Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus all alluded to some form of conditional immortality. Don't just dismiss that, think on it. John Wesley also alluded to it … albeit just once. Certain dyed-in-the-wool Anglicans, like John Stott, have given credence to it, if not full-throated support.
On the other side of the same coin of God-will-not-punish-for-eternity is the universalists whom Kallistos Ware says includes "several of the Fathers have none the less believed that in the end all will be reconciled to God." and, channelling them, some Orthanon here has posted repeatedly (and passionately) defences of the same idea. George MacDonald, whose fantasy works inspired Chesterton, Lewis and Tolkien, was also a universalist. D'Engle, whose novel is a film being released nowmaybedependingonwhereyoulive and who was also inspired by MacDonald, was also a defiant universalist.
Why is are these wrong?
Second to this, if everyone is eventually saved or annihilated anyway, why do the evangelisms or suffer this hellish Christian life? Why endure? What advantage is there in it if all are saved? Do we then embrace multi-tiered heavens like the Mormons do?
inb4 ur looking for an easy way out!
inb4 muh Pope says it is
inb4 heretic / troll / etc
Let's do this topic properly, shall we?