@Scott Brizendine: Does PUC have something to hide? The church …

Comment on An apology to PUC by Johnny Vance.

@Scott Brizendine: Does PUC have something to hide? The church has a right to know what it’s getting for its money. I really doubt the church is happy with the product, especially after reading most of the posts from students.

@Anon: Dr. Ness’s lecture is just the tip of the iceberg concerning Adventist education. Take a few minutes to really consider the comments by professors in the class and the questions posed by students. You’ll realize that THAT is not the product of only a 50 minute lecture. This one lecture is wake up call to all. Or perhaps our schools should start recording more lectures in order to prove to you that these aren’t isolated incidents?

Like Sean said, Ellen White publicly warned parents to not send their children to the college in Battle Creek…not because kids are dumb, but because the kind of education and mentors they are exposed to is a big deal. Educators and pastors are held to a higher standard because of their influence over not just the youth, but everyone. It matters.

Johnny Vance Also Commented

An apology to PUC
@Educate Truth Staff: I appreciate your candor with admitting a fault in judgment for posting the video prematurely. Whereas the church at large has every right to know what their youth are being taught, it’s best to attempt to go through proper channels to avoid the appearance of evil.

I understand that Adventist education is going through a crisis, and that there’s much frustration with church leadership for allowing things to get so out of hand.

What is the laity to do when most of the church leadership and church members appear to be asleep at their posts? Shout at them to wake up, of course. But perhaps a tap on the shoulder would have been a loud enough call to arms for PUC and Adventist education in general? I doubt it, in light of past resistance and rationalization of anti-biblical concepts by
certain elements within the church.

I strongly suspect that the problem so clearly illustrated from Dr. Ness’s lecture is just the tip of the iceberg concerning the crisis in our educational institutions. The fruits of Adventist education on most of these kids who’ve commented on here is indeed disturbing, and bodes ill for the future of the church. It’s unfortunate that it takes a video to wake people up to the realization that there’s a crisis. But even then there are those who still find excuses to dismiss the evidence.

Thank you Sean and Shane for having the courage to sound the trumpet. I hope our leaders and church members will answer the call to defend the walls, because it sure is exhausting being all alone. I want to go home soon.


An apology to PUC
@OTNT and BobRyan: Thank you for the clarification. I see where this argument is going. We will always have opportunities and hooks to hang our doubts on. I suppose you can dig for hooks and hang all the doubts you want on them. It seems like OTNT is focusing on the cup being half-empty argument.

“Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 2 Chronicles 20:20


An apology to PUC
@OTNT_Believer: I’m just curious. What was wrong/mistaken about her visions of the planets?


Recent Comments by Johnny Vance

For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists
@Eddie: I appreciate your response. It seems to be heart-felt. I’ll admit that I cringe at having to address these issues in a public forum. Would you feel differently if for the mere sake of transparency videos, letters/emails, syllabi and the such were posted on here with no commentary to prevent the appearance of public criticism? Maybe the church needs to see how ugly and widespread the cancer really is. But I take issue with your definition of criticism in this case. There’s criticism of people for the sake of envy and resentment, etc., and then there’s criticism of wrong or good actions (constructive).

I just wonder how you propose to address the issue without considering the people behind the problem? Surely any denunciation of the error will be labeled character assasination. But this isn’t necessarily so. Note how Paul and other apostles publicly “criticized” those spreading error within their ranks. I know you love Dr. Ness, and I also believe he’s a good guy. But we cannot allow the open teaching of error because we like the guy. This is a tough issue to wrestle with, and my heart sinks for these people. But truth is more precious. If we stand for truth then the Lord will bless. He’s powerful enough to correct and save Dr. Ness and anybody else who may be in error (including myself) if the heart is willing.

My brother in Christ, I think we’re both wanting to solve the problem; but we have a difference of opinion. I’m open to Biblical correction. I trust that you’re bringing this to daily prayer as you wrestle with how to fulfill your sacred role of training young people at PUC. People are praying for you all who are sincerely seeking to present the Christ of the Bible. God bless.


For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists
@Eddie: Ok, Eddie. We can sit on our hands and keep our mouths shut, and shut our eyes and expect God to do all the work we’re supposed to be doing. Lord forbid we take care of anything unpleasant. “And all of God’s people put up with the apostasy because no prophet was sent and Jesus’ time had not yet come.” I don’t see anything of that sort in Scripture. By the way, God did send a prophet who gave us copious amounts of counsel on how to deal with these situations. You are contradicting yourself by demanding that a prophet or Jesus Himself come to put down this apostasy.

If the Master of the house left you in charge and came back to find it a chaotic mess, He’d ask: why did you not keep my house in order?

Would you respond?: I knew your statutes and commands but I wanted You to come and fix it yourself.

Brother Eddie, if you did this, you’d be found to have been a very unfaithful steward. The Master of the house has left us plenty of guidance on how to keep His house in order. Are you prepared to meet Him with excuses for knowing the “rules” of order yet doing nothing? Come on, brother. You can do better than that.


For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists

Tell Johnny Vance that the Church functioned just fine with discipline issues prior to the internet, and that the internet isn’t the only way to work on this issue.

@Professor Kent: I’m just curious on a couple of points.

1) Does the Spectrum blog get the same criticism from you for its public and vitriolic rants against the church as Educate Truth? If not then I’d be curious to know why they get a pass.

2) If you think that Educate Truth is so bad, then why do you keep on feeding the fire by posting on it? Common sense would say that you’d shun it to prove it’s as irrelevant and as awful as you claim it to be. It’s ironic to note that you’re one of those who’s actually proving Educate Truth’s point.

3) I have yet to see you back up your accusations and rants with Biblical support. Do you just pick and choose at your convenience? There are many of us who want a better way. Please feel free to come up with a solution that will move people in a position of power to action. If not then you’re just playing ring-around-the-rosies with the devil while nothing gets done because there’s a lack of backbone in the house of God.


For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists
@Eddie: I concur with you full-heartedly. I wish we could find a way to address the problem in a way that takes care of business, whilst uniting all those who see the need to stand for truth, and act. I believe we can find that common ground in God’s word and divine counsel.


For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists
@Professor Kent: Again you fail to give Biblical examples of dealing with apostasy. The Biblical examples that have been left on record for our benefit are too uncomfortable for you? Or maybe they’re just flawed…I suppose so. Disregard the Biblical precedence at your own peril and at the peril of all these young souls being deceived.

The adult Sabbath School lesson this week is about Jeroboam’s apostasy. The Lord sent a prophet to publicly rebuke him and cause enough cognitive dissonance in the minds of all the Israelites present to avoid the apostasy. God wanted to make a point and make it stick. The whole nation needed to know how serious this was. No compromise.

1)This rebuke was given publicly in front of all the nation
2) Jeroboam’s resistance caused God to wither his hand, even though he did not repent after being healed (rebellion).
3)The prophet sent to deliver the message was commanded by God to not eat nor drink in the land of Israel, in order to show how abominable this apostasy was.
4) The prophet was then killed by a lion after he disobeyed the Lord’s command, lest anyone cast doubt on the severity and validity of his message.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you really cared what Jesus would do in this situation, wouldn’t you consider what He left on record for our benefit? Jesus is not just your friend whom you can count on at all times; He is also your Lord and Savior and King of Kings, and He will not be mocked. Remember when He cast out the priests and money-changers from the temple and called them out publicly? Of course you do. And the same for many other examples. But for some reason you choose to ignore this. You can’t pick and choose. Professor Kent, you’re my brother in Christ, but I will not fail to call you out on this one. Standing for the Lord takes precedence over my relationship with even my closest relatives. The stakes are too high.

Enough precedence from Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy has been given here by many to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what we are to do in this situation. You choose to ignore it. I promise you that if the church as a whole knew what was going on in these classrooms, they’d rise up with righteous indignation. But we don’t want that to happen, do we? People like you want to obfuscate the true nature of this crisis, and so many in the church are confused as to what really is happening. Rocking the boat to stand for truth is not popular. Your solutions are lame-duck solutions. You have no Biblical support nor precedence nor inspired counsel to back you up. Your philosophy is bankrupt. Brother, let the Lord be your leader; the Lord of the Bible. Why kick against the pricks?