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Yes. the SDA denomlination whilch on some levels rejects women lin ministry has a co-folunder who is a female! [NOTE: On other levels of the SDA denomination women aare fully accepted in ministry. ] The public at large fails to understand this incostent reality. That is a valid point. Elen White was issued the credentials of an ordained minister, for a number of years. No, she did not pastor a SDA Church as she ministered to the denomlination as a whole. We have many men in administration who are considered clery and do not pastor SDA congregations.

The so=called lSabbth l School Qluaterly ils the published recommendation for SDA congregations to use in their Sabbath Schoool clases.. SDA Congregations are free to use other mteriL. Many do use other material, including non=SDA material.

As to other related ilssues: * All people who wish to worshilpl in a lSDA congregation in peace, are welcomed to attend. I p[ersonally know of some homosexuals who attend SDA Congregatios but are not members. * Homosexuals who remain celebate are welcomed to be baptized and become mebbers. 8 There are a few ccases where a non-celebate homosexual has been baptized and allowed to become a SDA member. Such is rare and a viiolation of policy.

That's the way it works in my Church as well.

As to the policy related to homosexual SDA Clergy, it is simply this: Homosexuals may be ordained as SDA Clerlgy only as long as they remain celebate. If they do not remain celebate their ordination will be revocked. We do have some who do remain celebate. We have revoked the ordination of some others who did not remain celebate.

The varioius levels of the SDAChruch operte under a Constitution whilch also has w set of Bylaws. The Consstsilltion is seldom changed, bult may be changed. The Bylaws are often changed. In the Unilted States, the SDA Church has registered wlith the governlment, in order tko be covered by the protections of law that apply to religious organilzations. That process has included the ConstilltulIn the United kStates, In the Unlited States, t he authority to authorize the ordination of SDA clegy has generally lbeen given to the Union Conferences by their Constiltution. In short, the Local Conference recommends ordination and the Union Conference aplproves. As an example, my credentials cOme frkom teh Pacific Union kl coknference aftere the Northern kCalifornia conference recommended such. Under the procedure listed above, the General Conference is considered by many, including me, to not have the authority to tell the Union Ckonferences whom they can ordain.

The work of God on Earth is done by imperfect people. God accepts them as they are, capitalizes on their leadership and may address their areas of their weakness with changes in leadership personnel. Change is built in to the manner by which God works today in ministry. Change is a part of God’s plan. For about a month I have been considering whether or not I should initiate a change in the operation of club Adventist and I have reached a decision which I will explain in this post. Recently, I was sitting across a table of food. I looked toward my wife and I said: “I can see your head and hair, but I can not see your face. It is only one big black space!” This began 15-20 years ago when I was informed that I had a growth inside of one of my eyes that would have to be detached. That surgery was unique in that the surgical instruments inside of my eye were so small that the surgeon needed to use a microscope to see them. And I had to remain awake enough to be able to talk to him. The surgery was successful, but it left me with a scar on my retina. Presently I receive injections intro my eyes for Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and Geographic Atrophy (GA). These do not cure the e problem, they only delay the partial blindness that will eventually occur. I am now legally blind in one eye and I am presently losing my central vision in my other eye. Due TO my dcreasdl abililty to read and to use the computer I need TO s t TO STEP aside and Stan needs to appoint someone else to assume the duties that I have had. I wish them the very best. I may (?) continue to keep the power t hat I have had to e EDIT and correct my own posts. That remains to be decided. In loking over my past, I am especially thankful for the article that I wrote with g Gustave and Spectrum published. Check out the following if you wish to read that article: HTTPS://spectrummagazine.org/views/opinion/a-catholic-and-an-adventist-disagree-over-trinity-interpretations-yet-find-friendship-online/ My ministry has been unique in manly ways. To see another type of my ministry check oout the flowing article: https://spectrummagazine.org/views/i-was-adventist-chaplain-and-labor-union-representative/

The so-called Annual Coulncil is one pf two important meetings that are held by the General Conference each year. This 2026 meeting ended recently. In this thred provide you with links to information related to those meetings. The first set of links is kprovided by Spectrum. Annual Council–Friday–Focus on OneVoice27 and a Leader Resignation Over Korean Money Scandal Annual Council—Sunday—Membership Trends, Church Manual Concerns, and New VP Elected Annual Council 2026 – Monday: Church Finances Grow Despite Auditing Worries Annual Council 2026 – Tuesday and Wednesday: Newly-Elected NSD President and “Adventist Intelligence” Introduced To che ck on what Adventist Today might say about those lmeetilnggs see: https://atoday.org/

It’s estimated that 33 million people and 1 in 13 children in the United States have a food allergy, according to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). Although any food can cause an allergy, the Food and Drug Administration suggests that nine foods account for 90%Trusted Source of allergic reactions. Like a tree nut allergy, peanut allergies are very common and can cause severe and potentially fatal allergic reactions. The two conditions are considered distinct because peanuts are legumes. However, up to 40% of people with peanut allergies are also allergic to at least one tree nut. It’s estimated that over 6.2 million people in the United States have a peanut allergy, according to FARE. It’s the most common allergy in people ages 18 years and younger. However, 20%Trusted Source of children who develop a peanut allergy may find it resolves as they move into their teenage years. A tree nut allergy is an allergy to some of the nuts and seeds that come from trees. It’s a common food allergy that may affect up to 3%Trusted Source of people worldwide. Some examples of tree nuts include: Brazil nuts almonds cashews macadamia nuts pistachios pine nuts walnuts An allergy to cow’s milk is one of the most common childhood allergies, affecting 2–3%Trusted Source of babies and toddlers. Around 90% of children will outgrow the condition by the time they’re 3 years old, making it much less common in adults. Allergic reactions to cow’s milk may occur within minutes of consuming milk or up to several hours later. The only treatment for a cow’s milk allergy is to avoid it altogether. This includes foods and drinks that contain cow’s milk, such as: milk powder cheese butter margarine yogurt cream ice cream An egg allergy is the second most commonTrusted Source cause of food allergy in children. However, 68% of children allergic to eggs outgrow their allergy by the age of 16 years. It’s possible to be allergic to egg whites but not the yolks, and vice versa. This is because the proteins in egg whites and egg yolks differ slightly. Like other allergies, the treatmentTrusted Source for an egg allergy is an egg-free diet. However, you may not have to avoid all egg-related foods. A 2019 study found that nearly 67%Trusted Source of children with an egg allergy could tolerate eating muffins containing a cooked egg component. Heating eggs may change the shape of the allergy-causing proteins, which could stop your body from seeing them as harmful. ResearchTrusted Source also suggests that introducing baked goods to children with an egg allergy can shorten the time it takes for them to outgrow the condition. However, the results are conflicting, and more data is needed to confirm this. Speak with a healthcare professional before eating egg-containing foods if you’re allergic to eggs, as the consequences of ingesting eggs when you’re allergic to them can be severe. A wheat allergy is an allergic response to one of the proteins found in wheat. It’s more common in children, but they’ll often outgrow it by age 10 yearsTrusted Source. Wheat allergies may cause symptoms similar to celiac disease and food intolerances like non-celiac gluten sensitivity. However, a wheat allergy causes an immune-mediated response to one of the hundreds of proteins found in wheat. Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity are caused by an abnormal reaction to glutenTrusted Source, which is one specific protein that also happens to be found in wheat. Allergic reactions to protein can be severe and sometimes even fatal. Celiac disease may also be fatalTrusted Source if left undiagnosed, though this is rare as most can successfully avoid gluten. Soy allergies are triggered by a protein in soybeans or soybean-containing products. They affect up to 0.5% of children and are most commonly seen in infants and children under 3 years old. Around 70% of children eventually outgrow the allergy. Symptoms can range from an itchy, tingly mouth and runny nose to a rash and asthma or breathing difficulties. In rare cases, a soy allergy can also cause anaphylaxis. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-allergies#faq

Parting shot: Florida in full color Photo: Nancy Broen A spectacular Florida sunset graces the sky in Babcock Ranch, America's first solar-powered town, in Southwest Florida. 🚲 Reader Frank Broen tells us his wife, Nancy, snapped this shot while the couple rode their recumbent tandem trike through the community.

On September 27, 2026, California enacted Assembly Bill 1803, expanding the state’s mandatory workplace harassment training requirements to include practical guidance on identifying, reporting, and confronting workplace hate speech. The post California AB 1803: What Churches and Ministries Need to Know About the New ‘Anti-Hate Speech’ Training Mandate <label class="rltv-edition-check-wrap" onclick="event.stopPropagation();" title="Add to 5-Story Mini-Newspaper"><input type="checkbox" class="rltv-story-checkbox" data-id="170511542" data-title="California AB 1803: What Churches and Ministries Need to Know About the New ‘Anti-Hate Speech’ Training Mandate" /><span>+ Edition</span></label> appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

She was in her day starting to meet this and was fighting this. She had different issues she had to deal with and put forth different amounts of effort on what was pressing at the time. The last issues was a tie about things that were starting to grow out of the first world war, and the proper use of her writings. This was her last great battle. She fought this battle as she was old and frail. Sadly, this is a battle she lost. Stephen Haskell was a very close friend of hers, so close that when they were both widowed that he proposed to her. Yet, they had one big, on going argument; how prophecy works. He had a much more fundamentalist view and insisted that Mrs. White's experience fit the view of the Fundamentalists. She held a much more liberal view of inspiration and what visions did and DID NOT do for her. Both were frustrated that they could not convince the other to their understanding, but remained close friends. After she died, he continued the same argument with Willie, where Willie gave the same ideas as his mother, but Haskell was far less cordial to Willie than he was to Mrs. White. I see the wisdom for her turning down his proposal (and finding another woman for him.) Marriage can change attitudes, especially with the role of men in the 1800s. Would he have remained cordial with their different views of inspiration? Could their differences on how inspiration worked ripped the church apart? There were less friendly correspondence between the Whites and the pastors who's thought developed into what is called "Historic Adventism." Among their followers (I did not find this in their writings directly) there were people saying that Mrs. White no longer believed that she was a prophet. No, she did not give up believing that she was a prophet, she just had a different view of what a prophet was than what they insisted a prophet should be. Sadly, I'm not sure how "shocked" she would be since she really had to face these issues, but she would be greatly disappointed that she lost the battle.

This is the point!!!!!!! Can God, even as a weakened creature, the the weakest point possible, facing true temptations, choose not sin. If he can, then it would prove that God is who God claims to be. If this did not happen, then it would mean that God wouldn't be God. The entire universe would be thrown into chaos. Creatures needed to know whether God really is God, or just some sort of higher evolved creature of the same essence as we are. If God is God, is God all that He claims to be, especially in relation to his law of self sacrificing love/self renouncing love; and in the question in how he will treat sinners with the apparent contradiction of being both just and merciful. If he's just, sin needs to meet it's results. That would kill all sinners and that would not be merciful. For God to be merciful, he needs to be able to forgive and if he's forgiving and merciful then doesn't this go against his claim to be just. Gustave, what is say is what indeed the `issue is and why Jesus had to have the free choice to truly face temptation and the sin issue with the real risk of failure answers the question: is God truly God? If Jesus failed, then God wouldn't be God.

How a Church Youth Society Provided the First Runway for Private Spaceflight The post Before Mojave: Burt Rutan, the Pathfinders, and the Ethos of Direct Construction appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Christa Pike, a convicted murderer condemned to death, has become a cause celebre. She is more or less a hero to some people. According to the Word of God, she has no right to be alive. By preserving her life, even celebrating it, her supporters are incurring blood guilt. This is true of the State itself, Tennessee. According to Scripture, if a body was found, it would be determined which city the corpse was nearest to. The elders of that city would then be responsible to atone for the death. The guilt of innocent blood would be reckoned to the city if they failed to do this. Unatoned innocent blood incurred the curse of God. Jeremiah 19: 1-10 states that the shedding of innocent blood brought destruction upon Jerusalem. 2 Kings 21 says that Manasseh shed innocent blood, bringing the wrath of God upon Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Kings 24 explicitly states that the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar was a consequence of the innocent blood Manasseh had shed in Jerusalem. Proverbs 6: 16, 17 lists the shedding of innocent blood as one of the things God hates. I Kings 2 describes the fear Solomon had of innocent blood. Having a murdered put to death was one of his first acts as king.

Noah’s Ark is in the news again but it’s too early to anchor your faith in an archaeological site. The post Chasing Shadows on Ararat: Why Faith Doesn’t Need a Wooden Boat appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Faith does not need this. But the evidence for a flood is growing and the secular people need to see these things.

🌴 California dreaming Photo: Natalie Daher I snapped this view of the Pacific and Santa Monica Mountains on a cloudless morning yesterday from Santa Monica, Calif. I'm on the ground producing an upcoming Axios Show interview with longevity entrepreneur Bryan Johnson.

My wife and I will be watching at home.

Parting shot! Photo: Joe Capraro Finish Line readers and newlyweds Madi and Joe Capraro honeymooned through national parks last month. Here's one of their stunning captures: an elk at Mammoth Hot Springs inside Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Gabie Ntaate

What went wrong was allowing executions to become a medical matter instead of a law enforcement issue. Some countries have routine executions without problem. A bullet to the back of the head is about as foolproof as one can get. If they had medical personnel on staff who knew enough about intravenous infusions, they would have realized when the victim started complaining about pain in her arm. It is called extravasation. The blood flows into the body rather than the vein. Starting IVs can be tricky. Most hospitals specially train and certify nurses to do difficult insertions. They develop and maintain their skills through continuous practice. The real problem is administration who have refused to have special executions teams with IV skills. Better yet, insist that executions be carried out by law enforcement personnel. Don't fool around with 9mm slugs. Use a .45.

Just quoting my college professors and other church leaders talking about how we tend to fall into the three groups of Des Ford's theology, Walter Rea's attack on Ellen White and also on the other side the so called "Historic Adventists" on how they all appeal to traditions that developed within conservative Christianity but does not look nor respect all the facts.

🌍 Postcards from Eastern Europe Photo: Kate Marino Axios executive editor Kate Marino sends us these spectacular views from a recent sabbatical spent across Eastern Europe — from the dramatic peaks of Montenegro's Prokletije Mountains to the shores of North Macedonia's Lake Ohrid. Photo: Kate Marino

🌈 Rainbow hour Photo: Jackie Rick Finish Liner Jackie Rick captured this colorful calm over the Atlantic from Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island last week, ahead of the weekend storms.

EGW was not a pastor. As far as I know, she never functioned as a pastor, i.e., served as the overseer of a congregation. It is quite a stretch to compare her work to the work women want to do in the church today. Some may remember Dan Collins. He worked with Amazing Facts in the days of Joe Crews. Dan was hired because he was an effective soul winner. He was noticed when he brought a dozen people to an AF crusade, ready for baptism, schooled in SDA doctrine. How many SDA pastors. male or female, meet that criteria? Some people want a female pastor. Some want a homosexual. A person who wants a straight male pastor can go to a congregation which has one. If one is not available, connect with 7th day Baptists or the Church of Christ, 7th day. The statement of faith 7th day Baptists hold is one with which most SDA could agree. A home church might be an option. Those who are opposed to woman pastors should keep in mind that your tithe may be used to pay them.

What EGW did or did not do is not necessarily the right thing to do. Same goes for the pioneers. The denomination was essentially a legalistic cult for the first 40 years of its existence, according to EGW. Paul outlined the qualifications for pastoral office: 1 ¶ This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. There is a direct correlation between his role as husband and head of household and his ability to "rule" a church. Similar qualities are described in Titus: 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; 9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Why the church must unapologetically leverage global diplomacy rather than surrender to the margins by default. The post A Seat at the UN over the Posture of Fatalism appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

The union conferences were given the ability to choose ordination back in the 1800s. Some, back then, choose to ordain women, however, the General Conference did make a request for a temporary differentiation between male and female ordination. That men get the papers that include the word "Ordination" while women's papers get the same pay, with their husbands getting the same stipend as given to the wives of the ordained men, but that the women's papers omit the word "Ordained." That the women get ordination in the local church, but are allowed the same responsibilities as ordained pastors (although there tended to be an exception for certain administrative offices in the hagiarchy of the church). In other words, since the 1800s, our church has been ordaining women, but in a round about way. According to General Conference President A. G. Daniels (who came into office long after this practice was started) this round-about ordination was only to be temporary so that our members can become educated, but agreed that the unions had the right to ordain who they wish. Ellen White did NOT take this round about ordination option, but took the same papers as the men that included the word "Ordained." (Now, there is one copy, out of several copies over the years) where someone crossed out the word "Ordained." Now, when Mrs. White crossed out something, she would place her initials over the cross out. However, this cross out does not contain her initials. Critics of women's ordination argue that Mrs. White needed the paper with the word "Ordination" to get paid. However, other women who carried the papers that did not include the word "Ordained" got paid, got the same pay as the men who carried papers that carried the word "Ordained." Mrs. White could have carried the papers that did not use the word "Ordained" and still have gotten the same pay, so this argument does not fit the facts. The votes taken in the General Conference sessions has never changed this policy, but has been described as "kicking the can" further down the road while maintaining the same round-about ordaining women with paperwork that does not include the word "ordained." What these "rebellious" conferences are doing is deciding to just be open and above board about the language of the paperwork, taking advantage of the powers the church gave them in the 1800s, and choosing to no longer fulfill a temporary REQUEST by the General Conference leadership. Why do so many of our members show a neurotic need to prove that we are good Baptists, and if we are not going to ordain women, then why didn't our leadership prevent the ordination of women from the start? Why did our pioneers and leadership set up a way of ordaining women without using the word "Ordained" which they said was only to be temporary?

This was an interesting post! I had no idea of this lol!!!

Gentlekpeopole, You can rant and rave all that you want to. Butl, You do nto ulnderstand that actual issue. Ordilnaltion of women in the North American Division is due to thae fact that in the NAD, lthe legal aulthority to ordain any person rests, it is clailmed, withl the Union Conference and not wiltlh any other SDA organization, including the General Conference.

Hobie, EGW wrote some good books, or had her name attached to them. Ministry of Healing, Education, Counsels on Diet and Foods [a compilation]. Great Controversy is good as an introduction to church history. Depending on how you count them, I've read 50-60+ of her book sin their entirety, made hundreds of note cards. If you want to read theology, try Cranfield's Shorter Commentary on Romans and Luther's commentary on Galatians. In some of her works, EGW apparently didn't know what she was talking about. You can learn similar rubbish from ministries like Amazing Facts. Her emphasis tended toward legalism. In some cases, she was a flaming legalist. Some have said her righteousness by faith writings, preserved in Selected Messages, volume 1, are peerless. Much of the confusion in Adventism has its origins in what Sr. White said. She gave good practical advice on ministry. Problem is that the denomination ignores much of her practical advice.

So,, now the question becmes: What shouold a Christian ckongregation do when a single women in the congration g ives birth? [Note: In my professional experience, I have come to believe that such often hapens due to "lDate Rape."] Recenty he senior pastor of the SDA lcongregation that I attend, brought two young, single women to the front. He introduced them as having recently given birth. He called upon the congreation to support them in theier decision to raise the children. I fully agree with his call for support without judgment.

But God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) said unequivocally that Christ wouldn't sin. Why, because God CAN'T sin or God wouldn't be God.

While there's been a LOT of "discussion" and quotes from "authorities" on other C/A threads about homosexuality being "learned behavior" vs. genetic, I've noticed that nobody has brought up the new research about Epi-genetics as being the major contributing factor via "epi-markers" in producing homosexuality. It dispels the conclusions of identical twin studies, where based on the fact that one of the twins is gay, homosexuality *must* be a learned behavior because identical twins have identical DNA/genes. Not necessarily the case... Quote: The search for a "gay gene" may be off-target, new research finds. Another process called epigenetics that switches genes on and off may explain why homosexuality runs in families. Epigenetics are heritable changes caused by factors other than DNA. Instead of traits getting passed down through the genes, epigenetic change happens because of the way genes are regulated, or turned on and off. These genetic regulators may be the reason homosexuality persists in nature despite the fact that gay people are less likely to reproduce, suggests the new study published in the journal The Quarterly Review of Biology. "These things have evolved because they're good for the parents, but they sometimes, not [with] high frequency, but sometimes carry over" into offspring, study researcher William Rice, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told LiveScience. In a male fetus, Rice and his colleagues write, an epigenetic change that benefited the mother may lead to "feminization" of sexual preference — homo- or bisexuality. The same may be true for epigenetic changes passed down by dad to a female fetus. (The terms feminization and masculinization of sexual preference refer to sexual orientation only — not to physical or personality traits of the offspring.) *snip* Rice and his colleagues focused on epi-marks, which are molecular changes that act like temporary "switches" to turn genes on and off. If a gene is a blueprint, the epi-mark is the construction foreman who makes sure the product gets built. An epi-mark also determines when, where and how much a gene is expressed, according to the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis. These molecular switches are usually erased very early in the developmental process, but they can be passed down from generation to generation, too, Rice said. Some epi-marks are particularly important during fetal development, when they promote normal physical development in the sexes despite natural variations in testosterone during pregnancy. Researchers know that fetal exposure to too much testosterone can masculinize the genitals, brain or behavior of a genetically female fetus. Likewise, too little testosterone can make a genetically male fetus more feminized. But here's the catch: There's lots of overlap between the levels of testosterone male and female fetuses get exposed to. That means there must be another side to the story, Rice and his colleagues wrote. That side appears to be epigenetics, Rice said. "Early in development, we think these epi-marks are laid down so that girl fetuses will be relatively insensitive to testosterone and male fetuses will be relatively sensitive to testosterone," Rice said. Biological behavior Thus, if an epi-mark that kept a mother from getting exposed to high testosterone in development gets passed on to her son — the opposite sex — it could desensitize him to testosterone, contributing to his sexual preference for men. Similarly, if a male-specific epi-mark from dad gets passed to a daughter, it could "masculinize" her sexual preference, making her more interested in women. These findings could explain why twin studies show that homosexuality runs in families, but no "gay gene" can be found, Rice said. In identical twins, there's about a 20 percent chance that if one twin is gay, the other will be too. If genetic change were responsible for homosexuality, you'd expect a much higher match, Rice said. Epigenetics, however, can explain the heritability without the need for a specific genetic change. source Quarterly Review of Biology Report, Vol 87, No. 4, December 2012

Thanks... and I would like to see what John317 thinks of this research, as well. It's such an interesting new finding. And it explains so much. But, likely, this topic will be squelched by the voluminous frantic postings elsewhere on the forum.. kind of a shame, really...

Because ww totally still have smallpox and polio and measles, mumps and rubella running wild and killing millions. Oh, wait...