An Exercise in Obfuscation: Jason Bradfield’s “Logic”
Filed Under (Roderick's Posts, cults/cultic, harassment, hyperpreterism) by Roderick_E on 21-02-2009
Tagged Under : Jason Bradfield, Michael Bennett, sgp
Recently Dee Dee spoke of a situation where a hyperpreterist named Mike Bennett sent out an email comparing her picture to a picture of the Whore of Babylon. When this monstrous act was exposed, the hyperpreterists’ went into damage control mode. Another hyperpreterist known for his propensity to ignore the obvious & to defend defenseless acts came to Bennett’s rescue. Jason Bradfield, said that we couldn’t infer anything from the picture. Bradfield went on to LIE about the context of the email — as Bradfield claimed there was NO TEXT with the pictures. In fact the text even further showed that the intent was to compare Dee Dee (another man’s wife) to a whore. The subject line of the email was:
Preterist Idealism - found to be right!!!
Now, a person needs CONTEXT to know what the subject line means. Why is Bennett relating the picture to “Preterist Idealism” & what does he mean that these pictures have made it “found to be right”? Without context it would make no sense, but we HAVE CONTEXT from Bennett in what he has said about Preterist Idealism in other places.
“Idealism is re-fulfillment - not just application” (Bennett from a 10/06/07 email)
“PRETERIST Idealists… The time texts should still apply. They just try to have some sort of silly “re-fulfillment” now.” (Bennett from a 5/8/8 comment on his hyperpreterist website)
So, the context is that Dee Dee was a RE-FULFILLMENT of the Whore of Babylon…well unless a person wants to ignore the obvious & ignore the context of Bennett’s email.
When all of this was even further exposed, including now the LIE that Bradfield propagated, you’d think Christian people would admit it & repent but instead, Bennett & Bradfield NOT being historically or biblically Christians, instead sent an email to all the members of their website — another attempt at damage control. The email was nothing but MORE LIES.
In the email, Bradfield LIED to his own site members, saying:
Mike took the two pics, posted them side by side with no comments, and emailed it
Not only did Bradfield LIE by not telling his members about the subject line of the email (which revealed the context of the pictures), there WAS indeed text with the pictures — it read, “Sorry, I couldn’t resist :)”
Resist what? Bennett couldn’t resist comparing another man’s wife to the Whore of Bablyon???
You would think that at least a few of the members of that hyperpreterist site would have a backbone & say, “I don’t care if we are fellow [hyper]preterists — this is wrong & should be denounced publicly” — Nope, not a peep from them. They just circled the wagons around Bennett & Bradfield & kept the lovefest going.
But it gets worse. Sam Frost, the de facto leader of these guys & their only “authority” (or do they have any authority over them???) was approached both publicly & privately to deal with the issue. He too refused to do anything about it.
But here is the kicker folks. Bradfield just posted a video of himself interviewing 4 little children about a NY Post cartoon of two policemen with a smoking gun standing over a dead chimp with a caption from one of the policemen that reads, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill”. The cartoon has caused some controversy because some people are claiming the chimp must represent Obama & thus imply it is racist to depict a black man as a chimp/monkey. (see link about original cartoon)
I would agree that the cartoonist probably didn’t have any racial intentions & probably was referring to the collective authors of the bill (not Obama specifically) as goofy as monkeys. The picture is also a play on a recent news event where a woman who owned a chimp had to call the police to come shoot it when it brutally attacked the woman’s friend (link).
But here is the issue folks - Bradfield assembles a panel of naive children who have NO CONTEXT for the cartoon, the chimp attack story, or the political background of the caption. He then goes on to ask them questions like who the men are in the picture — when the kids say, policemen, Bradfield challenges their “inference”. When he asks them about the chimp & what its doing, the kids say it is dead. Bradfield challenges their inference not only that it is dead but whether it is even a chimp — “Maybe it’s a kid dressed up like a monkey?” Bradfield says. Then when the kids point out that the policemen shot the monkey, Bradfield tries to persuade the kids that they can’t “infer” that because the gun isn’t pointed at the monkey. “Maybe they are shooting at the person who shot the monkey?” says Bradfield. Looks like Bradfield’s little demonstration wasn’t working since the kids were actually smarter than he was giving them credit.
Considering what Bradfield & Bennett did with the Dee Dee Warren/Whore of Babylon issue & seeing how Bradfield obfuscates & tries to use children without any background or context to say we can’t infer anything, I just have to shake my head & wonder why in the world anyone is taking these guys seriously — I don’t care if you are a hyperpreterist or not at this point. YOU HAVE TO SEE THESE GUYS HAVE NO BUSINESS TALKING ABOUT “LOGIC” LET ALONE TRYING TO TEACH THEOLOGY.
Finally, the first response to Bradfield’s exercise in illogic was from his fellow hyperpreterists’ who even says:
I had previously read about the chimp that went out of control and had to be shot. So, with that as background, I saw this cartoon and immediately busted up laughing! That was my background info, and obviously was the background info of the cartoonist (since the incident had just happened, police had finally shot the animal, and they shot it two times no less).
See, even THIS guy realizes context/background is important. In the Dee Dee Warren/Whore of Babylon issue we had:
(1) Bennett’s background on using the phrase “re-fulfillment” in relation to Preterist Idealism
(2) Understanding the picture opposite of Dee Dee was a depiction of the Whore of Babylon.
(3) The subsequent lies from both Bennett & Bradfield & the cover-up by Frost.
Now, how about you members over there on that site, you still think these guys are good role models & leaders? When I first began to doubt hyperpreterism the first thing was seeing that for some reason, the “leaders” of the movement were extremely corrupt. I sought to figure out why. Finally I realized it was part & parcel of the corrupt theology — a theology that is so arrogant that it claims 2000 years worth of Christian interpretation has been grossly erroneous & only these few guys are somehow here to correct it all???? WOW!!!!
VIEW THE BRADFIELD POST & VIDEO HERE: http://preterism.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bradfield-family-vid-examining
Hi Rod,
I tried to watch Bradfields video but apparently the site is down for maintenance.
Hmmmmm….
Phil
Hey Phil, I haven’t tried yet, but I do know the Ning network itself goes down somewhat frequently. I am an admin at a Ning site for Apple fans.
Anyways this is providential once again. As you guys know I have been mulling over Samuel’s latest lies (and I notice that Bradfield doesn’t deal with the previous or subsequent lies), and nothing a certainty until it is posted, but I had a title in mind, and this little antic by Bradfield is so on point with the title, that I see it as Providential confirmation of my thoughts.
You were too kind to them, Rod. There is also the context of Bennett threatening me regarding my picture my picture and the larger context of prior harassment. Also, why again did Bennett send it to you? Did they answer that question in invisible ink?
SG members, I have to ask you the Forrest Gump line, “Are you stupid or something” “Momma says, ‘Stupid is as stupid does.’”
Your leaders are behaving stupidly, dishonestly, and immorally. What are you going to DO?
Oh and I forgot to add, using children in such a stunt is disgusting. Children! Using children to defend a comment that was sexually inappropriate? How much worse can you get? Of course the children don’t know that context, but here they are on the Internet being paraded to adults as a control group to defend that context.
And is Jason tacitly implying that he thinks his members have the intelligence of children?
There is indeed a lesson to be inferred here. If Bennett had immediately acted like a man and not a bully, he would have posted something like, “You know, I am an impulsive person. I am working on that. I did something [describe] that in hindsight I shouldn’t have done. I wish I hadn’t. I apologize to DDW and her family.”
Case over and done. Instead, they lied and maligned and in the process defamed other people.
I was never intending upon doing another podcast on this, but I may reconsider that as background warning for people. Yes there are corrupt leaders within Christianity and no one should leave Christianity because Benny Hinn exists. But they should leave Benny Hinn, and there are plenty of other places to go. Hyperpreterism is an internet cult. Yep, I think it is at that point, but at best it is cultic. There is a limited pool in which to swim, and 99% of them have sewage at the top.
Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil. I read over there about “love” and “kindness” but I examine their deeds, and it is like whitewashed tombs.
I know one reason why they are continuing to spin. They have been given the heads-up (nothing nefarious, I wasn’t trying to keep this secret obviously) that I might write on this again. I may not write on it. I may. I have other things to do first, and I am not done praying about it.
Try accessing the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2ZwXzA4Qmw&feature=channel_page
I like Sam’s comments on the video — he says:
By all means, let us equate Jason’s & Mike’s “mind” with Sam’s. Perhaps the one thing I agree with Sam Frost about.
I tried to watch the Jason video, but I can only take about 30 seconds of the guy. You guys have some amazing patients to deal with them, b/c, to me, they just drip with haughtiness.
Jon, thank you. I make sure I take good long breaks from dealing with them because it interferes with your dealings with other people. The best thing that has happened to me in a long time is my newfound Apple community that gives me a place away from this kind of stuff, and just have some goofy fangrl fun. Though this has proven that the hyperpreterists poison everything they touch; that time of that picture is one of the most memorable events of my life. A HUGE real and symbolic step for me on a multi-year plan I have.
The plan is going well, I am working on my next obstacle. Fortunately it is nothing that the hyperpreterists can make waste on and is solely personal though I am sure if I share on it, and I probably will, the mockers will mock. Like a dog returns to its vomit.
BTW, if you don’t mind me saying so…
The whole “re-fulfillment” line is just a smear against a view MB doesn’t like, and it has no basis in fact.
MB has been told this NUMEROUS times by at least a couple of people — in person as well as by email — that this is not at all what is being taught or suggested (unless one takes Jesus’s statement about the coming of the Son of Man being AS the days of Noah as “re-fulfillment”. Just because something current is equated with something past doesn’t at all mean that it is a “re-fulfillment” of that which came before).
As in many other instances of error being pointed out to HyPs, there seems to be a refusal (or inability) to admit even the simplest mistake, but rather a determination to perpetuate the mythology unabated. In my opinion, all HyPs would be a lot better off just admiting when they were wrong or made a mistake. The coverups are where the really serious mischiefs are committed and exposed.
Since when is protecting one’s theological system more important than protecting one’s ethical standards ?
blessings!
Todd
MB says the same thing about me when I speak about “echos” into future events. It is this hyperliteral inflexibility that is the common thread of hyperpreterists. I noted this strongly about four or so years ago and changed my own views accordingly. Preterists who share this mentality are ripe to be deluded into hyperpreterism. Gary DeMar is a prime example. I suspect that he has led more people into hyperpreterism than the hyperpreterists combined. Pray that not many of you desire to be teachers; for they shall come under greater judgment.
Samuel is no better at “logic.” See my response to him at http://www.preteristsite.com/plain/warrenfrosty.html
If you are a SGP member, I would suggest not following the link if you don’t want to see your leader’s “logic” and argument get ripped to shreds.
Even while I was a hyperpreterist & coming against “Preterist Idealism” I saw it more as over-application than re-fulfillment. I’m glad you pointed out that even in Mike’s effort to compare Dee Dee to the Whore of Babylon, Mike was operating on a flawed understanding of what you were advocating Todd.
ROFL! While Jason, Mike, and Sam are urging their followers not to read what is over here, it appears that the three blind men are our most avid readers. Hi guys!!! How are you doing?
Michael is caught between a rock and a hard place. The hard place being his skull. Oh what shall he do?
He writes a blog post saying Todd is misrepresenting what Todd believes. I think Todd is the best person for saying what he believes, but I am funny like that. Shrug.
But in so doing, Michael TACITLY ADMITS THAT HE INTENDED FOR ME TO BE THE REFULFILLMENT OF THE WHORE OF BABYLON.
Mike, how does that foot taste? Like chicken?
Oh and Mike, while you are in such a chatty mood, how ’bout telling us precisely why you sent that email to Rod? And why you lied about ever threatening to “post my ugly face” on the Internet at a time when you knew I was being harassed and absolutely did not want my image posted? I can’t help but notice that these things keep being ignored by you guys. I wonder if your followers have noticed. Oh that’s right, none of you guys read anything here. Yeah. Sure.
Too bad for you I still have your bullying email.
Hi,
I watched the vid last night. Sadly I see the SGP followers have drank the kool-aid. Can’t any of these followers think for themselves?
Phil
I must say, I think this whole thing is absolutely disgusting. i listened to your podcast a couple of weeks ago and was shocked. These people should be arrested and thrown in jail, in my opinion. I just cannot believe the stuff I am hearing about this, and iit put me to shame. I’m considering trying to join your efforts, even though I have never been a hyperpreterist–forutnately I came upon your site before I came upon theirs. THese men are using the Lord’s name in vain in the worst possible ways, and they will be judged.
MB saying that I am misrepresenting myself goes to show that if one repeats a lie often enough they begin to believe it.
There actually has been a lot of that type of smearing going around for the last 2+ years, but I’ve pretty much kept my tongue, trying to win some out of the HyP camp. However, the fact seems to be that it doesn’t seem to matter how nicely you speak about the substantive doctrinal errors of full preterism. That message just will not be tolerated.
Public reponses to these honest criticisms always seem to pile on the messenger (and certainly don’t DIScourage a piling on the messenger), while formally urging others to not of even consider the criticisms. Frankly, I’m much more surprised that the average sincere HyPs out there can’t see through this behavior than I am that they cannot see the doctrinal errors being presented.
Anyway, I spoke to another person who has personally and publicly corrected MB numerous times about the “re-fulfillment” mythology he has spread for over two years. I tend to believe this other person, but perhaps he was misrepresenting his beliefs to me. Now that I think about it, perhaps we are both misrepresenting our beliefs to each other. Hopefully, MB can clear this up by telling us what we believe.
blessings!
todd
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