Alliance - Hell and Evangelical Unity Roger E. Olson - Diverse Christian Beliefs About Life Beyond Death Ben Witherington III - Equally Orthodox Christians

Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism

Rethinking Hell

Ron Highfield

This diverse collection of essays in honor of Edward William Fudge explores the topics of hell and immortality, for which Fudge has been widely known through his magnum opus, The Fire That Consumes. Most Christians believe people will live and suffer in hell forever, but Fudge defends a view known historically as "conditional immortality." He and a growing minority of Christians believe God will grant immortality only to those who meet the condition of being united with Christ on the Last Day, while those who do not will perish forever. Although Christians sharing Fudge's view have defended it both before and after him, conditionalists today still point to The Fire That Consumes as the seminal treatment of the topic. In July 2014, Christians from around the world gathered at the inaugural Rethinking Hell conference, to celebrate Fudge's life and work and to discuss the nature of hell in an open and respectful forum. This volume contains most of the essays presented at that conference, and several others volunteered by conditionalists since then, as a gift to Fudge for the tremendous impact he has had on them, and for the continued work he does for God's kingdom.

Essays on Hell and Immortality in Honor of Edward Fudge

A Consuming Passion

C. J. Date is one of the founding fathers of the relational database field. Many of today’s seasoned database professionals "grew up" on Date’s writings. Those same professionals, along with other serious database students and practitioners, form the core audience for Date’s ongoing writing efforts. Date on Database: Writings 2000-2006 is a compilation of Date’s most significant articles and papers over the past seven years. It gives readers a one-stop place in which to find Date’s latest thinking on relational technology. Many papers are not easily found outside this book.

Christopher Date

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