The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

XV. Canadian Commentator Short-Not “Inherently Immortal”

Brief reference must be made to another Canadian scholar —Congregationalist JOHN SHORT, ⁸³ Of the United Church of Canada. In his “Exposition,” in “The First Epistle to the Corinthians,” he affirms categorically that man is not, according to the New Testament, innately immortal. Note it in setting: CFF2 862.4

“Christian doctrine is not one of immortality but of resurrection. We shall do well to get this point clear. As expounded by the apostle Paul, whom we believe to have entered more deeply into the mind and spirit of his Lord than any other, man’s hope of survival depends not on the inherent immortality of his soul, but an the act of God. His immortality is involved in his resurrection, not his resurrection in his immortality. There is nothing in Paul’s writings nor in the N.T. to suggest that the soul is inherently immortal.” ⁸⁴ CFF2 862.5

Dr. Short then adds that immortality is the gift of God, and is dependent upon the activity and grace of God:
“Everything, so far as life hereafter is concerned, depends on the activity of God as that activity is made available for man through man’s faith. This is precisely what is meant when we emphasize the fact that life hereafter is a specifically religious interest. Immortality is the gift of God’s grace in response to man’s faith. Everything depends on the nature and purpose of God.” ⁸⁵ CFF2 863.1

Beyond question, emphasis on this basic principle knows no national or denominational boundaries. CFF2 863.2

MAJOR 20TH CENTURY WITNESSES TO CONDITIONALISM—SECTION A

No.	Page	Name	Date	Place	Religion	Position	Nature of Man	Intermediate State	Punishment of Wicked
1	749	Temple, William	1931	Britain	Anglican	Archbp. Canterbury	Immort. cond. gift	Resurrection sole hope	No eternal torment
2	757	Beck, Vilhelm		Denmark	Lutheran	Pastor		Sleeps till resurrection
3	758	Teisen, N.		Denmark	Lutheran	Professor	Not indestructible		No endless torment
4	759	Ekman, E. J.	1910	Sweden	Lutheran	Pastor—ed.	Not indestructible		Consumed, cease to be
5	760	Bennett, F. S. M.	1929	Britain	Anglican	Dean (Chester)	Immortable	Sleeps	Complete destr.
6	763	Dodd, Charles H.	1929	Britain	Congregation.	Prof. (Cambridge)	Not innately immortal	Awaits resurrection
7	763	Matthews, Walt.	1930	Britain	Anglican	Dean (St. Paul’s)	Immort. conditional		Sin brings destr.
8	765	Moffatt, James	1930	Britain	Ch. of Scotland	Prof.—Bible trans.	Immort. conditional		No eternal torment
9	767	Personne, John	1910	Sweden	Lutheran	Bishop (Lindkoping)	No innate immort.		No eternal suffering
10	772	Billot, Ludovico	1920	Fr.—Italy	Rom. Catholic	Cardinal		Sleeps until awakening	Fate fixed at death
11	782	Nygren, Anders	1938-39	Sweden	Lutheran	Bishop (Lund)	Immortality not inher.	Resurrection sole hope
12	788	Findlay, James A.	1933	Britain	Methodist	Prof. (Bristol)	Immort. conditional		Utter extinction
13	789	Knudson, Albert C.	1933	America	Methodist	Prof. (Boston)			Punish. not eter.
14	789	Andrae, Tor J.	1934	Sweden	Lutheran	Bishop (Lindkoping)	No innate immort.	Resurrection sole hope	Destr. of conscious.
15	791	Baillie, John	1934	Scotland	Ch. of Scotland	Prof.—moderator	Immort. conditional	No discarnate souls	Complete destr.
16	792	Stewart, James S.	1935	Scotland	Ch. of Scotland	Prof. (Edinburgh)	Immort. at resur.	No disembodied spirits	Ceases to be
17	795	Forbes, Avary H.	1936	Dublin	Interdenom.	Prof. Bible College	Denies innate immort.	Sleep in Jesus	Rejects eter. tor.
18	797	Bowman, W. H.	1937	America	Adv. Christian	Evangelist	Immort. conditional	No surviving souls	Wicked destroyed
19	800	Quick, Oliver C.	1938	Britain	Anglican	Prof. (Oxford)	Rejects innate immort.	No conscious survival
20	802	Cullberg, John	1940	Sweden	Lutheran	Bishop (Vasteras)	Soul mortal as body	Immort. through res.
21	803	Guillebaud, Har. E.	1940	Eng.—Afr.	Anglican	Archdeacon—trans.	Soul not immortal		Ultiomate extinction
22	814	Micklem, Nath.	1943	Britain	Anglican	Principal (Mansfield)	Soul not immortal	Sole hope in res.
23	815	Anglican Com. (50)	1945	Britain	Anglican	Appt. by Assembly	No univ., innate immort.		Abolition of evil
24	819	Kahnlund, Sten	1945	Sweden	Lutheran	Rector	Immort. through res.	Sole hope in res.
25	821	Cundy, H. M.	1945	England	Anglican	Master (Pub. Sch.)	No independ. life	No bodiless survival	Death extinguishes
26	822	Snaith, Norman H.	1949	England	Methodist	Pastor—prof.	No. immortal soul surv.	Resurrection sole hope	Destroyed at last
27	823	Major, H. D. A.	1946	England	Anglican	Canon (Birmingham)	Not indestr. by nature		Utterly consumed
28	825	Leeuw, G.. van der	1947	Netherlands	Dutch Reformed	Prof. (Groningen)	Innate immort. pagan	Nonexistent in death
29	827	Taylor, Alfred E.	1947	Scotland	Anglican	Prof. (Edingurgh)	No survival of soul	Immort. through res.	Excl. from eter. life
30	828	Beasley-Murray	1947	Britain	Baptist	Prof. (Spurgeon’s Col.)	No disc. immortal souls	Res. of whole man
31	829	North, Chris. R.	1947	Wales	Methodist	Prof. (Univ. of Wales)	No disc. immortal souls	Resurrection sole hope
32	830	Vine, Aubrey R.	1948	Britain	Congregation.	Secy. Fr. Ch. Fed. Coun.	No natural immort.	Reconstucted through res.	End of human unit
33	833	Aulen, G. E. H.	1948	Sweden	Lutheran	Bishop	Immort. gift of God
34	836	Heinecken, M. J.	1949	America	Lutheran	Prof. (Luth. Sem.)	No inher. immort.	Unconscious of pass. time	Final end
35	839	Niebuhr, Reinhold	1949	America	Evang. Ref.	Porf. (Union Theo.)	Immort. solely from God	No eternal element surv.
36	840	Sperry, Willard L.	1949	America	Congregation.	Dean (Harvard Divin.)			Vanishes
37	842	Simcox, C. E.	1950	America	Episcopalian	Rector—editor	Soul not immortal	No disemb. part persists
38	845	Ramsey, R. Paul	1950	America	Methodist	Prof. (Princeton)	Not inher. immortal.
39	846	Vidler, Alec R.	1950	Britain	Anglican	Dean—editor	Not inher. immortal.	No disembodied spirits
40	848	Caird, G. B.	1950	Canada	Anglican	Prof. (McGill)	No innate immort.	Whole personalty. res.
41	849	Robinson, J. A. T.	1958	Britain	Anglican	Bishop (Form. pof.)	No immortal part	Whole man raised
42	851	Wahlstrom, Eric H.	1950	America	Lutheran	Dean (Augustana)	No innate immort.	Resurrection only hope
43	851	Spinka, Matthew	1950	America	Congregation.	Prof.—editor	Soul not indestruct.		No eternal torment
44	852	Pike, James A.	1951	America	Episcopalian	Bishop—author	Soul not indestruct.	Res. of whole personality
45	852	Pittenger, W. N.	1951	America	Episcopalian	Prof. (Gen. Theol.)	Soul not indestruct.	Res. of whole personality
46	854	Taylor, F. John	1951	Britain	Anglican	Principal (Wycliffe)	No deathless souls	Immort. at res.
47	855	Davies, David R.	1952	England	Anglican	Rector	No inherent immort.	Immort. at res.	Final destr. of soul
48	859	Manson, William	1952	Scotland	Presbyterian	Prof.—administr.	Man is mortal	Immort at Advent
49	860	Bolander, Nils F.	1952	Sweden	Lutheran	Bishop of Lund	No innate immort.	Immort. at res.
50	860	Manson, Thos. W.	1953	Britain	Presbyterian	Prof. (Manchester)		Sleeps till res.
51	862	Heim, Karl	1953	Germany	Lutheran	Prof. (Tübingen)	No disembodied state	Life at res.
52	862	Short, John	1953	Br.—U.S.	Congregation.	Minister—author	Not innately immortal

EVIDENCE DISCLOSED BY CHART A-FOR FIRST HALF OF 20TH CENTURY

1. The impetus of the nineteenth century Conditionalist expansion continues unabated in the twentieth, but with increased geographical and numerical spread, out to the ends of the earth. As a consequence, for space reasons we must divide the tabulation of the 137 witnesses of the first six decades
into three sectional charts-designated A, B, and C. 2. The list tabulated in Chart A contains numerous nationally and internationally known names in religious circles, none being surpassed in eminence in their respective fields. The roster begins in Britain, with the highest prelate of the Anglican faith-Dr. William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury. His is an impressive lead-off presentation. There is also the testimony of the deans of St. Paul’s and of Chester, and the canon of Birmingham. Similarly a prominent Bible translator, and a number of university professors (Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Wales), and the principals of two colleges (Mansfield and Wycliffe). There is also a remarkable group statement from an Anglican Commission of fifty. The secretary of the Free Churches Federal Council of Britain is likewise a declared Conditionalist. 3. Scandinavian Lutheran clerics in the northland are similarly outspoken-five bishops (two of Lund, and of Linkoping, Vasteras, and Strangnas)- also pastors, rectors, and professors who broke with the traditional position, which announcement was attended by much publicity. 4. Nor is America one whit behind, with professors in Harvard, Princeton, Boston, Augustana, Union Theological, General Theological, and Lutheran Seminary. There are also deans, editors, and a bishop, and Canadian professors in Queen’s and Trinity. Then there are two German professors (at Gronigan and Tubingen) and a French Eastern Orthodox leader. 5. As to the three basic principles of Conditionalism-the nature of man, the intermediate state, and the punishment of the wicked-48 of the 52 declare, in one form or another, that man is not innately immortal. But he is “immortable,” with immortality a gift bestowed by God. It is conditional, not inherent. It is contingent, not natural, received at the resurrection. Man is subject to death, and is not indestructible. There are no conscious, disembodied souls or spirits that survive. The notion of Innatism comes from pagan, not Biblical, sources. The soul is not indestructible and deathless. That is the composite view. 6. As to the intermediate state, 37 of the 52 hold that man sleeps during the interim of death. He awaits the resurrection, which is his sole hope. They hold that in death there is no consciousness of the passing of time; that in death man is not in Heaven or Hell, but in gravedom; and that the whole man will be raised through the resurrection at the Second Advent. That is the central thought. 7. As to the punishment of the wicked, 24 of the 52 go on record as holding that the incorrigibly wicked will be wholly consumed, become extinct, be eliminated, the life ended, abolished, vanished into nothingness-and thus that there is no Eternal Torment, endless misery, or indefeasible persistence in an ever-agonizing, conscious, everlasting Hell. 8. Conditionalism is thus definitely on the gain among clerics and educators of learning, prominence, and influence. It is not confined to the obscure, the Biblically illiterate, the unknown. Just the reverse. These witnesses are the peers of any of their contemporaries. Conditionalist advocates move in high circles. And when one leaves a written record of his Conditionalist views, in book or periodical, numerous others, though they leave no published record, declare themselves orally. There are, of course, many witnesses of lesser fame. 9. A remarkable increase in Conditionalist literature has marked the years, right up to today. To mention but one organization, and only as to publishing activities, Seventh-day Adventists operate 43 publishing houses and issue 282 periodicals, with book and periodical sales totalling approximately $29,000,000 annually. And all statements in these books and periodicals, bearing on the nature and destiny of man present, without exception, the Conditionalist position. And there are many Conditionalist publishers now found on every continent. 10. In denominational spread there are 17 Anglican, 10 Lutheran, 8 Congregationalist, 4 Methodist, 2 Church of Scotland, as well as Dutch Reformed, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Eastern Orthodox champions of Conditionalism covered in Chart A. And nationally, they include British, Scottish, Welsh, Danish, Swedish, German, Swiss, Dutch, French, African, and American and Canadian advocates. Such is the eloquent testimony of the first half of the 20th century. CFF2 865.1