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It is discouraging that so many Christian evangelists have popularized meaningless, and actually a detrimental theology. To the extreme we have Tim LaHaye promoting the decrepit nature of man, scandalized by humanism. Discussing how he came to write the Left Behind book series, in which only "believers" will know eternal peace, LaHaye relates, "This is an idea that the Lord gave me when I was on a plane. The airline captain came out of his cave and he started flirting with the head stewardess. I noticed that he had a wedding ring on. She did not. I began to see the sparks flying between these two and as he went back into the cockpit, I got to thinking, 'What if the Rapture occurred right now? On this plane, a third of these people would be gone. It would be pandemonium.' I imagined this guy, married to I assumed, a Christian, and all of the sudden it would dawn on him, 'When I get home, my wife will be gone, and I have been left behind.' That is where the title came from." But, as LyHaye sits in judgment, does he know the trials and tribulations of the captain and his need to be directed to counseling rather than into the fires of hell?
Literally, LaHaye collects and spends millions of dollars on himself from his enterprise of eschatological preaching. With his sell of books, accompanied by a movie proceeds, computer mouse pads, and all imaginable gimmicks in between he has amassed a fortune of personal financial wealth. When Christ returns mysteriously on the clouds of heaven to claim only his own, as LaHaye prophesies, I would like to be privy to this eschatologists' self-justification and rationalization for his unwarranted wealth. It is money that could have been spent on evangelistic programs exemplifying his message of the urgency to save souls; then, treasures on earth are difficult to surrender. In the accountability of life, one must ponder, would Tim be the only one left seated on that 747?
John the Baptist said, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." If we truly believe in the message that we preach, then it must be reflected in our lifestyles, actions, and the words we speak. Proclaiming the message of judgment does not coincide with filling our coffers with gold coins from our endeavors. We may not have taken the vow of poverty, but when we joined the church we did make a pledge to be good stewards. And proper stewardship is a very clear indicator of the seriousness in which we entertain repentance.
Literally, LaHaye collects and spends millions of dollars on himself from his enterprise of eschatological preaching. With his sell of books, accompanied by a movie proceeds, computer mouse pads, and all imaginable gimmicks in between he has amassed a fortune of personal financial wealth. When Christ returns mysteriously on the clouds of heaven to claim only his own, as LaHaye prophesies, I would like to be privy to this eschatologists' self-justification and rationalization for his unwarranted wealth. It is money that could have been spent on evangelistic programs exemplifying his message of the urgency to save souls; then, treasures on earth are difficult to surrender. In the accountability of life, one must ponder, would Tim be the only one left seated on that 747?
John the Baptist said, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." If we truly believe in the message that we preach, then it must be reflected in our lifestyles, actions, and the words we speak. Proclaiming the message of judgment does not coincide with filling our coffers with gold coins from our endeavors. We may not have taken the vow of poverty, but when we joined the church we did make a pledge to be good stewards. And proper stewardship is a very clear indicator of the seriousness in which we entertain repentance.
