Adding to the Word?

[NightEternal]

I heard an SDA pastor preach a message about the good Samaritan last Sabbath while visiting a Traditional Adventist church. As he told the parable, he made two claims that stood out for me in blinking red warning, because I was actually following along the story in Luke chapter 10 as he related it in his own words.

The two claims were these:

1.) That the story was not a parable at all but an actual incident.

2.) That the Priest and the Levite of the story were real individuals who were in the crowd that day as Jesus told this story.

These bits of information were presented so seamlessly as part of the narrative that it was very easy to accept them as fact or not even catch the problem if one was not paying attention. As I looked around the congregation right after he said this, people were either staring blankly at the him or nodding thier assent.

Nope. No one caught it.

Confused, I approached this pastor after and asked him where these portions of the story came from (I honestly had never heard these claims before.) He actually asserted that it was in the text! I assured him they were not there and I still wanted to know where he got this from. He immediately went into his office and got his SDA Bible commentary from the bookshelf and found the source material for his sermon notes:

"This was an actual event (DA 499), one, probably, that was current news in Jericho, the home of the Priest and Levite involved in the incident. Both of these men were present upon this occasion (DA 499)." (SDA Bible Commentary, p.783, Vol.5)

Looking a litle embarrassed, he admitted that indeed it was not Scripture, but the assertions of EGW from DOA he had woven into his message. And he was not even aware that her words were not part of the narrative.

I have seen this happen time and again. Adventists adding EGW insights into the words of the Scripture and claiming them as if they were Bible truth.

How much longer are we going to have to look at the mortified faces of visitors in our churches as the speaker dogmatically proclaims that, according to the Bible, Adam was 17 feet tall?

Houston, we have a problem.

 

[RC_NewProtestants]

Ah yes and this is really very common. It is why so many Tsda's don't even realize that EGW is being preached from the pulpit. They don't realize what the Bible says versus what EGW says and they simply assume that EGW's version is the Bible version. So when they hear from the pulpit EGW's thoughts they think they are from the Bible and then they will deny that EGW is spoken from the pulpit. Apparently many only think that EGW is only taught from the pulpit when a quote is read with the quote reference book and page.

 

[freeindeed2]

How much longer are we going to have to look at the mortified faces of visitors in our churches as the speaker dogmatically proclaims that, according to the Bible, Adam was 17 feet tall?

Houston, we have a problem.

I always heard he was 14 feet tall and that Eve was 12.

Almost every time I go to an SDA church I hear EGW preached from the pulpit. Sometimes she's quoted and a reference is given, other times she's just worked into the sermon without reference or acknowledgment (as you indicated above).

Here's the thing though. Since she is a second 'continuing and authoritative source for truth' to the SDA church, why NOT preach her from the pulpit? And with enthusiasm?

In Christ alone...

 

[RC_NewProtestants]

I always heard he was 14 feet tall and that Eve was 12

Yea but that is is 17ft Canadian eh!

 

[freeindeed2]

Yea but that is is 17ft Canadian eh!

Now THAT'S funny right there!

 

[Adventtruth]

I heard an SDA pastor preach a message about the good Samaritan last Sabbath while visiting a Traditional Adventist church. As he told the parable, he made two claims that stood out for me in blinking red warning, because I was actually following along the story in Luke chapter 10 as he related it in his own words.

The two claims were these:

1.) That the story was not a parable at all but an actual incident.

2.) That the Priest and the Levite of the story were real individuals who were in the crowd that day as Jesus told this story.

These bits of information were presented so seamlessly as part of the narrative that it was very easy to accept them as fact or not even catch the problem if one was not paying attention. As I looked around the congregation right after he said this, people were either staring blankly at the him or nodding thier assent.

Nope. No one caught it.

Confused, I approached this pastor after and asked him where these portions of the story came from (I honestly had never heard these claims before.) He actually asserted that it was in the text! I assured him they were not there and I still wanted to know where he got this from. He immediately went into his office and got his SDA Bible commentary from the bookshelf and found the source material for his sermon notes:

"This was an actual event (DA 499), one, probably, that was current news in Jericho, the home of the Priest and Levite involved in the incident. Both of these men were present upon this occasion (DA 499)." (SDA Bible Commentary, p.783, Vol.5)

Looking a litle embarrassed, he admitted that indeed it was not Scripture, but the assertions of EGW from DOA he had woven into his message. And he was not even aware that her words were not part of the narrative.

I have seen this happen time and again. Adventists adding EGW insights into the words of the Scripture and claiming them as if they were Bible truth.

How much longer are we going to have to look at the mortified faces of visitors in our churches as the speaker dogmatically proclaims that, according to the Bible, Adam was 17 feet tall?

Houston, we have a problem.

I remember those days. I also remember that we where told that in heaven, we will finish growing to that height because our short height now is because of sin.


AT

 

[NightEternal]

I always heard he was 14 feet tall and that Eve was 12.

That's called exaggeration Canadian style, eh?

Here's the thing though. Since she is a second 'continuing and authoritative source for truth' to the SDA church, why NOT preach her from the pulpit? And with enthusiasm?

That's fine for SDA's who hold to that. But if we give lip service to Sola Scriptura, we better stop with the cognitive dissonance nonsense.

Of course, when you can redefine Sola Scriptura to include EGW as Gerard Damsteegt, Herb Douglass, Larry Kirkpatrick and Kevin Paulson have done.....

 

[NightEternal]

I remember those days. I also remember that we where told that in heaven, we will finish growing to that height because our short height now is because of sin.


AT

And let's not forget the true visage of Lucifer after the effects of sin-remember that one? The caved-in head, the ape-like features...I didn't know what to think after reading that one.

I wonder if he has been practicing self-abuse? Have to check and see if his fingers are paralyzing into claws I guess.

 

[Adventtruth]

And let's not forget the true visage of Lucifer after the effects of sin-remember that one? The caved-in head, the ape-like features...I didn't know what to think after reading that one.

I wonder if he has been practicing self-abuse? Have to check and see if his fingers are paralyzing into claws I guess.

Just thinking about that reminds me of all the horrible stories that where told about end-times. About how we would be hunted down by the first day church for bringing on the plague's. I have heard countless stories of formers who as children suffered terribly becasue of such doctrines.To this day as grown people they are angry.

AT

 

[NightEternal]

And who can blame them? SDA's who pooh-pooh such trauma and scarring psychological abuse as merely melodrama and exaggeration usually do so from the perspective of someone who has been taught these things as an adult. But tell an impressionable child these same things and watch the damage happen.

And the Trads question why we have some of the residual anger and lashing out we see on FAF!

Gee, I WONDER.

Crimeney's sake, Messages To Young People is enough to warp a kid and wrack them with crippling guilt, let alone some of the stuff in the Testimonies To The Church!

 

[Adventtruth]

And who can blame them? SDA's who pooh-pooh such trauma and scarring psychological abuse as merely melodrama and exaggeration usually do so from the perspective of someone who has been taught these things as an adult. But tell an impressionable child these same things and watch the damage happen.

And the Trads question why we have some of the residual anger and lashing out we see on FAF!

Gee, I WONDER.

Crimeney's sake, Messages To Young People is enough to warp a kid and wrack them with crippling guilt, let alone some of the stuff in the Testimonies To The Church!

There is a thread on CARM started by JohnT where formers told how they where spiritually abuse by Adventist. You should go and read it if you get a chance.



AT

 

[Adventtruth]

Am I getting close to getting reported? Some one ratted me out earlier.

AT

 

[freeindeed2]

I always heard he was 14 feet tall and that Eve was 12.

That's called exaggeration Canadian style, eh?

Here's the thing though. Since she is a second 'continuing and authoritative source for truth' to the SDA church, why NOT preach her from the pulpit? And with enthusiasm?

That's fine for SDA's who hold to that. But if we give lip service to Sola Scriptura, we better stop with the cognitive dissonance nonsense.

Of course, when you can redefine Sola Scriptura to include EGW as Gerard Damsteegt, Herb Douglass, Larry Kirkpatrick and Kevin Paulson have done.....

Cognitive dossonance...

Boy, I sure do know what those words mean! I lived with it for a long time. But I don't any longer!

 

[NightEternal]

Am I getting close to getting reported? Some one ratted me out earlier.

AT

This is the Prog subforum. We have autonomy from the main forum. Much more latitude here allowed.

Even if someone does report you, your report will NOT be worked by a Trad SDA mod. So, you don't have much to fear in regards to getting an RV. The onus is on the malicious reporter to prove we are not speaking the truth, which, of course, they cannot do, because we are speaking the truth. We have her clear statements on our side as evidence and proof, while the Trad attacker only has a frustrated, angry, last-ditch attempt to silence the truth through a hostile report.

Any impartial non-Trad SDA mod worth thier salt will see this, for the simple reason that they have no bias or personal stake involved with EGW.

 

[Mankin]

Yeah the first time I heard the plague sermon it scared my pants off. I was just a little kid btw. Then I heard about how the U.S.A. was going to turn against us and I got scared again. What I don't like is some of the Adventist youth conferences. While they do promote some good things, it seems that their main goal is to indoctrinate and get kids to stop listening to all forms of music save classical.

 

[Sophia7]

I always heard he was 14 feet tall and that Eve was 12.

Almost every time I go to an SDA church I hear EGW preached from the pulpit. Sometimes she's quoted and a reference is given, other times she's just worked into the sermon without reference or acknowledgment (as you indicated above).

Here's the thing though. Since she is a second 'continuing and authoritative source for truth' to the SDA church, why NOT preach her from the pulpit? And with enthusiasm?

In Christ alone...

I didn't even realize how often it still happens in the local churches until we left the ministry. My husband didn't preach EGW, and I listened to his sermons for 10 years. I guess I was out of the loop. However, I've heard her ideas worked into just about every sermon at the SDA churches that we've visited since we moved.

You're right, though; if she's "a continuing and authoritative source of truth," then why not preach her proudly from the pulpit?

 

[moicherie]

Hence the church speaks with forked tongue we say one thing but practise another in effect we have one Pope and her name is Ellen at least the RC updates theirs..

 

[Mankin]

More than a century old habits die hard.

 

[mva1985]

"Some, I was shown, could receive the published visions, judging of the tree by its fruits. Others are like doubting Thomas; they cannot believe the published Testimonies, nor receive evidence through the testimony of others, but must see and have the evidence for themselves. Such must not be set aside, but long patience and brotherly love should be exercised toward them until they find their position and become established for or against. If they fight against the visions, of which they have no knowledge; if they carry their opposition so far as to oppose that in which they have had no experience, and feel annoyed when those who believe that the visions are of God speak of them in meeting, and comfort themselves with the instruction given through vision, the church may know that they are not right."

--Testimonies, vol. 1, pp. 327-329.

 

[freeindeed2]

"Some, I was shown, could receive the published visions, judging of the tree by its fruits. Others are like doubting Thomas; they cannot believe the published Testimonies, nor receive evidence through the testimony of others, but must see and have the evidence for themselves. Such must not be set aside, but long patience and brotherly love should be exercised toward them until they find their position and become established for or against. If they fight against the visions, of which they have no knowledge; if they carry their opposition so far as to oppose that in which they have had no experience, and feel annoyed when those who believe that the visions are of God speak of them in meeting, and comfort themselves with the instruction given through vision, the church may know that they are not right."

--Testimonies, vol. 1, pp. 327-329.

IOW, believe that her 2000+ 'visions' (how many did Daniel and John have combined? ) or you're wrong, because she said you are.