Background
I’m currently going through a bunch of old notes. Since Evernote raised prices and locked down free accounts a long time ago, I’ve tried importing them to Notion, and today I imported to Apple Notes. But most of my note-taking is for work, and I need screenshots on Windows for that, and Apple Notes via the web interface has no rich formatting or image pasting. I’m considering Obsidian and have yet to find a screenshot markup tool that I like. I loved Skitch and it’s pink arrows, but again, it’s been enshittified by Evernote. But I found the below draft in Byword, a markdown app I used to use, dated Nov. 3, 2012. With the 2024 election upon us, and the war in Palestine and its vicinity, I thought it poignant.
I am aware, after further research, that some of the statements regarding the rise of dispensationalism are overly-simplified, as it did not begin in the ’70s, but that’s definitely when it took over evangelicalism.
In many ways I think that Calvary Chapel and the movement it was part of the 1970s is responsible for the current right wing religious fanaticism that is engulfing country.
Before the Jesus People movement, nobody but the Seventh-Day Adventists thought the apocalypse was upon us.
But now, the urgency that’s placed upon all arguments is heightened to the point of life-and-death. This is why the GOP battle cry in congress is “No Compromise!” The Christian fanatics in Washington actually believe their counterparts accross the aisle are possessed by demons.
Seven or eight years ago I ceased to be a premillenarian. As I made that transition it helped me see how insane it was to allow free and uncondemned practice of millenialists in our society. A good picture of the societal effects of millenialists vs amillenarians can be seen simply in their buildings. Amillenialists’ buildings are typically over a hundred yeara old, made out of stone or brick, materials meant to last for generations. Premillenialists often worship in storefronts or movie theaters. The same goea with polity, as churches like Calvary Chapel fail to raise up successors as they typically believe Jesus will come back before their pastor gets old. People fail to save for their childrens’ college education (I went to school on a mixture of scholarship and student loans and am still making payments 20 years later. And not one of my 10 neices and nephews has been to school a single day in his/her life, and their parents don’t bother trying to find a successful career.
If 44% of the nation lives this way because of their crazy eschatology, it’s no wonder the GOP wants to cut social security and medicare and education. It also explains crazy pro-Israeli policies.