Kelsie Petersen
From the moment I saw the first announcement of the theme for the 2019 Former Adventist Fellowship Conference, I was excited and full of anticipation. First of all, it is for the love of the pure gospel that my family and I ultimately left Adventism, and it is for that same reason that I agreed to try my feeble hand at writing for this blog. Second of all, my family and I are in a season of life where we find ourselves without a church home. This time has been difficult for us in several ways, and for a reason I couldn’t articulate, the title and graphic for this year’s conference appealed to me in this area of my heart in a deep way. I knew I had to be there.
I arrived at the conference venue, Redeemer Fellowship church in Loma Linda, on Friday morning, a little nervous, but full of anticipation. I knew I would see old friends and acquaintances from last time I was able to attend in 2016, as well as meet several for the first time who had become dear friends through the magic of the internet and social media. I also knew that there would be complete strangers who I would hopefully get to know over the course of the weekend. Above all, I knew that the topic we would be focusing on and learning about could not possibly disappoint!
The conference opened with a few songs of corporate worship, and as I knew would happen, the time just flew by. Both days were full of worshiping the Lord Jesus together in song, solid expository teaching, incredible encouragement from the presenters, fellowship with new and old friends as we connected and shared our stories, as well as plenty of good food! I returned to my accommodations each night, tired but so full of joy and gratitude, and it was with great regret and sadness that I said goodbye to all of my friends, old and new, on Sunday afternoon.
Some might ask, how does a group spend an entire weekend talking only about the gospel? Do we sit in our chairs and listen to gospel presentation after gospel presentation? Do we watch different evangelists present the gospel on YouTube videos for hours at a time? How much can there really be said about this one, simple topic that is seen by so many as just the “front door” to Christianity?
Throughout the weekend, the presenters each approached the gospel from a direction that would resonate with us as former Seventh-day Adventists. Gary Inrig spoke of the gospel foretold in Isaiah 52 and 53. Kaspars Ozolins expounded on the meaning of the pure gospel, and what it means to be born again through the pure gospel. Colleen Tinker broke down how the Covenants and the pure gospel go hand in hand, as well as how the Adventist worldview distorts the pure gospel. Dale Ratzlaff tackled a favorite topic of those who would put us under the bondage of the Law, the letter of James, and laid out how the pure gospel is evidenced in that epistle. Friday night, the public meeting featured a talk by Paul Carden, entitled “By All Means, For the Sake of the Gospel,” where he addressed the topic of bringing the pure gospel to those who have believed a false or distorted gospel.
The “Pure Gospel”
For many, a topic as simple as “The Pure Gospel” might seem rather basic and not sufficient for the focus of an entire conference, but for those of us who have been rescued from darkness, who have spent days—or even years±living in hopelessness, there is no topic we would rather spend our time in, than this one.
This weekend proved to me again that there is no limit to the depth, width and breadth of the beauty of the pure gospel, and it reminded me, once again, that it is the rainbow that colors and brings life to every piece of Scripture, and every piece of our lives. It reminded me that every time I think I have reached the depth of my ability to appreciate the depth of the gospel and the significance of what Jesus did for me by taking my place, dying on that cross, then being buried, resurrected, and finally ascended into heaven, it doesn’t take long for Him to prove me wrong.
The twisting of Adventism
In Adventism, “the gospel” was a very complicated, unclear thing. When asked what they thought the gospel was while in Adventism, the conference attendees called out no less than 10 different responses. I remember for myself, I would have strung together something about the Sabbath and Jesus and the second coming. All of those, and more, were on the list compiled at the conference. As the long list was discussed, I found myself remembering back to the first time I heard a gospel presentation and was able to mentally label what I was hearing. I was a student at a Christian high school and part of a team that was training for a short term mission trip to Mexico. We were taught to share the gospel using the Wordless Book, a simple tool that uses color to guide the hearer through man’s sinfulness, God’s perfection, Jesus perfect life, His sacrificial death on the cross, resurrection and ascension, and our need to be born again. I remember feeling so excited at how SIMPLE this was! I was excited to take it to my Adventist church and share with them what I had learned about sharing Jesus with others. I do remember, however, trying to think of a way to fit the Sabbath message in there somewhere.
Sometimes I struggle to find the words to describe the tragedy of this twisting, obscuring and complicating of the pure Gospel. The teachings of the Investigative Judgment, the Sabbath, the nature of Jesus, the state of the dead and the Great Controversy worldview effectively rob the gospel of its power and beauty. Over and over again, the conference presenters spread open the beauty, simplicity, profoundness and depth of the Biblical gospel: the wonder of the plan of salvation, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, every step of His path to the cross laid out in prophecy 700 years before it came to be; the covenants God made with Abraham, Moses, David, and now with us; His promises made and now fulfilled through the cross, in the church, and in the Kingdom when He returns.
Even within western Christianity, I find that there is a level of indifference to the gospel, and a loss of awe and wonder, and this, too, is a great tragedy. We have been acclimatized to a certain complacency regarding the gospel, and perhaps it is due to more than a couple hundred years of Christians being able to practice and speak of their faith without undue resistance or persecution. I find it increasingly common to find believers wanting to “move on” from the gospel message, and searching for teaching that they find more practical and applicable.
Do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating for teaching that is merely knowledge based and stops at theory and intellectualism. What I am seeing is an increasing desire to walk out of church on a Sunday with a “key verse” and a to do list of 3 to 5 items that will make my life better, either for me, personally, or by working in my community.
Is there anything technically wrong with a key verse and a list? Probably not. But what this year’s conference once again affirmed was that a proper exposition and teaching of the Scripture will throw open and reveal the glory of the gospel to the hearers and allow them to walk out of their churches on a Sunday morning with no need for a list because their hearts are full of love and gratitude to their Savior and an overwhelming urge to serve Him with everything that they are.
Studying truth to unmask the false
As we have come to expect from the FAF Conference each year, the lineup of teachers and presenters was excellent. Each one exuded a love for the gospel, a love for the Word, and a love for those who are lost. I admit being a little intimidated by the amount of study and knowledge in the room this year. At one point, I was sitting beside someone who was working on notes on their iPad in three different languages at once. The truth is, however, that as people redeemed from Adventism, we are a little different from those who are redeemed from the world. We were trained and conditioned to believe a lie about the truth. We were taught that Adventism held the most pure version of Bible truth, and when one discovers that this belief is, indeed, a lie, it causes us to be very committed to knowing what the truth really is.
As I sat and listened to the various sessions and attempted to take notes furiously, I was struck with a deep sense of appreciation for these people who have dedicated themselves to study and investigation. Being together in such a group inspires me to be more intentional about my own learning. Above all, these people are motivated by their discovery of, and love for, the pure gospel.
In the past months, as I have interacted with believers both online and in person, both former Adventists and those I affectionately refer to as “never beens,” I have been met with several assertions that we should really just move on from pointing out the errors of Adventism and focus on true teaching. I have heard several times over the years the example of how those who work in detecting counterfeit currency study the genuine currency carefully so that they are able to spot the imposters. This example is used to make the point that, as Christians, we should study the truth of Scripture and trust that exclusively to allow us to see errors when they are taught or promoted.
The topic of this year’s conference highlighted that principle very well; however, I think there is danger in over-application of the analogy. We cannot become dulled to the errors of Adventism in our pursuit of the Gospel. The twisted teachings of Adventism are often subtle, and Adventism’s need to be perceived as an Evangelical denomination, while internally promoting that they are the sole remnant, necessitates us, as those who have lived in it, speaking out and pointing out the problems and errors. We have a unique perspective that many Christians do not have.
It is true that we are often dismissed and even marginalized for pointing out the problems with Adventism, but the truth must still be told. And we must tell it in view of, and with a deep love for the gospel. I am more convinced than ever that the way to clearly demonstrate the problems with Adventism and get the attention of Christian leaders is to show how the teachings of Adventism distort the gospel. Unless we are able to do this, Adventism will continue to squeak by on the claims that they are simply another Evangelical denomination with a few minor differences in doctrine.
The gospel, however, is the key to exposing the reality of Adventism’s deception and to offering a way out of that darkness.
See you next year!
The 2019 FAF Conference was, according to multiple attendees and even presenters, the best one yet. I think the reason for this endorsement is simple. The topic for the weekend caused the hearer to walk away praising God for the gospel while concurrently being confirmed or convicted of the depth of the errors of Adventism. What a gift to be able to set aside an entire weekend to come together, learn from each other, bless one another with our stories of how God saved us, and to glory in the gospel!
This year was my second time attending in person, and while I tried my best to watch the sessions online of the two intervening conferences I had been unable to attend, there is nothing like being able to sit in those seats, look other people in the eyes as they share their stories, and have people who truly understand your story, to sing praises with others who are glorying in their newfound freedom, and having the dedicated time to sit and soak it all in. There is a level of processing and understanding that takes place when you are able to be physically present at this conference. Lord willing, I’ll see YOU next year!
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