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Comments of the Week November 11-17

Comments of the Week November 11-17

“NAD: Adventist University enrollment is shrinking and we don’t know why!

GC: Hurray! The Shaking is here!‘” –Shelley Curtis Weaver on one of the satire pieces

Comments on the church changing, election lessons, a satire piece, This Is Resistance, and a University professor’s drug charges.

EDITORIAL: Can This Church Change?

“The church is people, flawed people. That will never change. I’ve been thinking a lot of the evangelism we traditionally have been pushed into and, sadly, cringe….. Evangelism that has alienated neighbors and friends…. evangelism where we (our church) is defined as the remnant…. evangelism where we are apocalyptical and scare the living daylights out of people, attracting more conspiracy-minded folks and fear/suspicion of others….. evangelism where we point fingers at the wickedness of the world and others (failing to recognize our own lack of love). It IS the fruits of the Spirit exhibited from hearts changed that can be our only hope of change — and growth. Yet, we try trickery and judgment sifting, no pushing out those who don’t measure up in our eyes. sigh…. As I look back on history, it has been a struggle since the beginning of time.”

–Larry Stoltz

What Progressive Adventists Can Learn From the 2024 Presidential Election

“It seems Kamala had all the best arguments except to the issues most Americans – especially the working class – actually wanted answered:

– How to fix inflation
– How to fix the border
– How to stop the wars in Gaza and Ukraine
– What she would do different from Biden
Kamala had all the best answers but to the wrong questions. You can fight me on that – what do I know as an outsider? – but that seems to be the cold hard facts on the ground borne out by the election results. She may have objectively had better answers than Trump – the US economy is actually doing better than anyone else! But she did a worse job at selling those objective facts, to subjective ears.
I wonder if Progressive Adventism can take a lesson from that? Have we progressives SDAs (and I count myself in that) become too clever by half, and are no longer speaking to ordinary members? Do we likewise have the best answers but to the wrong questions?
I think you do go into that re discussions about different doctrinal emphasis by different parts of the Church community. And what say academics care about versus ordinary members.
We liberals (and again, I consider myself in that group) seem so liberal we seem to push ourselves over cliffs and drive ourselves out of our own Church. Or so it seems to me. Which only makes conservative Adventism’s victory all but certain.
This election demonstrates to me human beings tend to tack towards extremes. In politics as in religion.“

–Steve Ferguson

This Is Resistance

“I came into the SDA church in a very dramatic way. Never heard of Adventists; was very ill; met a woman at a restaurant on a Sabbath morning, drinking coffee, reading a Bible; she brought me to a little country church in Glenville, West Virginia; …a wonderful, sweet, couple…took me into their home and saved my life. This is a very condensed version of quite an escape from the New Age too….anyway, I no longer go to church, found it very unsafe – from a pastor refusing to testify at my divorce hearing to protect my toddler son from his pedophile father. The pastor said this to me, ‘Better that you and your son suffer than the SDA church…. If I testified, your ex could sue the church’ – to actually being physically assaulted at another church because I simply asked for prayer, mercy, and understanding…. It has been a very rough road, especially the last 10 years, and I almost unalived myself several times…. I am stronger now…. I worship and study by myself mostly, but have found an online SDA church I feel safe in.”

–Renee Marie Hernandez

“The platitudes don’t really help when the pain is so severe and one has learned by experience that bad things really do happen outside of God’s will. I have come to believe in my deconstruction that I don’t understand how much, when, and/or where God’s hand is over everything (especially the darkest of behavior) and yet preserving our free will. Your message speaks to that. For myself, the journey continues to bring light and goodness, where I can, and to trust God, even if he/she/it isn’t involved in the ways that we have traditionally been taught or believed. So thank you, Christopher, for addressing this. I expect you’ll get some pushback! Preach on.”

–Pamela Melnick

“North American Division: Adventist University enrollment is shrinking and we don’t know why!

General Conference: Hurray! The Shaking is here!‘“

–Shelley Curtis Weaver

“It’s hard not to admire this kind of a stand. I would, however, like to hear from Adventist athletes that do perform on Sabbath to see how they view the unique opportunities they have.”

—Bjorn Karlman

“If Union Adventist University and the SDA church truly care about Ben Tyner, they will sponsor him financially through a reputable 28-day rehab facility to become clean and sober again. I have personally witnessed how effective and life saving such programs can be. They should help him regroup and stay employed. Any less would violate Christ’s commands to be ‘Good Samaritans’!!”

—Connard Rasmussen

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