What do you think?

Dear Scot,

I wondered if you might do some blog posts addressing this (or maybe you have some past posts addressing this that I’ve missed and you could link me to).

Growing up in a typical conservative evangelical home and church in the 80’s, I was exposed to pretty standard dispensational teaching – Thief in the Night movies, novels about the rapture and tribulation, fearing I’d be ‘left behind’, reading Revelation into current world events, etc…  Those teaching were profoundly anxiety-causing and harmful to my spiritual development, and as an older teen I left them behind b/c I had seen nothing but negative effects such as fear.

I now find myself wanting to shy away from the topic of Christ’s return altogether and pretend it doesn’t exist – which I know is an overreaction and isn’t accurate to teaching of Christianity either.

I have some acquaintances online who are getting really into the ‘End is Coming in the next 7 years’ complete with specific dates/predictions, and it bothers me immensely each time I see posts about it, bc it brings up so many emotions from my childhood and how hearing those things affected me.  It makes me want to go to the extreme of saying “Christ is not returning in 7 years – you’re just fear mongering.”  

I’m looking for balance on this issue that is solidly biblical – and I can’t imagine I’m the only one who finds herself in that position.  I was thinking about this issue and it seemed to me that the concept of a Third Way might have some helpful things to offer.  

Thanks for reading this.