The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Read MoreAre Adventists Coalescing into Opposing Parties? Part II
I am not using the term “liberal” according to the narrow, technical definition it has acquired in theology; a truly liberal theologian rejects any supernatural influence on Scripture and proceeds as though Scripture and religion are purely human and non-supernatural phenomena. A liberal theologian approaches Scripture just as a mainstream scientist approaches origins: needing to explain it strictly and solely on the basis of natural phenomena, with no appeal to the existence and activity of God. Very few Adventists—perhaps none in positions of authority in the church or in church-related institutions—would admit to a pure liberal theology. So, in this discussion, I will be using “liberal” in a looser sense.
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Read MoreAre Adventists coalescing into opposing parties? (Part I)
Sociologist and political scientists have long understood that when people take positions on issues, they tend to do so not randomly but in predictable clusters or groups, corresponding to an intellectual system, ideology, or way of seeing and evaluating the world (“worldview,” Ger. = Weltanschauung). In the realm of secular politics and government, this phenomenon has often caused political parties to be organized based upon shared ideology.
Read MoreCouchsurfing is postmodern “witnessing” at its best
I was in Nashville, Tennessee, this last November filming an online success course for young women. It was late Friday, nearing sundown, and I had a decision to make. I would either be spending the night ( miserably cold) in my compact car, or be feeling guilty about putting $64.99 plus tax on my mom’s credit card for a night at the Motel 6. I had been there a week already, staying at a friend’s house. Now there was a bit of a snag--the sleeper sofa was double-booked! My friend’s roommate had also promised the space to his brother and sister-in-law, so rather than creating any friction between two fantastically tenacious Vanderbilt Law students, I packed up my clothes Friday morning and, during breaks from work, I looked at various free/cheap options for the night.
Read More'IN GOD’S IMAGE' SUMMIT ON SEXUALITY OPENS IN CAPE TOWN
Nearly 350 Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders, pastors, academics, and human services experts have gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, for a four-day summit intended to help the worldwide Church better address the experiences of homosexuality and alternative sexualities.
Read MoreToo much too hard too fast too quick
As I walked out into the hallway of the ocean-front condo this morning, I saw a USA Today paper lying by the door of our neighbor’s room. Like a downbeat doormat it sat there, its loud headlines easily summed up in two words: Bad, and News. I was reminded of this quote: “The final movements will be rapid ones.”
Those of us who are looking forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth are probably aware of this ominous warning about the end. Not only is it gonna happen soon, it’s gonna happen fast!
Read MoreBiblical hermeneutics: blest be the tie that binds us
The World Church, in its General Conference (GC), has voted twice not to allow the ordination of women to the office of elder/minister. This was not because the GC saw women and men as created unequal, but because of divine order assigning different roles to the genders. Once again the issue is being urged. So the GC has invited all of its divisions to give input on the matter.
Read MoreKinship, IAGC and Seventh-Gay Adventist sponsor new website
A new website sponsored by Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, Intercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition and Seventh-Gay Adventists Documentary claims lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) Adventists are being prevented from sharing their stories at the 'In God's Image:' Scripture, Sexuality, and Society Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, this month. The summit will discuss the challenges the church faces with issues surrounding alternative sexualities.
Read MoreLSU professor: extremists think Bible is church manual
Last Saturday while attending my local church, I read a flyer in the bulletin that invited me to attend a soup and salad study by La Sierra University professors Kendra and Gil Valentine. The flyer said they would be considering "ways of reading the Bible that allow texts to live anew in our contemporary world and in our particular stories. Implications of this approach will be explored for the Theology of Ordination Committee, Ellen White, and the Fourth Gospel."
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Read More'Mean' conservatives
A prominent leader in North American Adventism recently stated, during a discussion in which I participated, that the term “nice conservative” has “almost become an oxymoron” in the contemporary church. I countered by acknowledging that while at times needless severity and harshness have certainly attended efforts to defend beliefs and practices peculiar to classic Adventism, one must beware of defining “niceness” pursuant to an agenda of pleasing as many and offending as few as possible. Few if any of God’s heroes through the ages, including Jesus Himself, would qualify as “nice” under such a definition.
Read MoreJudgment granted in favor of church in LSU-3 lawsuit
On March 5, the Riverside County Superior Court granted Summary Judgment in favor of all defendants on all claims in what has come to be known as the LSU-3 lawsuit. The court has ruled that there are no disputed issues of material fact that would need to be decided by a jury, and the undisputed facts are sufficient to allow the court to rule on the case as a matter of law. The court has ruled in favor of the church defendants, including (1) La Sierra University, (2) the Pacific Union Conference, (3) the North American Division, (4) Ricardo Graham, president of the Pacific Union Conference, (5) Dan Jackson, president of the North American Division, and (6) Larry Blackmer, NAD Vice President for Education.
Read MoreOne Project: present or emergent truth?
I had made no plans to attend the One Project scheduled for February 10 and 11 in Seattle, but a mid-morning phone call stirred me from my intended Sunday morning sleep-in. A friend on the phone urged, "I've been given two tickets to the One Project. They’re free! Do you want to go? Let's go! Free tickets!" That got me up and going.
Read MoreDavid danced
In this article we will look at 2 Samuel 6:14-16 and 1 Chron. 15:29. In 2 Samuel 6:14-16 the Hebrew word most often rendered “dance” in English versions for is Karar (pronounced kah-rar) and is only used these two times. In 1 Chron. 15:29, the Hebrew word is Raqad (pronounced raw-kad) and is used nine times in the Old Testament. In order to understand what David was doing in these passages, we must understand what these Hebrew words signify. We cannot impose contemporary meanings onto ancient words which have changed definitions over the centuries. The truism is still applicable: biblical words must be understood and interpreted based on the actual meaning of the terms, and in the contexts in which they are used.
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