Much of western society has conformed into one of two societal camps. Conservative or liberal, fundamentalist or progressive, Tories or Whigs, Red or Blue.
It appears that for many Seventh Day Adventists (SDA), it is in alignment within one of these socio-political groups that their identity is affirmed, and in opposition of the other, from whence they believe the apocalyptic decline of civilization is most likely to occur.
In a recent sermon, at the North American Division Conference, Reconstructing Religious Liberty Conference, SDA Pastor Ivor Myers argued that the end time trouble from the beast with “…two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11) is tribulation resulting from the religious fundamentalists that founded the United States, where this movement will ultimately seek to break the separation between church and state. Whereby the beast in question did not evolve but was always in a Lamb/Dragon state. Furthermore, fear of secularism and Marxism is only a distraction within Adventism, for our focus should be on runaway fundamentalism.
I’ve appreciated Pastor Myers’ commitment to serving God and his personal journey from secularism. And though I take issue with his position on this topic, I am grateful that he is serving the SDA community at large, and as he asks in his sermon… I do love you, brother. The issue for me however is, can solace be found in either socio-political movement or side?
I can say that my family experienced persecution from both sides. My late father, Samuele Bacchiocchi, was a church history and theology professor who had the miraculous privilege of being the only non-Catholic (up to that time), to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. With direct access to historical early church archives, he was able to make a compelling argument that the change of Sabbath to Sunday observance was not ordained by Christ’s death, but was a consequence from melding of pagan and Christian beliefs, resulting from popularist movements, and fueled by Anti-Judaism sentiments.
As a professor, his commitment to define Biblical tenants from Sola Scriptura, ran afoul of enlightened progressives, who labeled him patriarchal. Likewise, religious zealots seeking to singlehandedly purify the Seventh-day Adventist Church and expunge the heretics, labeled him a Jesuit spy. On a side note, if our work as Adventists to proclaim the good news of the Everlasting Gospel and prepare a remnant was exceedingly successful, no one would need to “spy on us” for our purpose would be self-evident.
To argue that our focus as SDA’s should be to systematically oppose a potential over correction from fundamentalism, is equivalent to not lamenting that the outcome of 9/11 was a devastation perpetrated by demonic forces acting on extremists capitalizing on lax airport security measures, but rather to simply decry the creation of the overly intrusive, human degrading, robotically unsympathetic, Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The socio-political and sometimes enlightened SDA argument to fear the over correction, systematically fails to recognize the condition from which a correction may be warranted.
With the progressive degradation of morality, and the invasive humanistic ideologies, a correction is inevitable. Not that any SDA should desire an over correction eliminating the separation between church and state and other religious freedoms. But what do you expect would result from the societal abasement from abandoning God? Humanism, the worship of self, has become the norm. Infatuation with one’s own version of right and wrong has freed convicts of heinous crimes and imprisoned political opponents.
In Michigan, religious exemption is no longer legal grounds for failing to affirm gender fluidity. Where life originates only when the maternal parent says is does and if it should. Where fair is not to be adjudicated by God but metered at the hands of sinful mankind. As I have stated previously, as we fast approach further End Time events, do we believe Satan will march down the middle of the street and cry out, “it’s time to adopt Sunday Laws and attack Adventists” or is Satan going to use, counter acting, self-perpetuating, humanistic measures to escalate his final attack?
The Pendulum Effect
Every Architect and Engineer knows that it takes much less effort to topple a building or a bridge if you use timed intermittent opposing forces, versus a single force in one direction. A pendulum gains energy and increases in force with each mild counter measure applied at its farthest pivot from equilibrium.
Though designed to resist winds up to 120mph, the millions of foot/pounds of force that brought down the 5,400 foot, Tacoma Narrows Bridge on November 7, 1940 was generated from a fluttering 42mph wind. The undulating structure caused torsional oscillations, and as it grew in amplitude the compounded forces exceeded the suspenders’ capacity and it ultimately collapsed.
The Devil is not using one side of the socio-political movements to further his cause, but both. It is so much easier for the advancement of his efforts to come from the momentum of each overcorrecting act; by one side after the other. Like a pendulum gaining force with each exertion in opposition, the work of destroying humanity is being ushered in jointly by humanist ideologies on both sides of the socio-political spectrum.
Breaking the Cycle
As the Christmas season is upon us, signifying a Redeemer’s love for a fallen world, (Yes, we realize this is not the true time of the year for Christ’s birth)… The one uniting element that can break the pendulum swing, is for Christians to unify on the effort to give all glory to God, all that is good is from Him. Human solutions and political powers cannot bring about good. Let us collectively join efforts to love each and every person, not because they love you or share your ideologies, but because true religion is in devotion to God, in demonstrating compassion to our fellow man, and to keep ourselves undefiled from worldliness… from either socio-political side.
Our identity as Adventists is not defined by fear, but in mission to serve our fellow man, elevating Christ’s love to them, regardless of their racial, cultural, or political persuasion.
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Daniel Bacchiocchi is an architect and builder. Today he operates an architectural and construction business in Michigan as well as a non-profit building mission organization, Master’s Builders, Inc., supporting SDA efforts in financially depressed communities around the world.