Comments of the Week August 25-31
Welcome to a new feature, where we select the best comments of the week, and invite you to revisit the essays where they were made. —Editors
Secrets Unsealed Cancels Conrad Vine
“It saddens me so much to see people blinded by disinformation around COVID and COVID vaccines. It is even worse to see these deceptions take hold to such an extent that they lead to church strife and division. There is such a simple solution to all this: know whom you can trust.
The scientists and medical professionals in our country can be trusted when they say vaccines are safe and effective at preventing life-threatening bouts of COVID. When the same professionals recommend masking for prevention they can also be trusted, as these things are based on very solid peer-reviewed, clinical studies. It is a fact that these kinds of lies that they have been led to believe have led to the death of large numbers of people.”
–Bryan Ness
Security Guards and Grace
“I admire your courage—and the willingness of your congregation to take this on, too. It speaks well of them. Though it did raise this question: what would happen if it developed into a regular homeless campsite? Would that change people’s view?”
–Loren Seibold
SATIRE – SCANDAL: Researcher Discovers EGW Favored Doritos over Fritos in Haystacks
“Given this finding, one wonders if a non-name brand Dorito-like corn chip would be an acceptable substitute for Doritos. Perhaps the Bible Research Institute could weigh in.”
–Michael Wortman
“Well, the two stories are just that: constructions based on, at best, oral tradition. Are we too timid to stop taking it as ‘history’ and ask instead, what did the (much later) storytellers intend to teach their now-ancient audiences? What was going on with Moses or later scribes of these founding myths?“
–David Johnson
“Lots of teachable moments at camporee and after returning. (I’ve been to all nine of the biggies, all as club staff.) I have to admit, I struggle with the urge to stand up and shout, ‘No! That’s not what God said!’ after many a children’s story in church, where the ‘moral’ of the story is that if we follow Christ, He will protect us from all harm. I know that within a few years those same wonderful, wide-eyed children are going to face all sorts of things that God does not protect them from, and then they are left questioning ALL that they have been taught. We do ourselves and God a great disservice when we change ‘there is no temptation that you cannot overcome’ to ‘there is no evil that can maim, kill, or destroy you in this life.’ Death, divorce, abuse, illness, injustice, and accidents often swamp our kids and they are left questioning the love of God and our honesty. God does tell us how the story ends. How in the end, those who choose Him win. But He does not promise that life here and now will be perfect, comfortable, and without suffering. We need to be more honest with them, and with ourselves.“
–Glen Milam
Voice of Prophecy Hosts Mental Health Series in Local Churches
“To what extent does fear of the coming Sunday law, persecution, time of trouble, and close of probation adversely impact mental health?”
–Joseph Schwarz
“Mental health awareness is fantastic, but to open up areas of trauma without trained mental health experts available, is worrisome.”
–Cortney Needham
The Two Creation Stories of Genesis
“Fascinating, Richard! I knew they were separate stories, not precisely how they differ. Interestingly, in all my life in the church, I have never heard creationists explain the different order in number two—that the adam was created before the animals, and that he named them before his mate was made.”
–Loren Seibold
