Preterism was born out of a modern paradigm. Modernism is a thought system which was the result of the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment. It is not necessarily a bad thing; however the characteristics standing at the core of modernism also go against the grain of today’s society – and I am considering the contemporary implications of Preterism. The Catholic Church has even equated Modernism with Humanistic thought for example, and there seems to be a natural progression from the core characteristics of Modernism (centrality of the individual, reliability of human perception, primacy of reason, and inevitability of progress) to Humanism.

The problem is however that the world is changing and is going into a new age. We do not know what this age is. Some call it Post-Modernism (after Modernism), implying that we are not there yet and that we are perhaps going through a transition period in our human experience. Theology, science, politics, and philosophy are all changing. What we once thought to be truth turned out to be false. Mankind has learned that not everything is possible and that not everything is knowable. Reason can often be used to manipulate truth and human perception is not as reliable as we have assumed. Ultimately our younger generations view the world through a different paradigm. From my own interactions with younger people, I observed that the most notable is that younger people simply do not care what others think about their religion, philosophy and ethics. If a Christian teenager stands firms and does not care about being ridiculed and persecuted for his faith, that is wonderful. If the teenager is a drug addict and ignores please from friends and family for change, that is bad.

The bottom line is that a new paradigm is entering into the world today. People are starting to base their beliefs on the experiential rather than the perceptional. More and more individuals are starting to understand that progress is fragile, and that human perception is a very complex and uncertain phenomenon. Absolutes are no longer solid anchors in the sea of life, and the plurality of worldviews is a fact that affects all of us in a real and tangible way.

So what does all this have to do with Preterism? Quite a bit, I would say. Many Preterists today act as if Preterism is a “God-given movement.” It is not. Preterism is a position one takes regarding Christian eschatology. Preterism is not inspired by God, it does not have popes, inspired authors or apostles. Or perhaps it does have popes, inspired authors and apostles. Regardless, if anyone has ever attended a Preterist “conference” you will notice the lack of young people – they simply are not interested. It is natural therefore to wonder what will happen to Preterism once the popes pass away and the apostles die.

As I read articles and papers about Preterism, I am becoming more and more convinced that what has made Preterism great is no longer working. The “I am right, you are wrong” approach is starting to quickly wear out and become fruitless, with the biggest culprit being the lack of the experiential.

Several weeks back, after the church service, a friend approached me and shared with me some of his struggles. He has been having alcohol problems for many years but has been trying to recover for a while. His wife left him a few years ago and nothing has been right since. He has been praying that God would help him put his life back together and told me that it seems as if God is doing the exact opposite. Just when things get better, his company lays him off. So this goes on and on. He told me with a sad tone that it seems as if in AD 70 God did not come back, instead God left altogether and there is no sight of Him anywhere. This is the ultimate example of how Preterism fails in its application. A Modern movement being used to solve Post-Modern problems simply does not fly.

After thinking about my friend’s problems ever since our conversations, it occurred to me that what he was looking for was not necessarily a theological answer, or some quote from a wise philosopher, or even my assurance that God did indeed come in AD 70. He was just looking for a friend to talk to; someone to share his problems and heartaches with. Nothing more.

Preterism is failing to deliver. What I see more and more from Preterists (which is the height of irony) is an uncanny ability to criticize everyone else and call out what is wrong with others. Sterile theological papers and discourses against other Preterists are the order of the day. That is apparently all today’s Preterism has to offer.

Unfortunately people are looking for something better, something more. Believers are looking to experience God. We need to make them aware of the world around us, which is literally drenched in God. If Preterism is just a race to convince other people to believe like I do, then I want no part of it. More importantly, if Christianity itself is a race to convince people to believe like I do, so we can all end up in a place where the thermostat is on the right setting, then I want no part of it either.