Family Radio Alternative - Is healing possible? An ongoing blog of some observations and a solution.
January 12, 2012 update with more comments added February 10 A recent facebook posting from someone close to the ministry noted this: "Am I missing something? I sit back and watch the actions of Oakland. No one could do a better job of shutting down a network than these folks are doing. Either they are insane, or they really do have the agenda of total collapse of the network. Not sure there are any other options!" Well, that is an opinion that seems to make sense to us also. This is a long blog! If you need us to bottom line the solution, please contact us via email. Having helped Family Radio since 1983, we know what it would take to fix the problem, but granted it is stout medicine. However, we want to affirm once again that we are not making fun of Mr. Camping's person, nor do we wish him ill in any way. We pity him; we love him. Mr. Camping at one time, professed the Christian faith. At one time he was a faithful church member, an elder and a Sunday School teacher. Dear friend, let us not forget how deceptive the enemy of our souls really is. Mr. Camping for many years strove to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your author was personally helped by some of his teachings in the 70's and early 80's. We also want to point out that we are not gloating over the current situation. Not at all. This whole situation with Family Radio burdens our soul, and is very sad. The best possible scenario would have been for Mr. Camping and his Board to have turned from the false teaching and simply asked God for His forgiveness, and then the public for theirs. The forgiveness would have been there. In fact, even as the most lucrative of the properties are sold, indicative we believe, of a major downsizing looming for the network - even at this late point, forgiveness is available. After WFME is sold, it will be a new day for the ministry. Even then, repentance and forgiveness will be in order. However, anyone who has been close to Family Radio for any time understands that without WFME, the network cannot survive. Another point that needs to be reiterated is the following. There are any number of sincere employees who diligently work for Family Radio, and who really need their jobs. Most of them, we understand, do this humbly and without complaining, while they disagree with Mr. Camping. If given the opportunity to publically embrace the church, they would. If they had the opportunity to advance an evangelical message over Family Radio, they would do it. So again, our concerns are not with those who work for Family Radio. As a faithful worker, you continue to be in our prayers. The title of this blog includes a question: Is healing possible? We believe that it is. We have a God who has entered into history, taking on human flesh and who lived and died for a people. He rose again from the dead triumphantly. Our Lord now sits at the Father's right hand, ruling and reigning. Reconciliation occurs in the Christian life as we repent, turning from our errors and sins, and embracing Jesus Christ. Think about King David. He committed terrible sins, including adultery and murder. And yet, when David turned his heart towards the Lord in repentance and confession of sins, he received the forgiveness of the God of Israel. Of course there were consequences to his sin. The child conceived of his unholy adulterous relationship would die. This illustrates how God forgives sins, but does not necessarily remove the consequences (the sting, if you will) of these sins. In our opinion, Family Radio will be going through some very difficult times going forward. Family Radio is still officially on record as: profaning the Bride of Christ saying that Satan rules in ALL the churches, denying the doctrine of eternal hell, embracing the deeper spiritual meanings of Mr. Camping, affirming that the dates May 21 and October 21, 2011 were somehow prophetically significant, and teaching that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross 2000 years ago was a mere demonstration. Because of these public sins, we believe that the judgment of God is on the network, and will continue to be until there is repentance. Even then, there is no guarantee that the consequences set in motion by such covenant breaking will be healed. But forgiveness of sins IS available. This blog posting is encouraging repentance before God and that the leadership at Family Radio humbly seeks the counsel of godly Pastors. Yes, Pastors! The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must be embraced as a first step. Do not go it alone, you need the Body of Christ for support, encouragement and accountability. Just as a body cannot live severed from its head, nor a marriage exist when a husband is divorced from his wife, so Family Radio as a ministry cannot continue long term, if it continues in the sin of denying the church. Understand that to posit a "Christ" who has divorced his Bride, is to believe in a different "Christ" than the Christ of the Scriptures. A final note for this particular blog posting: There are several "mantras" at Family Radio. One is: "God is the CEO of Family Radio." Our response simply is: No He isn't. No He isn't! God is not the CEO of Family Radio - do not charge Him with the guilt of Harold Camping's heresies! Do not chage Him for potential mismanagement. Another is, "God is in charge." That is a tricky assertion, and it gives an excuse for sinning. That is like saying: I have a gasoline can and a match - now let's see what happens, as I stand here and light it, because "God is in charge." The fact is, if God were in charge of Family Radio then: God is not in charge of Family Radio; Harold Camping is. Sure, God is in charge in an overarching way of the whole world. Of course He orders all things whatsoever come to pass, after the counsel of His own will. We CAN say this: God is apparently judging the ministry, now that it has departed from the Lord. So, if you hear the mantras that God is the CEO or that God is in charge, please see through these mantras - because they have lies and false presuppositions imbedded within them. Christ through His word, and countless pastors, elders and churchmen are all saying one thing: return to Christ, the Christ who has a Body and loves her. We are praying for you. Please, do the right thing.
January 9, 2012 update In previous blog postings we have mentioned that WFME Newark would likely be next up for sale by Mr. Camping's Family Radio. The clue of when such a sale is getting close for this station is when the FCC application is made to make WFME into a "Commercial" station. Well, this happened on January 6, and we didn't know about it until it was listed publically. See here: https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101434672&formid=1&fac_num=20886 This same sort of plan was executed for WFSI Annapolis and WKDN Philly. Once the stations got listed as "Commercial," then Family Radio sold the stations. The Journal Inside Radio writes the following in part:"Following Family Radio’s deals to sell stations in Washington and Philadelphia, a move with a New York FM suggests it may be next in line. Family Radio has filed an application with the FCC to convert WFME, Newark, NJ (94.7) into a commercial operation." So what does all this mean? Most likely it means that Family Radio will be selling WFME to a secular broadcaster. If you want to discuss this offliine, let us know.
January 6, 2012 update Are you interested in supporting a Family Radio alternative IN NEW YORK CITY? Please contact us; we would love to talk. Let's face it, we can all sit around and bemoan the fact that Harold Camping has led Family Radio into cult status and is still on the air in New York City. OR... we can join forces and place a Redeemer Broadcasting signal into the heart of New York City, and begin ministering there with non-commercial Classic Christian programming that supports churches and airs pastors. We have a very workable plan. Our stations are currently located North of New York City, in the Hudson Valley of New York State. We have been in operation since 2005 and our listenership and support is growing. In 2011 we saw a 12.5% growth in support. We find that former Family Radio listeners love our content, and ultimately become faithful listener supporters. In fact, after they have listened to Redeemer for several months they often say that they enjoy Redeemer more than Family Radio. The point is this: the listener support will be there - by God's grace, we are very confident of that. We just need your help with the initial hurdle of station acquisition. Our network feed and programming lineup is ready to go. Our plan is to add a call-in show for New York City. What's the next step? The next step is for a handful of large donors to help us secure a Class A FM station. We are certain that one is available. Perhaps you are such an individual. Perhaps you used to support Family Radio with large donations. You enjoyed the music and found the teachings beneficial. But then Harold Camping started setting dates and then he denied the legitimacy of all churches. For a while he was telling people that they could not be saved. At some point, you decided not to support such a group which said that God was done with all the churches, etc. Well, all is not lost! You could be a huge blessing to many people and help once again, to start up classic Christian programming in New York City and Northern NJ. You would in effect, be one of the founders of this new station and its outreach. Redeemer progamming is orthodox and not merely the thoughts of one man. We believe that God would use your gift to powerfully influence thousands of listeners with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your gift can be used of the Lord in many lives as you help us proclaim the Historic Christian faith. Please contact us if this major outreach interests you. Perhaps the Lord has led you to this moment and this writing. Indeed, we need some larger donations which will be used exclusively for this outreach. You can be a part and God will bless your faithfulness. Once the monies are secured, we also will need talented people - feet on the ground - professionals with a Reformation perspective, who are capable of meeting with others as this project takes off. Just imagine what this station will sound like in the Metro market! We will practice localism and there will be live segments. A replacement for the "Open Forum" will be launched with various local pastors participating. To discuss this further, please call toll-free: 888-724-4427. The phone line is monitored during business hours and often after hours. Please also send us an email and use the following email address: ministry@redeemerbroadcasting.org
December 5, 2011 update "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:7 Harold Camping has predictably changed his message once again. After over a dozen failed prophecies and having asserted since May 21, 2011 that God is not saving people anymore, now there is a fresh revelation. On December 5th Harold Camping issued a communiqué wherein he NOW says that “salvation has to still be possible.” You may find our November 15th update below quite interesting in this regard. We believe that the reason for this sudden change is twofold: 1. The giving at Family Radio has virtually tanked. 2. Mr. Camping's previous assertions painted him into a corner so that there were no moves left. The word among those who deal in station sales is that the ministry is in hock with an extremely large loan. It was publically announced that Family Radio has just sold WFSI Annapolis to CBS, and WKDN Camden to Merlin. Both of these stations were supported and paid for by Christians and now they are intentionally being sold to secular broadcasters. The reason? It is because Mr. Camping does not trust any other Christian ministries. He has stated publically that all pastors, churches and seminaries are wrong! And so, he would rather that the stations go to secular causes. So much for listener confidence in the ministry. What stations will be sold next? WFME per the FCC records has a special temporary authorization to move their antenna to a higher tower. This will make it more attractive (thus making it more valuable). Last year, the radio pundits reported that Bloomberg had a strong interest in buying WFME. The broker in charge of the possible sale reportedly said that Family Radio wanted to trade/sell WFME "for an AM station with superior coverage." Most likely there will be more sales. Mr. Camping is getting older now. He is still recovering from a stroke. His actions seem to be saying that if he cannot run the ministry himself (or virtually through his daughter who sits on the board), then he will likely shut it down. Mr. Camping has not repented. He was merely embarrassed that his dates were all wrong. He continues to profane the Bride of Christ, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He continues under a strong delusion believing that Satan is in all the churches. He has asserted this over the air, time and again. In fact he goes out of his way to affirm this with his recent statement: “Many of you have questioned whether we still hold the position that the church age is over. Indeed we still hold that to be true.” --Camping Have you considered what this means? Just suppose your pastor is preaching the word of God one Sunday, and the Holy Spirit convicts a person of their sin, and they receive Christ. They are marvelously born again of the Spirit of God. Mr. Camping would assert that all of this came from Satan, because it happened in your church. That is the consequence of his teaching that "Satan is in all the churches." We hope you see that this is no different than ascribing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it is blasphemy. We believe that if you won't have the Body, then you cannot have the Head. In other words, it is impossible to be a Bible believing Christian and ascribe the works of the Holy Spirit that are occurring in good churches, to Satan. This really is an either/or. You either have the Church and have Christ, or deny the Church, and by default, deny Christ. Christ has a body - an imperfect one, but a body nonetheless. This relationship is not only spirtual - it fleshes itself out in the physical world, so that we have pastors, elders, deacons - just read the epistles of the New Testament! We have mercy ministries run by churches. Churches exercise the keys. Churches administer the two Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. There is something called the Great Commission, which is given first and foremost to the Church and secondarily to other Christian ministries. Again, Mr. Camping DENIES the Church. Therefore, Mr. Camping is not Christian, by his own confession. Family Radio's President and Board deny the church, therefore as an organization, Family Radio has formally denied the church. Therefore Family Radio is not a Christian organization. This stuff is simple. Do not get tangled up in Mr. Camping's deeper spiritual meanings. They allow him to THROW out the plain meaning of many Scriputures. His interpretations are Satanic. You must avoid them. Do not get tangled up in Mr. Camping's numerology. His Biblical calendar has been PROVED false. You must avoid it. Where will Family Radio go from here? We have no idea. We do believe that this recent note from Harold Camping does nothing to help the situation, except drive deeper the message that Family Radio has permanently entered into cult status.
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November 25, 2011 update We listened in part to Tom Evan’s recent teaching of 11/20/11, wherein he was discussing whether or not Christ is still saving people. Tom did not know if God is still saving people. The Bible tells us that "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). What we see here is having forsaken the church, and all historic Christian confessions of faith, the Harold Camping followers are groping and trying to make sense out of Mr. Camping’s failed prophecies in light of the Scriptures. Without the Church and her fellowship, Mr. Camping's followers read the Scriptures in isolation. Mr. Camping's inventive musings were of "private interpretation." Tom needs to ponder Peter's admonition: "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Accordingly, Tom is not able to answer the question: "Is God still saving people?" Mind you, we really are not "picking" on Tom - but merely responding to his teaching that was publically posted. It begs a Christian response. Some quotes: If there is any good in this groping after truth, it is that Tom is starting to logically work through Mr. Camping’s position, and perhaps is starting to see that it is totally untenable. Tom is starting to ask the good question of whether he and others were deceived and misled. We applaud him for this, and hope and pray that he comes to the right answer. One problem is, by the time he finally realizes that Mr. Camping's position is not defensible Scripturally, the Board will have sold off WFSI and (per the radio board postings) WKDN. In the meantime, by Tom's own admission, they cannot offer an evangelical message, because they need to "wait." It is time for a new brand for these stations. These stations need to be evangelical - and if that is not happening, then they should be sold - all of them.
November 16, 2011 update The sale of Family Radio's Annapolis station WFSI to CBS has just been announced: http://www.cbsradio.com/press_center/releases/pressrelease145027-11-16-2011.html It is important for us and the Christian community to NOT gloat over this news. CBS programming is to scheduled to begin on December 1, 2011. WFSI went on the air as a Christian station, on January 7, 1972. WFSI was paid for by listener donations. Now it is sold out from under the listeners and will no longer carry gospel programming. This is one of two stations that will be immediately sold to a secular broadcaster, according to the radio boards. You may wonder: "Why didn't another Christian station want to buy WFSI?" Well, they wanted to, however Mr. Camping made it very clear that he would not sell to a religious broadcaster. His belief is that he alone, has the "true" gospel. Does that raise a red flag in your mind? It should. In fact, several Christian networks would have paid more for WFSI than what CBS paid! They would have paid on the order of DOUBLE that of CBS. Something is very strange here. Let this be an example of what can happen when the gospel of Jesus Christ is maligned and godly counsel is rejected. Churches were mocked and Bible believing Christians were told by Mr. Camping that they were going to hell because they didn't leave their church, while he spent multimillions on billboards and RV caravans announcing the exact date of the second coming of Christ. WFSI 107.9 FM, which for nearly 40 years carried Bible reading and Christian hymns will now be programmed by CBS to carry "Top 40 - Pop Latin" programming. If there is any consolation, perhaps we could say that Top 40 - Pop Latin is alot better than listening to Mr. Camping profane the Bride of Christ. Just think of the shock of listeners in the Annapolis area who have not heard about this sale, and on December 1st tune in to find that there is no more gospel programming heard ever again on 107.9. We personally know some of the folks who worked so hard to build WFSI, and this is a sad day for Family Radio. We do not gloat, but rather are saddened. Join with us as we pray for Family Radio's Board of Directors, that they will repent and truly believe the gospel of Christ, thus repudiating "Campingism." We plead with the Board to forsake the profanation of the Bride of Christ, the date setting, the deeper spiritual meanings, the annihilationism, the "demonstration" death of Jesus, and return to the biblical gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is time for a brand change at Family Radio. To find out more about what a brand change entails, you may email us, or simply read the former postings on this blog. Please know this: if you work for Family Radio, you are in our prayers, and have our emotional support. Be as faithful as you possibly can to God and work with the highest of Chrsitian ethics for your employer. Finally, pray for change that will glorify God - this is all in God's providential timing.
November 15, 2011 update We are not in the predicting business, but any Christian ministry cannot possibly exist with the message that God is not saving people any more. We feel therefore, that Mr. Camping will soon come forward with some kind of a correction that essentially says that God is still saving people. In our opinion, if he does change his tune about God not saving people, it is for the express purpose of securing donations. Mr. Camping's eschatological nightmare has reached an end - he was obviously wrong and now something has to be stated going forward, which gives a reason for the future existence of Family Radio. Just think, what else can you predict - according to Mr. Camping, there already was a spiritual rapture, then God stopped saving people on May 22, and then the entire world was in terrible judgment for 5 months and then on October 21 ..... Well, oops, it was supposed to have ended! But it didn't. The world did not end. Now Mr. Camping is at the end of his invented dates. The entire scheme was wrong. Mr. Camping's "Biblical Timeline of History" is woefully wrong (and that includes his assertion of Satan in all the churches since 1988). It is a fact that people won't invest in such a ministry that has no evangelical mission. Therefore we feel that Mr. Camping will realize this and make a mild correction concerning salvation. We do not expect Mr. Camping to embrace the church; nor will he correct his false teaching about Christ not having really died for our sins on the cross 2000 years ago. We do not expect him to deny annihilationism. We do not expect him to forsake his "deeper spiritual meaning" hermeneutic. We do not expect him to embrace the great creeds of the church that are listed on our website (http://www.redeemerbroadcasting.org/pages/faith_statement.php). He certainly will not embrace the Westminster Confession of Faith or the Heidelberg Catechism, etc! That said, we don't expect any new date setting from Mr. Camping - he was wrong every single time (what is it, 13 times now?) and that gets rather embarrassing, even for a false prophet. Since about 2003, Mr. Camping has been telling people that Christ left all the churches and that Satan now reigns there. This continues to be THE huge problem, and no "Christian" ministry can maintain such a position and be pleasing to God, and know His blessing. Mr. Camping himself, left the Alameda Christian Reformed Church in 1988, and later in his life would come to the conclusion that this was the very time that God also left the church. An amazing connection! In Mr. Camping's view, he has God effectively endorsing his (Mr. Camping's) decisions. We continue to pray for Mr. Camping and the Board of Directors at Family Radio, that he and the Board will stand up and once again be Christian in their profession of faith and completely repudiate "Campingism." That would glorify God. Please join with us in praying towards this end. It is time for the reign of terror to end. For God's glory.
October 21, 2011 update In the past five months since his failed May 21 prophecy, and Mr. Camping's stroke in June, Family Radio has issued some statements that oblige a response. These statements are troubling, as they could confuse members of the Body of Christ. Hence, we feel free, even constrained, to offer comment. On their web site was a written statement explaining what had happened on May 21 (if you need a copy please contact us). Remember, the prediction that was put forth re: May 21, was with 100% certainty, spawning slogans like: We Can Know, Save the Date, The Bible Guarantees it, etc. Caravans travelled from the Oakland headquarters to cities around the nation announcing the end to people. Billboards littered the highways, advertizing with complete 100% certainty that Christ was returning on May 21. Mr. Camping convinced his followers that massive earthquakes would physically occur. The ministry spent so much money, the blogs and radio forums estimate that Family Radio is now broke. Family Radio has publicly documented that they have taken out a loan. The notice of the existence of a loan document is listed in every Family Radio local station Public Information File. This serves to illustrate how large a quantity of money was spent on the May 21 campaign. Then, as October 21 approached, Family Radio issued this statement: "Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on October 21, 2011." (ref. WHAT HAPPENED ON MAY 21?) Since May 21, Family Radio has repeatedly asserted that God's salvation program was completed. The recent 10/28 audio from Mr. Camping: There is a recent post-October 21 audio recording of Mr. Camping. In it, he is silent about whether people are still being saved. Mr. Camping remains unrepentant. What he did say was to encourage his followers that they are "not abandoned by God" and he does apologize for accusing those who did not believe his May 21 date that they were not saved. That is the only apology offered. Mr. Camping does not repudiate his former assertions that Satan is in all the churches, and that no one can be saved anymore. He does not repudiate annihilation, and he does not repudiate that Christ's death on the cross was a mere demonstration. We hear nothing of the sort. Notice his "apology" is prefaced with the remark "I have been told that I said back in May" - he is not even remembering that he said it, but that people told him that he said it. He admits, "I should not have said that, and I apologize for that" (in context he was referring to his accusation against Christians of not believing his May 21 date, and that they therefore were not saved). This is similar to a lawyer parsing his words to make you feel good, but not coming forth with substantive change. Mr. Camping remains unrepentant. Remember, when Mr. Camping speaks to people as fellow praying Christians, he is speaking only to his followers. On a facebook account there was a posting by "Familyradio Information," in which was reported that the official stance of the Board of Directors as a result of a recent meeting, was that God is no longer saving people. That is the documented position at this point in time. Bottom line, there is a weak apology (not repentance) in Mr. Camping's most recent audio, for accusing those of us who didn't believe his May 21 date, that he had said we were not saved at the time - he finally admits that he should not have said that. This however, is not repentance - he is not turning from his offenses against Christ and His church, and he is not repudiating all that he has predicted and taught - just that there is more information to be discovered. This is a very disappointing recent statement from Mr. Camping. Again, since May 21, Family Radio has repeatedly asserted that God's salvation program was completed. What does that mean? To Family Radio, it means that God is not saving people anymore. However, the Bible says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2). Mr. Camping’s idiosyncratic interpretation of this verse is out of accord with the way orthodox Bible believers have interpreted this verse universally through the centuries; therefore to us it seems one is compelled to choose between the plain meaning of Holy Scripture or Mr. Camping and the Board of Family Radio. There is no middle ground on which to stand. The question is this, is God still saving people? Of course he is! Does Mr. Camping’s teaching shut the gate of salvation by withdrawing the saving grace and mercy of God? Of course it does. As the Apostle says in his Letter to the Romans, “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (3:4). What about the May 21 earthquakes - well, Family Radio invented something new. We have their official statement that was posted for five months on their website after May 21, and can provide it to anyone. It is public record and as of this update, can still be found hidden on their site ( http://www.familyradio.com/x/whathappened.html ), just copy and paste that link. In Family Radio's statement, they said that "we have learned from our experience of last May 21 what actually happened. All of mankind was shaken with fear. Indeed the earth (or mankind) did quake in a way it had never before been shaken. God had come spiritually to bring judgment upon the whole world." How novel! Did you quake? Did we quake? No we didn't! In fact Christ assured us of His salvation as we worshipped within the fellowship of a loving Church body; one that ministers word and sacrament. Notice what they say: they learned from their "experience." Whatever happened to the days when Family Radio strove to take the Word of God at face value, using the historical grammatical biblical hermeneutic, without twisting the Scriptures by their experiences? It appears that those days are long gone. Family Radio is now redefining words to fit their preconceived constructs which were foisted upon them by Mr. Camping. Also in their post May 21 statement notice this admission: "Thus we have learned that except for a somewhat different understanding of the words “earthquake” and “rapture”..." A different understanding of words? Wow - is truth really like a wax nose on a statue; one that you can mold and shape any way that you wish? We believe that what we see happening here is the necessity of covering your tracks when you are engaged in a lie. The liar has to invent more lies in order to cover his initial lies. This is what Family Radio apparently has engaged in. It is not nice to call someone a liar, but we don't know any other word to use. Family Radio has lied about God's word. But another question: what now is left of any so-called "Christian ministry," when they say that God is no longer saving people, and that Satan is ruling in all the churches? We strongly assert that you no longer have a Christian ministry at that point. What you have is a giant iPod with nice music and some Scripture reading (which they don't really believe) which in the meantime is propagating more lies to cover up the initial lies. Recent broadcasts of (board-approved) Chris McCann prove this beyond any reasonable doubt. Going forward, if there is no repentance, then we expect most of the lies to be swept under the proverbial rug. We are sorry that we come across tough in this writing, but we must reject heresy. There must be a total and complete repudiation of Mr. Camping's false teaching, and it must be made publically. Else, there is no repentance evident. We know some of the dear folks who work for Family Radio, and some of them are grieving over what has happened. Understand: Mr. Camping's teachings have morphed Family Radio to such an extent, that it no longer can be considered a Christian ministry. Yet there is hope - stay with us. But first this: Family Radio unfortunately has become cult-like. What is typical of a cult? First and foremost is the rejection of the orthodox faith, as documented in the historic creeds and confessions of the Christian church over the centuries. Typical of a cult is a single leader, who discovers "new" teaching that contradicts nearly every other pastor in the world. Cult leaders will tend to threaten their associates and workers with shunning (or dismissal), if they go public. They anticipate what questions people outside the group will ask about the cult, and then instruct the people inside to not say anything, or to simply quote a couple of sound bites by rote. In this approach, little original thinking is allowed, just recital of the "allowed words." By contrast, God requires ministries to be transparent and accountable. God wants our consciences to be free and bound only to the word of God, and not man. What other tactics do cult leaders use? The way of the world is to exude power, and if there are workers involved, somehow the leaders start to think that it is "imperative" to lay off a token number of workers, thus making them examples of what could happen to you, if you do not toe the line. Cults also instill a very strong sense of "us vs. them" in their teachings. Mr. Camping and (and Family Radio) has gone far down this path by stating that God is no longer in ANY of the churches. In other words, in Mr. Camping's perverted theology, Jesus Christ has DIVORCED His Bride, the Church. This is worse than many cults and is an abominable teaching. It is not Christian. Family Radio has taught that for those of us remaining in churches, that we are going to hell. This amounts to "casting stones" at the precious people of God. Make no mistake; churches have been hurt by this false teaching. Repentance, asking forgiveness and realizing true healing must be the next step for Family Radio to now take. Finally, to extend the life of the cult after embarrassing public displays of error, "new" truth needs to come forth. In this case, Mr. Camping has been the virtual "prophet" of Family Radio. With his recent health problems, from a cult standpoint, there is now a need for a new leader to emerge - but he must follow exactly in the founder's footsteps and give obeisance to Mr. Camping. The new cult leader needs to be the inventive type, and these are hard to find! By the way, Mr. Camping was not the sole founder - this too, will be quickly and intentionally forgotten by the cult. In fact Richard Palmquist played a profoundly important role in the founding of Family Radio along with Harold Camping. Please pray that no new cult leader will emerge in Family Radio, and that the ministry will repent now, and turn to Christ. On October 16, board member Tom Evans publically stated "in less than 5 days from today, we’ll know whether we were right or wrong. …whether the Spirit of God directed us, or whether we were deceived.” This was posted on the Family Radio website. Well, how about now? It is obvious that the board and Mr. Camping and his followers were deceived, to use Tom's words. There has been a massive deception - one documented with billboards, caravans, advertisements and on-air teaching. In our opinion, Family Radio must repent publically and ask forgiveness for their deception of thousands of people. Will they do it? We hope so, and God is able. Please pray for them. What will you do if employed by Family Radio? You may feel stuck in a job that you desperately need for financial reasons. You got into Christian broadcasting because it was helping introduce people to Christ, encourage the believers, support churches, etc. But now your employer has cancelled salvation, confused believers, and jettisoned the churches. You may feel a threat that just maybe you will be laid off, if you exercise your freedom of speech (as guaranteed to you by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution). Of course you can't take the microphone and say words that are not approved by your superiors. Some of you have a personal web page or a facebook account on which to post your opinions. Yet you need the job. We are not advising what you should do. If you stay at Family Radio, you are obligated to remain a faithful employee; an honesty that God requires. You must protect their assets. Some of the key people have already left Family Radio. We would recommend that you pray diligently, and attend every service at your church that you possibly can. Your pastor and elders are spiritual leaders and they are to care and love your soul; you need them more than ever before. You may be a listener who has "hung" on Mr. Camping's every word. Now you see that he was wrong. In fact every one of his predictions has been wrong. Please step back and think about not just the dates, but the other teachings that Mr. Camping asserted since 1988. Consider making a covenant with your ears that you will never again listen to Mr. Camping, Chris McCann (now taken off Family Radio) or Gunther von Harringa (likely to reappear). Never again listen to these men, either via Family Radio or via Chris McCann's site. In fact, for now, we would also urge you not to listen to Tom Evans, as nice a man as he is - however do not listen to him, because he has been deceived as per his own words, quoted above. Give him time to sort things out - we are optimistic that he will repent and reject the false teaching that he inherited from Mr. Camping. Please pray for him. Do not forget that the official position of Family Radio is: NO SALVATION is possible anymore!
A Solution - There is Hope! Repentance and embracing a new brand will require an uncanny amount of humility and love for Christ. Yet God is in charge and can change the hearts of the leaders. We are here. We are willing to help. We understand the nuances of Family Radio. We will extend forgiveness and help the network of stations get back on track, and help preserve as many jobs as possible. If done right, this could be a wonderful, refreshing new day for Family Radio. Of course the name Family Radio can never be used on the air again. Many folks have mentioned this to us and it is not unique to our thinking. However the corporation "Family Stations, Inc." may see continued legal use. Our team of 28 Advisors would play a key role in helping guide a recovery plan. These are godly people who are broadcasters, pastors, and businessmen who God has blessed with wisdom. It is our conviction that the days of the thinking and informed public believing and trusting Family Radio, are now over. They really are gone. How soon the board realizes this fact, will directly correlate to the amount of pain the network will have to endure before it recovers. Our sincere appeal: change brands soon, before more stations are spun off. A Final Caution: It will be tempting for Family Radio's leaders to deny culpability and say something like "we were just following God." But they weren't following God - they were following man. Just listen to their speech. It is all about "Mr. Camping." The evidence is against them. The teachings are recorded and available for analysis. Truth is wonderfully objective. You don't redefine it. This situation calls for repentance - one with tears and a willingness and commitment to change course. This folly cannot be ignored and "swept under the rug." The public will not have amnesia this time around. Further, God requires honesty, repentance and a complete turning to Christ and embracing His body, the Church. Family Radio as it stands today is unfortunately no longer a Christian ministry. But there is this real hope and it is found in the work of repentance and trusting the real Christ of the Scriptures. This is the Christ who has a body, His church. This is the Christ who really and truly died on the cross of Calvary for your sins (not a mere demonstration). If you embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, then there will be healing and we believe that it can come relatively fast for the former Family Radio. We do have a plan and we offer the olive branch of Christian love, and our services. We can help. Feel free to call us toll free at 888-724-4427. Or send us an email: ministry@redeemerbroadcasting.org . We would love to help recover the stations and the jobs, for the glory of God. If requested, we will keep all communications confidential. If you are a former Harold Camping follower and would like to return to the church, here is an excellent discussion to listen to: http://www.redeemerbroadcasting.org/podcasts/apa_071611_Church_forgiveness_and%20assurance_after_Camping.mp3 By the way, we are not interested in acquiring ownership of ANY of Family Radio's assets (what one contact inside FR called a "hostile takeover") - that is not our purpose here. We would consider working with them to implement an LMA on one or more stations, if that is what the leadership of Family Stations, Inc. desires. Otherwise, we see ourselves as expanding into specific areas, as entirely separate projects, and not intersecting in any way with Family Radio's plans. Our areas of interest have been documented for some time now, and we are working to achieve that new coverage. End of October 21, 2011 posting.
Previous posting below this line -------------- Redeemer Broadcasting humbly offers a Family Radio alternative. Our program day is a mix of melodious Christian music and faithful Bible teaching. We support churches. We have had many folks contact us and encourage us in this endeavor. "Family Radio" has become synonymous with Harold Camping. So, while we use the phrase "Family Radio" in this context, please understand that we are referring to the constant teaching from Harold Camping, which is aired daily over Family Radio. Mr. Camping teaches: no Church, no Baptism, no Lord's Supper, no real assurance of salvation (he can only say: "I hope God will save me"). He no longer believes in the historical Jesus who died for our sins (physically) on the cross of Calvary. We do not wish to make fun of the person of Harold Camping. He is a human being who is made in the image of God. Our comments are strong, and yet are strong in relation to his teachings, while not poking fun at his person. We treat Mr. Camping with Christian love and respect. As of May 23, 2011, Mr. Camping went live on the Open Forum and asserted that God is no longer saving anyone. He thereby CANCELLED the Great Commission of Jesus. His web site now claims that God's salvation program ended on May 21, 2011. But what does the Bible say? It says: "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 1 Cor. 6:1, 2 In our opinion, Mr. Camping is faced with a dilemma. That is, how do you assert that a spiritual judgment occurred, if nothing at all happened? He at least needed to create the teaching that no one was being saved anymore - and that would be a judgment. Now since his stroke (which the media reports occurred on June 9 later in the evening), Mr. Camping has not been heard live on the Open Forum program, since that evening. Again, we desire only good physical health to Mr. Camping and do not wish to make fun of his person or wish him ill. Mr. Camping says that Jesus' death on the cross was only a mere "demonstration." This is a different Jesus than the One presented to us in the pages of Holy Scripture! Mr. Camping asserted that the Bible taught with 100% certainty that May 21, 2011 would be judgment day ("We can know!", "Save the Date!", etc.), and that a "rolling rapture" would take place on that day. It would first occur at 6:00 PM in New Zealand according to Mr. Camping, and then "roll" across each time zone. There would definitely be massive earthquakes (making Japan's seem trivial, to paraphrase Mr. Camping), and the graves would be opened. Physical judgment like never before experienced would occur worldwide. So said Mr. Camping. But nothing happened; nothing at all. Mr. Camping asserts that the bill boards were exactly right, and that a judgment day did occur. This is very strange. Mr. Camping had been wrong on his dates 10 other times (contact us for the list and we will send it to you). His prediction of May 21 was wrong this time also. Subsequent to May 21, Mr. Camping was quiet for a couple of days, and then on May 23 he announced that May 21 was a "spiritual judgment." Then the spin-off Camping ("clone") support groups (Chris McCann, Gunther Von Harringa, and others) immediately adopted this explanation, and updated their websites and teachings accordingly. How did Harold Camping's loyal followers respond? In our opinion, there have been a minority of followers who now see the folly of these teachings and have tried to lay them aside. It is not easy however, because Mr. Camping's teachings were so ingrained. Some folks attempt to leave "Campingism," only to find that they still hold on to the other teachings of denying the church, or the numerology, or the deeper spiritual meanings hermeneutic. It appears that the majority of Harold Camping's followers are unrepentant, and simply have accepted the new invention that May 21 was a spiritual judgment. They are now looking forward to the end of the world on October 21, 2011. In other words, the date setting does not end. Remember, God does not allow us to know this end-of-the-world information, plus Mr. Camping's hermeneutic is entirely false and fabricated. So when we say a "Family Radio Alternative," please know that we are referring specifically to Harold Camping and his obsession of dominating the airtime with his false teachings. It is our understanding that about 80% of the staff at Family Radio, disagree with Harold Camping. That said, please read on!
Are you looking for a high quality alternative to Family Radio programming that offers melodious music and great teaching that supports the church? You may be interested in learning more about the Redeemer Broadcasting Network. Why did Redeemer
Broadcasting begin, and why this web page? Redeemer Broadcasting came into existence in response to the failure of Family Radio, as led by Harold Camping, to remain true to the Bible and accountable to godly men. If Family Radio had remained faithful to the Scriptures, we would not have felt the need to start a new ministry. It is with sadness that we share the following information. We do not wish to show any disrespect to Mr. Camping; and yet we must stand up and document the many points of teaching in which he now errs and has departed from the historic Christian faith. We also note that Mr. Camping has faithfully served Family Radio since its inception, without pay, and has keenly guided the growth of that network to what it now is. We also recognize that the majority (not all) of the fine men and women who still work for Family Radio (ie, non-Board), do not agree with Mr. Camping and we are careful to note their frustration and utter helplessness, as Mr. Camping singularly controls what gets aired. Even the Board is helpless, because of Mr. Camping's dictatorial control of everything. Harold Camping - once faithful, but now a false teacher What follows are some questions and
answers for you to consider. The fact is, Jesus Christ is Head of the church, and He rules it. What
does the Bible say about ascribing to Satan the works of God? It is our sincere hope that Mr. Camping has not blasphemed the Holy Spirit; but if he has not, it seems to us that at a minimum, he is dangerously close to this dire predicament. What is the future of the church? The church has a glorious future; not even the gates of hell itself shall prevail against the church. The gospel will continue to be proclaimed, and the sacraments rightly administered, as we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes! I am still in the church - am I
saved? Should I stay? You are to remain in a church that is faithful to the Bible and overseen by godly elders. Your salvation rests on the covenant love of God, as the righteousness of Jesus Christ is yours by faith. If you have been granted eternal life, then live out this life with joy, under the loving care of the pastors and elders whom God has given to His church. Should you partake of the sacraments? Of course, you should continue to partake of the sacraments. They are holy ordinances instituted by Christ, and Harold Camping is not authorized to cancel their observance. These are sensible signs, and as we partake of them, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. Enjoy them, for God has given them to you! Do not let mere man take away these good gifts of God. Is the Bible a secret code
book? When is Christ returning? It is a useless to speculate about the timing of Christ's coming. We are told that: "...you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" in Matthew 24:42. Our Lord goes on to tell us that His coming (whether for the destruction of Jerusalem or the end of the world) would be like that of a thief. "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into" Matthew 24:42. The coming of Christ will be a great surprise to all peoples, both saved and lost. Christ makes the analogy to His coming like that of a thief, and this is significant. Think about how a thief comes - he gives no notice of his approach but takes all precaution to prevent the household from knowing of it. Signs will precede Christ's coming, and the faithful Christian will find that his patient hope is confirmed, but ultimately, the coming itself will be very sudden, unexpected, and take all people by utter surprise. Yes, unfortunately it is true, there is a literal hell and there is eternal torment for the unbeliever. Jesus talks about the punishment for the unbeliever in Matthew 25:46 where it reads: "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Just like we expect that our home in heaven will not be cut short but last for eternity as believers, so it is with the lost. Their punishment is "everlasting," and these are the words of our Lord Jesus and not Mr. Camping's. What about the deity of Christ? This does not square with Scriptures, and is bordering again, on a Jehovah Witnesses' teaching. We are to understand that Christ's humiliation consisted in His being born in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. Christ was fully man and fully God, and at no time did He cease to be God. The concern here is that Mr. Camping is getting close to denying the deity of Christ. We expect him to depart further against the Historic Christian faith over time, simply because he has rejected the wise counsel of godly men of the church.
Should you tithe to your
church? What has been the effect of this
false teaching? This is a serious issue and needs to be dealt with as churches join together in support of an alternative to Harold Camping's Family Radio. If
you have fallen prey to Harold Camping's false teaching... There is no middle ground here - you must decide whether your God is the Triune God of the Scriptures and that the Bible is complete as written - or if you yield allegiance to Harold Camping, then you have set a false god above the God of the Bible. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." Want to know
more? Are you an
employee of Family Radio? If you are not a "clone" of Harold Camping, then our "beef" is not with you! You have our full support, and our prayers. We are here for you to call us anytime, day or night, when you are not on the clock. That is important to us - please do not call us during the time that you are being paid by Famiy Radio! We know many of you personally, and empathize with you. You have been forced to produce programming for a man who no longer walks in the precepts of the Historic Christian faith. You are terribly frustrated, your hands are tied, and there is little to do but wait it out. There is a light at the end of the tunnel - please feel free call us, and we can provide some encouragement. We try and accept calls as late as 9:00 PM East Coast time. A reminder that you must be honest with and very faithful to your employer as long as you work there. You may need to consider other work, or you may decide to "hang in there" until there is a changing of the guard. Two regional managers and one well known program host have already resigned. Others have been let go. Let us pray that the Board leadership that remains or is put in place once there is a changing of the guard, will see the errors of their way, repent publicly, and seek much input from multiple godly pastors regarding how to get Family Radio back on track. Redeemer Broadcasting is ready and willing to work with Family Radio to help this once fine ministry get back on track. Feel free to contact us so that we can remember you in prayer and provide encouraging support as you labor in a terribly difficult situation. One goal here is to see these stations return to the service of the true gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and once again support biblically faithful churches. We have a specific plan on how to save your network. There is light at the end of this dark tunnel which you and others have been in since just before 1994. It has been a long, often lonely, and very conflicting road for you. You are in our sincere prayers. And again, as long as you work there, you must work honestly, diligently and be accountable to those the Lord has placed over you. You must protect all your employer's assets including intellectual property. You may disagree with this next observation, but we believe that the "brand" of Family Radio has been thoroughly ruined. Not because of you, but because of Harold Camping. We have experience in branding. We have an excellent grasp of what has to happen to get your ministry back on track, but it is very strong medicine. Your Board will likely not be ready for this until they beome more desperate. The staff also has an excellent idea of what has to happen - but currently are prevented from implementing the fix. But the staff has many years of industrial-grade experience, and we would be happy to work with them. Call us if if you like, using our toll free number of 888-724-4427. We will not cast stones at you. Again, we do not blame you as a non-Clone for the terrible things that have happened to your ministry. It was not your fault. What
we offer Some of the speakers who are often heard over Redeemer include: Dr. John Vance, Dr. R.J. Cameron, Pastor Bill Shishko, Dr. James Montgomery Boice, Dr. Phillip Ryken, Dr. RC Sproul, Dr. Joel Nederhood, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, Dr. Robert S. Rayburn, Pastor Richard Kuiken, Pastor Kevin Chiarot, and others. Financial model Currently, all our ongoing expenses are just being met, and we are debt-free except for one small personal loan. We operate one full service station and three translator stations. We joyfully serve the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state, in an area where Family Radio has made some inroads, but is fast losing listenership at this point (even after May 21, with more music). We are finding that former Family Radio listeners are changing their dials, listening, and supporting this new network. We just marvel and praise the Lord for His many provisions. One need that we have however, is for a few larger gifts at this time, so that we can purchase some much needed equipment that will help assure that we remain on the air very reliably. Former Family Radio listeners In addition to the letters, are the many phone calls now coming in, telling us that if we were to come into the Northern NJ / NYC area with a signal, we would have their support! A caller (3/15/2011) from a NJ online listener promised to pray for Redeemer Broadcasting so that we may expand into the WFME listening area. On 5/04/2011 we assisted a listener in Northern NJ, to setup their C Crane WiFi Internet radio so that they can now receive Redeemer Broadcasting crystal clear in their home! A New Jersey listener called us on 6/02/2011 and said she was so sorry that she had sent money to Family Radio, (because now she better understands the satanic deception of Harold Camping). A caller on 6/17/2011, left a message from Central NJ, and upon returning her call we found out that she was a former "Campingite" as she put it, and was so glad to have found Redeemer on the internet. Former listeners to Family Radio like music that is more traditional and especially so, during the wee hours of the morning. A huge differential between Redeemer and Family Radio is that we support the church, and encourage listeners to give financially to their churches first, and attend church faithfully. Another factor is that we do not practice the setting of dates for the return of Christ. We believe that He will indeed come at a time that is secret to Him alone. We look for His coming while working hard as He spreads His kingdom (using His people) this side of eternity. We do not engage in end times speculation. Our emphasis is on the Great Commission and the grace of God in Jesus Christ. So if you are a former Family Radio listener, we welcome you and also encourage you to examine your theology and make sure that there are no vestiges of the "deeper spiritual meaning" or date setting false teaching. Recognize too, that the Bible is not a magical number book. We would encourage you to find a good church and start attending if you had stopped. If you live in the Mid-Hudson Valley or Northern New Jersey we may have a church recommendation for you if interested - just drop us an email. Accountability Ready for
expansion We also will entertain requests for other stations becoming an affiliate of this fast growing network. You can help! Target areas
STREAMING AUDIO FOR REDEEMER BROADCASTING Our
commitment - by God's grace If you wish to support this effort or simply write to us, our mailing address is: Redeemer
Broadcasting Need to contact us quickly? Here is our Toll-Free number: (888)724-4427. We get many calls, and sometimes your call will go to our voice mailbox where you may leave your message. Since this broadcast ministry is cared for 24x7, we will respond promptly. Your message is very important to us. We would love to hear from you. You may also
use this email: ministry@redeemerbroadcasting.org
Redeemer Broadcasting is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation and all gifts are tax deductible. Would you prayerfully consider supporting this effort with one or two dollars a day? Your gift would truly help us out. Any donations that are ear-marked for expansion into Northern NJ/NYC, or Philadelphia, or Annapolis, or Joliet will be set aside for expansion into those specific areas. Every dollar counts as we embark on these very exciting projects! Please have a part today. Thank you. May God be praised! | |