Posted on 05/22/2011 5:36:24 AM PDT by don-o
Harold Camping needs to publicly apologize for being wrong about his doomsday prediction and leading people astray, said a Southern Baptist leader.
The California radio broadcaster’s wrong prediction about the rapture and the end of the world reflected poorly on Christians, said Ed Stetzer, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s LifeWay Research and LifeWay’s missiologist in residence.
Stetzer issued a series of tweets about Camping’s eschatological prediction on Saturday, among which one noted that there was no earthquake in New Zealand after 6 p.m.
“Harold Camping, pls update www.family.radio.com w/your repentance statement & instructions to your now-broke followers,” Stetzer tweeted.
An hour later he tweeted again, “6pm here in Turkey. I’m standing at the Temple of Athena waiting for the Rapture. Nothing happened. ;-)”
For months, followers of the 89-year-old Camping, who previously wrongly predicted the rapture would occur in September 1994, have been warning that the rapture would occur on May 21, 2011. Supporters would hold placards on busy streets in major cities that read: “Judgment Day May 21, 2011.”
Family Radio, a non-profit Christian radio network headed by Camping, was the name seen on the placards, bus ads, billboards and in media coverage on the May 21 prediction.
But surprisingly, many within the California-based radio network do not believe that the first phase of the end of the world begins Saturday.
“I don’t believe in any of this stuff that’s going on, and I plan on being here next week,” a receptionist identified as Esther at the group’s headquarters in Oakland, Calif., told CNNMoney.
Esther said some of her co-workers who believe in Camping’s prediction had bought expensive cars or taken their families on vacation ahead of May 21.
In New York, follower Robert Fitzpatrick, 60, spent his entire $140,000 life savings on 1,000 subway-car placards and ads at bus stops warning about May 21. The ads read: “Global Earthquake: The Greatest Ever! Judgment Day May 21, 2011.”
Another Camping follower, 27-year-old Adrienne Martinez, was planning to go to medical school but decided not to after listening to Family Radio. Martinez and her husband, Joel, had lived in New York City but a year ago quit their jobs and moved to Orlando. They spent their time reading the Bible and distributing tracts, according to NPR. They have a two-year-old daughter and a second child due next month.
“We budgeted everything so that, on May 21, we won’t have anything left,” Adrienne said to NPR.
While some of Camping’s listeners are all-in when it comes to his rapture prediction, Family Radio’s Esther estimates that 80 percent of her co-workers don’t believe their own boss about May 21, according to CNNMoney.
The receptionist is still scheduling appointments for her co-workers after Saturday.
Family Radio has about 350 paid staff working to run 66 radio stations across the nation. The network’s financial documents, according to CNNMoney, shows that it received $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009. But Camping, according to documents, has not been paid a penny from the contributions. He has worked as a volunteer at Family Radio.
The first lawsuits will be filed on Monday morning.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be Camping, and the other left.
(Where will this fellow eventually be discovered, Death Valley? I suppose that would be a sign of the end. :-/)
I would agree. Of course, I would also include under that umbrella all the unscriptural stuff that Catholicism teaches that is not found in scripture, or which is flatly contradicted by scripture.
The Rapture DID happen.
It's just that no one in the whole world qualified.
I had a recently retired co-worker who every year for many years would predict the end of the world. He was always seeing signs of the impending catastrophe in current events in conjunction with the bible. Every year came and went without the final destruction. He never stopped making his predictions. Failure didn't stop him. That none of his predictions came true didn't deter him in the slightest.
The world will end...in the next 24 business hours.
“Anyway now I have a 4WD for one of my teen aged kids.”
I would think given the pathetic situation, you would return the vehicle to the fellow that gave it to you. Do you feel comfortable profiting off someone’s tragic mistake? Not the best lesson a parent can give a teenager unless you are raising a pack of huns.
So since you are embarrassed by the buffoonery of Camping, you have aim fire at the usual everlasting target? Staying on topic is a good thing.
Yeah Right, we all believe that as much as we believe his rapture stuff. He probably gives himself a huge housing allowance, a huge traveling allowance, and a whole bunch of other things, and/or his whole family works for him and makes the money for him. He will probably come out with some new book now and he will make millions off of it. Preachers like him need to be hung in a body cage until he dies and rotts away, and then and let the vultures pick away at his body in plain day light. And then maybe we would have a lot less phony false teachers around like him.
“There is such a thing as church discipline....it’s a biblical process detailed in scripture”
You are right, but Camping removed himself from the discipline of his church by claiming that the churches were filled with heretics and that the Church Age was over in 1988. Therefore, he is exempt from any discipline since he has no allegiance to any. However, Camping, if he is still alive, ought to repent to God for deceiving naive and desperate people and then apologize to Christians everywhere for his hubris and cult like dominance.
That is not the image that Jesus would have His Church follow and that is not the correct image of being prepared. The story Jesus tells of the Good Bridesmaids who kept their oil lamps filled with oil and their wicks trimmed is the correct image and it implies work being done; everyday work, work keeping house, earning a living, busy in our communities, raising our families, not waiting on a hilltop somewhere consuming air. Life is to be lived till the last moment... that is why "no man knows the day or the hour"; God wants us busy with Life, for Life's Sake. Life is the miracle. Life is the Blessed. We live to live, and to live is to Honor Our God.
Sure god will bring an end to time, but until that moment, He expects us to Live a testimony to Him by facing everday life issues in reliance on Him.
Camping may indeed enter into heaven, but I do not envy the baggage he has strung around his neck, when he stands before Jesus.
They used to stone false prophets in the old days...
“Once you stop preaching what Jesus said and start preaching your own personal special knowledge, you are debasing Christianity”
You are spot on!! Well said.
“A proposal to adjourn the Council was under consideration. When the opinion of Colonel Davenport was asked, he answered,’I am against an adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment: if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought.’”
Where did you find this piece of history? I think it is wonderful.
No it didn't.
Its a friggin gas guzzling inefficient ugly vehicle that he was tired of putting money into because he lacked the skills to properly keep it running, now it happens to be the truth of this situation that I was the supervisor over him while he was employed as one of my concrete mixer drivers.
And my 4 decades of being a mechanic with my own shop full of all the tools, lifting equipment, body and paint tools was actually the reason why he gave it to me so he says. I knew what to do,how to rebuild it its just the timing was coincidental and somewhat auspicious.
And should a person who truly and possibly did believe the end of times was tomorrow and gave his empire away to me should happen I would have no reservations about accepting, as long as it was final and iron clad.
The living must keep on living. Those that choose the path of weakness, false gods and such are getting pretty numerous. I know many of my co-workers feel a bit put off they didn’t get something free out of the blue, the same people believe the world owes them free rides and a paycheck for little or no sweat off the brow so to speak.
Everything has a purpose should one have the inner strength and conviction to carry the burden of responsibility.
re: Once you stop preaching what Jesus said and start preaching your own personal special knowledge, you are debasing Christianity.
Totally true. Unfortunately, there is a lot of that going on.
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