HOME / PROCLAMATION! MAGAZINE / 2010 / JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH / LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

January February March 2010
VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1

---

D E P A R T M E N T S

LETTERS to the Editor

 

Adventist dualism exposed

I just had an opportunity last night to sit down in front of the fire and read your article ["Who Is the Source?"]. I think you did an outstanding job of addressing Adventism's reliance on Ellen G. White and the gap between what is said externally and what is generally held to be true internally. The dualism of Adventism is one of the most frustrating things to me as I try to talk to evangelicals who have Adventist friends. Evangelicals rarely, if ever, have the knowledge necessary to elicit more than surface denials from Adventists. Thank you for helping to expose this dualism.

Lincoln, NE

The "Source"

Thank you for your excellent article on Ellen White, "Who is the Source?" The Adventist Church has persistently refused to face the problem of Ellen White's authority, as well as her plagiarism, a related issue. With somewhat equal, competing sources for its theology, contradictions between the Bible and Ellen White will continue to loom menacingly over its theological claims. Mormons and Christian Scientists, facing the same dilemma between para-scriptural and Scriptural sources, have opted officially to prefer the para-scriptural over the Scriptural (Joseph Smith, Jr., Mary Baker Eddy, respectively). Adventists, as you have pointed out, officially deny Ellen White interpretive authority over Scripture, but in practice, tend actually to side with Ellen White.

Jerry Gladson
Keenesaw, GA

Close to agnostic

Thank you for Colleen Tinker's article, "Who is the Source?" As I made my way out of the only cultural, religious, and social environment I had ever known, I, too, went through this process. I call it the "Is it real? Or is it Memorex?" moment. It is very unsettling to be thinking about something and then realize, "How do I know that? Is it historical? Biblical? Or is it from Ellen White?" The beliefs that were presented to me as facts were so fundamental to my thinking that it took a while to recognize them and root them out. It was affirming to see that I was not the only one who went through the same paradigm shift.

Although the process of leaving the Adventist cult has left me close to being an agnostic, I remain interested in the issues and am grateful for your ministry.

Tolono, IL

 

Steps to Christ

In response to "Who is the Source" by Colleen Tinker: Please share a sentence or paragraph from Steps to Christ by Ellen White that is NOT absolutely grounded in Scripture. Please, share specifics as to why the sentence or paragraph is NOT grounded in Scripture. I know that you will not reply, for you cannot give any Biblical reasons.

Richland, WA

 

Editor's response: The title is the first example of an unbiblical concept: Steps to Christ. According to Scripture, there are no "steps" to Christ: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). Paul and Silas told the Philippian jailor, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). Jesus told Nicodemus that only those who were born again of the Spirit would see the Kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:3). Paul explains how this new birth happens: "after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13).

We are saved entirely by the work of God in our hearts. We do not participate in saving ourselves or in staying saved. If we cannot be saved by works, neither can we be lost by works. The concept of taking "steps to Christ" is not a biblical concept. The only thing we can "do" is to respond to the holiness of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit by prostrating ourselves before Him in repentance and accepting His diagnosis of us as "objects of wrath" (Eph. 2:3) in need of a Savior, receiving the Lord Jesus' already-completed work on our behalf.

 

Amazing Grace

I have been an Adventist for 30 of my 41 years of life. My journey to discovering God's amazing grace and the glory of Jesus Christ has been more than I could have imagined. I was unsatisfied with my religious experience; I did not know exactly why, so I asked God to help me and to guide me daily to know His Truth. God would fortify my spirit through prayer, through the study of His Word, and through seeking nothing but His Truth presented in His Word. I began to realize I was relying on my day of worship as a type of "saving grace". The truth, as I found out after three years of constant study, is that Jesus Christ Himself was, is, and always will be my Saving Grace.

My struggle began as a journey for truth—not what someone thought to be truth, but what God in His Word states is truth. Through reading the book of Hebrews, it became clear there was a reason for a second more perfect covenant, the pure, sinless perfect gift of God's only begotten Son as the perfect atonement for our sins.

The more I read the more assured I become of the gift of God's salvation. I accepted this gift through His loving mercy He bestows upon each and everyone. My life has not been the same since.

Knowing Christ in this way presented me with some decisions. Should I continue in my Adventist church knowing Christ alone is the complete finished work for my sins, knowing the Sabbath rest is not a day of worship but a rest in Jesus Christ as my Savior? After much prayer and meditation it was clear I had to fully and completely follow Christ and no longer be a member of the Adventist church. This is what has happened, and I praise God for His Word, His Son, and the Joy in living fully only by His perfect gift of grace!

Anchorage, AK

 

Destructive church doctrine

I recently bought a book written by Martha Beck entitled Leaving the Saints. It is about her experience of being raised in the Mormon doctrine and how through the years she slowly concluded that it was a false doctrine and was finally able to leave it.

During the time she was a Mormon, she was taught that because of their unique doctrine which was influenced by their prophet Joseph Smith, they are very special people and have "the truth".

What I find to be so ironic about that mindset is its similarity to what my wife experienced as she was raised in the Adventist doctrine. Like so many others, she was taught that because of their unique doctrine which was influenced by their prophetess, Ellen White, they are very special people and have "the truth".

Through the leading of the Holy Spirit over several years, my wife was able to conclude that a church denomination is not "the truth" and left the Adventist doctrine behind and embraced the real truth: Jesus. Jesus himself said: "I am the way, the truth and the life."

What is so destructive about a church doctrine that teaches such heresy is that it leaves some of the members in such a state of confusion that they sometimes throw out the baby with the dirty bath water. Such is the case of Martha Beck, who threw out Jesus along with the Mormon doctrine and now embraces New Age philosophy.

I want to commend you at Life Assurance Ministries and Proclamation! You did not throw out the baby (Jesus) with the dirty bath water of the Adventist doctrine. In fact, your articles embrace and lift Him up!

Please continue to send us Proclamation! We continue to pray for this ministry and pray that others may find the real "truth": Jesus.

Milliken, CO

 

Unholy Bible by Tinker and Ratzlaff

Have you people totally lost your mind—or what's left of it? I can't believe the texts you give or use so you do not have to keep the Sabbath. I have checked and cross-checked, and nowhere do any of the texts you use give us permission to use the Sabbath for our own labor….You can't keep the Sabbath passably by believing that because you believe in Christ, you are keeping the Sabbath…The command by God Himself is that you are to remember and keep it—period. That means you and me. You cannot do it vicariously as you seem to believe.

And again about Sister White. Why don't you leave her alone. The only reason you attack her is because she constantly points everyone to believe in the Bible and in Christ and you can't tolerate that because you and the likes of your group twist every Bible text around until it says what you want it to say so then it won't point a finger at you and the sins you are committing.

I think you should write a Bible. It should be called the Unholy Bible by Tinker and Ratzlaff. You seem to "tinker" with any text of the Bible that you cannot overcome or that points out error in your lives. You and your followers are nothing but a farce and a fraud. I don't see any truth in anything you say or write. You are simply leading many souls to eternal destruction by your falsehoods and deception. By the way, please don't continue to call those poor souls that follow your false teachings "former Seventh-day Adventists". They are not nor have they ever been true Adventists, so let's not try to fool ourselves or others.

Avon Park, FL

 

Keep up the great work

What a tremendous publication Proclamation! magazine is. Some Christians might think that the work of Proclamation! is of little importance, but believe me, it is much needed in the evangelical world today because it exposes Seventh-day Adventism for what it is. I've known many Adventists in my life who actually believed they were saved by observing certain dietary laws (something that is never taught in the Bible, and neither is the Seventh-day Adventist fixation with vegetarianism). In fact, I've known a few Adventists who actually believed that the words of Ellen White take precedence over what the Bible says.

God bless you, and keep up the great work.

LeRoy, NY

 

Changed my views

I'd love to receive a copy of your magazine. The last year and a half has been an amazing journey of discovery. The local Adventist pastor had actively sought to recruit us into his fellowship. I am extremely wary of any new fellowship that my family might attend, and so always do my due diligence. The experience has changed my views, strengthened our faith, and caused us to look for a deeper understanding of the Adventist beliefs. We now pray for the pastor and his family, that they might come to a saving faith in Christ, and that they would be honest as to their motives in attending and participating in the local pastors' association. Thanks for your ministry.

Fort Jones, CA

 

Repent is my prayer

I am a former Catholic turned Seventh-day Adventist. I do not go to the church, but I will be the first one to speak against you to my Heavenly Father for your attack on Mrs. White. That beautiful lady helped save my life in every way because of her perfect Bible teachings. Yes, the truth does set us free. I have told others, and it is true, that in my thirty years of comparing her writings with those of the Holy Bible, I have never found her to err even just once. Some have said that she speaks of common things and they must be separated from the spiritual. I have not found any of her writings to be of the common variety either…Her writings have been sent by God to magnify his Holy Word, and deep down I believe you know that and have benefited….

God sent you such a simple test. All you had to do was accept the person of Jesus, and his truth, in the person of Ellen G. White. But when you shut the door of your heart and home and family against that beautiful lady, I'm afraid, as did Satan, you locked yourself out. No one can blaspheme the Holy Spirit and be guiltless.

No doubt, rather then repent, if you still can, you will turn and rend me. But I will not let Satan have you to believe you are all right in your misguided situation. God can do miracles still. Repent is my prayer for you.

Via email

 

Thank you for Proclamation!

I want to thank you [Dale Ratzlaff] for your publication Proclamation! as well as all the many books you have written.

Four years ago my knowledge of Adventism was that it was a denomination that went to church on Saturday; that's it. But after reading their fundamental beliefs, The Great Controversy (1911), Early Writings (1894), some of Patriarchs and Prophets, and Letter to the Little Flock by Ellen G. White, then numerous books by Dale Ratzlaff, Jerry Gladson, Mark Martin, Greg Taylor, Sidney Cleveland and others (just to find out why so many became ex-Adventists), I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could write a negative letter to the editor. I would be scared to death to be an Adventist with all the unbiblical doctrine they teach…

Frankford, DE

 

 

---

Send letters to the editor to:

Editor, Proclamation! Magazine
P.O. Box 7776
Redlands, CA 92375

Or email editor: proclamation@gmail.com

Life Assurance Ministries

Mission

To proclaim the good news of the new covenant gospel of grace in Christ and to combat the errors of legalism and false religion.

 

Motto

Truth needs no other foundation than honest investigation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to follow truth when it is revealed.

 

Message

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not of works, that no one should boast." Ephesians 2:8,9

I began to realize I was relying on my day of worship as a type of "saving grace". The truth, as I found out after three years of constant study, is that Jesus Christ Himself was, is, and always will be my Saving Grace.

…I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could write a ­negative letter to the editor. I would be scared to death to be an Adventist with all the unbiblical doctrine they teach.