C. I. Scofield's Hidden (Criminal) Side! by Dave MacPherson

[We feel privileged to be working closely with Dave MacPherson, considered the foremost expert and research specialist on the origins of the Rapture to Heaven doctrine. Dave and his wife Wanda spend most of their time visiting churches, schools and universities lecturing about the false Pre-Tribulation to Heaven dogma. His research may be criticised much but he has never been refuted on his findings. One of the reason for this is his ability to hunt down actual material (such as newspaper clippings and legal documents and other evidence) to back his research. We are honored he has chosen our blog as the official medium to publish his news and updates.]
       

     C. I. S.  can stand for "Crime Investigation Scene" or "C. I. Scofield."
     But I repeat myself. The venerable old C. I. Scofield of Scofield Bible fame was, in a sense, a 19th century "crime scene" that many still don't know about!
     Cyrus Scofield is best known in Christian circles as the greatest promoter of the pretrib rapture during the past century by means of his Scofield Reference Bible which came out in 1909.
     He preferred the pretrib rapture view over other prophetic views and never missed an opportunity to plug that 19th century British fantasy and sneak it into his "explanations" which he included alongside Bible verses.
     Maybe we should call his Bible the Scofield "Preference" Bible!

     Some remarkable things happened after his reported conversion to Christ in 1879:
     An article in the "Topeka [Kansas] Daily Capital" on Aug. 27, 1881 stated that "within the past year [1880]...Cyrus committed a series of St. Louis forgeries" which landed him "in the St. Louis jail for a period of six months." (I obtained a copy of this article at the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka.)
     One of the forgeries was a real estate scam he cooked up during which he robbed his own mother-in-law of her life savings ($1300.00)! (Would most crooks target their own family members?!)

     Scofield deserted his first wife Leontine (and their two girls), she divorced him in 1883, he remarried three months later and later lied to "Who's Who in America" about his marital history! (Google "copy of C. I. Scofield's divorce decree" which I obtained at the Atchison County, KS Courthouse. I included highlights of the above in my 1983 book "The Great Rapture Hoax.")
     Although Scofield never had any theological training, he brazenly added "D.D." after his name in the 1890s even though no institution had conferred that degree on him!
     Those interested in many other shocking aspects of Scofield's hidden (and criminal) side are invited to obtain "The Incredible Scofield and His Book" (1988) by Joseph M. Canfield. 

But an even better book on C. I. S. is "The Praise of Folly" (2009) by David Lutzweiler.
     Somehow the Scofield saga continues. His pretribized Bible is still being merchandised in numerous Christian bookstores and I have to conclude that many are still Scofieldelirious!

Dave Macpherson is a historian, author, and journalist. He is the son of Dr. Norman Spurgeon Macpherson who was a Baptist Minister and theologian. Dave has written a number of articles and books on the origins of the pretrib rapture theory. His books include: The Rapture Plot, The Great Rapture Hoax, and The Incredible Coverup. All of his books can be found on amazon.com (or try our book search).