Monday, June 20, 2011

Hyperpreterism and Communism

Okay, whether a person thinks it is right or wrong; it is a matter of FACT that whether we look at pre-Roman Catholic, Roman Catholic, Greek/Eastern Orthodox, Syrian, Protestant/Reformed, Anabaptist, Modern Evangelical, Calvinistic, or Arminianistic expressions of Christianity; ALL of these are UNITED on 4 basic eschatological points: 

1) Jesus is yet to return.
2) Resurrection of the believers is yet to be.
3) Judgment of the wicked and righteous is yet to be.
4) End of sin and culmination of God's plan is yet to be.

ALL expressions of historic Christianity have AGREED on these basics, perhaps in more unity than on ANY OTHER doctrinal issue. Hyperprets that quote some random quote that sounds "full preterist" is disingenuous when it can always be shown that the ancient theologian they quote ALWAYS ultimately agrees with the 4 points above.

So, again. The problem with hyperpreterism BEFORE we even get to anything else is that their position is NOT Christian. They are advocating something that has NEVER been a Christian position, not even by the most radical heresies of history. Hyperprets can get mad all they like. They can desire we get into a proof-text "pee-pee" match with them but this doesn't change that even from the GET GO, hyperpreterism IS NOT Christian.

It is like someone coming along and telling us that America was really supposed to be a communistic country. Then that person proceeds to "proof-text" the Constitution perhaps in this manner:

HYPERPRET INTERPRETING U.S. CONSTITUTION AS COMMUNISTIC
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare..."

See, the communistic language "we" and "union" and "common" and "welfare". Thus as hyperprets interpret things, they could just as easily try to convince a person that almost 300 years of American ideology and expression as capitalistic is WRONG. In this same way, along comes hyperpreterists to tell us 2000 years of Christian ideology and expression is wrong.

Hyperpreterism is as UnChristian as is Communism UnAmerican yet using hyperpret methods of proof-texting you can see how to play games with the text and avoid the FACT that Christianity as believed and practiced for 2000 years is NOTHING like what hyperpreterism wants us to believe.

Hyperpreterists AREN'T Christians anymore than Mormons or JWs are Christian.

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