Pastors' Blog

Sunday morning while still lying in bed, I decided to do the arithmetic. Perhaps it was the simple pleasure of sleeping in our own bed that triggered the notion. And so I counted the number of summer nights we slept in a bed not our own. I was surprised and so recalculated the number. It’s true. The total nights away from our favorite bed (from the last week of May to the last week of July) added up to forty. Brazil, Collegedale, West Virginia, Austin, San Antonio, Pugwash Nova Scotia, Vermont. (That three of those 40 nights were spent with our nearing-the-age-of-two-and-talking-up-a-storm granddaughter Ella certainly made the 40 more palatable!) And if you spent even more nights this summer on the road—and you have my condolences.

Speaking of San Antonio, the 60th Session of the General Conference, with its 2500 delegates and 50,000 attendees on the two Sabbaths, filled the Alamodome with a ten-day event unique in that city’s history. And while a GC session is much more than doing the business of the global Seventh-day Adventist Church—who doesn't enjoy the family reunions and friendship renewals—it was the daily business sessions that turned out to be highly instructive.

Perhaps the most commented on dramatic take-home-truth bears repeating. From the first vote of the business session, it was vividly clear that San Antonio would represent a major sea change in the life of our global faith community. In my memory (and I’ve attended the quinquennial GC sessions since New Orleans in 1985), this was the most marked shift of the locus of church influence—from the long-held dominance of the North to the rapidly growing influence of the South. Clearly the church below the equator has by its sheer numbers of burgeoning membership achieved a global influence it has not had before.

Is that a demographic reality we should bemoan? Hardly. While it was disappointing for those of us who have long believed the Bible does not close the door to the ordination of women to the gospel ministry, but in fact opens that door through the expanding revelation of God’s inclusive love eloquently championed by Scripture itself—nevertheless, decision-making in the healthiest families has always been a shared endeavor. The North has enjoyed its day in the gospel sun. Now the flourishing millions of the South bask in that light. And truth be told, we the church are better for it.

Look at Andrews University. The demographic and geographic shifts of the world and the church are manifested in youthful energy right here on this campus. “Engage globally” is our theme for Fall Fellowship this weekend. How appropriate. Because if we refuse to engage globally, it is now more than clear—both the rest of the church and the world will move on. We must move with them.

No wonder the compelling prayer of Psalm 67 combines a heart cry for God’s blessing with a prayer for the world’s salvation. Apparently in the mind and heart of God, the one is for the sake of the other. His manifold blessings upon His people are to propel them with His saving grace to the world. The one is for the sake of the other. Which surely means that to plead for the one without praying for the other simply misses His point. And our purpose.

“May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him” (Psalm 67:7). I.e., engage globally.

My heart is burdened for my homeland today. With the rest of the nation we await the Supreme Court decision on gay marriages—do gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry and can state bans against same-sex marriage remain in place? Thus far 37 states in our nation have legal provision for same sex marriage, with the other 13 states banning gay marriage (although in 8 of these states [including Michigan] gay marriage bans have been overturned and appeals are in process). What will the Supreme Court decide? While most prognosticators are predicting that the Court will rule in favor of same sex marriage, past reality is that the nine justices have shown the capacity to surprise the nation.

And so we as Adventists, as American Christians, intercede before God on behalf of our homeland. Does the course of this nation matter to God? Someone gave me a recent book by the Messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn, The Harbinger, in which he builds a startling case (through a fascinating narrative), claiming Isaiah 9:10 predicts God’s judgment on this nation. And while I don’t subscribe to his premise that America today (like Israel of old) is God’s chosen nation and thus the inheritor of the ancient divine promises for Israel, I do concur with the thoughtful notion that America is morally accountable as a recipient of Heaven’s unprecedented blessing. Jesus declared, “Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given” (Luke 12:48 NLT). Ellen White herself once observed, “The Lord has done more for the United States than for any other country upon which the sun shines” (Maranatha 193). In God’s judgment much will be required of this nation abundantly blessed—that is clear enough.

And while we are not a constitutionally-defined Christian nation, I came across this observation while reading the Great Controversy on this day of special prayer for our nation and the Supreme Court. In the chapter, “The Pilgrim Fathers,” our early history reveals: “The Bible was held as the foundation of faith, the source of wisdom, and the charter of liberty. Its principles were diligently taught in the home, in the school, and in the church, and its fruits were manifest in thrift, intelligence, purity, and temperance. . . . It was demonstrated that the principles of the Bible are the surest safeguards of national greatness. The feeble and isolated colonies grew to a confederation of powerful states, and the world marked with wonder the peace and prosperity of ‘a church without a pope, and a state without a king’” (296 emphasis supplied). The point isn’t that America must be declared a Christian nation—too many well-meaning but mistaken evangelicals have resorted to that sort of revisionist history. But Ellen White is clear that the principles of the Bible—its foundational ethics and morality—were the catalyst for “national greatness.”

But I fear that those Bible principles are now being abandoned across this nation. Yes, we must continue to stand for the constitutional principle of minority protection and thus defend the personal rights of the LGBT community to enjoy every constitutional provision possible. But does that require our faith community to reject the biblical definition of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman?

On October 17, 2012, the Executive Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists voted the document, “Same Sex Unions,” that included this statement: “We reaffirm, without hesitation, our long-standing position as expressed in the Church's Fundamental Beliefs: ‘Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship.’ Though ‘sin has perverted God's ideals for marriage and family,’ ‘the family tie is the closest, the most tender and sacred of any human relationship,’ and thus ‘families need to experience renewal and reformation in their relationships’ (An Affirmation of Family, 1990).  God instituted ‘marriage, a covenant-based union of two genders [male and female] physically, emotionally, and spiritually, spoken of in Scripture as “one flesh.”’ ‘The monogamous union in marriage of a man and a woman is . . . the only morally appropriate locus of genital or related intimate sexual expression.’ ‘Any lowering of this high view is to that extent a lowering of the heavenly ideal’ (An Affirmation of Marriage, 1996).”

Interestingly enough, yesterday in Columbus, Ohio, the Southern Baptist Convention voted: “What the Bible says about marriage is clear, definitive and unchanging. We affirm biblical, traditional, natural marriage as the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The Scriptures’ teaching on marriage is not negotiable. We stake our lives upon the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Consequently, we will not accept, nor adhere to, any legal redefinition of marriage issued by any political or judicial body including the United States Supreme Court. We will not recognize same-sex ‘marriages’, our churches will not host same-sex ceremonies, and we will not perform such ceremonies. . . . We also believe religious freedom is at stake within this critical issue – that our first duty is to love and obey God, not man.” (http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/southern-baptists-statement-opposing-gay-marriage/nmfLH/).

Neither statement abandons the church’s commitment to be a loving, healing community for all, irrespective of sexual orientation. But both statements clearly define the church’s stand on the biblical foundation and precedent for marriage. As we await the decision of the nation’s highest court, let us all “watch and pray.” For hasn’t God promised: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)?

Now there’s a thought! Ben Carson, the Seventh-day Adventist pediatric neurosurgeon of Johns Hopkins fame, announced to the world on Monday that he is running for the office of President of the United States (POTUS). At a carefully choreographed campaign kickoff rally in Detroit, Dr. Carson returned to his boyhood home for the media event. His book, Gifted Hands, describes his inner city boyhood providentially turned around by a praying single-parent mother (with a third grade education)—a mother who challenged her son to aspire to his God-given potential. It was the impetus he needed. Carson eventually was graduated from Yale University and the University of Michigan and went on to become globally renowned for his surgical separation of twins conjoined at the head. His political catapult came at the February 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, where—with President Obama sitting beside him on the dais—Carson publicly challenged the President’s health care bill. Heralding his political hutzpah, the movement to elect Ben Carson as POTUS launched with a flourish. And the rest is political history. So what are the political prospects for this Seventh-day Adventist one time local church elder and Sabbath School teacher? Google his name and you’ll find a plethora of prognostications to choose from. While it isn’t the purpose of this blog to handicap Ben Carson’s chances of becoming President of the United States, his announcement this week does provide our community of faith the opportunity to reflect on two realities. First, it will be intriguing to observe the reaction of the press to an active Seventh-day Adventist in personal quest for the nation’s highest office. Huffington Post immediately wrote, “5 Faith Facts about Presidential Candidate Ben Carson,” in which fact #1 states: “He is a twice-baptized Seventh-day Adventist” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/04/ben-carson-faith_n_7206050.html). (Turns out young Ben requested a rebaptism at the age of 12.) Huffington’s other four facts include his practice of praying before surgeries. However, it doesn’t take a degree in political science to anticipate the media and press treatment of Carson’s publicly stated moral stances, including his position on LGBT issues facing the nation. And how will his faith practice be defined and depicted in the press once familiarity breeds its usual “contempt?” Will Ben Carson’s brand of Adventism become a portrait or caricature of the rest of us? We will see soon enough. A second reflection from his candidacy is the matter of Seventh-day Adventists in political public office. The often heralded stories of Joseph, Esther and Daniel (and perhaps even Moses)—whose belief in God remained firm in spite of their political offices—are commendable examples of believers in “high places.” What is often overlooked, however, is that none of these campaigned or ran for high office—all were appointed by a monarch. Does that preclude Adventists running for political office? Should the Seventh-day Adventist Church align its support with a particular candidate, especially an Adventist one? Anticipating Ben Carson’s run for the presidency, the North American Division of S.D.A. this week released a statement of guidelines that includes the following: “While individual church members are free to support or oppose any candidate for office as they see fit, it is crucial that the Church as an institution remain neutral on all candidates for office.  Care should be taken that the pulpit and all church property remain a neutral space when it comes to elections. Church employees must also exercise extreme care not to express views in their denominational capacity about any candidate for office, including Dr. Carson” (NAD/Michigan Conference email 5-4-15). Perhaps the most proactive stance for our community of faith is the practice enjoined by the Apostle: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Then let us pray for the POTUS Barack Obama and for all our political leaders, along with those who campaign to replace him one day, including our own Dr. Ben Carson.

On April 29, 1865, 50,000 people stood in line to pass through the Ohio Statehouse rotunda to pay their last respects to the recently slain Abraham Lincoln. As America mourned the assassination of its President, Ohioans reflected the gratitude of this country in that outpouring of affection. Hanging overhead in the Statehouse was a banner with an excerpt from Lincoln’s second inaugural address: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” To commemorate the 150th anniversary of his death, the Statehouse in Ohio today has hung a replica banner high overheard for all to read: “With malice to no one, with charity for all.” It is an admirable sentiment, but as you quickly note it is not the correct rendition of the line President Lincoln spoke in that address. But if you were to call the Ohio Statehouse and protest this inaccurate quotation, they would be quick to inform you that in fact the words on the banner are “historically faithful to the one hung on the building on April 29, 1865” (South Bend Tribune 4-22-15). As it turns out the creators of the original banner 150 years ago got it wrong—and with no Google to fact check their quotation, they hung up an inaccurate rendition of (what would become) Lincoln’s immortal line! Do you suppose this has something to do with “the sin of the parents” being passed down “to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:5)? Probably not what God had in mind. But the truth is, it really isn’t that difficult—is it?—to repeat the mistakes of those who have gone before us. Honest-hearted mistakes, to be sure, but mistakes nevertheless that we unintentionally pass on to the those who watch us, who become behind us—mistakes they in turn honest-heartedly repeat. Children are renowned for their uncanny ability to mimic our behavior. When I get it right, they get it right—when I get it wrong—oops!—they get it wrong. That may be closer to what God had in mind in the 2nd Commandment of His Decalogue. Perhaps Michael Horton, in his new book Ordinary, has something to teach us: “If staying with the familiar (no matter how bad it may be) is the tendency of a conservative temperament, the ideal of creativity and novelty—as an end it itself—becomes destructive of long conversations. At the end of a term a student discovered the professor’s evaluation explaining the poor grade: ‘Your paper is original and creative. The parts that are creative are not original and the parts that are original are not very good.’” Horton concludes: “The best changes are slow, incremental, and deliberate. Instead of cutting their own path, they extend the ancient faith into the next generation” (Ordinary 64-65). Extending the ancient faith into the next generation—that is the mission of both the Christian academy and the church. To the extent we do it faithfully and we do it well here at Pioneer and Andrews, may God be blessed and His Kingdom on earth expanded. The campus-wide Day of Prayer that the university administration has called for this coming Monday is a collective/corporate opportunity for us to join our minds and hearts and blend our intercessions on behalf of this institution we love and serve. In the words of the ancient prophet: “I have heard all about you, LORD, and I am filled with awe by the amazing things you have done. In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by. Show us your power to save us. And in your anger, remember your mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2 NLT). And so we pray.