Friedensau Universilty Responds to Call for Unitiy

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

http://atoday.org/friedensau-adventist-university-responds-to-unity-in-mission/

An interesting comment form the above documents follows:

It calls upon church leaders to avert further damage from the church by practicing “enabling leadership” instead of disciplining church entities that are “striving to uphold teachings and values and acting faithfully within the sphere of responsibility entrusted to them.”

The statement concludes with a quotation from Ellen White: “The church may pass resolution upon resolution to put down all disagreement of opinions, but we cannot force the mind and will and thus root out disagreement. These resolutions may conceal the discord, but they cannot quench it and establish a perfect agreement. Nothing can perfect unity in the church but the spirit of Christlike forbearance.” (MS 24, 1892)

[Gregory Matthews]

The actual statement may be read here:

http://www.thh-friedensau.de/wp-content/uploads/2016-Statement-on-Ordination-Friedensau.pdf

The above statement challenges present SDA practices related to ordination as being extra-biblical (my word).

 

[debbym]

Oh yes, the delicate ways we as faulty human beings attempt to assert power and authority outside of the will of God is subtle and deceptive. God help us in our blindness and miss steps.

Only By the Holy Spirit is our true spirit exposed.  and the thought that comes to mind is... "only by the power of the mighty agency of the third member of the God head can the power of generations of sin be resisted."  and "every step heavenward we press back the whole hosts of darkness."

When you endure the searching of the Spirit and know even more how much you need God, and how generously and graciously God pours on you all the strength and power you need... whenever you are seeking His will and not your own, then you know a bit more of God.  .... oh how we need more conviction and surrender and Divine empowerment. 

[Gerr]

Since we don't have a clear statement in Scripture one way or the other, it behooves us as a democratic body it seems to me, to abide by the decision of the majority.  Love "does not insist on its own way." 1 Cor 13:5 ESV.

[Kevin H]

There are statements that would have been clear in Jesus' day, but we have lost the culture so that, just like with the verses that support the Investigative Judgment, the typical person reads over them and does not notice them.