The bottom line is not that we affirm God as …

Comment on PUC responds by Kevin Paulson.

The bottom line is not that we affirm God as Creator. Many theistic evolutionists do this. The question is, Does Dr. Ness believe the earth was created as Genesis says it was, in six literal, consecutive, contiguous, 24-days, approximately 6,000 years ago? And does he believe the Flood as recorded in the book of Genesis was a global event, or just a local one?

As an alumnus of Pacific Union College, I’d like some straight answers. Evasive ones won’t do.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson

Kevin Paulson Also Commented

PUC responds
Dear Samantha:

I appreciate your spirit of inquiry and desire to learn. But I urge you to consider that the Bible does not present itself as an ambiguous document which all are invited to subjectively interpret and apply as they please to their spiritual walk. The Bible assumes both the existence of an absolute, transcendent standard of right and wrong (Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:11; II Tim. 3:15-16), and the ability of human beings to perceive the content of this standard and be held accountable for it (Eccl. 12:14; II Cor. 5:10; James 2:10-12).

The Bible not only assumes that God will ultimately hold men and women accountable for their response to His Word; it also commands the faith community to hold one another accountable for faithfulness in word and deed (II Thess. 3:13-14; I Tim. 1:3,4). Belief in the truth and the conscious acceptance thereof is also declared in Scripture to be a matter of salvation (Hosea 4:6; John 8:31; II Thess. 2:13). According to the Bible, when dealing with sacred truth we are not dealing with subjective opinions. We are dealing with eternal realities.

I am not a trained scientist like the professor whose lecture has been the subject of scrutiny on this forum. But I know others who are in fact trained scientists, who would certainly say that the evidence presented by the professor in question regarding a recent creation and a universal Flood, was seriously incomplete. Merely because a pastor or professor comes across as open, intelligent, gracious, and God-centered does not mean he or she is “playing with a full deck” so far as relevant evidence is concerned.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


PUC responds
Perhaps we would all be wise not to make this an issue of intellectual or personal maturity, or the alleged lack thereof. Most assuredly the students at PUC, or any of our other institutions, are not children, and should not be treated as such. But that is not the point in this conversation. I have seen adults of advanced years led easily astray by the charisma and presumed expertise of certain ones, and I have seen academy and college students wise enough to not blindly accept everything they hear in the pulpit or classroom, and to calmly apply the Berean test to every idea they encounter (Acts 17:11).

As I listen to the comments of the various students and alumni of PUC in this discussion, I am struck by the ironic similarity between their desire to be treated with respect, and the feelings I and many of my fellow students had on the same campus in a similar controversy many years ago. Only then, strangely enough, it was those of us who were conservative in our beliefs who were told we were too young and immature to have convictions about the issues at hand. It was we who were defending the orthodox teachings of our faith who were told we were “wet behind the ears” (a phrase one liberal Adventist scholar actually used at that time), and essentially told to take our cues from the “experts” and let them decide for us.

Had we agreed with those who were attacking fundamental Adventism and seeking to relegate it to the backwaters of a bygone era, we would doubtless have been hailed by the liberal professors and their fellow travelers as the young, idealistic outriders of the coming generation, poised to lead the church into a new era of presumed “enlightenment.” But because we were young yet conservative in our theology, we were seen as immature and lacking depth. Looking at the way many theological liberals are reacting just now to the rise of the GYC movement, it is clear not much has changed. Conservative theology and lifestyle standards being promoted by the young is a contingency most theological liberals simply haven’t programmed into their system.

This brings up a most important point. “Free thinking” is often a very relative term. Many who consider themselves liberated from the established and settled views of one group of authority figures, often find themselves captive to a different group of assumptions from another set of authority figures. What many such persons have done is to simply exchange one form of dogmatism for another. It is like a bumper sticker I saw years ago: “People who think they know it all are very annoying to those of us who do.”

In the end, as Jesus said, there are really only two roads for travelers–the broad road leading to destruction and the narrow road leading to eternal life (Matt. 7:13-14). Describing the broad road, Ellen White has written, “There is room for every man’s opinions and doctrines” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 138). One way or the other, we will find ourselves under one or another set of presuppositions, one or another system of authority. It is best we recognize God’s way as revealed in His Word to be the best alternative, without having to learn so the hard way.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Recent Comments by Kevin Paulson

NAD President, Education Director Dialog with La Sierra Campus Community
To all participants in the present discussion:

If we’re going to address the issue of how the origins debate should be handled in the public schools, I think we should recognize from the outset that this is most different from the basic question raised by this Web site, which of course is the question of whether theories of origins contrary to Scripture, the Spirit of Prophecy writings, and fundamental Adventist beliefs should be promoted in a Seventh-day Adventist classroom or pulpit.

As a strong Biblical conservative, I am constrained both to support the Genesis creation account as well as the separation of church and state. Seventh-day Adventists have historically supported both on strict Bible grounds. As strongly as I oppose within the church the teaching of ideas and practices which contradict God’s written counsel, I oppose with equal strength the efforts of certain Christian to impose Christian teachings and personal values through civil law.

With this in mind, I believe the best approach to origins in a public school classroom is a modified version of a proposal advanced by the late Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard, very much a devout evolutionist. Gould argued that the teaching of creationism did in fact belong in the teaching of science in public schools, but that it should be covered specifically when addressing the history of scientific thought. I would take this further than Gould and say evolution belongs in that section also.

Technically, as I see this discussion, neither creation nor evolution constitutes strict science, as science requires both observation and experimentation, and no one was present when the natural world came into existence. Science can be summoned to support both theories, but at the bottom line, both concepts invariably lead away from science into the realm of philosophy and faith.

As with other issues of theology and morality which at times enter the public square, it has long been my conviction that the objective evidence supporting the Biblical worldview is sufficiently decisive that the spurs of civil coercion need not be used to promote it to the larger society. The Christian community has sufficient resources and a massive popular presence in our culture, and these should be utilized to set before the public the evidence supporting the claims of the Bible and the Christian faith. Most of all, Christians need to focus less on impacting society through politics and more on impacting their neighbors and society in general through the power of a godly Christian example. From my experience, even the most secular minds have trouble gainsaying the power of the latter.

Finally, I think Phil Brantley needs to define a bit more carefully what he means by “mainstream,” when he says creationism is not a “mainstream” view. Does he mean mainstream in terms of accepted scientific thought, or does he refer to popular opinion? If the latter is considered, it might help to note that every poll I have seen indicates a large percentage (often a majority) of the American public at least, holds to a view of origins closer to Genesis than to Darwin.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


NAD President, Education Director Dialog with La Sierra Campus Community
Perhaps it helps to remember that while Aaron was a facilitator, Moses was a watchman. The latter are the sort of leaders God seeks in a time of crisis such as this.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Former LSU student letter reveals professor’s agenda
Dear “Professor Kent”:

You seem to forget, once again, that neither Christ, His love, His forgiveness, nor His cross would be necessary if Darwinian macro-evolution is the story of humanity’s origins.

And once again you give evidence of your embrace of the false dichotomy so popular in modern and postmodern Adventism between “Christ” and the “doctrines.” You insist that correct doctrine will save no one. And you are wrong. Over and over again, in Holy Scripture, truth is declared to be the means of salvation (Hosea 4:6; Matt. 4:4; John 8:31; II Thess. 2:13; I Tim. 4:16). Such truth must be internalized within the heart, to be sure, but it is still the means by which God saves men and women.

You cannot separate Jesus from a literal understanding of the early chapters of Genesis, since repeatedly He made clear in His teachings that He took these events literally. The same holds true for the other New Testament authors. You cannot have the Gospel and evolution too. You cannot embrace Jesus and relegate the Genesis Flood to mythic or mere literary status. It is impossible.

The longer this discussion proceeds, the clearer it will be that you and all others who think as you do are in the wrong church. It is tragic you insist on putting yourself through the needless pain and agony of living a lie.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


Former LSU student letter reveals professor’s agenda
Though I had briefly reviewed the letter from Jason and Janelle Shives some days ago, tonight was the first time I actually sat down to read the entire document. It is a masterful though tragic account of a most disturbing situation.

I have known Jason Shives for some time, and have admired him for his courage in standing for truth. He and I share a common experience in having both served as president of the Loma Linda University student body.

What is needed is a grassroots movement of godly students like Jason and Janelle, who will not sit and listen quietly to the perversion of truth in Adventist classrooms. Leaders with the courage to act are needed, most assuredly, but when a groundswell of concern from the young becomes evident, they can act with the awareness that the rising generaiton does not, after all, wish to see the church’s teachings trashed, as the liberals devoutly believe.

If the Bible means anything at all, revival and reformation involve drastic changes in the faith and practice of a community which for a time has departed from the written counsel of God. In the Bible story, this has generally meant the removal of unfaithful personnel from positions of influence and leadership. Most assuredly this must happen in contemporary Adventism. If it means closing departments or even institutions until we can staff them with faithful teachers, we must be prepared to do this.

Let us keep in particular our new General Conference President in our prayers, as the task of guiding the denominational ship of state rests to a large degree in his hands.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson


An apology to PUC
Dear Karl:

I truly appreciate your clarity and your speaking from the heart as you have. PUC is my alma mater also. And the things you have described I have heard described by a number of credible eyewitnesses. This climate of doctrinal indifference and postmodern spirituality, in which any and all viewpoints are given equal value (except of course those actually challenging the undergirding mindset of these folks), is a scandal of unapralleled proportions.

You are so right about constituents and school administrators turning a blind eye. I can only hope this is now starting to change, with the agitation of those like the organizers of this Web site, and the tone set by our new General Conference President.

I truly believe, however, that the real root of this tragedy is not so much postmodernism as those popular theories of salvation in modern Adventism which have devalued the necessity of correct doctrine and practical holiness. Once salvation is seen to be secure apart from correct belief and a godly life, once we accept the lie that error and sin are the unavoidable companions of even the sanctified believer, it became inevitable that erroneous worldviews and sinful practices would become less and less offensive in the church.

We need a thorough revival and a thorough reformation, and a consequently thorough cleansing of the ranks. I have been studying lately the Bible stories of revival and reformation in the faith community. Believe me, the process was never a feel-good, everybody-come-together-unconditionally type of event. False worship was destroyed. Wrong practices were condemned and expelled from the camp. Apart from such real-life consequences, these cherished words become just another empty slogan.

Thanks again, Karl, for your candor.

God bless!

Pastor Kevin Paulson