Thursday, June 10, 2010

Mark Hitchcock?

I recently had a friend put me onto Mark Hitchcock. Well, the name, anyway. Reputed to be a pastor/PhD who's done some good work on prophecy, widely-read enough to have books in WalMart. (Cue the jealous elitists.)

Me, I haven't read or heard a word yet. So I ask:
  1. Have you? And specifically:
  2. Does anyone know where one can get mp3's of his debate with Haank Haanneeggrraaaaff? I hear he slapped the ol' seedpicker down something righteous on the latter's goofy preterism, but all I can find in Google is echoes, not the tapes themselves.

41 comments:

John said...

Hey Dan

I have his book "Bible Prophecy" which I enjoyed and recommend to people that want to learn more about prophecy - like a prophecy 101 along with Lightfoot's book - and to me, the book is thorough and well laid out; he's premill, pretrib, dispensational; (going from memory on the back cover article) believe he's IFCA; pastors in Oklahoma; had a professional background of some kind; seems gentle and humble; spoke at Shasta BIble College's annual prophecy conference in Redding I believe like in April of this year so maybe there's some sermons on that site.

Hope that helps.

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

I'm always a little nervous when I see a "new" book on prophecy wondering if the person who wrote it can be trusted. I've read a couple of books by Mark and heard him interviewed a few times and have found him to be trustworthy... unlike (IMO) Hank on this subject.

I haven't had time to do a lot of looking around but I think this might be what you are looking for:

http://www.johnankerberg.org/catalog/product978.html

I may order the MP4's myself.

P.D. Nelson said...

Ok Dan I think I have found something on this man. Please go here: http://media.edmondfaithbible.com/newmedia/sermon.asp?v=a

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

oops... I also meant to give this link to a book co-authored by Hitchcock which takes on Hank's "The Apocalypse Code"

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Apocalypse-Code-Mark-Hitchcock/dp/1597510351/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2HYD81EK0F8GN&colid=29EW8RLUHCYNW

lee n. field said...

"Mark Hitchcock."

Seen the name, but the contexts I saw it in (WeirdNetDaily, the FreeRepublic mouthbreather caucus) didn't make me want to pursue him.

One reference said to buy it from LaHaye's group, but I'm not seeing it.

I think this (http://www.johnankerberg.org/catalog/product977.html) is what you want, but you'll have to spend money for it. "In this series of the John Ankerberg Show, from Dallas, Texas, you will hear the Great Debate on the Book of Revelation, a debate between Dr. Mark Hitchcock and Mr. Hank Hanegraaff. This debate centered on the question, "When Was the Book of Revelation Written?" blah blah blah"

VcdeChagn said...

If it's an Ankerberg debate, I can likely find it in my mom's stuff. Give me a little while to find it.

I happen to be down at my dad's today and she had 7 books by him so I imagine she's got some audio/video as well (she was in the 3 TB range of audio/video resources archived the last time I checked so it may take me a while to find it).

If you get it from someone else, let me know as well.

Lynda O said...

I've read and listened to a little of him. From listening to one of his sermons, he sounded a bit too Arminian (though that was mainly at the end of the message -- the overall message, dealing with prophecy, sounded right).

I think he's more solid than a lot of the popular prophecy teachers. For instance, he rejects the notion, taught by several popular prophecy teachers doing poor exegesis, that the fig tree in Matt. 24 is the nation state of Israel in 1948 (and therefore we can expect Christ's return within a generation of 1948, etc).

David Kyle said...

Is he pre-trib or post-trib?

DJP said...

I think he's Biblical, from what I hear.

David Kyle said...

So that would be post-trib. :)

DJP said...

No no, that would have been spelled "u-n-b-i-b-l-i-c-a-l."

(c;

David Kyle said...

Ha! you slay me... really!

On a side note, there is no one I respect more than you on exegeting the biblical text and I would really like to ask your take on some things concerning the pre-trib/post-trib issue.

Maybe we could do an email exchange?

Mike Riccardi said...

.

I smell an upcoming series at BibChr, and one I wouldn't at all mind reading.

Hint hint.

Lynda O said...

ditto ... hint, hint. :)

Mike Riccardi said...

Hey! My quote of Witness got cut off! Oh well. You get the picture.

VcdeChagn said...

Sorry Dan, I can't find it. I'll try to look when I get a chance but it won't be this trip. I don't think she has them...all her ankerberg stuff is Mason/Catholic/JW

jmb said...

All I've heard is that he's a master of eschatological suspense, that there's not a shadow of a doubt as to the correctness of his teachings, and that, although he knows a lot, he doesn't know too much.

DJP said...

If you mean prophecy, nope, sorry, isn't going to happen. If not in the blog, certainly not in private, take more of my "spare" time correspondence.

I'd like to, but family, working fulltime and homeschooling and all leaves just about enough time to do the blogs with what I've got on hand. Pray harder that I get into fulltime ministry of the Word; when that happens, bgetting up to date on prophetic lit is well up on my list. Right now, not a priority, except for things on the level of these.

David Kyle said...

Thanks for the time you do put into this blog and over at Team Pyro as well. I don't want to take you away from what you do here and there.

DJP said...

I wish I could!!

Fred Butler said...

I read his chapter in a fabulous book that is a critique of preterism the title of which escapes me at the moment. (Stupid aging)
Anyhow, he wrote one of the best treatments on the subject of the date of Revelation. Preterists insist it was written before 70 AD because they have to have it written before the Temple's destruction to get it to work.

Anyhow, Hitchcock wrote a chapter establishing that Revelation was written around 90 AD and he does a good job doing it too. Apparently it was the subject of his dissertation for his PhD or ThD, or whatever.

I saw that debate with Demar offered somewhere but I don't know where, so I can't help you there, unless it's that Ankerberg show that folks are linking. I know Demar got smacked around a bit by Tommy Ice and Barry Horner and those are on line somewhere as well.

He may be a bit too Arminianishy for me, but I have liked his stuff on prophecy. From what I have heard, he appears to be balanced and not sensationalistic.

Rachael Starke said...

Can anything good come out of Walmart?? ;)

Anonymous said...

Can anything good come out of Walmart??

Breyers Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream for $2.25!!!

threegirldad said...

Fred: I read his chapter in a fabulous book that is a critique of preterism the title of which escapes me at the moment.

Breaking the Apocalypse Code (?)

DJP said...

Can anything good come out of Walmart??

You betcha!

JR said...

I know Mark Hitchcock. His office is right next to mine.

I'm the Associate Pastor at Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma where Mark has pastored for 19 years.

Mark got his JD initially and worked at the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals before going to DTS in the late eighties.

He came to Faith Bible out of Seminary in 91-92, and has had very fruitful teaching and writing ministry during his time here. He also studied and completed his PhD at DTS...I think he finished around 2007. His dissertation was a defense of the late (90's AD) date of Revelation. Which is a death knell to the Preterist/Partial-Preterist view that requires a 60's date. He also has 19 or 20 books to his credit (Multonomah, Tyndale, Harvest House, etc...).

I've known him for 8 or 9 years, worked with him for 7 years, pastored his kids in the youth ministry, and can tell you he is one of the most intelligent, most enjoyable people I have ever been around. He is truly a pastor that knows what it means to be above reproach, love people and instruct with great care. Prophecy is his expertise, but he is the most balanced Bible teacher I've probably ever listened to. He does not read prophecy into every text. We don't sell his books on site, and nobody even announces when one is released.

He's taught a little at DTS, but has been going out to the West Coast a lot in recent years speaking at conference so keep your eyes peeled.

Oh, and he's a Calvinist (of the 4.5 point variety). We agree to disagree on this.

DJP said...

Excellent! I love when this happens.

Dude, you've got to get Mark reading this blog and Pyro. Tell him, "I know this Calvidispiebaptogelical guy who's battling the forces of Decoderingianism...."

Fred Butler said...

The book in question with Hitchcock's chapter on preterism is edited by Tim Lahaye and Thomas Ice and is called "The End Times Controversy: The Second Coming Under Attack." The specific chapter by Hitchcock is called, "The Stake in the Heart: The 95 A.D. Date of Revelation."

The Squirrel said...

"I know this Calvidispiebaptogelical guy who's battling the forces of Decoderingianism...."

Okay. That is going to have me giggling all night! "Decoderingianism!" ROFL! Love it!

Squirrel

(Verification word "derat" -- Message?)

Fred Butler said...

Well, after JR wrote what he wrote about Mark's soteriology, I take back that arminianishy comment. I am wondering who I had him confused with?

JR said...

He's not much into the blogosphere. I have, however, passed some of your dispy related posts along to him. And I'll certainly be sharing the term "decoderingianism" with him tomorrow. He'll get a kick out of that.

The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy and 101 Questions... are his most helpful books.

Many of his other books deal with contemporary issues as a way to teach people what the Bible says about the end times. A lot people would never pick up an eschatology book, but they might pick up something about Iran, and in so doing will learn a good bit of eschatology in the process.

Those who look at his titles alone might think he tries to interpret the Bible with the headlines, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He'll study a contemporary issue, inform the reader of the issue, and then communicate how, or if, the issue has anything to do with Bible prophecy.

His amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Hitchcock/e/B001JP9ZDS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1276224835&sr=8-2-ent

The Squirrel said...

I've spent the last couple of hours listening to Hitchcock define dispensationalism. 4 parts (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 (part 4 is Charles Ryrie)) Good stuff so far.

Squirrel

JR said...

Squirrel,

If any doubt remains regarding Hitch's soteriology we've been studying Ephesians since the Fall.

He pulled no punches in chapter's one and two. Give those a listen as well.

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

Hey Dan,

I just finished watching the debate between Hitchcock and Hanegraaff which I bought from the site I mentioned above. I went the download route at $5 a piece for the (3) videos. Normally I wouldn’t do that but I had wanted to see Hanegraaff try and defend his position (or even clarify it for that matter) for a while now. It pretty much seemed to me that Hitchcock won the debate. Besides just making a better case (IMO) he was more organized and structured than Hanegraaff’s. He also just simply conducted himself in a more congenial manner. It seemed that Hanegraaff was just plain angry the whole time feeling the need to defend himself more than make a good case for the AD 65 date of Revelation. Clearly there was some history between Tim Lahaye, Thomas Ice (both in the audience) and Hanegraaff, stuff I’m sure you’ve heard about. I got the feeling that Hanegraaff feels that things said about him have had a negative effect on his ministry. As a person who “used” to listen to his show quite often, I can say that I personally found reasons to stop listening to his show without any comments from Lahaye or Ice.

Thanks for asking about Hitchcock... the more I look into him the more I like what I see.

DJP said...

RC, I'm with you on Haanneggrraaff. I bailed long ago. Walter Martin — with whom I didn't agree on several issues — was a man who carried his own spade and did his own digging. Haanneggrraaff is a seed-picker. He memorizes some cute phrases and parrots them. Among other issues.

The Squirrel said...

Thanks, JR. I've downloaded Mark's studies in Ephesians to date, and will listen to them next week.

Squirrel

DJP said...

I'm on the second of Hitchcock's three messages on Dispensationalism. I'm enjoying them, though it does seems to me that H sounds kind of sad.

I'm puzzled at some on his list of dispensationalists. He lists A. W. Pink, for instance. Why? My understanding is that Pink was early on a dispensationalist, but later fell away from it, and even wrote a "refutation" of dispensationalism.

He cites Ryrie so much, I wonder where he is on the gutless grace (i.e. Hodge, Ryrie, etc.) controversy.

Solameanie said...

I love that profile. Brings back memories.

JR said...

DJP,

"He cites Ryrie so much"

He's talking about classic dispensationalism...of course he talks about Ryrie! Especially on the front end of having Ryrie close out the series.

These talks were given at our Wednesday day night adult bible study so the tenor is a little different/less lively than a Sunday morning sermon. But nevertheless your comment made me laugh.

As for the free-grace issue. He thinks the view of the late Zane Hodges and the Grace Society of Whatever is wacky. He's probably more sympathetic to Ryrie's view than MacArthur's, but probably lands somewhere between the two. In pastoral situations I've many times seen him seek evidence of conversion in someone's life...not mere lip service. So functionally he is pretty balanced. You'd probably disagree with him regarding some of the finer points of that discussion, but it wouldn't disrupt fellowship...at least I don't think.

I'm done speaking for him. You should email him if you'd like to know the next time he's headed your direction. I'm sure he'd accommodate you in some way.

DJP said...

He comes to Sacramento? Ever? Good heavens, whatever for?

0c:=

JR said...

You're right...mostly So. Cal, but he has been out to Shasta, which requires him to fly through Sacramento.