An Incredible Opportunity

I do not engage with time-wasters with any delusion of convincing them.

But what I have found as effective is the obvious contrast in the interaction that persuades others who are looking over our shoulders.

And it has often been communicated to me that a point used in vain against a time-waster, nevertheless bore fruit in someone else genuinely considering the matter.

The first person I directly convinced of CI over twenty years ago was not so much convinced by my acumen, but by the clear contrast of evidentiary exegesis vs. the parroted creedal assertions of my antagonists.

Luther won more converts in heated engagement with his enemies than he did with civil discourse with his friends.

But I am trying to learn to not take the heated interaction too personally, nor respond in kind. I'm not fully there yet, but I am improving.

And I hope we can all be patient with each other. Our unique styles are clearly not one-size-fits-all, but I believe we can all be effective in our own way with our targeted audiences, especially if we stay focused on Scripture and not the discussion.

When I started my efforts I didn’t wish to duplicate what had been done by so many so well already.

My niche is not impressing stoic seminarians or appeasing ambivalent intellectuals. Many others have done that with good result.

I'm trying to fulfill the dying wish of John Wenham and see the error of endless torment eradicated from evangelicalism.

Though grateful that John Stott opened up to David Edwards, I'm not content that Conditional Immortality is finding a conciliatory seat at the table.

I don't know that anyone could improve upon the efforts made and evidence forwarded from White, Constable, Pettingell, and Petavel at the end of the nineteenth century. I love their brilliant works.

They had their influence and left their legacy, but the impact seems to have been mostly temporal and provincial.

Who can doubt the seminal success of Wenhem, Fudge, Pinnock, and others?

They started something, or more accurately started something back up. It is our opportunity to forward and finish it.

Our mission is no longer to make the pulpit aware of Conditional Immortality as a palatable alternative, but to make the overwhelming exegetical evidence known to the pew.

Conditional Immortality, at least as Annihilationism, is more well known in Christianity now than ever.

With social media we have the incredible opportunity to take our theses from the door of the castle church and put our truth of Scripture in the hands of the boy behind the plow, as Tyndale famously promised.

My desire is to propagate the salient points by persistently sharing the relevant Scripture.

God’s Word is powerful, and God's words are powerfully persuasive, but sometimes it takes time.

And sometimes it's for the one listening in, a silent third party comparing the evidence presented.

Now is our chance. Social media is our means.

Be nice, but be clear.  Be patient, but be persistent. Engage reasonably and rationally, but always with Scripture. It will not return forth void.

Let God use your experience, your style, your insight, to reach your circle with the glorious truth of eternal life in Christ.