2+3+4PM Lessons from Harold Camping

Although we’ve certainly had our fun with the ridiculous, unbiblical, and now disproved prediction that the Rapture was coming on May 21 by Harold Camping, there are still some very interesting lessons to learn and observations to make about the passing of the non-event. First of all, how someone handles such a colossal failure tells a lot about their character. And in this case, when one might expect remorse or contrition or even a fairly robust apology, Camping basically claimed he was still right. He says the judgment did come, only it was a “spiritual” judgment rather than the end of the world, which he still claims is coming on October 21. Moreover, for all the people who liquidated their assets or made foolish choices because of his prediction, he simply denied any accountability or responsibility by saying he never told them to do that. See, to me, this tells you everything you need to know about Harold Camping. Regardless of his foolish eschatology (end times study), it is his unchristian character which testifies the loudest about this not being a man transformed by the Gospel. A true Christian would have been virtually weeping with apology for the embarrassment he brought on Christianity and for the suffering caused to his followers. He would have offered to make things right by those who had followed him. And he surely would have been humble enough to make some changes going forward, particularly by removing himself from his ministerial or broadcasting duties. Someone truly renewed by the Gospel would be secure enough in Christ to be self-chastening that way. And so the lack of such a development is far more telling than the failure of the prediction itself.

But even so, there have been other indicators that Camping himself isn’t really convinced of his own predictions. The most interesting effort to force the issue was an offer by “A Bible Answer” ministries to buy all of Camping’s radio stations (66 stations in the US for Family Radio) for the sum of $1 million with a delay on the transfer to May 22. Not only would the radio stations mean nothing to Camping after his predicted Rapture, but they would obviously be of far less value to the buyer since a large chunk of the audience will have disappeared. This offer was made in February and repeated frequently. It has now been offered again for October 22. Camping has declined.

And finally, in a very odd sort of doublespeak, although Camping is claiming rather adamantly that he made no mistake of calculations and that a spiritual judgment did in fact occur (although there are no external confirmations for this of any sort), he is actively revamping his website to remove any references to the May 21 prediction. If the prediction was right, then there should be no need to change all the links and icons, merely to explain them. This cover-up and denial by censoring is pretty clear evidence of some sort of deception. But of course the irony is that even removing the web elements doesn’t immediately undo the cars and billboards that still exist.