Comment on LSU responds to Michigan Conference by Brian.
The problem with LSU with that individual insitution may or may not be resolved, but even if it is, that will not resolve the core of the problem. The situation with LSU is merely the most extreme manifestation that affects all of our Conference colleges and universities.
The original purpose of our educational institutions is to further the mission of the church. Purposes such as getting a job, getting married, etc. were secondary and had to bow to our main purpose; spreading the gospel as understood by us as Seventh-day Adventists to the world.
This purpose has been switched. The mission of the church has become secondary (thirdly? fourthly?) and getting a job, married, etc. has become primary. This switch in values has a profound effect over every aspect of each institution who adopts it. Curriculum, social activities, emphasis, etc., all are affected.
That does not mean that mission is totally lost, just that is watered down and made subservient to the higher goal of making money.
If mission causes you to hurt your job prospects, then the mission must be compromised. Is this not what we see at LSU “in order to stay relevant in the 21st century”?
Haven’t all of our educational institutions not been infected by this virus to one degree or another? Our Literature depts, our Science depts? our Humanities, etc.? If the situation is corrected in this one insitution, isn’t that correction merely temporary and prone to the same outbreak at another time or place as long as the virus of this mindframe remains in place?
The only real and true solution that is long-term is to correct the purpose of our educational system back so that its purpose is once again back to the spreading the gospel message as its primary goal and all else being merely secondary, important yes, but secondary.
What would SDA laity do if such a reform were carried out? I believe that while there would be a few that would welcome it, for the most part there would be massive and overwhelming opposition. I am not hopeful for the immediate future of the church. Thankfully God and not man is in control.
The people began to come in, at first few in number, but increasing to a crowd. When they first looked into the casket [the Bible], they would wonder and shout for joy. But when the spectators increased, everyone would begin to trouble the jewels [doctrines], taking them out of the casket and scattering them on the table.
I began to think that the owner would require the casket and the jewels again at my hand; and if I suffered them to be scattered, I could never place them in their places in the casket again as before; and felt I should never be able to meet the accountability, for it would be immense. I then began to plead with the people not to handle them, nor to take them out of the casket; but the more I pleaded, the more they scattered; and now they seemed to scatter them all over the room, on the floor and on every piece of furniture in the room.
I then saw that among the genuine jewels and coin they had scattered an innumerable quantity of spurious jewels and counterfeit coin [false doctrines]. I was highly incensed at their base conduct and ingratitude, and reproved and reproached them for it; but the more I reproved, the more they scattered the spurious jewels and false coin among the genuine.
I then became vexed in my physical soul and began to use physical force to push them out of the room; but while I was pushing out one, three more would enter and bring in dirt and shavings and sand and all manner of rubbish, until they covered every one of the true jewels, diamonds, and coins, which were all excluded from sight. They also tore in pieces my casket [the Bible] and scattered it among the rubbish. I thought no man regarded my sorrow or my anger. I became wholly discouraged and disheartened, and sat down and wept.
While I was thus weeping and mourning for my great loss and accountability, I remembered God, and earnestly prayed that He would send me help.
Immediately the door opened, and a man entered the room, when the people all left it; and he, having a dirt brush in his hand, opened the windows, and began to brush the dirt and rubbish from the room. [the Shaking]
I cried to him to forbear, for there were some precious jewels scattered among the rubbish.
He told me to “fear not,” for he would “take care of them”.
Then, while he brushed the dirt and rubbish, false jewels and counterfeit coin, all rose and went out of the window like a cloud, and the wind carried them away. In the bustle I closed my eyes for a moment; when I opened them, the rubbish was all gone. The precious jewels, the diamonds, the gold and silver coins, lay scattered in profusion all over the room.
He then placed on the table a casket, much larger and more beautiful than the former, and gathered up the jewels, the diamonds, the coins, by the handful, and cast them into the casket, till not one was left, although some of the diamonds were not bigger than the point of a pin.
He then called upon me to “come and see.”
I looked into the casket, but my eyes were dazzled with the sight. They shone with ten times their former glory. I thought they had been scoured in the sand by the feet of those wicked persons who had scattered and trod them in the dust. They were arranged in beautiful order in the casket, every one in its place, without any visible pains of the man who cast them in. I shouted with very joy, and that shout awoke me. – EW p. 81-84
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Recent Comments by Brian
Michigan Conference vs. LSU – Right Wing Politics or Truth in Advertising?
@Ervin Taylor:
Ervin Taylor:
It would be interesting to determine how much of the quoted paragraph in Prophets and Kings EGW “adapted” or “borrowed” from a previous author. I believe everyone is now aware of how much EGW used other writer’s ideas and word phrases in her publications.
It really doesn’t matter even if the entire section was a direct “borrowing.” (Originality is a man-made test, you won’t find it in the Bible). The question is rather, is it truth?
So Erv, do you go by the old adage used in debates everywhere; “If you don’t like the message, attack the messenger”?
Michigan Conference vs. LSU – Right Wing Politics or Truth in Advertising?
@David.
While the scenario you portrayed is entirely plausible, and one could even argue probable, it is also however, reading into the motives (unfavorably at that) of others. While it is entirely proper to judge wrong actions, I would like to remind that it is also not good to judge the motives of others, no matter how plain they may seem to us.
Michigan Conference vs. LSU – Right Wing Politics or Truth in Advertising?
@Faith:
Faith, you totally misunderstood me. Read what I said carefully. I stated that “Unbelieving members” (which I am not a part of), see the church as a democracy. Please reread.
Michigan Conference vs. LSU – Right Wing Politics or Truth in Advertising?
Unfortunately, “Unbelieving Members” of the Adventist church (I don’t like the labels of “Liberal” or “Progressive”. In many ways I am both Liberal and Progressive) see the church as a democracy. Hence, all you need to do in the democratic process is to get the numbers on your side and you can thus legitimately change church policy and doctrines.
“Believing Members” of the church (I don’t like the label “Conservative” either. In many ways I am not Conservative), on the other hand, hold to the idea that there is a absolutely reliable “Constitution” consisting of divinely inspired writings that supersedes all decisions by people that are contrary, whether those decisions are by the majority or minority.
The church has been over this ground before during the days of the kings of Israel. We have the same arguments in principle with just new faces for both the people and the issues.
Revisiting God, Sky & Land by Fritz Guy and Brian Bull
Sean’s article is mark on.
