Do you not know? Have you not heard? . . . (God) sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. Isaiah 40:21-22 (NIV)

Tony Hambly is an outstanding geography teacher despite an amazing quirk . . . he’s the chairman of the Flat Earth Society in South Africa!

That’s right, he’s a highly educated and intelligent man who believes the earth is flat! He’ll tell you that it was the view of all Christians until the seventeenth century when Galileo and other scientists proposed that the earth was spherical. He’ll even tell you that the Bible speaks of the “four corners of the earth” Revelation 7:1, and will remind you that the Psalms are full of comments about “the ends of the earth” (cf. Psalm 2:8; 22:27; 46:9).

You may argue, as countless others have done, that anyone standing on the beach can look out to sea and watch a ship sail down over the horizon because of the curvature of the earth’s crust. He’ll simply reply that human eyes are lazy and over long distances they droop. “But I’ve seen satellite pictures of the earth!” you’ll exclaim. “Well the special effects cooked up in film studios are remarkable,” he’ll say. Then he’ll place a map on the table and ask you what it is. “Why it’s a map of the world” you’ll say. “Well rub your hand over it and tell me it’s not flat!” And so the arguments will go on and on!

Although Tony has never digressed from his views, I suspect he teaches them in order to get his students to think for themselves. It’s one of those shocking statements that gets everyone all fired up and before they realise it they’ve been hoodwinked into learning. Now I have to admit that’s exactly what happened to me. When I first arrived to teach Geography at Treverton College I was horrified when I heard Tony’s theory and immediately raced home to do some research.

Looking through the Scriptures, I was relieved to find the answers. Psalm 19:4-6 says, “For the sun . . . rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other.” And in Isaiah 40:21-22 it says; “Do you not know? Have you not heard? . . . (God) sits enthroned above the circle of the earth.”

So if you were worrying about falling off the edge of the world – relax. Your fears are groundless!