I just posted on this topic at Spectrum as follows: The …

Comment on LSU not different than secular universities according to LSU student by David Read.

I just posted on this topic at Spectrum as follows:

The term “fundamentalism” has a well known and very specific origin in Christian history. Fundamentalism was a reaction against theological liberalism, and “higher criticism”, which tended to deny the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, and specifically deny the truth of anything supernatural or miraculous in Scripture. The multi-denominational movement united behind the “five fundamentals,” which are usually listed something like the following:

1) the verbal inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture;
2) the virgin birth and deity of Christ;
3) the doctrine of substituionary atonement, or blood atonement;
4) the bodily resurrection of Jesus;
5) the authenticity of Jesus’ miracles, and his pre-millennial second coming.

The only one of these with which Adventists do not completely agree is verbal inspiration. While a thorough-going fundamentalist believes in word-for-word (in the original languages) inspiration, Adventists believe in thought or idea inspiration. We believe that God inspired the Bible writers with ideas that they then conveyed in language of their own choosing; they were God’s penmen, not his pen. But even on this point, we are much closer to the fundamentalists than to the liberals, the trend among whom is to deny inspiration and treat Scripture as a human document.

So Adventists obviously are, and have always been, about 95% fundamantalist. So it is surreal to see the term “fundamentalist” being used as a scary word about Adventist youth. If Adventist youth are drawn to fundamentalism, they come by it honestly, since their parents are also essentially fundamentalists.

Obviously, calling Adventist youth “fundamentalist” is a liberal rhetorical strategy designed to imply that traditional Adventist views are new and different, when it is in fact the liberals who are promoting a new theological agenda radically different from traditional Adventism. It’s a bold gambit, but I can’t imagine that anyone not totally ignorant of the relevant facts could be fooled by it.

Subsequent to posting this, however, it occurred to me that the situation at LaSierra has probably been festering for close to 15 or 20 years. By now, at that institution, traditional Adventism probably is something new and different. If traditional Adventism exists at LaSierra it is because of a student rebellion against the faculty and administration.

Recent Comments by David Read

The Reptile King
Poor Larry Geraty! He can’t understand why anyone would think him sympathetic to theistic evolution. Well, for starters, he wrote this for Spectrum last year:

“Christ tells us they will know us by our love, not by our commitment to a seven literal historical, consecutive, contiguous 24-hour day week of creation 6,000 years ago which is NOT in Genesis no matter how much the fundamentalist wing of the church would like to see it there.”

“Fundamental Belief No. 6 uses Biblical language to which we can all agree; once you start interpreting it according to anyone’s preference you begin to cut out members who have a different interpretation. I wholeheartedly affirm Scripture, but NOT the extra-Biblical interpretation of the Michigan Conference.”

So the traditional Adventist interpretation of Genesis is an “extra-Biblical interpretation” put forward by “the fundamentalist wing” of the SDA Church? What are people supposed to think about Larry Geraty’s views?

It is no mystery how LaSierra got in the condition it is in.


The Reptile King
Professor Kent says:

“I don’t do ‘orgins science.’ Not a single publication on the topic. I study contemporary biology. Plenty of publications.”

So, if you did science that related to origins, you would do it pursuant to the biblical paradigm, that is pursuant to the assumption that Genesis 1-11 is true history, correct?


The Reptile King
Well, Jeff, would it work better for you if we just closed the biology and religion departments? I’m open to that as a possible solution.


The Reptile King
Larry Geraty really did a job on LaSierra. Personally I think it is way gone, compromised beyond hope. The SDA Church should just cut its ties to LaSierra, and cut its losses.

As to the discussion on this thread, round up the usual suspects and their usual arguments.


La Sierra University Resignation Saga: Stranger-than-Fiction
It is a remarkably fair and unbiased article, and a pretty fair summary of what was said in the recorded conversation.