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DALE RATZLAFF
Founder of Proclamation! and
Life Assurance Ministries

 

 

 

If you could say something to the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as they reflect on their quinquennial General Conference session in July of this year, what would you say?

It was my original hope that with the publication of Sabbath in Christ and Cultic Doctrine, the Seventh-day Adventist church would move away from some of its cultic beliefs. When I first published Cultic Doctrine in 1996, I wrote an open letter to the then-president of the Seventh-day Adventist organization, Elder Folkenberg, and sent it by certified mail. This letter was included in the first edition of Cultic Doctrine. I felt I was gracious, even though I asked some penetrating questions.

Some weeks later I received a terse letter from one of the assistants to the president. He said that Elder Folkenberg did not have time to respond to my letter, and it was well-known what Adventists believe.

Since that time over five million members have left the Adventist organization, and more are leaving every day. Today with e-books, YouTube presentations, and internet web sites, the Adventist church can no longer hide the errors upon which it was founded.

Is it too much to hope that you, the Adventist leaders, will someday cut Adventism loose from the errors of its cultic past? If all of the Adventist doctrines can be supported by honest Bible study as you claim, then why not completely eliminate the mention of Ellen White from your doctrinal statement and depend on Scripture alone?

Furthermore, it is well-known that your honest scholars know that the cleansing of the sanctuary and investigative judgment as taught by Ellen White cannot be honestly supported. Why not also cut this doctrine out as well? Additionally, any Bible student knows the Holy Spirit is the “seal of God” and that this seal has nothing to do with the Sabbath. Why not drop “Sabbath as the seal (or the ‘sign of the seal’) of God” as well?

In your public relations you appear to present Adventism as just another evangelical church which chooses to worship on Saturday. Why not actually become an evangelical church rather than masquerading as one?

Why not set the Adventist church free—free to do good works which come as a natural result of knowing that God has already given the believing Christian the verdict of “not guilty” in Christ Jesus? Why not submit to the truth of Scripture, believe in the Lord Jesus and His finished work alone, and experience the Spirit giving your spirit new birth?

Then, why not have a true “Gospel Conference” where the fundamental tenets of Christianity can be clarified? Why not help your members to understand fully the righteousness of God that comes apart from law and study justification, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, substitution, and representation? Help them to know who they are when they are “in Christ Jesus” seated at the right hand of the Father. This knowledge will help them focus on “things above”, and as they trust our triune God and His word, the Holy Spirit will work out in their lives the fruit of the Spirit.

We who invested so much time and treasure in Adventism would be happy to see it become truly a gospel-centered, Christ-centered, Bible-centered church, for that is what we thought it was and were deeply disappointed when we discovered it was not. We pray that God will guide you. †

 

 

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