Baptist fundamentalists are traditionally opposed to those who believe that the kingdom of God is now come upon us. In their view, this present world is ruled by Satan and things are waxing worse and worse and the days are getting darker and darker in preparation for the Rapture of the church (mostly for Baptists), the terribly seven year tribulation (mostly for everybody else), and then Jesus coming back to kill everybody who is left. Well, everybody except Israel that is. They get a pass.
While that viewpoint of the end times is well within the realm of orthodoxy and not at all restricted to Baptist fundamentalists, many in the fundy crowd have taken it in typical fashion and turned it into a license to focus all their energies on only one thing: soulwinning. For if the end of the world is nigh and people could only be a second from slipping into an eternal hell, then the only possible concern we should have is getting as many people to pray The Prayer as possible before Jesus shows up. Nothing else matters.
This explains why in fundyland most social concerns like feeding the poor and treating the sick are far secondary to this work of “getting people saved.” Unless you’re using food or medicine as bait for a gospel trap, there’s no good reason to bother with them. And anything having to do with environmental concerns is right out. Why spend time trying to save the planet when it’s all going to burn?
This reasoning also explains why a common accusation against those who are talking about scandals and evil being perpetrated in fundyland are often accused of “KEEPING PEOPLE FROM GETTING SAVED.” After all, what’s a little temporary abuse and anguish and torment? Exposing the truth will keep people away from our church and we’re the only ones around getting people to The Prayer. If you keep them from coming to our church then their blood will be required at your hand.
He that giveth to the poor…should probably be making better use of his time and money in these last days.
SFL: Commenting on the wrong thread?
Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar
No one talks about how much money is made by hyping up the Fundies with Rapture talk literature. They like to claim Matthew 24 as an eschatalogical event, yet they fail to see that one little verse nestled in Matthew 24:35.
one verse off there hoss
also, “this generation” wasn’t referring to the present generation but the end times.
Matthew 24:3 “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
Theo – on what do you base that assertion of yours?
I been saying this for a long time and glad to see some written explanation and exposer of our false mentality. It’s funny when listening to many IFB pastors, you almost get the impression that God really doesn’t want you to use your money to help people (outside of your church)…….social charity? “Ah”, they say, “such a waste of hard earned money that could go to MY church”! Why feed them when we can get them to pray a quick prayer, and then they will have “the privilege” of dying (of starvation) and Getting to go to heaven. Even verses that deal with pitying and aiding those in need SOMEHOW get twisted and used for raising funds for something in the church….gymnasiums, choir chairs, help out the disfunctional Christian school, buy the preacher new tires, or some OTHER cause than what the Scriptures were intending. AND WE WONDER WHY people laud and praise the other denominations who actually Help people in distress and in crisis times………Craziness!
Why feed them when we can get them to pray a quick prayer, and then they will have “the privilege†of dying (of starvation) and Getting to go to heaven.
Just like in the opener of the South Park episode “Starvin’ Marvin in Space.”
Refresh me on this, but I thought the original Christian afterlife was Resurrection of the Body into a New Heavens and New Earth — a rebooted and debugged Cosmos 2.0. Not repeat Not “souls” floating around in Fluffy Cloud Heaven. How does the latter differ from shades floating around Hades?
Nice analysis. Have to admit, I never ever recalled a single IFB church do anything as far as social issues (feeding the poor, etc) while I was there. As far as environmental issues? I remember one pastor actually preaching that burning oil is okay and that we will never run out because God will just make more of it for us. 😕
My former pastor also preaches against “going green” at all. He says it is idol worship… putting something before God, or making the earth a god. It never sat very well with me when he preached that. :/
It still amazes me how much attention the major apocalyptic texts in the Bible receive…
Daniel was written in the time of Antiochus IVs tyranny for 2nd century Jews and Revelation for the 1st/2nd century Christians under Roman tyranny… We dont know who either author was.. And yet we try to read into it our modern “end times”?
The thing about the purpose of charities and the view of the environment makes me want to shout, “Yes! Exactly!” Using the giving of food, water, help etc., as a shoehorn. A way to shove in salvation. And that is not right. I understand why they do it – as you said, in a sense it comes out of a desire to help: they want to save people from Hell (theoretically). But it’s not right.
And “God won’t let us ruin the earth” is a really bad argument against global warming . . .