The Final Movements Webcast episode 20190826

Guest: David Read.

Announcement to our church members.

I recently read what was surely a well-intended, yet actually misguided article titled, "Good News or Fake News," published in the Connection magazine, Fall 2018 issue. The writer opined that theological controversy is an indicator of unhealthy church and controlling leaders (p. 3). He then claims that Satan has caused a false gospel to enter the church, which he identifies as Last Generation Theology (LGT).

As God led me to Himself, He put a love for truth in my heart. Apart from Him, the only love that would there live would be love for self indulgence. Jesus denied Himself and died for me, even me. His life was given to give to me life. I didn't deserve it or earn it or aspire to it apart from Him. He came to me asking, "Larry, where are you?"

My first commitment is to my Lord Jesus who gave all for me. But He is also the way, the truth, and the life. He is Creator and I am creation. Then when He shows me truth, I must seek it. I must be propelled by it. I will have it at all costs. It is part of being a Christian.

Trust is earned. Distrust can arise from many sources, among them distrust rooted in specific concrete actions. Looking across the internetscape, what I think I see is a great disconnect for many church leaders in North America. They simply don't understand why such a broad cross-section of NAD membership distrusts them.

I would like to offer a few constructive and positive suggestions for how North American Division leadership can take steps to earn trust all over again.

This is where you land when you trade the Bible for human "wisdom." The following 14 statements were presented by Union Theological Seminary in New York (not an Adventist school, thank God) on their facebook page a few days ago. (I did not find a canonical link, but if you scroll around and bump enough links you may find it utsnyc.edu. It is their "Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel," a response to statementonsocialjustice.com. Here is what Union says:

What is the most important topic for God's Church next to the topic of Jesus? After all, Jesus is Lord. And exactly how do we know this? How do we know about Jesus? From the Bible.

The most important topic next to Jesus in 2018 is how we interpret the Bible. The Bible is God's revelation to us. It cuts through human pretension and nonsense, and reveals truth unadorned.

The trouble with truth is not that it is hard to come by or difficult to figure out. The trouble with truth is that when we are confronted with it, we often prefer it were not so.

But it is so.