Customer Reviews

Doctrine of Endless Punishment

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Since the Reformation, Universalism, Restorationism, and Annihilation, have been asserted by some sects and many individuals. But these tenets have never been adopted by those ecclesiastical denominations which hold, in their integrity, the cardinal doctrines of the trinity and incarnation, the apostasy and redemption, although they have exerted some influence within these denominations. None of the evangelical churches have introduced the doctrine of Universalism, in any form of it, into their symbolical books. The denial of endless punishment is usually associated with the denial of those tenets which are logically and closely connected with it--such as original sin, vicarious atonement, and regeneration. Of these, vicarious atonement is the most incompatible of any with universal salvation; because the latter doctrine, as has been observed, implies that suffering for sin is remedial only, while the former implies that it is retributive. Suffering that is merely educational does not require a vicarious atonement in order to release from it. But suffering that is judicial and punitive can be released from the transgressor, only by being inflicted upon a substitute. He, therefore, who denies personal penalty must, logically, deny vicarious penalty. If the sinner himself is not obliged by justice to suffer in order to satisfy the law he has violated, then, certainly, no one needs suffer for him for this purpose."

"The rejection of the doctrine of Endless Punishment cuts the ground from under the gospel. Salvation supposes a prior damnation. He who denies that he deserves eternal death cannot be saved from it so long as he persists in his denial. If his denial is the truth, he needs no salvation. If his denial is an error, the error prevents penitence for sin, and this prevents pardon. No error, consequently, is more fatal than that of Universalism. It blots out the attribute of retributive justice; transmutes sin into misfortune, instead of guilt; turns all suffering into chastisement; converts the atonement work of Christ into moral influence [display]; and makes it a debt due to man, instead of an unmerited boon from God. No teaching is more radical and revolutionizing, in its influence upon the Christian system. The attempt to retain the evangelical theology in connection with it is futile.-- WTG SHEDD, THE DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.

IN OTHER WORDS:

"The first order of bussiness in caring for the unsaved soul must be to point him to the righteous demands of his Creator and to the cross of Jesus Christ as payment for his failure to meet those demands. The Law must be presented first, for unless the individual despairs of his ability to keep the Law, the provision of a Redeemer is meaningless. When he does despair of his ability to keep the Law, and recognizes that he is a sinner in the hands of an angry God, then the true Gospel can be presented; otherwise, that soul cannot be `cured.'" (page 217, Dr. Gary L. Almy, "How Christian is Christian Counceling?")

WGT Shedd was the last Calvinist theology instructor at Union Seminary in New York. Along with his Dogmatic Theology, this particular work is Shedd's most enduring contribution to Christian theology.

This book attempts to reiterate and argue in favor of the historic Christian doctrine of the reality of a literal hell and that it is a place of endless punishment for those who reject Christ. In arguing for this, Shedd seeks to present both a biblical argument and a rational argument. As I will discuss below, his former attempt is better then his latter attempt.

In his biblical argument for the doctrine of hell, Shedd pursues two main lines of contention - whether hell in fact exists, and is it in fact a place of eternal punishment. It is here that Shedd provides much needed analysis of what is meant by the Old Testament Hebrew word 'sheol' as well as the New Testament Greek word 'hades', both of which are terms where confusion and speculation tend to dominate in much modern preaching on hell. It is also here where Shedd takes on the whole question of whether Jesus descended into hell or not after His crucifixion, which is an assertion that has periodically populated the realm of Christian theology, particularly among certain charismatic strains of thought.

The other main strength of this book is his analysis of the kind of punishment that hell's occupants will endure. Shedd presents a compelling, and in my mind conclusive argument in favor of the doctrine of endless punishment against alternative views such as annihilationism and certainly universalism. With prominent evangelicals like John Stott flirting heavily with annihilationism in recent decades, Shedd's antidote is most welcome and should be read carefully by all those who are seeking a sober treatment of what Scripture actually says about this subject.

When the reader begins to read Shedd's rational argument, they will notice that Shedd falters a little bit. As has been pointed out by others, Shedd appeared to hold to a view of human ability which was ultimately internally inconsistent with his theology. Shedd appeared to hold to a view of free will that goes against mainstream Calvinism and the Reformation (and in my opinion the Bible as well), believing that man's 'free will' in a libertarian sense is an intricate component of why there is a hell and why people end up there. As is the case with many Christians who assert the reality of a kind of libertarian free will, Shedd simply presumes it rather than proves it through Biblical exegesis, and this is a notable weakness in his argument since Shedd appears to take this basic extrabiblical and unproven imperative and makes it a centerpiece of his rational argument. It is here that the discerning reader will hopefully be more careful about presenting a rational argument for hell then Shedd was in terms of Biblical fidelity.

But in the end, while his rational argument is questionable, his Biblical argument is classic, and in the end, that is the most important criteria, hence the 5 stars I'm giving the book. The doctrine of hell has never been liked, it has never been appealing even to those who affirm its truthfulness. It's a difficult doctrine, it always will be. That is why it is especially important in this area, where our emotions and our feelings are least willing to accept such a doctrine, that we must submit to Scriptural authority. And as Shedd eloquently demonstrates, the traditional doctrine of hell is the theology that does the most justice and most clearly affirms what the Bible repeatedly teaches about this scary doctrine. Shedd's biblical argument is must reading.

WGT Shedd was the last adherent of historic Reformed theology to teach theology at Union Seminary in New York. In addition to his 3 volume Dogmatic Theology, Shedd is most well known for this book on eternal punishment. This book is must reading for evangelicals who struggle personally with the doctrine of hell, or struggle with answering objections to it.

The book is basically divided up into two sections. The first big section presents the biblical argument for the doctrine of endless punishment. It is in these pages that Shedd really dissects the Hebrew 'Sheol' and Greek 'Hades' and clears up a great deal of confusion and misinformation that regularly seems to swirl around these words and their usages in the Bible, including the question of Jesus 'descending into hell or hades'. In addition, considerable attention is paid to the descriptions of hell offered by Jesus (as well as Paul and John among others) throughout the New Testament. Shedd's conclusion is that hell is real, people end up there, and that those who do suffer for all eternity. With prominent evangelicals like John Stott severely flirting with annihilationist views that contradict endless punishment, Shedd is a welcome antidote, and actually offers pointed criticisms of annihilationism itself in addition to universalism and other alternatives. The Biblical argument put forward by Shedd is compelling, and in my view, conclusive.

The second major section of the book is devoted to responding to extrabiblical objections to the doctrine of hell. It is here that Shedd responds to many of the common negative emotional reactions that people tend to harbor towards the doctrine of hell, particularly in the areas of justice and mercy, and the nature of punishment/retribution. It is in this section that Shedd articulates one of his more profound thoughts, "If the Biblical hell were as much a non-entity as the heathen Atlantis, no one would waste his time in endeavoring to prove its nonexistence. What man would seriously construct an argument to demonstrate that there is no such being as Jupiter Ammon, or such an animal as the centaur? The very denial of endless retribution evinces (evidences) by its spasmodic eagerness and effort to disprove the tenet, the firmness with which it is entrenched in man's moral constitution. If there really were no hell, absolute indifference toward the notion would long since have been the mood of all mankind, and no arguments, either for or against it, would be constructed." This thought is one of several gems that Shedd offers the reader in this section.

The only weakness of the book, if one considers himself to be of a Reformed theological persuasion, is that Shedd's inconsistent view on the human will does come out from time to time, particularly in the second section. As has been pointed out by others, particularly in their appraisals of his Dogmatic Theology, Shedd held to a view of human freedom which appeared to be ultimately self-contradictory. So in this book, in order to help minimize the supposed sting of the doctrine of hell, Shedd at times relies on an ASSUMED view of human freedom, one he never endeavors to prove, that may well strike most readers as being out of step with Reformed theology, as well as Biblically problematic.

But in giving the book 5 stars, I am rewarding Shedd for his otherwise outstanding argumentation, particularly his Biblical argument. To stand up in any age to affirm the reality of hell as the Bible describes it is a courageous thing to do. For the most part, Shedd did it magnificently.

Having grown up with the doctrine of endless punishment (i.e., that hell is real and eternal) and steeped in it for the last 50 years, I now find myself questioning what I have been taught and assumed was true. When I became aware of Shedd's newly-reprinted "definitive" apologetic of this doctrine, I was eager to read it to see what it says - to make sure I wasn't missing something. I was surprised when I realized Shedd writes nothing that hasn't been said before, and with, what felt to me, a chilliness and narrow, scholastic dryness that left me even more convinced in doubting the doctrine he was trying to defend. His ideas of Bible translation and treatment of free will, God's justice and character, the purpose of Christ's sacrifice, and the Greek word "aionios" (to name a few that come to mind) are to me shallow and wanting - the difference between warmed-over human scholarship versus a living, God-breathed wisdom.

This is my first book review, and I certainly don't see myself as anything special. I'm simply giving my impression, like others have, of Shedd's book that in his own words describes as the "most severe and unwelcome of all the tenets of the Christian religion". There is a difference between being "taught of God" and being taught of "the letter" (in this case, the Scriptures). His book does have value in that it clearly states the doctrine and that this clear statement may awaken one to doubt it.

For all those interested or troubled by the doctrine of endless punishment, here's an idea: read Shedd's book in conjuction with Hope Beyond Hell by Gerry Beauchemin or Andrew Jukes' The Restitution of All Things (both available free online) while resting on the sufficiency of the indwelling Christ, as I John says, "to teach you all things".

Thanks for reading my review.

William Greenough Thayer Shedd (1820-1894) was an American Calvinist Presbyterian Theologian, professor of English literature (he actually served as served as editor of Coleridge's Complete Works), then later professor of systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary. This book was first published in 1885, and has remained in print continuously since then.

In the Preface, Shedd notes that he is concerned with refuting "the dogmatic bearings of Universalism," which "cuts the ground from under the gospel," since "Salvation supposes a prior damnation. He who denies that he deserves eternal death cannot be saved from it so long as he persists in his denial." Nevertheless, he has a pastoral purpose in writing: "The kindest way, therefore, for both the preacher and the hearer is, to ... teach the plain and exact truth. Eternal perdition is like any other danger. In order to escape danger, one must believe in it... To be forewarned, is to be forearmed."

He rejects the notion that the Hebrew term "Sheol" refers to a "neutral" place for both believers and unbelievers: "If Sheol is merely a promiscuous underworld for all souls, then to be 'turned into sheol' is no more a menace for the sinner than for the saint, and consequently a menace for neither... If it is shared with the good, its power to terrify is gone. If the good man does to Sheol, the wicked man will not be afraid to go with him." (Chap. 2)

He also presents "the Rational Argument" in favor of the doctrine: "Nothing is requisite for its maintenance but the admission of three cardinal truths of theism, namely, that there is a just God; that man has free will; and that sin is voluntary action. If these are denied, there can be no defense of endless punishment---or of any other doctrine, except atheism and its corollaries."

Interestingly, he argues in Chapter 2 that "it does not follow, however, that because God is not obliged to offer pardon to the unevangelized heather, either here or hereafter, therefore no unevangelized heathen are pardoned. The electing mercy of God reaches to the heathen. It is not the doctrine of the Church, that the entire mass of pagans, without exception, have gone down to endless impenitence and death. That some unevangelized men are saved, in the present life, by an extraordinary exercise of redeeming grace in Christ, has been the hope and belief of Christendom."