There is no doubt about it. We are headed towards an ever-spiraling era in history that edges us closer to the end of the world than ever before. More than ever are we seeing natural disasters pile up, causing more than a million deaths in a single event.
Read MoreA Call to Atonement
During the past few days, America and the world have shuddered in revulsion at the recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia. This graphic and perverse eruption of racial hostility, one among many that our country has witnessed in recent times, forces to the surface a cluster of painful and unpalatable issues for Christians in general and Seventh-day Adventists in particular.
Read MoreA Response to AToday's Article on the Unity Symposium
On August 4, 2017, AToday published a review of the Scripture, Church Structure and the Path to Unity symposium. Hosted by the supporting ministry Secrets Unsealed, the symposium dealt with the issue of Church unity in the face of the ongoing crisis regarding Women's Ordination in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Read MoreFrom Gilboa to Louisiana
Much of First World Adventism, in modern and postmodern times, has been obsessed with the fear of legalism. Admonitions and tirades against “legalists” and “Pharisees” in the church have long been the daily meat and drink of the denomination’s fashionable circles of thought and devotion. Contemporary trends and their impact on the church might offer glaring evidence of a...
Read MoreThe Trinity: A Historical Analysis of the Trinity in Seventh-day Adventism
We will be doing a historical analysis of the question of trinitarianism and anti-trinitarianism in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in response to a growing movement within the church that is challenging No. 2 of our 28 Fundamental Beliefs, which states:
“There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is...
Read MoreTelltale Signs of Doctrinal Error
The ultimate measure of truth and error for classic Seventh-day Adventism is found in such Bible verses as the following:To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isa. 8:20).
Read MoreSecrets Unsealed Symposium
Secrets Unsealed's August symposium, Scripture, Church Structure, and the Path to Unity, will take place from Tuesday, August 1, to Thursday, August 3. Go to http://www.secretsunsealed.org/ or to youtube.com/secretsunsealed to watch the presentations.
Read More“Alternative Facts,” Seventh-Day Adventists, And The Truth
The late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously stated, “You are entitled to your own opinions, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” Living in a world of alternative reality may be nothing new in the human experience, but it seems we presently find ourselves at a point in history where the capacity to live in a world of false assumptions and selective perception is uniquely possible, due in large measure to the cyber world and its unprecedented means of transmitting, blocking, and altering information.
Read MoreRecycled Myths about Youth and the Church
Some might wonder, aloud or otherwise, what business a man in his fifties has writing about youth-related issues. The answer may lie in the timeless wisdom of Solomon’s pronouncement that “the thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9).
Read MoreUniversal Legal Justification: Do The Inspired Writings Teach It?
For a number of years now, a theory known as “universal legal justification” has been making the rounds among devout Seventh-day Adventists. In short, this theory teaches that on Calvary’s cross, Jesus didn’t simply die for the whole human race—something we all believe—thus providing for all a way of salvation should they meet the prescribed conditions found in Scripture. Rather, this “universal justification” theory insists that Christ legally justified the whole human race when He died on Calvary.
Read MoreWorld Church Affirmation Sabbath Holds First Gathering
World Church Affirmation Sabbath held its first gathering on May 20, 2017.The gathering was held simultaneously at Chewelah and Stateline churches for the northern and southern parts of the Upper Columbia Conference respectively. Those present were united in support of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, its message, and its leadership.
Read MoreOf Butchers and Surgeons
Butchers and surgeons have one thing in common. Both make their living with a knife. The difference is that while the one cuts to kill, the other cuts to heal.
Read MoreThe Pope Tells Trump What To Do
Now that the meeting between President Trump and Pope Francis has concluded, there are important observations to make.
Read MoreFive Popular Myths about Last Generation Theology
In certain circles of contemporary Adventism, what has come to be known in recent years as Last Generation Theology has become an epithet. Punctuated with quotation marks, dismissive scorn, and the taint of implied extremism, this belief is noted by certain ones as an example of a thought system which Biblically informed, theologically mature, and spiritually balanced Adventists should rightfully shun.
Read MoreA House Divided Shall Fall
The year was 73 B.C. Rome was stirred with the news of a vast gladiator army running free through the Italian countryside. For centuries the Romans had held gladiator competitions, pitting men against animals as well as other men. Gladiators were usually drawn from slaves, people whom the Romans captured in their various conquests. Today one of the most iconic and recognizable monuments of Rome are the remains of the Roman Colosseum, where perhaps thousands perished in the name of blood sport.
Read MoreMembers to Affirm World Church
World Church Affirmation Sabbath (also known as WCAS) is set to strongly affirm connection with the Seventh-day Adventist world church in meetings to be held on May 20, 2017.
Read MoreThree Co-Eternal Persons
Anti-Trinitarianism is starting again to make headway in certain circles of conservative Adventism. Typically, those drawn to these views adhere to—or find themselves attracted to—one or both of the following theories: 1) That Jesus, at some distant point in eternity past, was brought forth (or begotten) by the Father. 2) That the Holy Spirit is not a separate divine Person, but is rather the spiritual presence of the Father and the Son.
Read MoreThe Freeway, Speeding Tickets, and God’s Grace
As we drive down the freeway, street or road, we see signs which tell us the speed limit is 65, 55, 45, or 35 miles per hour, or whatever those who seem to know have determined is the maximum safe speed for that roadway. It's a law that should be obeyed. Most of us, however, take it for granted that the officer whose duty it is to help us obey that law will give us 4 or 5 over that limit before stopping us and writing a speeding ticket. We are assuming, and counting on, a certain amount of grace before the penalty is given.
Read More