Comment on Northern California Conference Votes to Act Independent of the General Conference by Sean Pitman.
I’m sorry, but the concept of “ordination” isn’t really in the Bible at all – at least not as it is currently practiced in the church. It is more akin, currently, to Catholic practices of creating hierarchical leadership positions – which really weren’t part of the early Christian church where no one was called “father” or anything else except for “brother” or “sister” all equally under the kingship of God. Therefore, the concept of ordination, as it is currently practiced, in no way qualifies as a fundamental doctrinal issue.
Beyond this, without actual enforcement of the primary goals and ideals of the church upon its own official representatives, some actually discipline, you don’t have an functional organization. You’ve just got chaos.
You need to read what James White and J.N. Loughborough wrote about and even Mrs. White wrote about church order, government, and discipline after they finally figured out that these things were not really all that bad after all, but were actually required for larger organizations – and that specifically stated doctrinal positions (particular interpretations of the Bible and the church’s unique collective views on what the Bible actually says) were needed as a basis of unity for the growing church as well as a basis to establish a unified message to the world.
The difference here, of course, is that a “creed” cannot be changed or modified while the SDA fundamental beliefs can be as new truths come to light – which is a significant difference.
Sean Pitman Also Commented
Northern California Conference Votes to Act Independent of the General Conference
LOL 😉
Northern California Conference Votes to Act Independent of the General Conference
Thanks…
Northern California Conference Votes to Act Independent of the General Conference
I still fail to see an explicit statement forbidding the ordination of women pastors here…
Recent Comments by Sean Pitman
After the Flood
Thank you Ariel. Hope you are doing well these days. Miss seeing you down at Loma Linda. Hope you had a Great Thanksgiving!
The Flood
Thank you Colin. Just trying to save lives any way I can. Not everything that the government does or leaders do is “evil” BTW…
The Flood
Only someone who knows the future can make such decisions without being a monster…
Pacific Union College Encouraging Homosexual Marriage?
Where did I “gloss over it”?
Review of “The Naked Emperor” by Pastor Conrad Vine
I fail to see where you have convincingly supported your claim that the GC leadership contributed to the harm of anyone’s personal religious liberties? – given that the GC leadership does not and could not override personal religious liberties in this country, nor substantively change the outcome of those who lost their jobs over various vaccine mandates. That’s just not how it works here in this country. Religious liberties are personally derived. Again, they simply are not based on a corporate or church position, but rely solely upon individual convictions – regardless of what the church may or may not say or do.
Yet, you say, “Who cares if it is written into law”? You should care. Everyone should care. It’s a very important law in this country. The idea that the organized church could have changed vaccine mandates simply isn’t true – particularly given the nature of certain types of jobs dealing with the most vulnerable in society (such as health care workers for example).
Beyond this, the GC Leadership did, in fact, write in support of personal religious convictions on this topic – and there are GC lawyers who have and continue to write personal letters in support of personal religious convictions (even if these personal convictions are at odds with the position of the church on a given topic). Just because the GC leadership also supports the advances of modern medicine doesn’t mean that the GC leadership cannot support individual convictions at the same time. Both are possible. This is not an inconsistency.
