New ‘Full Preterists’ (Part 1) — Not a Minor Change Of Eschatology

Whether you entered into the “full preterist” (FP) movement by reading material from FP writers or you came to it by reading the Bible in a vacuum (uninfluenced by historic Christian interpretation), one thing is for certain, there would have been a radical change in your theology. It may have happened slowly or suddenly but the change is dramatic. Subscribing to the FP view is not like switching from one millennial view to another. As a matter of fact, FP’s who have been in the movement for a while will tell you that adopting the FP view is a radical “paradigm shift”.

“There is a thing called a paradigm shift which is when you view things one way and then you shift and view them another way.” – FP leader David Curtis (ref)
“A paradigm shift must take place and a “new” theory has to replace the old ones.” – FP teacher Ken Davies (ref)
“The next quantum leap and paradigm shift in our understanding can only be made using a [full] preterist hermeneutic. Everything else is just a re-hash or rearrangement of unworkable church traditions.” – FP leader Edward Stevens (ref)
“Perhaps all of us have experienced this one way or another. We read and study the Bible, and as a result we experience a paradigm shift which reveals to us a new insight into the Scriptures while creating new mysteries to be explored and discovered. This was one of the results of my “conversion” to [full] Preterism. As a result of understanding fulfilled prophecy, I now find myself reassessing other areas of my faith in light of what happened in AD 70.” – FP leader Virgil Vaduva (ref)

These quotes demonstrate the reality that embracing the FP view is not a minor change or addition to a person’s faith. It is something radically DIFFERENT than the faith shared by most Christians. Whether that is good or bad, we’ll explore as we unpack the topic further. But, a person must first be honest with themselves & realize that adopting a FP view is going to AFFECT EVERYTHING…eventually. You will start by “reassessing other areas” of your faith & eventually by adopting new or different beliefs to adjust to your new “paradigm”.
So, if a FP leader/teacher tries to tell you that it’s really no big deal & that Christians should accept FP alongside the other eschatological views, keep in mind that FP is NOT just a shift in a thousand year reign. FP is NOT a minor update to a person’s current Christian beliefs.
In the coming parts to this series, we’ll take a look at how FP affects a person’s view of:

• The Creation Account
• The Origin of Sin
• The Finiteness of the Elect
• Need to be Born-Again
• Justification By Faith
• The Ordinances/Sacraments
• Inclusive/Exclusiveness of Salvation
• Resurrection
• Judgment
• Heaven/Hell