“contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” jude 3 — vol. 4 no. 3
Federal Probe Rocks Adventist Church
Betraying Sacred Trusts
Below: SDA General Conference Leaders with the Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Louis, a ReLake Region Conference accused of financial formed Jewish Rabbi, and a prominent Lutheran clergyman at the 2005 General Conference irregularities, immigration violations Sessions in St. Louis, Missouri. South Bend Tribune, July 25, 2005 By CAROL DRAEGER Tribune Staff Writer BERRIEN SPRINGS—The Lake Region Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is under federal investigation in connection with misuse of funds and illegal immigration activities, which could threaten the organization's nonprofit status.
From left to right: Jonathon Gallagher, GC representative for the United Nations; John Graz, GC Director for Public Affairs and Religious Liberty; Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Louis, Robert J. Hermann; Rabbi Susan Talve from Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis; Dr. Samuel H. Nafzger, executive director of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations for the Lutheran Church; an unidentified Adventist church administrator; and Eugene Hsu King-Yi, general vice president of the GC.
The revelations shocked many of the estimated 730 delegates who attended a special meeting Sunday at Andrews University. “There’s been a lot of instances of lying and a case of personal enrichment,” Walter Wright, president of the Lake Union Conference, told delegates. Most delegates knew about the financial crisis and poor internal audit. That news was relayed to about 25,000 churchgoers in 109 worship centers in the Midwest on July 16. Many knew that the conference’s vice president of multicultural ministries, a treasurer and four pastors were on paid administrative leave in the wake of the Lake Region Conference audit. But the harsh reality, voiced by Wright, silenced many delegates who earlier in the morning raised serious objections about the competency of conference leaders and lack of input they have in selecting leaders. Many, such as a woman from a church in Cassopolis, said they felt disenfranchised. Late in the afternoon the gymnasium where delegates met fell silent when Wright began talking about federal authorities being on the doorstep of Lake Region Conference leaders. He noted that the ramifications of the inquiries could affect the entire church. “The effect can be devastating,” Wright said. “If the church loses its tax-exempt status because of things in our conference, that is a real possibility,” he told delegates. According to an internal audit of the conference in 2003 about $18 million in assets were understated or not reported to the government. The conference also did not report financial statements of “at least six charitable gift annuity agreements” in 2003 and 2004. The result means that in those two years auditors could not “reasonably determine” the conference's total assets and liabilities, according to a memo dated February 2005 to the executive committee of the Lake Region Conference. Wright also told delegates the church's employment of immigrants who may be in the country illegally has raised eyebrows of federal officials. “What if the Department of Homeland Security comes into our offices and says we’re going to close you down because you’re not reporting illegal aliens and they threaten our national security?” Wright asked.
“God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities...Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them.” Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 80. Today we stand 161 years removed from the prophetic period of 1844, and still the preaching of the present truth, the three angel’s messages, an exceedingly simple request by God, is not being done by the church at large. God is having to raise up faithful layman to carry on with this work. In fact, on several occasions, the church’s new approach of evangelism seems to deliberately omit any reference to the present truth. Impact St. Louis 2005 Take for example the 2005 General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri. The General Conference Communication Department sponsored an outreach ministry in St. Louis which was broadcast to the entire world during the 58th Adventist Church World Session. “Impact St. Louis 2005” was the name given to this “evangelistic” campaign which was made up mostly of musical performances, dramatizations, and puppet shows. Impact St. Louis 2005 performances were conducted at Kiener Plaza located in the historic downtown area of St. Louis and also at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. These free concerts were sponsored by the GC, they were held in conjunction with the GC Sessions, and were held during the noon lunch hour to attract people who work in the city’s downtown area. The purpose of Impact St. Louis 2005 was to raise awareness and introduce the world to Seventh-day Adventism.
This new style of evangelism within Adventism is an alarming development that has led to the sudden disappearance of our distinctive truths and of our work of calling people of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people to embrace them. Instead many Then he answered his own question. “That can have fallen under the influence of this new evanhappen because of our conference,” he said. gelism with its vague presentations of truth, generated by certain leaders Wright made it clear —continued on page 5 —continued on page 2
Pastor Giovanni Leonardi, a SDA minister born in Italy and a graduate of Andrews University, dressed as a member of the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta during the 2005 Parade of Nations at the GC Sessions in St. Louis. Next to him stands an unidentified young girl dressed in red carrying the flag of Malta.
Roman Catholic Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo presides over a swearing-in ceremony of the Knights of Malta, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew, in Washington, DC.
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—continued from page 1 in the church. The leaders of this new sinister movement have clothed themselves with ecclesiastical authority, legitimacy, and respectability, thus persuading the faithful that they speak the mind of the Church and ought to be followed. The Neo-Modernist Assault of the Faith “When Christ entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary [1844] to perform the closing work of the atonement, He committed to His servants the last message of mercy to be given to the world.” Great Controversy, p. 433.
Youth prepare to Impact St. Louis—Kay Blaklock from Riverside, CA; Greg Nakashima from Portland, OR; Michael Polite from St. Louis, MO; Ruth Lisa Paul from Montreal, Canada; and Joel Vaiti from Martinique.
This “last message of mercy” has been under attack by a modern movement within Adventism whose aim is to break away from the fundamental truths and historical principles by replacing them with new modern ideas, new methods, new styles, and a new thinking. And no one has been more successful in overthrowing the work of God than the “neo-modernists” which pay lip service to the Seventh-day Adventist faith while attempting to undermine it completely. The Impact St. Louis 2005 puppet team demonstrates one of the programs they have been putThis new movement’s purposes are directly op- ting on around the city of St. Louis. During the posed to the very existence of the original faith Youth on Parade report, which details the activiwhich was incorporated in the early days of Ad- ties of Adventist youth, the puppet team perventism during the 1840’s. Neo-modernists are formed before world session in St. Louis, Mo. like a cancer that works within the church and attempts to eliminate every trace of its former history. This new movement’s objective is to undermine the precious Adventist message either through blatant heresies that are easily identified or through more subtle techniques that eventually lead to the overthrow of our mission and message. By these means, today’s neo-modernists have caused many to lose sight of the true work that God wants to accomplish in this world through His people. The Spirit of Prophecy has warned us regarding this modern assault on the historical, foundational Seventh-day Adventist truths: “The burden of the warning now to come to the people of God, nigh and afar off, is the third angel’s message. And those who are seeking to understand this message will not be led by the Lord to make an application of the Word that will undermine the foundation and remove the pillars of the faith that has made Seventh-day Adventists what they are today.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 103. “I saw a company who stood well guarded and firm, giving no countenance to those who would unsettle the established faith of the body. God looked upon them with approbation. I was shown three steps—the first, second, and third angels’ messages. Said my accompanying angel, ‘Woe to him who shall move a block or stir a pin of these messages.’ The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance.” Early Writings, p. 258. The three angels’ messages are foundational. The Spirit of Prophecy cautions anyone who would dare undermine the foundation that God has established. We have been forbidden from tampering with the pillars of the faith or from stepping off the foundation. “God had led them along step by step, until He had placed them upon a solid, immovable platform. I saw individuals approach the platform and examine the foundation. Some with rejoicing immediately stepped upon it. Others commenced to find fault with the foundation. They wished improvements made, and then the platform would be more perfect, and the people much happier. Some stepped off the platform to examine it and declared it to be laid wrong.” Ibid., p. 259.
The false misleading appearances made by the neo-modernists is what makes them so dangerous to the faith. The enemies of our faith are many. Some do not hesitate to openly and explicitly proclaim their contradicting views [heresy] against the Seventh-day Adventist faith, and by doing so we can easily choose to exclude them from our fellowship. However, many neomodernists are far more clever. They endeavor to remain inside the fellowship of the church while attempting to bring her in line with their distorted views, passed off under the guise of “Adventist” terminology. The end result by the “Jesuit” infiltrators, the neo-modernists, the new theology, and the ecumenicals will all be the same: “Standard after standard was left to trail in the dust...” Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 41. Just like the Pharisees of old, while claiming obedience and loyalty to God and His truth, this movement has completely emptied the truth of its true meaning by replacing it with corrupted human interpretations and human ideas. Today, this new religion of “ecumenism” and “interreligious dialogue” has far removed God’s people from the great truths given to us by Christ regarding the closing work. God has outlined the course in which His people must follow up until the close of probation. “We stand as the remnant people in these last days to promulgate the truth and swell the cry of the third angel’s wonderful distinct message, giving the trumpet a certain sound. Eternal truth, which we have adhered to from the beginning, is to be maintained in all its increasing importance to the close of probation.” Manuscript Releases Volume Nine, p. 291. A Simple Request Unheeded
Adventist Youth trying to “Impact Your World” with Christian Rock music through one of the many festive musical concerts sponsored by the outreach ministries of “Impact St. Louis 2005.”
It has been more than 160 years since God has given a special work for Seventh-day Adventists to do. Like the prophet Nathan who was not sidetracked from his mission plainly bore his message to King David when he declared, “Thou art the man” (II Sam. 12:7), we too must faithfully declare “every word” that God has given us in spite of difficulty or opposition. And here we are today, still struggling to understand the first angel’s message. Here we are today refusing to give the second angel’s message to the popular churches. Here we are today reexamining to see whether or not the third angel’s message is suitable to give to the sin-loving multitudes of this “modern world.” Adventists today are reexamining the foundation that God Himself has laid! What kind of erroneous, deceptive, mindset has taken over our thinking? Who is poisoning our minds? Why do we tolerate these outrageous opinions? Why can’t we see that all this work is part of the devil’s assault against the Seventhday Adventists faith and his final attempt to completely take over the Seventh-day Adventists movement?
Minister Fred (Fred Whitlow) of Louisiana, right, performs Christian rap at a Sabbath concert in Kiener Plaza, St. Louis. The concert was part of the church’s outreach ministry during the world “The third angel’s message,” the modernsession. ist/ecumenicals argues, “is so out of harmony with the new progresses that this world is making and it has too much ‘shock value;’ therefore, it’s just not the best way to gain influence over others.” This class of neo-Adventists believes that we need to find better ways to reach souls, such as puppet shows, rap/hip-hop concerts, and fancy dramas, instead of the straight preaching of the first, second, and third angel’s message. They reason that we just can’t straightforwardly tell people the truth because they wouldn’t be able to handle it. Their solution is to overwhelm the peoples’ senses with light shows, musical concerts, programs, and —continued on page 3 Children’s drama during the GC world session.
the eternal gospel herald — volume 4, no. 3
An almost naked, unidentified Seventh-day Adventist dressed like the Aborigines, a pagan indigenous tribe from Australia.
—continued from page 2 other activities so that we can somehow slip in the gospel without them noticing. The failure to boldly preach the testing truths to the world for fear of offending them is only the result of this modernism/ecumenism/liberalism that has entered the church. These new disastrous ideas of human origin have crept into our thinking ever since we’ve opened our doors to the world through ecumenism. The preaching of the final warning message has been impeded by the falsehoods of “ecumenism” and “dialogue” which suddenly appeared in the Church during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Too late did we realize that when we opened the doors to ecumenism that this would result in the invasion of the church by worldly thinking. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that our traditional/historical evangelistic activities are virtually at a standstill and the missions are practically extinct. Refusing to Abandon God’s Call “Christ has made His people the depositaries of His law. They are to keep and to teach the commandments of God, and to show their binding obligations upon men. Christ has promised that to those who obey His commandments He will be as a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, guiding them in and lighting them along the pathway cast up for the ransomed of the Lord, that they may enter in at the gate of the eternal city.” The Signs of the Times, January 24, 1895.
Above: The Vatican Flag [standard] being flown at the 2005 General Conference World Session. “When the idolatrous standards of the Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight.” The Great Controversy, p. 25. Below: An unidentified Catholic clergymen sponsoring an exhibition booth at the 2005 GC Session.
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Christ’s entrance into the most holy place in 1844 and the work which has begun since that time was not so that we could simply entertain sinners through performances or enter into ecumenism with them. Christ has entered the most holy place to “perform the closing work” (GC 433) of His atonement. In the most holy place stands the law of God, and “in the very bosom of the Decalogue is the fourth commandment.” (Ibid. 434). This law is a revelation of God’s will and a transcript of His perfect character, which will forever endure. And as God tested Adam and Eve in the garden to see if man would obey, so will His law, particularly the Sabbath, be a test to the entire world before probation closes. God himself has decreed through the Spirit of Prophecy that our historic messages are precisely what this world needs today. And Heaven’s own affirmation to our historical truths should be a sufficient reason for us to affirm those truths the same. —The Editors
Street Art Ministry leader Manny Cruz, from California, instructs six-year-old Shaniya Bryant on the intricate details of graffiti art during Impact St. Louis 2005.
Back from the dead? A. G. Daniells, president of the General Conference from 1901 to 1922, portrayed by Richard Stenbakken, recently retired director of the General Conference Chaplaincy Department, talks about the advances of Adventist Health ministry around the globe during the 58th Session of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Mike Curzon of North American Division Adventist-Jewish Relations and Temple of the Advent Hope pastor in Hollywood, Florida, plays a Jewish instrument called a shofar.
Debra Claymore and Fred Rogers directors of the North American Division Native Ministries.
A spectacular array of lights dazzled the spectators.
Eric Winter, retired pastor from Sydney, Australia, helps assemble the ark, where he will play Noah during the 58th Adventist Church world session. The exhibit is sponsored by the Adventist Church world headquarters Ministerial Association.
Abraham Lincoln was signing autographs at the GC session, played by Chet Damron, “Uncle Dan” of Your Story Hour, based in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
“Blessed Hands,” from the North American Division, performed for the Saturday evening music program on Shirtless Polynesians played July 2, 2005.
seashells and sang.
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the eternal gospel herald — volume 4, no. 3
President Bush’s Address to the 2nd Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast For Immediate Release White House Press Secretary May 20, 2005
cially the Catholic schools that educate millions of our fellow citizens and deliver hope to innercity children of all faiths. This morning we first thank God for the shared blessings of American liberty. Catholics have always known that a society built on respect for the religious beliefs of others would be a land where they could achieve and prosper.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for that warm reception—especially for a Methodist. It’s an honor to be here at the 2nd Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast [NCPB]. This is a new tradition, yet, its promises are timeless for Catholic Americans: to thank the Lord for the blessing of freedom, to renew our shared dedication to this great republic, and to pray that America uses the gift of freedom to build a culture of life. It’s an amazing experience to be the President of a nation where strangers from all religions pray for me and Laura. And I will tell you, it gives me such peace of mind, and enables me to do my job much better when I'm lifted up in prayer. Thank you for your prayers. I want to thank Leonard Leo for his kind introduction. I want to thank Joe Cella, the President of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. I want to thank His Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. What a fine man. What a beacon of hope. His Eminence shines brightly in the nation's capital. I appreciate Archbishop Chaput of Denver, thank you for being here, sir. I apologize to him for not being able to listen to his address. He said, we’re paying you a lot of money. Get back to work. Fortunately, he didn’t say, we're paying you too much money, get back to work. I appreciate Archbishop Gomez from the great state of Texas. Sister, thank you, very much. Admiral, thank you, very much, sir. Carl Anderson, the Supreme Knights of Columbus, is with us today. Carl, thank you for your friendship. [Editor’s Note: Do you know who the Knights of Columbus are? They are the largest Roman Catholic layman’s organization whose mission is to promote and defend Catholicism here in America and abroad. In the next paragraph you will read how the President praises Roman Catholicism for its contribution to American freedom during the founding of this nation. Obviously his history is wrong, or maybe he is trying to rewrite history. “Pope Pius IX, in his Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854, said: ‘The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error—a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a state.’ The same pope, in his Encyclical Letter of December 8,1864, anathematized (cursed) ‘those who assert the liberty of conscience and of religious worship’ also ‘all such as maintain that the church may not employ force.’” Great Controversy, pp. 564, 565. How could Catholicism have contributed to our early American freedoms when in the 1850s and 1860s they were condemning the principles of our US Constitution that guarantee liberty of conscience? One thing is sure, this nation was mainly founded by those who were fleeing persecution and intolerance. Some came from predominantly Roman Catholic countries.] The Catholic contribution to American freedom goes back to the founding of our country. In 1790, a newly inaugurated George Washington addressed a letter to all Catholics in America. He assured them that “your fellow citizens will not forget the patriotic part which you took in the accomplishment of their revolution.” I’m honored to stand before you to offer my gratitude for the work American Catholic sons and daughters are doing for our nation. This work includes the incredible acts of compassion through our faith-based institutions that help Americans in need, espe-
President Bush shakes hands with U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick; Joe Cella [center].
When the French writer, de Tocqueville, visited these shores back in the 1830s, he noted that the most democratic country in the world was also the one where the Catholic religion was making the most progress. He called Catholics the most faithful believers in our land, yet also the most independent of citizens. As I’ve learned from dealing with Senator Santorum. [Editor’s Note: Once again President Bush’s history is incorrect. History has proved that when Roman Catholicism has had control over the affairs of the state, the church would show zero tolerance to those who would not conform to her dogmas. Study the history of Europe during the Dark Ages.] This morning we also reaffirm that freedom rests on the self-evident truths about human dignity. Pope Benedict XVI recently warned that when we forget these truths, we risk sliding into a dictatorship of relativism where we can no longer defend our values. Catholics and non-Catholics alike can take heart in the man who sits on the chair of St. Peter, because he speaks with affection about the American model of liberty rooted in moral conviction. This morning we pray for the many Catholics who serve America in the cause of freedom. One of them is an Army Chaplain named Tim Vakoc. He’s a beloved priest who was seriously wounded in Iraq last May. We pray for his recovery, we’re inspired by his sacrifice. In the finest tradition of American chaplains, he once told his sister, “The safest place for me to be is in the center of God’s will, and if that is in the line of fire, that’s where I'll be.” Father Tim’s sister, Anita Brand, and her family, are with us today, and a grateful nation expresses our gratitude to a brave Reverend. Catholics have made sacrifices throughout American history because they understand that freedom is a divine gift that carries with it serious responsibilities. Among the greatest of these responsibilities is protecting the most vulnerable members of our society. That was the message that Pope John Paul II proclaimed so tirelessly throughout his own life, and it explains the remarkable outpouring of love for His Holiness at the funeral mass that Laura and I were privileged to attend in Rome. It explains why when the men were carrying his wooden casket up the stairs, and they turned to show the casket to the millions that were there, that just as the casket crests, the sun shown for all to see. The best way to honor this great champion of human freedom is to continue to build a culture of life where the strong protect the weak. So, today, I ask the prayers of all Catholics for America’s continued trust in God’s purpose, for the wisdom to do what’s right, and for the strength and the conviction that so long as America remains faithful to its founding truths, America will always be free. Thank you for allowing me to come. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless America. [Editor’s Note: “Let the restraints now imposed by secular government be removed and Rome be reinstated in her former power, and there would speedily be a revival of her tyranny and persecution. Great Controversy, p. 564.]
Archbishop Chaput of Denver and Sr. Margaret Mary Jerousek with President Bush.
The event began with a mass followed by a tribute to John Paul II.
the eternal gospel herald — volume 4, no. 3 page 5 —continued from page 1 the conference is “cooperating with all federal entities” while the investigation continues. In a separate interview, Gary Burns, director of communication for the Seventh-day Adventist Church Lake Union headquarters, could not elaborate about alleged illegal immigration practices of the church. Burns said the Seventh-day Adventist church is a world church, headquartered in Maryland, with operations in 200 countries. Wright’s Lake Union Conference is the parent organization of the Lake Region Conference and four other conferences.
Shaping Politics from the Pulpits August 2, 2005—USA Today, by Susan Page CANTON, Ohio — Pastor Russell Johnson paces across the broad stage as he decries the “secular jihadists” who have “hijacked” America, accuses the public schools of neglecting to teach that Hitler was “an avid evolutionist” and links abortion to children who murder their parents.
Only the Lake Region Conference, which is championed as a multicultural ministry with growing Hispanic membership, is embroiled in the financial irregularities and alleged immigration violations. The Chicagobased Lake Region Conference was organized in 1945. Wright remained optimistic that the conference would survive. “Look at our dear friends, the Catholics,” he said. “We can’t shuffle people. They didn’t act when they should’ve,” he said referring to Catholic leaders who sometimes moved priests to new parishes instead of punishing them for sexual misconduct. “We won’t do that,” he said.
“It’s time for the church to get a spinal column” and push the “seculars and the jihadists ... into the dust bin of history,” the guest preacher tells a congregation that fills the sanctuary at First Christian Church of Canton.
The following changes were made at the Lake Region Conference Headquarters as a result of corruption charges: Norman Miles, president, resigned Hugo Gambetta, vice president, terminated Greg Baker, treasurer, resigned Leroy B. Hampton, treasurer, resigned Lillian Williamson, treasurer, terminated Vernice Shorey, accountant, suspended The following pastors were placed on administrative leave of absence, pending further action by the conference executive committee: Pastor Ciro Aviles Pastor Osmin Hernandez Pastor William Rojas Pastor Alfredo Solis
Adventists Settle Sex-abuse Suits for $3.5 Million June 4, 2005—San Jose Mercury News, by David L. Beck The Seventh-day Adventist Church has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle lawsuits brought by five men who say they were molested by teachers at the church’s Monterey Bay Academy during the 1980s. The church has also agreed to alter school policies to become more responsive to reports of sexual abuse. “I refused to discuss money with them,” said one of the victims, Michael Weston, “until they could prove to me that radical changes in policy have been made, and that they would provide free counseling to victims of sexual abuse in their churches and schools.”
President Bush and Laura Bush attend First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Landover, Md.
That is his mission. Johnson leads the Ohio Restoration Project, an emergent network of nearly 1,000 “Patriot Pastors” from conservative churches across the state. Each has pledged to register 300 “values voters,” adding hundreds of thousands of like-minded citizens to the electorate who “would be salt and light for America.” Evangelical Christian leaders nationwide have been emboldened by their role in re-electing President Bush and galvanized by their success in campaigning for constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage, passed in 18 states so far.
Now some are organizing to build on last year's successes. They want to solidify their role in setting the political agenda and electing sympathetic public officials. The Ohio effort isn’t unique. Johnson’s project — which he says has signed up more than 900 pastors in Ohio during its first 10 weeks in operation — has helped spawn the Texas Restoration Project in Bush’s home state. The fledging Pennsylvania Pastors' Network has signed up 81 conservative clergy so far. Similar efforts are beginning to percolate elsewhere. “It’s maturing as a movement within the evangelical Christian community,” says Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring, a Pennsylvania-based group that teaches pastors how to be involved in politics.
The church’s Maryland attorney, Victor Elliott, confirms that has happened. “What you had here,” said Elliott, “was something that went back 20 years. The circumstances of screening of teachers and supervision are not up to current-day standards.”
Interviews with a dozen worshipers after the service here find only enthusiasm for Johnson’s message. No one raises concerns that the church is moving into terrain where it doesn't belong. “There’s a plumb line that our nation needs to stand for,” with Christian principles guiding public policy, says Vicki Cantrell, 50, a homemaker. Her words echo Johnson’s sermon.
“Well, I sure hope so,” said Albert Tilstra, the father of one of the victims and himself an Adventist pastor, after hearing a new set of standards had been put in place. “Sometimes something like this needs to happen in order to wake up individuals and see what’s really going on.”
Her husband, Jim, 52, a chemical engineer, applauds the church’s efforts to “get Christians reconnected to the political process” by registering and educating voters. “They've been absent a lot in the past,” he says.
“As a denomination,” he said, “we are just beginning to develop a policy as to how to deal with pedophiles in the church. . . . It’s something we have never really dealt with.”
“We as Christians need to take a stand as to what our beliefs are,” Linda Stoffer, 50, a bank loan officer, says after the service in Canton. Her top concerns are gay marriage and abortion. “And life issues,” adds her husband, Dave, 54, who works in a cabinet shop. “Like, what was her name? Terri Schiavo.”
Four of the lawsuits were brought in Los Angeles County and one in Santa Cruz County, where the exclusive school is located. Under the settlement, all five will be dismissed, with no admission of liability on the part of the church.
“We sit back and let it happen,” Jean Wuske, 77, says. “We need to be more vocal — let God back into places he should be, like in the schools.”
Caron Oswald, a spokesman for the Central California Conference of the Adventist Church, said in a prepared statement that the church was “deeply saddened since we learned of these allegations” and expressed the hope that “these settlements will help bring closure for those involved.”
In 2004, the Bush campaign targeted evangelicals for support, even collecting church directories to identify sympathetic prospects. In Ohio, strong turnout by conservatives who supported the president on social issues was critical in overcoming opposition among voters more worried about the economy and the Iraq war. Bush won the state by just 118,601 votes of more than 5.6 million cast.
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“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” Matthew 24:33
CBC News, Wednesday, June 29, 2005—Canada’s controversial same-sex marriage legislation has passed final reading in the House of Commons, sailing through in a 158-133 vote. This will make Canada the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage after the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.
Residents in Dazhou, southwest China, gather on a bridge as the city is flooded following days of torrential rains on July 8, 2005. China’s summer floods have affected 90 million people so far, the official Xinhua news agency said, while confirming an earlier report that 764 people have been killed with another 191 missing. (AFP/File/Mike Clarke).
In this photo made available by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI greets Kenyan Rev. Samuel Kobia, the leader of the World Council of Churches, at the Vatican, Thursday, June 16, 2005. The meeting was to work towards closer unity between the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches.
Southern Europe, in the grip of a heat wave, was on the alert as fires raged on in parts of Spain, Portugal and Italy, claiming 13 lives and destroying tens of thousands of acres of brush and forest. A villager uses a tree branch to try to extinguish a wildfire near Alvaiazere, 220 Km north east of Lisbon, Europe (AFP/ Francisco Leong).
South Korea—Some 7,000 demonstrators clash with riot police officers during a rally against the U.S. troops present in South Korea (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man).
A Kenyan demonstrator is surrounded by police in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday July 20, 2005. Riot police skirmished with demonstrators in the capital for a second day Wednesday, protesting proposed constitutional amendments critics say retain too much power in the presidency. Police beat several placard-holding demonstrators with batons and lobbed tear gas at them as other demonstrators stoned the police (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi).
Sri Lankan riot police fire tear gas to disperse protesters, during a protest against the government’s plan to share the $3 billion tsunami aid with Tamil Tiger rebels, outside the parliament complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 24, 2005 (Reuters/Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi).
Scotland—Police clash with protesters in Auchterarder near the Gleneagles Hotel where the G8 summit is being held in central Scotland, July 6, 2005. Riot police clashed with protesters close to the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland (Dylan Martinez/Reuters).
On Thursday July 7, 2005 a series of four bomb attacks struck London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour. The official death toll from the July 7 bombings in central London was 88 and over 700 wounded.
An Indonesian worker digs a hole as he prepares to bury dead chickens suspected of being infected with the bird flu virus in a poultry farm in Banyumas of Central Java province, July 21, 2005. Over 400 million batches of vaccine will be used to inoculate its chickens and ducks against the deadly bird flu that has killed 40 people in the country.
Nepal—Riot policemen detain a student activist during a demonstration against the king’s seizure of absolute power in Katmandu, Nepal, on Tuesday, July 19, 2005. Police used batons on Tuesday to break up a protest by hundreds of students in Nepalese capital injuring at least 36, witnesses said. About four policemen were also hurt (AP photo/ Binod Joshi).
BEIJING—The death toll in an outbreak of pig-borne disease in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan has risen to 24, with another 117 thought to be sick, state media reported on Wednesday (Reuters).
the eternal gospel herald — volume 4, no. 3
Belgian riot police use a water cannon to disperse Congolese opposition party members during a demonstration in Brussels June 30, 2005. Demonstrators in Belgium protested against the delay of elections in Congo which should have taken place on Thursday, the 45th anniversary of the former Belgian colony’s independence (REUTERS).
The scene of a truck bombing July 24, 2005 that detonated outside the Al-Rashid police station in the Al-Mashtel neighborhood, southeast of Baghdad resulted in 39 deaths (AFP/Sabah Arar).
United States—America’s 2005 summer heat wave, which hit 100 degree or more, is blamed for 36 deaths in over 200 cities and towns from California to Illinois the National Climatic Data Center said.
Philippines—Riot police grab to arrest protesters as they try to march towards the Presidential palace in Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 to demand Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s ouster. Opposition groups have been holding almost daily protests to call for Arroyo's resignation following the emergence of a wiretapped conversation between Arroyo and an election official allegedly trying to rig the results of the 2004 elections (AP Photo/ Bullit Marquez).
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Bulgarian riot police scuffle with protestors near Sofia's main open-air dump in Suhodol, early July 8, 2005. Bulgarian officials declared a state of crisis in the country's capital on Monday as protesters blocked the city's dump for the fourth day, causing growing piles of garbage and stoking fears of disease. Residents from the Sofia suburb of Suhodol have refused to let garbage trucks into a dump near their neighborhood, saying the city broke a promise to shut it at the end of last month. The blockade has led to overflowing dustbins and two-meter-high mounds of rotting garbage throughout the capital, and officials said they feared outbreak of disease as a hot Balkan summer and heavy rains was speeding decomposition (BULGARIA REUTERS/ Trud newspaper/Plamen).
Egypt—A bomb exploded at the Egyptian Red Sea resort on July 23, 2005. The death toll from the attacks was 90 and more than 240 wounded, according to the head of the Sharm elSheik hospital.
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the eternal gospel herald — volume 4, no. 3
Recently we held our annual camp meeting in the capitol city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic during the 2nd week of July, 2005. So many of our brethren living there are seeking for truth and are desiring to participate in sharing the work of the third angel’s message. We had the opportunity to encourage the faithful in the Dominican Republic—who are being bombarded with the new theology, ecumenism, and the spirit of indifference. Many made a commitment with God to work for him and get the message out into their communities. There are plans to place a full-page advertisement proclaiming the precious, eternal truths that have been given to us by God. We praise the Lord for giving us the opportunity to witness and minister to our fellow believers. Please continue to pray for the work in the Dominica Republic so that many souls who are hungering may come to a knowledge of the truth. We met several young people who have been working door to door as medical missionaries, and we were glad to have been able to help them by supplying them with literature. One thing is for sure, if Seventh-day Adventists all over the world were to live and preach with power the messages that God has given us, there would be a tremendous awakening in this world. Persecution would inevitably result because Satan would be stirred into action; but God would be glorified and power would accompany His people. Yes, “we are not to cringe and beg pardon of the world for telling them the truth: we should scorn concealment. Unfurl your colors to meet the cause of men and angels...the world has a right to know what to expect of us” (EV p. 179). I look forward to giving you another missionary report from our upcoming camp meeting in the Philippines. —Pastor Raphael Perez
Letters Dear Pastor, I am a retired Seventh-day Adventist minister who is very concerned about the Laodicean condition of the SDA church. I am a firm believer in the writings of Ellen White, which is a rarity in the Southeastern Conference. Although retired, I conduct the church’s weekly prayer meeting, teach a Sabbath School class, and am an elder in the church. I am a firm believer in the Historic Adventist Doctrines. I must admit that sometimes I feel like a lone voice crying in the wilderness. I feel that our church has lost its distinction and mission that the Lord once gave to us. A friend of mine recently shared with me The Eternal Gospel Herald and my life was greatly blessed from reading this paper. This coming Wednesday night I will show in church your DVD video “Giving Life to the Image of the Beast.” I would greatly appreciate being added to your mailing list. Thank you so much and the Lord richly bless your ministry. Pastor R.C., California. Dear Eternal Gospel Herald, Please send me a free subscription to The Eternal Gospel Herald. I am a 6th generation Seventh-day Adventist of the historic persuasion who as a teenager rebelled against both my God and my family. I became involved with drugs and Satanism and was completely controlled by his demons. At 29 I also came to prison, which was the best thing that ever happened to me. I surrendered to Christ and now my relationship with my God and my family are better than they have ever been. I’ve been studying the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and I was finally baptized into the remnant church on September 12, 2004. I feel God is calling me to some sort of prison ministry. I’m not sure, but whatever it is it will involve the pure truth and not the “new theology.” God bless, Roger Hunt, Michigan. Dear Eternal Gospel Church, My friend showed me an article of yours entitled—Earth’s Final Warning, Chaos Awaits Major Cities…Resulting in the Enforcement of a national Sunday Law etc. At the end of the advertisement there is a book offer. I am writing to see if you are still offering the free book. Thank you, Bonnie Doncsecz, Pennsylvania.
Pastor Domingo Nuñez from Steps to Life Ministries in Kansas was a featured speaker.
Pastor Restrepo Jr. of Venezuela gave some inspirational messages.
Dear Church, I write to express my cordial thanks to your ministry for your fast response for my request on reading materials. I thank you more sincerely for the Pastor Perez of the Eternal Gospel precious book “World Crisis Foretold” by Ellen G. Church, holding an Earth’s Final Warn- White. The materials have been of great help to my ing tract, gave a report on the work. spiritual growth. May the Good Lord richly bless and guide your ministry so that the truth can reach all the ends of the world. Yours sincerely, Leod Namathanga, Malawi, Africa. Beloved in Christ, I’m writing you to let you know that even in the eastern, remote parts of Cuba there exists faithful SDA brethren who are willing to give up everything for Christ. We are not afraid of the consequences of being faithful to God’s work. I am writing you to see if you can send us materials with the present truth. The church here has abandoned the faith, even though the brethren deny that. They no longer preach the present truth message for fear of offending the Catholic church. Please pray for us and send any materials because we don’t have access to anything. We love you in the Lord, Joel Evans, a lifestyle & health consultant Gilmar Perez, Cuba. from Lake Alfred, Florida, gives a lecture on the principles of health. Dear Eternal Gospel Church, Thank you very much for
The Eternal Gospel Herald is published The Eternal Gospel Herald from West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, by PO Box 15138 the Eternal Gospel Church, a ministry that W.P.B., FL 33416 was founded in 1992 by Seventh-day Ad1-800-769-2150 ventist believers to bring true, genuine, eternalgospel@att.net world-wide revival and reformation by proclaiming the Third Angel’s Message. It is Subscription: FREE by the grace of God and the support of Note: Every effort is made to insure the each of you that we are able to participate accuracy of the information contained in publishing, radio, newspapers, billboards, and foreign missions. herein.
the materials that you print. By God’s grace I was able to obtain a Spanish copy of your Eternal Gospel Herald Vol. 2, No. 2. Everything you’ve published in there is the truth. Praise God! May the Lord bless you as you work to take the third angel’s message to the world. Nancy Sanchez, Chile. Dear Eternal Gospel Church, I get Land Marks Magazine from Steps to Life. In their July issue on the back page was an advertisement for your magazine. I wish to get a free subscription. I’m looking forward to receive your materials. Thank you, Melia Osborne, Canada.