Comment on PUC Professor: The Noachian Flood was just a local flood? by Johnny Vance.
Johnny Vance: there’s a lot of lip service from Southern Adventist University and Southwestern Adventist University, but no spine. Utter silence. As you have observed, “Is it too much to ask from these men to declare unequivocally and clearly where they stand? If this question were answered, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Or do we not have a right to know?â€If they can’t come forward and declare it, they do not believe it. (Quote)
Am I to assume that you’re including Dr. Ness in this batch? I don’t know about the professors from Southern and Southwestern. But what I meant to state is that it’s not enough to merely say you support the church’s position on origins, because the statement in of itself is left too vague. For instance, I could claim to keep the Sabbath, but my sabbath could be the Sunday sabbath. A little clarity is called for in these situations.
Johnny Vance Also Commented
PUC Professor: The Noachian Flood was just a local flood?
@Professor Kent: A lot of lip-service is paid to SDA beliefs, but the actions to back them up are often missing by many who claim to stand for them.
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'” Matthew 7:22
I believe it has been pointed out repeatedly how many have used ambiguous language in claiming to uphold Fundamental Belief #6. Maybe Dr. Ness really believes in a literal week of Creation. Thus far I haven’t seen anything that clears up the ambiguity that many theistic evolutionists hide behind. Is it too much to ask from these men to declare unequivocally and clearly where they stand? If this question were answered, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Or do we not have a right to know?
Language has been manipulated so much by certain elements in the church that it reminds me of George Orwell’s stories: You can make anything appear to be something that it truly isn’t. The time has come to take a CLEARLY stated position and abandon ALL Orwellian language. Transparency is a must, and that is something we do not have.
It is more than “a little instructive†that a completely biased non-objective reader has overlooked numerous posts stating that Brian Ness believes in these things and even gave a sermon to the entire campus defening them. Yet this man “in Christ†continues to whine and bully. (Quote)
Recent Comments by Johnny Vance
Two Adventist Universities Promote Six-Day Creation
@PUC Student: As a recent graduate of PUC, I strongly disagree with your assertion. Please provide proof to the contrary. If there’s nothing to hide, then providing it in any form should not be a problem 😉
Back to Square One…
On the issue of Harvard’s accreditation: I stand corrected! My apologies for my incomplete understanding of the matter…
Back to Square One…
I don’t understand why our educational institutions have ignored counsels from the Spirit of Prophecy. We are clearly told to NOT seek secular accreditation. Why do we care about WASC? Do we lack in faith to believe that God will uphold the credibility of His institutions?
Let all be reminded that Ivy league schools like Harvard DO NOT have accreditation. Their reputation precedes them. The Lord can do the same for His.
WASC Reviews LSU’s Accreditation
At what point do we stop casting pearls to the pigs? I’m getting weary of this controversy.
Panda’s Thumb: ‘SDAs are split over evolution’
@Professor Kent:
@ Johnny VanceSo, YOU claim to be able to judge from the many student comments their philosophy and spirituality? And YOU can decipher, whilst I cannot, that the vast majority were “postmodern†and “lacking in spirituality?†And I can be deceived while YOU cannot?When you choose to believe the very few, Johnny, you reveal your obvious and very selective bias. You can cherry-pick as well as anyone here. And you’ve proven your arrogance. (Quote)
I’m not offended by Sean’s assertions about faith and evidence. I’m with Sean to a large extent (as far as I can tell). God gives us evidence to believe and back up His word, although there will be some things we’ll just have to take by faith until it’s made clear to our minds (maybe in Heaven?). But don’t try to use me as a pawn in your dislike of Sean.
You also neglect to note that in the great controversy between good and evil, the majority does not constitute the right side, unfortunately. Only 8 chose to enter the ark. Only a minority believed in Christ. Only a minority will resist the popular waves of anti-biblical worship. I can say that your judgment of students’ comments and Dr. Ness’s video are wrong, but how dare I say that you are wrong? I don’t believe it’s arrogant to say you are wrong. I’m not insulting you as you are insulting me. If we’re having an honest and open dialogue about the situation, then you should be able to AT LEAST take back what you dish out without threatening to leave the church because some of us dare to say you are wrong, or this and that is wrong. Don’t try to blackmail people for stating their mind.
I really wonder if you read the same Bible and the same Testimonies to the Church that I read, because I can’t for the life of me figure out how you can come up with such drastically opposed conclusions. I just state the former because you claim to believe in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, and I am truly perplexed by your conclusion.
