Part of the problem with this whole tempest in a teapot is that from the very outset, only one side has taken it upon themselves and has been allowed to not only define what they believe but also to define what others believe as well. I have been an Elder in this church for over 10 years and I believe, preaching and teaching the 28 fundamental beliefs of this church in sermons and bible studies and Sabbath School Classes and small groups... yet I was told repeatedly that I could not be a traditional SDA because I would not embrace the flawed perspectives of others who insisted they were traditional SDAs and if I disagreed with them then I could not be "traditional".
The only way to solve this issue is for each to define him or herself...and no others. 2Cor chapter 13 tells us to know ourselves, whether we be in the faith or reprobates... it never, however, calls on us to make that call for our brother or sister... and the bottom line is neither wing of this church is monolithic and whether one deems himself 'traditional' or 'progressive' there will be points of divergence not only with those who align themselves with the other camp, but also with those in their own camp as well...why? Because each and every one of us sees darkly, as in a glass. Each one knows *in part* and understands *in part*... and while I believe in my heart that all 28 beliefs are true, they do not encompass all of the truth and as progressive truth is revealed, I reserve the right to change my mind on any one or all of said beliefs as the Holy Spirit leads and guides me into all truth. Whether one moves while God remains still or remains still while God shifts, the end result is that one is still no longer in God's will.
That was the stance of the Adventist pioneers, not the psuedo-catholic posturing of "we have the truth" that is so prevalent in the church today. Without their having taken such a stance to continue seeking the truth, we would not have the Sabbath... we would not have the health message and so much more of this church's doctrines which the Millerites never held or embraced as truth.
For those whose toes were stepped on in this post... Dr Scholl's can help you with that... but I stand by all of what I've said with respect to all and apology to none. If folk feel they cannot abide being around anyone who doesn't see things exactly as they do, then my suggestion is that you can find the Kingdom Hall in the Yellow Pages... but neither segregation nor the path of least resistance that is to have "separate yet equal" subforums is the answer. Those who find themselves unable to abide others need to pray hard for them... but they have to pray even harder for themselves *first*... because, to paraphrase Cassius... the fault lies not in our stars... not in our man-made delineations or the pigeonholes we like to use to demonize those who disagree with us in order to cast aspersion on their arguments without actually addressing the arguments perse... not in our willingness to eschew what is right in lieu of what is easy... because all of those things are symptoms of the fault that is in ourselves.
Selah.
In His service,
Mr. J
I just want a forum for Bible study, a place to search the scriptures and gain insight. I have no interest in trying to convince other SDAs that our doctrines are wrong or outdated. I hope all this works out and 'thank you' to all of you who are putting it together.
