A SDA Creed

[Gregory Matthews]

No, the following URL does not address the so-called 28.  Rather it suggests that a 7-statement SDA Creed has just been put in place.

See:

https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2018/04/14/committed-and-concerned-church-executive-responds-general-conference’s-new-declar

 

[Gregory Matthews]

NOTE:  To those who will suggest that the above article would have had better standing if the author had been willing to state his/her name, I agree.  Yet, I acknowledge that among some who attempt to serve the Church, there is great fear and stress.  This is not  how God would want it to be.

 

[Gustave]

Wouldn't it be fair to say that SDA's have had (since about 1855) a Creed? The Pioneers systematically discussed other Churches Creeds in SDA periodicals - and pilloried them. 

"The Catholic / Baptist / Lutheran / Methodist, etc. Creed says that God is Spirit & we answer in the Negative that this is a false teaching of Rome". 

I.E. the Adventist Creed is "God is NOT SPIRIT and actually has a body of flesh".

I guess what I'm trying to say is if Adventists publically ridiculed other Denominations Creeds as being error while at the same time citing Scriptures they believed supported only one God (The Father) who was made out of flesh, bones and organs doesn't this equate to a creed? 

[Ron Amnsn]

On 4/28/2018 at 9:16 AM, Gustave said:

I guess what I'm trying to say is if Adventists publically ridiculed other Denominations Creeds as being error while at the same time citing Scriptures they believed supported only one God (The Father) who was made out of flesh, bones and organs doesn't this equate to a creed? 

I don't think so.  At that time, the church publications were not controlled by the church hierarchy and various views were published for discussion and study.  An examination of other denomination's creeds, although it reveals the opinion of one author or a group of church leaders, did not carry the authority of a creed. 

[Ron Amnsn]

On 4/14/2018 at 3:54 AM, Gregory Matthews said:

I acknowledge that among some who attempt to serve the Church, there is great fear and stress.  This is not  how God would want it to be.

I feel for those who work for any denomination.  Because their livelihood is tied to upholding a certain set of beliefs, they are not free to study the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  In order to keep their job they must study the Bible under the guidance of their denomination's creed, fundamental beliefs, or statement of faith.

I am thankful that I was not an SDA employee when I was called before the church elders to be questioned about my non-conforming beliefs.  The presiding elder at that meeting spoke the truth about the denomination when he stated that a person cannot just sit down to study the Bible to follow where it leads, rather one must know the outcome of the study ahead of time and then find the passages of the Bible that support the chosen outcome.

[Gregory Matthews]

To be clear:  My comment as to denominational workers being under stress was not primarily focused on doctrinal beliefs.  It had a different focus which I did not feel a need to identify.

However, I will say that there may be some who will feel some stress over some aspects of their doctrinal beliefs.

 

[Gustave]

16 hours ago, Ron Amnsn said:

I don't think so.  At that time, the church publications were not controlled by the church hierarchy and various views were published for discussion and study.  An examination of other denomination's creeds, although it reveals the opinion of one author or a group of church leaders, did not carry the authority of a creed. 

"At that time"? 

Were SDA Church publications controlled by the SDA Church hierarchy  after Ellen White's death or at some point prior? 

[Ron Amnsn]

There are passages in EGW's writings that oppose an attempt to takeover of one of the publishing houses.  So it was apparently being attempted in her lifetime.  It's not a part of SDA history that the established SDA hierarchy wants to draw attention to because I think they would rather have people think that there has been no significant change from the SDA movement of 100 years ago to the corporation that exists now.

[Gregory Matthews]

SDA publications are only controlled by SDA leadership to a certain extent.  Under current leadership, some publications are more controlled than they probably were controlled by other leadership.

We in the U.S. are probably more sensitive to such control than  we might be if we were living in other parts of the world.

The Signs Publishing Company was established in 1885, and presently exists in Warburton, Australia.  It is expanding its  publications and is probably publishing works that would not be published here in the U.S.  In addition, the material that it publishes is becoming    more available to us in the U.S. than it has been in the past.

Andrews University Press has an extensive collection of published works that are available  upon order.  In general, its works are of a scholarly nature.

The Biblical Research Institute Publishes much that might be of interest to the general SDA member.  However, it is controlled by GC leadership.

The Pacific Union Conference recently published an interesting item.  I will wait to see how this develops.

We are seeing material published in Europe that would probably not be published here in the U.S.   This is only at a beginning and I will wait to see both how it develops and what is translated into English.

Adventist Health is publishing material that it wants published and for the general population.

ADRA is funding the publication of material that is outside of the normal work of ADRA, this includes publications on doctrine and the Christian life.

My point is this:  We are living in a time when  it really is not possible for high level SDA leadership to control what is published in our denomination.  Suppression in the U.S. will only result in it being published elsewhere.

NOTE:   I have not mentioned the independent publishers.  All of the above are SDA institutions.

 

 

 

[Gustave]

4 hours ago, Ron Amnsn said:

There are passages in EGW's writings that oppose an attempt to takeover of one of the publishing houses.  So it was apparently being attempted in her lifetime.  It's not a part of SDA history that the established SDA hierarchy wants to draw attention to because I think they would rather have people think that there has been no significant change from the SDA movement of 100 years ago to the corporation that exists now.

THAT, what you just said, is essentially the point I've been making for some time now.