- Harold Camping (Amillennialism) vs. John Walvoord (Premillennialism) – 1980 debate MP3
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John Flipse Walvoord (May 1, 1910 – December 20, 2002) was a Christian theologian, a pastor, and the president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He was the author of over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology, including The Rapture Question, and was co-editor of The Bible Knowledge Commentary with Roy B. Zuck. He earned AB and DD degrees from Wheaton College, an AM degree from Texas Christian University in philosophy, a Th.B., Th.M., and Th.D. in Systematic Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Litt.D. from Liberty Baptist Seminary.
Walvoord was brought up in a Christian home, but had little interest in the faith until he was fifteen, when his family moved to Racine after his father accepted a position as superintendent of the junior high. They joined the Union Gospel Tabernacle, where Walvoord committed his life to Jesus Christ after attending a Bible study on Galatians.
After continuing his education at Wheaton College, Walvoord went on to Texas Christian University and then Dallas Theological Seminary, where he completed his Th.D. in 1936. Seminary president and mentor Lewis Sperry Chafer appointed Walvoord to the position of registrar. During Walvoord's tenure, he also taught systematic theology at the seminary, and pastored the Rosen Heights Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Walvoord became more involved in the administration of the school, serving as Chafer's assistant and secretary to the faculty. Upon Chafer's death in 1952, he became the seminary's second president, serving until his retirement in 1986.
In addition to his responsibilities at the seminary, Walvoord earned a reputation as one of the most influential dispensational theologians of the 20th century. He played a prominent role in advocating the doctrine of a rapture of Christians from the earth prior to a time of great tribulation, followed by a literal thousand-year millennial reign of Christ, and a renewed focus of God on the nation of Israel (which he associated with modern-day Jews) as distinct from the Church. As part of his dispensationalist theology, he claimed there was prophetic biblical justification for the restoration of a Jewish state in Palestine.[1] Stephen Sizer, an Anglican priest who is a prominent critic of Christian Zionism, lists Walvoord as one of the "leading dispensationalists who are also overtly Zionist", including also Charles Ryrie, Dwight Pentecost, Eric Sauer, Charles Dyer and Hal Lindsey,[2] all associated with Dallas Theological Seminary.
