Comment on LSU undergraduate biology bulletin by David Read.
Regarding Ervin’s assumption that creationists are now in the minority in the SDA church, only a few months ago I would have assumed that that was stark raving lunacy. Now, well . . . he’s clearly wrong if the views of the entire world church are considered. He’s also wrong when taking into account the North American Division. But is he wrong about the Pacific Union? Probably. Or the Southeastern California Conference? Perhaps not. I’m not so sure anymore.
Even the Southern California Conference, which is probably a bit more conservative if only because of the larger immigrant SDA community, is notoriously undisciplined. I once heard a pastor preach openly against the substitutionary atonement. Now even I, who have written a long book on creationism, consider the substitutionary atonement to be the central doctrine of Christianity, far more important than creationism. If the righteousness of Christ is not substituted for my unrighteousness, I don’t know how I’m going to be saved; if Christ’s merit cannot be substituted for my lack of merit, I have no hope of eternal life. I was completely taken aback, stunned in fact, that an Adventist pastor would stand up in the pulpit of an Adventist church and trash this central Christian belief, and obviously one endorsed by E.G. White and traditional Adventist theology. I got a recording of the sermon and sent it, along with a complaining letter, to the conference president. Nothing happened. Oh, I heard through back-channels that the President briefly talked to the pastor, but really nothing happened.
Considering this laissez-faire attitude toward what pastors can preach from the pulpit, can it really be a surprise that professors at LaSierra believe they can, with impunity, teach Darwinism as the preferred theory of origins?
David Read Also Commented
LSU undergraduate biology bulletin
@Jonathan:
I’ve heard that before, too, but the EGW Estate website assures its readers that EGW never said anything about whole conferences leaving the church. That is strictly folklore, albeit widely propagated folklore.
But if it were true, a likely candidate might be the Southeastern California Conference. Remember the LaSierra biology professor who was quoted in the local paper as saying that creationists were “the lunatic fringe.” It would seem that most Adventists you run into in that conference are extremely liberal. And the situation with LaSierra’s biology faculty has been the way it is for almost a decade; Wisbey inherited this mess from Lawrence Geraty, who created it.
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.
