Transitioning a
Church From Futurism To Preterism
by Albert Persohn
When I became a Preterist I was faced with an uncommon challenge. I was the
pastor of a futurist Charismatic church. A funny moment, which I now see as a
watershed, occurred in 2002. At the time we used an overhead projector to
display our songs. I was concerned about some of the futurist songs we were
singing. So I told my wife that I wanted to change some of the words. We
occasionally sang a song that begins with the words: “I lift my hands to the
Coming King”.
I said to Annette that I want to keep the song but change the first line to: “I
lift my hands to the Reining King”. That seemed simple enough to me. Annette
would reprint the overhead with the changed words and that would be it.
Not So!
What was meant to be a subtle change turned into a revealing embarrassment? Not having an opportunity to print the words on a fresh overhead, the lovely Annette chose instead to use the overhead pen and strike out the word “coming” and replace it with “reining”. The change I requested was evident to all. (Not only that, I was “out of the closet”!) My attempt at subtle transition was railroaded. Those in the church who were already Preterists chuckled and those who were concerned about my shift probably choked.
Do We Share A Common Dilemma?
Has anyone else faced this dilemma? Some good change management skills may come in handy here. If I stood up and said: “The second coming occurred in AD70”, I would face a walk out. If I left the ministry and walked away from the pulpit nothing would be accomplished. If I did not say anything and suffered in silence I would be a hypocrite.
So What To Do?
Stay and
bring change, first to our church, then to as many who wants to hear it. Here
are the steps for what they are worth:
Find and
influence the legitimizes,
Teach eschatology review seminars on occasional Saturdays
Maintain the thrust of caring for people
Know your stuff and prepare to answer questions
Work hard to embrace rather than reject the good sensibilities of people
Get to new people quickly
Learn the art of diplomacy
Preach Christ and Him Crucified as often as possible
What Kind Of Questions Do Charismatic’s Ask?
q) How can
the big name preachers all be wrong about this?
a) The answer that works best: All through recorded history God has never
brought change from the top. It is always from the grass roots. That has not
changed. Martin Luther and the reformers join Moses, the Prophets, Jesus and
the Apostles in demonstrating that change or reformation comes from below. A
new reformation is under way today.
q) Paul says that the Gifts of the Spirit were until the coming of the Lord. Do you still speak in tongues?
a) I speak in tongues every day. I believe manifestations like those mentioned
in 1 Corinthians 12-14 are still with us. I do not believe they are gifts
anymore. They belong to all who wish to walk in them. In the first century they
had an eschatological component, which is gone. (nb. That is my position as of
Feb 2006. I am still on a journey here.)
q) Are you trying to tell me that you know more than Billy Graham, Benny Hinn etc? Comments: Now be really careful with this. I mean it! From the list above, “Embrace rather than offend the good sensibilities of people”. Swallow some pride and keep a friend!
a) These well-known people are really not strong in the area of eschatology;
they usually rehash the popular stuff just like I did for years. I am sure if
they did their homework they would stop preaching the Rapture themselves.
q) Do you still believe in healing?
a) Of course. Are you a child of God? Did Jesus die for you? What father do you
know that takes pleasure in the sickness of his children? Comment: We have
always prayed for the sick and regularly see the kind of healings that are hard
to attribute to doctors, medicine or natural phenomenon. If fact I think we
have seen more dramatic healings in the last few years than before. (Am I
absolutely right on this? Remember, it’s a journey!)
q) Things are definitely changing in the world. Things are getting worse and worse. Isn’t that proof that prophecy is being fulfilled?
a) The events we are seeing in the world today are not a sign of the end of the
world but rather a sign of the end of the dominance of Western Civilization.
Civilizations have come and gone for thousands of years. Ours is nearing its
end, but the world will go on.
There are many other types of questions; I am attempting to stress the need for a soft diplomatic answer.
Welcome to Theology Zoo, Please Don’t Feed The Partial Preterists
There is certain elitism among so called Full Preterists towards Partial Preterists. This is non productive. Let’s face it; most Full or Consistent Preterists were, at one time, Partial Preterists. Even hard core Ultra-Dispensationalists has some elements of Preterism in their understanding. We have heard them teach that the promised “your house shall leave you desolate” and others were fulfilled in AD70.
Why is this critical?
It has proven to be effective to move as many people as possible in a congregation to a Partial Preterist position first. I am not implying or suggesting any deception at all. Build on the perception they have of what is already fulfilled. Establish them there. Reinforce in their minds the statements of Jesus that they know to be fulfilled. Then teach from there.
Corporate Inertia and the Attractiveness of Preterism
Preterism is so beautiful and pristine that the enquiring Godly heart cannot resist it. The dreary convoluted dishonesty of Dispensationalism is easily outshined by the exquisite Biblical unity only revealed in Preterism. Remember this when transitioning a church or a group of futurists. Be excited about your topic but remember the challenge it was to you. Once the congregation begins to move toward “Eschatological Review” maintain the momentum. Don’t push it faster than it wants to go and don’t let it die!
Transitioning a Church From Futurism To Preterism This was my greatest fear. I would be faced with a walkout and that would be it. Thankfully I am in full secular employment and would not suffer financially if this was to happen, but that is not the issue. What happened in our situation? In the first five years, apart from those who moved to another city, no one left. In fact the opposite seems to have happened. At first various fellow Charismatic ministers kept me at arms length. Not a single one of my Anglican, Uniting (Methodist), Baptist or Catholic minister friends put distance between them and us, just the Charismatic’s. In 2001 one Pastor friend of mine said “Al, if there is no rapture in five years I will listen to you” I plan to remind him of our conversation. It is curious to note that several of them have reformed relationships with us in the last year. They too are sensing the need for “Eschatological Reform”.
Success Story?
Our church was privileged to run “Eschatology 2004” with Don Preston. Our people picked up most of the tab and are looking forward to “Eschatology 2006” this October. Today I can stand up and say from the pulpit, that “I believe that all prophecy has been fulfilled” with no fear or trepidation. I can preach a message like: “Are we in the Last Days?” and be received with joy.
A Great Disturbance
Obi-Wan:
“I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly
cried out in terror” There is a rising disturbance in Charismatic circles.
Cowardly leaders who won’t allow their eschatology to be debated are beginning
to feel the pressure. It is coming from the grass roots. I am amazed regularly
at the numbers of people who are aware of the failure of Dispensationalism.
Recently I heard Charismatic preacher Joe Van Koevering say that prophecy
conferences are becoming a thing of the past. He spoke only a half truth. This
change has come because educated leaders everywhere are refusing to swim in the
toxic swill of hard core religious futurism. Five years ago we thought that the
demise of Dispensationalism would occur by the middle of the current century.
It seems that we were too pessimistic. It will slip away as an historical
anomaly within twenty years. As the Holy Spirit continues producing an
Eschatological Awakening the Preterist movement will be blessed with tens of
thousands of Charismatic’s.
An Extreme Completely Unique Cultural Super-Shift
The
doctrine of ongoing fulfilling prophecy is very thoroughly pounded into
Evangelicals and Charismatic’s. It is hard for them to move from it. Consistent
Preterism on the other hand is unique. No other religious position held by
Jews, Muslims or Christians comes close. Every other paradigm including those
of eastern religions has some element of Religious Futurism in it. Only Full
Preterism does not. Only we can say that all prophetic doors opened in Bible
times were locked in Bible times. The beauty of this is indescribable. When
properly communicated, it is irresistible to even the most extreme futurist.
as of 2005