Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000104S
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00:00 - Well, we're gonna do it again,
00:01 ad I'm hoping for the last time. 00:03 If you've had people bothering you 00:05 with all that really weird flat earth stuff, 00:07 trying to tell you the flat earth 00:09 is the historical Christian position, 00:11 well, you might just wanna see today's episode. 00:15 [smooth upbeat music] 00:35 Okay, I really, really, really debated 00:38 whether or not we should do this topic again today 00:41 because, well, I've done it once in the past 00:43 and it kind of brought some really interesting people 00:46 out of the woodwork. 00:47 Apparently it actually made some people mad, 00:50 and more people than you might think. 00:52 Sadly, there's enough of what we're gonna talk about 00:55 going around right now 00:56 that I really think it's becoming something 00:58 of a widespread problem. 01:00 It's not going away. 01:01 So I've decided to address this one last time, 01:05 even though I think it's pretty silly. 01:07 What am I talking about? 01:09 It's the flat earth conspiracy people. 01:11 And honestly, it's hard to believe 01:12 that we need to talk about this in the 21st century. 01:16 There just seems to be this relentless group of people 01:19 who think that they've come into 01:20 a very special body of knowledge, 01:22 they've uncovered a vast conspiracy by NASA 01:26 and every single government agency on the face of the planet 01:29 to hide the fact that the earth is, indeed, flat. 01:33 Now, just in case you belong to that group, 01:35 let me just say that you're gonna be wasting your time 01:38 by writing me letters 01:40 because I'm not gonna answer them. 01:42 And I know some of you are gonna do it anyway, 01:43 but I'm really not gonna answer your letters. 01:46 And yes, I absolutely believe in the Bible. 01:49 Anybody who watches this program knows that I do. 01:52 And no, I don't have to give any more answers after today. 01:56 I really don't. 01:57 All I'm going to do today is point out something 02:00 I think is really, really important. 02:03 You see, there's this misguided idea going around 02:06 that the medieval Christian Church 02:08 actually believed the earth was flat, 02:11 that it took the likes of Galileo, Copernicus, 02:14 and finally, Columbus and Magellan 02:16 to disabuse the Church of this idea. 02:19 And honestly, this is important to think about 02:22 because I've discovered a decidedly religious tone 02:26 with a lot of these flat earth folks. 02:28 I mean, there really are secular flat earth people as well, 02:31 but from where I sit as a minister, 02:34 they don't seem to get quite as worked up 02:36 as the religious folks. 02:38 The religious flat earth believers appear to think 02:41 they've stumbled across a great conspiracy 02:43 that must be exposed, 02:45 that your salvation might be at stake 02:48 if you don't accept what they're telling you. 02:50 I've had these people show up at events where I'm speaking, 02:52 and they'll follow me around, 02:54 telling me that they're worried 02:55 about how God's gonna deal with me 02:57 if I don't sit down and listen to them. 02:59 And I can assure you, according to this book, 03:02 my salvation has nothing to do with the shape of the earth. 03:07 But now let's get back to this idea 03:08 that the church has historically taught 03:10 that the earth is flat 03:12 and only changed that in recent history. 03:15 This is an idea that some atheists love to promulgate 03:18 because it makes Christians look a little ridiculous. 03:21 But wouldn't you know it? 03:23 It's not actually true. 03:24 The Church did not teach that the earth is flat 03:27 and neither did medieval Christian scholars. 03:30 We've known the earth is a sphere 03:32 for a really, really long time. 03:35 Of course, that doesn't mean that the idea of a flat earth 03:37 never showed up among Christians at all, 03:40 because it did, 03:41 and it's happening again. 03:43 But today it's the history of how this happened 03:47 that I want you to think about, 03:48 because it's not what you've been told, not even close. 03:52 You really can find ancient Christian writers 03:54 who promoted the idea of a flat earth. 03:57 But here's the catch, 03:58 there were only two of them. 04:00 And until the 17 and 1800s, 04:02 the rest of Christianity didn't take those guys seriously 04:06 on just about anything they said. 04:08 And I'll tell you who they were in just a moment. 04:11 But before I get to that, 04:12 let me introduce you to two other guys 04:14 who were very popular speakers back in the 19th century 04:17 because they traveled the countryside 04:19 telling people that science and the Bible 04:21 were irredeemably opposed to each other. 04:24 Their names were John William Draper 04:27 and Andrew Dickson White. 04:29 Back in 1874, 04:30 John William Draper published a book called 04:33 a "History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science." 04:37 It was a bit of a manifesto, 04:39 really, a polemic work 04:40 designed to ridicule the intelligence of most Christians. 04:44 And because Draper had published 04:46 a very popular history of science 04:48 before he put this book out, 04:50 and because he was a very popular and gifted speaker, 04:53 a lot of people took this work to heart. 04:56 Now, I'll give him credit where credit is due. 04:58 He rightly pointed to the rise of Constantine 05:02 and the marriage of Church and State 05:03 as a key turning point here in the West, 05:06 a point where the Church began to prize political power 05:10 more than it did preaching the gospel. 05:12 If you've been watching this show, 05:13 you know I believe that's true. 05:15 The marriage of Church and State back in the 4th century 05:18 was not a good thing 05:19 and led to some really embarrassing episodes for the Church. 05:23 You know, like the burning of heretics at the stake 05:26 and those kinds of things. 05:28 But then Mr. Draper went one step further 05:31 and suggested that the Church rejected 05:33 rationality and science at the very same time. 05:37 Here's what he actually wrote. 05:39 "The antagonism we thus witness between religion and science 05:43 "is the continuation of a struggle that commenced 05:45 "when Christianity began to attain political power." 05:49 Now, you'll notice that this is a popular sentiment 05:52 to this day, 05:54 much to the chagrin of a growing number of scientists 05:57 who now realize that what you and I just read 06:00 isn't actually true. 06:02 The other guilty party in this story 06:03 was the guy by the name of Andrew Dickson White, 06:06 who was also a brilliant public speaker, 06:08 who never really had much trouble attracting an audience. 06:12 When the American Civil War broke out, 06:14 his speaking tours were no longer possible, 06:17 so he ended up directing his efforts 06:19 to the political scene in New York State. 06:22 But he really, really, really missed his years 06:26 of study and research. 06:27 And so he enlisted the help of a really good friend, 06:30 the Quaker Ezra Cornell, 06:32 and the two of them founded a new university together, 06:36 and you probably guessed which university it is. 06:39 It's Cornell University. 06:41 The idea behind this new school 06:43 was that people who taught there would be completely free 06:46 of all external influences, including religion. 06:51 Now, a lot of people found that idea 06:52 kind of repulsive in that day, 06:55 even dangerous, 06:56 because they feared what might happen 06:58 if their kids got an exclusively secular education. 07:02 And so these two guys got a lot of opposition. 07:05 In the end, the opposition made Mr. White a little bitter, 07:08 so he composed a brand new lecture series 07:11 he called "The Battlefields of Science." 07:14 The story he told? 07:16 I'm sure you can guess it. 07:17 He said religion is the absolute opposite of science. 07:20 In fact, it's an enemy to science 07:22 and a problem that had to be dealt with. 07:25 The "New York Daily Tribune" printed that original lecture, 07:29 and the rest is history. 07:31 By 1896, Andrew White had published a really big book 07:34 called "A History of the Warfare of Science 07:37 "with Theology in Christendom." 07:40 He openly told everybody that it was a response 07:43 to what happened when they founded Cornell. 07:46 "I tried to be nice," he said, 07:48 "but now I'm gonna play offense." 07:51 Both Draper and White insisted that only a simpleton 07:54 would continue to believe in the words of the Bible. 07:57 And that's an idea you'll still find running rampant 08:00 on the battlefield of modern social media. 08:03 I'm sure you've seen some of these people in their posts, 08:05 "Oh, believe in fairytales all you want, 08:08 "but I'm gonna be dedicated to reason and science." 08:11 So, what would you guess 08:14 would be one of the biggest points 08:15 that Draper and White presented in these books of theirs? 08:19 "The Church," they said, 08:20 "has historically taught that the earth is flat, 08:23 "and they even persecuted 08:24 the people who said that it wasn't. 08:26 "The ancient Greeks," they said, "on the other hand, 08:29 "they were dedicated to science 08:31 "and they knew the earth was a sphere, 08:33 "but the Church, being steeped in ignorance, 08:36 "refused to accept that idea 08:37 "because the Bible told them otherwise." 08:41 Today what these guys were teaching 08:43 has come to be known as the conflict thesis, 08:46 this idea that science and Christianity 08:49 are at odds with each other. 08:50 To this day, you'll see some skeptics 08:53 using that idea to ridicule people of faith. 08:57 But there's a problem. 08:59 Either Draper and White didn't know their history 09:02 or they were being dishonest, 09:04 because their theory doesn't hold anywhere near the water 09:07 that some people think it does. 09:09 I mean, did the Church really persecute Columbus 09:13 for saying the Earth was a sphere? 09:15 Did the Church really teach that the earth was flat? 09:19 The answer is absolutely not. 09:22 And as soon as we take a really quick break, 09:24 I'll come back to tell you what really happened 09:30 - [Narrator 1] Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 09:31 we're committed to creating top-quality programming 09:34 for the whole family. 09:35 Like our audio adventure series, "Discovery Mountain." 09:39 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 09:41 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 09:43 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 09:46 from this small mountain summer camp and town. 09:49 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 09:52 and fresh content every week, 09:54 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 10:00 - Here's a problem I find 10:01 when it comes to all this flat earth stuff. 10:03 There's a handful of very vocal, so-called believers 10:07 who take advantage of social media 10:09 to publish their misguided notions. 10:12 What they do is insist that the Christian faith 10:14 has always taught a flat earth until recent history, 10:17 but then, 10:19 in order to accommodate the evolutionists, they teach, 10:22 the church went apostate and agreed that the earth is round, 10:25 or it's always some kind of variation of that. 10:27 The problem is, none of that's true. 10:30 The idea that the Church believed in a flat earth 10:32 was propagated by the likes of Draper and White. 10:36 But where did they get that idea? 10:38 Well, they got it from two ancient Christians 10:40 named Lactantius and Cosmas, 10:42 who were converts from paganism. 10:44 What the skeptics will tell you 10:46 is that all the Church Fathers believed in a flat earth. 10:49 But again, that's not true. 10:51 Go ahead and read all you want from the early Christians 10:54 about the shape of the earth, 10:55 and you'll only find two people who actually said that, 10:59 Lactantius and Cosmas. 11:01 Now, if you're watching the video version of this, 11:03 I didn't have a picture of Cosmas, 11:05 so this is just one of his maps I've put up on the screen. 11:09 I'm guessing that, before today, 11:11 most of you have never even heard of these two guys. 11:14 Do you know why? 11:16 It's because they were essentially theological nobodies. 11:19 Nobody believed what they said 11:21 on a massive range of subjects. 11:23 They were not influential. 11:26 But now listen to what Mr. White said. 11:29 He wrote about the church and a flat earth. 11:32 And he writes, 11:33 "Some of the foremost men in the Church 11:36 "devoted themselves to buttressing the model with new texts 11:39 "and throwing about it new outworks 11:41 "of theological reasoning; 11:42 "the great body of the faithful 11:44 "considered it a direct gift from the Almighty." 11:49 I'm sorry, the foremost men of the church? 11:51 Not even close. 11:53 Lactantius and Cosmas were anything but. 11:56 Let me read you something about Lactantius 11:58 by a professor of history named Jeffrey Russell, who said, 12:01 "His views eventually led to his works 12:03 "being condemned as heretical after his death." 12:07 Now, Lactantius died in AD 325, 12:09 which you'll note is a very long time ago. 12:13 He continues, "He maintained, for example, 12:15 "that God wills evil as a logical necessity 12:18 "and that Christ and Satan are metaphorical twins, 12:21 "two angels, two spirits, one good and one evil, 12:24 "both created by God." 12:26 In other words, Lactantius was a heretic. 12:30 So it seems a little weird 12:31 that Draper and White would insist 12:33 that he was some kind of foremost thought leader 12:35 in the early church. 12:36 He wasn't. 12:38 But of course, what about Mr. Cosmas, 12:39 the other flat earth Christian from the very ancient past? 12:43 Well, you get the same story. 12:44 People liked him at the time because he was eloquent, 12:47 but you will search high and low 12:49 for the medieval scholar who took him seriously. 12:52 Both of these guys were theological nobodies. 12:55 And wouldn't you know it? 12:56 If you go back and read the real influencers 12:58 of the early Church, 12:59 guys like Augustine or Aquinas, 13:01 you will not find them talking about a flat earth. 13:04 They said it was round. 13:06 You know why? 13:08 It's because the Christian churches always believed that. 13:11 But just in case you're not convinced, 13:12 let me read you just a little bit more, 13:14 this time from the work of Allan Chapman, 13:17 a historian in Oxford. 13:18 This comes from his book "Slaying the Dragons." 13:21 He says, "Let us be clear about one thing: 13:24 "no medieval scholar of any worth 13:26 "thought that the earth was flat. 13:28 "One needs only to read the astronomical literature 13:30 "of the Middle Ages 13:32 "to realize that the spherical nature of the earth, 13:34 "about 6,000 or 8,000 miles across, 13:36 "was standard knowledge, 13:38 "and taught to university students from Salamanca to Prague. 13:42 "Inherited in unbroken succession from the Greeks, in fact, 13:46 "taught by the Venerable Bede 13:47 "to the young monks of Jarrow Abbey in AD 710, 13:50 "and encapsulated in John of the Holy Wood's Latin textbook 13:55 "'De Sphaera Mundi, On the Sphere of the Earth' 13:58 "of around 1240." 14:01 But what about that old story 14:02 about how the Church persecuted Christopher Columbus 14:05 for saying the earth was round? 14:07 Well, remember, we just discovered that the spherical earth 14:10 was being taught to university students in Salamanca 14:13 in the medieval period. 14:15 And the legend goes that it was a council at Salamanca 14:18 that condemned Mr. Columbus for his round earth beliefs. 14:23 So, how could that be? 14:25 Well, it didn't happen. 14:27 What the Church disputed with Columbus 14:29 was the size of the globe, not the shape. 14:32 The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes 14:34 had already calculated the circumference of the earth 14:37 in its famous Egyptian experiment back in 240 BC. 14:41 He noticed that when he looked down a well 14:43 in the city of Cyrene at 12 noon on the summer solstice, 14:47 his head completely blocked the reflection of the sun. 14:50 That meant that the sun was directly overhead. 14:53 So then he put a stick in the ground at noon 14:56 on the summer solstice in Alexandria, 14:57 about 5,000 stadia to the north. 15:01 His stick now cast a shadow 15:03 because the sun was to the south, 15:05 and not directly overhead. 15:07 And the angle of the shadow was seven degrees, 12 minutes, 15:11 which is 1/50 of a circle. 15:13 So he multiplied 5,000 stadia by 50 15:17 and came up with a remarkably accurate number. 15:20 In fact, he actually came within 100 miles 15:23 of the actual circumference of the earth. 15:26 The problem that Columbus faced 15:28 had nothing to do with a flat earth. 15:29 His problem was that he was using a different measurement. 15:32 We think it was one that was calculated by Ptolemy, 15:35 and Ptolemy was wrong. 15:37 His number was too small. 15:39 So Columbus figured the trip to Asia 15:41 was a lot shorter than it really was. 15:44 That was what they were arguing about at Salamanca. 15:47 It had nothing, nothing to do with the shape of the earth. 15:52 So, where did we get the idea 15:53 that the Church believed in a flat earth at that time? 15:56 Well, we got it from an American novelist, 15:58 Washington Irving, 16:00 who wrote a fictionalized account of Columbus back in 1828. 16:04 And he wrote this, 16:05 "Columbus was assailed with citations from the Bible 16:08 "and the testament: 16:09 "the book of Genesis, the psalms of David, 16:11 "the Prophets, the epistles and the gospels. 16:13 "To these were added the expositions 16:15 "of various saints and reverend commentators: 16:17 "St. Chrysostom and St. Augustine, 16:19 "St. Jerome and St. Gregory, St. Basil and Saint Ambrose." 16:24 You see, Irving wanted us to think 16:26 that the Church was quoting the ancient Church Fathers 16:29 to prove the earth was flat. 16:30 And in the novel, 16:32 when Columbus tries to refute these guys, they mock him. 16:35 But again, none of that ever happened. 16:38 Sometimes when you go back and read history, 16:40 it can seem a little bland. 16:42 So maybe we can forgive Mr. Irving 16:43 for trying to spice it up a little bit, 16:46 except that his wrong ideas kind of took root. 16:49 The problem today is that even well-meaning Christians 16:51 are starting to buy this idea, 16:53 and they insist that the flat earth 16:54 was Christianity's traditional position, 16:58 and it wasn't. 16:59 And in the process, these people are giving skeptics 17:01 plenty of fuel for their fire 17:03 because they're making the faith community 17:04 seem absolutely ridiculous. 17:08 I mean, let's just think about this. 17:10 What would it take to get the whole world 17:12 to tell the same scientific lie? 17:14 Every single scientist at NASA, every politician, 17:17 every church leader, every photographer, every astronomer, 17:20 absolutely everybody on the earth has to cooperate. 17:25 If you've ever tried to keep a secret, 17:26 you know how preposterous that is. 17:28 And here's the ironic thing, 17:30 flat earth Christians will tell you 17:32 that they're trying to defend the word of God 17:33 against the godless, against the evolutionists. 17:36 And wouldn't you know it? 17:38 It was the skeptics, guys like Draper and White, 17:40 who made that story up in the first place 17:43 to discredit the Church and defend Darwin. 17:46 "But Christians really believed that, Shawn. 17:49 "The round earth is a new idea." 17:50 No, it's not, not even close. 17:53 And after we take another really quick break, 17:55 I'll demonstrate that. 17:57 So enjoy your ride on this very round ball we call home, 18:00 and I'll be right back after this. 18:06 - [Narrator 2] Life can throw a lot at us. 18:08 Sometimes we don't have all the answers, 18:12 but that's where the Bible comes in. 18:14 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 18:17 Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 18:19 we've created the "Discover Bible Guides" 18:21 to be your guide to the Bible. 18:23 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 18:25 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 18:28 and they're absolutely free. 18:30 So jump online now or give us a call 18:32 and start your journey of discovery. 18:35 - There are people out there 18:36 who want you to believe that the Christian Church 18:38 actually thought the earth was flat 18:39 up until relatively recent times, 18:42 but honestly, these folks just haven't done their homework. 18:46 You might remember reading "Canterbury Tales" 18:48 by Geoffrey Chaucer when you were in high school. 18:51 It's a collection of stories 18:52 told by travelers to pass the time. 18:55 And here's a line you find 18:57 in the chapter called "The Franklin's Tale." 19:01 "Aurelius with blisful herte anon Answerde thus: 19:03 "'Fy on a thousand pound! 19:05 "'This wide world, which that men say is round.'" 19:09 Wait a minute, 19:10 I thought these guys believed the earth was flat. 19:12 This was written more than 100 years before Columbus, 19:15 and nobody tried to burn Chaucer at the stake 19:18 for writing that. 19:19 Now, here's the Venerable Bede, 19:20 who lived in the late 600s and early 700s AD, 19:24 and he's writing a textbook. 19:25 He said, "The cause of the unequal length of the days 19:28 "is the globular shape of the earth, 19:31 "for it is not without reason that the Sacred Scriptures 19:33 "and secular letters speak of the earth as an 'orb,' 19:36 "for it is a fact that the earth 19:38 "is placed in the center of the universe 19:40 "not only in latitude, 19:41 "as if it were round like a shield, 19:44 "but also in every direction, like a playground ball, 19:47 "no matter what way it is turned." 19:49 Now, that was a good 800 years before Columbus, 19:53 and you'll notice how careful he is. 19:55 He says the earth is not like a shield or a disc, 19:58 which is what the flat earth people want you to believe, 20:00 that the Church used to teach. 20:03 But hundreds of years ago, 20:04 Bede was telling his students, 20:06 it's a sphere, it's a ball. 20:09 About all we can criticize there 20:11 is the way he places the earth 20:13 at the center of the universe, 20:14 which we did believe at the time. 20:16 And you know what never happened? 20:18 The Venerable Bede was not condemned by the Church 20:21 for saying that. 20:22 You know why? 20:23 They all knew the earth was a sphere, full stop. 20:26 Historically speaking, there were only two exceptions, 20:30 Lactantius and Cosmas, 20:32 and nobody took them seriously. 20:34 And this idea that Columbus's crew was terrified 20:37 they were gonna sail off the edge of the earth? 20:39 Also nonsense. 20:41 I mean, they did have two complaints. 20:43 One, that the trip was taking longer than expected, 20:45 and two, it might be impossible to get back home 20:48 because the winds were going in the wrong direction. 20:51 But all those men knew the earth was a sphere. 20:54 And I know right now 20:56 there are some people watching or listening 20:57 who are getting mad, 20:58 and you think I'm a deceiver 21:00 or that I don't believe the Bible. 21:02 I can assure you I believe it. 21:04 I spend hours in the Bible every single day. 21:07 But just for the sake of argument, let's say you're right. 21:10 Just for a moment, the earth is a disc 21:12 covered by an impermeable canopy. 21:15 The moon landings were faked by Kubrick, 21:17 and we've never been to space, 21:19 and there's a massive conspiracy keeping us from seeing 21:21 what's on the other side of the ice wall in Antarctica. 21:24 Let's just say, for the sake of argument, 21:26 all of that is true. 21:28 I still have a question for you. 21:30 So what? 21:32 I think I asked that the last time we talked about this, 21:34 but, again, so what? 21:38 What difference does this make to your daily life? 21:41 When you get up tomorrow morning, 21:42 how is that knowledge 21:43 gonna make one bit of difference in your life? 21:46 Are you Elon Musk? 21:47 Are you planning a space voyage? 21:49 Are you planning to launch a satellite? 21:51 You're not. 21:53 All you're doing is making Christians look like simpletons, 21:56 and you're playing right into the hands of the people 21:58 who concocted this idea in the first place 22:01 to discredit Christianity. 22:03 And you're violating a principle that Paul taught 22:06 when he was dealing with pointless debates. 22:08 Let me remind you of what he said to his young protege, 22:12 pastor Timothy. 22:13 He wrote, "So flee youthful passions 22:16 "and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, 22:18 "along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 22:21 "Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; 22:25 "You know that they breed quarrels. 22:27 "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome." 22:32 Honestly, you're wasting your life with this stuff. 22:35 And that applies equally to all those conspiracy theories 22:38 that people seem to love, 22:40 especially right here in the United States of America. 22:44 The gospel is magnificent the way it is, 22:46 and it doesn't need your help to make it more sensational, 22:48 so stop. 22:50 For the life of me, I can't think of one good outcome here. 22:53 Instead of attracting people to the scriptures, 22:56 you're playing into the hands of the skeptics. 22:58 You're actually promoting the idea 23:00 that faith and science are opposed to each other, 23:02 and they're not. 23:03 In fact, you'll notice 23:04 that most of what we've discovered 23:06 in the Scientific Revolution 23:07 happened at the hands of people 23:09 who believed that the universe was orderly 23:12 because it was created by an intelligent God. 23:15 I'll be right back after this. 23:21 - [Narrator 3] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues. 23:26 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 23:30 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 23:32 and come away scratching your head, 23:34 you're not alone. 23:35 Our free "Focus on Prophecy" guides 23:38 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 23:41 and deepen your understanding 23:42 of God's plan for you and our world. 23:45 Study online or request them by mail, 23:47 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 23:51 - All right, I think, I think my rant is finished, 23:54 and hopefully this will be the last time 23:57 we ever have to come to this topic. 23:59 I guess the reason I'm on it again today 24:02 is because, for some reason, 24:04 for some reason I appear to have been anointed 24:07 the apostle to "The Twilight Zone." 24:09 I don't know what it is, 24:11 but I sure get a lot of strange letters. 24:13 Here in America, 24:14 the number of people who get into this kind of stuff 24:17 is kind of alarming. 24:19 But as a Christian, I find it even more alarming 24:22 when it shows up inside the Church. 24:24 Now, just in case you missed 24:26 the last time I talked about this, 24:28 I looked at the supposed proofs of Mr. Samuel Rowbotham. 24:32 So if you've come across that name 24:34 during your internet travels, 24:36 you might wanna go back 24:37 and watch the episode on what he said. 24:39 I'm sure you can find it somewhere here on our website. 24:43 Because Mr. Rowbotham was not only thoroughly debunked, 24:47 but his supporters actually refused to pay a wager 24:50 they'd made in the papers 24:51 when someone definitively proved him wrong. 24:56 So in that episode, 24:57 we dealt with the theory itself, 24:59 the theory of the flat earth. 25:01 And today we've looked at some of the fallout 25:03 that's taking place in the Christian community. 25:06 The people who preach this stuff are quite literally 25:09 playing into the hands of the skeptics. 25:13 They're underlining a story 25:14 that was made up by skeptics about the Church 25:17 that has never been true. 25:20 I can't remember if I brought this up last time, 25:23 but the whole thing kind of reminds me 25:26 of that servant girl that Paul had to rebuke. 25:29 You might remember the story. 25:30 She was a known occultist, a possessed girl, 25:33 and she was following Paul around town, 25:36 saying something that was technically true. 25:39 "These men are servants of the Most High God, 25:41 "who proclaim to you the way of salvation." 25:45 So that was kind of true. 25:47 So, what's the problem with it? 25:49 Everybody knew what she was, she was possessed. 25:52 And now she appeared to be on the side of the gospel. 25:55 That's why Paul put an abrupt stop to what she was doing. 26:00 So ask yourself, 26:02 have you become so possessed 26:04 by a meaningless conspiracy theory 26:07 that you're busy doing the same thing this girl was? 26:10 Maybe you're caught up in some peripheral idea, 26:13 like the flat earth, 26:14 and you're using it to try and convince people 26:17 that the Bible is a reliable document. 26:21 Let me assure you today, 26:23 you are doing precisely the opposite. 26:26 You're using something that just ain't so 26:28 to try and make your point. 26:30 And believe me, it makes your listeners think you're nuts. 26:34 I know that's blunt, but it's true. 26:38 What you're doing is driving people away, 26:39 making them think that the Christian faith 26:41 is not reasonable or intelligent. 26:43 And please, you have got to stop doing this. 26:47 I mean, you go ahead, flip through the pages of the Bible 26:50 and see if you can find that place where we're told 26:52 that's what Jesus told the Church to preach, flat earth. 26:57 I can promise you, it's not there. 27:01 You know, a few years ago I was visiting an Inuit village 27:04 up in the Arctic, 27:05 and I was sharing Bibles with the people who lived there, 27:08 Bibles in the Inuktitut language. 27:09 And when I was walking through town, 27:11 I noticed something kind of strange. 27:13 Their satellite dishes were all pointed downward, 27:17 not parallel to the ground, 27:18 but actually pointing down. 27:19 Do you know why? 27:20 They're trying to get the signals 27:21 that spill over the horizon 27:23 from the satellites that orbit the planet 27:25 close to the equator. 27:27 And I suddenly smiled as I thought about it, 27:29 because this signal, this show, 27:32 goes up there too on those very satellites. 27:34 And what am I beaming up there? 27:36 The story of the Bible, 27:38 which does not disagree with how this word 27:41 is getting up there to the Arctic. 27:42 In fact, I've been teaching the Bible over satellite 27:45 for a really long time now. 27:47 And once in a while I go outside at night 27:49 and I watch those satellites pass over my head, 27:52 and I thank God that I live in a time 27:55 when those are available to me. 27:57 And now I hope I've said my final piece. 27:59 Time to quit wasting our lives on meaningless conspiracies, 28:03 because people have real problems, 28:05 and the shape of the planet isn't one of them. 28:07 Thanks for joining me. 28:09 You've been watching "Authentic." 28:12 [smooth upbeat music] |
Revised 2024-06-04