Edward Fudge | Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism

Immortality is conditional (1) by Edward Fudge

February 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

From today’s GraceEmail

A sister from an independent Christian church in Idaho writes: “You mentioned a book you co-authored on the subject of final punishment, your part being to present the biblical case for conditional immortality. What exactly do you mean by ‘conditional immortality?’ ”

* * *

“Immortality” means deathlessness, and anyone who is “immortal” is incapable of dying. According to the Bible, God “alone possesses immortality” inherently or in his own nature (1 Tim. 6:16). Human beings are not naturally “deathless” or “immortal.” We are mortal human creatures who owe our existence every moment to God who made us (Gen. 2:7; Acts 17:25, 28). We cannot survive death by ourselves. Nothing about us is death-proof. Our immortality is conditional on God who gives it.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Body/Soul Tagged With: Conditional Immortality | Key Passages, Edward Fudge

The Fire That Consumes

January 24, 2010 By admin 3 Comments

A Book Review by Pastor Warren Prestidge

{From Life to Death Issue 4 , 1996}

The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment By Edward W. Fudge

It is encouraging to read a very positive review of Fudge’s book, The Fire That Consumes, in the latest issue of Reality Magazine (unfortunately the review is not available online). Reality is published by the Bible College of NZ, our top interdenominational, evangelical college. The Fire that Consumes is a top class full-length study of what the Bible teaches regarding the final fate of the lost, completely supporting our conditionalist view. Simon Humphrey, who writes a witty and intelligent review, is clearly very impressed by Fudge’s book.

Book Review- Two Views of Hell: A Biblical and Theological Dialogue

January 24, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

{From “From Death To Life” Issue 18}

Two Views of Hell: A Biblical and Theological Dialogue

By Edward William Fudge and Robert A. Peterson.

Reviewed by Carl Josephson

This book was published by InterVarsity Press this year not long before Edward Fudge came to New Zealand. By giving equal space to the conditionalist and traditionalist understandings of hell IVP have granted ‘our’ interpretation long overdue recognition as at least a viable, biblical alternative. We congratulate the publishers and authors for this significant step.

As the subtitle suggests the book takes the format of a dialogue, with Edward Fudge presenting the conditionalist case first, followed by a response by Robert Peterson, then the traditionalist case is presented with the book concluding with a response by Fudge.

This book will serve the conditionalist cause well not only because of the strength of the biblical arguments but also because of the grace and humility with which Fudge writes. Sadly this cannot always be said for Peterson who begins his response to Fudge with an emotive description of his students reacting to The Fire That Consumes with “physical symptoms including headaches and churning stomachs.” On occasion he gets perilously close to a personal attack as much as discussing the doctrines involved. He does concede however that in many ‘other’ matters of biblical interpretation Fudge is competent and sound.