Hell

Anglican confessional documents affirm the reality of eternal judgment and reject universalism. The Thirty-Nine Articles include in the original Forty-Two Articles (1553) an article rejecting the view that 'all men shall be saved' (though this was later dropped from the Thirty-Nine as its target — the Anabaptists — was no longer current). The creeds confess Christ coming 'to judge the living and the dead,' which implies differentiated outcomes. The Book of Common Prayer's burial services and liturgical texts affirm hope in resurrection while acknowledging divine judgment.

Within contemporary Anglicanism, views on hell span a range from traditional eternal conscious punishment to conditionalist (annihilationist) perspectives and more universalist leanings in progressive theology. Anglican theologian John Stott famously advocated annihilationism. The official formularies affirm judgment and the possibility of damnation, but Anglican theological breadth has allowed ongoing debate on the precise nature of hell, particularly in academic contexts.