Was Jesus a Legalist?

Like the Communist label during the 1920s “Red Scare,” and during the Joe McCarthy era thirty years later, the word “legalist” has become a popular though undefined epithet in a great deal of theological dialogue within Western Adventism. Like similar labels, whether in the secular political world or the world of theology, the “legalist” moniker often has the effect of closing minds and shutting down conversation before substantive evidence is considered.

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A Band of Brothers

It was August 1950. The Korean War had been going on for more than a month now. Communist North Korean forces, like a juggernaut, steamrolled through South Korean defenses and seemed on the verge of a decisive victory. A mere five years after the end of World War II, Americans were weary of war, but the alarming growth of communism proved too threatening.

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God is Love

God is love (1 John 4:8, King James Version). He is also all-powerful (Genesis 18:14; Luke 18:27; Revelation 19:6) and all-knowing (Psalm 139:2-6; Isaiah 40:13-14). Love inherently depends upon the presence of others and cannot be rightly revealed by one being alone. Love, when expressed in the presence of one, can only be directed to the self and would only produce pride, or self-love. Therefore, a God of love cannot exist alone.    

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The Waco Tragedy: 25 Years Later

This spring will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the siege and destruction of the Mount Carmel Center (sometimes called Ranch Apocalypse) in Waco, Texas, headquarters of the so-called Branch Davidians and their leader, one David Koresh.  For those who aren’t aware or may not remember, the Branch Davidians were a splinter sect of the Shepherd’s Rod (or Davidian Seventh-day Adventist) movement, an offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church since 1930.

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This is an Apple!

Recently on CNN, a commercial has been running with various wording, with an apple in focus.  It speaks of how whether the apple is viewed from the right or from the left, whether one insists with loud screams or capital letters that this is a banana instead, the fact still remains that “this is an apple.”  The commercial ends with the simple phrase, FACTS FIRST.

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Questions on Doctrine: Manifesto of the New Theology or Minor Aberration?

Just what is the problem with the 1957 book Questions on Doctrine? (1) Why all the fuss about a volume that most Adventists have probably never heard of, much less read? Those who have taken the time to read its pages might wonder what all the controversy is about. That is, unless they are aware of some significant factors surrounding its publication.

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New Podcast Available on Advindicate

The Healing of the Nations Podcast is now available for our audiences. Host Peter K. Chung who is a History educator presents a series on how the Gospel and principle of Religious Liberty found in our Three Angels' Messages can provide real world solutions for our dying planet. Journey with us as we confront issues of today and how we can a light in the darkness of the world.

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Confused About the Reformation

As Bible students and historians recount the events of half a millennium ago, when the hammer blows of a German monk on a church door sparked the movement that would split Christendom in two, it is imperative that we understand correctly what the issues were, and were not, in that rending conflict whose implications would prove so dramatic for Western civilization and for the world.

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