I hear a couple things quite often when it concerns this blog. The first is that the subjects are so new that people are lost. The second is that there is so much stuff that people can't keep it. Well I hope to provide some relief and insight to these two concerns.
The Many
Since one of the major concerns is too much stuff, I'm going to provide myself and the readers with more than a week off. There will be no more posts this week nor next week. That includes the usual BBC and video series that are presented. During this weekend and next week, you can sit back and catch up on some of the previous stuff I've posted. With so much free time you might be tempted to just start from the beginning. And I can't say no, but I will provide some helpful insights...
The New
Yes, there are a lot of "new ideas" being presented here. Not because I'm inventive but because I'm in the minority in today's evangelical world. Some people understand some subjects more than others and its okay to confess ignorance on certain topics. The issue is never really intelligence but knowledge. Since this hasn't been taught it is foolish for me or you to expect to understand it the first time we hear or read about it.
Preterism
One of these topics is the idea of preterism. For many who haven't sat through my church's "101 class" this topics is brand spanking new. I really do understand how difficult a subject this can be to understand and pick-up. And I've tried to highlight some of the best ways to introduce the subject. I'm still holding off from the more difficult passages but in the mean time these articles are wonderful to catch up on:
Preterism: A Douglas Wilson Explanation
The Olivet Discourse, or Why Preterism? (Part 1)
The Olivet Discourse, or Why Preterism? (Part 2)
The Oilvet Discourse, or Why Preterism? (Part 3)
The Olivet Discourse and Revelation (Part 1)
Does 2nd Timothy 3 Teach Things Are Getting Worse?
If you think you can handle the basic idea being presented there, then you might be ready for the interaction I have had with Don Preston's videos. Mr Preston is an unorthodox full preterist but his videos help to show the far reaching implication of preterism in other Biblical texts. A full list of links to his videos can be found at the Essential Links Page.
I've started walking through R.C. Sproul on the topic of preterism. That series is not complete but you can catch the first two videos now in preparation to complete the rest as they come out.
Postmillennialism
While I think of preterism as the more practical in reference to the Christian studying the Bible, I think of postmillennialism as more practice to the Christian living their life. And while I more adamantly fight for preterism, my heart is more fond of postmillennialism. To catch up on the articles presenting postmillennialism you should start here:
Ten Things Postmillennialists Believe
Augustus Strong: A Baptist Postmil (Part 1)
Augustus Strong: A Baptist Postmil (Part 2)
Others
There are other good series on here. The series by Bahnsen on apologetics is useful. The videos are long so you might try to break them up or watch them in the evening with the family. There are a couple distinct family series. These can be watched quickly and can spark some interesting household conversations. All of this can be found at the Essential Links Page. You might also enjoy watching some John Lennox on Daniel. Thos videos can be found here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
The Advanced
David Chilton
Maybe you are able to catch up pretty quickly. What is there now for you to do? You need to start reading David Chilton's book The Days of Vengeance. My interaction with the book can be found here. And a PDF version of the book is linked to in every single post. Follow along or read ahead asI slowly interact with Chilton who provides a postmillennial and preterist understanding to the book of Revelation. We haven't gotten to all the good and controversial stuff yet so now is the perfect time to catch up!
Questions
Ask questions! The most helpful I can be is when I am responding and interacting with practical concerns/issues, misunderstandings and specific Biblical texts. Let me know about your question and I'll get the best response available up here as soon as I can manage.
Enjoy your week off. I certainly will enjoy the down time that this week will provide. In the upcoming weeks I will set time aside specifically for the review of the classes I am teaching this summer (TOBC 101 and Hermeneutics 101)! So enjoy.
