Women's Ordination: The Greatest Danger

I want to share with you the greatest danger regarding the issue of ordaining women that is swirling around the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

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The greatest danger is not...

By ordaining women we will be opening the door to LGBT clergy. Yes, this is really an argument that is out there I have seen it with my own two eyes. I would say the vast majority of Seventh-day Adventists, even those that believe in ordaining women still hold to the truth that marriage is between a man & a woman. So this is not the greatest danger.

By ordaining women in North America we will alienate the world church, thus causing a great schism. The same countries that are against the ordination of women pastors are also against the ordination of women deacons and women elders. But to the credit of the world church they respect sticking with the denomination even when they don't agree with all "her" rules, much better than some of us in my part of the world. So if we haven't alienated them already, I highly doubt this issue will, no matter what the hyperbole is to the contrary. So this is not the greatest danger.

By ordaining women in North America we are embracing the feminist movement. NO! Why does a desire to have God's calling recognized by the body of Christ have to signal an embrace of feminism? That is a sexist position. This is not the greatest danger of women's ordination.

By ordaining women we are somehow promoting women to leave home and not be mothers as God called them to be. 75% of women participate in the labor force in the United States, making a choice to ordain women will not suddenly cause those other 25% to jump into ministry and abandon their families. Women work and women will become pastors with or without ordination. I've never heard one girl I know say, "well I was thinking of going into ministry, but since they don't ordain me I'm going to stay home and have kids." This is not the greatest danger of ordaining women.

By ordaining women we are opening the doors to the agenda of the liberal wing of the church. I'm 100% for women's ordination and I would not consider myself a liberal (though maybe just by making that statement some of you are saying "yes you are" Trust me the liberals I know don't agree with you:)) I want our church to be more conservative: To return to focusing on public proclamation of our foundational truths. To return to having it be a reality that the majority of SDA's are vegetarians:) and believers in the prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White. I could go on, but the point is, I still think women should be ordained because it has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. It has to do with affirming those that God calls on an equal setting. This is not the greatest danger.

By NOT ordaining women we will completely turn off an entire generation! WRONG! My generation is already turned off and it has very little to do with the fact that we haven't ordained women. Yes, many of us are bothered by this, but I don't think this will cause a mass exodus from our church. Not anymore mass than has already occured. This is not the greatest danger of NOT ordaining women.

By NOT ordaining women we will miss out on some of the giftings that God has given to the church. REALLY? Doesn't this limit God a little? Ellen White is the perfect example of if God wants to use a woman's gifts, He'll use a woman's gifts! This is not the greatest danger of NOT ordaining women.

By NOT ordaining women we will not see revival. With great deference to my mentor, this is also a position I am not willing to take, because again it limits God to having His divine will being modified by the action of a committee. This is not the greatest danger of NOT ordaining women.

The GREATEST DANGER in regards to the ordination of women is that Satan will keep us talking about it to each other and in the meantime we won't be talking about what we need to be talking about to those whom we need to be talking to: Telling a lost world about JESUS!

 

April: Ted Ran Laps Around the Rest

The following are the 10 most viewed posts on this blog for the month of April. Check out the ones you didn't yet read.

  1. In Defense of Ted: This month had a clear favorite. In fact this year, in fact the history of this blog has a new favorite. Ted Wilson! A lot of folk wanted to know about defending Ted it received more than 1000 reads in just three days. I've had 4 maybe 5 likes on Facebook with other posts, this post has received to date 185 "likes." So have a read if you are someone that hasn't.
  2. Oh What a Mom!: This post is about my beautiful wife and her positive influence on our oldest son. She has modeled for him time with the Lord and at just three years old he is taking his own initiative to spend time with Jesus.
  3. Christina, The Lord Knew Best: A quick little post celebrating the anniversary of when Christina and I first became boyfriend and girlfriend...before we broke-up and got back together again:)
  4. The Bleeding Trash Can: This was a teaching moment for me, when my son showed evidence of how the stuff we put in his brain sticks and he is able to then process it and think it through logically or somewhat logically at least!
  5. April 26, 1996: This was the first blog post I wrote after "In Defense of Ted." For me April 26, 1996 represents the greatest story of my life, but I guess not so much with other folk:) I picked this up when it has received to date 1,465 less views than El Presidente:)
  6. The Porn Pandemic: This was #2 last month and stays in the Top 10 this month. Why? Because porn is a struggle in many lives.
  7. Val Kilmer & I: This was #1 last month, I have no idea why it stayed in the top 10, unless folk at Val Kilmer's Facebook page are still coming over to read it. Yep it got reposted on the official U.S. Val Kilmer Fan Facebook page.
  8. Cars Pull Over In the South: This is a very old post, but I reposted it because I attended a funeral and was reminded once again of this great Southern tradition!
  9. The Superiority of Adventist Education--Please Read: Another old post I believe probably found and revived due to all the Ted Wilson traffic.
  10. 1 For Every 10k: A post on church planting. This was #9 last month and dropped to #10 this month. I love church planting so I am glad folk are reading it!

So there you go the posts that were the most read in the month of April, 2012. Enjoy and be blessed!

Christina, The Lord Knew Best

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April 28, 2001 I officially started dating my wife. We were so different and I don't think either of us realized just how much, and neither of us knew how to handle those differences...

So it ended...about 6 months later.

Praise the Lord, He knew just how much I needed this insanely different woman in my life. Outside of Jesus she is the greatest thing that ever happened to me and I know, I know the only reason we are married is because of Jesus. 8 months after the break-up He brought us back together & well we've bumped a few times and pulled a few times, but have never let go since--remember a threefold chord is not easily broken (Eccl. 4:12).

Those differences, well they are still there, we manage them definitely better than we did those 11 April's ago, and dare I say, I believe the differences actually help us now :)

Oh the Lord knew best when He brought Christina into my life 11 years ago, I'm a better man, I am the man I am because of it!

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April 26, 1996

April 26th will mark the 16th anniversary of my commitment to Christ. I don't believe I really had any idea what that meant 16 years ago.

At the time I stood-up for Jesus it wasn't because I had been attending Bible studies or spending a lot of time searching for God. I didn't have any thought or hope that I would be saved. I didn't have a high-regard for Christians. I wasn't a fan of church. I wasn't a fan of really anything...

So from my perspective on that Friday night April 26, 1996 it was without any warning that God spoke straight into my heart. He asked me a simple question, "Will you give me a chance?"

God didn't force Himself. He didn't yell or bully. But without a doubt I, yes even me, my heathen unbelieving self, knew it was God speaking to me as clear as if we had been talking face to face, and I knew a decision had to be made.

The devil was speaking to me as well though. He was telling me not to be a fool. Not to stand-up. To remember all the things I did that I couldn't stop doing. He reminded me of the times I had seen others stand only to fall again, and I would surely fall flat!

But there was that voice still asking, "Will give me a chance?"

No one can say to me, "there is no great controversy." Those voices were both strong and clear!

Yet the Holy Spirit kept asking, "Will you give me a chance?"

I have since analyzed that night and all the nights leading up to that night. I have identified the points where God was clearly working in my life. I have identified the power of prayer on my behalf and the power of struggle that caused me to want something better.

But on that night ALL I KNEW and ALL THAT MATTERED was that one voice, speaking above the din of my satan controlled life, and inviting me, asking me, "Will you give me a chance?"

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul

Thank you, Lord, for making me whole

Thank you, Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free

In Defense of Ted

So there seems to be the expectation within my praticular faith community, that if you support women's ordination, believe drums are okay, and didn't like the tone of the Presidential sermon at our General Conference Session back in June/July of 2010 then you are also against the General Conference Presidency of Ted Wilson.

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Why?

What bothers me most about this expectation is that it so deeply reflects the politics of our culture! I'm pro-life, "Oh so you're a Republican." I'm anti-guns, anti-death penalty, "Oh so you're a Democrat." But wait, what if you're all of those then what are you?

We have become a nation that tries to force people into boxes and against specific individuals based on a select few issues. And it seems the church is trying to do the same, which is unfortunate because when the church mimics the world it looks a lot less like Jesus and a lot more like the devil!

So yes, Elder Wilson and I disagree on women's ordination, I haven't agreed with several of his comments on music, I wasn't particularly thrilled with his opening speech, and YES, I'm glad he is our General Conference President!

Why shouldn't I be? Because of those issues?

I struggle with a certain wing of our church, many of whom are my friends, that are always sounding the cry for tolerance and yet the language used towards Ted Wilson and the open support and hope of his removal from office show absolute intolerance!

Y'all we are not Washington D.C. We are a church. A church that NO ONE is forced to be a part of! A church that if a person is a part of, hopefully it is because they believe Jesus is leading the church.

And if we are truly a church then should we not take the same position as David whom though Saul was pursuing him for his very life, David felt guilty about even harming the fabric of Saul's robe. (That is not a comparison of Ted Wilson to Saul. Ted Wilson is a good & kind man!)

Shame on us if we have become so like the world and the world's politics we fail to accept our leadership, which God has established, based on a few varying points of view.

I pray our Spectrum of tolerance grows us into acting more like a church and less like a political party! 

 

Oh What a Mom!

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Christina, my wife, due to her schedule gets up on the weekdays anywhere from 4:30 to 5:30 in the morning. Her day starts so early, not just because of work, but because she rises a little earlier to have her worship.

Our now 3 1/2 year old is also an early riser, and he seems to have a knack for knowing when one of us is up and enjoying some quiet time :). Well, for probably the last year Dayton has on many mornings awaken, come out to the living room, and found Christina doing her worship.  He always asks, "What are you doing Mommy?" And she'll tell him, "I'm having my worship." Dayton will usually respond, "can I just snuggle you, I'll be quiet?" But as most 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 year olds, his attention span isn't super high, and so inevitably he'll ask Christina, "what are you reading?" And she'll tell him, and then he'll ask, "can you read to me." And so she will--

Well we've noticed something over the last couple months with Dayton and two days this past week are good examples of what we've been seeing.

Dayton came into my room on Friday to wake-me-up. I wasn't quite ready to get up, so I said to him, "D why don't you go have your worship." His response, "I already did, I've been reading my Bible." And  you know what I believed him, because that is what we have been noticing, he's been doing his own worship. Now of course he wasn't really reading, but he has the stories memorized, so he opens his Bible and looks at the pictures and tells himself the stories.

Then this morning, Mommy was still sleeping (it is Sunday), Landon was sleeping, and I was heading out for my run. I poked my head into Dayton's room to tell him I was going for my run. He was there with Christina's ipad, and he looked-up real quick, "Daddy it's not Sabbath" I thought he said that because he was playing games, but he then smiled and said, "I'm doing worship. Look Daddy how tall it is," he then held up the ipad and sure enough there was the Tower of Babel and as I left I heard at his prompting the ipad reading to him the story of Babel.

Christina and I from Day 1 have had nightly worship with our boys, but I don't believe Dayton is having his own worship because of those nightly worships. He is having his own time with God because of his amazing Mom that has modeled it for him as they spent time in the those pre-dawn hours reading the Word of God.

How blessed my boys are to have such a wonderful Mom!

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"The mother is a teacher, and to a great extent she moulds the character of her children." (Ellen White, Signs of the Times, July, 1889).

The Bleeding Trash Can

Every morning when we get in the car the boys and I pray together. Today Dayton prayed for a safe trip, a fun day, & "Amen." He then added, "And please Daddy don't hit the trash cans (I do sometimes) because they can bleed a lot."

I responded with, "Dayton, trash cans don't bleed. They are an inanimate object."

Yes I use big words like that around my kid, his latest favorite big word is "adultery" because he has been learning the commandments and likes to tell folk how adultery means "to have more than 1 wife, because God only wants us to have 1 wife, but Laban tricked Jacob and gave two daughters. But Jacob loved Rachel not Leah. But then later he loved Leah."

Back to my story-- "Dayton, trash cans don't bleed. They are an inanimate object."

Dayton: "Why don't they Daddy?"

Me: "Because only humans and animals bleed."

Dayton (verbatim): "Dad what was the first plague God sent on Pharaoh?"

Me: "Turning water to blood."

Dayton: "Yes Daddy water to blood."

Me: "You're right Dayton Moses..."

Dayton: "Not Moses Daddy, Aaron was the one that spoke to Pharaoh."

He's 3 years and 6 months today.

Kids will retain and process logically the things we expose them to.

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