Resurrection

“Heaven” is a concept that both remains deeply rooted in culture and contemporary, everyday life and is a relevant term in (Judeo-Christian) tradition and theology. The diverse approaches of theology (and its history) as well as the supposed self-evident nature of the topic lead to a plurality of understandings and conceptions of heaven. In order to handle the topic of “heaven” in a responsible manner and with precision in the field of (systematic) theology, it is necessary to reaffirm what “heaven” does (and does not) mean.

• Eschatology

Three main positions concerning hell can be distinguished. First, the Augustinian view of hell as place of eternal punishment, which stamped the Western tradition, with the variation of a purgatory (Roman-Catholic) or without it (Protestant). Second, in the Eastern tradition, universalist tendencies rendered hell a transitional phase after which all shall be saved. Third, annihilationism states that while believers live eternally, the damned are destroyed forever. Diverse interpretations of Biblical Scripture lead to a proliferation of all three options. Meanwhile, modern humanism has put the Augustinian option under pressure.

• Eschatology