Kirk Cameron changes stance on doctrine of Hell, says he no longer believes in 'eternal conscious torment'
Traditionalist view of damnation 'doesn’t seem to fit' Old Testament, actor says
Actor and podcaster Kirk Cameron stirred up a theological hornet’s nest after he revealed he no longer believes in a Hell that includes “eternal conscious torment.”
Cameron, 55, shared his changing views during a Dec. 3 episode of the Kirk Cameron Show in which he and his son, James, explored biblical references to Sheol, Hades and Gehenna to “examine whether God’s justice is compatible with endless suffering.”
Acknowledging the doctrine of Hell is an “uncomfortable subject,” Kirk said the topic is a popular point of contention for atheists who characterize it as the “eternal barbecue for sinners.”
“Jesus died so that we could have eternal life. But do the wicked have eternal life in Hell? And if they do, why does the Old Testament describe the fate of the wicked in the opposite terms?” he asked, pointing to references using words like “destroy,” “perish” and “death” when describing the fate of the wicked.
“The soul that sins, it shall die,” he said, quoting from the prophet Ezekiel. “It will perish. It will be destroyed, which is like the ending of life, not the ongoing life forever in punishment.”
He also pointed to history and the rise and fall of nations as an illustration of what he believes happens to those who die apart from faith in Jesus Christ. “When you look at God’s judgment upon individuals or on nations, cities, empires, He says they’re gone … The symbolism is scorched earth, destroyed, gone, and their name is remembered no more,” he said. “... And they’re not coming back. It’s like forever. Which really is a better description of dying, of perishing. Not being granted eternal life so that you can be tormented forever. That doesn’t seem to fit.”
Cameron bolstered his argument by citing Edward Fudge, author of the 1982 book, The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment, which argues in support of a conditionalist view, often called annihilationism. This view, Fudge contends, “sees Hell as the fire that consumes” rather than the traditionalist view of Hell as “the fire that torments forever.”
In his podcast, which has over 218,000 subscribers on YouTube, Cameron signaled agreement with Fudge’s thesis that “the immortality of the soul is not a biblical concept” and that the notion of an eternal destiny “in one of two places” was actually a pagan notion adopted by early Christians.
“He says that that concept was imported by early Christians who would read the readings of ancient philosophers like Plato, who weren't Christians and talked about the soul being immortal, eternal,” said Cameron. “And so, you're going to go to one of two places forever. You're going to go to Heaven forever or you're going to go to the bad place, Hell, or you know, whatever it is, forever. And that they imported that and just considered it a given and then brought that into Christianity.”
Best known by the Christian community for his roles in films like the “Left Behind” series and “Fireproof,” Cameron’s previous work with evangelist Ray Comfort and the Way of the Master ministry made the traditionalist doctrine of Hell a cornerstone of their evangelistic efforts.
In response to Cameron’s thoughts on annihilationism, Comfort said that while Kirk is no longer affiliated with his ministry, Living Waters, which doesn’t hold to Kirk's position, he believes his former ministry partner is “sincere” in his belief.
“While we believe Kirk is sincere, we believe that conditional mortality and annihilationism are erroneous views, and that the Bible's clear teaching on Hell is known as 'eternal, conscious torment,” Comfort told The Christian Post on Tuesday. “We firmly believe this is the only correct biblical view.”
Despite their theological disagreement, however, Comfort reiterated that he still considers Cameron a good friend and a strong Christian. “Kirk Cameron has been a dear friend of mine for decades,” he said. “I've known him to be a Godly man who loves the Lord, his family and the Church. In a world of phonies and make believe, especially in Hollywood, I think Kirk is the real deal.”
In addition to authoring articles like “Friends Don’t Let Friends Go to Hell” and warning sinners that “God’s place of punishment is called Hell,” Cameron made a name for himself in the Christian community in part through Comfort's "Way of the Master" method, which involved a series of questions — “Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything?” — invoking the Ten Commandments and God’s just punishment for sin.
Cameron, Comfort, and other evangelists would then ask the listener, “So if you stood before God’s judgment seat, where would you go? You’d go to Hell, right?”
Comfort has previously shared the moment of his first interaction with Cameron when an associate gave Cameron a CD titled “Hell’s Best Kept Secret,” which would eventually lead him to partner with Comfort in ministry.
In one 2015 video titled “Firefighter Lets Family Burn Alive,” Cameron recounts a legal case in which a firefighter willingly failed to rescue a family from a burning home. “What do you think is a fitting punishment for this serious crime? Two years in prison? 20 years? A life sentence? Capital punishment?’ he asked the audience.
In that same video, Cameron quotes from the epistle of James, saying, “... Here's the point: if you're not sharing your faith, if you're not seeking the lost and obeying the scriptures to save them with fear, pulling them out of the fire, if you don't have enough concern for them to do that, then you are that firefighter.”
