Progressive Adventism or Emergent Theosophy ?
If you’re reading this, you probably followed the link from my
YouTube channel, or maybe it was shared by a friend. And you might
wonder why someone with relatively traditional Adventist YouTube
content, would also have links to contemporary music videos, or sermons
from the past that promote progressive Adventist views. People on the
other side of the equation may wonder why a person like me, who
obviously had an experience with the celebration movement, left that
side and went back to the other.
My YouTube functions as a
continual testimony. What i mean by that is, like the Bible writers, i
have published a variety of my experiences, both good and bad, for the
sake of transparency. In fact, if you go to the ‘videos’ section, and
list from ‘oldest’, you will see that i have posted content that
stretches back to when i was much younger, and playing in various club
bands in the 1980’s & 90’s. The reason i did that, is because i
believe in keeping it real. My journey is what it is, and i don’t feel
the need to hide my past. In fact, it probably serves to demonstrate
that my conversion was genuine, because my life is very different now,
than what it was back then.
And although i would never go back to
playing in a rock band, it is, in fact, a significant part of my past;
and the videos posted from those times, serve to communicate that i
really had those experiences. Hopefully, it also communicates that i
have the capacity to understand people that may be living similar
lifestyles now. So, although i don’t condemn them, i do try to reach
them with my current material, to offer better answers to life’s
questions than they might have; in an attempt to guide people a into a
more positive future.
So my YouTube channel is obviously
evangelistic in nature. If people drop by and learn about the
Seventh-day Adventist message, then i see that as good. Because it is
the truth for our time, and it is the only theology that is consistently
proven to be logistically honest, if you simply take the Bible as it
reads, and use a historical-grammatical set of hermeneutics to arrive at
your conclusions; which is what the apostles and prophets used
themselves.
However, not even all Adventists use this theological
approach; which has created its own set of problems within the
denomination. I have personally witnessed subtle variations of our
beliefs and practices, which originate from outside influences, directly
and indirectly, which have little to no scriptural foundation, or are
simply perversions of what were once pure oracles. And these
inconsistencies, which vary in magnitude, are in great need of
addressing and correcting.
In short, many professing SDA church
members have lost their ‘spiritual identity’. They have drifted in their
understanding of some of the most basic Bible premises, which were at
one time simply established and uncontested precepts of historical SDA
theology. What our people collectively once understood to be paramount
as ‘present truth’, some now see as dispensable, or at least of a
significantly lesser value. This may be an honest mistake on their part,
but as we sometimes say in the SDA faith: you can be sincere, and still
be sincerely wrong.
So, just to set the tone, i am not here to
condemn anyone. I have friends of all persuasions, cultures,
orientations, and political standings; both inside and outside of the
church. However, the Bible clearly states that there are conditions
attached to salvation. And although you might ‘claim’ Jesus as savior,
this profession is only as good as the fruit it bears. In essence: if
you are not living up to the light that you have, the Bible warns that
your worship is meaningless.
As a convert of 25+ years to the SDA
message, i have my own personal experience with Jesus Christ and the
study of His written documentation. Having lived outside of the
denomination for the first, almost 30 years of my life, i also have a
somewhat neutral, unbiased view of the denomination; what some might
qualify as a ‘forest for the trees’ perspective.
After entering
the church in 1997, i have been a member of 4 districts, over 25+ years;
been involved with (and sometimes chaired / headed / led) several
ministries, both within local church bodies & independent ventures,
which include: elder, deacon, sabbath school, personal ministries, youth
ministry, A/V, publishing, music, school board, nominating committee,
conference constituency delegate, and lay-pastoral training. So i have
become considerably familiar with the history, beliefs and practices of
not only the general membership; but also the hierarchal structure,
parochial school functionalities, local church operations, culture,
politics and general idiosyncrasies of the SDA denomination.
For
instance, Seventh-day Adventists have historically been known by several
distinct teachings and practices which include: observance of the 7th
day Sabbath (Saturday) as described in the Genesis account of creation;
emphasis on preaching the soon return of Jesus Christ and the end of the
current world order; the existence of a heavenly sanctuary and the
pre-advent judgement; death as a dreamless, unconscious, sleep
(precluding contact with the living); the avid study of Daniel &
Revelation; the importance of history with emphasis on the Protestant
Reformation; Creation as a science illustrating intelligent design and a
Master Designer; naturopathic health solutions; vegetarianism;
abstinence of tobacco, alcohol and caffeine; not wearing jewelry; modest
dress in general; traditional sacred music for the worship service; and
belief in a modern prophet, Ellen G. White, who’s writings are
considered inspired, and therefore carry the same authority as the Bible
writers. Correctly understood, her writings do not contradict
Scripture.
Triad Adventist Fellowship (TAF), however, is an interesting case study . . .
Founded in 2014 by a group of mostly 2nd and 3rd generation Adventists, TAF practices a bare minimal set of qualifiers for its use of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) nomenclature. This church district originally met in High Point, NC, but later moved to Kernersville. It is part of the Carolina Conference of SDA’s, and does have service on Saturday mornings; but beyond that, very few of the unique values that distinguish the denomination are prominently featured or even taken all that seriously by TAF’s leadership and most of its active members. This has prompted several visitors to ask if TAF was actually connected with the Seventh-day Adventist worldwide church organization (i.e. General Conference), or if it was an offshoot or splinter of some sort. I understand their question. I was a charter member, and attended for 3+ years.
Triad Adventist Fellowship certainly differs widely from
the majority of SDA churches around the world. Sabbath morning music is
contemporary, similar to pop/rock in nature; and most of their messages
contain very little that could be described as uniquely Adventist. Many
of the historically universal beliefs and practices of the denomination
are viewed by TAF’s leadership as unnecessary, and are sometimes even
marginalized in their Sabbath morning messages, albeit, usually with
subtly. This is based on personal experience. I was TAF’s primary music
arranger, and worked with the music leader(s) and other general
leadership personnel for 3 years. I was the music department head for
the last year i was there.
TAF’s worship motif in general could
be described as ecumenical, and contains some characteristics that
resemble the phenomenon known as the Emergent Church. TAF’s similarities
with the emergent movement, on the surface, may seem to be minimal or
incidental; but the leadership is far from apologetic about their choice
of messages and music; which are much closer to Desmond Ford and the
OneProject, than Doug Batchelor and the Heritage Singers. So TAF’s
professed belief system (by being connected with the Carolina
Conference, NAD & GC), and their observable practices, send very
mixed signals. Not so much based on what they say, as what they don’t
say. Because of this, their position on emergent theology can’t be
easily discerned by the casual visitor, or even the regular attendee.
TAF’s leadership would dismiss any of these concerns as overblown
paranoia or misinterpretation of intention; but whether this is genuine
ignorance on their part, or a carefully contrived facade, is unclear.
What makes it all the more problematic, is that emergents are
relativistic in their beliefs, and often operate in a way that
intentionally fogs information, so that clear answers to any specific
questions about things like doctrine are nearly impossible to ascertain.
Jack
Brown was TAF’s main speaker for the first year, and was viewed by many
as their lay-pastor during his time there from July 2014 to November
2015. He is a graduate of George Fox University, a college renowned for
its curriculums on Spiritual Formation. To be fair, Jack never openly
stated whether he supported, practiced or intentionally taught
emergence; but his time at George Fox University would have almost
certainly exposed him to this kind of theology. He had been known to
offer books to youth that supported these philosophies prior to the
creation of the TAF church plant. This is typical of supporters of the
emergent movement within traditional Adventism. These personalities
often operate in the hallways of mainline Adventist districts to draw
away potential followers until a church has enough support to be
flipped, or another place of worship can be established.
Although
Jack is no longer attending TAF, his influence lives on through his
legacy of past messages and relationships with the current leadership.
He is a highly respected, and endeared part of their past. Jack made an
appearance as guest speaker on their 5th anniversary celebration in the
summer of 2019, and would be warmly welcomed any time he could make the
trip from his home in the western US.
Triad Adventist Fellowship
was effectively the brainchild of Matt Stockdale. In his testimony, he
has stated that he believes that God led him to establish a church plant
that would re-connect with former members who had stopped attending,
due to broken relationships with the church, or bad experiences that
drove them out. Matt was an elder at the nearby Kernersville church, and
worked with the Carolina Conference to establish a core group which
eventually launched the TAF plant in July 2014, with Kernersville being
the original sponsor church. Matt was TAF’s primary lay-leader for
nearly 10 years.
He previously operated a private law practice
for a period of time, and later became an assistant district attorney
for Guilford County. He has also taught law classes at High Point
University. The combination of SDA background and real-world law
practice would seem to be the perfect mix to give someone a very clear
understanding of the Biblical balance between law & grace; but TAF’s
presentations on these, and other topics, often present a somewhat
alternate view; when compared with historical Adventist systematic
theology and the 28 fundamentals.
The current TAF leadership appears to be continuing with the status quo, which was originally set by their founders. And they are progressively broadening their sphere of influence through contact with other local SDA churches, and leadership at our multi-district constituent school, Tri-City Christian Academy. It is somewhat puzzling to consider why a group of people would represent their specific denomination’s doctrine and practice, as being so open to interpretation and inconsequential. And also why the parent conference allows it. But the simplest answer would be that they are probably influenced (consciously or otherwise) by the phenomenon known as the Emergent Church . . .
The Emergent Church is an operational
motif of the ecumenical movement, which was originally engineered at
Vatican II, a worldwide council held by the Catholic Church from
1962-1965. The emergent phenomenon encourages many spiritualistic
aspects of worship, similar to the charismatic movement: contemporary
music, the de-emphasizing of doctrine, eastern style meditation, the
Holy Spirit as a force or power (rather than a specific person), praying
to the spirits of the dead, charismatic style faith healing, etc.
Some
Adventist leaders and evangelists who have studied the emergent
phenomenon have expressed that it has considerable similarities with
what E.G. White described as ‘the Omega of Apostasy’. But even if its
not the omega, it certainly has problems.
Leaders, members, and
other attendees at Triad Adventist Fellowship may simply not understand
these issues. This note isn’t intended as a judgement of their motives
or character. In fact, mainstream SDA doctrine teaches that God is
merciful and will not hold individuals accountable for what they
honestly don’t understand. However, the Bible also indicates that this
time of probationary grace will eventually end, and the issues will
become abundantly clear; leading to a point in time where people will
have to make an intentional choice to either: remove themselves from any
apostate theology and practices, or be lost.
Jesus has given us
warnings in the books of Daniel and Revelation, which are designed to
identify false systems of worship. We should take these messages
seriously, and try to understand them fully, so that we are not
deceived. For more information about the Emergent Church, Contemporary
Christian Music, and what Ellen White called the Omega of apostasy, see
the links that follow. You owe it to yourself to be fully informed.
The Emergent Church (A Brief Introduction):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAi1WppgV3o
The Emergent Church & Theistic Evolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZweSq_KIkU
Emergent Church: Catholic Origins & Intentional, Non-Institutional Deployment:
https://www.audioverse.org/en/teachings/5572/01-the-emergingemergent-church-what-it-is-where-it-comes-from-and-why-it-matters
The Catholic Greek Influence of Emergent Theosophy:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00jP4_SR-cBZ6sDd5qg-bsVsjr2-kobp
1844, Darwin, Freud, Marx, Coexist, Pantheism, Theistic Evolution, & Kellogg’s Living Temple:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00jP4_SR-cC0xyaBKI1U_0nIKflgvwRo
Music in the Last Days:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00jP4_SR-cDqvV2oQ8W37MRlUdvQ5pbo
MusicVerse & Bethel Backmasking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPiCbgMP1hs
Music & the Christian:
https://rumble.com/playlists/VXtY7hCWEWk
Distraction Dilemma:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gEkGwxa0Ls&list=PLNomdEoen2NU3QS5OCJFhSclfNDTv4d6x
AdVindicate 1: The One Project’s: ‘Ecclesiological Contribution’ Analyzed
http://advindicate.com/articles/2015/5/11/the-one-projects-ecclesiological-contribution-analyzed
AdVindicate 2: Interview with Steve Wohlberg on the emerging church
http://advindicate.com/articles/2013/10/25/interview-with-steve-wolhberg-on-the-emerging-church
Ministry Magazine:
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2010/03/the-emerging-church
The One Project Analyzed:
https://www.fulcrum7.com/blog/2016/3/20/9gd30yruy7bjomne82h451g2ip45hi
Adventist Affirm:
https://www.adventistsaffirm.org/previous-issues/volume-22-number-2/the-emerging-church-more-than-just-a-face-lift
By Invitation Only:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1djWKfMe64&list=PL13eE2x3qhPmNkerITL-vUdzjs2aPQP-R
The Omega Rebellion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZB4WWYvFh0&list=PL13eE2x3qhPmpY4tEA2QvIPvZswNv3sw7
The Omega: The Train of Deception Progresses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBXIyr7HgYk&list=PL13eE2x3qhPk4PqGRb5KY9fsLI-L_CcVo
Spiritual Formation is Not Compatible With Bible Adventism:
https://www.fulcrum7.com/blog/2017/11/18/sorry-alex-spiritual-formation-is-not-compatible-with-bible-adventism
Operation Iceberg:
https://www.operationiceberg.com/
Silence No More:
https://silencenomore.net/
The One Project, Emerging Church, Spiritual Formation, Etc.
http://thegreatcontroversy.info/the-one-project.html
Progressive Adventism (Wikipedia confirms that it isn’t really Adventism):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Adventism
Hillsong Abuse:
https://youtu.be/5uHd7auGw64