Comment on Bradley, Beach and Kaatz retain attorney by Lydian Belknap.
“….It is natural for the wrongdoer to hold the messengers of God responsible for the calamities that come as the sure result of a departure from the way of righteousness. Those who place themselves in Satan’s power are unable to see things as God sees them, they become indignant at the thought of receiving reproof. Blinded by sin, they refuse to repent, they feel that God’s servants have turned against them and are worthy of severe censure. …
TODAY THERE IS A NEED OF THE VOICE OF STERN REBUKE, FOR GRIEVOUS SINS HAVE SEPARATED THE PEOPLE FROM GOD.Infidelity is fast becoming fashionable. “We will not have this man to reign over us,” is the language of thousands. (Luke 19:14) The smooth sermons so often preached make no lasting impression, the trumpet does not give a certain sound. Men are not cut to the heart by the plain, sharp truths of God’s word.
“There are many professed Christians who,if they should express their real feelings, would say, What need is there of speaking so plainly? They might as well ask, Why need John the Baptist have said to the Pharisees,’O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'(Luke 3:7). Why need he have provoked the wrath of Herodias by telling Herod that it was unlawful for him to live with his brother’s wife? The forerunner of Christ lost his life life for his plain speaking. Why could he not have just moved along without incurring the displeasure of those who were living in sin?
“SO MEN (AND WOMEN?) WHO SHOULD BE STANDING AS FAITHFUL GUARDIANS OF GOD’S LAW HAVE ARGUED, TILL POLICY HAS TAKEN THE PLACE OF FAITHFULNESS, AND SIN IS ALLOWED TO GO UNREPROVED. WHEN WILL THE VOICE OF FAITHFUL REBUKE BE HEARD ONCE MORE IN THE CHURCH? …
“…The Lord’s messengers should not complain that their effects are without fruit until they repent of their own love of approbation and their desire to please men, which leads them to suppress truth.
“Those ministers who are men pleasers who cry Peace, peace, when God has not spoken peace, might well humble their hearts before God, asking pardon for their insincerity and their lack of moral courage. … When souls are in peril, God’s ministers will not consider self, but will speak the word given them to speak, refusing to excuse or palliate evil.” Prophets and Kings, pgs. 139-142.
Whether we realize it not not, we have reached a time of great crisis in our church. Where is the voice of “stern rebuke” being heard anywhere? It should be coming from every church, every conference, every church paper–and especially from the General Conference leadership. Maybe things are going on behind the scenes but so far months have passed since the GC was held in Atlanta and to my knowledge there has been no public evidence of it. Another school year will soon be here almost before we know it. Are our young people going to be faced with another year of this heresy?
Yes, four men were asked to resign but to the general church body it appears that at least two of them are still there in some capacity–and everybody I talk to assures us that this has nothing to do with the problems in the science (and religion?) departments. So what IS going on in these two departments and why are those men still there?
It seems to me that at least two decades of letting these obnoxiousness “weeds” to grow and flourish in our schools is WAY PAST “long enough!” Many have ferverently prayed about this situation but have seen nothing (that I know of) that gives any indication that something is actually being DONE about it.What are we waiting for?
I have absolutely no question but that God has honest, sincere Christian men and women “out there” somewhere with which He could replace every single person who is teaching heresy in our schools–IF that is what HE sees needs to be done. BUT–there is always a distinct possibility that He might not think that is what we need.
Our church and our schools were originally founded to train our youth to be ready to be a witness for HIM AND HIS TRUTH AND TO MEET JESUS WHEN HE RETURNS. We were never intended to compete with the world and “make a name for ourselves” by turning our backs on what our real goals in life should be. Worldly fame may (and has) come to some (Joseph and Daniel for example)but that has never been the reason for preparing ourselves for personal greatness.
Maybe, just maybe, God WANTS some Bible Colleges to train our youth to be real witnesses for Him in these “end times.” And maybe,just maybe,He is allowing these things to happen to get us back to the basics on which our church was founded! Maybe–just maybe–He wants some Josephs,some Davids, and some Daniels to help finish His work on this earth so Jesus can come and bring a final end to misery!
Table of Contents
Recent Comments by Lydian Belknap
A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
So here I sit–a “very old lady”–totally confused and not having a clue as to whether to donate or not–or where to donate if I should.
As things stand now I think I will just continue putting my own little amount to my current “missionary out reach” of buying “Steps to Christ” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” and passing them on to the clerks in the stores where I shop or other people I meet that I think would like them.
If and when you folks decide on what, how and where to help in this very worthy project let me know and I’ll do what I can then.
A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
I just noticed that there is such a program in place in northern California but I would want one that is nation wide. After all, if our kids aren’t already in danger here in the southern union also (as well the rest of the US) it’s most likely only a short matter of time till they will be.
A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
I am far from a wealthy person who could and gladly would donate large sums of money to such a program but I could and would gladly donate some if such assurances were solidly in place. I’m sure there are many “old folks” like me “out there” who feel the same way. (Is there already such a program in place? If so please post all needed information.)
The God of the Gaps
While browsing my rather voluminous file of articles to “save” I ran across this jewel—I think it is worth saving and thinking about–especially the last statement by Darwin himself:
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Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
While Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old philosophy — a plausible mechanism called “natural selection.” Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged) members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time.
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Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – Slowly But Surely…
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a slow gradual process. Darwin wrote, “…Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations; she can never take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, though slow steps.” [1] Thus, Darwin conceded that, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” [2] Such a complex organ would be known as an “irreducibly complex system”. An irreducibly complex system is one composed of multiple parts, all of which are necessary for the system to function. If even one part is missing, the entire system will fail to function. Every individual part is integral. [3] Thus, such a system could not have evolved slowly, piece by piece. The common mousetrap is an everyday non-biological example of irreducible complexity. It is composed of five basic parts: a catch (to hold the bait), a powerful spring, a thin rod called “the hammer,” a holding bar to secure the hammer in place, and a platform to mount the trap. If any one of these parts is missing, the mechanism will not work. Each individual part is integral. The mousetrap is irreducibly complex. [4]
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a theory in crisis in light of the tremendous advances we’ve made in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics over the past fifty years. We now know that there are in fact tens of thousands of irreducibly complex systems on the cellular level. Specified complexity pervades the microscopic biological world. Molecular biologist
Michael Denton wrote, “Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world.” [5]
And we don’t need a microscope to observe irreducible complexity. The eye, the ear and the heart are all examples of irreducible complexity, though they were not recognized as such in Darwin’s day. Nevertheless, Darwin confessed, “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.” [6]
Footnotes:
1. Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” 1859, p. 162.
2. Ibid. p. 158.
3. Michael Behe, “Darwin’s Black Box,” 1996.
4. “Unlocking the Mystery of Life,” documentary by Illustra Media, 2002.
5. Michael Denton, “Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,” 1986, p. 250.
6. Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” 1859, p. 155.
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I don’t think Sean could have said it better himself!
Walla Walla University: The Collegian Debates Evolution vs. Creation
Sean, I guess I “bit off more than I can chew” when I subscribed to some of your other options.
All I can handle is the ^way it used to be”–like this column still is. Please put me back to this mode of information and I will be very happy. Thanks.
