[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the January issue of Uplook I wrote an article in which I stated that the Y2K problem was analogous to a runaway train on a collision course with a station. Catastrophe was certain unless the train was stopped in time. When I wrote that, there was considerable doubt in my mind that the train would be stopped.
Writing now, in May 1999, the situation looks much more optimistic. Many companies are announcing that they are Y2K compliant or will be well before January 1, 2000. Even the government is making significant strides toward compliance.
Why then another book on Y2K? Doomsayers continue to sound the alarm. Some have not changed the tone of their message at all, despite progress made by many organizations towards compliance. Christians are still being encouraged to sell their homes and head to the hills, to withdraw their money from the banks, to prepare for extreme chaos.
This fear-mongering has prompted well-known author Dave Hunt to write a book presenting the other side. Y2K–A Reasoned Response to Mass Hysteria gives a thoughtful analysis of the issues. He seeks to calm the fears of those who are troubled by what they are hearing. As well, he writes out of a heartfelt concern for the testimony of the Church as a whole. He argues that Christians are on the Y2K bandwagon in numbers way out of proportion to the rest of society. If Y2K turns out to be a big bust, individuals who have been speaking out about Y2K will find their witness significantly impacted. He also fears that prophetic teaching will be severely discredited.
First Hunt deals with the technological aspects. In a very non-technical way he shows how concerns over embedded chips and millions of lines of code are not the insurmountable problems they first appeared to be. His main arguments are as follows:
1) Every major corporation and organization (at least in the West) is now aware of the nature and extent of the problem.
2) These organizations have the strongest motivation–money–for doing everything in their power to rectify the problem. Major corporations are demanding statements of compliance from suppliers with the clear threat that an alternative supplier will be found if they are not compliant. Such companies could easily be driven out of business.
3) Programs are now available to repair software code, doing in hours what formerly took weeks or months.
4) The problem of embedded chips has been vastly overstated. Far fewer are affected than first thought. Many of those that are, would not shut down essential operations.
Hunt also deals with the biblical aspect of Y2K. Many doomsayers try to fit Y2K into Bible prophecy, seeing it as the start of the Tribulation. Some post-millennialists view it as the golden opportunity for Christians to rise up and take control.
Even if Y2K were to be as bad as some people claim, Hunt argues it would be none of the above and points out the logical and biblical fallacies of these positions. It does not make sense that Y2K could begin the Tribulation in that it is only through computer technology that it is possible for one person to effectively monitor and control a global population such that “no man can buy or sell unless he have the mark of the beast.” How could the Antichrist come to power by the failure of the very technology he depends on to exercise his control?
Secondly, Hunt shows that the Rapture precedes the Tribulation. Unless the Lord comes between now and January 1, 2000, it is hard to see how Y2K could inaugurate the Tribulation. Hunt also argues that Scripture seems to indicate that the coming of the Lord will be in a day when the world as a whole will not be expecting Him.
While the book seems to be repetitive at times, it provides solid arguments and is well documented with hundreds of quotes from people on both sides of the debate. For anyone who has only heard the doom and gloom side of Y2K, it is a must read.
Ironically, Hunt concludes the book warning of the possibility of serious problems due to hoarding by people worried about Y2K. A run on the banks and stores is still a real possibility which would create problems totally aside from Y2K. Thus he encourages readers to have a supply of food and essentials on hand–just in case.