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So if there is no hell*, from what are we being saved?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Jkdbuck76, Jul 5, 2011.

  1. Jkdbuck76

    Jkdbuck76 Well-Known Member
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    I believe in a literal Lake of Fire eternal judgement.

    In another thread, someone said that they avoid the nearest local Baptist pastor because he doesn't believe in hell and preaches against it.

    So I'm asking you all, if there is no hell* (ie eternal lake of fire), what are we being saved from? Dryer lint? Being bad? Ourselves?

    Maybe some of you have dealt with these types. I'm looking for some personal experience.

    If someone does not "believe in hell", is it that they believe in annihilationism? Or that on judgement day, God will give a wink and a nod to everybody and let them in?
     
  2. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    I think they might say we are being saved from the destruction of sin (both personal and corporate) in this life.

    If they are annihilationists (and many of them believe in a temporary hell, that is, separation from God before their existence ends in the second death of the lake of fire), they definitely believe they are also saved from the judgement of God in annihilation.

    And yes, I knew an annihilationist that taught at Southwestern Seminary here in Fort Worth.
     
    #2 Baptist Believer, Jul 5, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2011
  3. mandym

    mandym New Member

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    Are they still there?
     
  4. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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  5. freeatlast

    freeatlast New Member

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    Hell is real and it has a vast population to prove it.
     
  6. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    I am with you believing in a literal hell. I suspect most not accepting of a literal hell would probably fall into annihilation. I would "think" they may try to argue that salvation is not "from" but "to". Just my two cents
     
  7. mandym

    mandym New Member

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  8. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    The only one I knew about. If there were/are others, they sure didn't talk about it or publish those views like Dr. Ellis.

    All of the other professors had to sign the 2000 BF&M, so they could not publicly hold to annihilationism. Dr. Ellis served at the pleasure of the seminary president and was never asked to sign the BF&M.
     
  9. mandym

    mandym New Member

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    hmm...might be something that needs to come up at next years meeting. Most certainly not something we want in our schools.
     
  10. JesusFan

    JesusFan Well-Known Member

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  11. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    To be blunt, Patterson says one thing about what he allows and does another. I liked Earle Ellis (a friend of my wife's family and fellow church member) and I had great respect for him, although I disagreed with him in a number of places.

    Ellis was very clearly on the record as someone who practiced a private prayer language, someone who believed in soul sleep, an annihilationist, and a person who affirmed women in vocational ministry under certain conditions, even as "senior pastor". He was also an exceptionally conservative scholar (not in the SBC political party sense, but in his treatment of the biblical text) who was often criticized for not taking into account modern sensibilities in regard to issues of biblical interpretation.

    He made no bones about it, presented those views in class, wrote about them, and had some of these views mentioned in the biography written by one of SWBTS's New Testament professors for his 80th birthday.

    When Patterson and the SWBTS Board of Trustees issued a release a few years ago saying they would not knowingly hire or employ a professor who spoke in tongues, it is hard to believe that Patterson did not know that Ellis spoke in a private prayer language since he and Dorothy Patterson were very close friends with Ellis. Furthermore, if Patterson had read any of Ellis' writings (which he claimed to do), then he would have been aware of it. Furthermore, I once asked Earle directly if Patterson knew of his theological stance. Earle confirmed it.

    So Patterson, many professors at Southwestern, and numerous students knew of Ellis' views. It was always something of an open secret.
     
    #11 Baptist Believer, Jul 5, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2011
  12. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    Yes, among numerous others.

    It's a much more popular position among theologians than might be expected.

    Wikipedia lists the following advocates of the position:

    - John Stott
    - John Wenham
    - Michael Green
    - Philip Hughes
    - Roger Forster
    - Clark Pinnock
    - Edward Fudge
    - Greg Boyd
    - Harold Camping
    - Homer Hailey
    - E. Earle Ellis
     
    #12 Baptist Believer, Jul 5, 2011
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  13. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I think some think that "love wins" and that eventually all will go to heaven. It's a sad belief IMO. Having a God who is not just. :(
     
  14. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    Just maybe we are redeemed to rather than saved from.

    Universalism is not a new thing. There were some first century,,yes, first century, people who advocated universalism. While, yes, we are spared eternal punishment, but we have gained a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. I would much rather preach on what we gain than what we lose.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
  15. Grasshopper

    Grasshopper Active Member
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    Edward Fudge has an interesting book on the topic. There is merit to the argument when one actually spends the time to study it. Just a word study on "hell" is thought provoking, at least for me. Some would argue they do believe in a lake of fire and everlasting punishment. They would argue annihilation is an eternal and everlasting punishment.

    I would assume they would say one is saved from their sins and eternal separation from God. Annihilationists would not be Universalists, kind of an oxymoron. Haven't studied it enough to come to a conclusion but have studied it enough to raise question of the traditional view.

    The difference between men like Fudge and Stott and someone like Rob Bell is they came to their view by exegesis not some personal philosophical beliefs. Big difference in my view.
     
    #15 Grasshopper, Jul 5, 2011
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  16. mandym

    mandym New Member

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    The prayer language issue is benign at best for me except that it makes me question the judgment of those who claim to practice it. But the soul sleep issue is very troubling.
     
  17. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    I don't want to derail this thread, so here's a link to the book with the biographical sketch (pages 2-14) that covers a number of these issues.

    His views on women in ministry can be found in his book, Pauline Theology. His annihilationist viewpoint can be most clearly seen in his book, Christ and the Future of New Teatament History.
     
  18. mandym

    mandym New Member

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    thanks for the info. I am interested to read his view. Every other view I have read or heard on this is quite lacking. I doubt his view on women in the ministry will impress me much.
     
  19. FR7 Baptist

    FR7 Baptist Active Member

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    Another thing I'd like to bring in to this discussion is what is meant by a "literal hell". While I'm not dogmatic about this, I tend to think that the biblical description of hell as fire is symbolic. To be clear, I don't believe in annihilationism; I do believe that a a minority of people will suffer everlasting conscious punishment in hell.
     
  20. mandym

    mandym New Member

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    And how come a minority?
     
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