Camping

I'm 99.9999% sure that without some media bigwigs wanting a story to mock Christians, I'd have never heard of Camping's predictions.

I heard his radio station once while driving in Illinois. The first thing I heard was a program with a perfectly orthodox exegesis of a chunk of 2Kings, then a little Christian music that didn't involve distortion pedals, and then a dead serious elaboration (without explanation or attempt at proof, BTW) of the contention that the Spirit had left the church 10 years before and so should all true Christians.

I tuned in something else at that point. As I drove along I wondered if this was any weirder than praying to Mary(*), or more dangerous than the "say this prayer and walk down this aisle and you're safe forever." I still haven't decided, but it was obvious that this fellow's followers would be hurting.

I had no idea of the name of the host and no inclination to find it again, but I discovered last week whose it was.

I think part of the Camping affair is that we don't treat prophecy seriously enough. I don't call for rocks outside the city, but it would be good if someone who claims to predict the future and fails repeatedly (like Camping) or proclaims what God actually intended by some calamity (like several people we all know who "explained" 911 or Katrina) could be formally denounced as false.(**) Warn members against people who claim to know the future--"test!"

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(*) I remember hearing on the radio during Lent a prayer to God to please listen to Mary when she prays for us. My first (and second) thought was: If He's already affectionately listening to you, why not talk to Him instead of trying a carom shot?

Yes, I still listen to Relevant Radio. I learn a lot, and a lot is bemusing, and some is off (I turn off Hail Marys). There seem to be a lot of subcultures involved here. Their afternoon talk host is a noisy sort who likes his own voice and talks about "powerful prayer" in a magical way, and their morning host is a mild-mannered convert who makes the guests do all the talking. Some of the speakers are pastoral sorts, some more scholarly, and some seem a little misinformed. And I gather that Marian devotion is optional.

(**)Of course some denominations tend to use such systems for political denunciations--which is itself a form of false prophecy, and certainly is taking God's name in vain.