Lest my good friend, Ken, brand me a dogmatist, let …

Comment on Hope? Slim to none by Ron D Henderson.

Lest my good friend, Ken, brand me a dogmatist, let me remind him that all organisations have the right to maintain a system of beliefs, or what can be referred to as ‘rules and regulations.’ His (Kens) profession is no denier of this fact. We allow all (everyone) the freedom to think as he or she wishes (with the ensuing consequences), but we cannot allow those who join us to remake the organisation according to their ideas, opinions, and practices. No world systems, in business or nature, cannot survive if this were not the case. Changes may come about, yes; but they cannot come by blatant disregard of, or for, the rules of engagement of the organisation.

Can the trees of nature decide to do their day duties in the night instead of the day? Can the laws of precipitation decide to work upwards only and not downwards at all? No, friends, this world is built on order and system. So are the organisations of the world and the Adventist church. No dogmatism this!

Ron D Henderson Also Commented

Hope? Slim to none
Good point, David Read. How can we get our administrators to stand completely for our Adventist values in dealing with those who refuse to comply with our beliefs while working in our system?

Over and over we have compromised in standing up for the truth. When we put men into office who have a pattern of doing this we cannot of course expect fortitude and resolution in times of difficulty. The sooner we recognize that the grass roots, the constituency, have the power and right to prayerfully, under the guidance of God’s Word, put into office those who will stand firm for God under any situation, the better.

It’s like the US situation. The plebiscite is constantly putting men into office who are hell bent on destroying the constitution and the rule of law (according to the constitution); we Adventists seem to be doing similarly. We are often putting people into office (we also do so by refusing to remove them from office) who are not champions in the truth of God. God will eventually intervene by taking matters into his own hands and expose those who are for him and those who are not. In the meanwhile we must seek always to work along with God regardless of the difficulties we experience in our organization.


Hope? Slim to none
How can one know when evidence, whether physical or spiritual, is right and correct to follow?

For starters, certainly not by persuasion of argument or dexterity of language. Secondly, certainly not just by persuasion of individual experience, be it first hand or otherwise. Thirdly, certainly not just by accumulated knowledge and learning; and finally, certainly not just by observation and experimentation.

Now while several of these factors certainly are essential in arriving at what is right and ‘true’, They cannot be solely depended on to validate the ‘truth’ of origins. Why? Simply because man is not an empty evolved creature as the atheists would have us believe.

Evidence and experience tell us that man is a composite, complex, and spiritual being made by his Creator and endowed with all the faculties learning, perceiving, understanding, and assessing knowledge.

When man sinned against his Creator he lost this ability to reason perfectly from cause to effect. More than that, when man ‘fell,’ (into sin and rebellion)he came under the guidance or ‘spell’ of Lucifer. Of course God intervened to win man back to Himself, but man was nevertheless under the deception of Lucifer who constantly seeks to pervert his judgment, especially when they relate to God.

So in order for man to know when his judgments are right and safe to follow, (I am speaking here on origins and science, or learning) God gave man a guide that is supernatural, and that is, the Bible. By supernatural I mean that it (the Bible) is outside the realm of human making. By this guide man is to judge every thought, every experience, and every scientific observation. Sin has robbed man of the ability to instinctively know what is wrong and even what is right. This is why God gave man a more sure guide than what he himself (man) can come up with by his own senses.

So, my friend Ken, how can we know when an experience, be it spiritual or otherwise, is safe to follow in matters relating to God, truth, and origins? By testing that experience by what the Bible says. You may call it Sola Scriptura. By the Scriptures first and foremost. If any experience, or experiment, contradicts the Word of God then it is safe to dismiss that experience or experiment. This is the difference between biblical Christians and atheists and agnostics. Atheists and agnostics are earth bound only! Biblical Christians are more. We earth and heaven bound. The two (atheists and biblical Christians) can never harmonize.

For this reason it is a waste of time for our administration to constantly try to harmonize with those among us that reject our philosophy. Either they accept fully and teach fully what we believe, or they must be led to quit and join another group that agrees with them. The sooner we demand this option the better for them and the better and safer for us and our children.


Hope? Slim to none
How much longer must mainstream Adventism put up with these nonsensical deliberations over creationism/evolution by our administrators?

If creation is not a scientific construct (in the eyes of the ignorant) then so must evolution likewise not be a scientific construct (in the eyes of the sapient). Both evolution and creation seek to explain the question of our origins.

On the other hand, experience, empirical experience, has shown us that mankind is not only physical, but spiritual. The spiritual realm is just as real as the physical. What one chooses to do with this empirical, spiritual experience and evidence is certainly up to the individual.

However, there will be consequences for decisions made one way or the other. When one chooses to reject the evidence of the spiritual as do atheists and evolutionists, that does not make them better or more scientific than those who incorporate the spiritual in assessing the questions of our origins. In fact, those who reject the spiritual dimension in their deliberations over man’s origins, are lacking in information (science) and knowledge (which facilitates wisdom). As such their pronouncements become unreliable.

Now since much of the public instruction in science is hamstrung, one-sided, due to a lack of another branch of information (spiritual experience or evidence), it cannot be relied upon to fully account for the appearance of lifeforms or origins.

Therefore, Adventists must under all circumstances, maintain their knowledge of the spiritual in their quest of understanding and explaining human origins. We have settled this point years ago. Why are therefore we allowing rouge scientists and teachers who discount the spiritual in their deliberations of origins, to disturb and unsettle our understand of man’s origins? Once we have spoken to them why parley any further with these opposers of wholistic or comprehensive knowledge?

Should we not throw the gauntlet down and say that enough is enough, accept our view as a private institution or leave? We are not asking anyone to believe what we believe; what we are saying (or should be saying) is, if you choose to join us and work with us then you must continue to maintain our our system of belief. Anything less requires the individual to leave. It’s like aliens coming into our country and seeking to turn our country into their former country, and by force at that! No, my friends, it cannot work. Enough is enough.

Either LSU, Loma Linda, or whichever institution, follows our system of beliefs or we dispose of them. Time is almost up; God is about to wrap-up things on earth; a great time of trouble is about upon us and the world; we will soon experience very strongly the hand of oppression; we have no time to major in minors (LSU, false science, et al).

Let us recognize the devil’s hand in all this, and let us take hold of the hand of omnipotence and move forward in faith irrespective of consequences. This is the Lord’s work and we cannot come down to their level in such a time as this.


Recent Comments by Ron D Henderson

Scientists and the Temptation to Bias Results
This is so sad but not surprising. One can add to this article the intimidation at universities of creationists, and even the threat of not graduating those who hold creationist world views. And even the governments’ educational systems support these frauds one way or the other. I guess the devil must do his work of obfuscation and deceit. Unfortunately some of humanity will learn the truth too late.


Believing the Disproven – An Adventure in Science
Excellent article! However this is not unique or strange for the truth presenters. How many times in the Bible we read of the ‘truthers’ accommodating error? Legion; just check the record of the kings of Israel and Judea. Did not our mother inherit that from satan in the Garden under the forbidden tree? Check how she evangelized her husband, our father! But then again, God had and still has His remnant!! Good to know that. Evolution? Just open satan’s box of strategies for planet earth and see some of His plans!


Ted Wilson: No Room for Evolution as Truth in Adventist Schools
I am all for accountability. If these teachers are not accountable for upholding our biblical teachings we may as well close up shop for anything goes! But that is not our practice. We are duty bound to promote and subscribe to our teachings. Those who do not do so or cannot do so must be relieved of their duties. [edit] We endanger our students when we teach falsehood in our science classes. The UK recognized the importance of accountability to its false science in schools and banned creation in government supported schools. Are the Gentiles wiser than the children of God? Elder Wilson must now put teeth to his words by calling all our institutions to accountability or the GC will have to see that they do…


Dr. Nick Matzke Explains the Evolution of Complexity
I find it quite amusing how we argue evolution with a straight face and are so hypothetical, philosophical, and imaginary. It’s not what could be or what should be. It’s actually what is! When we take the ‘what is’ and run it backwards to the earliest beginnings we find that there is no difference between what is and what was. The evolutionary concept of ‘evolving’ is very hard to come by. We do not see it. And what we see is in itself a complete whole and not an evolutionary misfit. For the religion of evolution to survive it has to exercises humongous faith and story telling but without any specimen and its generation before them. For creationists there is only one model and that is the Genesis account. And by the Genesis account I mean a literal acceptance of Genesis and all support passages through out the Scriptures. I do not refer to ‘other’ creation accounts that would neuter the Genesis narration. These are akin to the varied evolutionists’ accounts of origins. The ‘debate’ was like watching two individuals debate the origin of a motor car parked in front of them. Each had his imagination, philosophy, and supposition. Except if the car could talk it would say, first, you both were not there and so are badly off track. Secondly, it would say, I was made by someone with intelligence, humor, and skill. Of course for the evolutionist to say that would give the game away and their religion would become extinct! One day it will, believe it or not!


The Adventist Accrediting Association is Still Reviewing LSU
Let us not forget that God is in charge of this work and of his church. And yes, we do suffer for our negligence, procrastination and compromise. But God is still in charge. If the men at the helm of his church on earth are delinquent and refuse to rock the boat, then they will be removed in His good time. In the mean while we must be faithful and do all in our power to correct the situation in our sphere of control, regardless of the ‘feelings’ of the ‘peace, peace’ lovers in the church.