Comments on: Gnosticism in the Camp(ing)

By: Roughcoat

Roughcoat — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:37:58 +0000

Thank you, Mr. Gilson, for the information. Much obliged.

By: Tom Gilson

Tom Gilson — Sun, 29 May 2011 23:29:41 +0000

Good question, Roughcoat. Here is a brief yet helpful answer. If you want more you can look at this extended article.

By: Roughcoat

Roughcoat — Sun, 29 May 2011 22:43:49 +0000

Please pardon my ignorance, but what, exactly, is gnosticism? Or, rather, where can I find out more about it? I don’t understand Tom Gilson’s explanation, “Gnosticism splits the “spiritual” world from the visible material world, saying that what really counts is not what we can see, but only what happens in the invisible realms.”

Again, please pardon my ignorance. I’m trying to re-learn my faith after spending a long time away from it (I’m Catholic). My knowledge of theology is minimal.

By: Michael Snow

Michael Snow — Sun, 29 May 2011 22:11:46 +0000

The two themes that have predominated the Camping discussions are, rightly, exposing him and his teaching as false and reminding Christians that we ARE to be ready for the Lord’s coming.

WHICH brings me to the third point that in my limited reading I have not seen anywhere. That would be, “seize the opportunity” to do what Jesus told us to do–be about His business.

This 100 million dollar campaign had all kinds of people talking about it. We should be lights in the dark to the lost and this was an opportune moment.

By: pentamom

pentamom — Sat, 28 May 2011 12:56:19 +0000

ferdigrofe, you have my favorite composer name. I remember my elementary class cracking up at the name when the music teacher tried to teach us about the Grand Canyon Suite.

By: ferdigrofe

ferdigrofe — Sat, 28 May 2011 03:05:30 +0000

Introduce Camping to Al Gore. They have a lot in common.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 28 May 2011 00:27:35 +0000

“One wonders if some humility might have helped Camping admit he made a mistake.”

Sadly, it’s probably much easier for some people to slip into heresy than it is for them to admit they were wrong.

By: David Elton

David Elton — Fri, 27 May 2011 16:38:39 +0000

I heard Jesus actually did return; he just wanted to spend a few days in Vegas before getting down to business. Why not? If you’re in the neighborhood . . .

By: Michael Snow

Michael Snow — Thu, 26 May 2011 05:45:21 +0000

Perhaps Mr. Camping might learn something from the fate of another person who predicted an October end for the world.

Re: Pastor Michael Stifel, a friend of Luther:

“Stifel’s mathematical interests also led him to manipulate words in such a way that apocalyptic dates could be ascertained by applying various cabalistic processes to the letters of the alphabet contained in certain Bible passages….In 1533 Luther had already condemned Stifel’s calculations as fanaticism. In the meantime Stifel had set eight o’clock in the morning of 19 October 1533 as the time of Christ’s return and had already given away his household goods.”

Having then lost his job as pastor, he lived with the Luthers for a time, learning until he was given a new parish.

From Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church, by Martin Brecht, pp. 8-9.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 26 May 2011 02:26:34 +0000

Were I a Gnostic, I would feel insulted by this comparison to Mr. Camping.

By: Mark B. Hanson

Mark B. Hanson — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:37:02 +0000

In his backpedaling on the scope of the “judgment”, Camping is following in the footsteps of the “Millerites”, who after the great disappointment in 1844, invented the idea that Jesus had in fact returned on the expected date, and was now conducting an “investigative judgment” of the church. The believers in this became the Seventh-Day Adventists.

After the forthcoming “October disappointment”, I expect something like this will happen to Camping’s followers as well.