1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

As a little 4-year-old girl during a family reunion long ago, I remember how one paternal uncle would jokingly call me “Chatty Cathy” (as in the pull-string talking doll from the 1960s). Chatty Cathy was before my time, so I didn’t really know what he was talking about. My toys were Holly Hobby, Jaws Fish Game, Raggedy Ann, and things like that early on.

Apparently, I was talking a lot or just non-stop that day, and he thought it was ‘somewhat humorous’ to sport with me. Even though I don’t remember what I was saying, still, it left an impression on me of how I was viewed by others as a small child.

Nevertheless, communication has always been ‘my forte,’ seeing how I grew up to become a facilitator of communication (Sign Language Interpreter), which inevitably involves relaying and conveying information between the Deaf and Hearing worlds.

Vintage Chatty Cathy Toy Doll TV Commercial 1960s Video: https://youtu.be/f-sYQ8_2v_Q

The gift of Sign Language has truly been profound in my life, yet I have signed with my hands at times for so much, so fast, and for so long that interpreting now for any extended period of time makes my right hand crack, pop, and ache. My husband, upon hearing my hand crack and pop first thing in the morning, would reminisce and recall how he used to call me the ‘Michael Jordan of Sign’ when he and others would watch me interpret at church for our Deaf family and friends back in the day for many years and services.

Sadly, several years ago, I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, but I opted not to have the surgery (or any surgery anywhere, for that matter, if I can help it these days) because when I don’t use my hands and fingers in such ongoing, fast, and repetitive movements at a time, and let them rest, the pain tends to lessen, go away, and becomes more manageable.

Anyhow, on the other hand (pun intended), there’s a quote that we will often hear stated about most men, which is, “He is/was a man of few words.” Therefore, it is not surprising that women are often found to speak way more words than men do in a day, seeing how that inclination is built into our nature.

Oftentimes, I will ask my husband in a ‘sing-songy jokingly prodding way,’ “Sooo, yoouu gooottt anyythinggg to taallk abouutt?” Usually, he says that he doesn’t have or can’t think of anything to talk about at the moment. He tells me that he likes to hear me talk about stuff while he’s working on his laptop, driving, or playing games on his phone, and that it’s relaxing to him.

Hence, the old adage and saying, ‘He is a man of few words.’

According to various psychology research and studies, women, on average, speak between 1,000 to 12,000 more words a day than men! No wonder my uncle thought I was such a blabbermouth! Either way, that is a lot of words and talking in comparison between one gender and the other! No wonder ‘Chatty Cathy’ was a female girl doll!

Even with all of the ridiculous gender confusions going on out there these days, it is an undeniable fact that men are wired differently than women are! Just look at the physiological examples throughout women’s sports and how the men who claim to be women have clear advantages during competitions and create such chaos in the locker room and blatant sporting disadvantages for all the women! (And yes, once again, there are only 2 genders according to the true, authoritative, pure, and Holy Words of our Almighty God and creator of the universe!)

Genesis 5:2 “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

Over the years, my expression of communication has gone from being universally verbal, uniquely manual, and industrially interpretative to now more quietly introspective, discernably contemplative, and thought-provokingly sincere, which is conveyed through the aid of the Holy Spirit throughout the wording of my articles. Writing has become one of my favorite forms of communication now, especially when I am able to commit my life’s work and service as unto the Lord and not as unto men.

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

To have the opportunity to point people to Jesus and for them to subsequently be able to obtain the salvation of their souls in the process is none other than the highest calling a person can have in their life!

It has been said that “The pen is mightier than the sword,” which emphasizes and implies that thinking and writing words to help and influence people is more powerful and effective compared to using lethal weapons, military power and force, or violence. Therefore, I will let my pen be mightier than the sword for the Lord!

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”

To be used by God’s Holy Spirit to convey His Word and expound on ‘nuggets of biblical wisdom’ in writing for others in hopes of bringing people to a ‘true saving knowledge’ of Christ is an honor like no other! Therefore, my own words have become relatively few in the last several years because I am learning each day more and more to ‘die to self’ and in turn, am learning each day more and more to live for Christ Himself!

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”

Recently, while working with our realtor in staging our house, she recommended decluttering wall photos and decorative items on all tables and countertops. To which I replied, “Basically, less is more?” And she said, “Yes, less is more.” Sure enough, once on the MLS, our house sold just after one showing! So, after submitting this article, I will be ‘out of pocket’ for a while due to moving to, hopefully, our final house before the soon-coming rapture, where we can then finally go to our true home!

Obviously, there is something to be said about ‘less is more,’ and that can pertain to our communication, home, lifestyle, and social media habits as well. If the one thing I would pick to be remembered for, it would be for pointing people to Christ, and if that, in turn, makes my own words few… I will embrace ‘less is more’ any day!

Matthew 5:37 “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Thought I’d add in today’s KJV Daily Bible Verse that came to my Inbox too:

1 Thessalonians 1:8 “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”

Some people have reached out to me on social media (I have since deleted all my accounts due to ‘learning to die to self’ except for YouTube) and have told me that they are ‘avid readers’ of my articles. If you would like to connect with me, contact RR; they will forward you to my email, and I will respond discernably and when I am able. God bless. 🙂

Until next time… Maranatha!

Sincerely & In Christ,

Candy Austin

(I have no Accolades….
I am just a Nobody,
Trying to tell Everybody,
All about Somebody,
Who can save Anybody!)

https://youtu.be/_wCTQdmXkUg

My Mission is to be ‘Salt and Light’ to a Lost and Dying world.
To be an Ambassador for Jesus Christ.
All for Him and His Glory!

Dispensationalism is definitely in decline. I have written two major articles[i] probing the causes of that issue, and—though I take no delight in that conclusion—it is certainly one that deserves our attention.

The history of dispensationalism’s downturn is well known. But, for those who may not be aware, let me rehearse a few general facts. There was a time, before the so-called Reformed Resurgence,[ii] when dispensationalism carried the day in evangelicalism on the popular level and, to a large extent, on the academic level.

When I interviewed Dr. Thomas Ice for the first time back in 1997, he summed it up like this: “We were so big we couldn’t get any bigger.”[iii]

Consider the fact that many of the largest and most prestigious evangelical seminaries in the country were thoroughly committed to dispensationalism—and their professors were producing books through mainstream evangelical publishers that taught and explained dispensational theology. Not only that, but these schools also provided many of the faculty members for other schools, and they, in turn, trained thousands more students in the tenets of dispensational theology—using their old professors’ textbooks.

Our minds, of course, immediately run to Dallas Theological Seminary. Names like Chafer, Walvoord, Pentecost, Ryrie, Toussaint, Lightner, and Zuck form a dispensational ring of honor in our memories.

But Dallas was not the only significant dispensational seminary. My mentor, Dr. John Whitcomb, taught for nearly four decades at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. It was not at all unusual for men to earn their master’s degree at one of these institutions, then do their doctoral studies at the other. In fact, Dr. Whitcomb loved sharing a humorous little verse that was appreciated in Winona Lake—even if not so much in North Texas or Greater Los Angeles. It went like this: “And now abide these three—Dallas, Talbot, and Grace. But the greatest of these is Grace.”

Dispensational teaching also filled the airwaves since the early days of Christian broadcasting through programs such as Back to the Bible, Radio Bible Class, Thru the Bible, and a host of others—including those presented by the pioneers of the sermon-based teaching format, featuring the voices of Bruce Dunn, John MacArthur, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, and more.

Then, lying on the coffee tables of Christian homes, there was even more dispensational Bible teaching in the form of popular Christian magazines. They included The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s own Israel My Glory—which turned 80 years old this past year—along with others like Confident Living, Gospel Herald and The Sunday School Times, and Moody Monthly. Christians of every kind of denomination and church background were also getting a regular intake of dispensationalism—whether they realized it or not—as they ingested Our Daily Bread.

So, what happened? There are myriad answers to that question. Many of the popular-level outreaches that I’ve listed above continued on, but their influence was muted to some extent by the growing Reformed outlets, which would eventually flip the script and bring amillennialism, postmillennialism, preterism, and covenant theology, in general, into a place of unforeseen prominence—even in formerly dispensational circles.

Another major issue, which was developing during the time that I was in Bible college, was the launch of progressive dispensationalism. This new teaching almost immediately spread like wildfire through academic institutions previously known for their commitment to dispensational theology.

Amidst the newfound allure of Reformed theology, the dispensational fire inside many of my generation and those younger began to go out. Some were taught poorly or never grounded at all in dispensational thinking. I’m convinced that many threw the baby right out with the bathwater, attaching dispensationalism in their own minds to issues like legalism or even allegorical interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures—oddly enough, things diametrically opposed to dispensational orthodoxy.

Then, some of those who’ve remained in our camp have gone to seed, especially regarding prophetic truth, and moved into dispensational sensationalism—a term I’ve recently come across. Denying Scriptural sufficiency, their focus has shifted to UFOs and other oddities, real or imagined.

So, we know the how and the why of dispensationalism’s decline—and I’ve also written at length on why I believe this is so damaging and dangerous for the church at large.[iv]

Yet, dispensationalism is far from dead and gone. So, the pressing need now is for us to focus on what we, as dispensationalists, can, should, and must do as we move ahead.

And I’ll turn toward those matters in the next installment.

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

[i] See Paul Scharf; “Facing Replacement Theology;” Israel My Glory; January/February 2023; https://israelmyglory.org/article/facing-replacement-theology/; Internet; accessed 11 May 2023; and Paul J. Scharf, “Young, Restless, Fundamentalist: Is There Still a Future for Israel?” Baptist Bulletin Vol. 85, No. 6.

(Nov./Dec. 2019): 17-20.

[ii] The phrase is part of the title of a book by Brad Vermurlen, Reformed Resurgence: The New Calvinist Movement and the Battle Over American Evangelicalism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).

[iii] Personal conversation, Feb. 21, 1997.

[iv] See Paul Scharf; “The Danger of Replacing Israel” (three-part blog series); The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry; Part 1—Sept. 24, 2021; foi.org/2021/09/24/the-danger-of-replacing-israel-part-1; Internet; accessed 11 May 2023.