Recently Donald Trump took a shot at Dr. Ben Carson by implying that Carson’s Seventh-Day Adventism was not mainstream and might not be accepted by evangelicals as being within the orthodoxy of Christianity while also implying that Trump is a mainstream Christian. While it is true that the denomination is believed to be a cult by some, most Christian scholars say they are within Christian orthodoxy.<\/p>\n
What is it that this denomination teaches that makes some Christians question the orthodoxy of Seventh-Day Adventists? Also, Trump should have known that it is not wise for those in glass houses to throw stones. What do we know about Trump’s own Christian identity?<\/p>\n
The Adventism of the Millerites of 1845 is different from the Adventism of today but strange aberrant beliefs still do exist in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Even so, most Christian leaders claim the Adventists believe the essentials of the Christian faith so they should not be labeled a cult. I will lay out some of the facts on Christianity that Trump and Carson identify with and let the readers decide where the truth lies.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump threw the first stone as if he is a mainstream Christian because he was once baptized in a Presbyterian USA church (one of the most liberal denominations in the United States that even performs same-sex marriage). Don’t get me wrong, I like Trump, but he does like to throw stones at opponents. The following is from CNN and the first and last paragraph is quoting Trump:<\/p>\n
\n“I am Presbyterian Protestant. I go to Marble Collegiate Church<\/strong>,” he told reporters in Greenville, S.C.<\/p>\n
Marble Collegiate Church was founded in 1628 and is one of the oldest continuous Protestant denominations in the country. The church is part of the Reformed Church in America denomination<\/strong> and is on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.<\/p>\n
Trump has expressed admiration for Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the author of the self-help book “The Power of Positive Thinking,” and the pastor at Marble Collegiate Church for 52 years from 1932 until 1984, according to the church website. Peale died in 1993.<\/p>\n
“Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking was my pastor,” Trump said Tuesday. “To this day one of the great speakers I’ve seen. You hated to leave church. You hated when the sermon was over. That’s how great he was at Marble Collegiate Church.” (bold emphasis is mine)
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nDr. Norman Vincent Peale believed in Universalism. He was a heretic. His book helped start the positive confession movement that now plagues Christianity. Peale was the mentor of Robert Schuller. Both believed in Universalism. They did not believe in judgment, they believed that all major world religions contained paths to God and all people would be saved eventually.<\/p>\n
Positive confession was recently recycled as The Secret<\/em> and popularize by people like Oprah Winfrey who pushes New Spirituality (recycled New Age teaching). Word of Faith Theology also spouts much of the same positive thinking and positive confession drivel that Peale and Schuller popularized. Only they take it to another level where the spoken words of Christians contain creative power.<\/p>\n
Trump says he is a Presbyterian, but he claims to attend Marble Collegiate Church.\u00a0Marble Collegiate Church is not a Presbyterian church. It it is in the Reformed Church of America denomination. The same denomination as was Peale and Robert Schuller. And the present pastor of that church said Trump is not an active member of their church.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump should not be throwing stones at the Seventh-day Adventist denomination from the foundation of Robert Schuller’s Glass Cathedral. Peale was out of that church pulpit over thirty years ago. Since then maybe Trump was mostly attending Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power<\/em> program on his home TV listening to Schuller’s “what you can believe you can achieve spiel”. With Peale’s power of positive thinking firmly set in Trump’s mind, it is no wonder that Trump now likes the gospel of Paula White. He recently had her invite like-minded “Christian” media leaders to meet with him. It appears to me that Paula White replaced Peale and Schuller as Trump’s positive confession media Guru.<\/p>\n
Paula White is a “Word of Faith” speak it into existence Dominion Theology false prophet and prosperity huckster. Maybe I should not blame Trump for thinking that Christianity is some identity with those who believe they can speak their imaginations or delusions into reality. That probably is all the “Christianity” Trump has ever been exposed to. The people he listens to don’t know the true gospel themselves. With the positive confession background that Trump apparently follows and seems to spout himself, he might become a mouthpiece for the Harlot of Revelation 17 if he is ever elected to the presidency.<\/p>\n
After that observation and some admitted speculation about Donald Trump’s “Christianity”, I can now get to Dr. Ben Carson’s Seventh-day Adventist denomination.<\/p>\n
Overview<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
The Seventh-day Adventists descended from the Millerite movement. William Miller claimed that Jesus would return in 1843 but when that did not happen he firmly fixed the date to be in 1844. After the “Great Disappointment”<\/strong> of 1844, Hiram Edson claimed that they had misunderstood. He claimed that Jesus did not to come to earth that year because the sanctuary to be cleansed was not on earth it was in Heaven.<\/p>\n
Edson claimed that in 1844 Jesus moved from the Holy Place in the sanctuary in heaven to the Most Holy Place. Jesus has now been cleansing the Most Holy part of the sanctuary since 1844. The Seventh-Day Adventists call what Jesus is doing the “investigative judgment”.<\/strong> (He is examining the lives of all converts to determine who lived out a life worthy to receive eternal life). After the investigative judgment is complete, and Jesus determines those worthy of eternal life (based on how they lived). The resurrection of the just will take place and they will go with Jesus. The rest of humanity living on the earth will die in the judgment and will sleep until the resurrection of the unjust.<\/p>\n
Much of what Adventists believe is based on the visions and writings of Ellen G. White. The domination claims that Ellen White received the “Spirit of Prophecy”<\/strong>. They claim she restored the gift of prophecy. The “gift” was given to her to help instruct their denomination. White joined with other Adventist leaders to form the Seventh-day Adventist Church.<\/p>\n
Over the years, there were teachings from some within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination that the more contemporary denominational leadership could not sanction. Therefore, official Seventh-day Adventist doctrine was established in 1957. It is found in a volume called “Questions on Doctrine”.<\/strong> Any doctrine that is not in agreement with “Questions on Doctrine” is not the position of the denomination.<\/p>\n
One thing must be understood or they would certainly would fall in the cult category. They do not<\/strong> believe that Ellen White was on the same level as the biblical prophets. It is more like what Pentecostals believe about their so-called anointed prophets of today. The big different is that there was only one woman who received the “spirit of prophecy” for Adventists. They do say that the Bible is the only infallible authority.<\/p>\n
Points on their doctrine:<\/strong><\/p>\n
They are orthodox on the major points of Christian Theology as to scripture being the highest authority, the nature of Christ, atonement for sin, the plan of salvation, the return of Jesus, and the resurrection of the just and unjust.<\/p>\n
However, in spite of these orthodox positions they also have some rather contrived doctrines that most in Christendom do not accept. They support their aberrant beliefs with scripture, but they use very bad\u00a0hermeneutics to do so. They seem to make scripture conform to Adventist doctrine and not the other way around.<\/p>\n
They do not deny essential doctrines of the faith, but they make fanciful leaps of ill-logic to support what some might call secondary doctrines. They seem to rely more on the writings of Ellen White than on any sound Bible exegesis. If you ask me, their unique interpretations of Revelation and other prophetic scriptures is simply pathetic.<\/p>\n
All of their following doctrines are based on wrong assumptions or wrong interpretations of scriptures that can be refuted by using other scriptures,\u00a0correct hermeneutics, and the historical record of the Church. God is not the author of confusion but the Seventh-day Adventist denomination can be.<\/p>\n
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- They generally teach that Christendom changed the Sabbath to Sunday –<\/strong> Most in Christendom never took the view that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday. Most in Christendom worship and assemble on the first day of the week that they call the Lord’s Day because Jesus rose from the dead on that day. The Sabbath always has been and is the last day of the week and most in Christendom acknowledge that truth.<\/li>\n
- They think they are the only denomination that keeps the Sabbath and all the Ten commandments –<\/strong> They if fact, do not properly keep the Sabbath according to the Law (ask any Orthodox Jew). Those in Christ do not need to keep laws that were only given to lead people to Christ. Those in Christ that love God and their neighbor through the indwelling Holy Spirit are keeping the totality of God’s Law.<\/li>\n
- They believe that only the Ten Commandments is the eternal Law. They believe because they keep the Sabbath they alone are the commandment keeping visible Church –<\/strong> The Law in fact, is much more than just keeping the ten commandments. Even so, all Law is fulfilled in Christ. The Law was to bring us to Christ. Those in Christ are to life by the higher new commandment of love (Joh 13:34, 1Jo 2:8,\u00a0 2Jo 1:5).<\/li>\n
- They believe that if your break the Ten Commandments you can lose your salvation. They do not believe a person’s conversion to Christ seals their salvation –<\/strong> They claim you are saved by grace alone but then they add this works theology to stay saved. (Actually most in Christendom believe this error, so if Adventists are cultists because they believe conversion to Christ does not equate to salvation, they have a lot of company in what is called Christendom.)<\/li>\n
- They say that Adventists can fully know if they are saved if they understand and accept the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church – <\/strong>Other denominations also make such claims. Does that mean people also have to understand and accept the errors of the denomination? Does the Bible teach that people can know they are saved by understanding and accepting any visible church?\u00a0 I think not.<\/li>\n
- They say Sunday worship is the mark of the Beast – <\/strong>They say this time of testing of loyalty only goes into effect after it has been announced by the angel. (Me thinks they do not have a clue about what is the Mark of the Beast.)<\/li>\n
- They believe in soul sleep<\/strong> – they think there is no consciousness after death until the resurrections.<\/li>\n
- They do not believe in eternal judgement of the wicked<\/strong> – they believe in total annihilation.<\/li>\n
- They believe that Jesus and Michael are the same<\/strong>. – they believe Michael was just a different name for Jesus. They do not believe that Jesus was a created angel like the Jehovah Witnesses cult.<\/li>\n
- They believe that Satan and his angels will be confined to roam a depopulated earth for one thousand years. The earth will have no humans living on it until the resurrection of the unjust after the thousand years is over. –<\/strong> they simply do not understand what Revelation and the prophets teach.
\n<\/strong><\/li>\n- They try to obey the dietary laws of the Old Testament. – <\/strong>They say Christians should obey these laws for health reasons and because the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Why many of them think the Bible also instructs them to refrain from eating meat is beyond me? They also refrain from other things they believe are harmful to the body. For example, alcohol, smoking, and voting for socialists (okay, I am kidding about voting for Democrats but socialists have proved to be deadly for the bodies of Christians).
\n<\/strong><\/li>\n- They believe they are the only visible remnant Church mentioned in Revelation 12:17 –<\/strong> They say it is not pride that makes them say that. They say it is true because only their domination has the correct prophetic interpretation. They do say there are Christians in all denominations (they believe in an invisible Church) but say they are the only true visible Church on earth<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
My observations:<\/strong><\/p>\n
It seems to me that their “Questions on Doctrine”<\/strong> was specifically written to try to make them fit within Christian orthodoxy. Even so, the aberrant theology retained does not dispel the thinking that Seventh-day Adventism is not orthodox.<\/p>\n
I also think it is ironic that a denomination that thinks keeping the Ten Commandments is a requirement to retain salvation should so easily break one of them in their proselytizing methods. They disguise who they are because they know people would not be open to their doctrine if they knew they were Seventh-day Adventists. There is a commandment against lying and deception is lying even if Adventists use it as a means to an end. Remember, Jesus made it clear in the Sermon on the Mount that keeping the commandments perfectly was not just following the letter of the Law.<\/p>\n
I also do not like that they deceive people through “Bible prophecy seminars” as if only their “Bible Prophecy experts” know the future. The Seventh-day eschatology was screwed-up from the start and it is still all screwed-up. They cannot get Bible prophecy correct because they twist prophetic scripture to make it support their aberrant theology.<\/p>\n
So, because Adventism is not orthodox in some respects should Seventh-day Adventism be called a cult? I think they have made some efforts to appear to be orthodox but theologically it seems to me they still could be labeled a Christian cult and they still are by some.<\/p>\n
I think the doctrinal emphasis of each individual church within the denomination would determine their cult status to me. To say the dominion is a cult suggests the denomination as a whole does not teach essentials of the faith. It really is not that simple with the Adventists because you can find salvation through the doctrine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.<\/p>\n
The real problem is what they believe is required to keep salvation. Their legalistic requirements might be considered within Christianity orthodoxy because much of Christendom also believes such error. However, any teaching that condemns an unknown number of Christian converts to hell or annihilation based on one’s own performance is not true Christian doctrine.<\/p>\n
I do find it difficult to understand how true Christians that claim to read the Bible and say that the Bible is their final authority can still embrace so much aberrant doctrine. However, I could say the same thing about those in many other denominations.<\/p>\n
Does Dr. Ben Carson really believe all that the Seventh-day Adventist teach, or is it partly a social and cultural thing? He does claim to attend churches in other denominations and he does downplay denominations. He strongly conveys that his own personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what drives him.<\/p>\n
Everything I know about Dr. Carson enforces my belief that he is a true Christian.<\/p>\n
Everything I know about Donald Trump enforces my belief that he only has a Christian identity.<\/p>\n
Everything I know about the Seventh-day Adventist Church tell me that I would never go there.<\/p>\n
What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recently Donald Trump took a shot at Dr. Ben Carson by implying that Carson’s Seventh-Day Adventism was not mainstream and might not be accepted by evangelicals as being within the orthodoxy of Christianity while also implying that Trump is a … Continue reading