New Member--concerned about spiritual formation coming into our church

[ColporteurK]

Former SDA pastor Ryan Bell wrote an article in June of 2010 entitled " I am a Social Justice Christian." About that time or shortly after he became an activist in the church for ordination of women and acceptance of homosexuality. Then he became an atheist. Is there something to be learned from this ? Is a preoccupation with Social Justice a clever diversion where Satan has taken a Biblical mandate to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and turned it into a secular, humanistic, even atheistic  thrust that forgets God ?  So far, I have not seen or heard a thread of emphasis toward prophecy from those in the church that press the Social Justice agenda.
  Is becoming political activists the calling for SDAs ? Is there much going on in the SDA church regarding Social Justice ?  There are 31 pages on the internet with links to sites where SDAs are discussing or promoting  SJ.

The following is a more recent blog from Ryan Bell. "Social Justice" is a counterfeit , humanistic religion that evolves with the culture. Bell speaks at about the 38 minute mark in the video.

 http://www.ryanjbell.net/category/social-justice/

[restoretruth]

Former SDA pastor Ryan Bell wrote an article in June of 2010 entitled " I am a Social Justice Christian." About that time or shortly after he became an activist in the church for ordination of women and acceptance of homosexuality. Then he became an atheist. Is there something to be learned from this ? Is a preoccupation with Social Justice a clever diversion where Satan has taken a Biblical mandate to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and turned it into a secular, humanistic, even atheistic  thrust that forgets God ?  So far, I have not seen or heard a thread of emphasis toward prophecy from those in the church that press the Social Justice agenda.
  Is becoming political activists the calling for SDAs ? Is there much going on in the SDA church regarding Social Justice ?  There are 31 pages on the internet with links to sites where SDAs are discussing or promoting  SJ.

The following is a more recent blog from Ryan Bell. "Social Justice" is a counterfeit , humanistic religion that evolves with the culture. Bell speaks at about the 38 minute mark in the video.

 http://www.ryanjbell.net/category/social-justice/

I just happen to look at Spectrum & there is article there about Bell's former church, (Hollywood SDA) that demonstrates their version of the social gospel. You certainly wouldn't know it as SDA! Here are some excerpts:

...we were willing to offend in the tradition of Christ and be outcasts not just within the current culture but within our own denomination as well—a very painful and dangerous place to be.

To pursue justice is to be righteous, they are inseparable and interlocking, though we may not always get the balance right. Intersectionality asks that we center our communities on the most marginalized, the “least of these.” With that focus, we create spaces vibrant with justice and righteousness.

This approach requires that we challenge systemic injustice not as secondary, but as the only way to truly raise up those who are marginalized, to not just tackle their daily needs, which is vital, but to free them from the yoke of injustice, which so often goes unnoticed. It is in this place that we meet God. God who spends Her time in the darkness with those who are weeping and gnashing their teeth; God who calls on us to feed those without food while we break their chains and rebuild their walls.

< http://spectrummagazine.org/article/2015/01/21/intersectional-righteousness-more-melody-mentioned-hollywood-church >

[ColporteurK]

 They could have summed that all up in three words. " Long live Diana!"

[newbie]

I was told just yesterday by a visiting pastor fresh out of school that sunday is not the mark of the beast , YET.  Yet, was his emphasis... in other words we are not to be giving the 3rd angel's message YET.

Do you all agree with this?

Ellen White is clear keeping Sunday is not the mark of the beast until the Sunday law gets passed.  She is also clear that we are to be preaching the 3 angels' messages--in their entirety, so as to call people out of Babylon before it's too late.

I've never heard this before...  please Raven I would like to read the quotes...
thanks in advance

[ColporteurK]

huh ?

 
"The Mark of the Beast.--When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome,--"the mark of the beast." And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive "the mark of the beast."--The Great Controversy, p. 449. (1888)  {Ev 233.4}

The mark of the beast does not go into effect as such until it is enforced. True, it is their mark now but it is not   
credited to the people until they have  full light regarding the subject and then are forced to choose or reject the mark.

[newbie]

so we are not to be giving the 2nd and 3rd angel's messages then...

[Raven]

I was told just yesterday by a visiting pastor fresh out of school that sunday is not the mark of the beast , YET.  Yet, was his emphasis... in other words we are not to be giving the 3rd angel's message YET.

Do you all agree with this?

Ellen White is clear keeping Sunday is not the mark of the beast until the Sunday law gets passed.  She is also clear that we are to be preaching the 3 angels' messages--in their entirety, so as to call people out of Babylon before it's too late.

I've never heard this before...  please Raven I would like to read the quotes...
thanks in advance

Cp gave the quote, and it is clearer than what I said.  I phrased it incorrectly.

[Ed Sutton]

( sunday  mark  law  = 10 hits )

  The Mark of the Beast.--When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome,--"the mark of the beast." And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive "the mark of the beast."--The Great Controversy, p. 449. (1888)  {Ev 233.4} 


     Reception of Mark of the Beast Future.--The change of the Sabbath is the sign or mark of the authority of the Romish church. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the beast is the papal sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in the place of the day of God's appointment.  {Ev 234.1} 
     No one has yet received the mark of the beast. The testing time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast.  {Ev 234.2} 
     With rapid steps we are approaching this period. When Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution, then will the papal sabbath be enforced by the combined authority of church and state. There will be a national apostasy, which will end only in national ruin. --Manuscript 51, 1899.  {Ev 235.1}     

quoting CP's post  color coded emphasis mine

  "The Mark of the Beast.--When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome,--"the mark of the beast." And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive "the mark of the beast."--The Great Controversy, p. 449. (1888)  {Ev 233.4}

The mark of the beast does not go into effect as such until it is enforced. True, it is their mark now but it is not credited to the people until they have  full light regarding the subject and then are forced to choose or reject the mark. 

[ColporteurK]

so we are not to be giving the 2nd and 3rd angel's messages then...

Of course we are. They were doing that 100 years ago. The book the Great Controversy was/is one way of doing that.

While the pastor had the first part right he used truth to promote error.

[newbie]

so we are not to be giving the 2nd and 3rd angel's messages then...

Of course we are. They were doing that 100 years ago. The book the Great Controversy was/is one way of doing that.

While the pastor had the first part right he used truth to promote error.

thanks
I was confused because I knew the church started giving the 3rd AM after 1844 and onward.  The 3rd message is about receiving the mark of the beast and I know there was no sunday law at that time and never really did get passed.  And, EGW was seeing people being sealed as well so that also was happening before the NSL.

thanks Ed too for the quotes...  ... remember I'm still a newbie...