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Apologia Report 17:1 (1,093)
January 11, 2012
Subject: "Self-made Bible scholar" Perry Stone gains following
In this issue:
EHRMAN, BART - a call for evangelical scholars to respond to his recycled attacks on the Bible
STONE, PERRY - "self-made Bible scholar" has a big audience listening to "what God is saying" in prophecy
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EHRMAN, BART
The lead article in a recent Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (54:3 - 2011), "Disunity and Diversity: The Biblical Theology of Bart Ehrman" by Josh Chatraw (pp449-465), responds to an urgent need to address Ehrman's unbalanced influence. Chatraw explains: "Ehrman represents a segment of biblical scholarship which he often implies is the only legitimate brand of scholarship, and he rarely exposes lay readers to the best arguments of opposing views. Carefully crafted responses to Ehrman's work are needed as he has ventured out of textual criticism, his primary area of expertise. The present essay will respond to Ehrman's approach and subsequent conclusions in the area of biblical theology as represented in [his book] Jesus,
Interrupted [1]."
Chatraw observes that in Jesus, Interrupted, Ehrman strives to persuade his readers that he has been able to "uncover new (apparent) problems in the Bible that have been hidden from scholars and serious students of Scripture. These readers will be surprised to find that none of the information or arguments in this book is actually new, and Ehrman admits as much. ...
"Leaving the general public and the laity in the pews in the dark about these matters is no longer sustainable. Scholars must set the pace for Christian teachers and pastors by responding with the same kind of enthusiasm for distilling academic work down-to-size for the masses as Ehrman demonstrates, yet with scholarly precision and fairness, demonstrating that the Bible can be trusted."
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STONE, PERRY
Charisma magazine's cover story and several accompanying features for August 2011 are focused on Perry Stone, "one of America's foremost experts on biblical prophecy." Stone shuns the description of his emphasis being "end-times" instead calling it "New Testament theology." Charisma admires the "academic style" of Stone's teaching and informs readers that he has a 20,000-volume personal library. Nevertheless, they explain, the "self-made Bible scholar" comes by his authority based on personal Bible study alone.
Apparently that's enough for many people. Stone is the author of "more than 40 books" and has sold "hundreds of thousands" of them, "but never through bookstores." His "latest," Purging Your House, Pruning Your Family Tree [2], was "the best-selling inspirational book in Walmart." Stone has also "produced more than 100 videos and DVDs, hundreds of audio teaching series, and a weekly television program, Manna-Fest [www.bit.ly/yFXuf0], that's seen nationally and internationally [on] thousands of TV stations." His "70,000-square-foot ministry headquarters" is based in the "small Tennessee town" by the name of Cleveland (also home to the world headquarters of the pentecostal Church of God denomination)...
"It's the End of the World as He Knows It" (pp40-42) is an interview between Stone and Charisma founding publisher Stephen Strang in which Stone reports "what God is saying" as he interprets "the signs of our time." There, plugging another "latest book," How to Interpret Dreams and Visions [3], Stone gives the example of his "dream that we killed bin Laden and they're going to have to get the DNA to identify the body" which Stone received "about a week before bin Laden was killed."
Stone emphasizes: "I've learned that if a person will spend time in prayer ... then, like Job said, 'God opens up your ear' ... to hear those things that the Lord knows are coming, that ... the general public doesn't know."
Strang asks: "What do you think will happen in Israel now, with all the pressure to create a Palestinian state?"
"STONE: Scripture indicates that eventually the land is divided. And it appears that occurs in the Tribulation period when the Antichrist invades Jerusalem. ...
"CHARISMA: What do you think will happen in the near future in the U.S.? ...
"STONE: ... We've had a year that broke the record on destruction and tornadoes and deaths in America - and the worst tornado came after President Obama said to go back to [Israel's] pre-1967 borders. ...
"CHARISMA: What do you see happening around the world?
"STONE: [In reference to 'the Antichrist.'] I am saying the Islamic revolution, in my opinion, is aligning the Middle East for the kingdom of the beast. ...
"I believe that what they call 'democratic movement' is actually going to create a void for one man to step in and take all those Islamic nations under his wing. ... Biblically speaking, he could very well be the Antichrist of Bible prophecy, which only indicates how fast things are moving toward what Daniel called the time of the end."
Another feature, "It's Time to Upgrade the Prophetic," by Francis Frangipane (formerly associated with the "Kansas City Prophets"), seems like like an attempt at damage control with its subtitle: "Why the prophetic movement has become hit-and-miss - and what we can do about it" (pp49-51). Unfortunately, it is vague in its confession of error. No individual prophets are named, and no blame is assigned specifically. All we read is that there have been some "end-of-the-world" prophets who "sounded the alarm prematurely."
Frangipane further avoids a hard line: "To me there is a difference between a false prophet and a wrong prophet."
In another weak acknowledgement of serious conflict, Frangipane expresses concern for those who may "have felt manipulated or wounded by false prophetic words, whether they concern the Lord's return or an imminent disaster or a personal word given to you." His advice? Keep looking for the real thing. "I urge you to heed Paul's word in 1 Thess. 5:20-21: 'Do not despise prophetic utterances.'"
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them), by Bart D. Ehrman (HarperOne, 2010, paperback, 304 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/6rzsssh>
2 - Purging Your House, Pruning Your Family Tree: How to Rid Your Home and Family of Demonic Influence and Generational Oppression, by Perry F. Stone (Charisma House, 2011, paperback, 240 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/7trb2wc>
3 - How to Interpret Dreams and Visions: Understanding God's Warnings and Guidance, by Perry F. Stone (Charisma House, 2011, paperback, 256 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/7hd9nh2>
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