Two Views of Hell

A Biblical & Theological Dialogue

Edward William Fudge

& Robert A. Peterson

Academic

An imprint of InterVarsity Press

Downers Grove, Illinois

InterVarsity Press

P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426

World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com

E-mail: email@ivpress.com

©2000 by Edward William Fudge and Robert A. Peterson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at <www.intervarsity.org>.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Cover design: Cindy Kiple

Cover image: ©Duncan Walker/iStockphoto

ISBN 978-0-8308-2255-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fudge, Edward.

Two views of hell: a biblical & theological dialogue / Edward William Fudge & Robert

A. Peterson.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-8308-2255-0 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Hell. 2. Hell—Biblical teaching. I. Peterson, Robert A., 1948– II. Title.

BT836.2 F83 2000

236′.25—dc21

00-022952

To Robby, Matt, Curtis and David, with prayers that you would grow to be men of God whose lives bring glory to him.

ROBERT A. PETERSON

Dedicated to the Christian teachers in every century

who have courageously proclaimed the biblical message

of eternal life only in Jesus Christ, despite the denunciations,

ridicule, scorn and sometimes the persecution of

the majority. This book represents

the beginning of God’s public vindication of their faithful witness.

Edward William Fudge

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: What’s All the Fuss About?

Part One: The Case for Conditionalism

Edward William Fudge

1 An Introduction to Conditionalism

2 The Old Testament

3 The Teachings of Jesus

4 The Writings of Paul

5 The Rest of the New Testament

6 A Final Word

A Traditionalist Response to Conditionalism

Robert A. Peterson

Part Two: The Case for Traditionalism

Robert A. Peterson

7 The Road to Traditionalism: History

8 The Foundation of the House: Scripture

9 Seeing the Big Picture: Theology

A Conditionalist Response to Traditionalism

Edward William Fudge

Indexes

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About Two Views of Hell: A Biblical & Theological Dialogue

Some evangelicals believe the wicked will experience perpetual, conscious torment after death. Others argue that the wicked will experience a limited period of conscious punishment and then they will cease to exist. In this book you will find an irenic yet frank debate between two evangelical theologians who present strong scriptural and theological evidence for and against each view. Both make a case that their view is more consistent with Scripture and with the holy and just nature of a loving God.

Robert Peterson defends the traditional view that those who do not have faith in Christ will suffer eternally in hell. Edward Fudge advocates the conditionalist perspective that after a period of suffering, the unfaithful will experience a complete extinguishing, or annihilation, of existence. In addition, each author presents a rebuttal to the viewpoint of the other.

Here is a dialogue that will inform and challenge those on both sides, while impressing on all the need for faithful proclamation of the gospel of deliverance from sin and death.

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Table of Contents