Comment on Video show LSU undermining church doctrine by Benjamin Burkhardt.
I cannot speak personally as to what all is happening in every class at La Sierra. But, with the issues coming from the mouths of very concerned Bible believing SDA students, who have attended and spoken, I would take much concern. This is an issue they have been dealing with long throughout this last year (at the very least). And the video evidence and quoted remarks about what came out of these classes at La Sierra is alarming. It’s no less than what these students have been claiming. If some cannot see anything wrong with what has been taught there, then I see the school’s reason for defending their actions. Apparently there is not enough Biblical and spiritual discernment to see clearly the issues at stake (and I do not say this to insult anyone, so please don’t take offense. That’s not my intent). Perhaps we might just consider the following about what Adventist beliefs actually are:
“Like the Sabbath, the week originated at creation, and it has been preserved and brought down to us through Bible history. God himself measured off the first week as a sample for successive weeks to the close of time. Like every other, it consisted of seven literal days. Six days were employed in the work of creation; upon the seventh, God rested, and he then blessed this day, and set it apart as a day of rest for man.” -Christian Education, p.190.1
There are 30 such statements throughout the Spirit of Prophecy. She makes it very clear (as even logic would compel us if we noted the Calendar) that the Biblical Creation week is “7 literal days.” “they were employed in the work of Creation.”
The Bible itself is crystal clear on this matter. These were not “7 days of inauguration” for some temple. The specific items for each day of Creation are laid out in the plainest detail possible. These in no way represented any great periods of time (as suggested in the “Temple Model” put forth by the instructors in La Sierra’s faith/science class). The grass was created on day 3 (see Gen. 1:11-13). The Sunshine was created on day 4 (v.14-19). Any scientist will tell you that grass won’t survive long without sunshine. The words of the Bible are so plain that a child could understand (this is no insult to any, only a simple reality). The Scriptures describe plainly the Creation of our world. There is no mention of any fancy “Temple theory” (such a theory is merely the invention of men attempting to confuse the plain statement of Scripture in order to make it harmonize more easily with their Evolutionary ideas).
I hope that it will be clear to all (including Geanna Dane, whose soul I love as one who Christ died for) what are the real issues here. The plainest statements of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy have been entirely disregarded in the presentations held at La Sierra University. They have been ignored and replaced in the classroom by the pleasing theories of men, attempting to make room in people’s minds for evolutionary thought. This is, clearly, without having any other way to put it, an ATTACK against the Adventist faith. If we must assume that the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy are not trustworthy and clear guides, to be read and understood literally (when the language is clearly literal, not symbolic language), then we have no word of God to rest our faith on. And if you cannot believe that God “created the world” in six days, resting on the 7th, then perhaps you will not be able to believe that “God so loved the world…” (John 3:16), because the same author who wrote that also said that Jesus created the entire world “in the beginning” (John 1:1-3,14). If life get’s horrible and the world gets worse, maybe we’ll find need to re-interpret “God so loved the world.”
This appears so much to me like the serpent in Genesis 3 saying, “yeah hath God said, ye shall not eat of the fruit of every tree of the garden?…ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:1,4). Only a chapter before the Bible records the words of God that they “would surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Satan’s #1 attack against God’s people is to give them reason to doubt the plainest and most clear statements of God. When he is victorious in doing this, he will lead them into every imaginable sin and doubt. That’s exactly what he did to Eve.
So I pray for the people at La Sierra that there would be more Spiritual discernment on these issues. God’s word and the Spirit of prophecy have been clearly attacked and undermined in the classroom there through the sophistries of men. And so many of those responsible to check this evil and protect the innocent faith of their students have no realization that a great evil has taken place. It’s time for us all to evaluate what we really can believe in, and then prayerfully make some choices about where we want to rest our faith. The three angel’s messages of Revelation 14 (for which purpose the Adventist church exists) declare to the entire apostate world that they are to worship the Creator (Rev. 14:6,7). The Sabbath that we Adventists keep is the memorial of that literal Creation week. If we cannot firmly believe in a God who created the world in six literal days, without the help of some evolutionary processes, then we have a real problem on our hands. Our need is not then to call people to worship Him, but to be called to worship him.
I understand that the minds of many have been educated to believe in some kind of hybrid, evolutionary/ pseudo creationistic faith. And perhaps you will have a difficult time in placing your faith upon the clear statements of God’s word, but in all reality, if we cannot, it will be difficult for us to have any sort of transforming and/or tenacious faith in Jesus for these days, and the days just ahead. I pray for any one of you who may be struggling with this. May the Lord help us all.
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Benjamin Burkhardt Also Commented
Video show LSU undermining church doctrine
I just watched the first presentation with Fritz Guy. I wouldn’t say there’s anything particularly wrong with what he’s saying about God giving us evidence for our faith (as quoted in Steps to Christ)–certainly there’s nothing wrong about that. It’s not wrong to say that we allow our beliefs to be re-evaluated by Scripture. The truth will not lose any of it’s glory as we continue to study it out. And it is true that the Bible is our creed and the statements at the General conference my be amended if needed to more accurately reflect the Bible’s teaching and our belief about it. His notion of “Present Truth” may not be entirely accurate as far as I understand it though. The phrase “Present truth” comes from 2 Peter 1:12. It does not imply that the truth is liquid and always changing as we might see fit (as some may be purporting), but rather, that it has a direct relationship to time. It’s like saying, the “Present time” is 6pm. Three hours later the “present time” will be 9pm. The present truth of Noah’s day was that a flood was coming. If you said that today you’d be about 4,000 something years too late. The present truth in the Apostles day was that the Messiah had just showed up–now the system of animal sacrifice had been fulfilled. The present truth of 1844 was that the heavenly judgment had started…we are still living in this present truth. The Bible says, “In the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman…” (Gal. 4:4). The fact is, the term “Present truth” runs according to God’s time clock and tells us what hour of this earth’s history we are living in. It does not however mean or imply, “this was popular for that crowd then, this is popular for our crowd now” “We all like this, they all liked that…”. Present truth is not subjective to whatever we feel we want to believe as the truth. Present truth is an objective truth that relates to the time of history according to God’s clock. It’s not about the changing popular beliefs, it’s about the current status of reality to which God has determined the bounds. We are to understand and live by the “Present truth” that God has made specific to our generation. Present truth is not the so called popular consensus of our day. This is what I fear has perhaps been advocated here in this lecture (forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m see people misapply the concept in this way).
When people start using these ideas to say that we need to perhaps change our doctrines they really go out on a very thin edge, and are pushing ideas (without being too specific as to what they are suggesting) that prepare the way for people un-knowledgeable about our faith to throw up objection to what really is the truth, when it doesn’t suit their fancy or meet their very limited understanding of what Scripture actually teaches.
Some who wish to make our doctrines more liquid to meet their personal understanding or that of the evolutionary science community may quote a few of sister White’s statements to get some ground for their radically different ideas from our faith. This is as Satan would have it. Lies mingled with some kind of truth can make his deceptions all the more powerful. Those who do this, often fail to quote the other statements of sister white, such as, “It is as certain that we have the truth as that God lives; and Satan, with all his arts and hellish power, cannot change the truth of God into a lie. While the great adversary will try his utmost to make of none effect the word of God, truth must go forth as a lamp that burneth.”{Maranatha p.127.3}
“Our faith in reference to the messages of the first, second, and third angels was correct. The great waymarks we have passed are immovable. Although the hosts of hell may try to tear them from their foundation, and triumph in the thought that they have succeeded, yet they do not succeed. These pillars of truth stand firm as the eternal hills, unmoved by all the efforts of men combined with those of Satan and his host. We can learn much, and should be constantly searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so. God’s people are now to have their eyes fixed on the heavenly sanctuary, where the final ministration of our great High Priest in the work of the judgment is going forward,–where He is interceding for His people.–Review and Herald, Nov. 27, 1883.” {Evangelism, p. 223.1}
Sister White states clearly that these Pillars of our faith are to stand no test, but the Bible. “If the pillars of our faith will not stand the test of investigation, it is time that we knew it, for it is foolish to become set in our ideas, and think that no one should interfere with our opinions. Let everything be brought to the Bible; for it is the only rule of faith and doctrine.” {ST, February 6, 1893 par. 6}
Scientific consensus of our day is to hold absolutely no molding power upon our faith in these great Bible teachings (See Great Controversy, p.595.1).
I fear these professors to be insinuating just such a notion…as that we ought to change our current biblical beliefs to make some room for the ever changing evolutionary theories of modern science. No thanks! Divine revelation will take no backseat to erroneous human and satanic assumptions about our origins.
Video show LSU undermining church doctrine
I hope that it will be abundantly clear that there is nothing “Judgmental” (in a negative sense) about raising public protest to a public matter that involves the eternal welfare of untold thousands of Adventist young people. It would be a sin against heaven, and a sin against our young people to keep our mouths quiet about this undermining of the Faith of God’s people. Satan is out to destroy the faith of every Adventist Youth before they ever take up their position as bearers of the truth. This was how he moved to destroy Jesus when he was yet a baby. If the devil can destroy us early, then he succeeds. That’s why he’s infiltrated our colleges through false teachers…all he can do to destroy the truth. If we dared to do so foolish of a thing as to hold our tongues, then God would require their blood at our hands(Ezek. 3:18). And woe to any man who destroys the faith of one of God’s little ones. It were “better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck and he were cast into the depths of the sea” (Luke 17:2).
In a time of war (which we are in-Spiritual combat until Christ comes) only an extremely confused person or a Traitor would tell the watchmen not to sound alarm at the obvious advances of the enemy.
God says, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence…” (Is. 62:6).
Satan may call it “Judgmental” to speak out against his wicked schemes, but God calls it faithfulness. He says, “Cry loud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression…” (Is. 58:1).
Let the sound of alarm never cease, until every ear is alert to the enemies advances, and all firmly take their stand to the battle at hand! I would say to Satan, call it whatever you want…”Judgmental”…if that makes you happy, but we will not cease to speak the truth until every ear in Zion heeds the sounding alarm!
Video show LSU undermining church doctrine
As far as the teaching philosophy that is happening in the classroom, as seen in Lecture #2…this is not biblical either. One of the professors said something to the effect of (I’m roughly quoting), “We’re not going to tell or teach you what you should believe. You’ll have to form those opinions for yourself.” Certainly, none of us should ever force another’s will or mind to bend exactly to our own. But, whatever happened to taking a stand for the truth of heaven that we personally and corporately believe in. What ever happened to the necessity of guiding young minds to place their firm belief in God’s truth, which is so clearly revealed through His word. “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). God says of His commands, “Thou shalt DILIGENTLY teach them to your children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when you lie down, and when thou rise up…” (Deut. 6:7). And at the heart of those very commands is the Holy Sabbath commandment. And at the heart of that commandment is the very reason for this Blessed day of Rest, “for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh day…”. Any teaching philosophy that says, “Make up your own opinion according to all the false science you hear…we won’t tell you what is right to believe,” is straight up from the Devil. God says, “Train up your children is the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).
This false kind of- “believe whatever you want”-teaching in the classroom is all too common today. It is the way of worldly education and it is the Greek philosophical method(which hardly would take a stand for anything).”For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.” That’s far from God’s way. Christ “taught as one having authority, not as the Scribes” and Pharisees (Matthew 7:29). If we are of Christ, then we must teach as Christ did. Certainly the ideas of men are not authoritative, but the Word God is absolutely authoritative. When it comes to our beliefs and faith about the most fundamental truths of life, any Christian who is a Christian must stand firmly by the “faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:14), which was and always will be, “It is written…it is written…it is written” (Matthew 4). “Thus saith the Lord” is the premise of all true education. All so-called scientific claims, must be subject to and understood in the unchangeable light of that word, and our teaching in a Seventh-day Adventist school (if so called by that name), must come from that premise. Let’s call all education by it’s right name. If it’s Adventist, let it be Adventist, if it’s Baal’s, let be known as Baal’s, but let not the darkness of a wolf masquerade under the white garments of a Sheep.
Recent Comments by Benjamin Burkhardt
Changing the Wording of Adventist Fundamental Belief #6 on Creation
Again, thank you to Sean and the other contributors to this website. Thank you for your dedication, research, and continual efforts to keep an intelligent and informing light upon all the ins/outs and various issues wrapped up in this controversy. These matters are SO important and historical! Something is going down big time. And I pray that the truth of God, His book, and Historical Adventism only go up! Let’s hold onto the faith and contend for that which was once and for all delivered to the saints. Blessings and prayers!! Yes, let’s be clear in our FB#6, etc. statements about what the Bible itself is also crystal clear about. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to “twist” the real meaning of Scripture “to their own destruction” (2 Pet. 3:16). For this very reason, our church-approved instructors and organizational entities must stand the testing of even more crystal clear airtight language that makes abundantly clear our church’s position, belief, and expression of what the Bible is actually teaching. Those who would twist Scripture, probably might tend to twist other things as well, but we can make it harder for them for sure!!! They’ll have to be an outright liar or raving lunatic to deny or twist the clear language we ought to be using to express our Biblical views. Which of course needs to be grounds for expulsion from the church’s ranks of approved instructors.
La Sierra Univeristy Fires Dr. Lee Greer; Signs anti-Creation Bond
There’s a few rats in the house, and somebody is coming down for this! Jesus tells us there is nothing secret that shall not be known. It will be proclaimed from the housetops. Our sins will find us out. And I think more than a few have just been found out. May Christ’s truth be uplifted, and may His cause go forward. But for those who dishonor Christ and jeopardize His cause, I pray you’ll be shown for what you are doing. []
In Christ,
Ben B.
La Sierra University Responds to anti-Creation Bond Issue
What a sell out! Selling [out] for a few crumbs of bread or a pot of wretched stew. They despise our birthright [] for just a smidgeon more than 30 pieces of silver. I hope they will throw the coins back [].
Two Adventist Universities Promote Six-Day Creation
Thank you guys so much for posting these refreshing truths about some of our schools who are working hard to do God’s business! I think we absolutely MUST have this continued accountability and free/open press statement about what’s taking place in our SDA Schools these days (and at all times). We never can allow Satan to have an open back door right into our midst by making silent assumptions about the faithfulness of the teaching activities in our schools, for sake of professed name only. God says “BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT, because your adversary the Devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Even an effective pagan government must have proper checks and balances. How much more the church of God who must “…earnestly content for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3,4)? Satan loves to attack and kill the little ones before they can stand for doing God’s work. He tried with Moses and Christ! Shall he not as surely do so to us? Of course! We have the warnings all throughout Scripture to be on the lookout and the watch for false teachers and false prophets!! We MUST all be accountable, and hold accountable, that Bible truth may be taught and educated in our schools that were so designed for just such a purpose. The History of God’s church at large and the History of our people DEMAND accountability and transparency in all these matters!! Let’s hold accountable all our schools and fortify the willing ones for the task of proclaiming the truth. Thank you for this article and this work. Let’s make known when some are doing what they should and reprimand and censure those who are making groves to Satan under Israel’s banner!
Creeds and Fundamental Beliefs
I agree with the article. Let’s maintain order and accountability in God’s church! We uphold the standard of God’s word in our church entirely. The church is to be the “pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:16). The literal 7 day week from Creation, and the Sabbath are Bible teaching…plain and simple. It’s not merely some person’s conjecture. We have every right and necessity, as God’s people, and His church for the last days to UPHOLD the Bible’s true and clear teachings. If some individuals want to distort or misrepresent those Bible teachings, the church must, needs to, and shall hold them accountable. If they don’t like it, they can go start their own church of “so and so says” religion, and mix whatever kind of philosophy and heresy they want to. But don’t call it 7th-day Adventism. That’s the farthest thing from it.
