Whatever lures our hearts from strict faithfulness to the counsel of God is most assuredly a distraction from the mission of the church.  But such distractions are not unimportant.  They merit the loving but firm corrective hand of Christ's body.

The unbalanced focus of so many in contemporary Adventism on the perils of extreme spiritual rigidity as distinct from the opposite peril, is reflected to a large degree in the disproportionate focus of some on certain episodes in denominational history to the neglect of others.

In our present context, in which church authority and unity are being challenged in various quarters of the denomination relative to the ordination question, it is imperative that our people understand the simple truths of God’s written counsel which undergird the thrice-rendered decision of the worldwide Adventist body on this subject.

Destructive belief systems and thought patterns will abound in our world till the end comes.  All of these will have to be met and opposed on the basis of God's Word.  But our prophetic scenario need not—indeed, cannot—be changed to accomplish this.