Definition: Annihilationism is the belief that condemned unbelievers will be annihilated, or destroyed after death, instead of spending an eternity of punishment in hell.
Annihilationists believe the doctrine of endless suffering in hell contradicts the character of a loving God and is inconsistent with God's final victory over sin. They also argue that in some Bible passages, "eternal" does not refer to the process of punishment but the result. Annihilationists contend that God grants immortality to the soul and can take it away through destruction.
Evangelicals who refute annihilationism argue that eternal punishment in hell, as mentioned in Scripture, does, in fact, mean just that. They further state that if the punishment for sin is extinction, then Jesus Christ's warnings to avoid hell are hollow.
Among the groups that believe in annihilationism are Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of God (Seventh-day) - Salem Conference, and Amended Christadelphians.
Pronunciation: uh NIE hi LAY' shun izm
Examples: Evangelicals are engaged in an ongoing debate over annihilationism.
(Sources: "Evangelical Annihilationism in Review" by J.I. Packer; "The Case for Annihilationism" by Greg Boyd; and "Is annihilationism biblical?")