A Pastoral Rebuttal to Kirk Cameron’s Annihilationist Claim

Recently, Kirk Cameron shared publicly that he embraces annihilationism. He believes that those who reject Christ are not eternally judged but are simply extinguished, gone forever. I appreciate Kirk Cameron. I am thankful for his bold witness, his devotion to family, and the many ways God has used him. Yet on this doctrine, I must disagree. I do not disagree because of tradition or emotion. I disagree because the Bible does not give me room to believe what he now proclaims.

When Jesus describes final judgment, He does not speak of a momentary end. He speaks of punishment that is eternal. Those are His words, not mine. In Matthew 25:46 He says, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” The same word describes both destinies. The life of the redeemed is eternal. The punishment of the unrepentant is eternal. The language of Scripture refuses to separate the two by duration. If we make punishment temporary, we must logically make life temporary. Yet no faithful believer would ever say heaven is temporary.

It is understandable why many want to embrace annihilationism. It is easier to say the wicked disappear than to accept the weight of Jesus speaking about darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. It is easier to imagine God simply turning people off like a switch rather than holding them consciously accountable for their rebellion. But ease is not our guide. Scripture is.

When Isaiah speaks of judgment, he describes it as “their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched.” That is not a poetic way of describing non existence. That is a description of ongoing reality. Suffering continues. Accountability remains. The imagery of Scripture is consistent. Fire that is not quenched. Smoke that rises forever. Shame that is everlasting. The Bible does not minimize the seriousness of sin.

Annihilationism unintentionally does.

If sin only leads to non existence, then sin does not seem as serious. If rejection of Christ only leads to extinction, then the urgency of evangelism softens. The horror of judgment fades. The gravity of holiness is reduced. The apostle Paul did not preach with tears because people might be snuffed out. He preached with tears because people were in danger of eternal separation from God.

The historic church, across centuries and continents, believed in eternal conscious punishment. Athanasius, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, and countless others read the same passages and came to the same conclusion. This doctrine is not the invention of a dark medieval era. It is a consistent reading of the text. The burden of proof is not on the historic church. The burden is on those who introduce a new interpretation.

Hell is not a theological curiosity that can be adjusted based on what feels more compassionate. Hell is part of the gospel. No one truly understands grace until they understand judgment. No one truly knows the love of God until they see what they have been rescued from. To soften judgment is to shrink the cross. The wrath of God poured upon Christ only makes sense if there was real wrath to absorb. What Jesus endured is what I deserved. What He carried is what every sinner must face without Him.

I do not say these things lightly. Eternal punishment is a horrifying reality. Yet the horror of judgment magnifies the beauty of mercy. Grace becomes amazing only when hell is real. If the lost are simply extinguished, then the cross becomes a relief from suffering rather than a rescue from eternal wrath.

Anyone who loves the Bible and loves people will feel the tension. We do not want anyone to perish. God does not want anyone to perish. Yet the God who desires all to be saved is also the God who warns that judgment is eternal. We must not let our emotions overrule revelation. We must submit our hearts to the word of God even when that word makes us tremble.

I appreciate Kirk Cameron. I pray God continues to use him. But on this issue, he has moved away from what Scripture teaches. The answer is not to make hell smaller. The answer is to make grace larger. Eternity is real. Judgment is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real. The cross of Christ is large enough to save anyone who repents and believes.

So I cannot embrace annihilationism. Instead, I stand where Scripture stands, trembling at its warnings and rejoicing in its promises. Our calling is to preach Christ with urgency. We are not rescuing people from extinction but from eternal judgment. That makes the gospel precious. That makes Christ glorious. That makes evangelism urgent.

God has spoken. Our task is to listen, believe, and proclaim.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jody