Not Afraid of the Antichrist, by Michael L. Brown and Craig S. Keener

When I was in college at a large Baptist university, I served for a year as a youth pastor at a tiny Southern Baptist church in a tiny town a short drive from campus.  When I started, the pastor sat me down and said, We are a pre-millennial church.  He wanted to know where I stood.  I replied, with my 20-year-old attitude, "I'm a pan-millennailst; I believe it's all going to pan out in the end."  A philosophy degree, an M.Div., and 30 years later, I have to say I might still answer the same way.

Micheal L. Brown and Craig S. Keener, on the other hand, have put a whole lot more thought and study into to answering the question.  They make a couple of things clear about their mission in this book.  First of all, they vehemently disagree with pre-millennial dispensationalism, and the accompanying anxiety about the antichrist and the tribulation.  Second, they absolutely affirm that they recognize that good, faithful Christians may disagree on this subject and do not intend any spiritual superiority.

They challenge the pre-trib position with a blatant statement: show me a scriptural justification for it, and we will show you the context of the passage and explain why, when viewed in context, no scripture upholds a pre-trib theology.  The good news is that even while covering a large amount of scripture and complex theological questions, the authors maintain a readable, accessible tone.

The bottom line here is very convincing.  I could, with a bit of confidence, challenge my old pastor (lovingly and respectfully, of course) with a bit of discussion.  I still don't understand why churches break fellowship with one another over this issue.  I still believe it will all pan out in the end.  We may or may not personally experience persecution and tribulation, but we know that at every stage of church history, many Christians have.  Brown and Keener write, "the martyrs of the past are not calling out from their graves and urging us to be cautious and fearful.  Instead, they are urging us to stand strong, to be of good courage, and to speak the truth boldly and without compromise."

I like Brown and Keener's conclusion: "Scripture announces one glorious future coming that is our hope, when the kingdom of this world becomes the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ."  Maranatha.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!