The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

XIII. Drew’s Anderson-Mortality of Man v. Greek ImmortalSoulism

Methodist dean and professor of Biblical theology, Dr. BERNHARD W. ANDERSON, ⁶² liberalist, of the Theological School, Drew University, likewise places the doctrine of the “resurrection of the body” at the end of the age, over against the “Greek doctrine of the immortality of the soul.” Here is his declaration, based on Daniel 12:2, 3: CFF2 929.4

“This doctrine of the future life, one of the great contributions of apocalyptic literature, was late in coming. And yet, unlike the Greek doctrine of the immortality of the soul, it is infused with the Israelite sense of history. According to Israel’s way of thinking about the future, the individual cannot experience the fullness of life without participating in the redeemed community, the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the resurrection of the body (that is, the self) is portrayed as occurring in the endtime, at the very consummation of the historical drama, when God’s victory over the powers of evil is complete.” ⁶³ CFF2 929.5

More than that, “man is mortal.” There is no “deathless” surviving entity, no discarnate spirit that survives death, according to Ecclesiastes: CFF2 930.1

“Ecclesiastes does not evade the problem by affirming the survival of the individual beyond death, for he knows too well the limitations of human nature. Man is a mortal being. There is nothing in him that is immortal or ‘deathless.’ In this respect, man is no better than the animal (Ecclesiastes 3:18-22), for at death ‘all go to one place’ (Ecclesiastes 3:20). Only in this life is there hope, for ‘a living dog is better than a dead lion’ (see Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). Because Ecclesiastes takes death seriously, he takes life seriously.” ⁶⁴ CFF2 930.2