“How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!”
(Romans 10:15b)
and bring glad tidings of good things!”
(Romans 10:15b)
On
September 15, 2005 the first Herescope post
went up. Steve Muse, who at that time headed Eastern Regional Watch Ministries
(ERWM), Sue Conway, my husband Lynn and I, sat around my computer screen in our
office as Steve showed us how to set up a blog. Steve was convinced that
blogging was a useful new technological way to communicate Gospel truth, and to
especially warn about error in real-time. The four of us had just returned from
a Discernment Ministries conference in Bowling Green, Ohio, where we had
learned about the many new heresies coming into the church. We knew that the
errors of our time were serious and growing, and the warnings needed to get out
quickly.
Steve
proceeded to set up the blog and then asked, “What name should we give this
blog?” We thought about it for a few minutes, then the logical answer came to
my mind – Herescope! Herescope had
been the name of a monthly column in a magazine my husband and I published
during the mid-1990s called The Christian
Conscience. Lynn had coined the term in late 1994 – it literally means
“scoping out a heresy.” In our magazine’s monthly Herescope column we had
published many articles warning about occult teachings, Promise Keepers, the
Toronto “laughing” phenomena, and treacherous New Age teachings. The blog would
be a continuation of that magazine column!
As
we discussed the premise of the blog and how it would operate, we quickly
realized that this was an immense task that would require a group effort. That
very day we dubbed ourselves the “Discernment Research Group,” an ad hoc group
of committed believers who had already been working together for many years
researching, writing, speaking and publishing information about biblical
discernment.
When
we set up the Herescope blog we immediately realized it could also serve as an
active outreach arm for Discernment Ministries. Lynn and I had served on the
board of directors of Discernment Ministries since 2000, and we had already
been working very closely with Jewel (van der Merwe) Grewe with conferences and
writings since 1995. From its inception the Herescope blog blessed Discernment
Ministries with much activity. In its early years I was frequently a guest on
radio shows, and as a result our outreach spanned the globe. Those were the heady
days as online discernment ministries (a term sometimes used as a reproach
against us) were able to get out messages to warn believers about the rapidly
emerging deceptions and errors of unbiblical teachings. We warned about popular
movements that rocked the evangelical world: Rick Warren’s global Purpose
Driven agenda; the leaders and methods trained by Leadership Network who
spawned the Emergents and Neo-Calvinists; C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic
Reformation and its dominion; Chuck Missler and Tom Horn and their Nephilim space
aliens; and the false “Christ” voice that was speaking to both New Agers and evangelicals.
In much of our writings we delved into the history of these movements so that
believers could more fully understand the issues.
We
sought to be above the fray – to not engage in the “ambulance chasing” of every
new bad thing the well-known evangelical leaders were doing, but rather to
patiently and from Scripture point out the error and contrast it with the
truth. We discovered that our research format was feeding factual information and
biblical truth to church people, ministers, and missionaries on the field. We
received e-mails from all over the world thanking us for explaining the details
about why some new teaching was not biblical. Many of our posts were
republished on other blogs and even in printed publications. It was a
particular blessing to realize our writings were reaching the lost with the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor
Larry DeBruyn passed away over the Christmas holidays, and because in recent
years he had been such a major part of our ministry, we decided to step aside
and take a break from our regular Herescope postings. It was time for all of us
to pause, reassess, regroup, and pray for the Lord’s direction. During this time
Discernment Ministries made the decision to return to its original calling and take
a step away from the research. After much prayer, Lynn and I realized that we
were also to go in a new direction, and so we submitted our resignations from
the Discernment Ministries board of directors effective June 30th.
We
will continue to publish our Herescope blog as we move in this new direction.
This is all in God’s plan and in His hands. We feel profoundly blessed to have
worked so closely with Discernment Ministries all of these years and it is with
both sadness and joy that we move on to the next phase of our calling in the
Lord. Our mission continues to be the publishing of biblical discernment and
apologetics research, including testimonies and devotionals, and in the days to
come we will publish a testimony on Herescope of the history of how God set up
the “Discernment Research Group.”
There
will be many changes coming in the future as the Lord directs us. One thing
readers will be blessed to know – Lord willing, we will be publishing more of Pastor
Larry DeBruyn’s works, including the books and articles he had committed to us
to finish before his death. Herescope readers will be kept apprised of these
developments.
We
are thankful for all of our many friends, research partners, pastors and prayer
partners who have together worked with us over these past thirteen years to
publish the Herescope blog. There have been 947 Herescope posts put up since
2005. It is with exceeding gratefulness that we can give God all of the glory
for His faithful Word which sustained us. These 13 years were not without stress,
but they have been filled with joy. Some of us continually battled health
issues. We also lost key members of our Discernment Research Group who passed
on to glory – including Pastor Ken Silva and Pastor Larry DeBruyn. Several of
our dear prayer warriors also moved on to heaven where they will receive their
reward.
May
the Lord bless you all. We covet your prayers. You can communicate with us
directly at Conscience Press, PO Box 1863, Hiram, OH 44234 or at herescope@gmail.com
Sarah H. Leslie, editor
“And
wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times,
and strength of salvation:
the fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
(Isaiah 33:6)
and strength of salvation:
the fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
(Isaiah 33:6)