Dingbats Gone Wild

Lindsey Medenwaldt and Melissa Dougherty deceptively try to explain away passages in the Bible that reveal the Earth is flat and stationary. They base their arguments on the premise that the Bible is not a science book and thus statements about God’s creation of a flat and stationary earth cannot be taken literally. That is the stratagem used throughout the ages to undermine the gospel.

One might think I am being unkind to call them “dingbats.” But I base that epithet on what Jesus calls those who preach a false gospel. Jesus says that those who “heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.” Matthew 7:24-26. Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees who taught false doctrine “fools and blind.” Matthew 23:17.

If God calls those who falsely claim to be his followers and spout a false gospel, fools, then I can heed his example and do the same. The Greek word, moros, is translated as fool in the English Bible; it is also the root for the English word moron. Moron and fool both mean a stupid, dull, or foolish person. Synonyms for moron and fool would include “blockhead,” “dimwit,” “doofus,” “dullard,” “ignoramus,” “imbecile,” and “dingbat.” Nonetheless, the English word, fool, as used in scripture, is a word pregnant with meaning. It also denotes wickedness. For example, “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” Psalms 14:1. And, indeed, in Matthew 23 we find that Jesus describes the foolish scribes and Pharisees as being “full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matthew 23:28.

Calling someone a dingbat for spouting a false gospel is restrained kindness because, in reality, things are much worse for them with God. Indeed, Jesus alludes to their wickedness and just punishment for being purveyors of false doctrine as he asked the scribes and Pharisees, “how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew 23:33. In Galatians 1:8-9 Paul explains that persons preaching a false gospel are “accursed.” Whoa! To be “accursed” means eternally damned!

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8-9.

Notice that Paul repeats his admonition so that there can be no question about his meaning. Those who spout false doctrine and “pervert the gospel of Christ” are accursed! My hope is that these two dingbats repent of their sin and turn to the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Those who think that the Bible’s description of the earth is not part of the gospel are wrong. Satan does not want people to know that “gospel” means “God’s word,” which includes every word of God. Matthew 4:4. God uses parallelism to define words in the Bible. That parallelism defines the gospel as “the word of God” (2 Timothy 2:8-9; 2 Corinthians 4:2-3; Romans 10:16-17), “the word of the Lord” (Acts 8:25; 1 Peter 1:25), and “the word of truth” (Ephesians 1:13).

If the devil can use the big-bang heliocentric model to convince men that God did NOT create a fixed and flat earth by speaking “and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” as explained in Psalms 33:9. The devil can then can convince men that it is NOT true that God “[f]rom the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth,” as explained in Psalms 33:14. Once the devil removes God from heaven above and the conscience of men below, it is inexorable that he will then remove men’s need for salvation, since there are no rules from God that need to be obeyed. Once the devil removes the need for salvation, the devil can attack the Biblical doctrine that God has a “people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance,” as described in Psalm 33:12. If there are NO special people elected by God for salvation, then it CANNOT be true that “the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy,” as declared in Psalms 33:18. Thus, there is NO basis for anyone to “waiteth for the LORD” as described in Psalms 33:20 because God is NOT “our help and our shield,” as described in Psalms 33:20. Once people are convinced by the devil that God is NOT our help and our shield, there is NO cause for our heart to rejoice in him, “because we have trusted in his holy name,” as described in Psalms 33:21. In the end, there is NO reason to pray to God: “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee,” as depicted in Psalms 33:20-22. You see, an attack on God’s creation of a flat and stationary earth is an attack on the very existence of God and his merciful salvation. Heliocentrism is an attack on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who argue that the creation account in the Bible of a flat and stationary earth is not part of the gospel are, at the very least, unwittingly accomplices in the devil’s dark rebellion against God.

Jesus stated: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” (Matthew 12:30) That means that someone who speaks out against the gospel of Christ is against Christ. God’s creation of a stationary and flat earth is part of the gospel. Someone who speaks against God’s biblical creation account of a flat and stationary earth contained in the gospel is against Christ. The disciples of Christ are the body of Christ. “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:27) That means that those who attack the disciples of Christ and their belief in the truth of the gospel are against Christ (i.e., they are antichrist).

People who call themselves Christians but reject the truth of the Christian gospel are false disciples of Christ. A person who claims to be a Christian but yet campaigns against a clear truth in the gospel is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Do not be fooled by their high station in the church. An active opponent of the gospel may seek a position as a pastor as a guise from which to undermine the gospel. Such charlatans, who speak against the gospel, are enemies of Christ. Don’t be hoodwinked by their smooth oration. Satan’s ministers can appear as angel’s of light.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

The active opposition of false ministers of the gospel exposes them as antichrist disciples of the devil. Such persons are quite different from those who are ignorant about some truth in the gospel. A person is not against Christ if he simply does not know about God’s creation of a flat earth but otherwise supports the truth of the gospel as far as he knows. Jesus explains that such a person, who is not against him, is still for him. “[H]e that is not against us is for us.” (Luke 9:50)

Those who attack the biblical account of God’s creation of a flat and stationary earth are enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not a matter of ignorance. They are in an active campaign against the word of God.

At the beginning of the video, Melissa Dougherty stated that she relied completely on the research findings of Linsey Medenwaldt about the flat earth. “[I]f the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:14. Medenwaldt studied the flat earth for a month and determined that the earth is not flat. Case closed. In the course of the video, Dougherty and Medenwaldt spewed one erroneous conclusion after another. Medenwaldt states that flat earth “is not aligned with reality.” 1:20:05. Dougherty states that proving that the earth is a spinning globe would seem to be “very easy to prove.” 1:04:55. Medenwaldt chimes in that “when you’re looking at something like the flat earth, it doesn’t seem aligned with reality, and honestly, I haven’t found something that convinces me otherwise, not even not even scripture.” 1:05:22. Dougherty slipped up and revealed the real reason why she and Medenwaldt are so adamantly against the flat earth.

You have people that look at Christians who are flat-earthers and think “Oh wow.” Like, that’s, okay, if that’s part of Christianity, eh, I don’t, I can’t, go there. Right. Like, you guys are denying certain fundamental basics of reality, right. And so it kind of makes Christians look like we’re anti-intellectual, all these things. But they really, firmly, fiercely believe this, and I don’t know why. A lot of it has to do with, oh, this is what scripture says. 1:06:00.

Dougherty comes against the flat earth because she is so concerned with what the world thinks of her she is willing to compromise what the Bible says about God’s creation of a flat and stationary earth. It is the fear of ridicule that is born of Dougherty’s “pride of life,” which is of the world and is contrary to God. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16. Indeed, the devil knows the weak character of men and thus has conditioned people to have contempt and deride anyone who believes the earth is flat. That heliocentric hive environment that zeros in on and attacks a man’s pride serves as an impediment to the truth of the geocentric, flat earth being accepted in academic and scientific (and religious) circles.

Dougherty has compromised her Christian principles to befriend the world. “[K]now ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4. It is the fear of ridicule that is born of Dougherty’s “pride of life,” which is of the world and is contrary to God. She does not want to be ridiculed by the world. She wants friendship with the world. God tells us, however, to “[l]ove not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.

God’s account of his creation is part and parcel of the gospel. A person with genuine faith believes what Jesus said about both heavenly and earthly things. “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” John 3:12. Jesus is God. Jesus created all things in heaven and on earth. See Colossians 1:16-18. God has revealed himself through his creation.

[T]hat which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20.

If men have a misunderstanding of God’s creation, they will also have a misunderstanding of who God is. If people believe in a creation that does not exist, they consequently also believe in a creator that does not exist. It is essential, therefore, to have an accurate understanding of God’s creation. God did not make a movable, spherical earth. If men believe in a heliocentric creation, they will necessarily believe in a heliocentric creator. A heliocentric creation does not exist. So also, a heliocentric creator does not exist. A heliocentric creator is a false god. We have been warned to avoid the preaching of a false gospel, which presents a false Jesus.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 2 Corinthians 11:4.

Jesus Christ is both savior and creator. True Christians cannot decouple those two facts. Indeed, the character of God, even his eternal power and Godhead, is revealed through his creation. Romans 1:19-20. One cannot know Jesus Christ as savior without knowing him as the creator. Belief in Jesus Christ presupposes belief in him as both savior and creator. He is the savior of our souls because he is the creator of our souls. He is the creator of all things seen and unseen. The pastors who focus only on God as the savior to the exclusion of God as the creator are eviscerating the gospel. They honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. They, instead, worship a god of their own making.

In Psalms 136, God proclaims that he is our creator and his eternal goodness and mercy are effectual in saving his elect. God created his elect to save them. Ephesians 1:3-11. We are to give thanks to God for his mercy. God created us to dwell on a flat and stationary earth, with the sun to rule by day and the moon and stars to rule by night. God’s creation is inseparable from his mercy in saving his elect. Isaiah 42:1-9. Jesus Christ can effectually save us from our sins by his everlasting mercy because he is God Almighty, the creator of all things, and he is sovereign over his creation. Colossians 1:14-17. That God is a merciful redeemer and that God is the sovereign creator are both parts of the gospel. “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (Isaiah 43:1) The fact that God “stretched out the [flat] earth above the waters” is as much a part of the gospel as the fact that “his mercy endureth for ever.”

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. … Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalms 136:1-9, 23-26)

To be a Christian requires one to accept all that God states in his word. Jesus Christ makes it clear that there is no such thing as a partial Christian. “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16) Frank Hall puts it this way: “If you are ashamed of the cross, you are ashamed of the Christ who once hung on it, and if you are ashamed of the circle of the flat earth, you are ashamed of the Christ who sits upon it.”

“Christians” who are ashamed of the flat earth must understand that the shame cuts both ways. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Read closely what Jesus says in that passage. He says that he who is ashamed of God and his “words,” God will also be ashamed of him on judgment day. His words formed his creation, and his words of creation are found in his Bible. Indeed, Jesus is the word who became flesh. John 1:14. By his word, he created a flat, immovable earth over which he reigns. “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:” (Isaiah 40:22) If one is ashamed of God’s expressed words regarding his creation, God will be ashamed of him.

Our salvation is based upon God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8. Our faith is rooted in God’s words; not just some of them, all of them. Frank Hall explains:

Faith—faith and faith alone—is our only recourse. We must believe God! We must take him at his word in all things. Does God say it? Then let us believe it, come what may and come what will. Does God say that salvation is by grace? Then let us trust him for his grace. Does God say that all men are totally depraved? Then let us own and confess our sin this instant. Does God say that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth? Then let us believe on Christ for righteousness. Does God say that Eve transgressed his commandment by listening to the lies of a talking snake? Then let us submit our reason to God’s word. Does God say that the sun is in circuit above the circle of his firm, fixed, flat, and stationary earth? Then let us forsake the devil’s globe and submit ourselves to God’s revelation

In the video, Medenwaldt dives in to twist the scriptures to render the passages explaining that the earth is flat as simply metaphors and ancient idioms. Both Medenwaldt and Dougherty begin with the stated premise that the Bible is not a science book. They imply by that that statements in the Bible describing a flat earth can be overruled by modern science. But Jesus refutes that by plainly saying: “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” John 3:12.

The first passage that Medenwaldt tackled was Isaiah 40:22. She completely fumbled the ball in her portrayal of Isaiah 40:22. She claimed that the passage is a metaphor. But she did not explain what metaphor God is conveying. The reason she did not is because she could not. Isaiah 40:22 is not a metaphor. God states in Isaiah 4:22 that “it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth.” He is saying that the Earth’s face is a circle. That means that the Earth must be flat and circular. A circle is not a sphere. A circle is not the same as a ball. A circle is a flat plane whose circumference is equidistant from the center. A globe, on the other hand, is a three-dimensional ball. Isaiah knew the difference between a ball and a circle. See Isaiah 22:18. If Isaiah meant ball in Isaiah 40:22, he would have said ball. He did not say ball, because the earth is not a ball. There can be no confusion here. Indeed, when people refer to a ball, they never call it a circle. Can you imagine a player asking his soccer teammate to pass him the “circle?” Nobody confuses a circle with a ball, and you can be sure that God knows the difference. The earth is described by God as a circle (i.e., a flat plane) in the Bible because it is true. “[L]let God be true, but every man a liar.” Romans 3:2.

Medenwaldt recommends Mike Winger and his video criticizing belief in the flat earth. I have deconstructed his deceptive video and exposed him as a heretic in my article titled “Mike Winger Subverts God’s Word.”

Medenwaldt and Dougherty do not address the fact that the account in Genesis can only be interpreted to mean that God created a flat earth. For example, in Genesis 1:2 God moved upon the face of the necessarily flat water. There is simply no other way to interpret that passage but to mean that the earth created by God began as flat water. Read carefully how God describes the water in Genesis 1:2 before moving upon the face of it. God stated that “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2) Notice that there was darkness upon the face of the deep. Once again, we have the face of the water (the surface of which can be nothing but flat) described as having a face (i.e., it was and is flat).

A face is the front side of an object or a person’s head. We often talk of the face of a coin, clock, or building. The word face is never used to describe a sphere. A sphere is a round ball and thus cannot have a front; it, therefore, cannot have a face. In conclusion, God did not move upon spherical waters, since a sphere does not have a face, water cannot form a “deep” on the side of a sphere, and water at rest is always flat. God moved upon the face of flat waters.

The Math is Fun website is a mathematics website for students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. It is based upon the New York State Education Curriculum. It is reviewed for accuracy by “Les Bill Gates, Graduate of Oxford University with an Honours degree in Mathematics, and a post-graduate Certificate in Education,” and “David Sevilla, Doctorate in Mathematics.” The Math is Fun website states that a face could be “any of the individual flat surfaces of a solid object.” Thus, because a sphere has no flat surface, a sphere cannot have a face. This is confirmed by the Math is Fun website, which states, in pertinent part, that a sphere has “one surface (not a ‘face’ as it isn’t flat).”

As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a face in geometry is “any of the plane surfaces that bound a geometric solid. A cube is a solid with six square faces.” That means that a face in geometry must be a plane (flat) surface. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary further defines Face as “the principal flat surface of a part or object.” The cK-12 education website states that “[a] face is any flat surface.” Since a sphere does not have a flat surface, it has no face. Physicist Atul Kumar Kuthiala, MSc., (Hons.), explains that “[i]n solid geometry a face is understood to be a flat or a planar surface that forms part of the boundary of the solid object under consideration. As such a Sphere has zero faces.” It is clear that in geometry a face must be a flat surface. While a cube has six square faces, a flat, circular plane with water on it has only one face, the face of the water, just as stated in the Bible. That means that when the Bible describes how “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2) that completely covered the earth, it is describing a flat surface, not a sphere because a sphere cannot have a face.

Medenwaldt and Melissa Dougherty avoided any discussion of God’s description in Genesis of “the face of the deep” and God moving “upon the face of the waters.” They know that bringing that up would make it impossible to convincingly argue that God created a spherical earth.  A face in geometry must be a plane (flat) surface. Since a face requires a flat surface, and a sphere does not have a flat surface, a sphere cannot have a face. You simply cannot have the face of flat water over a spherical earth. Thus God could not be moving upon a sphere when he “moved upon the face of the waters” in Genesis 1:2.

For more information about the biblical authority and scientific proof of the true nature of God’s creation, a flat and stationary earth, read The Sphere of Influence.