Harold Camping and Family Radio: please, please, just shut up

Harold Camping — who is not a false prophet — was wrong (again) about the date of Christ's return. More fundamentally, Camping was wrong to set a date for Christ's return. Still more fundamentally, Camping was wrong to pose, in any way, as a Bible teacher. (Read an account of his sad and shameful story, starting here.)

Harold Camping has been wrong about very much for very many years, as others have documented. He was wrong about how to interpret the Bible, and wrong to reject at least an attempt at correction. But when his local church tried to step in to deal with some of his harmful teaching, he was wrong not to heed it. He was wrong to teach that the church age had ended. He was wrong to set a first date. He was wrong to set a second date. He was wrong to set a third date. He was wrong not to take any responsibility for what he'd said and done. He was wrong to refuse to take responsibility for what people had done and how they'd ruined (or ended) their lives on the basis of his false teaching.

At each and every point, Harold Camping was wrong not to take and accept responsibility, repent, and make restitution as able.

But what of Family Radio? Are they free from responsibility? Now they're saying in effect "Oopsie, well, that was disappointing, but please keep giving us money." Is that a mischaracterization? You tell me. First:

"I know that many of us are deeply disappointed that Christ did not come. And I said something like this back in May," the host said. "But please try to keep in mind that all of us who are believers, all of us who are Christians, are to live in such a way that we are to pray with the apostle John: 'Come quickly Lord Jesus.' "

Then:

"I trust that you too will pray for us often that we can minister in many ways. That God will provide wisdom to those of leadership and that we continue to minister to you, and to teach God's word daily. Please pray for us and pray about continuing to support this totally listener-sponsored Christian radio network. We have a great need for daily operating funds. Without your generous support at this time we might be forced to face some very important decisions. I trust those of you who enjoy some of our programming daily will be able to share generously in the months ahead."

"Deeply disappointed that Christ did not come," and pray "that we continue to minister to  you, and to teach God's word daily."

And please give us money.

So, "disappointed that Christ did not come" — not "horrified that for years and years we at Family Radio provided an international platform to a dangerous and obvious false teacher who, contrary to Scripture, predicted the date of Christ's return repeatedly, shut up the Gospel, told his followers to leave their local churches, and pronounced as heretics millennia of Christians who affirmed that even Jesus had said He could not predict the date during the days of His flesh."

And pray "that we continue to minister to you, and to teach God's word" — not "that we each of us repent for having brought shame and disgrace on the name of God, and ruination to the lives of many, and that we have wisdom as we seek to produce fruits in keeping with repentance, attach ourselves to local churches, and look for sound Christian leadership to take up the ruins of Family Radio's international apparatus."

If you look around right now, you don't see a lot of Christian comment about Camping. Maybe they're worn out, maybe it's already been said, or maybe they're saving it for Monday.

But you do see a lot of non-Christian comment, mocking Camping, but even more mocking Christianity. Because of Camping.

Christians should not give a dime to Family Radio. Should not have been giving a dime for years.

Family Radio once had wonderful music, wonderful programs, wonderful preachers and teachers — and this unqualified oddball named Camping. Over the years, Camping displaced the rest, and continued his wretched trajectory.

I just can't imagine a scenario under which Family Radio continues as-is with sound Christian support.

If it be responded that "Gee, they couldn't do anything, because Camping owned everything" — it's hard to see that as an argument for supporting Family Radio. In fact, it's an eloquent argument that support should have stopped like the throwing of a light switch years and years ago: there was no machinery for shutting up a dangerous false teacher.

Harold Camping has glorified God, but it has been all unwitting. Too much is more than enough. Pray God he shuts up now. Preferably in broken, redemptive repentance. But if not — just shut up (Titus 1:10-14).

Harold Camping to the folks whose lives he's ruined: Oh well, stuff happens

Tell me if my paraphrase is that far off:

"We just had a great recession. There's lots of people who lost their jobs, lots of people who lost their houses ... and somehow they all survived," he said.

"People cope, he added. "We're not in the business of giving any financial advice. We're in the business of telling people maybe there is someone you can talk to, and that's God."

If that doesn't tell each and every last one of his followers everything they need to know about this unhinged, utterly irresponsible deceiver... I can't imagine what would.

Meanwhile — as I've often observed — don't expect Camping to put any of his money where his mouth is:

[Camping] also said that he wouldn't give away all his possessions ahead of Oct 21.

"I still have to live in a house, I still have to drive a car," he said. "What would be the value of that? If it is Judgment Day why would I give it away?"

Mercy.

I confess that I'm surprised that this isn't getting more circulation. Excellent execution by Joe Cassada, and prophetic content (composed before Camping's double-down). Look again at those poor folks standing behind him.

Camping: artist needed

Were I an artist, I'd draw Harold Camping as tightly painted into a corner, a crowd of scared-looking poor souls clustered behind him, perhaps dressed in rags.

The room would be labeled "Echo Chamber."

On the large floor would be strewn a number of empty paint cans with labels such as "Arrogant," "Isolationist," "Unteachable," "Allegorist," "Uncorrectable," "Echo-chamber," "Wiser than God," "Recidivist," "Solipsist," and "Fool."

It would probably crowd the room too much to have a group of unopened cans outside of the painted mess labeled "Christ," "Gospel," "Discipleship," "Fear of God," and "Submissive teachability."

Any good artists with spare time in the audience?

Harold Camping, the true Gospel, and hedged bets

My first point will be very obvious — so stay with me a tad longer, please.

Harold Camping says he and all Campingites (only) will be raptured on Saturday the 21st, and judgement day will come. (Does that make him pre-trib? Brr-r-r-r.)

In response, some of his followers have made radical changes in their lives. Some (like Robert Fitzpatrick, as well as numerous others) will be ruined if Camping is wrong yet again.

The obvious question I have never seen Camping forced to answer is: why hasn't Camping himself put his money where his mouth is?

If he's wrong yet again, he'll be humiliated. But Camping was humiliated before, and more than once — and he just went right on misleading and being misled. So what will this failure cost him?

To my mind, this fact is pretty eloquent. Were he truly convinced, he could show the world by going his followers one better and deeding off every last cent and penny and bit of real estate and business, effective May 22.

But he has not.

Now the Gospelly application.

I preach what I believe is the Biblical Gospel of the urgent need of every last man, woman and child to turn to Jesus Christ in repentant faith, to rest in Him alone for full and complete salvation, and to bury all notions of contributing a penny, a shilling, or a Euro to their own salvation. Jesus is all-sufficient Savior, Jesus plus nothing. That is what I preach, and that is what I believe.

Now, if you found me saying that just in case, I occasionally dropped by Roman Catholic churches to do confession and penance and salvific good works and stock up on some saving wafers; and just in case I bowed to Mecca ever so often and did a hajj or two, and just in case I lubed my karma every so often... what would you conclude about the genuineness, sincerity, integrity and singleness of my professed faith?

Sharp gal or fella that you are, you'd conclude that I was hedging my bets. You'd conclude that I was stocking up a Plan B, a Plan C, and a few other plans... just in case this whole Jesus-business didn't work out for me.

And you'd be right!

Because the truth is, I have no Plan B. If Jesus is not all that the Bible says He is, and if some other religion is right, I'm sunk. I have no backups. Jesus is it. All my eggs are in that basket.

See the tie-in?

Sure you do.