I’ve given my theory of Christian Middle Earth (CME) so many times that I can’t remember who’s heard it and who hasn’t. So I thought a post on it was long overdue.
In over-simplified terms, Christian Middle Earth is that realm between actual biblical scholars (people with real credentials who write for peer review — and mostly write for themselves) and the largest realm, the local church, where serious biblical content is like a Bigfoot sighting. CME is home to the prophecy teaching circuit (think John Hagee or Jonathan Cahn, or Planet X nonsense), charismania (think Bill Johnson or Benny Hinn), Christian conspiracy talk (aliens, nephilim, and UFOs are part of the end times; the Catholic church is hooked up with the Illuminati), Bible codes, Christians who believe in a flat or hollow earth, etc., etc.
Christian Middle Earth has a lot that’s wrong with it. Three-quarters of what gets taught there doesn’t have a prayer of being correct. But it has one important thing going for it. It’s filled with Christians who desperately want content — so much so that they venture out to teach themselves via the Internet and YouTube. They haven’t quite the faith or trying to learn Scripture. CME is all they know since the real scholars aren’t producing material for them in a deliberate way. I admire them, but CME is often soul-crushing for a scholar.
I first coined the metaphor and spelled out the theory on Canary Cry Radio, hosted by CME “traffic cops” Gonz and Basil. Here’s a 12-minute audio segment (MP3) from that episode that helps explain the metaphor. Enjoy!
Well Dr. Heiser then address properly questions these desperate Christians leave in comment sections of your MIQLAT dog drama sessions instead of saying again and again that people are lazy and don’t want to teach themselves highly sophisticated ancient languages … how many years did it take you to learn all what you know and complete your Ph.D. ? People have NO TIME in this increasingly crazy reality and they all cannot be Biblical scholars full time. If God elected YOU to learn HIs Word with great resolution don’t you think then this is for a reason other then pointing finger at people or fulling around with a dog … ? Use your MIQLAT sessions properly, TEACH people so that they don’t need to eat apples again and again from the same tree. Be the first gardener of New Earth. Will you Dr. Heiser ??
Pretty funny, also very sad.
Yea my brother ?
Well Dr. Heiser then please do address properly questions these disparate Christians who nevertheless seek the Truth leave in the comment section of your MIQLAT dog drama sessions instead of pointing your finger at people and calling them lazy because they do not want to learn highly sophisticated ancient languages and become biblical scholars for themselves. How many years did it take you to learn all what you know and complete your Ph.D. ? Not all people can become Biblical language specialists and at the same time run their daily life. Don’t you think that if God elected you to learn His Word with such high resolution it is for a more serious purpose then producing dog drama when discussing His Word with those lost and desperate Christians, who were somehow called to listen to you and not to the others ? Use your MIQLAT platform properly. Take care of people so that they don’t need to eat apples from the same tree again and again. Be the first gardener of the New Earth. Will you Dr. Heiser?
Sure is good to have all those fools down there in Middle Earth. Whooppeeee! I can be a Leader now because I’ve found all these dummies.
I can tell them the Truth. No, there are no flying saucers in the Bible. {Ha, ha, ha. People who believe there are flying saucers in the Bible! Chariots? Yes. Flying saucers? No. Now then, where was I? Ha, ha, ha.} But I can stop writing Important Papers for all my fellow important people and take time off to tell the dumb people in Middle Earth about the real stuff.
Happy times!
“…not all who wander are lost…”
Well, thank you Dr. Heiser for beginning to fill this void! You might let your fellow scholars know there is a growing demand for serious Biblical explanatory content (that is reasonably priced) within CME (love the reference btw). This said, it seems quite arrogant to suggest that there is no content of serious value by “non-scholars” in CME (unless you mean to exclude those well-researched works as part of CME, perhaps creating a new realm by taking the “red pill” and leaving the Matrix).
Consider Bible content writers Peter, James (Jacob to be accurate and correct a previous ‘scholarly’ lie), and John, who were fishermen, not scholarly “seminarians” like Paul. In fairness, they did study under the only true rabbi for over a year. Similarly, as you have mentioned in your writings, even a scholar can read and parse the same verse(s) dozens or hundreds of times, and then suddenly see it anew, with an understanding not previously understood. This isn’t explained with knowledge, but with inspiration of the Spirit, available to any and all true faithful. The past 2000 years is replete with examples of non-scholars seeing Biblical truth long before scholars finally came around (sadly, the Roman church murdered many of them and others discarded as heretics by denomination-based Christianity). I would even venture to say that too much knowledge when it forms preconceived notions can sometimes get in the way of seeing Truth, such as denominational tradition and creeds.
This is not to be critical of your work, which is excellent and occasionally demonstrates some transparency and humility, only that of too many of your scholarly peers with lots of knoweldge but little else. Love is the lens through which our knowledge of the Word must be seen and applied or it is for naught.
A generation ago pastors were men who loved the Word and so learned the Word. They attended seminary to be taught theology, Biblical languages, etc. Today pastors are anyone who wants to lead a church. Their only qualification, if that, is a conviction that God wants them to preach and teach. A generation ago they’d have been dismissed as unqualified.