Post by Michael J Loomis on Feb 4, 2011 17:32:01 GMT -5
I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to many of you that have contacted me and a number of other teachers within the preterist movement that have voiced their concern with my allowing a user that goes by the name Rivers of Eden to continually post his disagreements with the teachers on AD70.NET over certain aspects of doctrinal belief.
Many, if not all of you know that I am a very easy going kind of guy. I'm like a camel with a broad back that can handle a lot of straw. However my load bearing limit has been met.
A few months back I thought it would be a good idea to bring someone on to AD70.NET to present the Hyper-Preterist view so that we could all benefit from truly understanding what it is that someone that calls themselves by this name really believes. Mainly because long standing disagreements as to proper definitions of the terms Preterist and Hyper-Preterist. As many of you know, the term Hyper-Preterist has been used in a negative sense to describe those of us that understand all Bible prophecy as having been fulfilled in the first century. The designation of Hyper is used by others that claim to be Preterists even though they still believe that there are future prophecies yet to be fulfilled. Therefore they claim that because we have gone beyond what they believe we are then Hyper-Preterists. In other words...We've gone beyond the original intent of the meaning of the word. I would however suggest that that they simply used the term incorrectly to begin with. And I think we can all agree that just because a word is used incorrectly for some time doesn't mean we should continue to use it incorrectly.
And so I decided that the best way to define the term Hyper-Preterism would be to bring someone on that actually holds to the view. In other words...From the horses mouth.
My intention was to simply let Rivers of Eden present his view so that we could catalog it and have it available for future reference. That there would be no ambiguity when someone wanted to wrongly categorize the majority of us that hold to the preterist position.
After the 2 broadcasts where I allowed Rivers of Eden to share his view he began occasionally posting some of his personal disagreements on the podcast page regarding his difference of opinions with the teachers on AD70.NET. Since that time the frequency of his posting has increased significantly and his tenor has occasionally become more hostile. I did notice this and personally emailed him and asked him to tone it down a little and he did. However the frequency of his posting has continued to increase.
And so I've finally gotten to the point where I've asked Rivers of Eden to stop posting his disagreements with the teachers on AD70.NET. Not because I'm afraid in any way of good, clean, open and honest debate. But because enough is enough. And I feel he has made it patently clear that his position is in disagreement with everyone here on AD70.NET.
I personally believe that the position of Rivers of Eden is patently wrong. Not just because Don Preston presented what I believe to be an airtight case against the view, but because I personally have wrestled with the view in the past myself and at one point almost embraced it. However, by the grace of God and a lot of patient and caring friends I have found it not only incorrect but just plain Anti-Christian.
Anti-Christian in the sense that anyone post AD70 that has held to a faith in Christ has had no basis in truth or reality. In other words there is no such thing as faith and we're all just suffering from a God delusion. A position that is not only untenable to me, but one that I will not tolerate.
It would be one thing if Rivers of Eden were in disagreement with other doctrines that the Church has been in disagreement about for many years, like the sovereignty of God, the gifts of the Spirit or the proper method of baptism.
From this point forward AD70.NET and any of it's associated websites will no longer tolerate this kind of message to be furthered in any form.
I want to personally apologize to all of the teachers on AD70.NET for my having let this dialog go on this far. And I also want to apologize to any of the listeners that have been bothered in any way by what has gone on.
The official position of myself(Michael J Loomis) and AD70.NET is that the views held by Rivers of Eden are no different than atheism and it will be categorized and treated the same way.
AD70.NET is a community of faith. A community that I've been very blessed to be a part of.
I apologize to any of my brothers and sisters in Christ that I have offended.
Michael J Loomis
Many, if not all of you know that I am a very easy going kind of guy. I'm like a camel with a broad back that can handle a lot of straw. However my load bearing limit has been met.
A few months back I thought it would be a good idea to bring someone on to AD70.NET to present the Hyper-Preterist view so that we could all benefit from truly understanding what it is that someone that calls themselves by this name really believes. Mainly because long standing disagreements as to proper definitions of the terms Preterist and Hyper-Preterist. As many of you know, the term Hyper-Preterist has been used in a negative sense to describe those of us that understand all Bible prophecy as having been fulfilled in the first century. The designation of Hyper is used by others that claim to be Preterists even though they still believe that there are future prophecies yet to be fulfilled. Therefore they claim that because we have gone beyond what they believe we are then Hyper-Preterists. In other words...We've gone beyond the original intent of the meaning of the word. I would however suggest that that they simply used the term incorrectly to begin with. And I think we can all agree that just because a word is used incorrectly for some time doesn't mean we should continue to use it incorrectly.
And so I decided that the best way to define the term Hyper-Preterism would be to bring someone on that actually holds to the view. In other words...From the horses mouth.
My intention was to simply let Rivers of Eden present his view so that we could catalog it and have it available for future reference. That there would be no ambiguity when someone wanted to wrongly categorize the majority of us that hold to the preterist position.
After the 2 broadcasts where I allowed Rivers of Eden to share his view he began occasionally posting some of his personal disagreements on the podcast page regarding his difference of opinions with the teachers on AD70.NET. Since that time the frequency of his posting has increased significantly and his tenor has occasionally become more hostile. I did notice this and personally emailed him and asked him to tone it down a little and he did. However the frequency of his posting has continued to increase.
And so I've finally gotten to the point where I've asked Rivers of Eden to stop posting his disagreements with the teachers on AD70.NET. Not because I'm afraid in any way of good, clean, open and honest debate. But because enough is enough. And I feel he has made it patently clear that his position is in disagreement with everyone here on AD70.NET.
I personally believe that the position of Rivers of Eden is patently wrong. Not just because Don Preston presented what I believe to be an airtight case against the view, but because I personally have wrestled with the view in the past myself and at one point almost embraced it. However, by the grace of God and a lot of patient and caring friends I have found it not only incorrect but just plain Anti-Christian.
Anti-Christian in the sense that anyone post AD70 that has held to a faith in Christ has had no basis in truth or reality. In other words there is no such thing as faith and we're all just suffering from a God delusion. A position that is not only untenable to me, but one that I will not tolerate.
It would be one thing if Rivers of Eden were in disagreement with other doctrines that the Church has been in disagreement about for many years, like the sovereignty of God, the gifts of the Spirit or the proper method of baptism.
From this point forward AD70.NET and any of it's associated websites will no longer tolerate this kind of message to be furthered in any form.
I want to personally apologize to all of the teachers on AD70.NET for my having let this dialog go on this far. And I also want to apologize to any of the listeners that have been bothered in any way by what has gone on.
The official position of myself(Michael J Loomis) and AD70.NET is that the views held by Rivers of Eden are no different than atheism and it will be categorized and treated the same way.
AD70.NET is a community of faith. A community that I've been very blessed to be a part of.
I apologize to any of my brothers and sisters in Christ that I have offended.
Michael J Loomis
