Originally Posted by
JayUtah
Every entry would just read "see Adultery."
But yes, Bethke's arguments rely quite heavily on redefining common words and then gaslighting people into accepting them. "You don't know what ______ is, which is why you post such outrageous things." We do see this a lot in various reformist Christian traditions. "When the Bible says ________, this can figuratively mean..." and we're off to the races. So we don't necessarily have to individualize the argument here except perhaps to note that Bethke does it a lot more than usual.
I honestly don't consider televangelists even to have a seat at the exegetical table. They're clearly businesses selling religion as a commodity. Zero scholarly integrity, as far as I'm concerned.
But in a larger sense, I think the "end times" rhetoric plays a big part in Fundamentalist rhetoric. They're literally trying to scare their followers into membership and obedience. Spend some time in the American south; it's frightening. I grew up in the Bible belt. It was all about Satan lurking around every corner, waiting to entrap you, and dire warnings about where you'll be when the trumpet sounds. I also lived through the Cold War, under the real threat of nuclear annihilation. Not even close to the sphincter-clenching rhetoric I heard coming from Fundamentalist doomsayers.
But I have no follows—I merely state what is written.
So, you reported me to the
moderators, because I said you do not understand prophecy, which you do not.
Many people read literature which they do not understand, like this example--Acts 8:30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
Act 8:31
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
So, I compare you to the eunuch.