Christian Mortalism

Christian mortalism incorporates the belief that the human soul is not naturally immortal, and the belief that the soul is uncomprehending during the time between bodily death and Judgment Day resurrection, known as the Intermediate state. "Soul sleep" is an often pejorative term so the more neutral term "materialism" was also used in the 19th century, and "Christian mortalism" since the 1970s.

Historically the term psychopannychism was also used, despite problems with the etymology and application. Some have identified a distinction between psychopannychism and thnetopsychism, for example Gordon Campbell (2008) identified Milton as believing in the latter though in fact both De doctrina Christiana and Paradise Lost make reference to death as "sleep" and the dead being "raised from sleep". The difference is difficult to identify in practice.