Charles Clough

Charles Clough

Role: Bible Teacher

Charles Clough was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up on Long Island. Upon graduation from high school, Charlie received a scholarship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was during his first semester at MIT that Charlie was led to Christ by a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member. Charlie met Carol while in college and they later married. Charlie completed his BS in Math and also did graduate work in atmospheric science at MIT.

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 entitled A Calm Appraisal of The Genesis Flood, which was a review and analysis of all 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, Charlie 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 website.

A well-respected Bible scholar, with a scientific background, Charlie is a much sought-after conference speaker and teacher. He is on the Board of Advisors 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
Sun, Jan 23, 2005
Duration: 1 hr 27 mins 19 secs
Background and structure of the Framework (cont.). The word “faith” means I know and I trust in the character of God to do what He says. The sufficiency of Scripture has been a test for the church throughout the centuries. Reality in Scripture is larger than appearance. Unbelief is filled with internal contradictions and ultimately refutes itself. The first historians were the authors of the Old Testament. They saw history as having a goal related to God’s covenant. God’s faithfulness to His promises is a matter of historical record. Unbelievers always want to rewrite history because history testifies to God. Until you understand the Creator/creature distinction, you cannot, correctly, understand the rest of Scripture. All unbelievers have to be hypocrites because, in their hearts, they know God exists, but they want to deny that He exists. The purpose (teleology) of history is to keep man conscious of God, so they’ll seek the gospel. Acts chapter 17 provides a model for how to evangelize in a pagan environment. When biblical truths are woven inside a network (the whole Word of God), unbelief can’t encompass it. God’s Word controls all of reality. Questions and answers (includes charts of key biblical events and the related doctrinal images).
Sat, Jan 22, 2005
The rationale behind the Framework (cont.). The world system has a moral agenda which is to insulate us from responsibility before our Creator. God the Holy Spirit has taught the church throughout the centuries, clarifying biblical doctrines. The pagan world, falsely, thinks faith or belief are weak forms of knowledge. That's not the Scriptural position. Faith is a response of trust to the authoritative, supreme, self-authenticating, Word of God. Language was the instrument God used to create the entire universe. God gave language to man because He wants to have a personal relationship with us. Language is distorted by agenda at work. The great addresses in Scripture concentrate on contrast, involve a range of meaning, and put things into context (God's larger plan for His creatures). This also applies to all forms of revelation (general and special). Every statement contains a series of assumptions. Christianity is a cognitive religion, not mysticism.
Fri, Jan 21, 2005
Duration: 1 hr 13 mins 26 secs
A background of the Biblical Framework way to teach God’s Word. God the Holy Spirit designed the Bible, through a narration of history, so that all history is pedagogical. We should respect the historical sequence God used to reveal His truth. There are only two basic worldviews: pagan unbelief or the biblical worldview. God has put a sense of eternity in everyone’s heart. We are accountable to God and the authority of His revelation. The weaknesses of pagan unbelief. The agenda of pagan thinking is to make the world safe from God's interference in life. Unbelief attempts to reinterpret God’s Word to make it safe. The Framework is a way of strategically enveloping unbelief. Questions and answers.
Sat, Jan 01, 2005
Duration: 1 hr 9 mins 13 secs
Compilation of snippets from Charles Clough's 224-lesson Bible Framework series providing an overview of the course.