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How about one in the hostility industry?!

I'm not really sure that exclusivity is exceptionally horrible in the scope of SDA belief. People don't generally ask questions like "Why are Jews exclusive" or "Why Muslims are exclusive" or "Why Mormons are exclusive". Any religious group will be exclusive to some degree or another. Every religious group will promote some dogma, and shut members who tend to ignore the standard preferences of the group. It extends beyond religion and dives into group psychology, tribalism, nationalism, culture identity, and virtually every human and even animal-based dynamics we have. You'd have to point out the negative issues with such set up, but I really don't see that exclusive mindset is inherently wrong or detrimental.

In a word, NO.

Tom, I liked your post. I would add another fallacy or two used by many today. This idea that because Jesus forgave sin He was OK with it. Jesus condemned sin in all its forms, and condemned it roundly. He said if a person practices it they are not going to heaven. He was so severe in His condemnation of it that He said anyone who didn't follow Him all the way, even to the alienation of their family wan't worthy of His name. The second fallacy is that the Pharisees and Sadducees were conservative. They were not. They rejected the word of God in many ways, and held their own reasoning above the word of God. The Sadducees didn't believe in angels or the resurrection of the dead. They rejected the very idea of an afterlife which is clearly taught by the Bible. The Pharisees were even worse. They taught that if two rabbis held theology that was completely contradictory then the common man must accept both as true, even though to do so was completely illogical. They also taught that if a common man didn't accept everything they said as the word of God, that person must be excommunicated. They taught that their rules, regulations, and teachings were far more important than anything written in the Torah. The above is why the people were in such awe of Jesus' teachings for He taught "as one having authority", not a mindless jumble of contradictory garbage. To accept the fallacy that the Pharisees and Sadducees were "conservative" is a major mistake for they were not. To have been conservative, that is holding to the original teachings of the Torah, both groups would have had to rejected most of they themselves taught. A very good example of how far away they were from conservatism is Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus where He asks him " art thou a master in Isreal and knowest not these things?".

The Arkansas-Louisiana Conference and two of its members filed a lawsuit against the city of Whitehall, Ark., yesterday over a local ordinance that prevents door-to-door literature evangelism. The city restricts all forms of door-to-door solicitation and the expression of ideas unless those wishing to share their religious or charitable beliefs obtain a permit from the city, pay permit fees, share significant personal information, and pass a “satisfactory” investigation and review. Read the full story in the Adventist Review. The NAD has filled some new positions and welcomes the following new personnel: Angeline David, DrPH, MHS, RDN was elected at the NAD 2015 Year-end Meeting to be the Heath Ministries Director for the NAD. She previously worked as the Wellness Center Director and Registered Dietitian at the Guam SDA Clinic. She will assume her new responsibilities on Apr. 1. Last week the North American Division Committee approved several personnel recommendations: • An Associate Director position in Stewardship, which will be funded by the General Conference. Bonita Joyner Shields has accepted the invitation to fill this position. Bonita has been working in the Sabbath School Department of the General Conference and was previously an assistant editor with the Adventist Review. • The creation of the position of Director of Social Media and Big Data, which will be part of the Social Media Building Block. Paul Hopkins was voted to fill this position starting on Feb. 7. Paul has been working in Philanthropic Service for Institutions as an associate director. • The committee voted Orna Garnett to be the new Director of Human Resources for the NAD. Orna has been working as the Assistant Director for NAD Human Resources. • Chandler Riley was elected to the position of Associate Director of Human Resources, after serving previously as the Benefits Specialist for NAD Human Resources. He also has had many years of experience working for the General Conference Human Resources Department. Southwestern Adventist University’s Enactus club teamed up with local charity Community Opportunities, Inc. (COI), a non-profit organization located in Keene, Texas, that provides training services, pre-vocational programming, and supported employment for adults and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Enactus will be helping COI with branding and creating new space for a project that provides skills education for their clients and additional revenue for the non-profit. MORE Students and teachers miss school that was destroyed by tornado last summer Street Store helps clothe hundreds of local homeless How Adventist Health pushes patients toward plant-based diets — and longer lives Adventists Open Roseburg Junior Academy in 1899 Church invites community to join in Daniel Fast Newborn babies wrapped in Broncos colors in Parker 'Depression Recovery' series returns to North Bend church Former Oregon’s Health CO-OP CEO returns to Portland in new role A new concentration in the Doctor of Ministry program: The Millennial Church, is being offered by the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. It is open to ministry professionals who have the MDiv degree or equivalent. It will enable participants to gain an understanding of the spiritual decision process among millennials, foster shared vision for church renewal, manage change in the process of generational transition in church leadership, and develop competencies for leadership in diversity and multiculturalism. Limited to 25 places. More than half the doctoral tuition is subsidized. Application deadline: Feb. 12. Contact dmin@andrews.edu or call 888-717-6244 to start the application process. "Safety Sabbath" is scheduled for the fourth Sabbath of every March. This year, that Sabbath just happens to be on Easter weekend when there are likely special programs and many visitors present. Knowing how to respond appropriately is vital to minimizing loss. Therefore, it is suggested that churches be sure to conduct a safety drill sometime within the month of March. MORE The Adventist Learning Community offers Origins Curriculum Resources (OCR), ready-to-use educational materials about creation and evolution that are scientifically accurate and biblically sound. The free resources were created by the Origins Institute at Southern Adventist University. Explore the relationship between science and Scripture, learn about scientific data from biology, geology, and paleontology. The presentations were created with multiple groups in mind, including but not limited to elementary and middle school teachers and students, homeschooling families, children who are exposed to evolutionary ideas in public school, and anyone else who is interested. MORE One ViewPoint on Sharing: "I've never lost sight of the feeling of being out there, of knowing I'm lost. How do you not give this away?" - Shawn Boonstra, at the NAD 2015 Year-end Meeting For Sharing! Did you know Jesus is coming back to this Earth? The second coming of Christ is the grand climax of the gospel. The Savior’s coming will be literal, personal, visible, loud, and worldwide. When He returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living will be glorified and taken to heaven, but the unrighteous will die. Most of Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled, and along with the present condition of the world, indicates that Christ's coming is imminent. Since we do not know the day nor the hour when Jesus will come, we are advised to be ready at all times. Learn more. Watch the 90: second video on Vimeo. People want to know what Seventh-day Adventists believe. Each topic on the My Way to Jesus website links to a video, an invitation to study the Bible, the Find-a-Church Directory, a link for kids to My Place with Jesus, a place to send prayer requests, and more. You can easily post the videos and information on your church website and/or share the updates from the My Way to Jesus Facebook page. Learn how. January 20, 2016 Special Days February Focus: Family Life Feb. 6-27, Black History Month Feb. 13, Christian Marriage Sabbath Feb. 13, Health Ministries Sabbath Feb. 13-20, Christian Home and Marriage Week Feb. 20, Christian Parenting Sabbath Offerings January Offerings Jan. 23, Religious Liberty February Offerings Feb. 13, Adventist Television Ministries Helpful Special Day Websites and Resources Sample Offertory Readings (in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French) Feb. 12, Marriage Vows: Living the Commitment Feb. 17-20, Just Claim It Youth Prayer Conference Feb. 19-20, Making Love Last - Married Couples' Retreat Feb. 24-28, GAiN - Global Adventist Internet Network Conference Mar. 26, Safety Sabbath Apr. 2-4, SONscreen Film Festival Apr. 2-9, La Voz de la Esperanza NET via Esperanza TV (in Spanish) Apr. 3-8, Tour de Youth, "The Big Easy" Apr. 16, 17, Day of Hope and Compassion Apr. 18-21, Nonprofit Leadership Convention, Session 1 Apr. 24-27, HR Conference & Secretariat Council, Minneapolis, Minn. Apr. 27-30, Your Best Pathway to Health/Los Angeles Apr. 29 - May 1, Oregon Men's Summit May13-16, World Congress for Deaf & Deaf-Blind July 21-23, Adventist Conference on Family Research and Practice Aug. 3-6, ASI 2016 Convention Sept. 7-10, Adventist Community Services Convention, Gladstone, Ore. Sept. 28-Oct., Health Summit Canada Oct. 10-13, Nonprofit Leadership Convention, Session 2 Oct. 13-15, Society of Adventist Communicators Convention Nov. 18-19, HE SAID GO Missions Conference 2017: Jan. 8-11, 2017 - Adventist Ministries Convention, Tucson, AZ Adventist World/ NAD Edition January, 2016 NAD Feature: From Karachi to California, by Jane Allen Quevedo, p. 36 NAD News: Adventist Conducts Community Benefit Concert, Community Joins to Support Syrian Refugees, Craving God on Campus, p. 10 NAD Update: Called to Collaborate - Catching the vision of cooperative action, p. 14 NAD Perspective: The Path Ahead, by Daniel R. Jackson p.17 Daily Prayer Guide Month of January, 2016: Pray for the Atlantic Union, in which there are 579 churches and 116,252 members. Jan. 17-23 – This week, please pray for the Northern New England Conferencewith 59 churches and 5,269 members. Jan. 24-30 – This coming week, please pray for the Southern New England Conference with 116 churches and 17,471 members. Share This Newsletter Bible plus Spirit of Prophecy Reading Plan 1st Quarter, 2016South American Division Watch DVDYouth & Adult Mission QuarterlyChildren's Magazine Hope Channel DIRECTV ch. 368 Glorystar ch. 104 Hope Church Channel Esperanza TV follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend Subscribe to NewsPoints © 2016 North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904 Dan Weber, communication director, Julio Muñoz, associate director Lynetta Murdoch, sr. editorial assistant Email: newspoints@nad.adventist.org | Website: www.nadadventist.org/newspoints

Which brings about another question... what does in the image of God mean? Do we even have a clue!

Nutty Joke Q:What sound does a nut make when it sneezes? A: CASHEW!

Is there any new testament example of tithing?