I know that I so often suggest that people pushing other ministries should stop it. And this may seem a little like I am doing that, but I am not.
There are a number of Christian blogs that I visit periodically. They cover many sides of current issues in Christianity. While reading Tome's article on Lee's eschatology earlier today, I was reminded of two posts in one of those blogs. I will honestly say that I recommend the writer. But that is not may point. I believe that there is a presumption among most dispensational Evangelicals that dispensationalism and "rapture" theology is as old as the New Testament. But it is not.
For any interested, there is a post called "
Elements of Christian Hope"
(click on to follow link) on the Jesus Creed blog posted on 2/1/12. In the second paragraph is this sentence "
Look, for most of Church history Christians haven’t believed in what is now called a pre-tribulation rapture (rapture of saints into the sky, tribulation of seven years, return of Christ, millennium, judgment, eternity) and listening to Christians talk about what ought to be a hope has become a battleground for when the rapture will occur."
Is the whole Lee/LRC eschatology just one of the more extreme in a larger position with almost no real support? Are we being cheated from what is for us here and now by seeking the hereafter?
I refrained from pointing to the post on the "what's in it for me" view of scripture and theology. That is another problem I see in the "personal salvation" theology and emphasis of the past very few centuries. It's now all about me and "God's plan for my life." I realize that Lee complained about that last one as well. But my thinking on it doesn't lead to exclusivity in a don't-think-for-yourself and don't-step-out-of-line sect.