Truth Copyrighted
By Stefani Leeper, July 7, 2015: With an urgent article on my hands and feeling the pressure of the ticking clock, the bustle of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center was no place to start delving into Adventist politics, statistics, and foreign relations.
A quick examination of the Marriott lobby located across the street was of no consolation to my mounting anxiety, and I pivoted back toward the Convention Center. I found myself moving down East Market Street toward the San Antonio River Walk. Along this path was a man who had set up residence under the shade of a tree with a bright yellow sign in his hands. The sign read in bold, angry letters “Ellen White is a Liar.”
Intrigued, I stopped and inconspicuously studied his sign, conscious of my press badge and my Myers-Briggs confirmed Introvert-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging (INFJ) personality. My internal conflict was short-lived as a foreign Adventist pastor, dressed completely in what appeared to be snowy white cotton and silk, ornamented in golden trim, hurriedly shuffled toward the protestor. I followed close behind and found myself about three feet from the two men, our bodies settled in a triangular conversational style.
“Excuse me, my brother,” the pastor said calmly, drawing the attention of the man with five picket signs, one of which proclaimed that Ted Wilson and Ellen White are the blind leading the blind. “Those words are very offensive to these people, and I respect these people.”
“I’m just preaching the truth,” the man replied, shaking his head as he continued displaying his signs to passersby.
“No,” replied the pastor with a little more fire in his tone, “you are defaming their characters. That is not preaching the truth. I suggest that if you want to preach the truth, then you tell what you find wrong, not destroy their names in this way.”
They continued bantering in this style for a while, both men reiterating their messages in escalating tones, fingers starting to threateningly shake in the directions of the opposing party. This argument resulted in the pastor accusing the preacher of heresy with the accused replying, “That’s what they told Jesus.”
The pastor was dumbfounded at the implied meaning of the statement, and when he questioned it, he, along with the aforementioned “blind” leaders, was compared to a Pharisee.
After a few more minutes of irate dispute and the preacher offering to point out parts of Ellen White’s writing that contradicted the King James Bible, the pastor said, “My brother, you are making me want to say things that I don’t wish to say. I don’t want to call you a son of the devil, but if you continue acting in this way then you are the son of the devil. What you are doing, it is evil.”
Something caused this 22-year-old spectator to push aside her inner INFJ and to raise her voice in response to what she knew might become a full-out war. “May I interject?” I timidly requested, raising my hand, with my purse hanging by the crook of my arm.
Two pairs of eyes swung to me, and they both allowed me to speak, but as they nodded their consent, their eyes widened when they noticed my press badge. I swiftly removed it, burying it in my swinging purse, hoping this action would ensure their confidence.
“Paul explains that the weak and the strong in faith need to support each other and that judging and condemning each other for certain beliefs and actions is only destructive. The weak and strong are to support each other in love. But I sense a lot of hatred here between both sides, and that is only causing destruction. We need to understand each other.”
Surprisingly, both men listened without interruption and nodded, understanding my point.
“But I hear the Adventist Church in San Antonio calling the Sunday worshipers marks of the Beast and condemning them to hell.”
The pastor and I shared a puzzled glance and I replied, “The official mission of the Seventh-day Adventist movement isn’t to convert people to the Adventist faith; it’s to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world as demonstrated in the Bible. And we aren’t supposed to judge another faith but to be firm in our own convictions and help others find the truth in Christ. Unfortunately, there is a spectrum of Adventists, just as there is in any other religion, and some are very conservative and others are liberal.”
“As the girl says, there is a wide range of Adventists,” confirmed the pastor before he proceeded to explain that not all Adventists hold such hatred toward Christian brothers and sisters. He then revealed that it is a commonly held belief of Adventists that not all Adventists will be saved and that many Adventists also are convinced that people of all religious affiliations who truly love God, and confess and accept Jesus as Lord, will enjoy salvation. I conceded.
The street preacher’s expression softened and his volume lowered a few notches. “You believe that?”
Two heads nodded in response and his arms fell, his posture opened to us. “Wow. I’ve never heard that before.”
In light of this progress, the pastor then requested to be shown the messages on each picket sign and the preacher displayed them, explaining why he was demonstrating a verse on adultery and other biblical verses. The pastor approved of those signs, stating that they support an individual perspective from biblical readings, and he replied, “If you just show those, I am fine with you.”
But then he requested to be given the two signs that were directed at Adventist leaders, kicking off Round 2 of the debate, this one centered on the ability of women to lead in Christian denominations.
In a nutshell, the street preacher flipped through his Bible and began reading passages in Paul’s epistles and Revelation (Jesus’ words declaring Jezebel a false prophetess) that support the perspective that women should not lead in a church setting.
“But you follow Ellen White,” the preacher concluded, to which I again swiftly replied, “We follow the Bible, and she is an advisor in understanding the Biblical texts and a healthy lifestyle. Correct me if I’m wrong,” I said as I eyed the Adventist pastor. I continued, “But I believe Ellen White denied that she was a prophetess.” The protester arched a quizzical brow while voicing “Oh, really?”
Of course, this was quickly corrected by the pastor who clarified that deny was a misleading term and in actuality she didn’t declare herself a prophetess. He then explained why the Adventist faith recognizes her writings as divinely inspired.
The street preacher again offered to show us where Ellen White was contradictory in her writing as compared to the Bible, and I changed the topic by asking him what Adventists had done to elicit an animated and vehement response to those of the Adventist faith.
The street preacher had been raised near a Seventh-day Adventist community in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and—not a Sabbath observer—was thereby disrespected by some of the community because he was a “son of the Beast.”
With that confession, everything began to make sense. I was overwhelmed with sadness and anger that, as children of Christ, we had so cruelly turned away our brother.
I listened. Apologized. We discussed our differing views of retaining salvation (the possibility of losing it by rejecting the Spirit). Shook his hand. “I will pray for you,” I said.
“Thank you,” he responded.
“Please pray for us, too.”
“I will,” he concluded.
I hoisted my purse and retraced my steps toward the Convention Center, my eyes watering and the inner INFJ in me suddenly rearing its ugly head to interfere with my emotional well-being. Inhaling deeply, I squinted at the flashing red hand prohibiting me from crossing the street.
“Stefani.”
I turned and saw the street preacher passing by, his signs stuffed under his arm.
“Are you married?”
“No…”
“Don’t marry a divorced man with a living wife.”
Inwardly I smiled at his effort of reconciliation. “I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Good.”
We parted ways, and I felt the presence of the Lord filling the cavity of my chest. There was warmth, and there was peace.
At the end of the day, no one could sum up my thoughts better than Adventist pastor David Asscherick who, that very Sabbath evening, asked his 2015 General Conference audience: “Why is it us against everyone else? If I could I would un-invent the word non-Adventist because it creates a barrier…. The Bible boils down to the word access; it’s all about contextualization and accessibility.”
Essentially, Adventists need to preach the gospel, not the Seventh-day Adventist perspective or lifestyle.
“We,” the wise Asscherick proclaimed, “do not have a copyright on the truth.”
This is by far the most inspiring reporting I’ve read on all the sites and tweets and commenting and reporting on the General Conference since it began.
The only negative for me was the realization that I was living in Berrien Springs when the street preacher was growing up there. But then I guess that was part of Stefani’s point. At least of me.
Stefani,
I praise God that you have such an intimate and basic understanding of the Gospel and the real basis of the Adventist message to the world. Thank you for sharing that story.
It appears to me that the concerns of the protestor were not addressed at all in this article. The author merely seems to be diverting the topic from the claims of the protester to his alleged maltreatment at the hands of others in the church. This is the myth that SDAs would like to believe about former Adventists for some reason. They cannot quite comprehend that we left because of DOCTRINAL ISSUES and not mistreatment. And so, once again, the real issues are left untouched while the emotional ones are presented as the true basis of the protest.
I totally agree with you Page.
Thanks, Stefani. You’ve inspired me today with your wonderful story. God bless you richly
In many of these kind of ‘sharing’ opportunities, we need to remember temperance between parties involved. Yes, they were out of balance for physical context, mental context, emotional context and spiritual context. We only need to remember love as Jesus loved those around HIM. Condemnation without edification to the Truth is the wrong spirit in loving the other. The Kingdom is for Truth and the Spirit, in loving temperance.
Yours in Christ, Michael
Did I understand correctly? That the author hid her press badge in order to encourage the man to speak freely? And then turned around and published an article with his words?
Was that furtiveness really necessary or, shall we say, totally honest?
Patti, this is a situation that has been to court in the past. When you have a conversation with anyone on a public street or in another public place, there is expectation of privacy unless you specifically request it. What she did is standard practice by writers and courts have ruled it legal. — Monte Sahlin, AT Executive Editor
…. no expectation ….
Who said anything about legal?
Everything that is legal is not necessarily honest.
Wonderful article, insightful and helpful to all of us. No one’s names except the author’s are shared, we are given stories not expose’s. No one’s privacy has been invaded, no one has been exposed. Pastor and Preacher are voices, not people. The honest thing is to tell what happened, only if this is a piece of fiction should the author be questioned for making it up. Otherwise excellent journalism and lovely Christianity.
I read this as a parable, a rather good one. Is this represented as a piece of straight reporting?
What a blessing Stefani to read your experience. This has to be a highlight of your visit to the GC and Texas. Good used you to widen this man’s eyes and to lend healing to his heart, wounded by those we call brother and sister. Good for you!!! And one more piece of advice. Don’t marry a man who is divorced and whose wife is still living.
If our mission as Seventh-day Adventists is not to convert people to the SDA faith, then what point is there in having a SDA church?
Now that’s the million dollar question, Daniel!
I find this to be a very troubling account, in particular these two paragraphs:
“But you follow Ellen White,” the preacher concluded, to which I again swiftly replied, “We follow the Bible, and she is an advisor in understanding the Biblical texts and a healthy lifestyle. Correct me if I’m wrong,” I said as I eyed the Adventist pastor. I continued, “But I believe Ellen White denied that she was a prophetess.” The protester arched a quizzical brow while voicing “Oh, really?”
Of course, this was quickly corrected by the pastor who clarified that deny was a misleading term and in actuality she didn’t declare herself a prophetess. He then explained why the Adventist faith recognizes her writings as divinely inspired.
The author, I take it a product of the Adventist educational system, inserted a very fictional view into the conversation, one I would assume she learned in her Adventist education. Ellen White claimed to actually be more than a prophet or at least more than the word signifies. So at minimum she is a prophet by her own statement, she just did not want to restrict herself to that.
”
“Why have I not claimed to be a prophet?—Because in these days many who boldly claim that they are prophets are a reproach to the cause of Christ; and because my work more than the word ‘prophet’ signifies.”— The Review and Herald
July 26, 1906 http://egwtext.whiteestate.org/publication.php?pubtype=Periodical&bookCode=RH&lang=en&year=1906&month=July&day=26
In fact she states that clearly here: “The Work of a Prophet and More. –I am now instructed that I am not to be hindered in my work by those who engage in suppositions regarding its nature, whose minds are struggling with so many intricate problems connected with the supposed work of a prophet. My commission embraces the work of a prophet, but it does not end there. It embraces much more than the minds of those who have been sowing the seeds of unbelief can comprehend. —Letter 244, 1906. Addressed to elders of the Battle Creek church; See Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 34-36.
It makes me wonder why the author and so many other Adventist youth are so falsely instructed. There must be an organizational goal to such things. I have seen it so many times. Did the street preacher possibly have more facts than the Adventist press person or Adventist Pastor. Why did not the Pastor explain that she felt she was more than just a prophet? Instead he dealt with the young ladies interpretation that EGW denied being a prophet(ess).
People don’t get this kind of misinformation from the church by accident. I could give my reasoning for this but I am sure some of you can figure it out as well.
Unfortunately, the street preacher was misled by the SDA pastor and his cohorts because he was not aware of the whole truth of Seventh-Day Adventism and the misdirection it practices. The article shows an SDA pastor who is either ignorant of his Prophetess writings yet he is willing to teach EGW or that he willingly omitted the rest of the statement by EGW.
The truth is she did not deny, “that she was a prophetess” she claimed more than that. To tell someone that she did not claim to be a prophetess is a case study in prevarication. What is also woefully absent in the SDA Pastors response to the street preacher is the fact SDAs are REQUIRED to accept the teaching of EGW to be baptized by way of the Baptismal Vows or the Fundamental Beliefs.
I am glad to see there is no additional need to post the EXACT quotes by EGW as many others are already aware of this tactic of willful omission, to make the charlatan of Battle Creek appear inspired and humble.
Very interesting article. She didn’t mention any names so no violation of privacy. But why did the man say our church leaders are liars? I do not think E White is a prophet. Some of her writings are good just like many other Christian writers even non Adventist . We do not need any book but the Bible. Choose to read other books but study and follow the Bible.
That argument about Jezebel, how can that be used for women to lead or not to hould or lead in the church? I don’t get it.