About The Berean Call | thebereancall.org

About The Berean Call

Seven years after publication of the controversial ground-breaking bestseller The Seduction of Christianity in 1985, its authors, Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon, joined forces on another front. The Berean Call was formed under the direction of Dave Hunt for the purpose of encouraging spiritual discernment among those who regarded themselves  not just as "evangelicals" but as biblical Christians. The primary vehicle for this endeavor was through the publication of the newsletter The Berean Call. Behind every article is the exhortation to believers to get back into the Word of God instead of being “carried about by every wind of doctrine,” and to equip them with materials to help them walk in the truth.

The ministry and newsletter name is taken from Acts:17:11, in which the writer of Acts commended those in the synagogue of the Greek city of Berea for being more fair minded than those in Thessalonica—because not only were they eager to receive the Word, but the Bereans also checked it against what the Apostle Paul taught them in order to see if his teaching was according to the Scriptures.

As the mailing list increased, so did the number of employees and volunteers. Through God’s provision, the ministry was able to expand its floor space to accommodate a warehouse for storage, a shipping and packing department, a radio studio, audio duplication and video editing departments, bookkeeping and mail-order departments, as well as editorial, graphics and administrative departments. While many of these divisions consist of only one or two employees, and the volume of mail, orders and product output is generally quite high, TBC consistently receives praise and thanks for the quality and speed with which products are dispersed, as well as the courtesy and consideration given to people over the phone and through personal letters written in response to their questions.

The Berean Call has always operated on the belief that God will provide as we seek His face, so we do not make appeals for financial help. While the ministry operates primarily on donations, these are freewill and not solicited. TBC has seen God “do exceeding abundantly above” all that was asked or thought.

Dave and Tom have continued to supply the articles and answers to questions in the newsletter itself, and they have also written and produced books and videos through the years. The materials carried by TBC are thought provoking and regarded controversial by some, and are therefore not offered by many Christian bookstores. For nearly ten years the weekly radio program, Search the Scriptures Daily, was broadcast on more than 300 stations as well as the internet. Though no longer in production, STSD is re-broadcast on many stations and is always available on TBC's website.

At present, the ministry is branching out into new territory seeking to reach more people with the truth of God’s Word by way of the Internet, in-house videos, e-books and other means. The radio/tape/cd ministry has continued to grow. The ministry receives letters and inquiries from around the world, as people are introduced to the newsletter and Dave’s and T. A.’s books.

The Berean Call is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation which exists to:

  • Alert believers in Christ to unbiblical teachings and practices impacting the church.
  • Exhort believers to give greater heed to Biblical discernment and truth regarding teachings and practices being currently promoted in the church.
  • Supply believers with teaching, information, and materials which will encourage the love of God's truth, and assist in the development of Biblical discernment.
  • Mobilize believers in Christ to action in obedience to the Scriptural command to "earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude 3).
  • Impact the church of Jesus Christ with the necessity of trusting the Scriptures as the only rule of faith, practice, and a life pleasing to God.

  1. We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and that He created everything out of nothing for His own pleasure and purpose.

  2. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts, and the supreme and final authority in matters of faith and life, interpreted by the Holy Spirit to each individual believer.

  3. We believe that man was created in the image of God, and when he sinned the race incurred both physical and spiritual death; thus man became alienated from God and incapable of remedying his sinful condition by his own means.

  4. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was begotten of the Father through the Holy Spirit, was born of the Virgin Mary, and is true man without ceasing to be God.

  5. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ lived a sinless and perfect life that fully pleased His Father; that He died for our sins on the cross, bearing the judgment demanded by God's Holy Justice against sin, thus making it possible for God to remain Just and at the same time to justify those who believe in Jesus.

  6. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, never to die again, and is ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He intercedes as High Priest and Advocate on behalf of all who believe in Him.

  7. We believe that those who, by faith alone and through no merit of their own, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are miraculously born again of the Holy Spirit and become, as children of God, partakers of His divine nature and of eternal life.

  8. We believe that the Holy Spirit baptizes all true believers into the one true Church, His Body; that He indwells them eternally, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and empowers them for service and holy living.

  9. We believe that God through His Word promises those who believe, all things that pertain to life and godliness, including not only salvation from the penalty of sin but instruction in righteousness for present sanctification and victorious living to the glory of God.

  10. We believe that two ordinances, neither of which is essential to salvation, are to be observed in obedience to our Lord by all believers until Christ's return: baptism and the Lord's Supper.

  11. We believe that at death the souls of the redeemed pass immediately into Christ's presence, to remain there until the resurrection of the body at Christ's return for the Church. We also believe that at death the souls of the lost go to Hell, where they remain until they are brought before Christ at the Great White Throne final judgment to be judged according to their works and cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain eternally.

  12. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the redeemed at the premillennial return of Christ for His Church, when the souls and spirits of those who have died will be reunited with their bodies, now immortal, and that believers who are alive at that time, their bodies likewise transformed into immortality, will be caught up together with them to meet Christ in the air, ever to be with Him.

  13. We believe in the personal, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ to rescue Israel at Armageddon and to establish His millennial kingdom, reigning over this earth from His father David's throne in Jerusalem, and that His redeemed will reign with Him in resurrected bodies for 1,000 years.

Born in 1926, Dave enjoyed the advantages of a godly upbringing, and placed his trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord in his early teens.

He received a degree in mathematics from U.C.L.A. Marriage to his wife, Ruth, was followed by the birth of four children, a career as CPA/management consultant and, later, the management of several corporations. Along with church-related activities, Dave initiated and became involved in numerous campus ministries and meetings in his home, with a special outreach to Jewish young people and foreign students.

Since 1973 Dave’s desire for fulltime ministry has found fulfillment through authorship of books dealing with the incursion, into Western culture and the church itself, of Eastern, psychological and selfist philosophies, ecumenism, and other unbiblical teachings. Concern over Islamic politics and religion are reflected in current articles, lectures and interviews.

At least 4 million copies of his books have been sold and have been translated into more than 50 languages. They include: The Cult Explosion, The God Makers, The New Spirituality, The Seduction of Christianity, Global Peace and the Rise of Antichrist, Occult Invasion, A Cup of Trembling, In Defense of the Faith, An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith, What Love Is This?, Countdown to the Second Coming, Seeking and Finding God, Honest Doubts, Judgment Day! Islam, Israel, and the Nations,Yoga and the Body of Christ, and his latest book, Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny.

His video, Israel, Islam & Armageddon has become a tremendous tool for churches and others interested in helping spread the truth about events prior to and since the attack on the World Trade Center.

Dave’s impeccable research and recognized scholarship are based on in depth studies of original documents and publications, interviews with key experts from around the world, and extensive travel—including to South America, Australia, Europe and throughout the Middle East.

Friday, April 5, 2013, Dave Hunt drew his final breath and entered into the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His beloved wife Ruth was at his side.

As I look back over the decades since I started The Berean Call (TBC), there are three words that come to my mind: "Thank you, Jesus!"
 
Whoa! Hold on a moment. Many have mistakenly thought that Dave Hunt was the head of TBC because they misunderstood the ministry's major function. From the beginning, its purpose was to free Dave up to do research, write books, write articles, debate those opposed to the gospel, confront those changing the gospel, and expose those deceiving the body of Christ with "oppositions of science falsely so called" (such as psychotherapy) as indicated in 1 Timothy:6:20. That enablement and God's grace helped Dave lead the way in exposing some of the major deceptions of the last two centuries.
 
In fact, TBC started with someone who was a Hollywood screenwriter: me.
 
What follows are general remembrances of an 80-year-old, as well as some moments of the Lord's divine orchestration.
 
Soon after I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I saw a Christian-produced documentary at an evangelical church. Technically, it was one of the worst film productions I had ever seen. On the other hand, it had one of the most powerful messages I had ever experienced on screen. It had to do with men having their lives miraculously and completely changed in prison.
 
Being a "Hollywood guy," it immediately came to mind: These guys could use my help.
 
The producer of the film introduced me to a man who believed the Lord was encouraging him to write a story to be made into a feature film. After reading his brief outline of his story, I admitted to him—quite sadly—that I was sorry I couldn't help him. His story was exciting, but I had no clue as to what he was talking about. I thought it was going to be about Christianity, about which I only had a perspective as a former Roman Catholic. Instead, it had UFOs, psychic phenomena, Eastern mysticism and gurus, levitation, and yoga. The man's name was Dave Hunt, and he said he could explain to me what it had to do with Christianity, especially a "new age" false Christianity. What Dave wasn't able to do, however, was write a script for such a film. He then asked me if I'd consider working on it with him.
 
That was the start of nearly 40 years of assisting Dave Hunt, primarily through The Berean Call. THANK YOU, JESUS!
 
It all began in Southern California where Dave and I both lived. He was an established author and I was a documentary filmmaker (The Godmakers) and a novice book-writer. Dave nevertheless encouraged me to collaborate with him on The Seduction of Christianity, which became a best-seller published by Harvest House.


When Harvest House then moved to Oregon, Dave asked me to join him there to work with our publisher. When I mentioned that I heard that it snows there (my family and I were beach people), his ploy and sense of humor was classic Dave Hunt. He said it gets a light dusting of snow in the morning and usually melts sometime in the afternoon. He was correct...sort of. Our first winter in Bend started with a "dusting" of two-and-a-half feet one November morning, and finally melted one late afternoon in March. Again, Dave was only partially correct...and our kids loved it! They forever called him "Uncle Dave."
 
I mentioned that I turned 80 not too long ago, and it reminded me of what a TBC board member did when he entered his 80s. He was a godly man, as well as full of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. His name was William MacDonald, author of Believer's Bible Commentary. However, at my young age, I wasn't happy with a particular decision he made. He told me he would be stepping down from the TBC Board and retiring from ministry. His reasoning was thus: he was thankful for how the Lord had used his life as a prolific writer of spiritually edifying books, and he did not want anything he might say or do in his later years to bring disrepute on what the Lord had brought to pass through him.
 
Now that I'm 80, while I don't have the same concerns as Bill, I do have concerns. My health is certainly not what I would like it to be. My hope is that, before my health reaches a difficult stage, I can spend much of my time ministering to my family members as well as where the Lord guides, directs, and enables.
 
All of this has to do with a major transition now taking place for TBC, along with my retirement. It also involves making Rob Yardley (presently the head of The Berean Call Board of Directors) the new president of TBC.
 
Rob has known Dave and worked with him as a friend for nearly as long as I have known Dave, so there are few things Rob does not know about The Berean Call ministry. There's no one else (other than myself) about which I can say that. Extensive discussions with Rob and Mark Vander Ark (TBC's operations manager) give me assurance that the ministry will continue as it has been under my direction and Dave Hunt's teachings.
 
Although my title as President and TBC's authority will soon end, I've asked the leadership to give me a replacement title, a non-paid honorary one such as "Berean Emeritus," meaning simply, “Once a Berean, always a Berean." I believe that the Lord has given every true believer instruction in the practice of biblical discernment, as was the case in Acts:17:11: "In that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily [to know whether or not what they were being taught was true to the Word of God].” Additionally, I want to be available to assist the ministry in encouraging biblical discernment.
 
Also, to that end, TBC has had in the works an extensive digitizing program that has preserved the material produced by Dave Hunt, T. A. McMahon, and some of the major contributors to the ministry in a searchable format. Our goal is and has been to safeguard the biblical integrity of the ministry’s content and to keep it available for the church.
 
I covet your prayers that all this will be done in the Lord's will. Amen.
 
In His love, 
T. A. McMahon
Berean Emeritus

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