THE (So-Called) FLAMING TORCH VS. THE ROD

I dropped this bomb, and I see that the FIRST attack against my book has come from a group of my fundamentalist, KJV Only brethren. Many in this crowd love a good fight or controversy. Coughing up smoke from being exposed to the fiery, Biblical doctrine of my book, the Flaming Torch, edited by Evangelist Don Edwards, has allowed Herb Evans (who often writes many things I agree with) to write three inflammatory articles attacking my position and warning the fundamental pastors that have reviewed my book and have fellowship with me, that such fellowship will not be tolerated by THEM. (If the position of my book is correct, we may all learn real soon Who has the REAL FLAMING TORCH. It will give “inflammatory” a whole new meaning.) According to them, you are allowed to sing songs and praise the ministries of those that taught you could lose salvation (i.e. burn trillions of years, on out into eternity) for certain sins (such as the Wesleys, Asbury, Sam Jones, Peter Cartwright, Bob Shuler, etc.). You are allowed to fellowship with those that teach that the warnings apply to eternal salvation through works (that can be LOST) in the Old Testament and Tribulation Period (i.e. Ruckmanism). But you are forewarned, that to have fellowship with any man that teaches temporary punishment for carnal Christians (who do not repent) at the Judgment Seat and during the Millennial Kingdom, is to invite THEIR disapproval and absolute wrath. How inconsistent and hypocritical! One writer (Doug Sehourne), in this same newspaper, puts it like this, “anyone who does [i.e. believe this doctrine] is a PURE IDIOT, MORON, zilch upstairs, 00 I.Q!” This comes from a man who has NOT read my book, who is writing in a newspaper edited by a man who has NOT read my book! This is the type of language and railing you can fall into when your doctrine removes NT Christians from the warnings of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5, etc. Paul agrees:

1 Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the WORDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, RAILINGS, EVIL SURMISINGS,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

The presumption of these brothers can be seen from a quote in this newspaper (obviously from the editor), that reads: “When any preacher has to prove his doctrinal position by quoting other preachers, either alive or dead, or by referring to the Hebrew or Greek, watch out for them.” This man is ignorant of the fact that I spend 288 pages of a 440 page book proving this doctrine from a King James Bible. I have never once in my whole pastorate (over 10 years) corrected the KJV, or even stated that “a better rendering might be.” I DO spend three chapters documenting the HISTORY of this doctrine among fundamentalists in my book. Why? Because I know these types of people. Their first emotional attack, if I had not sufficiently put up a barrier against it, would have been to say, “No fundamentalist in history has ever taught such a thing!” I knew that in this shallow, lukewarm age (especially in America), that a revival of the doctrine of a literal Judgment Seat of Christ, where some Christians may meet with the TERROR of the Lord (2 Cor.5:9-11), would not be welcomed with open arms. They would try to “scare” any man away from having any fellowship with anyone who taught such a thing. I therefore spent time quoting the works of great fundamentalists in history. Many of their web sites and books adorn the sepulchres of these same men that I quote – while they RAIL on me! But believe me, I did not write this book to win approval. If I wanted glory of men, I would have continued my pursuits in the music industry.

To show how these brethren work, a few months back I had a conversation on the phone with the editor of this same newspaper. He stated that HE also believed, on the basis of Luke 12, that some believers would receive some type of LITERAL chastisement at the Judgment Seat. He said he had never heard of my teaching and was not prepared to go that far. (Note: By keeping the teaching of the Judgment Seat vague and guarded like this, it cannot fully motivate the saints in this Laodicean age, and will have limited power). But he said, like the repentance issue, he can fellowship with both sides, and that he did not know what Herb Evan’s problem was about the whole thing. Yet, now, he has changed his mind (perhaps Herb would not write anything else for him?), and he has presented a ONE-SIDED rebuttal. He did not present any article or response of mine to these objections. In fact, these brethren misrepresented me as trying to duck the Scriptures by not directly responding to the objections. After pointing out that I had been wrongly misrepresented, and that I HAD fully responded to these Scriptures in detail, seven months ago, the editor sinfully ignored the issue and referred it to Herb Evans. He wrote to Herb (and forwarded it to me):

“You can handle Faust anyway you wish but this not going to be an ongoing thing. And of course no one who teaches what he does will ever have space in THE FLAMING TORCH. They can publish their own paper. People who believe him will quit us. Who cares. People who know the Bible will not quit us. Praise the Lord for real Bible Believers. What is a CARNAL CHRISTIAN? WHO DECIDES WHAT YOU DO OR DO NOT DO WHICH WOULD MAKE YOU A CARNAL CHRISTIAN? IS LOOKING AT TV CARNAL? HOW ABOUT GOING TO A MOVIE AT A THEATER? SOME WON’T GO TO A MOVIE BECAUSE THEY CONSIDER IT WORLDLY BUT WILL SIT AT HOME AND WATCH THE SAME MOVIE ON TV AND THAT IS NOT WORLDLY. YOU CAN REALLY GET IN A MESS WHEN YOU START QUOTING PREACHERS OF YESTERDAY YEAR INSTEAD OF STICKING TO THE WORD OF GOD. It appears to me that Joey is not really a Baptist. Our Lord was a Baptist. The first church was a Baptist Church. This is my last word on this and will not answer any more of his e-mails on the subject.”

When I refer to unfaithful or carnal Christians, I refer to those believers who commit the sins in the various “shall not inherit the kingdom” warnings (1 Cor.6, Gal. 5, Eph.5). If we commit these sins, we had better repent and forsake them quickly, before we die or before the Lord returns. Why would a fundamentalist ask such a rebellious question? Because, this is the state of much of modern, so-called fundamentalism! It is fluffy. That is one reason I believe the Lord had me write my book. May He use it to His glory. These types of objectors are usually compromised with TV and Hollywood, and the teaching of my book really scares their hides! For example, this objection (from Don Edwards) is coming from a man who in the same newspaper that attacks my book, writes:

“You were not seeing things. That was us on WHEEL OF FORTUNE.”

I guess this editor, who appeared on “Wheel of Fortune,” has reason to believe his readers regularly WATCH “Wheel of Fortune” with Vanna White’s seductive, high-thigh-split dresses, naked shoulders, see through material, etc. (When I was not saved, it was common to hear the boys talk about Vanna’s looks and clothing. Many watched “Wheel of Fortune” just to see what Vanna would be wearing this week.)

Herb Evans did send back an e-mail explaining that he had experienced a computer crash and that it was an accident that he overlooked my response (which I believe to be true).

Months ago, I had stopped responding to Herb Evan’s objections in e-mail, since he would not submit to a live, controlled debate over the issue. He said he did not want to give me any publicity. These men would rather pick and choose, and make accusations and implied suggestions without the threat of being publicly exposed. They do not fully understand the subject matter in the Bible, nor do they have an understanding of what other fundamentalists have written on the subject of accountability in history. They have not studied my book, nor ANY book on the subject. It is a new idea to them. And instead of hearing a matter, and studying before they answer (Proverbs 15:28, 18:13), they presumptuously speak about things which they know not.

Readers may find a more detailed rebuttal of the “objections” Herb Evans raised in the Torch on our web site.

You may reach The Flaming Torch at:

The Flaming Torch
P.O. Box 42100 Las Vegas, Nevada 89116-0100
Phone: 702 436-0504
E-mail: eddonlee@lvcm.com