We see a similar situation today being manifested in the world of American politics. No matter what President Bush does, the Democrats will attack every single suggestion made…because it is being made by President Bush. In like manner, no matter what the Democrats say or do, the Republican knee-jerk reaction kicks in and prompts them to reject what is being said. Neither side can see any good or positive in its political opponents.

I have come to believe that this is very much at odds with how Christ encouraged us to live and shine before the world; in fact a relational Christianity which we profess as emerging Christians witnessing to a postmodern generation should prompt us to not only embrace our critics but also embrace their criticism, be it justified or not. Christ did not defend himself when he was charged, and if we profess to be transformed into an “imago Dei” or an image or icon of God here on earth, we need to drink deeply from the living example given by Jesus himself. In the Orthodox Church, icons are being used by believers during prayer and worship. Some believers claim to be deeply transformed by the sight of an icon and by prayer before it, so much so in that the believer becomes deeply identified with the icon itself, be it Mary, Jesus, or St. Paul. Such is the relational faith that Christ is calling on us to have not just in God, but also in those around us, including critics. Identifying ourselves with God’s desires and dreams for this world and even with those who criticize us should be primary goals in life for all Christians.

With that said, I want to encourage and identify several people who should be appreciated for the work they have done, especially along the lines of eschatology. Roderick Edwards, who used to be a contributing columnist here on PlanetPreterist and perhaps one of the most prolific writers this site has ever had, has done some fantastic work on the topic of Preterism. It has come to my attention that Roderick has distanced himself from the Preterist movement, and that may turn out to be a loss for the movement. Several years ago, Roderick sent me a number of copies of his booklet “An Introduction to Preterism” which is an excellent primer to Preterist eschatology. I still have several copies of this primer left, and they will be available for free at TruthVoice 2007. Roderick has also put together several other introductory Podcasts dealing with eschatology, which are available on his website for download, and a number of interviews with noted Preterist personalities like Todd Dennis and Don Preston.

Another individual doing very good work on the topic of eschatology is David Green. David is the founder of Preterist Cosmos, a website where he provides readers with quality articles and materials. His website can be most noted for an extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding Preterism, and for answering questions related to everything from the Resurrection of the Dead to the identity of Babylon in the book of Revelation. As we continue to develop our preterism.com website, designed mostly to be an introduction to Preterism, David Green’s FAQ will prove to be a very useful guide to providing a comprehensive list of questions and answers to beginners seeking to learn more about eschatology, especially Preterism. David’s site contains some excellent materials in response to Partial Preterist eschatology and other articles covering theological topics that are being affected by a Preteristic understanding of eschatology. David Green also runs a Yahoo! discussion group which has a number of members actively contributing to the conversation on a daily basis.

I also want to remind all of you that Ed Stevens is still a major voice to consider in the world of Preterism. Ed has always provided a solid and a sound foundation for Preterism, and in fact Ed’s book “What Happened in A.D. 70?” is the reason for my own “conversion” to Preterism. Ed’s website is chock-full of excellent articles and his online bookstore is likely the best and most well-stocked Preterist bookstore on the planet. If you need any Preterist book, Ed Stevens is certainly the man to have it. Ed also has a large number of audio recordings of debates and speeches available on CD or in MP3 format.

As we continue to change the world into an icon of Christ, or perhaps into a likeness of his Kingdom which is not of this world but I believe can be manifested in this world, I am convinced that those most dedicated critics have a genuine love for God and desire to obey him, and I want to encourage all of you to support and commend those critics for their genuine faith and concern regarding God and his word. I also want to encourage them to keep up honest criticism and always keep the word of God in focus. Just as the past two years have been an exciting journey, I am hoping the next two years will be just as exciting and just as motivating for all of us to continue to become more like Christ and learn to practice and teach the compassion and love practiced by Jesus himself.