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

In case DeMar doesn’t post my comment on his blog, here is an exchange. Gary’s comments first — in response to I & a man named Russ asking Gary to distinguish himself & his work from hyperpreterism:

[Gary DeMar's comments -- (source)]

Roderick and Russ,

Oh no, I’m being used! Ken Gentry, who has come out with a denouncement of full preterism, is also being used. How many times have you seen a full preterist use Ken’s “Before Jerusalem Fell”? I suspect that partial preterist commentaries and articles are also being used by full preterists to make full preterist points. I use dispensationalist books in the same way. Full preterists just call Ken and me inconsistent, but this won’t stop them from using our stuff.

I get emails from numerous people to denounce this group or that person for something they believe. In fact, I just got a series of emails from a guy named “Monty” who wants to know my views on Federal Vision. He considers it heresy, and, like you, he wants me to denounce it. Of course, if I don’t, he’ll go public. Why me? There is plenty of information on the internet that people can view to make up their own minds. The same is true for full preterism. Russ, you mention Don Trotter’s article. I’m sure there are others. It’s not my problem that these anti-full preterist critiques are not doing their job.

Then there’s the guy who doesn’t like my associations with Vision Forum and Coral Ridge Ministries. The list of people I’m called on to denounce gets longer every day. I’m not in the heresy hunting business. I believe that dispensationalism is off the charts biblically and even dangerous culturally and politically, but you have never heard me describe it as a heresy. That’s for the church courts to decide. If you guys are so concerned about full preterism, then write a scholarly refutation and get it published or publish it yourselves. You become experts in the field of your choice. Make your case and send copies to every person who has gone over to the dark side.

As I have mentioned numerous times, I am not a full preterist. How many more times do I have to say it? I go where the texts take me, and they have not taken me to full preterism. I don’t believe that everything was fulilled in A.D. 70. How did I come to these conclusions? I studied the issue, because I paid attention to what full preterists were saying. If I had denounced them, I would not have learned what I’ve learned in the last ten years. Heresy hunting blinds you; it forces you to take short cuts. Make your case by doing the exegetical work. Apparantly what’s out there isn’t very convincing since people keep defecting. Of course, we know that there are scores of former full preterists. And they became that way without me holding their hand! Don’t try to force me to carry your water for you.

[Roderick Edwards' response]

Thanks for your reply Gary, If I may be allowed a few observations. You had Tim Martin on your radio show, a KNOWN hyperpreterist who was there to promote a “hyperpreterized” version of the creation account. Not once during the radio show did you point out that what Martin was advocating was hyperpreterism as opposed to “historic preterism”. This isn’t right. As for your comparisons to the hyperpreterists using Ken Gentry’s work — not ONE hyperpreterists thinks Ken Gentry is a “closet hyperpreterist”. They all know very well Gentry’s position (especially since he is a contributing author of “When Shall These Things Be: A Reformed Response to Hyperpreterism”). But you on the other hand, what do hyperpreterists say about you? Here is a recent comment by a hyperpreterist:

I’ve had many conversations with people about Gary’s eschatology. There is no need for any one of us to condemn, confront or force Gary to explain in public what he believes. He doesn’t have to do any of that for us or any other human and he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. Whether he is a partial or full preterist, Gary DeMar is doing amazing work with his ministry. I am certainly not arrogant enough to condemn him for holding to whatever eschatology he is holding to. His life to me speaks volumes about his faith. (source)

Gary, do you agree with this? Do you think a person of your influence has the responsibility to make it clear what you think about hyperpreterism? I’m not asking you to be a “heretic hunter” (I don’t think you are able to define heresy without alienating most of your readers) Nor do I need you to carry our water, BUT I would like to see a man of your caliber come clean on this issue once & for all.
Thanks ahead of time if you allow this honest comment to be posted.

–Roderick