Futurist rapturenauts aren’t concerned about the basic content of the message. They don’t like it cuz it cuts into their own scam.
Posted on 05/21/2011 7:27:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Harold Camping needs to publicly apologize for being wrong about his doomsday prediction and leading people astray, said a Southern Baptist leader.
The California radio broadcaster’s wrong prediction about the rapture and the end of the world reflected poorly on Christians, said Ed Stetzer, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s LifeWay Research and LifeWay’s missiologist in residence.
Stetzer issued a series of tweets about Camping’s eschatological prediction on Saturday, among which one noted that there was no earthquake in New Zealand after 6 p.m.
“Harold Camping, pls update www.family.radio.com w/your repentance statement & instructions to your now-broke followers,” Stetzer tweeted.
An hour later he tweeted again, “6pm here in Turkey. I’m standing at the Temple of Athena waiting for the Rapture. Nothing happened. ;-)”
For months, followers of the 89-year-old Camping, who previously wrongly predicted the rapture would occur in September 1994, have been warning that the rapture would occur on May 21, 2011. Supporters would hold placards on busy streets in major cities that read: “Judgment Day May 21, 2011.”
Family Radio, a non-profit Christian radio network headed by Camping, was the name seen on the placards, bus ads, billboards and in media coverage on the May 21 prediction.
But surprisingly, many within the California-based radio network do not believe that the first phase of the end of the world begins Saturday.
“I don’t believe in any of this stuff that’s going on, and I plan on being here next week,” a receptionist identified as Esther at the group’s headquarters in Oakland, Calif., told CNNMoney.
Esther said some of her co-workers who believe in Camping’s prediction had bought expensive cars or taken their families on vacation ahead of May 21.
In New York, follower Robert Fitzpatrick, 60, spent his entire $140,000 life savings on 1,000 subway-car placards and ads at bus stops warning about May 21. The ads read: “Global Earthquake: The Greatest Ever! Judgment Day May 21, 2011.”
Another Camping follower, 27-year-old Adrienne Martinez, was planning to go to medical school but decided not to after listening to Family Radio. Martinez and her husband, Joel, had lived in New York City but a year ago quit their jobs and moved to Orlando. They spent their time reading the Bible and distributing tracts, according to NPR. They have a two-year-old daughter and a second child due next month.
“We budgeted everything so that, on May 21, we won’t have anything left,” Adrienne said to NPR.
While some of Camping’s listeners are all-in when it comes to his rapture prediction, Family Radio’s Esther estimates that 80 percent of her co-workers don’t believe their own boss about May 21, according to CNNMoney.
The receptionist is still scheduling appointments for her co-workers after Saturday.
Family Radio has about 350 paid staff working to run 66 radio stations across the nation. The network’s financial documents, according to CNNMoney, shows that it received $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009. But Camping, according to documents, has not been paid a penny from the contributions. He has worked as a volunteer at Family Radio.
Family Radio is really a very traditional evangelical station. It always had nice music and I enjoyed it.
When Camping started this nonsense many years ago I seem to remember many at the station being quite upset with it. It must be really hard working there knowing the boss is going nuts.
Another Camping follower, 27-year-old Adrienne Martinez, was planning to go to medical school but decided not to after listening to Family Radio.
I, for one, am glad that Camping "saved" me from the chance of being seen by "Dr. Martinez".
Everyone knew he was a false prophet in 1994 when his first doomsday prediction did not come true.
They should have known before that because anyone who sets a date and time automatically is a false prophet, nobody knows the day or the hour except God the Father.
He was a false prophet as soon as he uttered his 1994 prediction.
"I'm convinced that the Lord is coming for His Church before the end of 1981." (Chuck Smith, Future Survival)Did Mr. Calvary Chapel ever publicly repent?
Proverbs 16:18.
Futurist rapturenauts aren’t concerned about the basic content of the message. They don’t like it cuz it cuts into their own scam.
I don’t follow Chuck Smith so I don’t know.
However from that statement you posted, I did not get the impression that he believes it was 100% a SURE THING like Harold Camping’s conviction. Also, Chuck Smith did not go around the world advertising and warning loudly through his radio broadcasts what he said he was personally convinced of.
Thanks for that information. I’m sure there have been many who have called on Camping to cease his false prophecies.
The problem, of course, is that the MSM has no interest in reporting on them. But they are happy to report on Camping, as a joke, a mockery, and an attack on the foolishness of “Christians.”
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