A Time To Speak

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

https://conversation.spectrummagazine.org/t/time-to-speak-out/16868

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Luther is well known by students of his writings for making a plethora of comments such as you have cited.  No such student would be surprised to read such comment.

But, no one reading the article I have cited should ever suggest that Dr. Johnsson had such comments in mind which Dr. Johnsson called a Luther Moment.  In actual fact, Dr. Johnsson clearly defines the Luther Moment as a crisis of Conscience, a time of courage and a clear confidence.  In addition, he defines it as the moment in which Luther faced Tetzel.

You may not agree with that conclusion, but, let us not confuse the issue with characterizing his Luther Moment with the comments you cited from Luther.

 

 

 

[CoAspen]

We all have the ability to find the glass half full or half empty.

 

[JoeMo]

I kinda liked the article; but I'm kind of a rebel anyways.  I don't think the pioneers or EGW ever envisioned a centralized totalitarian power (like the papacy and cardinals of the RCC); which appears to be the direction the church is heading.

Regardless of whether or not the SDA denomination has a "Luther Moment", I feel I can still attend the SDA church in good conscience.  If not, I'm totally happy being a non-denominational Sabbath keeper. Most church members (here at least) are not even aware of this issue, much less give a rat's patoot about it.  At the grass roots level (at least here), life will go on.  I can't say that for the world church - the vast majority of which oppose WO and support a centralized and homogenous church government.

 

[LifeHiscost]

After having watched this video with Pastor Doug Batchelor I may find it difficult to judge any individual re: their behavour but I find it not difficult to determine which direction history is heading.

1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjyIMw9BvZI

God is Love!~Jesus saves!

[JoeMo]

22 hours ago, The Wanderer said:

When I see stuff like this; all I can think of is how UNIMPORTANT this whole stupid fight is.

I agree. Why do we need 5 compliance committees to make sure we have uniformity I mean "unity"?

[debbym]

I lost my expectations of the "Church".  It is a human institution that potentially could be the arm of God but only when it is empowered by the Spirit.  When Jesus is no longer the focus, then anything can become the focus.

[pierrepaul]

The reference to Luther is very à propos, because it strikes at the heart of the tension between the authority of the magesterium and individual conscience.

Protestantism has had this tension at its root ever since Luther unhappily found himself as the focal point, not of reformation, but of schism.

Since then, the Protestant church has split and been subject to schism so many times that one cannot count them anymore. No church body has ever successfully defended itself against schism without invoking the authority of the organisation; this included church bodies that they themselves were the products of schism.

"The Bible and the Bible Alone" together with "Let each man be convinced in his own mind" are recipes for schism and congregationalism (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). A worldwide organised church requires a form of magesterium. It needed have the form that the Catholic council of bishops has, but it needs a body that serves the function.

The Bible is a fascinating book, but contrary to what some biblicists affirm, it was written in languages that are obscure today, in times whose history, culture and traditions are not well understood, and has been translated many times. Coupled with the natural ambiguity of human language, reasonable people can and will arrive at differing interpretations of scripture. And based on what we actually observe, when such controversies or differences of opinion arise, the Holy Spirit does not intervene to unequivocally settle the debate. Thus competing ideas advanced by competing believers, each fervently believing themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, arrive at a crossroads where each feels compelled by conscience to separate and go their own way.

Many churches have suffered schism; fewer have undergone mergers. Life will go on. The biggest result in my opinion is the evidence that the SdA church is a church like the others, with distinctive teachings, like the others, with political power plays, like the others, etc. Much of the SdA identity is built upon the idea that the SdA church is unique and special - the embodiment of the "remnant" unlike all other churches.