Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Spitting Spat Over Terms: FULL vs HYPER

As the Kenneth Talbot-led ex-"Full Preterists" start to wake up to the things some of us longer term "formers" have been saying; it becomes amusing or perhaps vindicating to read what they eventually write.  For example,
when Sam Frost first left the movement he said:

"I won't belittle you as "hyper-preterists" or "heretics" or any of those things. I know that doesn't work. It just inflames passions. Pointless, actually. You are made in God's image, and on that basis alone, worthy of respect. I will try my hardest. " -- source Jan 12, 2011

But a little over a year later, on Jan 25, 2012 Frost said this to a group of hyper-preterists:

"...the term, historically, "hyper-preterist" was not invented by FP. It came from a July, 1997 Chalcedon Report article (Kenneth Gentry). It applied to us regular FP. Later, FP picked it up and applied it to folks like Chris Camillo, "Taffy" and the like in order to distance themselves from the term. I don't like revisionism." -- source Jan 25, 2012

This is significant because it shows that Frost may finally be getting it.  The prefix HYPER is not meant as a pejorative but as a grammatically accurate qualifier.  Saying a person is a Full-Preterist is as senseless as saying a person is a "Full-Calvinist" if and when they go beyond (hyper) historic Calvinism.

But the hyper-preterists where Frost posted this are threatening him with banishment if he continues.  Hyper-preterist Tami Jelinek had this to say about the issue:

"We are not "hyper-preterists" (the moderators of this site, nor anyone I know of who posts here regularly). Personally, I *do* consider hyper-preterism heretical. In fact I do not consider hyper-preterists believers, or Christians. To anyone posting here who is referring to any of us as "hyper-preterists": this language needs to stop immediately or you will not continue to post here." -- source

Comparing Frost's comments to Jelinek's, it is apparent that she is doing exactly as Frost said; engaging in "revisionism".  That is, it is like a liberal Democrat trying to deny his views are ideologically socialistic.  Just who are these "hyper-preterists" Jelinek wouldn't consider believers or Christians and why does she think Christians should consider her a believer or a Christian?  Jelinek calling others heretical is like a Mormon calling a Jehovah's Witness a cultist.

Lastly, on a little side note, Frost's sidekick, Jason Bradfield recently admitted this:

" Error begets error. I don’t think it is insignificant that hyperpreterism flourished in Church of Christ circles. That doesn’t account for all of it, but it certainly explains a great deal." -- source Jan 19, 2012

This is important because I early on pointed out that the Church of Christ denomination's "Restorationism" was a big factor in why so many of the first and still most predominant leaders within the Hyper-preterist movement come from the denomination. (see here, here, here)

So, while Frost and the other Talbot-led formers are too full of themselves to set aside their hatred for me, they are just now beginning to use the arguments many of us independent formers used almost a decade ago; and for which they lambasted us.  Maybe they can have a little humility and admit they were wrong and wrong to attack us for as long as they have.

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