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Galatians 5:16-23 teaches that at any moment we are either walking by the Holy Spirit or according to the sin nature. Walking by the Spirit, enjoying fellowship with God, walking in the light are virtually synonymous. During these times, the Holy Spirit is working in us to illuminate our minds to the truth of Scripture and to challenge us to apply what we learn. But when we sin, we begin to live based on the sin nature. Our works do not count for eternity. The only way to recover is to confess (admit, acknowledge) our sin to God the Father and we are instantly forgiven, cleansed, and recover our spiritual walk (1 John 1:9). Please make sure you are walking by the Spirit before you begin your Bible study, so it will be spiritually profitable.

Charles Clough

Charles Clough

Role: Conference/Guest speaker
Web: www.bibleframework.org

After four years of active duty as a weather officer supporting Air Force operations, he entered Dallas Theological Seminary. Charlie earned the Th.M. in Old Testament Hebrew while at Dallas, graduating in 1968. His master’s thesis was titled A Calm Appraisal of The Genesis Flood, which was a review and analysis of the reviews and analyses of John Whitcomb and Henry Morris’ classic work The Genesis Flood.

By this time in his life, he had examined the philosophical foundations—rarely mentioned in contemporary education—underlying the extension of the scientific method for forensics (study of past events not reproducible in laboratory conditions). He concluded that no conflict exists between actual data and the Bible’s historical narratives. The oft-cited “conflicts” between forensically applied science and the Bible arise solely due to the philosophical speculations required to generate interpretive theories, not due to any actually observed data. While involved in Christian ministry to university students, he utilized this insight to present biblical truths as forming a basic framework for all of knowledge.

Continuing his work with the Air Force as a Reservist in the early 1980s, Charles earned the M.S. in Atmospheric Science from Texas Tech University. From 1982 through 2006, he served as a staff meteorologist with the Department of the Army in charge of atmospheric measurements, modeling, and environmental applications to support weapons testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He retired from the position as Chief of the Atmospheric Effects Team.

Starting in the fall of 1995, Charlie began teaching a Thursday evening class at Fellowship Chapel in Jarrettsville, Maryland on his Basic Framework for Christian Doctrine. This series was completed in the Spring of 2002. All of the 224 MP3 lessons, class handouts, lecture transcriptions, and miscellanea are available for downloading from this Web site: http://www.bibleframework.org

A well-respected Bible scholar, with a scientific background, Charles is a much sought-after conference speaker and teacher.  He is on the Governing Board and serves as a member of the Adjunct Faculty of Chafer Theological Seminary.

Charlie and Carol reside in Bel Air, Maryland. They are parents of four grown sons.

Latest sermons by
Global Warming
Thu, Apr 10, 2008
by Charles Clough
Series: 2008 Charles Clough
Duration: 49 mins 50 secs
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4 - A Review of D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic
Tue, Mar 10, 2009
by Charles Clough
Series: 2009 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 18 mins 43 secs
D. Brent Sandy, a professor at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana and professing dispensationalist has become a major voice within evangelical academia calling for a paradigm shift in the interpretation of prophecy. He proposes to de-emphasize the search for meaning in the details of prophetic literature. This approach, he hopes, will minimize eschatological disagreements among Christians and lead to more unity in the Body of Christ. Citing results of modern language study that emphasizes the use of speech and text over their literal assertions, he argues that traditional dispensational emphasis upon a literal hermeneutic too often misses the point that biblical prophets intended to make to their audiences, leads to unnecessary sensationalism, and distorts the primary aim of prophetic literature.
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2 - Training Your People How to Think About Climate Change
Mon, Mar 08, 2010
by Charles Clough
Series: 2010 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 13 mins 20 secs

During the past decade so-called “climate change” has become a secular replacement of the biblical apocalypse. Its alarm of dangerous anthropogenic global warming (DAGW) resonates in the hearts of the unregenerate and faithless—those who think they live in a cosmos dependent upon chance and chaos for existence. As this spirit of fear has spread throughout the world’s leaders, hastily-conceived global policies are aggressively promoted so that man can save himself from himself. ...

In the notes link below you can access Charlie Clough's paper. This PDF file also includes a document entitled "A Renewed Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor" by the Cornwall Alliance.

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6 - Panel Discussion: Creationism: Past, Present, & Future
Tue, Mar 09, 2010
by Steve Austin, Charles Clough, Robert Dean & John Whitcomb
Series: 2010 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins 34 secs
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6 - Sanctification Under the Old Testament Theocracy
Tue, Mar 08, 2011
by Charles Clough
Series: 2011 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 12 mins 47 secs
To understand sanctification prior to the Church age requires consideration of the degrees of continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments (hereinafter I use the abbreviations OT and NT, respectively). Should we take NT revelation regarding sanctification and project that back into the OT? Or shall we attempt to understand OT sanctification on its own terms? This decision requires consideration of the dynamics of progressive revelation: is the “progress” mainly a progress in understanding God’s virtually unchanging work, or is it a sequential progress in that work itself? How one answers this question largely determines how one views OT positional sanctification.1 For example, were OT saints justified and regenerated in the same sense as NT saints, or were those divine acts that occurred earlier in progressive revelation different? ...
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3 - The Basic Function, Limitations, and Dangers of Civil Power Revealed in the Old Testament
Mon, Mar 12, 2012
by Charles Clough
Series: 2012 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 16 mins 19 secs

"It may be a reflection on human nature that such devices [separation of powers proposed in the Constitution] should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."

Thus wrote James Madison in 1788 as he advocated ratification of the U. S. Constitution and who would later sponsor the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Along with that generation of the US founding fathers, Madison was well aware of the dangers of civil power given the condition of human nature. While we can quibble with him over his generic and benign evaluation of angels, we certainly can admire his concise statement of the "great difficulty" in framing a government. ...

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5 - Sociopolitical Implications of ­Dispensationalism
Tue, Mar 11, 2014
by Charles Clough
Series: 2014 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 13 mins 21 secs

Readers of this paper should understand that it builds upon more extensive, previously published material that can only be briefly cited here. Christians today, particularly in the United States, are facing a rapidly-growing, comprehensive antagonism by pagan culture as that culture ever more consistently manifests itself through the public policies of all levels of civil government from local to federal. This antagonism challenges Christian family authority in education, Christian vocational freedom in public business and health care, Christian counseling in pastoral care (both civilian and military), Christian scholarship in academia and Christian political freedom in public policy decisions. Because it is the main tool involved, this paper explores the degenerate state of current public discourse in search of an effective overall strategy of response. It concludes that Christians must first become aware of how the suppression dynamic Paul spoke of in Romans 1:18-32 has worked out today in Western civilization. It further points out that simultaneously with the truncated ability of public discourse to handle fundamental truths of reality, truth, and conduct, there is a surreptitious and gradual establishment of a state secular religion that seeks to trump God's revelation. Two strategies to counter these threats are discussed, one aimed at challenging so-called "reasonable" public discussion and the other aimed at strengthening opposition to the state's expanding religious claims.

For Christians committed to a literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic (and thereby a dispensational perspective) the growing pagan antagonism is accompanied by criticism from covenant, post-millennial, theonomic brethren that dispensational theology is largely responsible for Christian impotency in the face of such sociopolitical antagonism. Criticism from these fellow believers charges that our view necessarily leads to defeatism, a purposeless Church age, and irresponsible passivity toward the challenges of earthly life. This paper answers those criticisms by pointing out specific features of dispensational ecclesiology and eschatology that guard the primacy of evangelism and missions while simultaneously offering detailed sociopolitical wisdom for Christian citizens. Included is an example of applying this wisdom to the reformation of Christian wedding services in those states that have delegitimized Christian marriage.

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The Creation-Link between Our Bodies and Our Food Supply
Tue, Mar 11, 2014
by Charles Clough
Series: 2014 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 53 mins 56 secs
The Creation-Link between Our Bodies and Our Food Supply (The importance of correct food choices in the prevention and healing of disease) Why do requests for dealing with health concerns so often dominate our church prayer lists? What can we do to lessen our dependence upon an increasingly socialized health care system? What is the role food plays in the reversal and prevention of auto-immune diseases such as arthritis, M.S., Parkinson's, dementia and other maladies? These questions will be addressed by Charles Clough who will frame the presentation from Scriptural considerations, and Sherri Frost who will provide some practical things we can do to optimize our use of the Creator's foods. As an MD who personally recovered from crippling MS, Dr. Terry Wahls has said, "We can choose a health-promoting or a health-destroying diet. It is up to us to decide if we're going to eat for optimal health."
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5 - Presentation of Chafer Theological Seminary Status
Thu, Jun 18, 2015
by Charles Clough & Clay Ward
Series: 2015 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 56 mins 15 secs
Updates on Chafer Theological Seminary and future plans by Chafer board members Charlie Clough and Clay Ward.

Click on the "notes" link below to view the CTS white paper Charlie presented.

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11 - Sin, Deception, and the Corruption of Science: A Look at the So-Called Climate Crisis
Fri, Mar 18, 2016
by Charles Clough
Series: 2016 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 17 mins 35 secs
Faced with a culture empowered by over a hundred years of secular education that has systematically excluded the Bible from any serious consideration, Christians educated within this system must make a conscious effort to view reality, not through the eyes of classical paganism or the collapsing Enlightenment, but through the Word of God. Using the methodology of the Bible Framework this paper presents a critical look at the climate crisis agenda being put forward by the educational, media, and political elite. This crisis agenda provides an excellent training opportunity because it involves a revival of ancient pagan themes in science, the educational establishment, business, and politics. Sadly, it demonstrates how those themes are corrupting the scientific method that has contributed so much to the prosperity of Western civilization, founded as it was on several basic biblical principles.
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