The Preterist Blog ~ 100% Hyperpreterist Free|we can haz rezurekshun?

First, it MUST be said that I have no reason to doubt Gary DeMar’s personal adherence to his confession of the orthodox Christian faith, including the future bodily resurrection. However, it has been troubling to me and many others that he has refused to uphold that such a belief is essential and that to deny the future bodily resurrection is to deny the resurrection itself (as I demonstrated in http://www.preteristsite.com/docs/warrengrave.html).

Here is a clip wherein DeMar claims that a belief that one gets their “resurrection body” at death and that the physical body remains permanently in the grave (and thus the implicit denial of a future general resurrection) is “orthodox” (or more precisely that “orthodox” people hold that belief)

http://www.preteristsite.com/mp3/demarortho.mp3

That is simply and utterly false but does explain why DeMar rails constantly against dispensationalists but never whispers a peep against heretical preterism and in fact actively participates and (until recently) supported heretical preterist sites and spoke at conferences alongside heretical preterist teachers. He has stopped the speaking engagements with hyperpreterists (not speaking engagements altogether) because of an alleged shift towards universalism and other problematic doctrines becoming popular amongst such persons. Too bad he didn’t worry about the denial of the orthodox doctrine of the resurrection, an essential of the Christian faith. (I say “alleged” because I haven’t examined it enough to know if the allegations are true or not at this point)

I note that DeMar has been partnering frequently with Hank Hanegraaff. I have to doubt that Hank is aware of DeMar’s redefining of orthodoxy and support of outright heresy in the exact same area in which they partner and thus of direct relevance. I once ordered a Greg Boyd book from CRI called Oneness Pentacostals and the Trinity and it came with a disclaimer about Boyd because of another book he wrote Trinity and Process IIRC in which he appeared to CRI to show sympathies towards process theology while not holding it himself. To be consistent, CRI should offer a disclaimer about DeMar that while the material he is presenting is orthodox, he shows undue sympathy towards those of a heretical bent. Boyd’s Oneness book was excellent. DeMar’s material is excellent - but there is that danger in the exact same relevant area in which CRI is promoting DeMar that they should disclaim.

I don’t believe that all unorthodoxy is “essential” - people can be really screwed up about a lot of things. But there are a few things that are simply definitional to the very basic Christian faith, and the redemption of Christ, which includes the physical resurrection, is one of them. It is great IMHO to battle against dispensationalism - but it is for naught if you allow faith-destroying eschatological cancer to creep as a trade-off.

EDIT MAY 16 2007 - I have been asked by several for the cite where Gary wrote about not speaking at hyperpreterist conferences. It was my recollection that this comment appeared at least six months ago, maybe much longer, at the Planet Preterist website and that he also expounded why he doesn’t comment much (thus my statement about withdrawing support for hyperpreterist sites.) I have searched for the statement and am unable to locate it. It is not beyond probability that my recollection is simply wrong. So I asked Gary outright if he does still speak at hyperpreterist conferences and I would be glad to correct my statement. Certainly my statement was a POSITIVE in Gary’s favour, that he no longer does such things, but if if he still does, I will note that and be greatly grieved that he would lend his credibility to such a platform.

Gary did believe that one sentence gives the impression that he has stopped speaking engagements entirely. He has not. He has stopped (to my understanding) speaking engagements with hyperpreterists. I do not believe that my original sentence could be taken that way at all; however, I have no problem re-wording it to something that Gary would feel is more clear and am doing so right now.