While Armageddon scenarios and books that explain them enjoyed a brisk revival earlier this year, a new Gallup poll shows that only about 15 percent of Americans thought the Gulf War was the beginning of the final great battle many Christians believe is predicted in the Bible. (In comparison, a random survey of CHRISTIANITY TODAY readers showed that 20 percent considered the Persian Gulf conflict to be “a sign that biblical prophecy is being fulfilled and final events of world history will soon take place”; 42 percent said it was not; 38 percent were unsure.)
Nationally, talk of Armageddon gained its strongest hearing among people between 18 and 29 years of age: one out of four said Armageddon was near. Women outpolled men in favor of Armageddon by 28 to 18 percent. The nationwide survey polled some 1,000 adults 18 years or over.
Bookstore Journal’s most recent sales figures, which cover the month of March, show The Rise of Babylon: Sign of the End Times (Tyndale House) at number one and Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis (Zondervan) at number two, but indications are that sales of Armageddon books are dropping. Tammy Arnold, book publicist for Tyndale House, says orders for The Rise of Babylon have decreased since the war ended.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Bond Approval Revoked
The Lynchburg Industrial Development Authority revoked its decision of October 1989 to issue tax-free bonds to Liberty University after the Virginia Supreme Court described the university as a primarily religious institution.
The Lynchburg authority said it had based its approval for the $60 million bond issue on the university’s declaration that it is “an institution of collegiate education.” But since the state court concluded that Liberty University “is a pervasively religious institution,” the authority revoked the funds. The university plans to file an appeal.
OFFENSIVE ART
Canadian Leaders Protest
While U.S. church leaders have been tangling loudly with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), some of their Canadian peers undertook a quieter protest of their own against artwork they consider blasphemous and obscene.
Christian clergy were joined by Jewish and Muslim leaders in Alberta in protesting an art exhibition at the University of Calgary’s Nickle Arts Museum that consisted of 30 photographs of male genitals, each of which appeared above the name of a religious figure, including “God the Father,” “Noah,” “Moses,” and “Jesus Christ.”
The display, entitled “The Castration of St. Paul,” gained almost no public notice at the time it was shown. Critics said they waited to voice their protest until after the exhibit closed to avoid giving it further publicity.
In the U.S., Donald Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, and Beverly LaHaye, president of Concerned Women for America, have called for the dismantling of the NEA after learning it granted $12,000 to the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
WARNING
Scams Target Believers
The state of Texas in late April shut down Our Father’s Congregation and imprisoned “pastor” Melvin White for perpetrating an alleged pyramid scheme. White’s nationwide plan offered loans of up to $500,000 to anyone who would put up a “collateral deposit” of up to 10 percent and a $300 payment for “character insurance,” according to Christian financial counselor Larry Burkett, who warned that the system was “actuarially unsound.”
A spokesperson for White said the program is legitimate and is financed by “a large pool of funds” from several millionaire investors and from collateral deposits.
Other ministry leaders have warned of a scheme based in Nigeria aimed at missions agencies. According to Gary Taylor, president of International Market Place Strategies, a Nigerian group asks agencies to put up money to help retrieve millions owed to an evangelical Nigerian prince in return for a share of the collection. Taylor traveled to Nigeria to inspect the group’s claims and became suspicious when, at the last minute, the group asked for money to help close the deal. The scheme was first aimed at international businesses, then the plan was altered to entice mission groups.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Briefly Noted
Resigned: Haddon Robinson, after 12 years as president of Denver Seminary, to become Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Robinson, 60, said he was making the move to devote more time to teaching and leading preaching institutes. “Preaching is not the only thing a minister does, like passing is not the only thing a quarterback does. But if the quarterback can’t pass, he won’t make it,” he said.
Sold: Focus on the Family’s headquarters in Pomona, California, clearing the way for the ministry’s move to a 50-acre site in Colorado Springs, Colorado. About half of the ministry’s 750 employees will relocate, and the organization plans to hire as many as 425 more over two years.
Announced: plans by long-time prolife leader Jack Willke not to seek re-election in June as president of the National Right to Life Committee. The announcement comes amid reports of internal opposition to Willke’s leadership.
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