Understanding the biblical and theological arguments for eternal conscious torment, annihilationism, and universalism
What you will learn
Become familiar with the three major Christian views on hell.
Be able to point to the biblical data which underpin these views.
Be able to articulate the arguments and counter-arguments theologians offer for each perspective.
Know the Greek, Hebrew, and English terms which are most relevant to this debate among Christian theologians.
Why take this course?
Where do we go when we die? Do we all go to the same place? Are bad people eventually punished for their transgressions? What might this punishment look like? Different religions answer these questions in different ways, but there is even diversity within religions.
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In this class, I will introduce the three major Christian views about hell (Eternal Conscious Torment, Conditional Immortality / Annihilationism, and Universal Restoration / Apocatastisis) by highlighting the biblical support and theological arguments for each position. I will also detail how proponents of each view challenge the others and how these challenges are answered. Special attention will be given to the Hebrew and Greek terms that are most relevant to the debate about hell among Christian theologians.
While believing Christians may find this class to be most relevant to their personal study, anyone with an interest in religion as an area of study will benefit from the depth, critical thinking, and thoughtful discussion of these distinct approaches to synthesizing the biblical texts. Each perspective is built up to emphasize its strengths and its proponents’ approaches to defending their view so that the student can give full consideration to what each approach brings to and extracts from the biblical canon.
