Recently, Kirk Cameron released a podcast episode in which he discussed some questions about Hell with his son. He is wrestling, in his studies, with the traditional view known as eternal conscious torment and another view known as conditional immortality (also known as annihilationism). Before going into some points, let me explain these two:
Eternal Conscious Torment is the view that the lost will spend eternity in a place of punishment for eternity, and they will be conscious (aware that they exist there) and tormented. This will be unending.
Conditional Immortality is the view that, after God’s judgment at the end of this age, the lost in Hell will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire. There they will die (second death) and cease to exist.
Rather than giving you the arguments for or against each, I want to focus on this podcast and its reactions. As expected, it has caused great controversy. So-called “discernment podcasters” have jumped on it, claiming that he has left the faith, may no longer be a Christian, is a heretic, etc. There is a problem with this, though. He did not say specifically that he has adopted annihilationism. He recently released another episode where he says this is him wrestling with the doctrines. He has not changed his mind. This blog post is not meant to defend him, but to point out something all of us need to keep in mind.
Interestingly, we believe people should study the Bible and learn from it. But whenever a Christian expresses questions about a doctrine, we pounce. While I disagree with him when he says this is a secondary doctrine, I do not have any problem with him searching the Word to discern which he should hold. Actually, I would love for us all to do that. The only caution I give is that we are to wrestle with it and not simply pick the one we prefer.
During discussions of these doctrines during the fourth and fifth centuries, a significant question was universalism. This was the idea that in the end God would save everyone. Augustine claimed they held this view because they were too soft-hearted to believe God would punish anyone. Whether this was their reason or a straw man is not known. We should not adopt doctrines based on what we prefer, but on a careful exposition of the Word.
All doctrines should be studied. Why? First off, what will you answer if someone doubts? Saying, “Well, the Bible says…” is only helpful under two conditions. First, the person must respect the Bible as authoritative. If they don’t, you are wasting your breath. But even more important is the second condition: the Bible had better actually say it. How do you know if the Bible says it?
Don’t be afraid to seek out the truth. If our beliefs are true, then you will find that. If you find they are not, then so be it. I have spent over thirty years digging into the Word. Over that time, I found that many of the things I was taught were not true. I also found firm evidence that far more of our beliefs are true. I would have never found either if I had not taken the time to dig.
Along with digging into the Word to discover the truth for yourself, we should honor and respect others for doing the same. When someone is expressing their questions, come alongside and encourage them to question and seek.
I have told people that I ran from God for many years. There were many reasons—abuse, judgmentalism, etc. The thing that sealed my decision to walk away from my faith as a teen was a discussion with my pastor about evolution, science, and the Bible. My pastor answered, “Good Christians don’t ask such questions.” I was done. If I had to check the brain God gave me at the door, then I wanted nothing to do with it. Don’t be that person.
If someone comes to you and says, “I am not sure about (insert doctrine),” don’t judge them or condemn. Instead, engage. And if you are the person struggling and seeking, please know that I will happily talk to you about anything.