Help! My Son Is Dating an Adventist!
I have a son who is attending an Adventist church nearby. He’s been dating a lady for one and a half years; they have stopped living together to seek God and do it the right way. She took him to her Adventist church.
He knows nothing (has never read the Bible), and she’s only ever been Adventist. She lives by her Ellen White app on her phone. I sent info to them about that church being a cult with photos of all the books I’ve bought about Adventism, and they’ve cut me off.
My questions are:
Are there former Adventists in this area? Ty Gibson’s videos are played at the church they go to. I visited once. It felt like a sweet Christian church (the devil is good).
Can I buy an old copy of the FAF conference brochure? It would make an impression.
Why isn’t your website updated? The last entry seems to be 2021, but I could be wrong.
My son and I and always been close. The overwhelming grief is palpable. I’m wearing a garment of sadness. Please give me the name and number of a lady I can call for consolation, information, and guidance.
Is there an FAF conference in February? I guess there’s an FAF site I need to go to.
If there are folks near me who are former Adventists whom I can befriend, maybe there will be a moment when my son wakes up, and I can direct him to a former couple. If nothing else, please have your people pray for my son—whom they’ve already put on their worship team— and his girlfriend.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: Thank you for writing. I am so sorry about your son!
First, I do not know anyone in your area area to whom I can refer you. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any formers, but we do not know who all are “former” nor do we share the identities of formers that we know because it is generally a sensitive thing for people leaving Adventism. They prefer not to reveal their identities right away.
Second, I am sorry about your son’s vulnerability. Knowing Jesus and being familiar with Scripture are the protections against Adventism. Would he be open to listening to some podcasts? Our Former Adventist podcast series dealing with Adventism’s 28 Fundamental Beliefs might be helpful to him. You can find them grouped here: https://blog.lifeassuranceministries.org/2021/10/04/inspecting-adventisms-fundamental-beliefs/
Adventists are good at “love-bombing” “outsiders” who visit. They excel at “friendship evangelism”, but when people finally become members, they are often sidelined after joining because they are “new” and not well-grounded members.
We do not have any conference brochures for sale, but we do have a conference again next February.
Our website is updated weekly at ProclamationMagazine.com; we post new articles every week and send out links in our weekly Proclamation! email. To sign up to receive this weekly email, you can fill out this form: https://lifeassuranceministries.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8a3258beb1&id=db1eabd84c
I suggest that you listen to our Former Adventist podcasts as well; they will help you understand what your son is involved in. You can subscribe to them here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/former-adventist/id1482887969
You might also enjoy our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/FormerAdventist/featured
You may email me anytime.
The Heartbreak of Adventists Facing Death
I recently visited the extended family of my Adventist in-laws. I hoped to visit with the ones who are dying; I believe they have left Adventism, although my in-laws will never speak of it. I was discouraged from visiting, though, and was only allowed a larger, all-family visit for less than an hour. It was difficult to speak to any of them, but I did pray throughout our time together.
The older lady, 93 years old, was very quiet. She has forgotten so much since her recent stroke. I was told that she left the Adventist church 20 or 30 years ago, but the family will not speak of it any further than that. I have always assumed she is a Former. I have met and visited with her several times over the past 33 years, but she did not remember me. Upon parting, though, I went up to her and told her that I may not see her again on this earth, but I hope we will meet in Heaven.
Oh my goodness, her eyes lit up! She grabbed my hand and said “YES! That’s my plan!” Then we left. No one else in the family heard our short conversation. It is mine alone to cherish and to praise God.
When the family visits with these dying people, there is no mention of God, heaven, or hope. Nothing. There is not even any prayer. I am not that deeply ingrained in the Adventist lifestyle, especially when it concerns death, but I was amazed!
I wanted to spend more time with the elderly woman’s daughter who is her caretaker. I believe she is also a Former (again, the family does not speak of it). But my spending time alone with her was discouraged by the family. When I left, though, she hugged me and said “I can tell you are having a difficult time. We will call and talk.” She is an amazing sweet, positive, godly person. In fact, she was the only one who mentioned God in any way during the short visit. I’m excited to see what God has in store.
Isn’t it amazing how God uses people who cross our paths to encourage our lives and our pathways! Every Scripture I have read this week in my Allistair Begg devotional book has applied directly to my daily struggle here. It hasn’t been an easy visit, but it has certainly been spiritually rewarding! Praise God!
Now on to listen to your Podcast for this week! I do so enjoy them.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: The Lord allowed you to have those interactions IN SPITE of the family’s attempts to sideline you! It’s quite amazing how blatant their fear and hostility toward your faith are. Your experience with them is one more example of the palpable reality of the different kingdoms of believers and unbelievers. It does sound as if the caregiver is a believer. The Lord is so gracious to give us these connections.
What a blessing you were to the elderly lady! As you said, no one was saying anything to her about the Lord or her closeness to the kingdom, and they weren’t praying or comforting her. But even when our memories fail, the born-again are not separated from the Lord, and you said the words that allowed her to speak of the reality inside her. What a blessing!
Spanish Materials Needed
I just listened to a podcast featuring Nicole and Colleen on Cultish. It’s usually my go-to podcast when I meet a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness friends.My husband and I recently befriended a young Nicaraguan (predominately Spanish-speaking) couple who live nearby. We found out they are Adventist this Saturday at dinner. They attend a local Spanish-speaking Adventist church. Our hearts long for them to know the true Christ and true gospel. They’re wonderful people. They need Jesus.
The Lord clearly brought them into our lives, and we feel like we made an excellent connection, although there is a language barrier. We never really thought much about Adventism until this week—we even found flyers in our church parking lot (a Southern Baptist Convention church). God’s up to something, and I’m so grateful for Colleen and Nicole’s voices. I’ve learned so much from them.
I would love to be subscribed to your newsletter. I’m also wondering if you have any Spanish resources available that I could point our Adventist friends to later on down the road. Also—any advice for sharing the gospel with them?
Thanks for all your hard work. May God bless this ministry! I’m praying for those who are Adventists daily.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: I’m so thankful that you are in touch with this couple. Yes, we have some resources available in Spanish; here is a website with some of the most helpful e-books translated into Spanish: https://www.sabbathinchrist.com/index.php/product-category/spanish-e-books/. I suggest that this couple be offered Sabbath in Christ and The Cultic Doctrine whenever they are ready to read them.
You and your husband might be helped by reading the English version of these as well. They are available here: https://www.sabbathinchrist.com/index.php/product-category/books/
Meanwhile, although we are not currently publishing a printed version of Proclamation! magazine, all our back issues are online here: http://www.lifeassuranceministries.org.
We have also added your name to our weekly Proclamation! email updates. You may need to add the email address LifeAssuranceMinistries@gmail.com to your contacts in order for the email not to be directed toward your Spam folder. These emails will arrive every Friday. Archived articles are available at ProclamationMagazine.com.
You might also enjoy our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/FormerAdventist/featured
Also, you might like to subscribe to our podcasts here; many say these help them unpack the Adventism hidden in the recesses of their minds: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/former-adventist/id1482887969
As for approaching them—if you can manage it, the most helpful thing is to do regular Bible studies with them over a period of time. Simply read through books of the Bible, one chapter a week in context, and discuss what you read, using the normal rules of grammar and vocabulary and context. If they have strange interpretations, ask them to show you in Scripture where they get their ideas. They will likely be stumped—and they will have to face the fact that they have ideas from their prophet, Ellen White.
Please feel free to email anytime.
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