Response to Lambert Dolphin’s “Confused Sea of Modern Eschatology”

by Albert Persohn
Lambert Dolphin’s “Confused Sea of Modern Eschatology” has raised an important point. I want to once and for all set the record strait. We Preterists are a bit touchy when we it is suggested that our view contributes to confusion in any sense. To that end I will take this opportunity to streamline our communication and classification methodologies. I am proposing an Eschatologic Identification Code (EIC). This will help us and our critics quickly reach common ground. I trust that my method will be adopted and even Mr Dolphin himself will find it useful. Lambert Dolphin’s “Confused Sea of Modern Eschatology” has raised an important point. I want to once and for all set the record strait. We Preterists are a bit touchy when we it is suggested that our view contributes to confusion in any sense. To that end I will take this opportunity to streamline our communication and classification methodologies. I am proposing an Eschatologic Identification Code (EIC). This will help us and our critics quickly reach common ground. I trust that my method will be adopted and even Mr Dolphin himself will find it useful. We need to begin by listing the critical primary eschatological viewpoints and establishing the appropriate EIC.

Friendly and Useful Code List
(We recommend committing these useful and concise codes to memory. Codes are listed alphabetically.)

Positions and EIC’s (Non Exhaustive)

Accidental Dispensationalist ----> aD

Amillenial ----> Am

Anti Peterist ---->aP

Chialist ---->CH

Christian Zionist Full Dispo ---->CZFD

Christian Zionist Part Pret Full Dispo ---->CZpPFD

Dual Covenant Theology ---->DCT

Emerging Full Pret ---->EFP

Emerging Partial Preterist ---->EpP

Exiting Disp ---->ED

Exiting Dispo Exploring Historicism ---->EDEH

Full Dispo ---->FD

Full Preterist ---->FP

Fully Confused ---->FC

Historicist Protestant ---->HP

Historicist Roman Catholic ---->HRC

Historicist Seventh Day Adventist ---->HSDA

Idealist ---->ID

Partial Preterist ---->pP

Progresive Dispo ---->PD

*** Primary Modifiers

British Israelite ---->Bi

Believer Baptiser ---->Bb

Charismatic ---->Cm

Christian Identity ---->Ci

Conservative ---->Co

Evangelical ---->Ev

Fully Confused ---->Fc

Fundamentalist ---->Fn

Gap Theorist ---->Gt

Infant Baptistiser ---->Ib

Liberal ---->Li

Messianic ---->Mc

Mid Trib Dispo ---->MiTd

Pre Trib Dispo ---->PrTd

Pre Wrath Dispo ---->PwD

Post Trib Dispo ---->PoTd

Theistic Evolutionist ---->Te

Traditional Creationist ---->Tc

*** Secondary Modifiers

Arrogant Web Master ---->Awm

Axe To Grind ---->Atg

Big Name TV Personality ---->Btp

Desperate For Exposure ---->Dfe

Educated Beyond Usefulness ---->Ebu

Fearful of Peers ---->Fop

Fearless ---->Fls

Fully Confused ---->Fc

Humble Web Master ---->Hwm

Just Plain Dumb ---->Jpd

Keeping Publisher Rich ---->Kpr

Closet Partial Preterist ---->Cpp

Closet Full Preterist ---->Cff

Seriously Good Looking ---->Sgl

Trying To Keep Job ---->Tkj

Ok, Let’s try this out, First the rules:

Rules of Classification Use:

a) Positions
Positions are separated from each other with a hyphen “-“. Position Classifiers always begin to the right of the right most colon “:”. See “e) General Schema” for clarification”.

b) Modifiers
Modifiers are separated from various positions with a full colon “:”, Modifiers are separated from each other by full colons “:”
Eg: Modifiers:Position-Position (See “Positions” for clarification)

c) Secondary Modifiers
Always precede modifiers. Are separated from modifers with a full colon.
Eg: SecondaryModifier:Modifiers:Position-Position, See “e) General Schema” for clarification”.

d) Question Mark
A Question Mark appearing after a “Secondary Modifier”, “Modifier” or a “Position” indicates unknown status. This may not always be needed. If we are unsure whether Benny Hinn is a Gap Theorist his EIC would be “Btp:PrTd:Fn:Cm:Gt?:CZFD-DCT”.

e) General Schema
eg: SecondaryModifier:Modifiers:Position-Position

The further right one goes in the EIC the more significant the entry. Back to Mr Hinn: (Btp:PrTd:Fn:Cm:Gt:aP?-CZFD-DCT)
The DCT is the most significant entry in his EIC.

f) Combining Classification Methods.
The EIC is generally sufficient and should need no additional classification structure. If necessary other classifications can be added. This however, would move Classical or Full EIC Application into the murky waters of Eclectic (of Partial) EIC application.

*** Here are some examples:

Benny Hinn: Btp:PrTd:Fn:Cm:Gt:aP?-CZFD-DCT

Jerry Falwell: Btp:Fn:Ev:Tc:aP-CZFD

Hal Lindsey: Btp:Ev:aP-CZFD-DCT

Zola Levitt: Mc:Cm:aP-CZFD-DCT

Lambert Dolphin: Hwm:Fn:PrTd:DCT?-CZpPFD

Many Baptists: Fn:Ev:aD

Many Charismatics: Fn:Cm:aD

Most other Christians Fc:Fc:FC

Dear Friends as you can see this simple, easy to use classification system is totally failure proof, dramatically reduces confusion, is fully scalable to any future belief system and is portable and convenient. It will provide guidance to any young player as he navigates the now less “Confusing Sea of Modern Eschatology”

Albert J Persohn
Sgl:Dfe:Tc:Cm:EFP
Charter Member of AAAAA (Australian Association Against Abuse of Acronyms)

Welcome to the First of April

***

On A More Serious Note
Lambert Dolphin has a large site with some great content. We may not agree with his Eschatology but he seems like a true gentleman with a heart after God.

It is now (Easter/Passover 2002) more than ever that the Preterist message is needed. It is a mad mad world at the moment but better things are near. Blessings to all this Easter.

… of Jesus Kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:33b)