On May 5, 4:41 am, "The Coyote" <informat...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Suggested Sources to Respond
> to Representations Made in the Video
> "SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM, THE SPIRIT BEHIND THE CHURCH"
> Response prepared by
>
> The Ellen G. White Estate and the Biblical Research Institute
>
> June 1999
>
> 1. Ellen G. White was the founder of the Seventh-day Adventist church.
>
> Answer: The Seventh-day Adventist church was founded by Joseph Bates,
> Ellen G. White, and James White (not Ellen G. White alone).
> Resources: Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 10, 1996 ed., p.
170;
> vol. 11, pp. 873, 890.
> 2. Seventh-day Adventists depend on Ellen G. White for their teachings.
She
> is "the last word on doctrine."
>
> Answer: The church's statement of "27 Fundamental Beliefs" cites the
> Scriptures, not Ellen White, for each of its beliefs. In the
bookSeventh-day
> Adventists Believe . . . the church's beliefs are presented and
explained in
> the context of the Scriptures, not Ellen White. Neither Ellen White nor
the
> church has ever taught that she was the last word on doctrine.
> Resources:
> a.. Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , 1988, see esp. pp.
227-228.
> b.. "The Inspiration and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings,"
> Adventist Review, Dec. 23, 1982. (Available on the Internet
at:http://www.WhiteEstate.org/issues/scripsda.html).
> c.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 416-425.
> d.. Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk. 3, pp. 29-33.
> e.. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 663-670.
> 3. October 22, 1844, was not the correct date for the Jewish Day of
> Atonement in 1844.
>
> Answer: There was more than one way of reckoning the Jewish calendar
year.
> The Millerites considered the Karaite reckoning to be the closest to the
> Biblical reckoning.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 11, 1996 ed., p. 805.
> b.. George Knight, Millennial Fever, 1993, pp. 163-164, 189.
> c.. LeRoy E. Froom, Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4, pp.
799-805,
> 821-822, with charts on pp. 790-792.
> d.. For additional evidence based upon astronomy and calendation,
see
> William H. Shea, "Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844," in Selected
> Studies on Prophetic Interpretation, pp. 132-137. ("Daniel and
Revelation
> Committee Series," vol. 1.).
> 4. Millerite meetings were full of fanaticism.
>
> Answer: Contem****ary accounts indicate that Millerite meetings overall
> were remarkably free from fanaticism.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Francis D. Nichol, Midnight Cry, 1944 (Christian Home Library
> edition), pp. 339-354.
> b.. George Knight, Millennial Fever, 1993, pp. 171-178.
> 5. Although William Miller admitted his mistake regarding October 22,
1844,
> Ellen White never did.
>
> Answer: This is true. After the Great Disappointment, William Miller
> admitted his mistake regarding Christ's returning on October 22, 1844,
and
> he also gave up believing that October 22 had any prophetic
significance. On
> the other hand, Ellen White never discarded her belief in the prophetic
> significance of the October 22 date, so she had no reason to admit a
mistake
> had been made regarding the calculation, beyond the obvious fact that
Christ
> had not returned that day. Several references showing her consistent
> position are given below.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 1858, pp. 148-150.
> b.. Ellen G. White, Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 1884, pp. 251-257.
> c.. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 1911, pp. 403-408.
> 6. Ellen White saw a mistake in the Millerite prophetic chart during her
> first vision.
>
> Answer: The vision in which Ellen White saw the Millerite prophetic
chart
> was given her on September 23, 1850. Her first vision was in December,
1844.
>
> Resources: Ellen G. White, Early Writings, 1945 (Christian Home
Library
> edition), p. 74.
>
> 7. According to Ellen White, God made the mistake on the Millerite
prophetic
> chart referred to in statement 6.
>
> Answer: God, in His providence, permitted events to unfold as they did
for
> His own divine purposes.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, p. 490.
> b.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 342-344.
> 8. Ellen White's writings are unavailable, "locked away in a vault."
>
> Answer: All of Ellen White's published writings are available on
CD-ROM
> and on the Internet (http://www.WhiteEstate.org).
All of her unpublished
> materials are currently available at the main office of the White Estate
at
> the General Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland; at three branch
offices
> located in the United States: Andrews University, Loma Linda University,
and
> Oakwood College; as well as at eleven Research Centers operated
throughout
> the world. The vault provides fire protection and security for the
original
> do***ents.
>
> Resources: Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp.
483-484.
>
> 9. If not all predictions by a prophet come to pass, then the person
must be
> a false prophet.
>
> Answer: Whenever humans have a role in the fulfillment of a prophecy,
a
> conditional element is implicit with the prophecy.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Jeremiah 18:7-10.
> b.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 29, 30.
> c.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 102-111.
> 10. Ellen White falsely predicted that old Jerusalem would never be
rebuilt.
>
> Answer: This prediction referred to a movement then underway (in 1850)
to
> gather believers in the second advent to Jerusalem where a literal
kingdom
> would be established in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy prior to
> Christ's return. Ellen White's predictive warning saved many former
> Millerites from this deception.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 488-489.
> b.. The Gathering of Israel: A Historical Study of Early Writings,
pp.
> 74-76. Available on the Internet
at:http://www.WhiteEstate.org/issues/gather.html
> 11. Ellen White falsely claimed that time was short, that she would be
> living when Christ returned, and still later that some in the audience
to
> whom she was speaking would be alive when Christ returned.
>
> Answer: Time was always presented to Ellen White in vision as being
very
> short, so there was no reason why she would not expect to be living when
> Christ returned. However, the conditional nature of prophecy when human
> response is involved must be kept in mind. See item 9 above. Also
Revelation
> 22:7, 12, 20.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 102-111.
> b.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 487-488.
> 12. During the American Civil War, Ellen White predicted the downfall of
the
> United States.
>
> Answer: Ellen White used the phrase "humbled in the dust," which
suggests
> something quite different from the literal downfall and destruction of
the
> United States.
>
> Resources: Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951,
pp.
> 119-121.
>
> 13. Also during the Civil War, Ellen White predicted that Great Britain
> would enter the war on the side of the Confederate States.
>
> Answer: A careful reading of the context of what Ellen White actually
> wrote leads to a conclusion different from the one given on the video.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 122-123.
> b.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, p. 487.
> 14. Ellen White held racist views that certain races of people resulted
from
> cohabitation of humans with beasts (amalgamation).
>
> Answer: Both a careful reading of Ellen White's statement in Spiritual
> Gifts, vol. 3, p. 75, as well as the whole tenor of her life and
teachings
> belies the notion that she viewed any race as sub-human. She wrote, "No
> distinction on account of nationality, race, or caste, is recognized by
God.
> He is the Maker of all mankind. All men are of one family by creation,
and
> all are one through redemption."--Christ's Object Lessons, p. 386.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 306-322.
> b.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 491-492.
> c.. Ellen G. White, "The Brotherhood of Mankind," Selected Messages,
bk.
> 2, pp. 485-488.
> 15. After the Great Disappointment in 1844, Ellen White was shown in
vision
> that salvation had closed for the world (the "Shut Door").
>
> Answer: While Ellen White believed for a time that no sinners would be
> converted after 1844, she was never instructed in a vision that the door
of
> salvation was shut for the world. For a detailed analysis of the
changing
> understanding of the expression "Shut Door," see the references given
next.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 11, 1996 ed., pp.
249-252.
> b.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 161-252.
> c.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 157,
500-509,
> 549- 550, 554-568.
> d.. Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk. 1, pp. 59-64, 74.
> e.. P. Gerard Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist
> Message and Mission,1977, 1988, pp. 149-155.
> 16. When Ellen White's earliest writings were reprinted, certain
deletions
> were made in order to cover up her teaching regarding the "Shut Door."
>
> Answer: For a detailed analysis of deletions made in subsequent
editions
> of Ellen White's books, and the reasons why, see the references given
next.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 267-285, 619-643.
> b.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 557-559.
> c.. P. Gerard Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist
> Message and Mission,1977, 1988, pp. 149-155.
> 17. The Adventists' view of "soul sleep" was adopted to allow for their
> belief in an investigative judgment.
>
> Answer: The Biblical teaching on the state of the dead was introduced
to
> the Millerite Adventists prior to the Disappointment in 1844, and thus
prior
> to any understanding of the investigative judgment. See also item 27
below.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 10, 1996 ed., pp.
788-792.
> b.. Francis D. Nichol, The Midnight Cry, 1944 (Christian Home
Library
> edition), pp. 204-205.
> c.. George Knight, Millennial Fever, 1993, pp. 193-197.
> d.. LeRoy E. Froom, Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2,
1965,
> pp. 305-314.
> 18. Ellen White denied the assurance of the gospel by teaching that when
a
> person's name comes up in the investigative judgment, even one
unconfessed
> sin will prevent the individual from being saved.
>
> Answer: Ellen White wrote that "no repentance is genuine that does not
> work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover
> unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that
transforms
> the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God;
it is
> the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the
principles
> of heaven."--The Desire of Ages, pp. 555, 556. While holding on to even
one
> sin is sufficient to lose one's salvation, Ellen White believed in the
> efficacy of Christ's atonement and intercession to fully restore sinners
to
> God's favor, thus providing assurance during the judgment time. She
wrote,
> "If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come
> today."--In Heavenly Places, p. 227. The last words Ellen White spoke to
her
> son were, "I know in whom I have believed."--Life Sketches, p. 449.
>
> Resources: Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 483, 484.
>
> 19. Seventh-day Adventists have their own version of the Bible (The
Clear
> Word), including one that contains Ellen White quotations printed in it.
>
> Answer: The cover and title page of J. J. Blanco's The Clear Word
clearly
> identify his work as "an expanded paraphrase of the Bible." It is
published
> in the author's name, not the name of the church. The first sentence of
the
> preface reads, "This is not a new translation but an interpretive
paraphrase
> of the Scriptures." Seventh-day Adventists have never produced their own
> version of the Bible. In her lifetime, Ellen White made use of the
various
> translations available.
>
> The Ellen G. White Study Bible brings together relevant statements of
> commentary from Ellen White while preserving a format that maintains the
> rightful distinction between her words and the Scriptural text (as do
the
> wide variety of study Bibles prepared by other commentators available in
> Christian book stores).
>
> 20. Ellen White taught an "incomplete atonement."
>
> Answer: Ellen White never described Christ's atonement as incomplete.
On
> the contrary, here are two statements representative of her teaching:
>
> "We are to rejoice that the atonement is complete; and believing in
Christ
> as our complete Saviour, we may know that the Father loves us, even as
He
> loves His Son."--Review and Herald, Nov. 11, 1890 (emphasis supplied).
>
> "Do you realize your sinfulness? Do you despise sin? Then remember
that
> the righteousness of Christ is yours if you will grasp it. Can you not
see
> what a strong foundation is placed beneath your feet when you accept
Christ?
> God has accepted the offering of His Son as a complete atonement for the
> sins of the world."--The Youth's Instructor, Sept. 20, 1900 (emphasis
> supplied).
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , 1988, pp. 107-117.
> b.. Questions on Doctrine, pp. 341-348.
> 21. Ellen White taught the heresy that Christ is the archangel Michael.
>
> Answer: The archangel Michael's identity has been debated through the
> centuries. Both Ellen White and many non-Adventist Bible scholars equate
> Michael with Christ. This view does not require any lessening of
Christ's
> full deity.
>
> Resources: The Biblical evidence and the views of commentators are
> summarized in Questions on Doctrine, pp. 71-86. See also many
contem****ary
> evangelical Bible commentaries on such passages as Revelation 12.
>
> 22. Jehovah's Witnesses derived from Adventism; their founder Charles T.
> Russell co-authored a book with N. H. Barbour, an early Adventist.
>
> Answer: By using the broad term "Adventist" the video leaves the
> impression that there is a connection between Jehovah's Witnesses and
> Seventh-day Adventists. Nelson H. Barbour was never a Seventh-day
Adventist.
> He was an Advent Christian.
> 23. James White and Uriah Smith denied the deity of Christ.
>
> Answer: These leaders defined Christ's divinity in terms that we view
> today to fall short of the Scripture evidence. In the years that
followed,
> clearer understanding of the Godhead prevailed.
>
> Resources: For development of Seventh-day Adventist understanding of
the
> deity of Christ, see "Christology" in Seventh-day Encyclopedia, vol. 10,
> 1996 ed., pp. 352-354.
>
> 24. Ellen White's works are largely plagiarized, with one book withdrawn
> under the threat of a lawsuit. It cannot be proven that more than 20
percent
> of what Ellen White wrote was original with her.
>
> Answer: Research has found that Ellen White enriched her writings with
> choice expressions from her reading, but the extent of verbal dependency
> that has been do***ented thus far is a small percentage (less than 2
> percent) when measured against her total literary output. No lawsuit was
> ever threatened.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 458-465.
> b.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 429-458.
> 25. Ellen White reflected popular, erroneous views on health
(masturbation,
> wigs, dress reform, no evening meal).
>
> Answer: The video mixes Ellen White's writings with the writings of
> others. Five of the six statements presented as representing Ellen
White's
> views on masturbation were not written by her but by physicians quoted
by
> James White in A Solemn Appeal, pp. 12, 91, 96, 257, 271. For comments
on
> each of these issues, see references below.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord, 1998, pp. 493-495
> [masturbation, wigs];
> b.. Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, 1951, pp.
> 136-160; SDA Encyclopedia, 1996 ed., vol. 10, "Dress," pp. 475-476;
Arthur
> L. White, The Progressive Years, pp. 177-184 [dress reform];
> c.. Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 173-178; Arthur
L.
> White, The Progressive Years, Appendix C [2 meals a day].
> d.. For a recent analysis of Ellen White's health message, see
Douglass,
> Messenger, pp. 278-342; the real reasons for the health message are
> summarized on pp. 292-296; the results of the health message as seen in
the
> lives of Adventists after more than a century are summarized on pages
> 320-342.
> 26. Ellen White denied the assurance given believers in the Gospel. She
> taught that one should never say "I am saved."
>
> Answer: In context, Ellen White is not warning against the believer's
> certainty of one's present standing with God. She is speaking against
the
> presumptuous "once saved, always saved" teaching of eternal security by
> those who claim "I am saved" while continuing to transgress God's law.
Here
> is Ellen White's statement quoted in the video by Mr. Martin, with the
words
> he omitted italicized:
>
> "Those who are teaching this doctrine today [the doctrine that "by
> 'believing' we are released from the necessity of being doers of the
word"]
> have much to say in regard to faith and the righteousness of Christ; but
> they pervert the truth, and make it serve the cause of error. They
declare
> that we have only to believe on Jesus Christ, and that faith is
> all-sufficient; that the righteousness of Christ is to be the sinner's
> credentials; that this imputed righteousness fulfils the law for us, and
> that we are under no obligation to obey the law of God. This class claim
> that Christ came to save sinners, and that he has saved them. 'I am
saved,'
> they will repeat over and over again. But are they saved while
transgressing
> the law of Jehovah?--No; for the garments of Christ's righteousness are
not
> a cloak for iniquity."--Signs of the Times, February 25, 1897. [The
> reference cited on the video (February 8, 1897) is incorrect.]
>
> Resources: Here are additional quotations that show Ellen White's
balance
> between assurance and false-confidence:
>
> "Each one of you may know for yourself that you have a living Saviour,
> that he is your helper and your God. You need not stand where you say,
'I do
> not know whether I am saved.' Do you believe in Christ as your personal
> Saviour? If you do, then rejoice."--General Conference Bulletin, April
10,
> 1901.
>
> "Peter's fall was not instantaneous, but gradual. Self-confidence led
him
> to the belief that he was saved, and step after step was taken in the
> downward path, until he could deny his Master. Never can we safely put
> confidence in self or feel, this side of heaven, that we are secure
against
> temptation. Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their
conversion,
> should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. This is
> misleading. Every one should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but
even
> when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not
> beyond the reach of temptation. God's word declares, 'Many shall be
> purified, and made white, and tried.' Dan. 12:10. Only he who endures
the
> trial will receive the crown of life. (James 1:12.)"--Christ's Object
> Lessons, p. 155. (Emphasis supplied.)
>
> 27. The Seventh-day Adventist view of "soul sleep" is contrary to
Scripture.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. For this doctrine as taught by various individuals through the
> Christian era, see LeRoy E. Froom, The Conditionalist Faith of Our
Fathers,
> vols. 1-2, 1965, 1966.
> b.. Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , 1988, (see esp. pp.
349-358).
> c.. For the most recent publication on this subject by a Seventh-day
> Adventist, see Samuele Bacchiocchi, Immortality or Resurrection: A
Biblical
> Study on Human Nature and Destiny.
> 28. Seventh-day Adventist do not believe in a literal hell.
>
> Answer: This statement is correct if by "hell" is meant eternal
torment in
> contrast to annihilation.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. See chapter 6 of the preceding work from S. Bacchiocchi, pp.
> 193-248.
> b.. Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , 1988, chapter 26, pp.
> 368-373.
> c.. Questions on Doctrine, chapter 42, pp. 533-543.
> 29. Seventh-day Adventist teachings on the Saturday Sabbath and the seal
of
> God are unscriptural.
>
> Resources: For Scriptural evidences of the seventh-day Sabbath and the
> transition to Sunday wor****p, see:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , 1988, 249-266.
> b.. K. A. Strand, ed., The Sabbath in Scripture and History, 1982.
> c.. Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday, 1977.
> d.. Sakae Kubo, God Meets Man: A Theology of the Sabbath and the
Second
> Advent, 1978.
> e.. N.-E. Andreasen, Rest and Redemption, 1978.
> On the seal of God and its relation to the Sabbath, see Seventh-day
> Encyclopedia, vol. 11, 1996 ed., pp. 563, 564.
>
> 30. Ellen White and Seventh-day Adventists teach that Satan is our
> sinbearer.
>
> Answer: Satan's bearing the ultimate responsibility for sin does not
> involve him in any way with Christ's complete and full atonement for
sin.
> See article below and also item 20 above.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 11, 1996 ed., pp.
547-548.
> b.. Questions on Doctrine, pp. 396-401.
> 31. The Investigative Judgment doctrine has no basis in Scripture.
>
> Answer: On the Biblical basis for the doctrine of the investigative
> pre-advent judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, see the following
sources.
>
> Resources:
>
> a.. Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , 1988. See chapter 23 on
> Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, pp. 312-331.
> b.. C. Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares, vol. 1, 1981. See especially the
> chapters on Daniel 7 and 8, pp. 107-188.
> c.. W. H. Shea, Daniel 7-12, "The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier
Series,"
> 1996.
> d.. Questions on Doctrine, 1957, see sections VI and VII, chapters
> 22-36, pp. 205-445 on the heavenly sanctuary and the judgment.
> e.. "The Daniel and Revelation Committee Series," vols. 1-7
published by
> the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference: vols. 1-3 on
> Daniel, vol. 4 on Hebrews, vol. 5 on the history of the doctrine in the
> Seventh-day Adventist Church, vols. 6-7 on Revelation, 1982-1992. In
volume
> 5, Doctrine of the Sanctuary: A Historical Survey (1845-1863), ed. Frank
B.
> Holbrook, see the excellent section on "The Investigative Judgment: Its
> Early Development," by C. Mervyn Maxwell, pp. 119-157.
> f.. F. Holbrook, ed., The Sanctuary and the Atonement,
abridged,1989.
> 32. Seventh-day Adventism matches nearly all the criteria for being
> classified a "cult."
>
> Answer: Walter Martin, a recognized specialist on cults, made an
extensive
> study of Seventh-day Adventists and wrote in his book The Kingdom of the
> Cults: "It is my conviction that one cannot be a true Jehovah's Witness,
> Mormon, Christian Scientist, Unitarian, Spiritist, etc., and be a
Christian
> in the Biblical sense of the term, but it is perfectly possible to be a
> Seventh-day Adventist and be a true follower of Jesus Christ despite
certain
> heterodox concepts" (p. 359). Today this opinion is widely accepted by
other
> Christian scholars.
>
> The video compares Seventh-day Adventists to a list of five criteria
> characteristic of cults. These are listed below, along with a brief
> response.
>
> A. "Cults or false religions usually have a single powerful human
leader
> who becomes the cult's 'Messiah.'"
>
> The video ****trays Seventh-day Adventists as placing Ellen White in
that
> role. However, unlike leaders of cults, Ellen White never held an
elected or
> appointed leader****p position in the Seventh-day Adventist church. She
wrote
> in 1903, "No one has ever heard me claim the position of leader of the
> denomination."--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 236.
> B. "The cult leader's word, or teaching of the cult, become absolute
> truth, overshadowing the teachings of the Bible."
>
> This criterion should be contrasted with the manner in which Ellen
White
> (identified on the video with the "cult leader") continually uplifted
the
> Scriptures as "the standard by which all teaching and experience must be
> tested" (The Great Controversy, p. vii). She wrote, "God's Word is the
> unerring standard. The Testimonies are not to take the place of the
Word. .
> . . Let all prove their positions from the Scriptures and substantiate
every
> point they claim as truth from the revealed Word of God."--Evangelism,
p.
> 256. See also item 2 above.
>
> C. "Cults use pressure tactics to coerce members into submission."
>
> The word "coercion" is defined as "forcible constraint or
restraint."
> All who possess Christian love toward one another will be motivated to
> persuade and try to reclaim those who are drifting away from the tenets
of
> the faith as understood by the community, but forced submission is
> incompatible with kingdom of Christ and is rejected by Seventh-day
> Adventists.
>
> D. "Cults deny the central truth of the Gospel, that Jesus is the
divine
> Son of God without beginning or ending. They deny that His death has
> provided salvation for the entire human race. As a result, salvation is
> earned by adherence to the teaching of the cult rather than accepting
Christ
> and following Him."
>
> Seventh-day Adventist teaching on the deity of Christ and His
complete
> atonement for sin is summarized in the official statement of "27
Fundamental
> Beliefs," numbers four and nine:
>
> "God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. . . .
Forever
> truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ. . . . In Christ's
> life of perfect obedience to God's will, His suffering, death, and
> resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin, so
> that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life."
> See also items 20 and 23 above.
>
> E. "Cults often urge their converts to leave their families."
>
> As the video correctly states, Seventh-day Adventists do not
encourage
> new members to abandon or reject their families. Rather, having
themselves
> experienced the joys of salvation, including the excitement of expecting
the
> soon return of Jesus, new converts are urged to work and pray for the
> conversion of their relatives so they, too, can experience the same
peace
> and happiness that comes when one accepts Christ Jesus.
I have not seen the video, but it is dishonest, ill informed, bigoted
or something. I have always believed the SDA was right winged
Methodist with a touch of Puritan. I have learned a lot from the SDA
regarding prophesy although I don't always agree with them.
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