Grave Dancer
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 06:16PM What I’m about to confess will probably send me to The Special Hell, but here goes.
I just got the Breaking News from MSNBC that The Reverend Jerry Falwell has died, and I couldn’t be happier.
In fact, Halle - !#$?*%!! – lujah!
I grew up under the tender mercies of the Southern Baptist fundamentalism that he so smugly inflicted on the world. And, it is solely responsible for whatever business I have created for the mental health community.
Come to find out, his brand of Christianity isn’t even Christianity.
It’s a heresy.
I knew a long time ago there was something deeply flawed with evangelical fundamentalism. In the second epistle to Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote, “ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear ; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” But, in my experience, all the Southern Baptist church had to sell was fear. And, there was no empowerment, no love, and, sad to say, no good mental health in it.
But, a long time ago, I didn’t have anything concrete to work from.
A while back, however, I saw a documentary on one of the smart TV channels about the history of the Apocalypse. It gave me names and dates and places. And, I got to snooping around.
I remember as a child, in the ‘60s, being terrified by all of the Rapture propaganda cranked out by the fundamentalists. It was during the Civil Rights movement and the Women’s Lib movement and the Rapture propaganda was most definitely counter-culture. My little Southern town was flooded with phony newspapers pretending to be reporting the aftermath of the Rapture, complete with crashing airliners, train wrecks, and thousand-car pile-ups, as “born again” Christians were being swooped up to Heaven.
But, guess what.
The word “rapture” never appears in the Bible.
Come to find out, the whole rapture thing started in Scotland in 1830, when a 15 year old girl named Margaret MacDonald started having visions of a secret rapture. The visions were promoted by a gentleman of dubious background named John Nelson Darby. Later, C.I. Scofield, also of a less-than-esteemed background, picked up the ball and invented the Scofield Reference Bible (which my Mother cherishes to this day). The Scofield Bible cross-references all kinds of scriptures into a specific world-vision called dispensationalism.
The ripple effect was a childhood punctuated by wandering evangelists who would barnstorm into little country churches, with huge poster boards cluttered with judgments, and tribulations, and all kinds of end-time monsters and creepy stuff, which proceeded to scare the daylights out of me. And, somewhere amid all of that fear-based “turn or burn” theology, little Jerry Falwell learned how to operate a TV camera.
But, guess what.
The Church shot down Jerry Falwell’s malarkey about 1600 years earlier. Back then, dispensationalism was called Chiliasm and it was deemed a heresy.
A heresy. A false teaching. Of the devil.
Not of God.
I suppose that’s why the Nicene Creed says, “and his kingdom will have no end.”
So, when I see Jerry Falwell, I see the standard bearer of a Satan-inspired lie that has hurt an infinite number of people. I see an evil man, at least as bad as Hitler. I see a man whose Heaven makes Hell look good.
And, if the opportunity ever arises, I will gladly dance on his grave.
TWH
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Reader Comments (9)
Though it is unfashionable to refer to anyone as a heretic, I would agree that dispensationalism and the associated beliefs as discussed in the "Left Behind" series is pure heresy. The early church councils condemned this stuff as heresy. I frankly would state that the early councils and the church fathers were theologically on top of their game while fringe protestants like Darby, Scofield and Tim Lahaye were/are clueless.
Indeed, one searches in vain among the early church fathers for any reference to the rapture or dispensationalism. St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch St. Polycarp of Smyrna who lived in the first and second generations after the apostles never discussed this stuff, ever. You would think that the men who actually knew the apostles would have described this eschatology if it represented valid christian teaching. However we have nary a word ... nada .. zip!! Later christian theologians such as St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome and St. Irenaeus of Lyons never EVER made any reference to this wacky eschatology. Among the Greek fathers of the church such as St. Athanasius, St. John Chrysostom, or St. Basil of cappadocia never mentioned this kind of thing.
Even men in protestant history such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and the Wesley brothers did not believe this stuff. I would content that in christianity, there is no place for new doctrine or new theology. The fact that this theological and escatological nonsense only started with Darby in the 19th century makes this belief system a heresy simply because it started so recently. If I ahve to make a choice between following 1800 years of christian tradition or 150 years of a novel belief without precident, I chose the former over the latter!
The followers of Darbyism and Dispensationalism would have us believe that every single christian, in every denomination on the planet, everywhere and at all times, believed something wrong until they and they alone finally got it right!!??? Au contraire!!! The main problem in my view is not that a small group of British christians came up with a wacky idea.
What disturbs me is that the protestant evangelical world has swallowed this nonsense hook line and sinker.Why?? To some degree, it is due to a lack of a historical consciousness, poor theological training and a historical amnesia about what traditinal christianity really teaches. Of course, John Wesley wrote a whole book supporting the ever virginity of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary and mother of Christ. Mention THAT to a modern Methodist or Baptist and watch the eyebrows rise:) :)
I would contend that Christianity should be defined as those beliefs that have always been believed by all christians at all times and everywhere. Darbyism does not pass that test!
Remember the conversation we had at work concerning Rush and anger? My friend I feel you should take a loong look in the mirror.
It has taken a long time for me to come to understand at an emotional level what you have explained at the historical level. The problem here in the South is that it is complicated by a certain argumentum ad populum. There are so many people in the South that buy into the dispensationalism heresy that it is easy to fall into fallacy of thinking it is a true teaching. Hopefully, getting the word out will help people heal and grow.
TWH
Yes, I have the scars of fundamentalist abuse in me that occasionally rear up as anger. But, that's the big difference. I admit to mine. And, I try to work through it.
Falwell's problem, and the problem of those he spoke for, was that he blithely thought he was right and went through life hurting people, simply because he could.
I remember, a few months back, indirectly encountering a colleague. I happened to be in the general area and this colleague was going on and on about how wonderful it was to fast and how his experiences in fasting had really helped his spiritual life. Then, the colleague turned to me and said, "You must not fast."
It angered me on two levels. Jesus told his disciples, when they fasted, to not make a show of it, but to do it in secret. He didn't want his disciples standing on the street corner, showing off like the Pharisees. So, the colleague blatantly disobeyed one of Jesus' teachings. And, yes, I am not the thinnest man on the planet. But, the colleague didn't have to embarrass me in front of my other colleagues, simply because he could.
That colleague lost my respect; that colleague thinks he's a Christian.
When the Religious Right stops polishing the outside of the cup while leaving the inside filthy and starts paying more attention to following Jesus' teachings, they will gain my respect. But, until then, I will occasionally tap into the same righteous indignation that Jesus summoned when he drove the moneychangers from the temple.
TWH
Well, 30 years on, all those scenarios seem about as likely as my finding a hot date in Cleveland TN with a wealthy heiress! Can we say remote! Eventually, I supppose people will wise up when the plethora of predictions fail to materialize. The problems is what bad theology will replace it???
Oh, yes, I remember Mr. Lindsey. He was part of the theological terrorism I endured as a child.
But, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
TWH
I'll have to check those out.
TWH