What Was I Hoping For the After Reading This Book?

Loved the ending, the plot, and the characterization. However, Grits, did you think that Richard P. Belcher got us any closer to deciding on an eschatological viewpoint? I am not sure he did.

Belcher's Suspense

As important as Bible prophecy might be, it is not an essential and major doctrine of the church. . . . Believers must also learn to major on the major doctrines and minor on the minor doctrines, and never major on the minors nor minor on the majors.

This is what the lead character notes on page 31 as he has been asked to write a book about eschatology. The plot also includes a search for his birth parents. In the preface Belcher also calls for eschatological caution and "Christ-like humility towards others with whom we may not agree."

The discussion last January at the beginning of the blog left too many questions. Now I have wanted all year to be able to approach this subject with both humility and objectivity. All the vews claim to be biblical. Which one is right? Continuing to study with humility is right--of that I am certain.

I will be very curious to see what Rev. Ira Pointer, Jr., the lead character of Belcher's theological novels,  discovered along with finding out who is the real Ira Pointer, Sr., his absent father.

GRITS, you jumped ahead and finished the novel. You just couldn't put it down. I am half-way done and would have finished except I was waitng for you.

The Problem and Challenge of Studying Eschatology

So GRITS and I are going to travel Richard P. Belcher's theological novel, A Journey to Eschatology. It can be obtained from http://www.richbarrypress.com/ and is a JourneyBook Part One. Ira Pointer, who also was the main character in A Journey in Grace which we both have read, goes on a search for his real father and is forced to deal with the topic.

In the preface Belcher writes: "The study of eschatology (the doctrine of final things) may very well be the most difficult of the various areas of theological study! . . . Be assured that this is not a call for eschatological agnosticism, but a call for eschatological caution. This is that we study eschatology with a painstaking carefulness, a cautious deliberateness, a meticulous attentiveness to details, along with a Christ-like humility towards others with whom we may not agree." p. i and p. iii

RGR: The New Atheists: Broken by the church?

On Today's show we're continuing the theme of "Broken by the church" by talking about today's so Called "new atheists". The profile is simple. Many of them are outcasts from the church at large, and not church body or denomination is exempt from being the culprits here. We've done this. We created the situation where all these people have given up on the church and many times on Christ himself.

Listen today

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The Ex-Christian: Broken by the Church?

A profile of the Ex-Christian


Think carefully. How many times have you heard from someone that they used to be a Christian, but they no longer are? How many times have you heard them say they used to believe in Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation, but now say they no longer believe that? Or that they wish they could believe it but they just can't?

This year on Radical Grace Radio, we're taking on the toughest of cases: Those broken by the church. They no longer believe, and many times they are either very sad about it or angry! Take, for instance, all the atheists out there who used to evangelicals, but now say that the Christian religion is evil!

Stick with us this year as we take on this important topic.
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The Ex-Christian: Broken by the Church?

Desperate Hearts do Desperate Things

The other day after I posted about "why Radical Grace Matters", I noticed just how desperate I seemed in the post. Even though I was venting, it wasn't doing me any good to rant about the bad preaching of John MacArthur or how most of the preaching today is shoddy, vapid and shallow. Even though, like most people, I love pointing out the faults of the people around me, it was doing nothing for me with regards to addressing the problem.

But I want to address this tendency of ours to lash out at the ones who we believe have harmed us. It's a sinful act that we get into, oh yes. I don't think I need to put up the scriptures where Jesus calls this lashing out sin. He was well aware of the hatred that rises up in us when we are feeling betrayed or trampled on, and even more so when the slings and arrows are real rather than imagined. Like children we react to provocations from all sides, finding in us either a stifled emotion that only leads us silent disdain, or leading us into acts of so desperate that eventually they disturb even our nearest acquaintances, and eventually us too.


For whatever reason, we just don't actually grow up. Oh, we put on a good show after we learn how act in polite society, but always bubbling under the surface is the tendency to hate. We already know that our hearts are "wicked and deceitful above all things", but no matter how much we take this into consideration, we still run afoul of God's law.

That's why our hearts, indeed our fleshly hearts, are so desperate to impress God. We all know we've done something wrong, in fact, many things wrong. We already sense that we need to try and be reconciled with God and we're constantly coming up with ways we hope will some how make the cut, desperately hoping against hope that something will finally atone for all the sin we've accomplished in our lives. But all the while this is happening, someone we hold in high esteem, usually a pastor (but increasingly our own well meaning brothers and sisters), is hammering us with everything that THEY think will be what atones for our sins.


So imagine how much more desperate we are when we are broken by God's law, and given no recourse; no Gospel to console us. Imagine a heart that's already broken, not only by God's law, but a pervasive sense that God is totally against us. We look around at our lives; where we are daily facing financial ruin either due to job losses or medical emergencies and the like. We look at how things are going for us and we imagine that God is against us AND that there is no way to change his mind on the subject. Desperately we cling to the hope that somehow, somehow... we'll find something.

So I'm reminded again of Elijah in 1 Kings chapter 19. I've often said, "I feel like Elijah under the broom tree", because there are times when I've had the snot kicked out of me by all the doings of this world. I say, agreeing with him, "I have had enough! Take my life Lord! I am no better than my fathers!". And indeed, even though God's still, small voice comes to me each week through right preaching of God's word, and I am fed by Jesus' body and blood, I often continue to complain "I have been zealous for you Lord... but now they are trying to kill me too".

But what I have in Christ is so vividly captured in the Theophany that is displayed here. Eventually, this broken man called Elijah, who was at the end so broken that he could only rely on God to get him through much traveling, was taken home in a chariot up into the heavens. And one day, I will meet my Lord and Savior in much the same way! Elijah was raised up into Heaven! Jesus will raise me up in the Last day!

Now, if that is true, then what are the implications of that with regard to how I perceive God's attitude towards me? Is God against me if His promise to me is that I will be with him in paradise? And since it is true that He is for me, then that means even though they may be trying to kill me in many ways and diverse manners, it doesn't matter! God is for me!

Who can be against me?

Music and Styles of Worship

I long to hear an old fashioned TN gospel quartet. Maybe I will have to visit another church at a time when when my Reformed church doesn't meet. Maybe I can hear a men's quartet sing "I'm On the Battlefield for My Lord" or some other favorite of mine I rarely hear.

You know though, I don't always aprreciate an endless round of  praise choruses. We went to a relative's church and there was one hour of standing, moving, clapping and singing to the projected songs. People came forward to pray with men and women in the front during the praise singing. The pastor's wife who is also a pastor apparently led us in the singing. The prosperity gospel. Prophecy for the New Year, etc. No confession, communion, but lots of hype. I missed a solid hymn with solid theology. Some Scripture was in the husband-pastor's sermon but he also quipped "When was the last time you laid hands on someone?" For  fight???!  Not my kind of worship and church, but we loved being with this relative.