Pagophilus:
Are you Greek or are you hiding?
Three short points: Regarding Sandra Roberts: you make policy an idol; do you think anyone believes that Jeremiah or Jesus and St. Paul were policy men? Regarding the Bible: you spew forth words and make no arguments, but try just this: using whatever your hermeneutic may be, make a BIBLICAL argument for ending slavery. One more thing: taking note of John 16’s teaching on the Holy Spirit, explain your attitude toward the concept of “new light.”
Jeremy:
You say “people aren’t likely to vote outside of their geographic culture - ever.” Two points: Not many decades ago our own “geographic culture” didn’t even permit women to vote. So “geographic culture” is no prisonhouse. Also, the vote involved allowing women’s ordination where it would help; no one was insisting on women’s ordination everywhere. A generous leader could have gone to bat for this proposal by pointing this out. No one—at least no one on the platform—did. It was a catastrophic failure.
David:
You are, in the unhappy sense of the phrase, a “true believer,” and I supposed you will die one. Perhaps it is insane for me even to respond to you. But I have met you, and I entertain the dream, at least, that we may actually be able to converse.
I allow that questions about homosexuality will not go away. But it is deeply irresponsible to allow your fears about this matter to count as an argument for gender discrimination. It is equally irresponsible to nullify, as you seem in effect to do, the clear biblical theme of the Holy Spirit’s teaching function (John 16).
This may not apply to you, but I throw it out anyway: the idea (which Adventists surely need to think about) that women may exercise prophetic authority but not pastoral authority make no sense at all. And if anyone should appeal to some key text (or lack of such) in defense of this idea, that same person will perforce have to agree that stoning rebellious sons may be biblically justifiable.
To those of who, like me, have here expressed your indignation concerning Adventism’s proud policy of official discrimination, I say Thank you. I would love, by the way, to be able to express thanks to readers who may occupy high positions in Adventist academia or administration.
Chuck
P. S. Secular culture is pretty good about fighting for human “rights.” It is dismal concerning the importance of human responsibility, dismal concerning violence, dismal on the dignity of the human self. So let’s not suppose that agreement with some of what the secular culture fights for entails having nothing left to witness about.