Adventists Attack Evangelicals...Again

One of the main functions of this blog is to deal with SDA media. Though I am disappointed with how few really do respond to SDA media hope springs eternal that the membership of the SDA church will engage their leadership and representatives to take positions of responsibility rather then merely rhetoric.

The Pacific Union Recorder has an article entitled "Time for the Second Angel’s Message"

By Alan J. Reinach, Esq. :

I’m often asked by Adventist audiences about the imminence of Sunday laws. One of my typical responses is that when I graduated from law school, they gave me a law license, not a crystal ball. Although I understand the desire of Adventists to know when or how prophecy will be fulfilled, to me, there is a much more important question: what are we supposed to be doing NOW, in light of our prophetic insight. What is the message we should be giving now?

Unfortunately to the reader of this article little is said about what our message should be, a warning not to be part of Babylon is about all and the rest of the article is frankly used to dismiss other Christians.

Today, American churches have shifted their emphasis from evangelism and preaching to politics. The gospel message has been watered down. Where once the emphasis was on repentance and holiness, today it is on believing. Where once believers were taught that those who are justified will live by faith, today the message is that they are saved by an act of faith. The gospel has been denuded of its power. See Romans 1:16-17 for more.

Amazingly enough this really does not say much at all. It is word play and generalizations. Churches have not begun to preach politics, in America Churches have always weighted in on politics as it is the very nature of being citizens in a democratic Republic, for in our democracy the citizens choose the government and representatives. So the churches have been involved from issues of slavery, temperance, civil rights and yes even things like abortion and issues which redefine institutions such as marriage. Still those are not any of the primary areas of the Churches as they have not stopped talking about Jesus and righteousness etc.

So is the gospel message watered down by talking of belief rather then "repentance and holiness"? How many of you repented and became holy before you believed in God? You have to believe in something before you give up your old ways. So let's toss that one out as being a nonsensical thought.

What about this statement: "Where once believers were taught that those who are justified will live by faith, today the message is that they are saved by an act of faith. The gospel has been denuded of its power." Hopefully if you were ever taught that the "justified will live by faith" someone will have corrected your misunderstanding of the Bible. (Heb 10:38 KJV) Now the just shall live by faith: (Rom 1:17 NIV) For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." The above author has sort of confused the concept of the just shall live by faith and the phrase for it is by faith that you have been justified (Romans 5:1) I point this out because the author is playing word games and if you are going to play word games you had better make sure you are not using your words wrong.

In his quote above what is the action word that causes one phrase to be acceptable to the author while the other is not. "Justified will live by faith" versus "saved by an act of faith." Justified and saved are pretty much the same idea each denoting a position of being made right with God. Faith is identical in both phrases, so that leaves us with "will live by" versus "by an act". If the act in the second phrase is living then they are pretty much equivalent terms. The exception would be if the "will live by" is not an "act" but rather the mere existence through respiration. Again I say toss out this paragraph as nonsensical also.

The article continues on the attack of other Christians by saying:

The prophetic message is that a spiritually powerless church seeks a substitute for the power of God in the power of the state. Politics replaces the Holy Spirit as the engine of moral and spiritual revival. So it is today in America. Moreover, this is the fruit of generations of antinomianism. Beginning in the 19th century, Protestant America rejected the Law of God as the standard of character in the judgment, effectively rejecting the sanctifying influence of God’s Spirit. It is no wonder that a false doctrine of the Holy Spirit has swept the globe. Emotional enthusiasm has replaced humble obedience.

The churches since the 19th century have rejected God and all laws of God which are required to pass the "judgment". In traditional Adventistism this is referred to as Apostate Protestantism also known as Babylon. So the author has nearly taken us full circle, not by telling us what message we should be giving except get out of Babylon. Christianity is Babylon except of course us Adventists because we believe in passing the Judgment by our standard of character. Well I don't but apparently it is the Traditional Adventist view.

Adventists make the mistake of imagining that other churches have an equally robust gospel. This is simply false. While people of many churches have a wonderful love relationship with Christ, sound teaching is in short supply.

If we are going to make gratuitous statements I would like to make one also. I don't think many Christians have even a halfway adequate concept of the gospel and that certainly includes Adventists. So until sound teaching makes a comeback I thank God that so many Christians can have the love relationship with God because that is what the gospel is about. However I do not see God declaring people in a loving relationship with Him, however defective their understanding of God is, to be Babylon. When the Kettle calls the Pot black it should take a good look at itself, something Adventists such as the above author should consider. However humble and obedient we may think we are I don't think that attacking our fellow believers is the answer. The reason that many people attack others is to make themselves look or feel better, an argument based upon meaningless rhetoric rather then on a substantive basis.