Author, Heather Kendall Welcomes You To Her Website!
Born in Owen Sound, Ontario, Heather Kendall lives in Innisfil with her husband of forty-one years. They have three grown children. Heather enjoys playing the piano and singing. As a couple,
they swim and go canoeing in the summers. As well, they
share a desire to travel. In the last few years they have
done a lot of hiking in the Rocky Mountains and California with
their children. A loving family remains one of their most important joys.
Have you ever been in spiritual shock as a believer? I grew up in an open Plymouth Brethren home. There I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour and Lord. My parents were believers, and my grandfather and great-grandfather were preachers in the Brethren movement. I have great respect and appreciation for the teaching, which I learned as a child.
I knew that dispensationalism was an important element of Brethren teaching, but I had not studied eschatology for myself. Years ago, when my husband and I walked into Berean Baptist Church in Sudbury, Ontario, I carried a Scofield Bible. The pastor was preaching against dispensationalism, which upset me. He also taught the Doctrines of Grace, which I eagerly embraced.
That pastor was a catalyst sending me to the Bible to search for truth. At that point I was only studying what the Bible had to say about Jesus’ second coming. To my surprise, I found many discrepancies in dispensationalism.
Over twenty years later, I offered to do some research for another pastor. He assumed the apostolic fathers, the first generation of Christian writers after the apostles, would be closest to the truth concerning the end times. Soon however, Jesus as the promised Seed fascinated me. I carefully traced the timeline of God’s plan of salvation. I thought God’s story line should hold some clues about what God cares most about. I ended up writing a book to trace the history of God’s plan of salvation. It was my way of correcting the deficiencies of dispensationalism.
Knowing I believed the Doctrines of Grace, I naively assumed Reformed pastors would like my book. Shortly afterwards, I bought a book by R. C. Sproul. In it I learned about covenant theology. A few months later an ex-pastor explained the three types of biblical theology — covenant theology, biblical theology, and dispensationalism. Shortly afterwards, I discovered the term “new covenant theology” on the Internet and realized this was what he meant by “biblical theology.”
How can believers conceive three different story lines for God’s way of dealing with humanity? I grappled with this question after I wrote my book. To me, the answer lies in studying topics and then making God’s story fit the desired conclusion. I am not denying the importance of studying topics. These days more and more believers have studied the Doctrines of Grace and have embraced them. You will find these Reformed beliefs in the three camps of biblical theology. I have noticed, however, how the root of covenant theology and dispensationalism is found in the Old Testament.
The Reformers were covenant theologians. They lived in societies in which the union of church and state was the accepted norm. Therefore they gladly accepted the theocracy of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament as the proper model for the church. In so doing, they ignored the teachings of the new covenant in the New Testament, which did away with this situation. Believers come from all the nations of the world and answer directly to God, not human government. Jesus died to redeem a people to God from all ages. His kingdom is spiritual, not earthly.
Likewise, dispensationalists concentrate their studies in the Old Testament. They read time and again how God promised to make the nation of Israel a political power head over the whole world. They acknowledge that Israel often lost that right because of disobedience. Nevertheless they insist God must keep his promise to restore the fortunes of Israel someday and make them a world power. Like the covenant theologians, dispensationalists ignore the teachings of the new covenant in the New Testament. Although they agree that the church is the fulfillment of the new covenant, they still insist Israel must have its political utopia. Therefore they also understand the new covenant for the Jews will be fulfilled in the future millennium.
Both groups do not grasp the simple story line of the Bible. Tempted by Satan, Adam and Eve sinned. Ever since then, everyone is born in sin and guilty of sinning. God provided a solution through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Since the beginning of history, God has been working to redeem a people for his glory. When he has finished this sovereign work of grace, Jesus will return to gather believers to God. There is no chance for salvation after Jesus’ return. Then God will burn up this earth and create a new heaven and new earth for his people. Our spiritual salvation is much more important to God than temporal satisfaction in this sin-filled world.
A monthly devotional thought: www.tale2k.blogspot.com
Education:
Articles:
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The British Isles, The Fellowship LINK, Summer 2010
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The Art of Smocking, The Fellowship LINK, Spring 2010
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Special Reading Classes Do Work, Innisfil Journal, April 15 2010
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My First Grandchild, a poem in Grandmothers' Necklace, February 2010
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Succeeding Against All Odds, The Fellowship LINK, Winter 2010
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Bridging the Generation Gap, The Fellowship LINK, Fall 2009
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The Good Food Box, The Fellowship LINK, Summer 2009
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Reach Out With Good Friday,
Faith Today, March/April 2009
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Decluttering a House, The Fellowship LINK, Winter 2008/09
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Québec Espoir, The Fellowship LINK, Fall 2008
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Of Sheep and Goats -- A Devotional, The Canadian Gideon, September 2008
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My
Self-Publishing Journey,
www.shared-self-publishing.com/my-selfpublishing-journey.html,
September 2008
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Celebrating 400 Years in Quebec, Faith Today, July/August 2008
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Learning
to Share, Daily Devotions for Writers, April 2008
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Baptists
Blitz – Bless Hamilton, Faith Today, March/April 2008
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Couple
Ministers at Ontario Native Reserves, Faith Today,
March/April 2008
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Heaven
and Hell, Faith Today, March/April 2008
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Born
to Die, The Canadian Gideon, December 2007
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The
Joy of Christmas, a poem in The Fellowship LINK, Fall
2007
