The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

VI. Eternal Torment Not Established Dogma of Anglican Church

1. EARLIEST ANGLICAN ARTICLES (1553) CONDEMN “SOUL SLEEP.”

Turning again to Britain, we find that the earliest purely English formula of public doctrine, called the “Forty-two Articles of Religion” of the Church of England, was begun upon the accession of Edward VI. These were developed and composed largely by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and certain fellow Reformers in 1549. ⁴⁰ Their issuance had been delayed by Cranmer in the hope of formulating a common Confession with the Lutherans and Swiss Reformed groups. CFF2 125.1

Correspondence with Melanchthon was conducted to that end, and with Calvin and Bullinger. But the difficulties appeared insuperable, and the contemporary sessions of the papal Council of Trent (1545-1563) spurred the Anglicans to vindicate Protestant truth as they saw it. ⁴¹ So the framing of the Forty-two Articles was carried to completion, inclining to the Reformed Swiss rather than the Lutheran positions. CFF2 125.2

The Forty-two Articles were accordingly revised and completed in 1552 and published in 1553. They were commonly referred to as the Edwardine Articles because they were published by “royal authority” in the reign of Edward VI. Significantly, in common with several Continental Confessions, one of these (Article XL), as attested by church historian Philip Schaff, was directed against the “Anabaptist notion of the psychopannychia,” or sleep of the soul, ⁴² which teaching was then rather widespread in England as well as other lands. The quaint original phrasing reads: “The soulles of them that departe this life doe neither die with the bodies nor sleep idlie.” ⁴³ Here it is in full: CFF2 125.3

“They who say that the souls of such as depart hence do sleep, being without all sense, feeling and perceiving until the day of judgment, or affirm that the souls die with the bodies, and at the last day shall be raised with the same, do utterly dissent from the right belief declared unto us in the Holy Scriptures.” ⁴⁴ CFF2 126.1

They thus agreed with Calvinism at first. CFF2 126.2

2. ELIZABETHAN REVISIONS (1563) REDUCE ARTICLES TO THIRTY-NINE.”

After the temporary suppression of Protestantism under “bloody” Queen Mary, the Reformed Articles of Religion were restored under Queen Elizabeth, but with certain changes. A work of revision was begun under Archbishop Parker, aided by bishops Cox, Guest, and others. As a result, the Forty-two Articles were reduced to Thirty-nine, with three articles omitted—Nos. 39, 40, and 42 of the Edwardine series— CFF2 126.3

“denying that the resurrection is already brought to pass, that the souls of the departed die with the bodies or sleep idly, and that all men shall be saved ultimately.” ⁴⁵ CFF2 126.4

There was thus a break with Calvinism. CFF2 126.5

After examination by both Houses, the Thirty-nine Articles—which omitted those on “immortality of the soul” and “eternity of future suffering”—were ratified and signed by the bishops and members of the Lower House, and published by the royal press in 1563. The English authorized text, prepared by Bishop John jewel, was adopted in 1571. Since that time the doctrine of Eternal Torment of the wicked has not been an established dogma of the Anglican Church. And this, it should be noted, has remained unchanged since the reign of Elizabeth I. CFF2 126.6

It is obvious from all this that there must have been a considerable body of contrary opinion—Lollard, Anabaptist, and others—to now lead within a brief decade to the exclusion of the so-called orthodox view from the Anglican formulas. The framers of the original Forty-two Articles had closed with this declaration: CFF2 127.1

“‘They are worthy of condemnation who endeavour to restore the dangerous opinion that all men, be they never so ungodly, shall at length be saved when they have suffered pains for their sins a certain time appointed by God’s justice’ (XLII.).” ⁴⁶ CFF2 127.2

This background explains why so many prominent Anglicans have publicly championed the Conditionalist position during the past four hundred years—at least four archbishops, including the late Dr. William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury; various bishops; archdeacons, such as Francis Blackburne; unnumbered canons and rectors, principals and professors, and others to this day. In 1864, in a test case (Wilson vs. Fendall), ⁴⁷ the decision, rendered by the judicial Committee of the highest ecclesiastical court in the Church of England, made crystal clear that the Anglican Church takes no position on the nature of man, leaving it to the individual clergyman to form his own conclusions with freedom and to express them without ecclesiastical censure. In the committee the issue was argued by able counsel, and after due consideration the judgment was delivered by the Lord Chancellor that such a doctrine is not a dclared doctrine of the Anglican Church. CFF2 127.3