What
Can We Do?
I
am aware that there are a few heroic souls who have been keenly troubled by
these problems and have been working quietly behind the scenes to bring about
change. We praise the Lord for their courage and dedication and pray that God
will grace their efforts with success. In spite of the belittling attacks they
have been subjected to, the efforts must continue to replace theses sources of
erroneous teachings at the College with humble, God-filled teachers who are
faithfully grounded in the divinely inspired philosophy of accepting and
following the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy as it reads. Yet when we
examine the situation closely, we realize that it is so deep seated and
complex and driven by Satanic delusions, that only God in His wisdom and power
is able to turn such things around.
We
must also take cognizance of God’s hand even in the present situation, for
we are told that, “Apostasies have occurred and the Lord has permitted
matters of this nature to develop in the past in order to show how easily His
people will be mislead when they depend upon the words of men instead of
searching the Scriptures for themselves, as did the noble Bereans, to see if
those things are so. And the Lord has permitted things of this kind to occur
that warnings may be given that such things will take place. (SM. 394) Again
for emphasis the message is restated, “God has permitted apostasies to take
place in order to show how little dependence can be placed in man.” (Ibid.
p. 395)
Yet
a merciful God has warned, “On thing it is certain is soon to be
realized.—the great apostasy, which is developing and increasing and waxing
stronger, and will continue to do so until the Lord shall descend from heaven
with a shout. We are to hold fast the first principles of our denominated
faith, and go forward from strength to increased faith.” (Series B, No. 7,
p. 253)
Obviously
this is a clarion call for revival and reformation among us. All of us are
declared to be watchmen in Zion who are responsible to give the cry of warning
when we see the approach of danger. Where are those multitude of faithful
believers who are concerned for the spiritual welfare of their children? Where
are those who are sighing and crying for the abominations they see that are
crippling the work like Achan in the camp? Now is the time if every when
faithful standard bearers are needed to stand up and speak out against this
plague that is threatening the souls of our precious youth.
What
can we do? Now is the time for us to confess our own indifference and to pray
without ceasing that God will move upon hearts to bring about change to bring
our beloved school back into harmony with the teaching of His Word.
The
best antidote for poisonous error is to hold high the banner of truth. A
thorough search of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy counsels would give
some very helpful insights into how to defend this banner of truth with love.
Besides
nurturing a personal relationship with Jesus, we must fearlessly proclaim the
Christ-centered, foundational teachings of the undiluted three angels’
messages in their power and simplicity.
Our
people need to have the issues clearly spelled out and be instructed in the
Bible and Spirit of Prophecy foundations of our end time message that
established the vision and purpose of our unique educational system. We know
that not everyone will choose a school so clearly committed to Bible-based
values, standards, and purposes. Yet I predict that multitudes of parents and
committed young people will be praising God that finally there is such a
school to which they can turn with confidence, that there is a place where
they will find teachers and administrators committed to the same message that
is the basis of meaning and purpose in their own lives.
We
must do everything possible in our churches and in our families to encourage
individual personal study of the Bible to arm our church school and academy
age young people with a knowledge of the Word so they will have a anchor of
faith as a defense against the seductive errors they are going to encounter if
they choose to come to Walla Walla College. Sadly, not just at college, but
remember, the thinking of many of our current pastors was shaped by being
under the influence of theses same teachers. So wherever they go, our young
people are apt to encounter theses deceptive teaching of doubt and unbelief
disguised as a more wise, sophisticated and spiritual form of religion than
was held and taught by our fathers.
We
need members of the college board who have the conviction and courage to stand
tall with the banner of the end time message. We need men and women who will
fearlessly do all in their power to correct this blight on our college.
We
need laymen, pastors and conference leaders to take up the challenge. Write,
write, write. Let the board members and college administrators know that you
want action, now, to replace all teachers who are not in harmony with the
Adventist message. When you write, if possible, it would help to relate first
hand experiences of the destructive influence and effects of these teachers of
error on students at the college.
For
the sake of our youth as well as for our church and the honor of Christ, we
must fearlessly expose and correct the error. Pleasant homilies are nice, but
what is called for today is the urgent warning of God’s messenger,
“The
voice of the angel seems to ring in my ears tonight so loud and clear, ‘Get
ready, get ready, get ready, lest ye be weighed in the balance and found
wanting.’ ” (6MR 253)
“Believe
in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe in His prophets, so
shall ye prosper.” (2 Chron. 20:20)
|
“If
God abhors one sin above another, of which His people are guilty, it
is doing nothing in case of an emergency. Indifference and
neutrality in a religious crisis is regarded of God as a grievous
crime and equal to the very worst type of hostility against God.”
(3T 281)
|
Appendix
A
further sampling of divine counsel and warnings regarding these issues.
How God views institutions that do not teach and follow His word.
“Our
health institutions are of value in the Lord’s estimation only when He is
allowed to preside in their management. If His plans and devisings are
regarded as inferior to the plans of men, He looks upon these institutions as
of no more value than the institutions established and conducted by worldlings. God cannot endorse any institution unless it teaches the living
principles of His law and brings its own actions into strict conformity to
these precepts. Upon those institutions that are not maintained according to
His law He pronounces the sentence. ‘Unaccepted’ weighed in the balances
of the sanctuary and found wanting.’ ” (MM 164) The same principles that
apply to health institutions that also served as training institutions,
certainly applies to our schools today.
“Those
who stand as teachers and leaders in our institutions are to be sound in the
faith and in the principles of the third angel’s message. God wants His
people to know that we have the message as He gave it to us in 1843 and 1844.
We knew then what the message meant, and we call upon our people today to obey
the word, ‘Bind up the law among My disciples.’ In this world there are
but two classes,—the obedient and the disobedient. To which class do we
belong? God wants to make us a peculiar people, a holy nation. He has
separated us from the world, and He calls upon us to stand on vantage ground
where He can bestow on us His Holy Spirit.” (Gen. Conf. Bul. 4-1-1903 pr.
42)
“Christians
are constantly seeking to imitate the practices of those who worship the god
of this world. Many urge that by uniting with worldlings and conforming to
their customs, they might exert a stronger influence over the ungodly. But all
who pursue this course, thereby separate from the Source of their strength.
Becoming the friends of the world, they are the enemies of God. For the sake
of earthly distinction they sacrifice the unspeakable honor to which God has
called them, of showing forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of
darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Pet. 2:9.” (PP 607)
“I
have a message for those standing at the head of our educational institutions.
I am instructed to call the attention of every one occupying a position of
responsibility to the divine law as the basis of all right conduct. I am to
begin by calling attention to the law given in Eden, and to the reward of
obedience and the penalty of disobedience.” (FCE 504)
Let
us also never forget the sober reminder that, “All schools among us will
soon be closed up.” (5T 156)
How God views pride and applause seeking.
“Pride
goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov. 16:18)
“¼so
long as he is self-inflated, the Lord can do nothing for him.” (5T 487-8)
“Those
who labor to gain applause are not approved by God. The Lord expects His
servants to work from a different motive.” (Spalding-Magan 195)
“Only
by humbling themselves before God can God’s servants advance His work. Never
are they to depend on their own efforts or on outward display for success.”
(4BC 1173)
“God
will choose humble men, who are seeking to glorify His name and advance His
cause rather than to honor and advance themselves. He will raise up men who
have not so much worldly wisdom, but who are connected with Him, and who will
seek strength and counsel from above.” (T4 61)
“The
less dependency you place in men who are wise in their own conceit, the better
will be your standing before God. There is no safety in trusting in men who do
not honor the Lord, who disregard His holy law. The less we expect of such
men, whether of temporal help or inspiring example, the less bitter will be
our disappointment.
“And
he who depends on his own strength leans on a broken reed. Put your trust in
the Lord. Wait patiently for Him and He will cause His name to be
magnified.” (Series B, No. 6, p. 207-8)
How God views efforts to manipulate or control the minds of others.
“The
theory of mind controlling mind is originated by Satan to introduce himself as
the chief worker, to put human philosophy where divine philosophy should be.
“No
man or woman should exercise his or her will to control the senses or reason
of another, so that the mind of the person is rendered passively subject to
the will of the one who is exercising the control. This science may appear to
be something beautiful, but it is a science which you are in no case to
handle.” (MM 111)
“Through
his deception and delusion, Satan would, if possible deceive the very elect.¼
His great success lies in keeping men’s minds confused, and ignorant of his
devises, for then he can lead the unwary as it were, blindfolded.” (3SM 423)
“Let
us hear a plain, clear testimony right to the point, that hypnotism is being
used by those who have departed from the faith, and that we are not to link up
with them. Through those who depart from the faith, the power of the enemy
will be exercised to lead others astray. (3 SM 412)
How God views Satan’s efforts to deceive.
“For
thousands of years Satan has been experimenting upon the properties of the
human mind, and he has learned to know it well. By his subtle workings in
these last days he is linking the human mind with his own, imbuing it with his
thoughts; and he is doing this work in so deceptive a manner that those who
accept his guidance know not that they are being led by him at his will. The
great deceiver hopes so to confuse the minds of men and women that none but
his voice will be heard.” (MM 111)
“It
is one of Satan’s devices to combine with falsehood just enough truth to
give it plausibility.” (GC 587)
“We
are not here to study infidel authors, to open our minds to the suggestions of
the devil. We are here to get ready for the judgment, and we are right on the
borders of the eternal world.” (1888 Materials, p. 597)
Satan
will insinuate himself by little wedges, which widen as they make a place for
themselves. The specious devices of Satan will be brought into the special
work of God at this time.” (2SM 20-21)
“Error
requires disguise and concealment. It clothes itself in angel robes, and every
manifestation of its real character lessens its chance of success.” (5T 454)
“It
is Satan’s object now to get up new theories to divert the mind from the
true work and genuine message for this time.¼
We have great and solemn truths to give to the world, and they are to be
proclaimed in no hesitating, limping style. The trumpet is to give a certain
sound.” (3SM 410)
“Said
the angel. “Legions of evil angels are around you, and are trying to press
in their awful darkness, that ye may be ensnared and taken. Ye suffer your
minds to be diverted too readily from the work of preparation and the
all-important truths for these last days.” (EW 119)
“Satan
is watching every opportunity to make of no account the old waymarks, the
monuments that have been raised up along the way.” (Series B, No. 6, p. 222)
How God views obedience.
“Obedience
and submission to God’s requirements are the conditions given by the
inspired apostle by which we become children of God, members of the royal
family.” (3T 365)
“The
man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation
merely—because he is required to do so—will never enter into the joy of
obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a
burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is
not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within.
It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The
essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to
do right because it is right—because right doing is pleasing to God.” (COL
979-98)
“God
is true. He changes not. The conditions of salvation are ever the same. Life,
eternal life, is for all who all obey God’s law...
“Under
the new covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the
same as under the old—perfect obedience.” (7BC 931)
“Even
one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire cherished, will eventually
neutralize all the power of the gospel. The prevalence of a sinful desire
shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens
the soul’s aversion to God. The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin are
the cords with which Satan binds men in his snares. Those who would rather die
than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will be found faithful.” (5T
53)
“Love
of dress and pleasure is wrecking the happiness of thousands. And some of
those who profess to love and keep the commandments of God ape this class as
near as they possibly can and retain the Christian name. Some of the young are
so eager for display that they are even willing to give up the Christian name,
if they can only follow out their inclination for vanity of dress and love of
pleasure. Self-denial in dress is a part of our Christian duty. To dress
plainly, and abstain from display of jewelry, and ornaments of every k ind is
in keeping with our faith.” (3T 366)
“When
the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and every man shall be
judged according to the things written in the books,¼
Then men and women will see that the prerequisite of their salvation is
obedience to the perfect law of God. None will find excuse for sin. By the
righteous principles of that law, men will receive their sentence of life or
of death.” (1BC 1109)
“You
all have an influence for good or for evil on the minds and characters of
others. And just the influence which you exert is written in the book of
records in Heaven. An angel is attending you, and taking record of your words
and actions...
“If
you feel in no danger, and if you offer no prayer for help and strength to
resist temptations, you will be sure to go astray, your neglect of duty will
be marked in the book of God in Heaven, and you will be found wanting in the
trying day.” (3T 263-4)
“We
have a sacred, testing, sanctifying truth; and if our habits and practices are
not in accordance with the truth, we are sinners against great light, and are
proportionately guilty. It will be far more tolerable for the heathen in the
day of God’s retributive justice than for us.” (5T 495)
How God views the Sabbath as a test of loyalty to Him.
“The
third angel’s message, the great testing truth for this time is to be taught
in all our institutions. God designs that through them this special warning
shall be given, and bright beams of light shall shine to the world. Time is
short. The perils of the last days are upon us, and we should watch and pray,
and study and heed the lessons that are given in the books of Daniel and the
Revelation.” (6T 128)
“The
Sabbath is the great test question. It is the line of demarcation between the
loyal and true and the disloyal and transgressor. This Sabbath God has
enjoined, and those who claim to be commandment keepers, who believe that they
are now under the proclamation of the third angel’s message, will see the
important part the Sabbath of the fourth commandment holds in that message. It
is the seal of the living God. They will not lessen the claims of the Sabbath
to suit their business or convenience.” (3SM 423)
“Some
will urge that the Lord is not so particular in His requirements; that it is
not their duty to keep the Sabbath strictly at so great loss, or to place
themselves where they will be brought in conflict with the laws of the land.
But here is just where the test is coming, whether we will honor the law of
God above the requirements of men. This is what will distinguish between those
who honor God and those who dishonor Him. Here is where we are to prove our
loyalty. The history of God’s dealings with His people in all ages shows
that He demands exact obedience.” (Historical Sketches 217)
“This
is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed. All who
proved their loyalty to God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a
spurious sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will
receive the seal of the living God. Those who yield the truth of heavenly
origin and accept the Sunday sabbath, will receive the mark of the beast.”
(Letter 11, 1890)
“In
the warfare to be waged in the last days there will be united, in opposition
to God’s people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from
allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth
commandment will be the great point at issue, for in the Sabbath commandment
the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heavens and the
earth.¼”
(3SM 392-3)
“The
Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty; for it is the point of truth
especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon
men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God
and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false Sabbath in
compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will
be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the
keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of
loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission
to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the
token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” (GC 605)
How God views our role as watchmen.
“Son
of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear
the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the
wicked, thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him no warning, nor speakest to
warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man
shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if
thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked
way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again,
When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity,
and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not
given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he had
done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and
he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast
delivered thy soul.” (Eze. 3:17-21)
“When
we see God dishonored, we ought not to remain quiet,¼ Let us present
God’s Word in its purity, and lift up the voice in warning against
everything that would dishonor our heavenly Father.” (4BC 1164)
“We
have great and solemn truths to give to the world and they are to be
proclaimed in no hesitating, limping style. The trumpet is to give a certain
sound.” (3SM 410)
“The
trumpet of the watchman gives no certain sound, and the people do not re for
the battle. Let the watchman beware lest, through his hesitancy and delay,
souls shall be left to perish, and their blood shall be required at his
hand.” (5T 716)
“Those
who choose to gather doubts, and unbelief, and skepticism, will experience no
growth in grace or spirituality, and are unfitted for the solemn
responsibility of bearing the truth to others.” (4T 445)
“Here
we see that the church—the Lord’s sanctuary—was the first to feel the
stroke of the wrath of God...
Thus peace and safety is the cry from men who will never again lift up their
voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house
of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs, that would not bark, are the ones who
feel the just vengeance of an offended God.” (5T 21)
“God
means that testing truth shall be brought to the front, and become a subject
of examination and discussion, even if it is through the contempt placed upon
it. The minds of the people must be agitated. Every controversy, every
reproach, every slander, will be God’s means of provoking inquiry, and
awakening minds that otherwise would slumber.¼
“The
efforts made to retard the progress of truth will serve to extend it.” (5T
453-4)
“It
is no time now to cry peace and safety. It is not silver-tongued orators that
are needed to give this message. The truth in all its pointed severity must be
spoken. Men of action are needed,—men who will labor with earnest, ceaseless
energy for the purifying of the church and the warning of the world.” (5T
187)
“To
every man is given an individual responsibility. The watchmen have their
specific work to discern the approach of danger and sound the note of warning.
The soldiers of the cross of Christ are to have ears keen to hear. In their
position of responsibility they are to give the trumpet a certain sound, that
everyone may gird on the armor of action.” (TM 236)
“Then
I heard a voice saying, ‘Where are the watchmen that ought to be standing on
the walls of Zion? Are they asleep? This foundation was built by the
Masterworker, and will stand storm and tempest.¼
The time has come to take decided action.’ ” (Series B, No. 2, p. 48)
“Then
I saw [that] the judgments of Almighty God were speedily coming. I begged of
the angel to speak in his language to the people. Said he, ‘All the thunders
and lightnings of mount Sinai cannot move those who will not be moved by the
plain truths in the Word of God. Neither would an angel’s message move or
awake them.’ I saw that the rebels must and will be purged out. The angel
said, ‘Get ready, get ready, get ready.’ ” (16 MR 32)
|
“To
substitute the external forms of religion for holiness of heart and
life, is still as pleasing to the unrenewed nature as in the days of
the apostles. For this reason, false teachers abound, and the people
listen eagerly to their delusive doctrines. It is Satan’s studied
effort to divert the minds of men from the one way of salvation,
faith in Christ, and obedience to the law of God. In every age the
arch-enemy adapts his temptations to the prejudices or inclinations
of the people. In apostolic times he led the Jews to exalt the
ceremonial law, and reject Christ; at the present day he induces
many professed Christians, under the pretense of honoring Christ, to
cast contempt upon the moral law, and teach that its precepts may be
transgressed with impunity. It is the duty of every faithful
servant of God, to firmly and decidedly withstand these perverter of
the faith, and to fearlessly expose their errors by the Word of
truth.¼” (Life
of Paul 192) Emphasis supplied.
|
How God views sending our youth to schools that teach error.
When
error was being taught in our institutions of learning in the past, God gave
many pages of warnings against sending our youth to a place where they might
be infected with such faith-destroying ideas. Though the time and place may be
different, these God-given principles enunciated regarding the sending of our
youth to be exposed to the teaching of such errors need to be solemnly and
prayerfully considered.
“Satan
has laid his plans to undermine our faith in the history of the cause and work
of God. I am deeply interested as I write this. Satan is working with men in
prominent positions to sweep away the foundations of our faith. Shall we allow
this to be done, brethren? My soul is stirred within me. I shall trust in God
with heart and soul. I shall proclaim the messages that he has given us to
proclaim. I testify in the Lord that our youth should not be encouraged to go
to—— ———to be made infidels. God will help us to see what can be done
to prevent this. We are now to work earnestly and intelligently to save our
youth from being taken captive by the enemy.” (Series B, No. 6, p. 215)
“As
I consider the state of things at —— ——— I tremble for our youth who
go there. The light given me by the Lord, that our youth should not collect in
—— ——— to receive their education, has in no particular changed.”
(8T 227)
“Let
the youth who are forming character be kept away from places where they would
have to mingle with a great company of unbelievers, and where the forces of the
enemy are strongly entrenched.¼
“The
words of warning and instruction that I have written in regard to the sending of
our youth to —— ——— to receive a training for service in the Lord’s
cause, are not idle words. Some God-fearing youth will stand the test, but it is
not safe for us to leave even the most conscientious ones without our best care
and protection. Whether or not our youth who have received wise instruction from
godly parents will continue to be sanctified through the truth, depends largely
upon the influence that, after leaving their homes, they meet among those to
whom they look for Christian instruction.” (8T 226)
“Now
all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world dare come. Wherefore let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor. 10:11-12)
Vernon
W. Shafer, Ph.D.
1628
SE Larch
College
Place, WA 99324
*
Addendum: As of September
2000, this presenter has left his wife for this respondent. Neither are now
employed by Walla Walla College.
Appendix
36
What’s Right About
Drama?
(David
J. Lee, Drama?
Truthfull? or Pretentious?, pp. 8-11.)
1.
Assertion: Times
have changed!
Answer: Indeed
times have changed. But has God changed His laws? Have the laws of physics,
chemistry, biology, etc., been changed? Have the laws changed which govern the
needs and functions of our bodies and minds?
“True knowledge has decreased with every successive generation.¼
Those who are¼flattered
on in the delusion that the present is an age of real progress, and that the
human race has been in ages past progressing in true knowledge, are under the
influence of the father of lies, whose work has ever been to turn the truth of
God into a lie (4aSG 154, 156). “Evil men and impostors will go from bad to
worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13, NIV).
2.
Assertion: SDA
youth want drama!
Answer: Who says
so? Who taught them so? Hollywood? Paris? Indeed many do desire entertainment
and many do want to be entertainers. But where is there any inspired evidence
that the +youth of today can be satisfied spiritually with religious drama,
puppetry, clowning, etc.? “Games, theaters,..will not satisfy
the soul. Human beings were not created to be satisfied in this way” (Ev.
267).
Is it possible that a few sincere but confused shepherds are in fact
projecting their own perverted appetites upon many innocent children and youth
who would rather have the truth? Are a few in the preaching “ministry”
abdicating their sacred pulpit and debauching their churches by allowing
pretentious drama?
3.
Assertion: Ellen White’s six-year-old granddaughter participated
in a skit, dressed to typify an angel, and the Lord’s messenger did not stop
the skit or denounce it.
Answer: That assertion ignores the fact that Sr. White was
stirred to arise “at three o’clock” the next “morning [Dec. 26, 1888]
to write...a
few lines” to a Bro. Morse regarding the program. She concluded: “I must
say I was pained at these things, so out of order with the very work of
reformation we were trying to carry forward in the church and with our
institutions that I should have felt better if I had not been present” (2MR
236).
Equally, that “argument of silence” assumes that God is a
policeman and that Ellen White was His watchdog. O shameful, illogical
assumption! But in truth, “When men begin to weave in the human threads to
compose the pattern of the web, the Lord is in no hurry. He waits until men
shall lay down their own human inventions and will accept the Lord’s way and
the Lord’s will” (Ev 215).
4.
Assertion: The
Bible has drama in it!
Answer: Indeed! Beginning with Satan’s deceptive use of the
serpent, and Jacob’s impersonation of Esau, etc., pretentious drama has been
in vogue.
But did not God employ drama to Bible times? Yes, if by “drama” is
meant activities which are unusual and grab people’s attention. But we have
found no evidence that God’s messengers ever employed “drama” in the
sense that drama-advocates today employ the term.
