May 22 2000

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The reality of hell, and the teaching that it is "occupied to some degree," is reaffirmed in a 140-page report published in April by the Evangelical Alliance of the United Kingdom. The report, produced by a five-member working group, was prompted by the increasing number of those inside and outside the church who regard the doctrine of hell as "indefensible and obsolete." The report also responds to an ongoing argument among evangelical theologians on whether those in hell are subject to eternal punishment or eventually annihilated. Both are legitimate positions, the report says, although the latter is a minority view.But hell "is more than mere annihilation at the point of death. Rather, death will lead on to resurrection and final judgment to either heaven or hell," the document emphasizes.The report also cites the growing popularity of Eastern doctrines of reincarnation, and the humanist rejection of any life after death, as requiring a reaffirmation of Christianity's traditional view of hell.British evangelicals commend "sensitivity and discernment" in presenting the message of hell, "particularly to those for whom commitment to Christ is uncertain or unrealized."Because redemption is guaranteed only by Jesus, the report adds, "It is inadvisable for us to pronounce unequivocally that a specific person is in hell."