An Open Letter to T.A. McMahon of The Berean Call

By Scott Pruitt (nopretrib.com)

Dear Tom McMahon,

​​I watched with great dismay the “Livestream from the August 2015 Berean Call Conference where Paul Wilkinson “critiqued” the newly released video by Joe Schimmel, “Left Behind or Led Astray?: Examining The Origins of the Secret Pretribulation Rapture.”

​​I put the word critiqued in quotes because it was anything but a critique of the video itself. Instead it was a personal attack on the character of Joe Schimmel and the others who contributed to the production of the video.

​​I know that you and Joe Schimmel have known each other for a very long time and have even collaborated together. Joe and I have been good friends for nearly 30 years and I remember yours and Dave Hunt’s association with him going back that entire time. In all that time he has never been subjected to public character assasination by The Berean Call. This despite the fact that you have always known that Joe subscribes to a post-tribulational position just like the late Dr. Walter Martin who, to my knowledge, was never disparaged by The Berean Call. While post-tribulationism is not the majority view among evangelicals, it is certainly not a heretical position, as Paul Wilkinson claims, and it had never become an occasion to question Joe’s character until now. Why now? Because he had the audacity to defend what he believes about the end-times?

​​I have always been a huge fan of your ministry for the last 30 years, but all you could say in Joe’s defense when you had the opportunity was to say that you knew him and counted him as a brother. If that is true, how could you just sit there and allow Paul Wilkinson to make these unsubstantiated and personal accusations against Joe and not come to his defense? Is that what a brother does?

Among the accusations that Paul Wilkinson made in the Livestream video, here are a few of the most egregious:

…This DVD is damaging, its destructive, its dangerous, and it is thoroughly dishonest. And it is one of the most abominable Christian DVDs I’ve ever sat through…

…The post-tribulation belief that Joe Schimmel espouses, Joel Richardson, the pre-wrath view that Jacob Prasch espouses, these are heretical views. To teach that the Church is gonna to go through any part of the tribulation period is an abominable thing to teach. Because it robs believers of the blessedness of the blessed hope. It doesn’t fill believers with joy and expectancy and longing. It fills them with fear, it fills them with a kind of militancy that they’ve got to stand against the antichrist, they’ve got to face the mark of the beast. I’ve spoken at Churches in England where people have been in fear wondering how they’re going to get through the tribulation, how their children are going to get through the tribulation. Will they be strong enough to resist the mark of the beast when it comes? Praise God the Lord uses many of us to bring freedom and release from that kind of teaching…

…The Spirit and the Bride say come…Joe Schimmel and those alongside him who are involved in that production; that’s not what’s coming out of their hearts. That’s not what you’re hearing throughout this documentary. It’s all about what we must do in readiness, not for the Lord Jesus Christ, but for the antichrist. And it’s a terrible deception. And it puts fear in people, creates confusion, robs the bride of Christ in part of her joy, takes, steals the hope of the blessed hope, and causes ultimately many in the Church not to be ready for that most glorious day…

…You will not hear these men talk about their love for Jesus. You’ll not see the tears fall down their cheeks. They will speak of the coming of the Lord very academically and very intellectually, but where’s the heart? Where’s the love? Where’s the longing? It’s not there. And one of the reasons it’s not there is because they’re not pastors. They’ve not been called to take care of the flock. They’ve not been called to help prepare the bride for the Bridegroom…

Do you agree with these accusations? Do you really believe that Joe’s position on the second coming is heretical, academic and devoid of love? That he is not really a pastor? Do you believe that Joe Schimmel is dishonest? If not, why didn’t you say so when you had the opportunity? All that Joe Schimmel, Jacob Prasch and Joel Richardson have done is to encourage the body of Christ to do the same thing that you are asking them to do; be Bereans. And if we disagree on the timing of the rapture for scriptural reasons, does that justify these kinds of personal attacks?

I’m asking you in the name of the Lord Jesus to publicly apologize to Joe Schimmel, Jacob Prasch and Joel Richardson for allowing these hateful personal attacks go unchallenged at your conference. I hope in the future that The Berean Call will limit it’s criticism of post-tribulationism to the merits of the scriptural arguments rather than vilifying the messenger, particularly someone that you know so well.

When I was first born again in 1985, I was caught up in the Word-Faith movement because that is what was taught in the Church where I was saved. I was told by well-meaning Christians at the time not to read yours and Dave Hunt’s book “The Seduction of Christianity,” because if I did, I was told it would ruin my faith. I’m glad now that I did not take that advice. Remember when “Seduction” first came out? Remember all the personal attacks that you and Dave Hunt endured from Charisma Magazine, TBN personalities and more? Remember “Seduction?? A Biblical Response?” I encourage people to watch “Left Behind or Led Astray?” then be a Berean and test it according to the word of God.

Sincerely,

Scott Pruitt

PS. I will be posting this as an open letter on my website nopretrib.com and my Facebook page facebook.com/nopretrib along with links to the Livestream where these quotes were given and to leftbehindorledastray.com. I will also send a copy of this letter to Joe Schimmel.

Editor’s Note: Joe Schimmel of Good Fight Ministries, along with Jacob Prasch and John Haller, released a roundtable discussion video in response to Paul Wilkinson’s Livestream presentation given at The Berean Call Prophecy Conference held in August 2015. Filming recently took place and the editing process is under way. Be on the lookout for it on this website in the next few weeks.

12 comments

  1. I’ve been helped greatly by “Good Fight Ministries” and “The Berean Call” and “Moriel Ministries” among many others over 20 years. Watching the fallout of our dvd production: the greater wrong is not the chronology on the catching up of the bride, it is that you made this dvd in the first place. Truly the purpose of it was to cause wars and heated divisions among the most discerning and faithful Christians in the church this day. This is NOT a ‘good fight’, this is of the devil and you have played into the hands of that enemy. Well did Jacob Prasch preach his sermon “The signatures of Satan”; yet in that sermon he exposed this all as one of Satan’s signatures. And while preaching this sermon, I was shocked to hear him lie and play the hypocrite in it regarding him not causing divisions with this issue. I with those who believe the Lord cast him into an infected sick bed over this. I’m sorry this happened, I’ve cried a load of tears over this, truly we are all waiting on the Lord “until we all come to the unity of the faith”. Its clear watching this all fallout, some do not have the One Spirit nor the “unity” thereby. God have mercy in his judgement. James chapters 3&4

  2. McMahon is correct. He properly rebuked you for your hierarchy. Wilkerson who did his PhD thesis on Darby really showed your lack of scholarship, errors and your usual hyperbole. As the scriptures say in the last days they will not endure sound doctrine. You do know that Philip was “raptured” after baptising the ethiopian eunuch but the word rapture wasn’t used. Using your logic it never happen.

    • Martin, have you watched our DVD Left Behind or Led Astray?

      Regarding Philip being “raptured,” you are referring to Acts 8:39. If you keep reading, Philip found himself in Azotus (vs 40). Philip was not raptured to heaven. We have never denied that there is a rapture, our point of discussion is with its timing being pre-tribulational.

    • Martin, I invite you to read MacPherson’s “Margaret Macdonald’s Main Point” on Google and some posttrib sites (Facebook) which exposes the deliberate omitting of some of her words in order to falsely claim she was a posttrib – and the same article catches Wilkinson, as well as Ice and Darby, in the act of pulling this off!

  3. Didn’t God take Lot out of Sodom? We obviously disagree and that’s okay. I didn’t here the talk from the conference, but from what you all say, I agree there is an apology in order. I hope it comes.

    • We don’t mind friendly and open dialogue on matters that people in the body of Christ disagree on. We appreciate your heart in this. We highly recommend you watch both Dr. Paul Wilkinson’s video first, and then our rebuttal video to gain a full understanding of what is being discussed. Yes, God took Lot out of Sodom, but did He do it 7 days (or 7 weeks, 7 months, 7 years, etc.) BEFORE He destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah? We see no parallel in scripture with God removing His children 7 years earlier in a pre-trib rapture. Rather, God removed Lot right at the END, just before He destroyed the city. This squares more with a post-tribulation view, where Jesus comes at the end for His bride.

  4. If you had to leave your bride at home, had to go away for sometime and heard that the town you lived in had become so vile it was time for God to pour out his wrath, I.e Sodom and Gomorah. Are you going to leave your bride there while God’s wrath is being poured out? I don’t think so.

    • Scripture is clear, God’s children are not appointed to wrath. We are in agreement here. But is not God capable of protecting His people? We must not put God in a box and use eisegesis to fit doctrines into our own theological construct. We must not use emotional arguments and metaphors to support what is not clearly taught in scripture.

  5. Alan Randall

    Pre-trib rapture is a dead horse and pre-trib teachers are desperately trying to spur it back to life. But the horse is going nowhere and it’s beginning to stink.

  6. This is really sad to hear. I listen to Blessed Hope Chapel’s podcast weekly, and have done so for many years now. The reason that I continue to listen, other than stellar Bible teaching, is the fact that Joe has such a heart for God’s people and for the lost. I recall hearing Joe in tears over the lost on more than one occasion. Joe is definitely a role model for me, he’s totally sold out to the Lord and is definitely not a hireling, anyone who has sat under his teaching can speak to that truth. I’m afraid the Berean Call is hurting it’s testimony because they are willing to destroy a brother in Christ in order to protect one of their pet doctrines.

  7. Jesse Ridder

    I seriously couldn’t believe they let him continue on, tearing into Joe, Jacob, and Joel. He even had the audacity to doubt their regeneration and salvation. To have a different view on when our Lord is coming to take us away is NOT heretical, nor an abomination such as he spouted. Utter drivel. This was supposed to be the “Berean” conference, but hey, don’t be like the Bereans and just take his word for it.