Ted Wilson Addresses German Adventists

After reading an article by Lothar E. Träder, a retired Adventist pastor and teacher in Germany, in which he decried Ted Wilson's series of sermons (five so far) preached to the German churches since he became the General Conference President, I was moved to comment.  It is immediately apparent, if you read the entire article, that Seventh-day Adventism in Germany is suffering the same trials as the church in the United States, Australia, and most likely around the world.  Namely, the widening gap between those who desire to embrace the world, and those who desire to surrender to Christ.
 

A few impressions after reading the article:

"So when Ekkehard Müller denounces German-speaking churches as being “deeply polarized”, many feel that such generalized statements are of little help and accuracy."

- Many of your own statements later in the article testify to the accuracy of Muller's that "German-speaking churches (like all Adventist churches) are 'deeply polarized'" (e.g. "They insist on a more rigid traditional form of Adventism, fighting against a more supposedly liberal brand of Adventism.")

"Don’t misunderstand me: the majority of the churches in Germany are theologically healthy, mission-oriented, living harmoniously their faith."

- Nothing could be further from the truth. This statement exemplifies the Laodicean state that our church is characterized by in the book of Revelation. We are NOT "theologically healthy, mission-oriented and living harmoniously our faith" any more than we are rich, increased in goods and have need of nothing.

"First, I noticed a dangerous version of endtime theology. He never ceased to emphasize the imminence of the Second Advent. Taking as a starting point the somewhat peculiar and overemphasized notion of the latter rain."

- It saddens me to hear someone in the Adventist church speak of an emphasis on the soon-coming of Jesus and the latter rain as a negative.

"What will happen if next year in all the pastors’ conventions around the globe ministers are called to preach this message, but the longed-for cosmic event will not materialize? Wouldn’t that create something like a second great disappointment among Adventists?"

- Would the world and church be better served by avoiding speaking of Christ's soon coming, thus affirming our Laodicean attitude? Nay, it is our mission to spread the message of His soon coming and that His judgment is already come!

"Deeply convinced in Mannheim that Christ’s return would be imminent, in Friedensau he dared to formulate that it is of little relevance whether Christ will return in five or fifty years."

- That one can look at these two points of Ted Wilson's sermons and conclude that "perhaps his visits to the places of the reformation had deeply impressed him" and that "Ted Wilson is a learner like all of us and perhaps he should come back to Germany more often to discuss issues with our fine theologians in Friedensau" shows just how deep the schism has become between the two groups in Adventism. Ted Wilson's theology has not changed, nor does his emphasis on the imminent return of Christ in one sermon and proclamation that it is of little relevance whether Christ returns in 5 years or 50 in the next present a conflict or evolution of belief.

We DO believe in the imminent return of Christ, and we ALSO believe that we are called to live the same life whether He comes in 5 years or 50. That is why the date of His return is of little relevance to the life of the believer...unless you believe that if we know Christ isn't coming for 50 years we can then "relax" and live a more worldly life, not spending so much time thinking about the things of heaven and spreading the Gospel?

It Gets Better (For Adventists Too)

To my gay brothers and sisters...God loves you. He made you...He knew you before you were born. He has a special place in His heart for you and only you. He loves you as if you were the only person He has ever made. He watches over you, speaks to you, woos you and entreats you. He loves you so much that He became a man and suffered and died to take the punishment that justice requires of you.

Recently, there has been a group in the Seventh-day Adventist church who have joined hands with the rest of the world in promoting an "inclusive" philosophy towards homosexuality. That is the reason for this article.

God created this world as a lush, beautiful garden...a veritable paradise. When sin entered the world at the fall of Adam, that perfect creation was shattered. Sin spread like a cancer through every living creature and every plant, through every drop of water and every breath of air.

Many animals began to attack and devour one another and became venomous...many plants developed thorns and thistles and became poisonous...nothing, neither plant nor animal, was left unaffected.

It is said that Adam and Eve wept over the first fallen leaf as we weep today for the death of a child. These things were never meant to be. Death was never meant to be.

But it wasn't physical changes alone that came with the entrance of sin; there were spiritual changes taking place as well. Since that day, around 6,000 years ago, mankind has been slowly degrading both physically and spiritually. While Adam was said to be perhaps 15 feet tall or more, with a mind that was able to recall every sight, sound, touch, taste and feel that he had ever been exposed to...today men are lucky to stand even 6 feet, with minds that sometimes struggle to remember even such things as what we had for breakfast.

And while we have become more and more debased, our lusts have grown more and more perverse until now we see so much adultery, fornication and fetishes that it all seems normal. A man thinks nothing of going to a bar and bringing to bed whatever girl he strikes up a conversation with that night, oftentimes never to see her again. A woman thinks nothing of letting men use her in any vulgar way he pleases. Children now, often before puberty even begins, are engaging in sexual acts without batting an eye.

As this broken Earth has fallen further and further from it's former perfection, so too have we who inhabit it. We are all born with natures that are selfish, greedy and lustful...seeking to maximize our pleasure and minimize our discomfort. And the world just urges us on, encouraging us to be proud of who we are...to be ourselves.

But dear one, ourselves are wicked wicked things. That is what the world doesn't understand. We were made for greater things. We were made to be greater things. Pure and joyful and holy. We were made in the very image of our Creator!

We all struggle with sins...those sins which do so easily ensnare us...a man's lust to sleep with women outside of marriage, a woman's lust to sleep with men outside of marriage, a man's lust for men, a woman's lust for women...a lust for the riches and power of this world...a lust for food and drink...a pride deep within that says we know best. There are so many things we struggle with because we are a broken creation. But please know...it does get better.

The more we surrender to God and the more we decide to follow His will even though our hearts desire our own way, the more His Spirit comes in and comforts us. As we die to self, He begins living in us. And His light shines brighter and brighter until that perfect day when He shall make us brand new again...when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. And God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; and there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

So please, my brothers and sisters...do not lose hope. Do not go to the right hand or to the left, but listen to that still small voice behind you saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." Forsake self and be reborn, for if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Take hold of Jesus' loving hand and let Him lead you all the way through the gates of heaven. Trust the promise of the One who said, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." For He also said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

God's great mercy be forever with you.
With Christ's Love,
Todd

Scripture References (almost in the order I used them):

John 3:16, Jeremiah 1:5, Ezekiel 33:11, Genesis 1:28-31, Genesis 3:18, Isaiah 51:6, Romans 8:22, Romans 5:12, Matthew 24:12, Jeremiah 17:9, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 John 2:16, Isaiah 53:6, Ephesians 2:10, Revelation 4:11, Isaiah 45:18, 1 Peter 2:9, Genesis 1:26-27, Hebrews 12:1, Romans 1:27, John 14:16, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:31, Galatians 2:20, Proverbs 4:18, Job 11:17, 2 Peter 1:19, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, John 3:3, Revelation 21:4, Proverbs 4:27, Isaiah 30:21, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 16:33, John 14:2-3.

Regarding the Resignation of Four La Sierra University Employees Over a Recorded Conversation

If you came to listen to the recordings, I'm sorry but I have not posted them yet. I'm not sure it's right or even legal. I obtained them from Educate Truth, but they have taken down the article from which they were made available.

Below are some thoughts about this whole controversy that I posted over at Spectrum.

"Those who have listened to the recording and see nothing wrong with it only demonstrate the heart of the problem that the Adventist church is facing. Please understand that the larger problem is not the sin displayed but our blindness to it. We cannot see the sinfulness of sin anymore.

Those who salivate for this matter to be taken to the courts would gain such a blessing from meditating on 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 and Romans 12:14-21.

To Pierre who said 'there goes 90% of French Adventists...' and that 'alcohol prohibition seems to be particularly American...' Please understand that it is not an American prohibition, but a biblical one. It is God, not man, that declares the destructive nature of alcohol. Sadly, those Adventists who willfully neglect the word of God by drinking alcohol or insisting to dismiss God's account of creation...are not truly Adventists at all.

The Adventist church is defined by the doctrines it holds, as is any church. If one falls outside the doctrines, he also falls outside the church.

The remnant church is not here to form a nice 'community' or 'culture'...it is here to deliver a message to the last generation. The message is the truth. It can be found so plainly in scripture and in the spirit of prophecy, if we would only surrender ourselves to God and say, 'not my will, but Thy will be done.'"

"I'll try...

I have downloaded the recordings but have not yet listened to them so I am speaking generally, although I did read selected portions of the transcript. The behavior recorded was far from benign...these attitudes of the heart that we are increasingly prone to seeing as 'no big deal' are ripping us away from God, whether we know it or not.

We have become so incredibly removed from the example that Christ gave us when He walked on earth as a human and that His disciples displayed in the early church after He left.

Little flags are everywhere in the discussion of these events...from the notion that any 'context' will somehow lessen the sinfulness of drinking alcohol, or that those crying out are somehow 'puritans' because they choose to deny self and to follow God's will for His children.

I don't understand why so many people feel the need to preface alcohol with 'a small cup' or 'just a little'...as if moderation is what's lacking.

All our sins are symptoms...our disease is 'self'. The only cure is complete surrender to Christ, and yet every fiber of our being is violently opposed to the thought.

Yes yes and yes to showing forgiveness and being 'redemptive'...but does God forgive us the sins which we don't repent of? He longs to forgive us, to pour out His grace all over us...but His righteousness will not allow it unless we first confess and repent. He is a just God.

I hope with all my soul that these four guys are sorrowful and repentant. I hope with all my soul that they don't harden their hearts and continue to follow their own inclinations and reasonings. We need God's guidance...we are absolutely incapable of leading ourselves. There MUST be something absolute with which to judge ourselves. It is God's word. God's plain word."

Please pray for Lenny Darnell, Jeff Kaatz, Jim Beach and Gary Bradley...God loves them each so dearly and none of them can ever be replaced. Pray fervently that they, and we, all surrender fully to Christ.

What is Wrong with this Sentence?

"...one wonders why Adventism has not had as much success translating its beliefs into mainstream culture?"

An Unbiased View of California's Liberal Adventism

The article below was posted as a comment on the uber-liberal Spectrum website by an anonymous person under the name "City Lights." It was so eloquent and true that I felt it should be shared.

While my post was tongue-in-cheek, I have no doubt that Ted Wilson's strategy will likely be to get the most conservative men into top positions in the whole of California eventually. The little pockets of conservatism they now have are not enough to stem the tide of liberalism there, so it behooves them, if they want to execute a calculated takeover of the whole state, to install men who will set the stage for an eventual purge of what many conservatives in the church consider the tarnishing black spot of the NAD.

I am not conservative by any stretch of the imagination and I abhor purges, but I also hold a lot of the constituency (of the SCC mostly) responsible for the mess we are in right now, for continually testing the boundaries and limits of Adventism. Do you think it is just coincidence that Dale Ratzlaff and Colleen Tinker's Former Adventist ministry is located in California? Of course not. It's the hub of disenfranchised Adventists and the pickings couldn't be better for them anywhere else. Larry Kirkpatrick apparently couldn't handle it anymore and promptly fled CA.

Pushing incessantly for years on the women's ordination issue, going ahead with WO in defiance of GC policy, Hyveth Williams peeving off the conservatives at every opportunity during her tenure as pastor with her controversial sermons, teaching theistic evolution in the colleges, being the epicenter of Moral Influence Theory and God-Does-Not-Kill theology, openly drinking wine and coffee, pushing for acceptance of gay marriage, openly attending and proudly endorsing movies, relegating EGW to devotional writer and nothing more, going out to eat on Sabbaths, featuring Desmond Ford as a speaker in many churches....

And you think this is going to do anything but infuriate and fuel the anger of fundamentalist SDA's? It's tantamount to thumbing the nose at the right wing of the church and it's needlessly antagonistic. Does one prance through a pride of lions with raw meat in hand and then feign surprise when the lions awake and attack?

Remember Union President Tom Mostert's editorial in the Pacific Union Recorder entitled 0+0+0+0=0 where he bemoaned the state of California Adventism just before his retirement?

That was just one of the rumbles heard in the past about lax California Adventism. It was a foreshadowing of things to come. It's almost as if Mostert was issuing a cry of help in 2007 which echoed down the tunnels of time into the future where Ted Wilson would hear and respond with aplomb in 2010.

Even notorious California SDA liberal Steve Daily finally wrote an open letter which was posted on on Educate Truth pleading with West Coast constituents to cease and desist inflaming and stirring up the witch hunt crowd, specifically calling out the La Sierra bio professors as the prime offenders at the moment.

Being immersed in the laid-back California style environment has apparently caused many West Coast Adventists to forget that while they are contentedly indulging in their own Liberal SDA Disneyworld, there is a massive segment of fire-breathing, EGW-venerating, hard-core conservative SDA's out there in the NAD they are miffing off who are losing their minds and just foaming at the mouth for the California cleanse that is sure to come eventually. California liberals poke and provoke the slumbering beast and rouse it to its full fury time and again, and such can only end very badly.

It's one thing to privately, in one's own personal life, live out the Adventism one chooses...but if you are out there for all the church to see, read and hear, stirring the pot - can you honestly act surprised when the backlash arrives in full-force?

I would again, with Pastor Daily, like to plead for California liberal Adventists to tone it down and scale it back, as I agree with you guys more often than not on a lot of issues - but I fear it may well be too late. The conservatives are making it increasingly clear that enough is enough and already we see the forces mounting as they push, pressure and lobby the GC to deal with the liberal West Coast situation once and for all.

Because, you see, Ted's in the house now and you can bet the farm he has his sights set on that segment of the NAD for a good 'ole fashioned purge. It's coming and I don't think even moderate and reasonable Dan Jackson will be able to stop it or hold it back for long. Liberal Adventists claim they just want to 'live and let live' and that they don't want to go to war with the right wing. But war is coming, whether they want it or not, and their brazen flaunting of liberal Adventism is primarily what is to blame for the marshaling of forces we are now seeing with the likes of Hold Them Accountable, GYC and Educate Truth.

The unfortunate thing is, liberal Adventism has shot itself in the foot. The writing was on the wall a long time ago, it was just a matter of getting the right man into power.

Posted by: City Lights (not verified) 12 August 2010 at 6:20

We Can Have Victory Over Sin!

Do you believe that we can overcome sin in this life? Do you believe God is powerful enough to keep us from sinning? Do you believe that it's possible to keep the commandments of God while we have a fallen nature?

Most of Christendom doesn't. Most Adventists have come to believe what Desmond Ford believes...that we will never be fully sanctified until Jesus Christ returns and gives us unfallen natures. But what does the Bible say?

What does God call His followers to be?

1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

God grants us to live how, all the days of our life?

Luke 1:74-75, "That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life."

Of what does God say that His followers will not serve, are reckoned dead to, that it shall not reign in their mortal body, that they shall not obey, that it shall not have dominion over them, and that they are free from?

Romans 6:2, 6, 7, 11-15, 22, "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? ... Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. ... Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. ... But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

What are given by Christ to His followers that they may partake of the divine nature and escape corruption?

2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

What does the Bible say about those who abide in Christ and who are born of God?

1 John 3:3, 6, 9, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. ... Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. ... Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

What effect do God's promises have on Christians?

2 Corinthians 7:1, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

What is it that will cause the heathen to know that Christ is Lord?

Ezekiel 36:23, 26, 27, "And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. ... A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

How much does God sanctify His followers?

1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

How does God describe His true church?

Ephesians 5:27, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

What does God tell His children not to do?

1 John 2:1, "My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

What is it that enables us to live as Christ lived?

Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

What does the Spirit of God do to those who follow Him?

1 Corinthians 6:7, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

What does faith in God do to His followers?

Acts 26:18, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

What type of person will followers of Christ become?

Ephesians 4:13, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

What is God able to keep His followers from doing?

Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."

How much can followers of Christ do?

Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

What does the Lord know how to do?

2 Peter 2:9, "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations."

What does God make sure comes with every temptation?

1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

We are to follow Christ's example...how did He walk?

1 Peter 2:21, 22, "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."

Who does Christ grant to sit with Him on His throne?

Revelation 3:21, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

What should be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ?

2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

What will not be fulfilled by those who walk in the Spirit?

Galatians 5:16, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

How do the 144,000 stand before the throne of God?

Revelation 7:2-4, 14:1, 5, "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. ... And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. ... And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."

What do the remnant keep?

Revelation 12:17, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."


The Bible is crystal clear that it is possible to keep the commandments of God, and that those who follow Christ will do just that. It's a question of God's power. Either God is more powerful than sin, or sin is more powerful than God. So, how powerful is your God?

Adventist Women as Ordained Pastors

One of those famous old philosophers was known for his insistence upon "defining the terms" in order that people might accurately address a topic without either party sliding out of corners by altering or confusing the definitions of the terms being discussed.

I see that this altering or confusing of terms seems to be playing a major role in conversations regarding this topic, with people having different definitions for terms such as "ministry" "minister" "ordained" "laborer" etc.

One group defines all Christians as laborers, or ministers, in keeping with 1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;"

Therefore, they say, all Christians are to be ministers to their fellow man. All Christians are part of the ministry, but not all Christians are to fulfill the role of an ordained pastor.

The ordained pastor, they say, is a specific part of the church structure, or hierarchy. The position of an ordained pastor within the organized church body is entirely separate from the Gospel work and ministry that every believer is called to.

Thus, saying that all believers should be part of the ministry, or Gospel work, is a true statement, whereas saying that all those in the ministry, or Gospel work, should be ordained pastors is a false statement. Otherwise you're concluding that all believers should be ordained pastors.

We must separate "laborers," "ministry," and "Gospel work" from "ordained pastor," for they are not one and the same. We needn't be ordained pastors to partake in the ministry of spreading the Gospel. We needn't be ordained pastors to be laborers in the harvest.

Case in point: Ellen White, who we all accept as having such a vital and important ministry, as being such a powerful worker in the spreading of the Gospel and as being such an effective laborer in the harvest, yet who did not think it appropriate to be ordained.

The other group will point to verses such as Luke 10:2, "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." and conclude that by not ordaining women we are thus sending fewer labourers into the harvest.

So, you can see that this group has defined "laborer" as meaning "ordained pastor." Therefore, they say, by not ordaining women we are hindering the Gospel work, or ministry.

But if taken to its logical conclusion, that would mean that every baptized member of the church should be ordained, so that we can all be Gospel workers or ministers to the fullest degree. Otherwise, if we do not ordain every baptized member, are we not then hindering the work?

But was Jesus Christ really referring only to ordained pastors or elders as "labourers?" Or, was He actually referring to all believers as "labourers?" And if so, is it really those who are refusing to ordain women based on lack of Scriptural support that are hindering the work? Or, is it actually those who are displaying an attitude of rebellion from the organized church body and who are creating dissension that are hindering the work?

Of course there are those who refer to this issue as "women in ministry," such as our beloved brother, pastor Doug, who are simply defining "ministry," in this instance, as meaning ordained pastors and elders. I think it would probably be wise not to use the word ministry in that sense, only because the opposition clings onto that word and cries, "You're refusing to let women be part of the ministry, or Gospel work...you're refusing to let women be labourers in the harvest!"

So, in conclusion, if we force participants in this discussion to define their terms, we can quickly set aside this false notion of the ordination of women having anything to do with the Gospel work, for we can then easily see that a "labourer" is not defined as an "ordained pastor." (In fact, I'd imagine that most of the labourers in the harvest are not ordained pastors.)

And if we have defined our terms and dismissed this first faulty argument, we can then begin to concentrate on the true issue: Is there Scriptural support for the ordination of women?

Don't Wait 1,000 Years to Bow the Knee

"A little here, a little there...and the entire church crumbles.

The unconverted within our ranks (the vast majority of Adventists, according to EGW) continue to chip away at the pillars of faith upon which God has established His end-time church...and who can say how many precious souls will be lost because of it.

Someday, over a thousand years in the future, even the knees of those who most vehemently (or subtly) opposed the truth will finally bow to God and admit that all His judgments are indeed true and just.

How sad that it will then be too late. Please, let's humble ourselves and submit to Christ as Lord while there is still time...let us leave behind our vain reasonings and worldly logic.

Much love."

Is God Responsible for Disasters and Calamities?

From a conversation I was having with a Facebook acquaintance:

"Mr. Hardy...consider Job. Who afflicted Job, God or Satan? Satan. Does Satan have power to afflict whomever he will on this planet? No. Who gives him permission...who decides what he can and cannot do? God. Job does not blame Satan for his affliction. Instead he comes to God and asks "Why?"

What amazing faith had Job...when his wife told him to curse God and die, what was his reply? "Shall we accept the good from the Lord and not the evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips." (Job 2:10)

When Satan had slaughtered all of Job's sons and daughters...what did Job say?

"The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)

Was he wrong to say it was God who had taken away his family? The next verse says again, "In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." (Job 1:22)

Job was right and still faithful, understanding that God is all powerful, a mighty God, and NOTHING can happen in this universe unless He allows it. NOTHING is out of His control.

But whatever happens, we always know we can trust God. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

In considering the character of God, we must not over-emphasize His mercy to the exclusion of His justice. The same God who hung on a cross to take the punishment for my sins is the same God who rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, the same God who destroyed the entire planet's population, excepting 8 souls, the same God who sent His angel of death to take the life of every firstborn child upon whose door was not the blood of the lamb.

Make no mistake...God is love, but He is also justice."

A Plea to a Spectrum of Adventists

A reply posted in response to an article carrying on about trivial matters!

"This issue is taking valuable focus away from God's true work of reformation of character and soul-winning!

We will give account for every misspent hour of bickering over this nonsense!

As if it even matters what the "majority are feeling at the local level"...the majority has never been a sign of truth. In fact, the opposite is nearly always true.

Israel was always plagued with unbelievers and wicked men, and so it is to this very day. God's people of today are likewise infested with worldliness, pride and arrogance...defying the plain 'Thus saith the LORD's we are given in Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy! Instead we rely on our own wisdom and reasonings and sense of what is "right" and "true" and "just" in the culture in which we find ourselves. But this also is nonsense! We have, to a VERY large degree been found standing in stark opposition to the God of heaven and we will be held accountable...the judgment is coming, and quickly...and when it arrives it will not matter how eloquent our speeches or how sincere our hearts.

Repent now and turn from your wicked ways! For why will you die??"

Brethren of Experience?

Those That I Recommend

There are those teachers whose concrete trust in God's Word and the word of His prophets coupled with their willingness to accept and practice every plain truth revealed in the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy, even when such a truth cuts decidedly against their own nature, and whose level-headedness being not bent toward fanaticism or undue excitement lends themselves toward being used by the Holy Spirit as a teacher.

But even the most powerful recommendation cannot be taken for truth, for we are admonished in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

And further, by the Apostle Paul in Acts 17:11 we are told of the Bereans: "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."

So, here are some teaching spirits to test:

Eugene Prewitt

Dave Fiedler

Randy Skeete

You would do very well to take the time to look through the sermons available by these gentlemen and having looked, to listen, and having listened, to see whether these things are so...for if what they teach is true, the state of our church is largely slumbering and in dire need of a great awakening. This especially effects the younger generation of Adventists who are being pulled very strongly to the side of unbelief by those in our faith who are found "having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" - 2 Timothy 3:5

Regarding Some Teaching at Forest Lake Church, Derek Morris and Spiritual Formation

Fundamental Beliefs Attacked from Within

A little over a year ago I began having a dialogue with the author(s) of another "Christian" blog called Doctrine Discussion. At first I was under the impression that the author viewed the Seventh-day Adventist church as a cult because this blog was seemingly focused on attacking the fundamental beliefs of Adventism.

Our discussion went on for about in a month, during which time I found out that not only was this person familiar with Adventist doctrines but he was actually a teacher in the church, holding Bible studies at Forest Lake Church.

When I found that the author of the Doctrine Discussion blog, who was attacking the very foundations of the Adventist faith, was teaching others at Forest Lake Church, I made the difficult decision to contact Dr. Derek Morris and inform him of what was going on. I thought that he would want to know about the falsehoods being taught at his church and would take immediate action to bring these gentlemen back into line with the Gospel of Christ or at least stop them from spreading their errors to his members.

What I want to focus on is what I know: there is at least one person (possibly three) leading Wednesday night/Saturday morning Bible studies at Forest Lake Church who is openly opposed to foundational Adventist doctrine.

These are just a few quotes from the author of the Doctrine Discussion blog, called erp and Erin, who is conducting Bible studies at Forest Lake Church:

"i still fascilitate a wed. night and sat. morning bible study at the Forest Lake SDA Church in Apopka, FL."

"I will briefly say, Adam, Shawn, and I and our families are what the world calls adventist. We chose to call it brother and servant. I was even in sda ministry as I think I mentioned before."

"i have been called here so here i serve until the Lord leads elsewhere."

"yeah i know derek. we were in a bible study together for the better part of last year."

"The ten commandments were the first covenant plain as day it says it right here no mistake."

"Now if the law has not ended for you then you do not believe that Jesus did what He said He did. This is not rocket science."

"If your position is that Christ did not take away the law with commands then you are still the old man, do not desire peace, and are working against the purpose of Christ."

"If we don't believe this then we are simply denying the power of the cross and the work Christ accomplished there. The cross has become of no use or effect for us"

"I believe that sabbath rest is achieved in resting from my own efforts to save myself or conform to the written law." - Shawn

"I have been studying into this more lately and have come to the understanding that spliting off into denominations is sin and is not at all what Jesus intended for us to do." - Shawn

"no record is found in scripture of a group claiming remnancy. for this reason i am confident that God's elect and His Self chosen remnant, "He has reserved them unto Himself", are not and will never be a self proclaiming organization or denomination."

"in the Kingdom of God the phrase and title Seventh Day Adventist means nothing, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love. any other focus takes away from the real spiritual journey of believing. to all my brothers and sisters that claim the name SDA, i send my love and pray for your mercy. the high places still remain, and we can not rest until they are all torn down."

Make no mistake that the mission of this person, or persons, teaching at Forest Lake Church is to destroy the pillars of faith on which the Remnant stands, and to bring down the very Remnant itself. Do not think for one second that the "high places," of which these teachers proclaim that they "can not rest until they are all torn down," are anything other than the Seventh-day Adventist church.

The Doctrine Discussion blog was promptly deleted by the author after our dialogues concluded. However, the author currently has another blog called Come Experience Freedom.

Please know that I hold no ill-will toward these men who are teaching error...I continue to hope they will leave these false teachings and return to the truth of Christ. My only purpose in posting this information is to, hopefully, stop these men from spreading their falsehoods within the doors of the very church they hope to tear down.

Originally, this article contained information about Dr. Derek Morris and his involvement with Spiritual Formation, a practice devised by Ignatius Loyola who also founded the Jesuits. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I firmly believe we should keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and not on the various and sundry forms of evil and corruption in the world. We become like what we behold, so let us continue beholding our Lord.

If you want to learn about Spiritual Formation, I suggest the following sermons by Pastor Rick Howard:

Spirit of Prophecy or Spiritual Exercises

Spiritual Formation, Ellen G. White, and Daniel 11:30-36

If you want more information specifically regarding Derek Morris' involvement in Spiritual Formation, I suggest the following article:

Catholic Studies at Southern College - Spiritual Formation

If you would like the complete document of my discussions with the three men who claimed to be Seventh-day Adventists in name only and who are/were spreading their doctrines within the church, specifically Forest Lake Church, message me.

Ordination of Women in the Northern California Conference

Below is a response I posted to an article at Spectrum Magazine which was speaking of the push for the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to recommend that the current practice of "ordaining" men and "commissioning" women be dismissed in favor of ordaining both men and women to the pastoral ministry.

"Such clever maneuvering.

1st, "The present system of ordaining men and commissioning women is an exercise in semantics." ...this was a modest enough move to slip by the fundamentals.

2nd, "...supporting the concept that the same language “Ordination” or “Commission” be equally applied to both men and women" ...now that the proverbial snake has been let in the door, the final thrust is made.

The feminist agenda, if you can call it that, is very reminiscent of the homosexual agenda inasmuch as first it's tolerance that is demanded...but eventually the demand is for acceptance. "Live and let live" is not enough for some of these groups...they want to hear the opposition confess that, "Yes, it is perfectly OK...there's nothing wrong with it."

Why would women be so angry that they aren't called to all the same positions as men? Doesn't it scream of pride and arrogance?

I have yet to hear ONE proponent of the ordination of women give ANY scriptural support for the practice. Is the Bible our supreme rule of faith or not? Are we to rely on our own reasonings of what is "fair" and "right" and "good"?"

New International Version Bible: Translated to Fit Worldview?

Below is a paragraph from a blog written by a former student of Liberty University, a Baptist University founded by Jerry Falwell:

"I began to wonder if even different translations of the Bible could contain different worldviews; I had a hunch that they did. When I became a student at Liberty University, I found out that my guess was correct. As a student in New Testament History, my teacher was Dr. Elmer Towns. Dr. Towns had been on the committee to translate the New International Version. In one of the lectures for my New Testament class, Dr. Towns was talking about a difficult passage of the New Testament and explained that in translating that portion of the scriptures, the group had just translated it according to their own worldview as Baptist Christians because the way it read in the original didn’t fit with their own understanding."

See the original article in context, here. UPDATE: Immediately after letting the author of the blog know I had quoted her article, she pulled it. Here is a link to her blog, though the post from which this quote was taken is no longer there.

Perhaps it shouldn't have been such a surprise but, to me, it still was. I was aware of the gender-neutral controversy regarding the NIV translation and have also heard that there were several self-proclaimed homosexuals who worked as translators on that version, but to so openly admit that the original texts were altered to fit into a Baptist's theological presuppositions? Amazing.

I don't condemn the NIV version of the Bible, nor do I condemn any of the translators. It is not my prerogative to judge someone in that manner for only God can see the heart of man.

The NIV is used by many Seventh-day Adventist pastors where it more eloquently translates a certain passage of God's Word, and it doesn't bother me at all. Yet, I still feel the need to reference the same passage in a King James or New King James version.

I believe God's Word and God's inspiration of its authors, is inerrant. I believe the Bible is as far above reproach as is God Himself...but we should always remember that "to err is human, to forgive is divine."

Do I believe in verbal-inspiration or thought-inspiration? I'd only answer that it doesn't really matter anymore. I don't believe in the verbal inspiration of any translations of the original manuscripts (yes, not even the KJV)...and those originals are long gone. But the thought-inspiration was surely preserved by the hand of God.

Click here for Dr. Towns' web page. I wanted to send him a message inquiring of the aforementioned incident, but he has no contact information on the site.

Conversations with Rowland (part 2), Can We Understand God or Not?

Ariadne Vassiliki
Jesus is coming in the generation since 1948. Jesus said learn the parable of the fig tree which is Israel which became a nation in 1948 http://sabbathsermons.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/the-prophecy-of-the-fig-tree/


Rowland Nelken
In one post, Fundy, you say you cannot know the mind of God. Next post you tell me that you know God loves me. He did not love the Amalekites or Mrs. Lot. In Revelation he clearly did not love 7 Christian congregations, the Kings of the World or the Scarlet Woman. I do not read in the Bible about a God of universal love.

This return to Israel thing, Ariadne, beloved of the US religious right, is a great impediment to Middle East peace. There is a range of crackpot End Times scenarios there. Rapture? Mass Conversion of Jews? Divine Annihilation of Jews who not recognise JC as the Messiah? Does the Temple descend from Heaven?

You realise, of course, Fundy and Ariadne, that Muslims are convinced that God's promise to Abraham applies to them and not to the Jews. Some of them await the return of JC, not in his own right, but as the aide to the Mahdi.

Like you two, (and Patrick Rampy) the Jewish and Muslim apocalyptic Biblical/Koranic literalists are absolutely certain that they are right. Much remains unknown about the Universe. Holy Books are interesting guides to thoughts on these matters from the ancient Middle East. To regard them as the infallible Word of God is not only absurd. It is dangerous.

Best wishes to you both.

Rowland


Fundamental Adventist
Ariadne Vassiliki...be careful about that interpretation...it is one espoused by the twisted mind of Arnold Murray of the Shepherd's Chapel.

In truth, to say that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel would be reading way more into the words of Christ than He intended. You're right that it is a parable which tells us to keep a watchful eye for the signs of His soon coming, which He had just finished telling His disciples about, because when we see these signs come to pass we'll know that His coming is near...just as when we see the leaves start to grow on the fig tree we know that summer is near.

But the interpretation you are giving is false, and not the Adventist position.

More to come...


Fundamental Adventist
From Amazing Facts founder Joe Crews:

"He gives us a whole chapter there in the gospel of Matthew telling exactly what great signs would mark the approaching end of all things. "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?" And so Jesus gave answers to those disciples who wanted to know about the end of things. This is the same question we're concerned about today, isn't it? We would also ask, "How can we know when it is near?" Jesus said, "I'll tell you how to understand. There will be certain great fulfilling signs to let you know when my coming is near." He said, "You must watch for this event and for that sign." And so He described in detail certain things that would have to take place near the very close of world history. After giving a long list, He said this: "Learn a parable of the fig tree, when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves ye know that summer is nigh. And when you see all these things know that my coming is near." Now what are some of those things, friends, that we should be looking for today? Are we actually seeing today before our very eyes what Jesus spoke about? The final things? Well, let's see for a moment.

Notice Matthew 24:6, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Somebody says, "Well, we've always had wars, every generation has had its share of conflict, violence and warfare." Yes, that's true, but notice that Jesus went on to say something more about the kind of warfare that would be taking place in the very last days.

In verse 7 He said, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines. ..." Now it's true that nations have been fighting each other in every age of the world's history, but there has not been world involvement until very recently. Jesus indicated that local battles and conflicts would not be the major sign of His coming, but that His coming would be preceded by world wars. He said, "... nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." Now the first world war actually took place back in 1914. Seven-eighths of the world was involved in that mighty conflict, and ten million soldiers died. It cost four hundred billion dollars. But then about twenty years later, more or less, another great war broke out which cost four times as much as that first one. In fact the cost of it is so stupendous that we can hardly pronounce it. But it was four times more than World War I. But was that the end of conflict? Of course not. We know all about the other wars that have consumed nations."

The sermon goes on into much more detail about the other signs Christ spoke of, and can be found at the Amazing Facts website, here:

http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/JoeCrewsRadioSermons/tabid/90/ctl/PlayMedia/mid/423/MDID/1776/Default.aspx


Fundamental Adventist
The reason that teaching is so dangerous is not because the time is incorrect...because surely by the time Israel became a nation again in 1948 we were well into the time of the end...BUT it's so dangerous because it places prophetic emphasis on the literal nation of Israel, which is completely unbiblical.

This is the same line of thinking that produced movies like Left Behind, etc., and false teachings about Armageddon involving the Russians or Chinese or whoever attacking the nation of Israel in the middle east, etc...and the drying up of the river Euphrates meaning some nation is going to literally stop the flow of the little old Euphrates in the middle east so they can attack Israel, etc.

We, as Adventists, have let scripture interpret itself and found that the Israel which is spoken after Christ, esp. in the prophetic sense, as in Revelation, is *spiritual* Israel...which are all those around the world who are true followers of Christ and can be found in every denomination and walk of life.


Fundamental Adventist
Rowland,

True that as high as the sky is above the earth, so are His ways above our ways...and He is beyond understanding...but,

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." - Deut. 29:29

And one of the things God has revealed to us is that it's because of His love for us that He sent Jesus Christ to die in our stead (John 3:16) and that He doesn't want even one single person to perish and miss eternal joy (2 Pet. 3:9).

Put those two revealed truths together and you've got a God, Creator of the universe, who loves you (YOU) so much that He would have, and did, die to save only you...even if you were the only person He ever created.

That is how I can say that our understanding God is like an ant understanding the vast cosmos, which is an infinite understatement, yet I can still say that I know for a certainty that He loves you so dearly, my friend.

David Asscherick's Letter to the General Conference

April 30, 2009

Pastors Jan Paulsen, Don C. Schneider, Ricardo Graham
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904

Dear Pastors Paulsen, Schneider, and Graham,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. Like each of you, I am an ordained pastor of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. I write these words with my heart on full display–from pastor to pastor. This letter concerns the teaching of evolution at La Sierra University. While I am not a formally trained scientist, I am, however, familiar with many of the apologetic, philosophical, and theological issues surrounding the theories of naturalistic evolution. I have made this an area of special study in my life and ministry. So, I feel both comfortable and qualified to speak to the issue, especially in its ecclesiastical ramifications.

It is a matter of incontestable fact that naturalistic evolution is being taught at La Sierra University. This is not in and of itself a bad thing. Evolution should be taught at our denominational universities. But it should be taught as a competing and inimical worldview to the biblical worldview. We need our young people to know what it is they are up against, yes, but when naturalistic evolution is taught as fact or as the preferred and normative worldview, then we can be sure that the enemy has breached our lines.

There is no point in equivocating. I have seen the class materials with my own eyes. Frankly, I think every Seventh-day Adventist deserves to see them. Our people need to know what is happening. Many of them have heard various rumblings, but being the conscientious, confiding, and hopeful people they are, they have generally assumed the very best. We are making capital of their trust.

In 2003 I preached a two-week evangelistic meeting on the Loma Linda University campus. The event was student-led and university-sponsored. Many students from La Sierra University attended those meetings, and I personally visited with many of them. They told me what was being taught in some of their science classes. I shall never forget the looks and questions of unadorned incredulity that I witnessed among those students. I have talked to many more since. “What should I do?” “Should I say something?” “Should I just attend a non-SDA school?” “Do our leaders know about this?” “How come these people are allowed to teach at a Seventh-day Adventist University?” These young people, and many others like them, are justifiably nonplussed. Frankly, I share their confusion!

What deeply concerns me is that the faith of many students, who look up to their Adventist professors as more than just academic instructors, but also as spiritual leaders, is being undermined. Jesus’ words in Luke 17:1, 2 about causing “one of these little ones to stumble” carry inestimable weight, and they should be reason enough to propel us to responsible action. Brethren, what are we doing and allowing? Will not God hold us accountable in our respective spheres for what happens on our watch?

I am aware, of course, that the church’s governmental structure gives institutions like La Sierra University a necessary degree of administrative freedom. This is a good and wise arrangement. But this freedom, surely, is not synonymous with virtually unaccountable autonomy. La Sierra University is, after all, a denominational university. If the board has not yet adequately addressed this matter, then doesn’t that evince a kind of complicity, if not outright mismanagement and denominational disloyalty? I genuinely ask, at what point is La Sierra University’s board accountable and answerable to you men and the levels of church government that you represent? When, if ever, can someone step in and save our children and the institutions they attend?

Governing and administrative structures are not the church. The people are the church. The governing and administrative structures are the scaffolding of the church. Scaffolds are for building and strengthening a thing; they are not the thing itself. But what if some are using the scaffolding to tear down the very church they were commissioned and created to build up? What then? I genuinely want to know. Where does the buck stop?

Perhaps you feel that your hands are tied by policy and protocol. But surely they cannot be tied completely. What should I, as a church pastor, do if someone is teaching doctrine that undermines the church’s biblical positions in one of my Sabbath School classes? Wouldn’t it be expected of me, the pastor–shepherd–of the flock, to address it? To ask this question is to answer it. Of course, I would work though the Sabbath School council and the church board, but you can be sure that I would deal with the problem. My conference president, to say nothing of my Lord, would surely hold me in contempt if I told him lamely that my hands were tied, no?

Furthermore, the greater the errancy, the greater the urgency. As even a cursory analysis plainly reveals, few doctrines are at greater philosophical odds with Seventh-day Adventism than naturalistic evolution, the arguments of well-meaning theistic evolutionists notwithstanding. Our Magna Carta is Revelation 14:6-12. If naturalistic evolution is true, Creation is cremated, the Sabbath is sabotaged, and our very name is neutered. What becomes of Scripture? And of our unique eschatology? We are not talking about bongo drums, wedding bands, and Christmas trees here.

If our hands are tied, then surely we must let an unfaltering love for God, for His Word, and for His young people dash these fetters into so many deserved pieces! We must do something. You must do something.

Who knows but that you have come to your positions for such a time as this. My ministry places me in somewhat of a unique situation in the world church. In partnership with the Central California Conference, I run ARISE, a mission training school that has seen hundreds of young people over the last seven years. I also have the privilege of preaching regularly on 3ABN and the Hope Channel. Too, I travel all over the world holding evangelistic meetings and preaching at camp meetings, youth conferences, weeks of prayer, etc. I genuinely feel that I have my finger on the pulse of the “average lay person” in the Seventh-day Adventist church the world over. Especially the young people ages 15 to 30. I can say with unblinking confidence that God is working in His church! Praise Him!

I just arrived home from the Youth Mission Congress in Frankfurt, Germany. Over 1600 young people attended the meetings. Night after night I preached the Adventist message–I preached Christ! The theme chosen for the congress was Follow the Bible, and what an indescribable joy it was to see, at the end of my last sermon, hundreds and hundreds of young people streaming forward. All of them had personal decision cards in their hands. A beautiful, five-foot-tall wooden Bible had been constructed for just this moment. On the side of the Bible was a slot designed to receive the decision cards the young people clutched in their surrendered hands. One by one, each placed his or her card in the Bible. The symbolism was rich and thrillingly profound. It was impossible to not be moved at a fundamental level as each eager young person placed their decision, and thus their life in that wooden Bible. My translator openly wept at the sight. “We will follow the Bible,” they were each saying. All over the world, God’s people–and in particular, it seems, His young people–are saying We will follow the Word–the Living Word, Jesus, and the Written Word, the Bible.

God has entrusted us with these young people. They are His. He has given us His wise counsel to raise up institutions of learning to educate, equip, and empower them. To build them up.

But what do we do when one of our institutions turns from this inestimably important responsibility, a responsibility that is fraught with eternal significance and involves the souls of those Jesus died to save? This is what I want to know.

And so do many, many others.

I thank each of you for your time, and, in advance, for your thoughtful responses.

Sincerely,

David Asscherick
Director, ARISE

http://www.educatetruth.com/letters/david-asscherick-email-to-the-general-conference/

Jan Paulsen's Response to the David Asscherick Letter

AN APPEAL

I place this before you in awareness of an ongoing discussion in some quarters between faith and science, particularly as it relates to origins and creation.

For us as a community it has always been of utmost importance to stay close to the Scripture. Faith has that as its final point of reference. We must not allow ourselves to come adrift from the Bible in defining our values and in stating what we hold.

Our position as a church in the matter of origins is clearly although somewhat broadly stated in our Fundamental Beliefs. This position is further amplified in a statement voted by the General Conference Executive Committee at the 2004 Annual Council. To remind ourselves of the details of that action, I have included the wording in this appeal:

• "We strongly endorse the document's affirmation of our historic, biblical position of belief in a literal, recent, six-day Creation.
• We urge that the document, accompanied by this response, be disseminated widely throughout the world Seventh-day Adventist Church, using all available communication channels and in the major languages of world membership.
• We reaffirm the Seventh-day Adventist understanding of the historicity of Genesis 1-11: that the seven days of the Creation account were literal 24-hour days forming a week identical in time to what we now experience as a week; and that the Flood was global in nature.
• We call on all boards and educators at Seventh-day Adventist institutions at all levels to continue upholding and advocating the church's position on origins. We, along with Seventh-day Adventist parents, expect students to receive a thorough, balanced, and scientifically rigorous exposure to and affirmation of our historic belief in a literal, recent six-day creation, even as they are educated to understand and assess competing philosophies of origins that dominate scientific discussion in the contemporary world.
• We urge church leaders throughout the world to seek ways to educate members, especially young people attending non-Seventh-day Adventist schools, in the issues involved in the doctrine of creation.
• We call on all members of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist family to proclaim and teach the church's understanding of the biblical doctrine of Creation, living in its light, rejoicing in our status as sons and daughters of God, and praising our Lord Jesus Christ--our Creator and Redeemer."

I appeal to all engaged by our church in the ministries of administration, preaching, teaching, and writing to articulate and reflect our stand as a community on Creation. We are a faith-community, and the world of faith is the world in which God's creative powers are on constant display. Sometimes the findings of science may reflect some of this, but often not. Faith is certainly not subject to findings of science.

To those who teach at our colleges and universities, let me say that you have a demanding, often difficult, but sacred assignment. It is a ministry you hold in trust. It is understood that to care for your ministry responsibly you have to take your students on many a journey of findings into various disciplines of study. They need to know what they will meet in their profession and in life. As part of that exercise you will also expose them to the elements and concepts of evolution. That is understood.

As your pastor, however, I appeal to you that when you take your students out on the journey, you bring them safely back home before the day is over. And their home must always be in the world of faith. You owe it to the students, you owe it to God, you owe it to their parents, you owe it to the church, and you owe it to yourself as a believer to safely guide them through difficult moments on their journey.

This appeal comes with the greatest respect for your integrity and your professional skills. But you are also my sister and brother in faith, and we share a common commitment to God to whom we shall ultimately bring the fruits of our labor. I pray that he will give to each of us the strength that accompanies faithfulness.

Jan Paulsen

http://news.adventist.org/statements/an-appeal.html

Randal Wisbey's (President, La Sierra University) Response to David Asscherick Letter

Response of Randal Wisbey, President of La Sierra University

May 18, 2009

Board of Trustees, La Sierra University

Faculty & Staff, La Sierra University

Leadership Team, La Sierra University Church

Dear friends,

I am writing to share with you my concern and disappointment about a recent letter regarding La Sierra University ("to Adventist church leaders about La Sierra University") that has received wide distribution on the Internet. This letter undercuts the educational work and ministry of La Sierra University, and indeed the broader system of Adventist higher education, rather than seeking better understanding and clarification of the concerns noted by the writer.

As president I take seriously any charge that La Sierra University is not fulfilling its sacred task and great responsibility to educate our students to be strong, thoughtful individuals whose worldview and hope is grounded in a close relationship with God.

In particular, this letter charges that "naturalistic evolution" is taught at La Sierra University - even while suggesting that evolution should be taught at our Adventist colleges and universities so that our students can better understand the world in which they live. "Naturalistic evolution" is a phrase that either in code or direct definition implies a perspective of "atheistic evolution."

We reject this implied atheistic charge. Every one of our science faculty share the goal of students experiencing a vibrant Adventist Christian faith while pursuing their education in the sciences.

At La Sierra University, we take seriously the challenge of how to best integrate science education and faith development. Ultimately, our goal is to help students develop a personal relationship with their Creator. We are deeply committed to helping our students find during their experience at La Sierra University a vibrant faith that will deepen throughout their lives and lead them to the life to come. Our success in achieving that goal is demonstrated every year as we watch students being baptized into Adventist Church membership and see our students and graduates engage in lives of Christian service.

We expect that students will be introduced to the prevailing scientific views within a supportive classroom environment that values the Seventh-day Adventist Church's contribution to the understanding of biblical creation. It is our commitment to our students and to their families that our professors will continue to support learning and encourage conversation in a spirit of openness. In this way we live out our university's commitment to responsibly address difficult issues and our willingness to consider a variety of views. This grows from our church's commitment to ever be open to new light.

As an institution of higher education, a Seventh-day Adventist university provides an excellent setting for examining evolutionary process - a subject that is foundational to the modern biological and behavioral sciences. This broad topic will recur throughout our students' educational experience if they continue on to graduate studies and basic research in these fields, and is of growing importance in biomedical applications. At La Sierra, students investigate this process surrounded by faculty, staff, and peers who care about their whole person, not just their academic life. They have opportunities to ask hard questions and to address these issues in a supportive Adventist Christian environment.

People of faith who look at scientific data can reach differing conclusions and still be collegial as brothers and sisters in the church. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has always benefited from debate and indeed has matured because of it. Faculty in Adventist institutions of higher learning have played an important and sometimes courageous role in extending the boundaries of knowledge in many fields.

We at La Sierra University are continuing to examine how we teach the science relevant to origins in a supportive, Adventist Christian environment. We continue to welcome input made in a spirit of constructive Christian fellowship and which is respectful of scientific integrity - recognizing that while we may not fully agree on everything, our mutual concern is always for unity in love to our Lord and in service to His children. We are also committed to be of ongoing service to our church in this important conversation of science and faith. A number of our faculty have presented papers and have been involved in recent meetings that our church has called to give study to this challenging area.

As the Valuegenesis research spearheaded at La Sierra University has discovered, the ability to ask questions in a caring, open environment is one of the main factors in the decision of Adventist young people to stay in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

These charges made against us, sadly, are not unique to La Sierra University. Some in our church continue to challenge and question our entire system of universities and colleges. They question our commitment to the important work of Adventist education. They challenge the orthodoxy of those who take on the important and God-inspired task of educating our students in transforming ways that have lifelong impact. I want it to be clearly understood that those of us who teach, those of us who have the privilege of serving at an Adventist university, take our mission and our responsibilities towards our students seriously. Our faculty and campus community give their lives, and the best of their intellect and service, to God through their academic preparation, ongoing research, teaching and mentoring. La Sierra is a vibrant academic and spiritual community that forever transforms our students for God and for a life of faithful service.

La Sierra University is a place where academic investigation, Christian faith, and service to others unite. We support the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in powerful ways, such as:

• The Valuegenesis and CognitiveGenesis studies that originated at La Sierra help us to understand the young people we effectively minister to and with.

• LSU sponsored 11 mission projects this academic year in Costa Rica, Egypt, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Malawi, Mexico, Navajo Nation, Philippines, Tanzania, and Texas. Dozens of students have been involved in Share Him evangelism, and 15 student literature evangelists reach families in our community every day. Hundreds of students have served overseas, from Afghanistan to Vietnam, as student missionaries in recent years.

• La Sierra students and faculty, this past year, provided more than 45,000 hours of caring service to our local community. We earned the coveted community engagement designation from the Carnegie Foundation-one of only 118 institutions in North America to be so recognized.

• The La Sierra University Students in Free Enterprise team recently brought major recognition to the Seventh-day Adventist Church as they progressed to the final round at the 2009 SIFE National Competition in Philadelphia. Their projects helped people in Ethiopia, Thailand, and the United States.

• We will soon have the privilege of participating in the baptism of a number of our students who have been studying this year with our Chaplain and with members of our School of Religion. A few days ago I listened as the father of one of these students who stood before the Pacific Union Executive Committee and thanked God that his daughter was at La Sierra and that she had decided to be baptized.

Finally, as the president of La Sierra University, and as a parent of one of our 1,900 students, I am grateful that La Sierra is a place that is recognized for its commitment to Adventist faith and learning. Every day we dedicate this campus to the Lord. Like the father with his arms open wide in the Alan Collins' sculpture, The Glory of God's Grace, that stands at the entrance to our campus, it is our privilege to welcome young people in an attitude of grace and love that characterizes our Father's deep love and passion for each of us. When I talk with parents who send their children to us, often at great sacrifice, they tell me they do so because they deeply believe in our commitment, as faculty and staff, to provide the very finest Adventist education.

As one parent noted, at a recent alumni event in Northern California, the monthly check she writes for her student's education is the most satisfying investment she makes.

May we, as a campus community, affirm God's powerful work that is daily revealed in our teaching, research, and service.

Sincerely,

Randal Wisbey

President

http://www.atoday.com/content/president-lsu-responds-atheistic-evolution-allegations