| Author | Message | ||
| Max Gordon Phillips |
Dear Adventist Friend: Adventist Today Editor John McLarty would ìrather be known as an Adventist than a Christian.î DOES HE REPRESENT YOUR VIEW? Mainstream and conservative Adventists, take note: Very careful note. A new vision of Seventh-day Adventism is unfolding. Known as a ìrevisioningî of the Adventist ìidentity,î the glittering new banner seeks to lead the more-or-less wealthier, and definitely more educated and professional Adventist cultural elite. Lead them in an exodus out of the depressing fundamentalist, cultist ghetto of their more conservative brethren. And into the Promised Land that floweth with the milk and honey of * a less uptight lifestyle, * triumphant natural* theology, * celebration worship replete with ordained women, and * an un-squinting eyeball-to-eyeball dialog with post-modernists, Darwinian evolutionists, Buddhists, Jews, agnostics, atheists, etcetera without foreseeable end. One of the more extravagant examples of this ìidentity revisioningî ferment is a feature article in the June 2000 issue of SDA lay journal ADVENTIST TODAY, pages 20 and 21. Written by its editor, John McLarty, who is also an SDA pastor in the Washington Conference, the piece is titled, ìWhy Bother with the Denomination?î Why indeed? Well, if youíre not of the mainstream or conservative ñ and certainly not ìhistoricalî ñ persuasion, you might well ask that question. And if youíre not dependent on the good old denom for your daily manna, you would most assuredly ask it. McLartyís answer? Sitting down in the shade with a glass of ice-cubed water in hand against the summer heat? Here it is: ìTo be blunt, Iíd rather be known as an Adventist than a Christian.î And, yes, he really does mean it. Means it almost down to the ìMe Tarzan, you Janeî level. And the proof of the pudding, as the old-world saying goes, is in the eating. Soooo, bon appetit! SDA PARTISANSHIP IS TO BE ADMIRED. For McLarty it is denominationalism, in this instance, Adventism ñ and not Christ ñ that holds together the local church he pastors. This despite the fact that an in-context paraphrase of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1 warns us against such a mindset: ìDo not say, I am of the Adventists! For Christ is not divided. And Ellen G. White was not crucified for you!î ITíS ìOUTREACHî NOW, NOT EVANGELISM. In McLartyís view, it is Adventism that is ìessential for effective outreach to non-Christians.î And never you mind that Adventist ìoutreachî in North America is not now and never has been directed to non-Christians. Nor does McLarty make clear what the ìrevisioned Adventist identityî even is, much less show how it might effectively reach Christians, let alone non-Christians. AND DIVERSITY IS OF THE COOKIE-CUTTER VARIETY. In an almost incomprehensible statement McLarty contends, ìBeing part of a denomination works to increase the theological and spiritual diversity in Adventist congregations.î In my long experience in at least 20 Adventist local congregations, I have learned, often to my hurt and that of countless others, that just the opposite is the case: The overarching denominational ìbig tentî only works to decrease such diversity. Denominationalism only works to homogenize theological discourse and to standardize spiritual conduct. BEST OF ALL, ADVENTISM BEATS CHRISTIANITY HANDS DOWN: According to McLarty Adventism beats Christianity hands down. The fact that Christ is mentioned only once in the entire article ñ and that only tangentially -- fuels a growing sense of foreboding that McLarty speaks not about Christianity at all. But only about some vague, virtually Christless vestige of an earlier Adventism. An Adventism that many in Christendom have long suspected to be little more than quasi-Christian. This especially in view of the SDA doctrine of the investigative judgment, which McLarty has admitted he both likes and believes to be true. Strangely, McLarty wears the ìNot Christianî albatross as a badge of honor. Nor -- in defense of it -- is he above sensationalist mischaracterization and/or bombastic overstatement: Item #1. ìíChristian,í in America, means belief in the god of eternal torment.î A patently false charge, which he repeats in a footnote applied to ìEvangelicals.î Item #2. ìIn the minds of many, Christians are people who hate homosexuals and bomb abortion clinics.î If the word ìmanyî were changed to ìa fewî this charge might have a modicum of merit, but even then not in contradistinction to Adventists per se. Item #3. ìíChristianí does not help me share the gospel with my secular neighbors.î And the appellation ìAdventistî does? I donít think so. Item # 4. ìThe baggage that comes with my Adventist identity [is] less than comes with the label ëChristian.íî Not only does McLarty fail to support so grotesque a straw man, but he knocks it over in the same paragraph: For ìbeing an Adventistî is what ìconnects me with the evil in Rwanda, where my people were both killers and victims.î To McLarty's everlasting shame -- whether he recognizes it or not -- it is saddest of facts that no other denomination in recent memory has to bear so gruesome a burden. Item #5. ìThe denomination is not the same as the Body of Christ.î For McLarty this Iím-sure unintended confession is all too obviously true. Item #6. ìAdventist theology is the form of Christianity best suited to reach the modern, education mind.î This is the only instance in the entire article where McLarty admits that Adventism is anything other than superior to Christianity, although he would probably argue that he always assumed it was a part. But even at that, he makes no attempt to explain how the SDA ìcherished doctrineî of the investigative judgment ñ which McLarty likes so well and believes to be so true ñ could so much as enter the same arena with the likes of perspicacious ìBuddhists, Jews, agnostics and garden variety non-religious Americans.î Item #7. ìOur approach to revelation/inspiration is praiseworthy.î But how much value does ìthe modern, educated mindî place on self-praise? We know that Jesus valued it at zero or less (in Matthew 23:5-12, for instance). Item #8. ìWhile regarding the Bible as the Word of God, we do not believe the Bible is the ëwords of God.íî I doubt that this particular word craft would fly very well with 99% of the 10 million Seventh-day Adventist believers aboard. Item #9. ìWe are driven to interpret what the Bible says in a way that does not violate human intelligenceÖ.î Given the investigative judgment doctrine, I doubt that this particular word craft would fly very well with 99% of the worldís non-Adventist theologians. Nor would his follow-up statement -- ìThis idea of Godís intelligibility and lawfulness underlies our doctrines of judgmentÖ.î ñ fare much better. ELLEN WHITE ñ NOT SCRIPTURE ñ STILL REIGNS SUPREME. In McLartyís words this meaning hides behind the skirts of the denominationís current ordination-of-women issue, but nonetheless it can be detected there, peeking around: ìWe should ordain women or dethrone Ellen White. (I prefer ordination.)î LOVE COMES LAST. McLartyís concluding remarks remind the reader, ìThe very first qualification for any genuine Christian reform is love.î The trouble is, nothing in his foregoing remarks justifies this conclusion. It seems tacked on like the paper donkeyís tail. And the reader is free to make of this what he/she will. Under grace, not denominationalism, Jude *As opposed to revealed theology. | ||
| Maryann |
Very insightful and an amazing post! Maryann | ||
| Colleentinker |
Max Gordon PhillipsóI applaud you and am unspeakably proud of you for revealing the soul of Jude the Obscure! Thank you for trusting us with your true identity! We have all been blessed by Jude the Obscure, and we will treasure even more the insightful and pithy offerings of the real Max Phillips! Thank you for this article review of McLarty's Adventist Today feature. As always, it is good, thoughtful, and isightful work. Applause and grace to you, Max Phillips! Colleen | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Max, I too was absolutely proud of you. As you can see by my above post, you left me nearly speechless. ME! making a 6 word post! That was quite an accomplishment. Slap, slap, slap on the back. Max, this I think, will bring on the added strengh, courage and warmth that was behind the Jude so many knew and the Max that so few of us know and love. Sorry, I'm still half speechless. Grace and peace to you, Jude. Onward and upward to you, Max. Maryann | ||
| Bruce H |
Max It is freedom. | ||
| Darrell (Darrell) |
Wow, I have been too busy to read FAF for a few weeks and suddenly I find that Jude the Obscure has become Max! Am I just biased, or has anyone else thought that Adventist Today is less interesting now than when Colleen was managing editor? I used to look forward to receiving my copy, but now I just yawn and put it down to look at later. In answer to Max's question at the top of this subject, I would rather be known as a Christian than as an Adventist, in fact recently on a jury summons questionaire I gave my religious preference as "Evangelical Christian". (Come to think of it, that may limit my chances of being picked for a jury!) | ||
| Max |
Darrell, G R E A T ... P O S T Haven't had such a good laugh in awhile. Thanks, Darrell. Have you thought of writing a letter to the editor of AT expressing your views? Might prove interesting to see if they would print it. Also, did you know Jim Walters has resigned as AT's publisher? He's still on the masthead as treasurer. Makes you wonder what's going on there. Blessings, Max | ||
| Steve |
Whavever happened to wanting to be known simply as a "Christian?" Has the word become so tainted that it has no meaning anymore? Has Christianity split up into so many factions that "worldlings" won't know what we mean if we just say we're a Christian? Do I need to label myself as a "Non-denominational Baptist, Ex-Seventh-Day Evangelical-Charismatic Tuesday-Afternoon Born-Again Grace-Oriented Slightly-Sanctified Wholly-Justified Bible-Only North-American Protestant-Reformed Mostly-Calvinistic Rock-n-Roll Clapping-Not-Dancing Yahweh-Worshipping Messiah-Believing 7-Day Creationist Christian?" The "baggage" that McLarty refers to is both real and imaginary. But we can't let the baggage that is associated with the name "Christian" keep us from using that word. I was a registered Democrat for about the first 20 years of my voting life. I registered Prohibition Party for a few years. Now I'm Republican (with all the baggage that goes along with it.) Should I refrain from voting because the political parties that are in power in this country may be corrupt? Of course not. I'm still an American citizen (and happy to be one.) I'll continue to participate in the political process as a citizen as long as I'm legally allowed to. And until I'm forced out of the process, I won't change that. But should I change the way I relate to Christianity because there's A LOT of baggage associated with? Of course not. McLarty is WAY off base. And as Darrell indicates above, perhaps Adventist Today is getting more off base than it originally was. (Or maybe our eyes are opened to how off base it was to begin with -- that is with all due respect to our sister Colleen.) I for one, paraphrasing a FAF regular, desire to be known only as Christian . . . period. Steve | ||
| Colleen Tinker (Colleentinker) |
SteveóI agree with your assesment of AT. I believe, though, that God has used it in spite of itself. He seems to do that with all of us! Colleen | ||
| Max |
I want to share my opinion relative to Colleen's work on AT. She was MUCH MORE than just managing editor. I've been in publishing and journalism all my adult life, and I've published maybe eight or ten times in AT. And from my experience, I can tell you that as a news correspondent, Colleen almost single-handedly made AT what it was one time. The woman has all the right stuff for that kind of a job: nose for news, objectivity, perspective, tenacity, willingness to work hard and "sweat the small stuff" (for the devil is ALWAYS in the details), etc., etc., etc. And her departure is in no small measure the reason why AT is (in my opinion, at least) little more than a pitiful husk of its once mighty self. So LET'S HEAR IT FOR COLLEEN! Max | ||
| Surfin' |
http://www.atoday.com/magazine/archive/1996/marapr1996/articles/OpenLetter.shtml Max, Have your views changed since this article was published? | ||
| Anonymous |
Max: Are you Jude? Why the name change? Are you the Max from the above link? Many Questions. | ||
| Steve |
Hi All, Well, I just dragged out a couple of "old" issues of Adventist Today. It does seem that in some of the old volumes, issues were addressed without necessarily defending the church. In the recent issues it does appear that defense of the church is happening. It looks like Max the Unobscure is very correct in his assessment of AT. I agree, let's hear it for Colleen! Good job, Colleen! They lost a good HONEST Christian when they lost you. God Bless, Steve | ||
| Max |
Anonymous! Great to hear your voice! Yes, I'm Jude the Obscure. And who, pray tell, are you? Jude the Obscure = Max Gordon Phillips | ||
| Wendy Forsyth |
Jude, please see my post on the keeping any day thread. As far as the bizarre man who wrote the article in AT, you know that there will be shaking in the church(God's Church), at the end of time. This man certainly does not represent, and most certainly must distress the majority of Adventists. It is very scary to read stuff like that. I don't have to be mainstream to be Adventist and that is what saves my relationship with the church. And I certainly am foremost a christian. The Adventist church could certainly pass away and my relationship with Christ would remain unchanged. It is tragic that so many "bad" Adventists, have ruined the original message of the gospel, and what E.G.White tried to accomplish. As you yourself said, Willie is the one who pushed her into the position she is in today. She would be horrified at the way the AC has played out today. With it's Walla Walla's, Berrien Springs, Takoma Park's. With people terrified to step on a crack or lose salvation. Her writings and intent have certainly been corrupted. That doesn't mean she is useless. Anyway, more on the other thread. God Bless! | ||
| Max |
Hi Wendy, Would you mind writing Adventist Today (AT) a letter-to-the-editor pointing out your views? I, for one, think they are quite valid as they relate to AT and the SDA "re-visioning" movement that John McLarty represents. You even have my permission to say "Max sent me" if you wish. Real grace alone, and bless you, Wendy, precious child of God, Max | ||
| Jude Max Phillips |
To whom it may concern: Letters to the editor of Adventist Today may be mailed to: Adventist Today P.O. Box 8026 Riverside, CA 92515-8026 | ||
| Anonymous |
I am a person that you may not trust. You have questioned my motives here. I have called you J the O. You are smart enough to figure it out. | ||
| Max |
Oh, yes! Now I remember. You are the sleepless shadow, the man with a million masks, the presto-changeo magician, the farm dog's bite behind the friendly "arf arf arf," the knower of numerologies all, the spy who came in from the cold and then went back out again, the cybersleuth whose viruses are feared by every cyberdoc on the planet and in orbit, the Seventh-day Adventist who never goes to church, nemesis of the queen of hearts, of whom Our Lady of pled, "Out, out, damned spot!" the scourge of webmasters, owner of a million cyberkeys, cracker of passwords all, albeit jack of none. Well, fat sails, voyager! Jude the Obscure = Max Gordon Phillips | ||
| Wendy Forsyth |
Oh my!:0 If this isn't intrigue... |
