The Historicism interview on KGFT went well. There were only a few callers, not many questions. Ted and I discussed another possible show in two weeks. Hopefully people were able to understand what we discussed and chew on it. My way of handling eschatology is always strange for others. Usually someone tries to convince you their position is the only right one and insist you accept it as such. Don’t get me wrong, I believe mine is right (at least in the areas where I have drawn firm conclusions) and the others are wrong—dispensational eschatology more than most. However, I know that salvation does not hinge upon any doctrine of end-times. Salvation is tied to th person of Jesus: who he is and what he accomplished; estimates of his future action are little more than speculation when taken beyond their purpose of inspiring hope. So it does not bother me when others find my view questionable or inferior to another. I worry more about one who, after one discussion or seminar, suddenly claims to adopt my view. To be a Christian is to be a Berean—searching the Word to discern truth. That requires far more than attending one seminar, holding one discussion or reading one book. The search for truth is not found overnight nor usually found without much toil and effort.

Too many simply swallow and never question what we are taught. Often this is from the fear of being deceived. It is easier to keep one’s mind closed than to carefully police the garbage that can find its way in. There is an old saying: “Mind’s are like parachutes, they only work when open.” I agree to a point; as a former paratrooper, I’ll tell you that far worse than a parachute that did not open is one that opens too far—it can foul up your reserve or worse. The same is true with our minds, we must open them to learn but always have filters in place. This means teachings received from anyone—elder, pastor, priest or pope—must be filtered. All teachers have an agenda, sometimes it is good for the student and other times it is not. For Christians our filter is the Word of God; our goal is truth. All claims of truth are filtered through the proven Word. This demands we be scholars of the Word. Not all Christians will preach, teach or lead a congregation, but to be a disciple of Christ is to be a biblical scholar. It is our universal duty.