Excerpts from Elder Ted Wilson’s Sermon Sabbath at 2010 GC Session:
Go forward, not backward…….Do not succumb to the mistaken idea, gaining support even in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, of………………….
- accepting worship or evangelistic outreach methods merely because they are new and “trendy.”
- We must be vigilant to test all things according to the supreme authority of God’s Word and the council with which we have been blessed in the writings of Ellen G. White. Don’t reach out to movements or mega church centers outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church which promise you spiritual success based on faulty theology. Stay away from non-biblical spiritual disciplines or methods of spiritual formation that are rooted in mysticism such as contemplative prayer, centering prayer, and the emerging church movement in which they are promoted.
- Look WITHIN the Seventh-day Adventist Church to humble pastors, evangelists, Biblical scholars, leaders, and departmental directors who can provide evangelistic methods and programs that are based on solid Biblical principles and “The Great Controversy Theme.”
- Use Christ-centered, Bible-based worship and music practices in church services.
- Don’t go backwards into confusing pagan settings where music and worship become so focused on emotion and experience that you lose the central focus on the Word of God. All worship, however simple or complex should do one thing and one thing only: lift up Christ and put down self. Worship methods that lift up performance and self should be replaced with a simple and sweet reflection of a Christ-centered, Biblical approach. To define it too closely is impossible but when you read in Scripture of the holiness of God’s presence the Holy Spirit will help you to know what is right and what is wrong.
- Church members; hold your leaders, pastors, local churches, educators, institutions, and administrative organizations accountable to the highest standards of belief based on a literal understanding of Scripture.
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Seventh day Adventist Education?
You decide
I, along with many other concerned believers, applaud this bold and heaven sent decision from the Michigan Conference.
Would that every conference followed up with the same.
Pastor Dan |
The following is an excerpt from a document voted by the Michigan Conference Executive Committee May 25, 2010.
Whereas, the Adventist Review (in the article by Mark Kellner in April 15, 2010) has now publicly addressed the issue of evolution being taught at and supported by La Sierra University; and, whereas their board of trustees and constituency have collectively been unwilling to rectify this vital spiritual issue, the Michigan Conference Executive Committee has voted the following actions:
1. Effective June 1, 2010 the Michigan Conference has removed La Sierra University from its list of Adventist Colleges and Universities which qualify for employee subsidy. This means that no employee may expect tuition support if they have a dependent attending La Sierra.
2. With sorrow we feel it is our spiritual responsibility to notify Michigan Conference members that we do not believe that La Sierra can currently be trusted to be supportive of Seventh-day Adventist spiritual values especially in reference to faith in the biblical understanding of creation, and thus the authority of Scripture in the life and practice of the believer.
3. Resolved: To encourage each Seventh-day Adventist college and university to continue to strengthen the principles of biblical authority and faith. In support of these principles we urge continued development of educational strategies and faculties which would move these institutions to becoming centers of excellence in promoting, cultivating and defending creation science. We define creation science in the context of the recent creation week of seven ordinary, literal, historical, consecutive, contiguous twenty-four hour days of divine creation and rest as described in Genesis.
4. Furthermore: We request that the 2010 General Conference session vote a resolution affirming number 3 above, with the direction of bringing to the following GC session a statement that would serve to strengthen our fundamental belief number six. Hence, our Creation doctrine would clearly articulate our biblical view of “a literal, recent, six-day Creation,” in which “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,” as the statement affirmed by the General Conference Executive Committee in October 2004 noted.
The Latest from LSU
Louie Bishop pulls the veil from LSU’s new biology seminar (BIOL 111A). An advertisement for the class in the Pacific Union Recorder (Nov. 2009) said the class would include “the Seventh-day Adventist teachings on the biblical doctrine of creation….” This is not the case.
According to Bishop, quite the opposite was occurring in the classroom, but we aren’t left with just Bishop’s word on the matter. LSU recorded the lectures, and Bishop challenges President Randal Wisbey to post the videos so people can see for themselves what is really being taught.
Also, in a letter to the Adventist Review, Randal Wisbey said, “Let me assure you and your readers that La Sierra University never, ever disciplines a student for expressing and upholding Adventist beliefs.” While this is somewhat true in word, Bishop shows how false this is in deed. LSU administration may not discipline a student for expressing Adventist beliefs by stating it in those words, but if Louie tells people what is being taught in the biology department, LSU will do all they can to keep him quiet. They have already done all they can to keep him quiet, aside from kicking him out of school.
Response from Pastor Dan Shafer:
Since when do our schools have to consider “Including” our message in the course of study? What other message have they been ordained to provide for our young people? I can see “comparing” the true Biblical view with the world’s view in order to reveal the futility of their view of evolution or any other precept of true Bible-based doctrine, but never as viable instruction.
“In some other schools they teach geology on the evolution basis. We can teach geology and show that evolution is false.” {LLM 427.3}
Furthermore, why would our institutions of learning even need to make the statement: “We never discipline a student for expressing or upholding Adventist beliefs”?
North American Division president Don C. Schneider spoke to a Sabbath school class at the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church in California April 10, 2010. The following is an excerpt from Wright’s article where Schneider addressed the controversy surrounding La Sierra University:
With a small handful of minutes remaining, one audience member raised the issue of La Sierra University and evolution, to which Schneider jokingly responded, “Can we be done ten minutes ago?”
He added that when it comes to this topic, he is a “pretty simple guy.” Schneider affirmed his belief in the Bible, and said that if things do not square with the Bible, they are wrong because for him, the Bible is right.
Schneider went on to say that he tried to pay a visit to university president Randal Wisbey (who was not in the office that day). Schneider wanted to encourage Wisbey to “stay close to Jesus” and to be his friend.
Schneider then pointed out that those being attacked are also people with souls to save, and that we should be careful how we deal with anybody with opinions that differ from our own.
Schneider suggested that it might even be possible that some would end up “outside the wall” of heaven because of condemnatory attitudes. “Attitude is important!” Schneider said to applause.
You’re on a jet air plane. You’re crossing the Pacific Ocean. And you hear the flight attendant say for some reason it appears that the captain has lost his mind. He seems disoriented, but we don’t want to hurt his feelings so we’re going to let him keep flying. Are you being impatient if you take him out of the cockpit? And if you suggest to the flight crew, Look, you need to get him out and let the first officer fly or get someone else competent in the cockpit. And they say, Well that would be bad PR for the airline. Do they ever think that way in flight crews? No. They say if he is not mentally clear, if he is disoriented, if he is inebriated, our first interest is not his self-esteem. Our first interest is the passengers on the plane or the students at the desk in the classroom? |
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What a shameful response from one who is supposed to be the leader of the North American Division. Brother Schneider, I might strongly suggest that “those with differing opinion” can be used in a powerful way to destroy our young people, and even our beloved church. You are encouraging us to support this kind of non-biblical nonsense, while making light of faithful SDA students who believe the truths of God’s Word. The camel of Satan’s sophistry no longer has his head in the tent. The camel is safely inside and destroying all that is true.
- Pastor Dan Shafer says:
April 12, 2010
It is clearly evident that the leadership of the church has become totally direlict in their responsibility in supporting and upholding the pure faith. I pray that those faithful students will rise up from the grass roots and accomplish that which a leadership that has utterly failed to do. They are in denial the faith. If this were not true, those promoting error in our institutions would be immediately relieved of their post. May God have mercy on our church. |
A message from Pastor Shafer In Regard to the LSU problem with evolutionary teaching:
Would that the SDA Church leadership would have the backbone in regard to apostate professors at LSU as the Catholic Church has, as is clearly evident in the following speech from Catholic Father Mallon:
“Freedom to teach what is true is without practical applicability unless we have a norm….the Catholic college norm must be not only natural knowledge, but the deposit of divinely revealed truths immeasurably more certain than any truth arrived at by mere human deduction or experiment because we have for them the guarantee of the infinite knowledge and veracity of God…We reserve the the right to dispense with the service of the staff member whose life or utterances on the campus or off of it undermines the purposes for which we exist…In view of the very nature and fundamental purposes of Catholic education, violations of Catholic doctrine, or Catholic moral principles, or of the essential proprieties of Catholic life, on the campus or off the campus, render a man unfit for service in a Catholic college. “
{Father Wilfred M. Mallon, S.J., criticizing the American Assoc. of University Professors before the National Catholic Educational Assoc. 1942}
We will be praying for the meeting on Feb. 11th.
After the following comments, that which follows is a “Must-read” for all faithful believers:
Randall Wisbey, President of La Sierra University was cowardly reluctant to address the completely unbiblical teachings by the college professors in regard to evolution, but was quick to draw the sword to attack those working to defend the foundation of CHRISTIANITY (not just our church) on the subject of Creation. We should all be shocked, but apostasy has become so rampant within the Seventh-day Adventist denominational leadership today that most of our people have become conditioned to accept whatever comes down the pike. We are no longer shocked, and this is truly alarming. While the world is fast spinning its wheels closer and closer to prophetic conclusions, we are mired down in quibbles about professors in “ADVENTIST” universities teaching evolution to our students.
In an interview with Press Enterprise, Randal Wisbey said, "... the role of the board is to provide general oversight of La Sierra, not to determine how each professor teaches each class." |
Mr. Wisbey must be suffering from a delusional apparition to so boldly defy God’s truth and support such an abomination. Either this or he has sold his soul to the devil.
The truly honest thing to have done before ever reaching this point of contention within the educational institutions of God’s remnant church would have been to INTERVIEW Education Staff Candidates before hiring, making certain that they are Adventist Christians who believe and support the teaching of the fundamentals of our faith, based upon a “thus saith the Lord”. Unfortunately, this may be a novel idea for the “Neo-ADVENTIST” today.
The following is the article provided by “Educate Truth”:
Despite La Sierra University's recent declaration of their support of the church's fundamental belief in a recent, literal six-day creation, biology professors continue to promote the theory of evolution over the Seventh-day Adventist Church's position.
In an interview with Press Enterprise, Randal Wisbey said, "... the role of the board is to provide general oversight of La Sierra, not to determine how each professor teaches each class." While they may be reluctant to go that far, it has become apparent to many board members of the need to provide more than just general oversight.
| "... the role of the board is to provide general oversight of La Sierra, not to determine how each professor teaches each class." |
There is reason to believe that Wisbey is sympathetic to the worldview of his biology professors (see article). Also, when asked point-blank if he believed in a recent, literal six-day creation he responded that he could believe in it. He did not give a definitive yes. This could explain his protective hand over the biology department despite the testimony of students who have talked with him personally.
Wisbey has effectively put LSU into lock down. The professors are no longer talking to any press. They have also placed copyrights on all their material this year, evidently to discourage Educate Truth or anyone else from posting their material like last year. Do they have something to hide? Why is Wisbey keeping his professors from talking to anyone?
A request from Educate Truth to LSU, asking for the class syllabus and the list of professors who were teaching the new seminar course, was met with silence. Perhaps Wisbey's recent "outrage" with Educate Truth has something to do with this (see below).
Educate Truth has talked with several board members, who have acknowledged the problem at LSU and are determined to address it. Our hope is that their resolutions come to fruition sooner rather than later.
-Educate Truth Staff
By Educate Truth Staff
President of La Sierra University Randal Wisbey responded on May 18, 2009, to David Asscherick’s concerns regarding LSU biology professors teaching “naturalistic evolution” as fact, or “as the preferred and normative worldview.” Instead of clear denouncement of the charge, Wisbey made the following statement:
‘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.
The charge was never addressed directly. Not once did Wisbey deny “naturalistic evolution” was being taught as fact at LSU. He goes on to say it is the university’s “commitment to responsibly address difficult issues” and to “consider a variety of views.” Is it safe to say he’s referring to naturalistic evolution in the “variety of views” he mentions? In essence, he appears to be saying this commitment to consider a variety of views “grows from our church’s commitment to ever be open to new light.”
Wisbey states our schools provide “an excellent setting for examining the evolutionary process – a subject that is foundational to the modern biological and behavioral sciences.” These are statements of fact. There is an evolutionary process. It is foundational. Is Wisbey admitting he believes naturalistic evolution is fact? Is this part of the “new light” we should be embracing as Seventh-day Adventists?
If the Bible isn’t clear enough about the origins of life and the earth, Ellen White’s insights will certainly shed light on the subject:
Inferences erroneously drawn from the facts observed in nature have, however, led to supposed conflict between science and revelation; and in the effort to restore harmony, interpretations of Scripture have been adopted that undermine and destroy the force of the word of God. Geology has been thought to contradict the literal interpretation of the Mosaic record of the creation. Millions of years, it is claimed, were required for the evolution of the earth from chaos; and in order to accommodate the Bible to this supposed revelation of science, the days of creation are assumed to have been vast, indefinite periods, covering thousands or even millions of years. Education p. 128
Even in Mrs. White’s time, evolution was taught at all levels of education. She said, “Thus the study of science, which should impart a knowledge of God, is so mingled with the speculations and theories of men that it tends to infidelity” (Education p. 227). It is through “pleasing sentiments of higher criticism,” like evolution, that the “enemy of righteousness is seeking to lead souls into forbidden paths” (New Life p. 54).
Clearly, the theory of evolution is not new light, but a dark shadow that has robbed many believers of truth.
On November 21, 2008, Wisbey gave a speech for the Adventist Society of Religious Studies, titled “Nurturing the Adventist Mind.” In his speech, he explains how Adventists can integrate “Adventist thinking” with a “vast array of intellectual disciplines.” He then went on to tell how the church “needs” to be integrated, quoting from Ellen White and director of Geoscience Research Institute James Gibson:
One example of how the church needs this integration is in the vexing issue of the relation of Adventist thinking to the natural sciences as pertains to the history of life on planet Earth. On the one hand, for more than a hundred years Adventists have believed that “the book of nature and the written word shed light upon each other. They make us acquainted with God by teaching us something of the laws through which He works” [White]. On the other hand, we recognize that “creationists do not have an adequate explanation” for “radiometric dates of many millions of years . . . . The most difficult question is probably the apparent sequence of radiometric dates, giving older dates for lower layers in the geologic column and younger dates for upper layers” [Gibson].
What Adventist colleges and universities can do is to provide a supportive environment and conceptual assistance not only to their students but also to the whole church in addressing this issue effectively by reexamining our understanding of both the “book of nature” and the “written word.” In the process, Adventist colleges and universities can be examples of thinking faithfully.
Who does Wisbey cite as one “recent example of the way in which other faith communities are engaged in this discussion”? He points to Karl W. Giberson’s book, ”Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution” as an example of “thinking faithfully.” Is this what Adventists should be doing, discussing how we can be Christians and believe in evolution?
Perhaps there is a gorilla in the room no one is willing to acknowledge. How can change occur with faculty when leadership endorse what faculty teach about evolution? This issue goes beyond individual teachers. It’s important to know where our leaders stand. It seems Wisbey has made his stance clear. It is no wonder La Sierra administration has never addressed this issue before, because they are sympathetic to the scientific world view of their biology professors. Firing these biology professors would only be a temporary solution.
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