It’s been said that the papacy’s primary weapon is not of force, even though force has been used, but it’s primary weapon is that of deception.
A conference which was to take place on the Loma Linda Campus in Southern California on October 12th, 2024, called “Adventism and Catholicism in a Changing World, Can They Learn From Each Other”, was cancelled. The venue ended up being changed to another location in Riverside, Ca. and took place on the same day, October 12, 2024, at the same time, 3:00pm Pacific time. The primary speaker was Reinder Bruinsma, with three others following him.
There were many points addressed in the talks by these speakers. I apologize for any points left out which might have been of greater significance in relation to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and her beliefs.
To start with, Christianity has been admonished by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4 to “Let no man deceive you by any means: (concerning the second coming of Christ), for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) Paul continues to address his readers with that message of hope in Christ.
These two Bible verses are demonstrated within the talks given at the conference listed above. The coming of Christ will be delayed due to deception, as Paul had warned about. It is happening now in our time. Let us remember the second reference by exercising hope in our Lord Jesus Christ that He will be triumphant through His people who have fully chosen Him as their Authority.
Just a note, all of the references listed below will be focused on the comments by the first speaker. As mentioned above, brevity in this review needs to be maintained.
To start, Mr Bruinsma references his latest book, which was published at Andrews University press, and reveals his thoughts concerning the title of this conference, “Adventism and Catholicism in a Changing World.” I have many thoughts concerning the talks of this conference, but I want to, as far as possible, leave them out and focus on those things spoken by the speakers to be analyzed by the readers of this review and to think about how relevant those points are to themselves.
The first point I want to address concerns Mr. Bruinsma’s reference to the ‘turbulent’ relationship between Seventh-day Adventist church and Catholicism. Shouldn’t our heritage of Protestantism cause our relationship to be contrary to the doctrines of Rome? Why should there be a change within Protestantism today to accept those doctrines of the Roman church that have been rejected by the past reformers for the last 500 years until now? In the last several decades, changes took place with many Protestant churches splitting and forming new organizations from those splits. Is the SDA church to follow their pattern and turn into a church that isn’t much different from the others, losing the reason for which it came into existence?
Mr. Bruinsma want us, as Seventh-day Adventists, to look at things “in a different way”, through his book, at other christian movements, which includes the Roman Catholic Church and it’s doctrines “in particular”. Why? What would be the result of this type of thinking and how would it be implemented?
My second point focuses on the next statement that had been made, “What can we learn from each other?” which draws us by implication to the bargaining table, reflective of the Bohemians and their war with the armies of Rome. After many years of those armies attacking Bohemia, a truce was called and a bargaining table was set up to discuss the main points required by the Bohemians before all would be settled. As it turned out, they were told that their point would be accepted, but, it would be Rome that would define what those points mean and how they would be implemented. Such was the process that caused the fall of Bohemia, which was choosing to go to that bargaining table in the first place and to see “what can be learned from each other” as Mr. Bruinsma referenced earlier in his talk. This brings a saying to mind, “What a tangled web we weave, when once we practice to deceive.”
What is there within the Papal church that the Seventh-day Adventist church needs to learn from the papacy, which is in total contrast to our Protestant foundation? What is it that our church needs to change, which apparently, according to the author of the book, states that there are things that have been wrong? Will compromise take place like the Bohemians did in the past with changes to occur and be defined, not by the SDA church, but by the church of Rome?
Also, what things will the Roman Catholic Church need to change by learning from us, and will it truly take place? Are we still Protestants or what? If we stop protesting, what does that mean concerning the foundation which has been laid in the blood of the martyrs that have gone on before us? I do not and will not believe “the protest is over”!
The third point is Mr. Bruinsma’s statement,
“…however, in what follows, my emphasis is not just on what separates us but rather on what we can learn fr,om each other. There is, I believe, a solid basis for this approach. Together with many other Christian denominations, we affirm the fundamental truth of the Apostles Creed, a fact Adventists often tend to forget when comparing their denomination with other churches.”
Note: What is meant by the “Apostles Creed”? Roughly it states belief in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit. When read from different sources, there are different ways the Apostles Creed have been written.
Not much throughout this talk was said concerning the “what separates us” part, but a lot was said throughout his talk concerning the part, “…on what we can learn from each other.” Is the following statement one of those areas where the SDA church can learn from the Roman church? May our ears be wide awake to really hearing what is said and think of the time when this “Mission” effort was taking place concerning the “Church of the centuries”.
“With our criticism of Catholicism, we ofter tend to forget how much we owe to the Church of the centuries. It was to this church that we owe the initial Mission Outreach into many parts of the world…”
I’m bothered by the word “criticism” being used when considering the “Mission” effort of those centuries of the past which included burning at the stake and many other acts that were occurring by the Inquisition and other such authoritative efforts of that Church during those centuries. How can we “tend to forget” the history that destroyed many, many lives during those centuries?
I can see this truly happening, the part of forgetting, by way of a statement from the past which said, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history.” If we forget, then we are surely doomed to repeat the past!
As for the part which says “we owe the initial Mission Outreach into many parts of the world…”, I’m not so sure as to the type of “Missionary” effort that was really taking place. What clearly needs to take place is to re-read the history of that time and be reminded what was taking place and how it was being implemented by those missionaries.
Also, I continue to ask, what is there that a Protestant church can “learn from each other” when talking about the church of Rome?
One last thing. As stated above, this talk was packed full of many things to reference and focus on. If you had time to read this review, must should take the time to watch what was said in the video and also think about the things that should have been mentioned and those things which were intimated but not said outright.
Now for that one last thing. Paul wrote in in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” With this in mind, listen, as you read, that last statement to be addressed.
“In making Adventist worship truly focused on the worth, you know worship worth of our Creator and Redeemer, with symbols and rituals that not only, or primarily, speak to the mind, we’ll start again. In making Adventist worship truly focused on the worth of our Creator and Redeemer with symbols and rituals that not only, or even primarily, speak to the mind, but very definitely also to the heart. Adventists must shut off the fear of introducing new elements in their liturgy. Many of these elements are indeed Catholic, but in that sense that they belong to the Whole of Christianity and thus, also, to the Adventist church.”
Here he stresses that we should not prove all things by saying we “must shut off the fear of introducing new elements in their liturgy”, and just take what he says as right and true without searching the scriptures and proving all things. This implies that proving all things is a personal opinion. He continues by saying, “I wonder, will ever be a time when we can look at non-Adventist, even, Roman Catholic worship without immediately searching for what we do not like or what we regard as unbiblical…”
Final comments concerning the above statements. It was said, "Many of these elements are indeed Catholic.” How are we as Protestants to allow these symbols and rituals, when they are indeed Catholic, and some have been defined earlier within this video which you will hear and wonder at!
Again, I strongly suggest for all to listen to the video and see the earthquake it has caused—concerning the relationship that should not take place between the Seventh-day Adventist church and the church of Rome.
“The time was when Protestants placed a high value upon the liberty of conscience which had been so dearly purchased. They taught their children to abhor popery and held that to seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God.”
Is the Seventh-day Adventist church still a Protestant church, with a foundation of 500 years the Bible as the whole of it’s foundation or not? Do not go to that table and compromise as the Bohemians has done in the past.
Return to Rome? I think not!
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