Garbled Statements of Facts
A CORRESPONDENT sends us a copy of the Louisville Christian Observer of February 12, containing an article on the Seventh-day Adventists. It aims to set forth the views of Seventh-day Adventists, not from their own published statements so much, but statements from a disappointed, ambitious man who felt that his ability was not sufficiently recognized, and who apostatized. The only power that he possessed as a preacher was when he was among Seventh-day Adventists. After twenty-eight years among them, in which he was free to go and come at any time, he left them, declaring that they were the most devoted Christians on earth, but that he saw larger things, and would labor to convert souls to Christ. After working a while for the Baptists with no record of souls converted, or large evangelical work done, he concluded that he could better pose in destructive work than constructive work, and would make himself more popular by fighting the church to which he once belonged. After confessing that it took him twenty-eight years to learn that he was in error, he claims to set forth the belief of Seventh-day Adventists, in a book which he publishes. The simple fact is that in all this time this man never really knew the truth as taught by Seventh-day Adventists and as it is in Jesus. He learned facts and theories, but not truth. He learned doctrines, separate and distinct articles of faith, but never the doctrine, the teaching of the Bible, the center of which is Christ Jesus. He perhaps tells us truly what he believed once, but he does not rightly represent the denomination. For instance, he declares that among the chief doctrinal points of Seventh-day Adventists are "rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity; materiality of all things; that the Bible must be interpreted to harmonize with the writings of Mrs. White; that when Christ comes only 144,000 out of all then living will be saved, and all those will be Seventh-day Adventists." Now in the sense in which these are set forth they are not true. This man may not know it, but our correspondent evidently thinks so, who says that he is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a reader of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, and remarks that "I do not think this article quite fair." And it is not fair, nor is it true. The best way to understand just what Seventh-day Adventists believe is to read just what they have to say. All of the great fundamental Scriptural views of the denomination are given each year in the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, and these are taught as the editors understand the Bible to teach them. Very much more might be said regarding the article in the Christian Observer, but there are very few, indeed, of the Christian Observer readers who would see the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, and the readers of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES are constantly finding sufficient to meet all that is said in the Christian Observer. Take, for instance, the criticisms which the Observer offers regarding the destiny of the wicked, in which the Observer contends that everlasting death, or the anguish of the lost, is a conscious state, when there is abundance of proof in the Bible that "the wages of sin is death." All that Seventh-day Adventists ask at all is that fair examination shall be given of their teachings.