Dr. Adams, this article was a masterful and scathing rebuke of the racists in the country and in the church, many of whom have congregated on this forum to complain about the BLM movement being shoved down their throats. As many alcoholics refuse to acknowledge their alcoholism, I perceive that many of the racists in this comment section are protesting too hard that they are not racists. However emboldened they have been by their ignorant and maniacal racist leader, Trump, over the last 4 years, they should remember that this leader of fools will not be in office forever. More importantly, anyone who dares to call himself/herself a Christian while protesting a movement that calls for equality will find themselves on the opposite side of heaven at the end of eternity. BLACK LIVES MATTER. Agree or disagree, but you’d better get used to it.
You appear to be trying to give credence to a problematic organization (BLM), by necessarily equating racial justice with the Black Lives matter organization. This is why you’re using the Black Lives Matter Phrase, and ordering us to say it - saying that this is present truth, when it is not.
What is telling is that your commentary indicates support for unbiblical doctrine through the alignment/support that you’ve aired. You’re aware that many people within the SDA Church and outside of the church have pointed out many unbiblical stances of the BLM organization, even it’s possible funding sources. Yet you’ve continued down this road regarding the Black Lives Matter phrase. You mean to tell us that there is no other way for the Church to show that it opposes injustice against Black people, without necessarily aligning itself with the BLM organization, an organization that has aligned itself with many unbiblical stances, including ancestor worship? Is not there another phrase that can be stated to demonstrate opposition to racial injustice that does not suggest support for the BLM organization?
You’re drawing a line in the stand over racial justice by implying that in order to be for it, that one must support the Black Lives Matter organization. Why are you drawing this kind of line in the sand? ADRA in the wake of the George Floyd killing stated - "For more than 30 years, we have seen — and fought to change — inequality, poverty, hunger, and despair in more than 100 developing countries around the world.
Inequality and despair are not endemic to the developing world only, and we at ADRA can no longer address injustice worldwide without acknowledging injustice here where we reside in the United States." This is an admission that ADRA believes that prior to its statement addressing the George Floyd killing, that it has been addressing injustice in more than 100 developing countries around the world, without acknowledging injustice here in the US. Have you urged ADRA to address inequality, poverty, hunger, and despair here in the US with significant resources as it does in more than 100 developing countries around the world?
While you’ve criticized the current president, you previously wrote an editorial in the Adventist Review celebrating a politician and arguing that those who celebrated this politician’s election are on the right side of history. You ignored the human rights abuses domestically and abroad by this politician that you celebrated. You voiced your support for this politician in violation of EGW’s Spirit of Prophecy. How can this type of unqualified support be in alignment with support for justice and righteousness? Is your support presaging a fallen church system with whom the kings committed fornication?
You brought up legitimate concerns over representation within the Adventist Church. But are you reducing speaking up for those who are being crushed, to representational concerns? Representation could amount to little more than symbolism or tokenism that will not help those who can’t speak for themselves, or those being crushed.
Your commentary also engages in essentialism regarding peoples and race. Aren’t you engaging in “cancel culture”, with your commentary by insinuating that those who differ with you, are bigots of one type or another? Are not we seeing this type of tactic being used under the guise of “social justice” to silence legitimate concerns or differences of opinion, with the aim of getting one’s own way in matters and affairs affecting large swaths of peoples? People who believe that they are following the Bible are now called bigots or bigoted. When do we have the religious freedom to follow God and not “man’s” opinion, such as Roy Adams’ opinion? The Bible advises us to be slow to speak and quick to listen.
LastDay
Than you fr your insider great comments, very appreciated
fixed it for ya murph. Burp.
Thanks, @Sirje.
To what are you referring by the word “that”? Please clarify.
I didn’t ask what signifies bullying. I asked why does it signify bullying.
Here, again, is Roy Adams’ closing paragraph, which you excerpted:
To bully is to seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable).
So, who is the vulnerable person, or persons, whose harm, intimidation, or coercion is sought by this statement?
This doesn’t seem responsive to Adams’ call.
This doesn’t seem responsive to Adams’ call.
Besides having its own internal political and logical contradictions, this all seems strangely dated and irrelevant. It certainly doesn’t seem as pressing as Adams’ closing paragraph.
If I understand Adams’ call, he’s not asking that white Americans pick up the mantle of social justice. He’s specifically speaking about white Seventh-day Adventists.
The issue isn’t that Black people need white SDAs, in order to advance politically. White SDAs are a rounding error on the weft of the social fabric, and don’t make anything move in the larger culture.
It isn’t even, really, that Black SDAs need white SDAs to do anything, politically, in church. We only see them one or two days a week, plus choir practice, at most.
Instead, Adams is gently, respectfully making the case that white SDAs are typically decades out of date re: the racial state-of-the-art.
The last issue on which white SDAs were politically ahead of the social curve was chattel slavery. The church wasn’t even incorporated yet.
White SDAs struck out on Jim Crow.
White SDAs struck out on regional conferences.
White SDAs struck out on civil rights.
White SDAs struck out on apartheid.
White SDAs struck out on police brutality. If it wasn’t for George Floyd’s final TV appearance, they would all still be silent.
Frankly, this is getting embarrassing. Adams is saying to white SDAs, “For the sake of your witness, make this minimal commitment, now, at this moment.” From my minuscule perspective, he’s logarithmically more hopeful than I am.
Frankly, he’s throwing white SDAs a softball, underhand. Yet, from the response in this forum, you’re all mostly screaming that the pitch is going too fast and coming at your heads. Good luck.
HA
Thanks, @Hansen.
Right.
What’s so fascinating about this post, @Hansen, aren’t your rancid reminiscences on “slave descendants in America,” with their Notes on the State of Virginia bouquet.
It isn’t your motor safari through impoverished South Central, Los Angeles, circa 1991.
It isn’t your apparent obsession with being an apologist—not only for trigger-happy, community-raping p.o.'s, everywhere, but—for arrested & charged, persona non grata, will-never-be-a-cop-again-in-this-universe Derek Chauvin, yet.
It isn’t your spittle-flecked, unholy, “Racism is a horrible thing, but…” closing.
It isn’t that @loubama77, @bigtomwoodcutter, @Timo, and @elmer_cupino affirm your putrid script with loving hearts.
No, none of that is what’s fascinating.
What’s fascinating about this post, @Hansen, is that it reads like the marbles of a person who has never deeply known a Black person in his entire life. Yet, now, in his old age, from his brain spills all of this profound, Magellanic cartography. Yes, “Here there be monsters.”
As I said in another post, but may have to stick to a macro, this is embarrassing. It’s mortifying that, curling toward the mid-21st century, this kind of white supremacist spew passes for reasoned observation.
Someone once said that white people are moved so easily to guilt, but with such difficulty to shame. I’m thankful Jesus loves us, because, otherwise, were this is the level of discussion to which we can look forward, we should all just save time, and have everybody grab the nearest neck.
HA
You’re right. Adam’s “pitch” is to the SDA community. One would think, as God’s “remnant” the church would be beyond that. The pitch is, as you say, a soft ball, but it also places it down on the streets where unspeakable events are taking place. It also sets up a litmus test - unless you buy into the SLOGAN you are a racist. It’s not enough that you believe in the sentiment, but we must say the words just as choreographed.
Our witness is not in our words, but actions. Anybody can parrot words so as not to get beat up. Slogans don’t get things done; and this particular slogan has become a political rallying point setting up a witness to the wrong cause.
Harry I think you are getting unhinged and showing your true cards. I gave @Hansen a like to acknowledge his experience and validate his affect. I have that right and privilege. To say I affirm his “putrid script” is clearly your projection. As God told Cain in Genesis 4:6 “ 6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” You should not define others by your anger. What makes you so angry anyway? Do what is right because once the words leave your mouth there is not turning back but to say “I’m sorry.” Now let’s hear it. Be a big man. You owe us @loubama77 @bigtomwoodcutter @Timo and myself an apology.
The fullness of your heart is curdling out of your mouth, Harry.
Thank you for your disclosures, your blatant admissions.
But carry on-I bow to your superior intellectual conceits.
There is a prayer in my heavy heart for you
which my mouth is loathe to speak at this moment.
Hi George,
I think you might want to do a bit more research about the supposed looting and chaos. That was very short lived, and a good portion of it was instigated and carried out by right wing “agent provacateurs” like the the “umbrella man” in Minneapolis (See Wall Street Journal on that). Once a society becomes as dangerously partisan as ours, and with one particular party, the Republicans, having a long history of “dirty tricks”, this is to be expected. Hence Sister White’s admonitions against party politics involvement.
As for my family’s livelihood, my family, like the Seventh-day Adventist christian fellowship, is filled with both black and white and in between members, so for my family embracing the idea of black lives matter actually does enhance my family’s livelihood. Besides which, the vast majority of my white family members agree that systemic racism is a curse on our country which has to be tackled vigorously. Therefore, if you agree the problem needs to be solved peacefully and not by street violence, why not join us by depositing a significant amount of your family’s hard won earnings in, for example, the highly respectable, well run One United Bank, which is black owned and has several attractive banking instruments.
I wasn’t involved with SDA when the Watts riots took place in the mid 60s. I was involved with SDA when the Rodney King riots took place in the early 90s. The Rodney King riot involved a great deal of criminal activity on the part of members of the Black community It went well beyond looting to include organized, professional style robberies of high end merchants. The Korean community was especially hard hit due to their location as a geographic buffer of sorts between the Black and white communities; their bad history with the Black community didn’t help matters. I recollect gun fights between Blacks and Koreans as well as the torching of numerous Korean owned businesses. Koreans rubbed not only Black people the wrong way, however, but they were hardly involved in the Rodney King beating,
After the Watts riots, it was decided that the Black community would be given its own hospital to care for the needs of their community. The Martin Luther King/Drew Memorial Hospital was born, perhaps in part, to mitigate collective white guilt. MLK/D hospital was heavily staffed and administered by the Black Community. It was their empowering and celebrated as such. If you’d like to know what happened when that community in Los Angeles was empowered read these Pulitzer prize nominated articles from the Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-kingdrewpulitzer-sg-storygallery.html
I think the authour of this article would do well to do a little, read ‘big’, bit of reseach on the blm before spouting the blm manifesto!!
Curiously, perhaps unsurprisingly, this is used only in rightward offence.
The left has seated itself on the supposed moral high horse, but the consequent hypocritical road apples sure stink.
Thank you Dr Adams for bringing our attention to the need to consider our racist past and present within the country and the SDA church. BLM should not be swept under the rug of All Lives Matter. The issue is how Blacks have been and are treated compared to Whites since 1719!
i suppose they can’t be overlooked…aside from the pandemic, they did predict the trump presidency and the trump budget crunch…now there’s supposedly a prediction about a trump death, although the image circulating, while a clear simpson’s cartoon, apparently hasn’t actually aired on a simpson’s show…
personally i put more stock on the prediction professor…he uses 13 legitimate metrics, like the economy, personal scandals, and social unrest…and he has held tenure as a history professor at american university in D.C…
Hi Jeremy. This comment that you posted is strongly similar to the mindset of a religious legalist. They honestly just do not know.
There are two scenarios that lead to psychiatric consultation. The first is voluntary, when an individual on his own volition comes seeking help, while the second is when a family member comes seeking help for a loved one. The chances of a successful treatment lies when a patient has come to a conclusion that he needs help. Seldom does an individual successfully resolve his problem when the problem is defined by someone else. Because of this, the initial task of a therapist is to convince the patient that he has a problem, tear down the denial and have the patient take ownership of the problem. Only, and only then can both therapist and patient work towards a successful treatment journey.
Forcing treatment on someone who denies having a problem is an exercise in futility.
At the time people called King a marxist and socialist as well. Even though he espoused non-violent activism, who he was and his message were still muddled and misrepresented. Why? Because it challenged complacency and those who were sitting comfortably in their privilege. Now, in retrospect, people LOVE to bring him up as the beacon that would turn his back on today’s non-violent activism which includes the BLM “movement”. It’s all so convenient.
That is NOT what the movement stands for. That’s what you want to believe AND what the news sources your follow tell you. No matter how many times you say it, won’t make it true. Black Lives Matter is a movement that stands for social justice for black peope and their communities in America. It’s an excuse to sit in ignorance - I dare say if the organization didn’t exist, most of you would STILL have a problem saying it. And with regards to your comment about them being against the constitution - we’ve got a joker in the white house that is systematically ignoring, bending and defiling the constitution with every breath he takes. Are you writing diatribes about that? Are you incensed with that?
You read my mind. This self deception can be applied to certain religious groups and people.