These folks miss the point entirely. No one is …

Comment on Students and alumni sing LSU’s praises by Kevin Paulson.

These folks miss the point entirely. No one is denying that La Sierra University has done, and is doing, many good things. I too am an alumnus of the University, having taken a number of courses there for my Master’s degree in systematic theology. I know there are good teachers there, and certainly I made many good friends there.

But that is not the issue. The issue is whether the school is tolerating and fostering the teaching of a view of natural origins which contradicts the plain Word of God, the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy, and the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is clear from the myriads of defensive statements coming out of LSU that theistic evolution is very much a part of the educational curriculum there, and that those holding to the Biblical view of how life on earth began can expect ridicule, ostracism, and academic disfavor.

Again I praise God for the candor, clarity, and conviction of the Michigan Conference, and pray other Conferences and denominational entities follow suit with similar declarations and actions. It is far past time for the scourge of liberal theology, after half a century of wreaking havoc within First World Adventism, to come to the inglorious end it richly deserves.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson

Kevin Paulson Also Commented

Students and alumni sing LSU’s praises
Dear Jonathan:

You are so right in asking, Where is the cross in the message coming out of LSU? This really is the bottom line. Where is the cross if one believes in evolution? It becomes totally unnecessary, because if the Darwinian model is true, mankind is naturally advancing upward in the evolutionary scheme of things. There is no room for a fall, no sin, and thus no need for salvation or for a Man hanging on a cross.

And most assuredly, there is no room for charity if one believes in evolution. Charity, in fact, is an obstruction to the evolutionary process, which operates on the basis of the survival of the fittest. The strong devour the weak in the name of advancement and progress. No one in this dialogue has yet explained to me how grace, mercy, and love fit into such a worldview.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Students and alumni sing LSU’s praises
Dear “Adventist in High School”:

I received a copy of an e-mail sent to you by Shane Hilde, inviting you to contact me at my private e-mail address. Please understand that you are welcome to do so. And that applies to anyone else who might wish to dialogue with me regarding these issues in a more direct way.

I fully agree with the need for civility in this conversation, but I remain deeply troubled by the idea of people hiding behind “cover” names in a discussion such as this. And it remains a fact that, with a couple exceptions, those who are doing this in the present conversation are those seeking to defend, or at least excuse to some degree, the teaching of evolution on Adventist campuses.

Decades of departure from doctrinal and lifestyle integrity within the church, much of it cloaked in the garb of “grace,” “righteousness by faith,” and “Christ-centered preaching”–all of which I believe in, but which must be defined by God’s Word, not by scholars or human experience–has brought us to the present crisis in Adventist education. When I was in school a quarter-century ago, it was righteousness by faith, Ellen White, and the sanctuary doctrine that were being debated. Those are issues unique to our faith identity as a people, and they are still supremely important. But now, due to the erosion of confidence in the core of Adventism, we find ourselves debating issues on which nearly all Bible-believing Christians agree–such as evolution and homosexuality.

Do we really think this is “progress”? If so, progress in what direction? On the narrow road leading to life, or the broad road leading to destruction (see Matt. 7:13-14). I find it interesting that Ellen White says, regarding the broad road identified by Jesus:

“On the road to death the whole race may go, with all their worldliness, all their selfishness, all their pride, dishonesty, and moral debasement. There is room for every man’s opinions and doctrines, space to follow his inclinations, to do whatever his self-love may dictate” (MB 138).

Notice, according to God’s servant, where what we today would call doctrinal “pluralism” is to be found in God’s scheme of things. Not on the narrow road leading to heaven, but on the broad road leading to hell.

I urge all to read 5T 672. Ellen White maps out in this statement exactly how people are led by Satan to question the Testimonies, the pillars of our faith, then the Scriptures themselves, and at last “the downward march to perdition.”

The internalizing of God’s truth within our hearts has always been a salvation issue (see Hosea 4:6; Matt. 4:4; John 8:31; II Thess. 2:13; I Tim. 4:16). It is imperative, especially as the events of the last days draw near, that our stand on the Word of God be complete and uncompromising.

I look forward to hearing from you.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Students and alumni sing LSU’s praises
Dear “Adventist in High School”:

Could you please identify yourself?

I am curious as to why those on this Web site who hide behind “cover” names are nearly always those who find fault with the Bible-based creationism and institutional accountability this Web site seeks to promote. Why do you persist in hiding? For all we know, you could be some graying disciple of Spectrum magazine–of which there are many–feigning youthfulness.

If you truly believe what you are saying, you should be prepared to tell us who you are, and face the consequences if indeed there are any.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Recent Comments by Kevin Paulson

NAD President, Education Director Dialog with La Sierra Campus Community
To all participants in the present discussion:

If we’re going to address the issue of how the origins debate should be handled in the public schools, I think we should recognize from the outset that this is most different from the basic question raised by this Web site, which of course is the question of whether theories of origins contrary to Scripture, the Spirit of Prophecy writings, and fundamental Adventist beliefs should be promoted in a Seventh-day Adventist classroom or pulpit.

As a strong Biblical conservative, I am constrained both to support the Genesis creation account as well as the separation of church and state. Seventh-day Adventists have historically supported both on strict Bible grounds. As strongly as I oppose within the church the teaching of ideas and practices which contradict God’s written counsel, I oppose with equal strength the efforts of certain Christian to impose Christian teachings and personal values through civil law.

With this in mind, I believe the best approach to origins in a public school classroom is a modified version of a proposal advanced by the late Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard, very much a devout evolutionist. Gould argued that the teaching of creationism did in fact belong in the teaching of science in public schools, but that it should be covered specifically when addressing the history of scientific thought. I would take this further than Gould and say evolution belongs in that section also.

Technically, as I see this discussion, neither creation nor evolution constitutes strict science, as science requires both observation and experimentation, and no one was present when the natural world came into existence. Science can be summoned to support both theories, but at the bottom line, both concepts invariably lead away from science into the realm of philosophy and faith.

As with other issues of theology and morality which at times enter the public square, it has long been my conviction that the objective evidence supporting the Biblical worldview is sufficiently decisive that the spurs of civil coercion need not be used to promote it to the larger society. The Christian community has sufficient resources and a massive popular presence in our culture, and these should be utilized to set before the public the evidence supporting the claims of the Bible and the Christian faith. Most of all, Christians need to focus less on impacting society through politics and more on impacting their neighbors and society in general through the power of a godly Christian example. From my experience, even the most secular minds have trouble gainsaying the power of the latter.

Finally, I think Phil Brantley needs to define a bit more carefully what he means by “mainstream,” when he says creationism is not a “mainstream” view. Does he mean mainstream in terms of accepted scientific thought, or does he refer to popular opinion? If the latter is considered, it might help to note that every poll I have seen indicates a large percentage (often a majority) of the American public at least, holds to a view of origins closer to Genesis than to Darwin.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


NAD President, Education Director Dialog with La Sierra Campus Community
Perhaps it helps to remember that while Aaron was a facilitator, Moses was a watchman. The latter are the sort of leaders God seeks in a time of crisis such as this.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Former LSU student letter reveals professor’s agenda
Dear “Professor Kent”:

You seem to forget, once again, that neither Christ, His love, His forgiveness, nor His cross would be necessary if Darwinian macro-evolution is the story of humanity’s origins.

And once again you give evidence of your embrace of the false dichotomy so popular in modern and postmodern Adventism between “Christ” and the “doctrines.” You insist that correct doctrine will save no one. And you are wrong. Over and over again, in Holy Scripture, truth is declared to be the means of salvation (Hosea 4:6; Matt. 4:4; John 8:31; II Thess. 2:13; I Tim. 4:16). Such truth must be internalized within the heart, to be sure, but it is still the means by which God saves men and women.

You cannot separate Jesus from a literal understanding of the early chapters of Genesis, since repeatedly He made clear in His teachings that He took these events literally. The same holds true for the other New Testament authors. You cannot have the Gospel and evolution too. You cannot embrace Jesus and relegate the Genesis Flood to mythic or mere literary status. It is impossible.

The longer this discussion proceeds, the clearer it will be that you and all others who think as you do are in the wrong church. It is tragic you insist on putting yourself through the needless pain and agony of living a lie.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Former LSU student letter reveals professor’s agenda
Though I had briefly reviewed the letter from Jason and Janelle Shives some days ago, tonight was the first time I actually sat down to read the entire document. It is a masterful though tragic account of a most disturbing situation.

I have known Jason Shives for some time, and have admired him for his courage in standing for truth. He and I share a common experience in having both served as president of the Loma Linda University student body.

What is needed is a grassroots movement of godly students like Jason and Janelle, who will not sit and listen quietly to the perversion of truth in Adventist classrooms. Leaders with the courage to act are needed, most assuredly, but when a groundswell of concern from the young becomes evident, they can act with the awareness that the rising generaiton does not, after all, wish to see the church’s teachings trashed, as the liberals devoutly believe.

If the Bible means anything at all, revival and reformation involve drastic changes in the faith and practice of a community which for a time has departed from the written counsel of God. In the Bible story, this has generally meant the removal of unfaithful personnel from positions of influence and leadership. Most assuredly this must happen in contemporary Adventism. If it means closing departments or even institutions until we can staff them with faithful teachers, we must be prepared to do this.

Let us keep in particular our new General Conference President in our prayers, as the task of guiding the denominational ship of state rests to a large degree in his hands.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


An apology to PUC
Dear Karl:

I truly appreciate your clarity and your speaking from the heart as you have. PUC is my alma mater also. And the things you have described I have heard described by a number of credible eyewitnesses. This climate of doctrinal indifference and postmodern spirituality, in which any and all viewpoints are given equal value (except of course those actually challenging the undergirding mindset of these folks), is a scandal of unapralleled proportions.

You are so right about constituents and school administrators turning a blind eye. I can only hope this is now starting to change, with the agitation of those like the organizers of this Web site, and the tone set by our new General Conference President.

I truly believe, however, that the real root of this tragedy is not so much postmodernism as those popular theories of salvation in modern Adventism which have devalued the necessity of correct doctrine and practical holiness. Once salvation is seen to be secure apart from correct belief and a godly life, once we accept the lie that error and sin are the unavoidable companions of even the sanctified believer, it became inevitable that erroneous worldviews and sinful practices would become less and less offensive in the church.

We need a thorough revival and a thorough reformation, and a consequently thorough cleansing of the ranks. I have been studying lately the Bible stories of revival and reformation in the faith community. Believe me, the process was never a feel-good, everybody-come-together-unconditionally type of event. False worship was destroyed. Wrong practices were condemned and expelled from the camp. Apart from such real-life consequences, these cherished words become just another empty slogan.

Thanks again, Karl, for your candor.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson