Editor's Update

Brian L. Martin

Hopefully, as you are reading this it is still 2007. That will mean that we actually got four issues out this year! If it’s early January, 2008, well . . . we’ll just blame it on the holiday mail slowdown.

Over the past several months, many readers have asked if we know of other Preterists in their area. We are careful to not give out any personal information from our mailing list to others. That is why we only use first names or initials in the Mailbag section. However, since many individuals are interested in contacting and/or meeting other Preterists in their area, we are willing to help facilitate those efforts. If you are interested in either contacting other Preterists, or being contacted by other Preterists, let us know. We will compile lists of the names of people so willing, and distribute them. Obviously, it will take us some time and there will be a learning curve on our end (nothing is ever as simple as it seems).

The easiest list to compile and share will be names and email addresses. These can be sent electronically very easily to everyone on the list. For those who do not “do” email, you will have to drop us a line the old-fashioned way. For those on the “email” list, we will simply share a list of names and emails with others. It will then be up to each of you to “reach out and touch someone.” Whether you just email others, or meet face-to-face, is up to each individual.

The same is true for those who will be on the “snail mail” (US Postal Service) list. However, for obvious reasons, we will be giving out names and physical mailing addresses. That means that others will know where you live. While we certainly do not expect any untoward activities to be perpetrated against anyone, in this day and age one cannot be too careful. Please understand that we are not providing any type of “screening” service—just because we add a name to a list does not mean that we are “vouching” for that person. With readers scattered across the country, we are obviously unable to meet everyone. At the risk of sounding overly negative or paranoid, we want the participants to understand that they are responsible for using their discretion in determining how much to interact with others, and with whom.

Now, with the negatives behind us, we expect in the months to come to hear of new friendships, Preterist groups and Bible studies springing up, revitalized faith of those who thought they were all alone, and so forth. Just remember that all we will be doing is providing the names and email or mailing addresses of those who so choose. We cannot coordinate any subsequent interaction.

    I know how blessed and encouraged my wife and I are to read the letters and emails sent by readers. I’m sure that many of you will find the same as opportunities arise to interact and dialog with others of similar beliefs. Theologically speaking, many of you have been off the beaten path for some time (see article on p. 10). As such, it is always refreshing to find someone who is traveling the same route.

There is much ahead of us to explore. One of the “leaders” in Preterism told me recently that he felt Preterism was still in the “crawling stages.” I agree. And being able to compare notes with other “explorers” can help us define our own path. That is why there is such a variety of authors and viewpoints in Fulfilled! But, just like the name sharing proposal above, each reader of Fulfilled! must exercise their own judgment and compare each viewpoint with Scripture.

Logic dictates that not all views presented here can be 100% correct. However, they can all be wrong! Furthermore, as much as each of us wants to be correct in our theology, we are all wrong! Why? Because we are all fallible beings and therefore cannot be 100% correct in our understanding of a God whose judgments are unsearchable and way is unfathomable (Rom 11:33). When I was leading a small-group men’s study I would tell the guys that if they agreed completely with me (or their Pastor, favorite author, etc.), then that just meant that we could  both be wrong in exactly the same areas! The challenge, however, does not lie in finding where the other guy is wrong—that’s the easy way out. The challenge lies in finding where I am wrong!

For Christ’s Glory,