"I have attended church all my life, brought my kids to church, been a church secretary and Sunday School teacher, yet always had some very basic questions that I felt never were answered to my satisfaction. I am almost done reading Beyond Creation Science and am excited to report that this book speaks to the very questions I have always had in my heart. The preterist interpretation of scripture in BCS makes sense to me.
The problem I find I am having is sharing my new and enlightened understanding of the Bible with other people in my small community. Either no one has heard of this or I feel like they think I'm into a cult or something. I gave Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar (before I received BCS) to my pastor for his opinion, but he seemed to diminish my concerns and then made no attempt to read the book or look at passages I had highlighted. I finally asked for return of the book which he did without a comment.
What I am concerned about,
however, is why the leaders of the mainstream (young earth, global
flood, future rapture and tribulation) Christian community in America
do not give credence to the preterist interpretation of the Bible. When
an error is pointed out in the translation of various Hebrew and Greek
words which changes the understanding of the flood (for instance), how
can the mainstream Christian community leaders ethically and knowingly
continue to teach otherwise? Of what benefit is it to promote an incorrect view of the Bible that requires “work” to believe and support?
Preterism fits like a comfortable old shoe and makes one eager to keep learning more. Why the controversy? What is the personal responsibility of a local pastor? Are we not allowed to question and investigate the Bible? Would God be insulted if we did? I think not. Does mainstream evangelical Christianity have something to hide? Whose and what agenda is it promoting then? Needless
to say, while I am truly excited and inspired by my investigation into
preterism I am also becoming skeptical of the mainstream evangelical
format we hear at church, on the radio, and in the media."
(Editor's Note: Hang in there, Sonia! There are some very positive developments happening behind the scenes. It takes time for Christians to discover the mistakes and discard the errors we all have inherited. Many people all over America (and even the rest of the world) are starting to question the popular views of young-earth creationism and prophetic futurism. I believe the change coming in the future will be driven by concerned Christians just like you!)
