Expert: Tom Norris - 12/26/2006

Question
I was not raised SDA, but became one at age 17.  I have always loved the church and the Truth it has taught.  It was like walking from darkness into light.  That was many, many years ago.  My love for God and Truth has never waned even though my first love has cooled.  Now at this late point in my life it seems that all I have loved and believed in is trying to be shaken from me.  Recently, I was shared information about some doctrine that supposedly the general conference rejected and as a result the SDA church has apostitized and become a harlot of the woman upon the beast in Revelation.  What exactly was the rejected doctrine?  The SDA church has apostitized supposedly in that she has adopted practices of mind control by the ministers and Iluminati infiltration.  What is your take on these matters?  I am again seeking truth so that I can make an informed decision.  I do not want to take anyone's word but God's and be led by no other but the Holy Spirit.  I have been praying for guidance and I know that eventually, I will find it with God's help and His gift of wisdom to recognize truth when I find it.  Thanks.

Answer
Dear Betty, thanks for your question about the present state of the SDA church.  You have asked if the leaders today are teaching false doctrine?  You have asked if the SDA Denomination has gone into apostasy?  These are good questions that need to be addressed.  In fact, many people are asking these same questions, even as millions have already concluded the worst and left the church.  

http://experts.about.com/q/Seventh-Day-Adventists-2318/Decline-attendance.htm

As you have discovered, things have changed dramatically for the Adventist Community over the years.  And not for the better.  While there was a time in the 20th century when the church was united, growing rapidly, and focused on both their mission and message, this is no longer the case today.  

In fact, after Glacier View in 1980, unity vanished and so too did much of the North American membership as millions left the divided and confused denomination.  And this great schism is still in progress thanks to Glacier View, and Walter Rea's book 1982 book about Ellen White, which left the church cold and spiritually dead.  And so it has been ever since the 1980's.  Thus the Denomination today is polarized, confused, and self-destructing.  There is neither unity nor a clear or correct articulation of Adventist theology.  Even the Health Message is gone.  Modern day Adventism is a disaster, as the majority has repudiated what is officially being taught.

The only hope left, is for the SDA church to face up to the real issues -- and resolve them.  But unfortunately the leaders no longer care what is truth and what is not, and thus they have fallen into the trap of all those that have gone before them.  

Here is how it works:  First, the leaders of a religious organization give their loyalty is to the organization that employees them, not to the Word of the Apostles as the NT teaches.  And thus, faith in the Gospel grows weak, but the hierarchy grows strong and powerful as the group unites to generate new converts for the organization.  

After establishing itself, the next step for a religious body is to declare itself holy, full of religious authority and spiritual discernment.  This includes the amazing ability to declare what is true doctrine and what is heresy.  With this new authority, the emerging organization now claims to have the power to create new doctrine for the church, even to develop a creed for all to obey.  

It is after this creedal phase that the organization refuses to deal with their critics.  While they dealt with them dishonestly prior to the development of a written creed, they will no longer even pretend that the teaching of the church could be in error and thus the leaders refuse to honestly examine theology or history, preferring censorship, double-talk, and propaganda to the serious study of the Bible and church history.  

The final phase of this transformation from good to evil is when the church declares that their doctrines should be enforced upon all.   And thus, when religious hierarchies reach this stage of power and control, they also develop new doctrines and expect obedience, not debate.  These hierarchical models are notably intolerant of both internal and external criticism and they will use all manner of diversions, propaganda, and even persecution to defend their self-serving doctrines so that they can retain control of the religious organization.   

This is what has happened to the Adventist Movement.  

It has been captured by an anti-Gospel, anti-Protestant hierarchy that has betrayed Adventism and taken it into false and dishonest paths.  A small and self-serving group of church employees controls the SDA church through a vast network of committees, and thus the members have no real voice or vote.  NO wonder millions have already left.  The NT does not so disenfranchise those that follow Jesus, nor does it support such a bureaucratic and self-serving organizational model.

The present mismanagement of the SDA church is an outrageous and intolerable situation that must be corrected or the Adventist Movement will die.  For those of us that have been SDA's for many years, it is sad to see.  But don't blame yourself for what has happened.  It is the leaders that have gone corrupt.  They are guilty of misrepresenting what both the Pioneers and the Apostles teach, and thus they promote nothing but false and impossible doctrines when they should know better.  And they should be held accountable.

So yes, it is true that the SDA Church has gone into apostasy.  What they are teaching is not supported by the Apostles, Reformers, or the Adventist Pioneers.  Consequently, there must be major Reform within the SDA Church.

But do not misunderstand.  There is great truth to be found within the Adventist Movement, and all should recognize and applaud the fact that it was the Adventists that corrected the eschatological platform for the entire modern church.  When every denomination in America was preaching the myth about the world entering into a millennial era of Gospel peace in the early 1800's, the Adventists stood up and correctly promoted the doctrine of the pre-millennial Second Coming as the Day of Judgment and the end of the world.  And today, every denomination has since abandoned postmillennialism and embraced the fundamental position of the Adventists.

The Adventists even gave the world a better way to eat breakfast with their discovery of Corn Flakes.  And they have more contributions to make in both theology and health if only they would fully embrace the Gospel as well as the fundamentals of the SDA Pioneers.

While there are many rumors and such circulating within the confused Adventist Community, like the one about the Jesuits infiltrating the church, or the claim that the SDA's use cultic mind control tactics, few really understand the enormity of the errors that the SDA's have embraced.  For a denomination that prides itself on truth, and claims to be the special denomination that will complete the Reformation and lead all others into the final understanding of Protestant theology, they have fallen on their face in front of the world.  

This sad situation needs to be corrected or the Adventist Movement is doomed.

Below are some links that deal with mind control in the SDA church.  This is followed by the teaching of Ellen White about how to examine doctrine and then by a 10-point list of Doctrinal errors that must be "investigated" and addressed by all SDA's.

All true Adventists should demand the examination of their doctrine to see what is true and what is not.  This is what Ellen White supports, and so too the NT.  This is the Adventist Way.  This is the Protestant Way.  This is the only way to stop the great schism that is destroying the Adventist Movement.  There can be no more stonewalling or false propaganda from the SDA leaders.  Truth can afford to be fair, even as the teachings of Jesus must be upheld in all things.  It is time for open and honest discussion about all SDA doctrine and policy.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jcmmsm/article/index.html

http://www.bible.ca/7-seventh-day-adventist-false-tim-sly.htm

http://experts.about.com/q/Seventh-Day-Adventists-2318/ADVENTISM-CULT.htm

Listen to Ellen White discuss how to approach the study of doctrine.  Understand that she does not support the present doctrines of the SDA church.  Or their refusal to honestly and fairly examine their doctrines, claming that they are "without error."   The White Estate has been guilty in misrepresenting Ellen White's position on many things.  And they are not to be trusted when it come to either church history or doctrine.

"Investigation of Doctrine"

There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.

We are living in perilous times, and it does not become us to accept everything claimed to be truth without examining it thoroughly; neither can we afford to reject anything that bears the fruits of the Spirit of God; but we should be teachable, meek and lowly of heart. There are those who oppose everything that is not in accordance with their own ideas, and by so doing they endanger their eternal interest as verily as did the Jewish nation in their rejection of Christ.

The Lord designs that our opinions shall be put to the test, that we may see the necessity of closely examining the living oracles to see whether or not we are in the faith. Many who claim to believe the truth have settled down at their ease, saying, "I am rich, and increase with goods, and have need of nothing."

How to Search the Scriptures:

How shall we search the Scriptures? Shall we drive our stakes of doctrine one after another, and then try to make all Scripture meet our established opinions? Or shall we take our ideas and views to the Scriptures, and measure our theories on every side by the Scriptures of truth? Many who read and even teach the Bible, do not comprehend the precious truth they are teaching or studying.

Men entertain errors, when the truth is clearly marked out; and if they would but bring their doctrines to the word of God, and not read the word of God in the light of their doctrines, to prove their ideas right, they would not walk in darkness and blindness, or cherish error. Many give the words of Scripture a meaning that suits their own opinions, and they mislead themselves and deceive others by their misinterpretations of God's word.

As we take up the study of God's word, we should do so with humble hearts. All selfishness, all love of originality, should be laid aside. Long-cherished opinions must not be regarded as infallible. It was the unwillingness of the Jews to give up their long-established traditions that proved their ruin. They were determined not to see any flaw in their own opinions or in their expositions of the Scriptures; but however long men may have entertained certain views, if they are not clearly sustained by the written word, they should be discarded. Those who sincerely desire truth will not be reluctant to lay open their positions for investigation and criticism, and will not be annoyed if their opinions and ideas are crossed. This was the spirit cherished among us forty years ago. . . .

We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed. ---By Ellen White.

Ellen White, Counsels to Writers and Editors, pages 33-42

Today, the SDA leaders refuse to allow their doctrines to be criticized, questioned, or examined.   They claim to have all the truth and refuse to listen to even their own scholars that try and point out their errors.   Consequently, the modern leaders have gone on to develop their own brand of Adventism that rests upon fabrications, myths, and manipulated church history.  

As a result, millions have left the church because they have concluded that modern Adventism does not follow the Pioneers or teach the Gospel correctly.  So why be an Adventist?

While the SDA's loudly claim to follow the teachings of Ellen White, it is clear that they do not.   And such hypocrisy is well known to those familiar with Adventist history.  But the leaders are not interested in correcting the false record or explaining church history better.  They prefer to defend the traditions of those that have gone before them, thus perpetuating great ignorance as they refuse to tell the truth about Ellen White to the Adventist people.   At some point the management must be held accountable to the Adventist Community by the Adventist Community.   At some point, Adventism must get serious about the issues and hold their leaders accountable for the false doctrines that they teach.

Here are 10 points of Doctrinal Error that need to be discussed and debated in front of the entire Adventist Community.  When these issues are honestly examined, all will understand that the leaders have been teaching false doctrines and fabricated church history for generations.  Then it will be time for repentance and reform to replace the incompetence and apostasy.

Doctrinal Errors of the SDA's

1. Today the SDA church is teaching the wrong version of the Three Angels Messages. Only the Protestant Gospel and the Second Coming are featured in the original version of the 1st Angels message. Thus the reference to "the hour of his Judgment has come" in Rev 14: 7 is ONLY a reference to the Second Coming, not the IJ. This means Glacier View theology is wrong.

2. The IJ is not a true or valid because the Apostles do not teach this doctrine. In fact, nowhere in the NT is such a judgment taught.

3. The SDA's teach a false Gospel that blends JBF with our sanctification. Such a doctrine is Roman Catholic, not Protestant. If the SDA's want to be Protestant, they must separate and distinguish the law from the Gospel and repent for both 1888 and Glacier View.

4. The SDA's have the wrong hermeneutic. Ellen White does not have any doctrinal authority and she never claimed otherwise. Only the Apostles have doctrinal authority for the church. Thus the NT interprets the OT, preventing the unauthorized manufacturer of fictional doctrine from the OT as the SDA's have incorrectly done.

5. The SDA denomination is not organized properly. The entire denomination is based on the Old Covenant doctrine of tithe, which is not a valid New Covenant doctrine. Nor is the SDA church the "storehouse" for tithe, nor is the General Conference the Old Covenant Jewish Temple. Thus, the doctrine of tithe must be repudiated and the church re-organized in a new form that is not against the Gospel and the teachings of the NT.  The doctrine of NT Tithe is mythical; there is no such doctrine for the church.

6. The SDA's misunderstand the doctrine of the Two Covenants. And they have done so from the very beginning of the Denomination. To correctly understand the difference between the new and Old Covenants is critical for all Christians. Thus many of the Old Covenant doctrines that SDA's promote, such as the clean and unclean foods, tithe, and the Sabbath of the Pharisees is wrong. The SDA's must repudiate their past errors on this point and embrace the Two Covenants correctly.

7. The SDA's are wrong to promote the doctrine of abstinence from the Koran. There is no such doctrine in either the OT or NT and thus the SDA's are promoting not only false doctrine in this matter, but the false practice of the Lord's Supper.

8. The SDA's have embraced the Seventh-day Sabbath of the Pharisees instead of the Reformed, New Covenant Sabbath that Jesus teaches in the Gospels. The SDA's have never understood the proper Gospel Sabbath, and neither has the post-apostolic church. Here is a remarkable opportunity for the SDA's to better understand the Sabbath so that they can more effectively promote the primary doctrine of the 3rd Angels Message.

9. The SDA doctrine of the Pre-Advent Judgment is wrong. It is not Dan 8:14, but Rev 3: 14. Thus the PAJ is the LM, not the IJ. And the SDA's need to admit this fact and act accordingly, which means they must repent for their many sins and for their legions of false doctrines.

10. The SDA's do not have credible eschatology for the 21st century. The predicted Sunday laws, with which they are so obsessed, cannot be the start of the time of trouble because the NT does not support such a position. Thus they need to pay closer attention to Paul's eschatology as well as the book of Revelation in order to develop an updated version of the last day events.

Although Ellen White, (and the NT) teaches that all doctrine must be honestly examined, the SDA leaders refuse to even discuss the possibility that they could have made any mistakes or errors.  And if anyone disagrees with them, they will be exiled and slandered and treated like an enemy.   This is what they did to their best scholar Dr. Ford and many others that dare question church doctrine.  Thus the church is no longer searching for truth, and this is why it continues to lose credibility, promote false doctrine, and self-destruct for all to see.

In fact, if you go to the Adventist of Tomorrow web site you can see how Clifford Goldstein, a well-published SDA apologist, refuses to debate these issues.  In fact, none of the church leaders will agree to discuss their doctrines for fear of having to admit their errors and thus lose their illegitimate power and unholy control.   So they run from questions on doctrine, fearful to search for truth or for a solution to the crisis that they continue to deny.

http://www.atomorrow.com/discus/messages/8/10902.html?1166507859

So the SDA leaders have practically claimed to be infallible.  They refuse to admit the possibility of error, even as they refuse to allow their doctrines to be honestly studied or examined.  As far as they are concerned, the church is not wrong on any point, nor does it need any doctrinal Reform.  

Such an arrogant, delusional, and anti-Gospel attitude is a sure sign that the SDA leaders are not following the teachings of Jesus or the Pioneers.  They are Laodicean wolves clothed to look like sheep, and this explains their dishonest and incompetent behavior that is tearing the Adventist Movement apart.

Let no one doubt that there is much false doctrine and fabricated church history being taught within Adventism today. It is impossible to miss or overlook so much propaganda, and it is even more impossible to defend. Which is why neither Clifford Goldstein, nor the Review, or the White Estate will honestly deal with the issues or answer the hard questions from the critics.  Thus the SDA leaders feel that they are above having to prove their doctrines to anyone.  

Such arrogance is no accident.  It is the inevitable outcome from years of repudiating the Gospel and suppressing evidence in the White Estate.  Thus, over time, the Takoma Park General Conference developed into an organizational system that mimics how the Roman Catholic Church is managed.  And to make matters even worse, this unbiblical Adventist system rests upon the Old Covenant doctrine of tithe, a practice that was never permitted in the Apostolic Church.   And it is this great error about tithe that empowers and funds the wicked hierarchy that is destroying the Adventist Movement.   

Here is the source of all power and authority for the SDA Hierarchy.  When this false doctrine is abandoned, the unbiblical hierarchy will fall, and the Adventist Community will be free to pursue their search for truth and eschatological understanding, unfettered by a corrupt organization that has betrayed the Gospel.  

Whenever mortals have so much money, power and control, corruption is the inevitable result.  And this is what has overtaken the modern SDA church.  There are no checks and balances, as those at the top manipulate the system that is designed just for just such control.  But the NT prohibits both tithe and a hierarchical form of church government, which means that the entire SDA organizational system is based on a double fraud.   So no wonder things are in chaos?  False doctrine and fabricated church history does not produce peace and harmony, much less anything else that is good.

But the leaders no longer care about Gospel truth, historic accuracy, or what the Pioneers teach.  This little denomination has grown up in a capitalist County and thus it has become a self-sufficient, legalistic, and bureaucratic religion that brings in billions of dollars.  Consequently, those in control will work to protect this income stream, as well as their positions of power and authority, within the organization.  The fact that the entire system is based on false and Old Covenant doctrine is beside the point to those in charge.   It is the money and power that matter to them, not the Word of God or the Gospel.  

Such a position is against everything that Adventism represents.  This awful attitude means that neither the teachings of the Apostles nor the Pioneers is of any concern to the SDA leaders.  They intend to manage this religious Empire as they see fit and no one is going to tell them what to do or why.  Thus the management is corrupt and out of control, which is why the last GC President was removed for corruption and also why millions of SDA's have left the church in the last 25 years. And many are still leaving today.   

The SDA church today is experiencing an epidemic of false doctrine and this crisis must be addressed and resolved.  The Denomination does not follow the fundamentals of either Protestantism or Adventism.  Its' entire organizational is based upon many outrageous doctrinal errors that cannot be defended. So yes, it is true that the SDA church today is corrupt and full of false doctrine.  

Consequently, it must be REFORMED so that the Adventist Movement can go forward and complete its eschatological mission to prepare the church for the Second Coming.  

I hope this helps.

Tom Norris, for All Experts.com