Google Ken Symes and you’ll find many websites, blogs and articles on the Internet, but how many of these Ken Symes links actually have anything to do with me, the “real” Ken Symes who lives in Oshawa, Ontario?
This website will explore the online identities of several Ken Symeses. Like Snopes.com, I’ll conclude with a True or False verdict to the question: Is this really Ken Symes? So let’s get started with a very common Google result.
CLAIM: Links for Rev. Ken Symes or Pastor Kenneth Symes refer to me.
FALSE
EXAMPLES FROM THE INTERNET:
Blog Talk Radio introduces a recording saying, “Rev. Ken Symes shares Biblical proof that true Christians do not go through ANY of the great tribulation as described in the Book of Revelation.” It’s titled Pre-Tribulation Rapture: BIBLE PROOF by KEN SYMES. The description continues: “Rev. Symes has great expertise re: Bible prophecy, especially as it relates to Israel. As National Field Representative with Jewish Awareness Ministries with decades of full-time ministry experience you will be blessed by the wisdom and balanced Bible teaching that Rev. Symes brings to the table.”
Now, in addition to not wanting anyone to be left behind when the rapture occurs, Kenneth Symes is also author of the book Jews, Gentiles and the Church Age. He writes, “Today there is much confusion among Christians as to the place which God has given to the Jew in this present age of Grace.” Symes explains, “The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally taught that Jews are now cast off by God.” Wanting to set Christians straight on this, in an essay, Symes says, “Today, we must recognize a special responsibility to carry the gospel to the Jew while also including the Gentile.” In this same article titled “Jewish Missions and The Great Commission,” Symes explains: “God said to Abraham, regarding his seed: ‘I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee’ (Genesis 12:3). To share the gospel with the Jew is to receive a special blessing. How can we better bless the Jew than to share with him the gospel or curse him than by withholding the gospel from him?” Oddly enough, Ken Symes answers this question differently when we calls on all Christians to be advocates for the modern nation of Israel. Again quoting Gen. 12:3, Symes says this verse “makes it incumbent that we support Israel’s right to be in the land of Israel as a nation. We believe Israel has a right to the land biblically, but, also, they have a legal and moral right to be a nation today in the land of Israel.” Wow!
CLAIM: Links for Rev. Ken Symes or Pastor Kenneth Symes refer to me.
FALSE
RESPONSE FROM THE REAL NON-REVEREND Ken Symes:
I am not Rev. Ken Symes nor am I Pastor Kenneth Symes . Links to such religious titles with the name are not me, just plain Ken Symes . I am not a Reverend minister nor am I pastor, but I am a Christian and I do attend church (sometimes). In fact, truth be known, I even went to seminary and I do have a Master of Divinity degree—so I’m quite an egghead, for sure. I do blog about how Christian faith intersects with our culture at Samaritan XP, but I am a news media analyst, not a pastor.
I don’t go around preaching about “the rapture” and trying to scare people into fearing they may be left behind. I do not believe that the “Rev. Ken Symes” above is able to offer “Bible proof” for the rapture because it lacks a Scriptural basis. No Christians believed in such a crazy thing for the first 19 centuries of the church! It may sell a lot of books which aim to scare people into fearing that they will be Left Behind, but it is not an historical Christian teaching and I reject it. This Ken Symes is more interested in the historically supported teachings of Christianity rather than pulp fiction.
Unlike Kenneth Symes, I am opposed to believing that modern day Israel is some special fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Christians that rally the U.S. to support Israel no matter what worry me. Sarah Palin and George Bush would probably like the above-mentioned Pastor Ken Symes far more than they would like me. I’m more inclined to agree with Jimmy Carter and say it’s time to put an end to apartheid in Israel. Calling for the blessing of a nation which commits such atrocities to an impoverished people group in their midst should be unconscionable to Christians, in my opinion.
However, the “Ken Symes” comments all over the Internet about The Simpsons not being Catholic were posted by me, not the Reverend Symes. I am fascinated by the religious themes presented so often in The Simpsons. So, when a newspaper from the Vatican City recently suggested that Homer and Bart Simpson were Roman Catholic, of course, I had to comment! Homer and Bart are certainly not Catholic. My blog post to respond to this was titled “Homer Simpson is not Catholic nor Anglican, but he just might be an average American Christian.”
Finally you can check out the Ken Symes Google Profile to find out more about me and what links truly link to my stuff online. Or you can follow Ken Symes on Twitter or find Ken Symes on Facebook. But please note: I am not Rev. Ken Symes.
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