A man called me shouting and cussing me out

A man called me shouting and cussing me out for my one minute radio spot that said, “Our Calvinist Puritan forefathers came to this land seeking freedom of religion. They established a government based on a covenant with God called the Mayflower Compact. In the Old country they had paid with their blood to be free from tyrants. Puritan pastor Thomas Hooker wrote the first constitution in the history of mankind for Connecticut in 1639. Thomas Jefferson did not invent the ideas in the Declaration of Independence. They were copied from the Calvinists. The Calvinist Puritans sought to establish a city on a hill based on the Bible. This, and this alone is what made America great. But now we are engaged in a spiritual civil war waged by the powers of darkness that hate biblical values. To vote for Obama is to hate God and the America of the founding fathers.”

The man was really mad. He shouted, “You have no right to say those things on the radio. It’s against the law. I’m gonna report you to the radio station.” I said, “That’s okay. The First Amendment and The Alliance Defense Fund will take care of that.”

He said, “I have a PHD from the University of Tennesee, KNOXVILLE.”  I said, “I do have a doctorate in biblical studies.” He said, “From where? The University of Basket Weaving? Is it accredited?”

He said,  “You’re just an ignorant fundamentalist that interprets the Bible literally. I don’t believe in the virgin birth. I’m a liberal. My father was a Methodist pastor.” I said, “I’m under the authority of a cloud of witnesses… the tried and true ones that brought liberty to the modern world.”

He said, “The Puritans and Reformers were not as smart as we are. They didn’t have cars.” Well, we wouldn’t have cars, either if they had not brought us liberty. It’s for freedom that Christ made us free.

He said, “John Locke and the humanists brought liberty to the modern world, not fundamentalists.” I said, “Do you know when the first constitution in the history of mankind was written? Puritan preacher Thomas Hooker wrote it for the state of Connecticut in 1639. Do you know how old John Locke was then?  Eight years old.”

I asked, “Have you ever heard of presuppositionalist reasoning? If I presuppose something is true, even if it’s not, all my logic will be based on that basis. It does not mean my logic is bad (i.e. that I’m stupid). It means I put my faith in the wrong presupposition. If you presuppose something different, it does not mean your logic is bad or that you’re dumb. It just means you presupposed something different. I presuppose that the Bible is factual and you presuppose it’s not. Does that make me stupid?”

“Before you jump to the conclusion of calling someone stupid because they don’t see it your way, stop to consider that. And before you make a judgment on who you think I am (a literalist), listen to the sermon I preached just last Sunday on that very subject. Just like every day speech, we mix both literal speech with figurative speech all the time.  So does the Bible.”

I said, “You said you’re a liberal. I always thought “liberal” meant “tolerant.” He said, “Yes. We’re tolerant.” I said, “You don’t seem to be tolerating me.” He had no answer.

     By the time the call ended he was calm and wished me a good day. His mouth was shut.

 
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" ( 1Pet 3:15).