Charles D. Provan (February 26, 1955 – December 11, 2007) was a
Christian theologian, one-time
Holocaust denier, and author based in
Monongahela, Pennsylvania who later in life rejected Holocaust denial after his investigations led him to conclude that eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust were believable. He attended
Bob Jones University for a few years and then transferred to the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
to study history, although he never graduated. Provan was a manager of Zimmer Printing of
Monongahela, Pennsylvania. Married and the father of 10 children, he died of natural causes on December 11, 2007, at the age of 52.
On the subject of World War II history, Provan came to shock Holocaust deniers by proving that their assumptions were misleading.
As a Christian theologian, Provan was an advocate of a
strict constructionist stance on
contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
. His book ''The Bible and Birth Control'' is regarded as providing theological justification for adherents within the
Quiverfull
Quiverfull is a Christian theological position that sees large families as a blessing from God. It encourages procreation, abstaining from all forms of birth control, as well as natural family planning, and Human sterilization (surgical procedure) ...
movement.
In 2007 Provan wrote a series of studies of
allegories in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
, premised on his theory of "
conditional prophecy." These articles were published in ''Christian News'', edited by Herman Otten. Provan expressed other controversial
exegetical
Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...
views in ''Christian News'', including the idea that two books of the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
:
The Song of Solomon and
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly use ...
were warnings concerning both the late-life degeneracy of
King Solomon
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and thinking and behavior about which believers should not engage.
Provan's titles include:
* ''The Bible and Birth Control,''
* ''No Holes? No Holocaust?''
* ''The Church Is Israel Now''
[Provan, Charles D. ''The Church is Israel Now''. Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1987.]
References
External links
* Chapter of Provan's ''The Bible and Birth Control'
available here
{{DEFAULTSORT:Provan, Charles D.
Anti-contraception activists
American Christian theologians
1955 births
2007 deaths
Bob Jones University alumni
University of Pittsburgh alumni
People from Washington County, Pennsylvania
American Holocaust deniers