Dear Friends,

As part of our ongoing project with the bad textbook by Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament, third edition, Dr. Thomas S. McCall, the senior theologian of this ministry, wrote a letter to Dr. Richard Wells, the president of Criswell College. We have reproduced Dr. McCall’s letter below. He is an especially qualified spokesman to examine such a textbook and to advise Criswell College. He is a Baptist scholar, ordained by Dr. W.A. Criswell, the founder of the college. He is the author of several books on these subjects, and he has visited Israel numerous times. He taught at Dallas Baptist University (which also now uses the textbook, and which answers letters). It should be mentioned that Dr. McCall is a Gentile Christian. Here is his letter.

June 24, 1998

Dr. Richard Wells, President
Criswell College
4010 Gaston Avenue
Dallas TX 75246

Dear Dr. Wells:

As you may know, we recently ran a TV program featuring a critique of the book by Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament, and its widespread use in Christian schools, including the Criswell college. The problem is that it is replete with subtle anti-Jewish attitudes and interpretations of the Scriptures that gradually indoctrinate students against Jews and against Israel. Many times the authors and teachers do this without realizing it, and would even vigorously deny that they have any anti-Jewish bias. The fruit of this subtle animosity toward the Jews, though is very bitter, and includes the following:

  1. It results in a coldness toward Jewish evangelism, which was a very high priority in the ministries of the two chief apostles, Peter and Paul.
  2. It develops into an attitude of hostility toward Jewish believers in Christ.
  3. It fosters a distorted view of Israel’s place in God’s plan in the past, present and future.
  4. It presents a skewed view concerning the nature and purpose of the church, especially the notions of Replacement Theology.
  5. It produces an indifferent and sometimes hostile view toward the modern struggling state of Israel, an island of democracy in a sea of barbaric Muslim dictatorships. This is particularly galling because it is these same Muslim dictatorships that are today persecuting Christians in their countries on a horrific scale.
  6. Finally, it results in an indifferent attitude toward the fate of Jews suffering persecutions, such as the Holocaust and its aftermath, which continues up to the present.

How can a book on the New Testament cause so much harm and discord? It is by stealth and deception, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unintentionally. We have already reviewed many of the objectionable things about Gundry’s book with you, but the following points highlight the major problems.

  1. Whenever the Jews are referred to, it is usually with negative overtones, but when Gentiles are mentioned, it is in terms of their nobility and eager faith. This shows an underlying anti-Jewish bias.
  2. In order to establish the notion that Jesus Himself ministered to great masses of Gentiles, Gundry assumes by very faulty reasoning that the miracle of the feeding of the 4,000 was among Gentiles deep in the Decapolis area. The evidence, however, is that this miracle was also among Jews just as was the feeding of the 5,000.
  3. Gundry implies that Christ’s earthly ministry only to Israel was a flawed procedure at best, and perhaps even a mistake. This undermines the dispensational character of the Lord’s ministry before His death and resurrection, and even attacks the deity of the Lord.
  4. The book moves in the direction of teaching Replacement Theology, indicating that the Church has “replaced” Israel, “at least for the time being.” Gundry claims to believe in the future of Israel, but his teaching blurs the dispensational distinctives between the time of Christ’s teaching and the later establishment of the church.

We are concerned about these issues, not only because we are interested in Biblical truth, but also because we believe the Lord has given us a ministry to serve as monitors or watchdogs to warn Christians when they get involved in anti-Jewish writings and attitudes. We feel this textbook is a strong case in point, mainly because its use is so widespread in Christian halls of learning.

We would appreciate it if you would use your good offices to remove Gundry’s book as a text in New Testament studies, and replace it with one more in line with the views of the founder, Dr. W.A. Criswell, and his excellent Criswell Study Bible. We understand you have personal knowledge that Dr. Gundry was himself expelled from the Evangelical Theological Society for his unorthodox views. Why should Criswell College promote a text by an author who has been so repudiated by his peers? Also, we understand that Zondervan Publishing House has become much less interested in doctrinal concerns since Pat Zondervan left. Why use a textbook publisher that has a reputation for moving away from sound doctrine?

It might be good if we could get together to discuss these issues at length. Also, would you be interested in being interviewed on the TV program about this matter? If so, when would you like to do this? Please let us know.

Thank you for your continuing concerns about these important Scriptural issues. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely yours in Christ.
Dr. Thomas S. McCall
Zola Levitt

That letter was ignored. Though we sent it to Dr. Wells by certified mail June 24, there has been no acknowledgment. I would expect better treatment even from unbelievers. At this point, I am more hurt than frustrated. Criswell College acts like the White House, frankly. It’s a place where the president ignores constructive complaints, and instead tries to punish the messengers and put up lame defenses, as in the letters some of you received from this college. Obviously, if the textbook were defensible, they would immediately have said so. Surely Zondervan, the publisher, would have at least acknowledged our complaints and defended its work. The end result of the stonewalling by the White House may well be a change in presidents.

I’m afraid that shoddy treatment of Israel and the Jewish people is rife in the Christian Church. The large denominations who have put away their Bibles many years ago are especially guilty. But the people at Criswell College are running a Bible academy. The institution is named for a staunch defender of Israel and a lover of the Jewish people, the family of the Messiah. No pastor I have ever heard is a greater friend to Israel than Dr. Criswell, and I wonder what he would think of this textbook. It seems that we may have to go higher up in the Baptist denomination to handle this situation, and we can do that. My initial expectation was that the college would discontinue the Gundry book immediately without question. But as it happens, real pressure may be needed to effect this change.

You can count on the fact that this ministry will not let up on this subject. For close to 30 years, readers of Gundry’s textbook have come out of Bible schools with ideas of Replacement Theology and notions that Israel is irrelevant. This has simply got to stop. It must terribly grieve the Spirit and the Lord, an Israeli born and bred.

You who receive this letter can be of great effect. Please write to Dr. Wells and urge him to answer our letter. Remind him that silence is not an answer, and that the criticisms of the textbook are being made by competent theologians of his own denomination. Do not settle for him saying he was on vacation, or the like. I am reachable in two minutes by phone or fax, even in rural areas of Israel. And assert your rights as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ. Demand that the textbook be removed. Ask why it has not been removed already.

And beyond that, would you kindly send us the names of any seminaries, Bible colleges, etc., that are using A Survey of the New Testament, third edition, by Robert H. Gundry? We are assembling a list of those schools that we will publish. We will eventually be in touch with all of them. Thank you for your help and your good soldiering.

It’s time to tune in to our new series on love stories in the Bible, taped on location in the Holy Land. The programs are finished and ready, so you may place your order for the videotapes or music cassettes at this time. We’ll hold your orders and fill them first. Since the Scriptures address the human condition, it’s no surprise that love relationships are an important part of them. And, of course, the relationship of the Church and the Lord is characterized as a marital relationship: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

Like our television program, our tours are designed to bring to you both the old and the new: the Israel of the Bible, and the Israel of today, with the emphasis on the spiritual significance for the believer. Some things in life cannot be adequately described; they have to be experienced to be fully understood. The Holy Land is such a place. Anyone wanting to get on the September Tour can still call us at 214-696-9760 to jump on. The dates are September 11–26 for the Grand Tour with the Petra/Eilat extension, and September 15–26 for our Deluxe Israel Tour.

Our Hanukkah/Christmas Tour will depart on December 12, and take in the whole of Israel from the Galilee in the north to the Red Sea in the south. What a unique opportunity for study, fellowship, and prayer. You will visit many sites where the Lord ministered during His time on earth, including the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, the steps of the Temple, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives, and more. You’ll witness exciting archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem, and see the famous site of Masada, where first-century Jews took their last stand against the Roman Empire. We’ll stand atop Megiddo to view the Valley of Armageddon, and swim in the Dead Sea. On our Grand Tour, you’ll travel through the starkly beautiful Negev Desert and gain new understanding of the forbidding wilderness faced by Moses and the Children of Israel. Grand Tour passengers will also be treated to a journey into Jordan to see the world-renowned rose-red city of Petra, as well as a stay in the luxurious Israeli resort city of Eilat on the sparkling Red Sea. The extension also provides a visit to the Shepherd’s Fields around Bethlehem, where our Lord was born, for your Christmas Eve celebration, and a Christmas party on December 25 before we return to the States. Imagine it! Celebrating His birth in the Land of His birth!

Our Deluxe Israel Tour returns December 22, and our Grand Tour returns December 27. We are taking registrations now, so please call our answering service at 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377) for your free, full-color travel folder. Or call our office at 214-696-9760 and ask for Cynthia.

Over the years there is one suggestion that we have received time and again from our tour passengers, and that is that we include more time for Bible study. But the fact is that when we are in Israel, surrounded by holy sites, it is difficult to take time out for long, leisurely Bible sessions. So we’ve decided to undertake a Caribbean Cruise for a long weekend in February, where we will have loads of time and beautiful surroundings for serious Bible study. Departing from Miami, we’ll cruise the Bahamas: Nassau and Cococay, beautiful year ‘round. There will also be time to work on a winter suntan, take interesting island trips, etc. The cruise begins when you leave your home on Friday morning, February 5, and you’ll be back at home on Monday evening, February 8. Prices are nominal, depending on the style of cabin and how far you live from Miami. Please call 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377), write to us, or call Cynthia in our office at 214-696-9760 for a brochure.

As you receive and read this letter, our 15% airtime rate increase on FAM will take effect. This means that fifty cents of every dollar we spend now goes to FAM — justifiably, we believe, because FAM’s 1,200 affiliates reach tens of millions who need our teaching. While coping with the larger FAM invoices, we are attempting to purchase airtimes with other broadcasters. We not only want to expand our outreach but to prepare for another steep rate increase. Please stay with us financially and in your prayers as we struggle to preserve and maximize our presence on television.

And pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Your messenger,

Zola

Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved and has Charity Navigator’s top rating of 4 stars.

Share This Page