Annihilationism

But this debate is not new.

It goes back to at least the 3rd century, with Origen's Universalism and Darnobius' Annihilationism around 300 CE.

It didn't originate with Kirk Cameron.

Now as an outsider, this isn't my fight.

all right well this next section that we're going to talk about is interesting because it kind of picks up on a solution that some people have come up with for the doctrine of at least eternal torment because the eternal torment just is so hard to defend that people are retreating to annihilationism.

And so Trent picks up here and he says, now I don't believe annihilationism is true, and I have argued against it in the past, But annihilationism might at least be a helpful waypoint or a place of respite for a person who's on the verge of abandoning his faith over the traditional doctrine of hell.

Annihilationism, however, is helpful in pointing out that hell is not a temporary purgatory.

It is a final fate for the damned.

If it were not, then Jesus' words in Matthew 25, 46 make no sense.

When in reality, what I've learned over the years is that actually those pseudo-Christian cults all got this view from mainstream Christians before them.

Annihilationism or conditional immortality was extremely popular in the 19th century, both in America and in Europe.

People from all sorts of different denominations, from conservative to liberal, held to this view.

But the Seventh-day Adventists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians, and others were all earlier 20th century offshoots of a larger movement, many of whom held to annihilationism.