Hell A Hard Look At A Hard Question

I welcome this rigorous examination of some of the many questions which are raised by the doctrine of hell. At a time when it is rare to hear even heaven spoken about in our churches, it is encouraging that this sober theme is once more in our sights. It was plainly often on the lips of Jesus. - Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Trinity International University Dr Powys has pursued a rigorous examination of the Scriptures . . . He rivets our attention on what the New Testament actually says about the fate of the unrighteous. This is a seminal work. - David Claydon, Federal Secretary, CMS, Australia The author, writing from a position of biblical conservatism, has presented a powerful, convincing and scholarly case for the view that the unrighteous will forfeit resurrection life in the Kingdom of God. It is, in my judgment, the most thorough treatment of the issue in recent years. - John W. Pryor, Macquarie University This book is an impressive, thorough discussion of a thorny question. Dr Powys is at home in many branches of biblical studies . . . He examines the biblical evidence carefully and sets his case out lucidly and with real insight, showing convincingly how ill-founded are many ancient and many recent views on the fate of the unrighteous. His own solution of a set of complex exegetical and theological issues is judicious and clearly the end result of careful thought. - from the Foreword by Graham Stanton, University of Cambridge David Powys has made a significant contribution to an increasingly important debate. His book's real strength lies in its very careful study of New Testament teaching in the light of a comprehensive analysis of the Old Testament and Jewish literature. This literature is rightly seen not merely as background but as the key to a right understanding of the New Testament teaching. I wish that such a clear discussion had been available when I first began engaging with these questions. - Stephen Travis, St John's College, Nottingham David Powys was educated at The University of Melbourne. He gained degrees in arts and social work, studied theology at Ridley College, and was ordained in 1981. Dr Powys has ministered in four Melbourne parishes. He is an Examining Chaplain to the Archbishop of Melbourne and a member of Archbishop in Council and National Synod. He was awarded the Doctor of Theology by the Australian College of Theology in 1994 for his The Hermeneutics of 'Hell'. The present volume is a slightly abbreviated version of that dissertation.

How can a perfectly good God justifiably damn anyone to hell? This is one version of the problem of hell. The problem of hell has become one of the most widely discussed topics in contemporary philosophy of religion. This anthology brings together contributions by contemporary philosophers whose work shapes the current debate.

Theological dictionaries are foundational to any theological library. But until now there has been no Global Dictionary of Theology, a theological dictionary that presumes the contribution of the Western tradition but moves beyond it to embrace and explore a full range of global expressions of theology. The Global Dictionary of Theology is inspired by the shift of the center of Christianity from the West to the Global South. But it also reflects the increase in two-way traffic between these two sectors as well as the global awareness that has permeated popular culture to an unprecedented degree. The editorial perspective of the Global Dictionary of Theology is an ecumenical evangelicalism that is receptive to discovering new facets of truth through listening and conversation on a global scale. Thus a distinctive feature of the Global Dictionary of Theology is its conversational approach. Contributors have been called on to write in the spirit of engaging in a larger theological conversation in which alternative views are expected and invited. William A. Dyrness, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Juan F. Martinez and Simon Chan edit approximately 250 articles written by over 100 contributors representing the global spectrum of theological perspectives. Pastors, theological teachers, theological students and lay Christian leaders will all find the Global Dictionary of Theology to be a resource that unfolds new dimensions and reveals new panoramas of theological perspective and inquiry. Here is a new launching point for doing theology in today's global context.

Writing in the wake of a near-fatal stroke, eminent theologian Anthony C. Thiselton addresses a universally significant topic: death and what comes next. This distinctive study of "the last things" comprehensively explores questions about individual death, the intermediate state, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, hell, the final state of the redeemed, and more. At once scholarly and pastoral, Thiselton's Life after Death offers biblically astute, historically informed, and intellectually sound answers -- making this book an invaluable resource for thinking Christians.

Covering everything from Abba to Zwingli, The Thiselton Companion to Christian Theology offers a comprehensive account of a wide sweep of topics and thinkers in Christian theology. Written entirely by eminent scholar Anthony Thiselton, the book features a coherence lacking in most multiauthored volumes. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge, gained from fifty-plus years of study and teaching, Thiselton provides some six hundred articles on various aspects of theology throughout the centuries. The entries comprise both short descriptive surveys and longer essays of original assessment on central theological topics -- such as atonement, Christology, God, and Holy Spirit -- and on such theologians as Aquinas, Augustine, Barth, Calvin, Kng, Luther, Moltmann, and Pannenberg. The book also includes a helpful time chart dating all of the theologians discussed and highlighting key events in Christian history; select reading suggestions conclude each of the longer entries. Equally valuable for research and teaching, The Thiselton Companion to Christian Theology will be a go-to reference for pastors, students, teachers, and theologians everywhere.

According to Christian doctrine, what happens to those who have died? While traditionally it has been said that one group of people spends eternity in heavenly happiness while another group experiences conscious, unending torment in hell, there are other Christians who believe in alternativesthat hell is simply a separation from God, that the lost are simply annihilated and not subject to torment, or that actually, in the end, all will be reconciled to God and live in heavenly glory. The Gift of God Is Eternal Life explores a five-century journey that traces the development and dispersal of the doctrines of universalism and conditional immorality in a compelling narrative collection of short stories. Beginning from when these doctrines were merely whispered about or published anonymously to the days when traveling evangelists preached them in the new and growing American republic, these engaging vignettes show how this once intense debate between Christians has evolved into modern times where such ideas can be freely discussedeven in mainstream television and evangelism. Do infants who die prior to an age of accountability receive salvation, and are those who have never heard the Christian message simply doomed? What about loved ones who die without having embraced the Christian gospelor those who believe in less-traditional Christian dogmas and institutions? The Gift of God Is Eternal Life can help both believers and nonbelievers understand the implications of these theological perspectivesnot just in an afterlife, but in their own lives here and now.

Eschatology is the study of the last things: death, judgment, the afterlife, and the end of the world. Through centuries of Christian thoughtfrom the early Church fathers through the Middle Ages and the Reformationthese issues were of the utmost importance. In other religions, too, eschatological concerns were central. After the Enlightenment, though, many religious thinkers began to downplay the importance of eschatology which, in light of rationalism, came to be seen as something of an embarrassment. The twentieth century, however, saw the rise of phenomena that placed eschatology back at the forefront of religious thought. From the rapid expansion of fundamentalist forms of Christianity, with their focus on the end times; to the proliferation of apocalyptic new religious movements; to the recent (and very public) debates about suicide, martyrdom, and paradise in Islam, interest in eschatology is once again on the rise. In addition to its popular resurgence, in recent years some of the worlds most important theologians have returned eschatology to its former position of prominence. The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology will provide an important critical survey of this diverse body of thought and practice from a variety of perspectives: biblical, historical, theological, philosophical, and cultural. This volume will be the primary resource for students, scholars, and others interested in questions of our ultimate existence.