Tag: adventist identity

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Arguments for Conformity

devilThe other day I was reading an internet discussion where a Christian condemned the promiscuous lyrics of a popular musical artist.  The Christian said that the artist was a tool of the devil in the propogation of anti-Christian lyrics and the promotion of a anti-Christian lifestyle in the music.

Interestingly enough the other Christians came to the defense of the artist.  The arguments were as follows.  One said that the particular artist was not the worst offender.  This may or may not be the case, but it doesn’t address whether Satan is using the artist as a tool to propogate wickedness.

Another argument was a common one.  They simply attacked the Christian.  How do you know that the artist is singing wickedness unless you are listening to the artist.  Well there is some truth to this attack.  One cannot evaluate what one has not heard and seen.  However, it still doesn’t address whether Satan is using the artist as a tool to propagate wickedness, it only addresses whether the original Christian’s integrity.

Finally the last defense was something along the lines of “How do you know who is going to hell?  You don’t know the artist’s heart.”  Interesting, especially due to the fact that the original Christian never said anyone was going to hell, only that the artist’s music was a propagation tool for Satan.  This is the common attack that “only God knows my heart.”  Certainly this is a true sentiment, and ultimately God will decide with all the information about someone’s ultimate destiny, but it is absolutely ridiculous to assume that simply because I don’t know if someone is going to hell, I can’t evaluate whether their public statements (and songs) are in line with my own understanding of truth.

It is interesting how we have reached a point in time where those who  state “a song promoting promiscuity is wrong” are attacked.   Defending the values of the faith is mocked today.  Conforming to the world is the acceptable norm.

If we will stand in that great day, we must have the audacity to speak the truth, and the perserverence to stand even in the midst of attacks from our sister and brother Christians who have bought into the lie that the only sin that is worth condemning today is hypocracy.

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Unchurched and the Third Angel's Message

800px-Calvary_baptist_church_lex_kyThere is a new word that has begun to arise amongst us.  It is the word “unchurched.”  The word is meant to imply that we should stop trying to preach to the “churched” who presumably already have God, and spend all of our efforts (or at least most of them) on the “unchurched.”   It sounds all right on the surface, but is it really our calling?

First of all, the word “churched” is not a Biblical word.  We have all heard the preachers tell us that just because you are a member of a church does not mean that you are converted.  But then some of these same people will change gears when talking about evangelism and speak about addressing the unchurched.  Simply put, we are told to preach to the world.  Whether Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and yes even Adventist, we cannot assume that someone is in a saved relationship with God simply becuase they are “churched.”  We cannot assume that we have no message to take to someone simply becuase they are “churched.”

But more than that, we Adventists have taking our self identity from the Revelation 14 which we have thought was a message of warning to the entire world.  We are telling everyone to not get caught up with Revelation thirteen’s Sea Beast system.  (Revelation 14:6-12).   We are to warn the entire world which presumably includes “chruched” and “unchurched” of the great deception that will be put on humanity.  If that is our identity, to only look at a segment of the world is to betray our mission.

I have not done a scientific study of many of these mega churches, but from my interaction with members, I find that many of the members have simply moved from other churches in town.  They do reach some “unchurched” members, but they also reach a whole lot of “churched” members.  So in a practical sense, why is it that they grow on the basis of transfers and then want to tell you to only address “unchurched” and some want to even follow the idea.

So in a real sense, the whole idea of “unchurched” is against our mission.  On top of it all, who really follows that idea and refuses to engage in what they call “sheep stealing?”  No one, well maybe those few who have bought into the idea…

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It's A Lie!

crossfingersIt is assumed true by just about everyone in the church right now. you don’t even have to prove it. The church is full of legalistic finger pointers who are attempting to steal our assurance of salvation. They are running the church. They condemn you for eating cheese, they make those who are caught in sexual sin to feel unloved. They attack and put down. They put the writings of Ellen White above the Bible while they proclaim that they have reached perfection…

Where does this church exist?

I just wonder where this church is located. While it is true that you can find a church here and there or a member here and there that have this problem, I just haven’t seen it. The churches I see are overtaken by laxness not strictness. It is laughable to think that we have a widespread problem of condemning folks for eating cheese…There are not many people using Ellen White as a sledgehammer. We are to busy bending over backwards to not offend anybody. I mean many of our preachers don’t even use her name, instead they refer to their “favorite Christian author” or a “Christian author from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.” It is interesting that a preacher can refer to to “Billy Graham” or “John Wesley” or even “T. D. Jakes” but still doesn’t want to offend anyone by referring to Ellen White.

We Bought the Lie

And yet in this climate, we are accused of “worshiping Ellen White.” We have bought into the lie that we are too strict, and now all of our solutions presented have to do with solving this illusionary problem. So we always hear about grace and little about responsibility, well if we assume that all we hear is responsibility then we must set it aside for a while. We hear about what God did and nothing about what we are to do. And it makes sense, because we assume that we are correcting something. Well it is time to stop believing the lie that legalism is rampant. Stop believing the lie that too many are using the health message as a weapon.

Stop Believing the Lie

And if we stop believing the lie, then maybe we can begin to get some real balacne in our presentations. Then maybe we can begin hearing about grace and law. Then maybe we can begin hearing about our need for God’s act and our own response. If we stop believing the lie, then we will be in a position to speak to this present world rather than the figment of our own imagination where the readers of the “red books” run wild and vegans run off all of our converts.