Athletic Competition Violates Adventist Policy
I agree with your comments on the inconsistency of the four Adventist universities joining the NAIA.
When I was writing for Adventist Today, Jim Walters called and asked me to check if the denomination had a policy on this issue. He said an Adventist basketball team in Portland, Oregon, had just won a state championship, which he regarded as a positive witness. He wanted to run a story on how denomination viewed competitive sports.
An academy principal here told me George Akers had done the research on this. I called Dr. Akers. He said competing in these leagues violated denominational policy, but the conferences would not enforce it. He and his staff had done the research, and Ellen White clearly condemned this kind of rivalry.
He added they had hoped for a strong statement against it in the Review, but the brethren toned it down.
I have seen conference officers compromise policy on other matters.
I asked our local conference educational superintendent if he had a policy regarding competitive sports, and he sent me a copy. It clearly says Adventist churches and schools should not compete in athletic tournaments and gives substantial reasons why.
Politically, adhering to Ellen White’s counsel on this matter could cost these western conference officials their jobs. League sports is popular
Some Adventist schools and churches have what it takes to field winning teams. After all, our kids don’t smoke.
I have devoted my life to doing things the way Ellen White said they should be done and found it to involve giving and taking terrible punishment.
Albert G. Dittes
Portland, TN
You believe God/Jesus changed the heavenly laws
There are 16 verses in Exodus 20 which God spoke to the entire nation of Israel from Mt Sinai.
God then wrote these verses with His own finger on tables of stone. He wrote them not once, but twice. These verses are the Ten Commandments, as you know. These are the only words spoken and written by God directly in the entire Bible.
My Creator GOD exists outside of time. He has a kingdom with laws. Jesus says He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to “fulfill”, just like He told John the Baptist that He needed to be baptized to “fulfill” all righteousness. Fulfill does not mean to do away with something.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8).
Please read Romans 3:31: “…we establish the law.”
Romans 7:12: “…the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good.”
1 Corinthians 7:19: “…but keeping the commandments of GOD.”
I guess that you and your associates believe that God/Jesus have changed the laws of the heavenly kingdom, the definition of sins (as Paul calls it), in His Ten Commandment Law.
I, along with Martin Luther, cannot agree, without a thus saith the Lord.
Also Dr. E. T. Hiscox, author Baptist Manuel, “There is no Scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week.”
Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Southern Baptist, Protestant Episcopal, Rev. Billy Graham, Methodist (John Wesley), Lutheran (Martin Luther), Reformed (John Calvin), Moody Bible Institute…
All these disagree with your opinions regarding Sunday. I cannot tell you why they did not make a full break from the papacy.
In Ezekiel 8:15,16 sun rise worship is called a greater abomination. How does that fit with Easter sunrise service? A greater abomination—wow! Greater than the women of Israel weeping for Tammuz. Of course, you do know that it Tammuz’s birthday is December 25—another day of ancient sun worship.
via email
Editors response: First, we do not believe that Sunday is a new Sabbath. It is not sacred. According to Romans 14:5–8 and Colossians 2:16-17, no day is sacred in the new covenant. Second, the entire Bible, not merely the Ten Commandments, are God’s own words. 2 Timothy 3:16 and Hebrews 4:12-13 explicitly tell us that all Scripture is God-breathed; it is living and “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Moreover, Hebrews 4:13 equates the activity of God’s word with that of God Himself. No one can hide from the power of God and His word. Finally, Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, as Romans 7 explains, means the law, like a will, has no more function once its terms have been completed. Jesus fulfilled all the terms of the law: he took its curse; He died the death it decreed, and He broke the curse of death—the requirement of the law for sinners—by rising from the dead. He gave the eternal sacrifice that pays for all our sin by offering up Himself instead of representative animals. The law is now obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). The curtain separating sinful man from God has been torn becaus the blood of Jesus has opened a new, living way to the Father (Heb. 10:20). Now there are no sacred days; Jesus alone is the One to whom we listen. Jesus alone is who we honor. Jesus is the One who gives us true rest from all our work.
Uganda pastors know EGW is false
Thank you for the observations [in the August 25 article “Seminars On Two Continents Train Adventists To Impact Communities”).
Yes, last month the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Uganda held those so-called TMI meetings all around the country and made their false baptisms.
I have met many Seventh-day Adventist pastors and some of their church members, and I have talked with them about the lies of their false prophet E.G.W. Many of these people seem to deny the truth of the Gospel of our Lord knowingly and have decided to follow the lies.
There was one pastor with whom we shared Dale Ratzlaff’s book The Truth Led Me Out, and the man confessed that every thing in the book is true but refused to follow the truth!
We thank the Lord that many have turned to Him, and we pray that the work goes on in His name
Kampala, Uganda
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