For the last year, the most popular post at this blog has been one that I did back in July 2010 entitled Jesus Will Return on May 22, 2011. I often wonder if the popularity of this post stems from the fact that I got the date wrong. Harold Camping of Family Radio in Oakland, CA is predicting May 21, 2011 as the date of the rapture. Perhaps people see my May 22, 2011 post and think that I am offering some new twist on Camping’s end-times theology.
Whatever the case, I got a kick out of Richard Mouw’s post on Camping’s prediction. In case you don’t know him, Mouw is the president of Fuller Theological Seminary, an evangelical seminary in Pasadena, CA. Here is a taste:
On May 21 I have scheduled a videotaping session on campus for a project we have labeled “The Seminary of the Future.” Now it turns out that there may be a scheduling conflict: according to Harold Camping, the Rapture will occur on that day, and Camping is gathering his followers to get ready to “meet the Lord in the air…”
I am not canceling the May 21 taping session on “The Seminary of the Future.” If God decides to cancel it for me, though, that will be fine with me. Indeed it will be a joyful occurrence, even though I will have to admit that I was wrong about Rapture theology. Even if the Rapture does occur that day, I hope we are doing the taping early enough to get it completed before we make our ascent. It may be that a video of “The Seminary of the Future” will be a helpful thing to take along with us to our heavenly home. My guess is that there will still be the need in heaven to clear up a lot of theological confusion, so theological education may be an important part of the celestial process of being “changed from glory into glory.
By the way, I have a book talk and signing for Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? scheduled for that night at the Barnes and Noble in Wilkes Barre, PA. I hope I will have an audience.
Did anyone see the picture of the controversial billboard that was recently put up by another spiritual group near Family Radio’s headquarters? It directly challenges them about May 21. Here is a picture of it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62779138@N08/5708063636