7 June 2001 Editorial:
Frankenstein's New Monsters

Envy of other churches cannot justify premature baptisms

Larry Kirkpatrick

At one time Rachel approached her husband with the plaintive cry, "Give me children, or else I die." Jacob and his other wife, Leah had just managed to pull off four straight pregnancies and births (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah). In order to produce children for herself, Rachel gave her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob, and on went the race. What's interesting is that envy lay at the core of Rachel's desire for children; envy against the other wife.

Women in Scripture are often symbolic of churches. While we find here no hint that we are take this as a symbolic competition between churches in the matter of church growth, still it is interesting to wonder: could one woman vying against another to produce the maximum number of children hold any lesson for us today? Could Rachel's motive of envy hold any clues as to why such a great interest exists at present in church growth (so-called) among us?

Time was when Seventh-day Adventists measured the success of their work more on the kind of disciples produced than their numbers. Our spiritual forebears were more interested in the quality of converts than the quantity. If we doubt this, consider the fact that baptismal preparation and the examination of candidates was more rigorous than currently by several magnitudes. For many years the nature of our work was such that candidates for church membership were thoroughly grounded by repeated evangelistic meetings, Bible readings, and Bible studies. When one was presented for membership in the church they were usually quite well prepared. They understood the various teachings, had acquired an appreciation of the Ellen G. White writings, and were already accomplished at sharing with others the beliefs we hold. In case you suspect this is another manifestation of painting the past as rosier than it ever really was, I must tell you that I have spoken to many "old-timers" amongst us in many different places, and more often than not the sense I get is what they were very, very well prepared when in their youth they joined.

As repeatedly mentioned on other occasions, we were a movement first and a church only second. Indeed, we were counted as a sect or a cult. Prejudice against us could be quite high--just our name often was enough to close the ears of those whom we approached. There was still enough Protestantism in the Protestant world at that time to assure that the designation "Seventh-day Adventist" was, in fact, a standing rebuke.

How long has it been since the Seventh-day Adventist name was a standing rebuke to the Protestant world? As has been documented a number of times, our beliefs underwent a not-so-subtle revision in the late 1950's as our teaching on the nature of Christ was changed to an evangelically-compatible view. A small group of our important leaders, fearful that we would be labeled a cult, did some fancy footwork and whether they meant to or not brought about a meaningful course change. They tried to cleanse the terminology and re-cast Adventism at certain points but the result has been destructive.

Without commenting on this at length, it is enough for the current topic to point out that it was their desire that Adventism move into the orbit of "accepted" denominations. Why? So it could have more children; so our evangelistic work wouldn't be hindered. Every indication is that we envied the accepted churches, even while recognizing that historically they were Babylon. The sad thing as that we had to set aside our clearer views on salvation for the squishiness of an evangelical-compatible gospel.

In practical terms this meant that the law had to be de-emphasized, as did our interest in and confidence in the prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White. The investigative judgment must be shifted from an evaluation of individual characters to a rather distant and essentially forensic point of prophetic minutia; there must be a change from what happens in it to when it happens. Another shift was desirable, that from prophecy/movement centeredness to a minimally-prophetic/church centeredness. Nor did such changes come in all at once. But over time most have been achieved. Those who had engineered the revision are footnotes in history today, but their legacy ambles on.

Inexplicably still we are envious of the fallen churches--so much so that on some official websites we identify ourselves as "A mainstream Protestant Church."

Amazing. Knowing what we know, we hover at the periphery of Babylon and appear to identify ourselves with it. We appear to be content to count ourselves "a mainstream Protestant" church, when heaven's mandate to us is to finish His work, and when we are called to be the last manifestation of the Reformation and of Protestantism.

And why? Because Rachel wants children, and seemingly at any cost. The church wants to be counted legitimate, and pregnancy is the means by which she would achieve this. There is nothing wrong with successfully evangelizing people and bringing them into Seventh-day Adventism--the more the merrier. But let's make sure that we do what heaven says will produce Seventh-day Adventists, and not just more babies--not just more and more unprepared place-holders.

Ellen White tells us that when people join the body, they enter into "the solemn covenant of the church." That is, church membership really, really matters. The covenant is categorized in inspiration as "solemn." It is deep, rich, and meaningful. You won't often find me quoting the Church Manual here, but here are a few lines with which I heartily agree: Speaking of joining oneself' to the church, "This is a spiritual relationship. It can be entered into only by those who are converted." When shall we baptize them and take them into church membership? "Only those giving evidence of having experienced the new birth, and who are enjoying a spiritual experience in the Lord Jesus, are prepared for acceptance into church membership." It is stated just as plainly that the world church has agreed that everyone joining it should have a thorough instruction in the teachings of the church. These are not optional matters, not for a moment.

Rachel may have pled, "Give me children, or else I die," but her husband rebuked her, saying that he was not in the place of God that he could open or close her womb. Nor are we today in the place of God that we can bring life out of unlife, spirituality out of nothingness, or obedience out of an unregenerate person who just likes the music and wants to join.

Ellen White wrote this: "The victims of strong drink and tobacco are corrupted, body, soul, and spirit. Such ones should not be received into the church until they give evidence that they are truly converted, that they feel the need of the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. The truth of God will purify the true believer. He who is thoroughly converted will abandon every defiling habit and appetite. By total abstinence he will overcome his desire for health-destroying indulgences" (Evangelism, p. 264), and, "We do not take into the church those who use liquor or tobacco. We cannot admit such ones. But we can try to help them to overcome" (Temperance, p. 166).

No amount of justification, or declaration that the Spirit is being poured out, will justify any pastor or any local church group in adding to its children those who are not sons or daughters of God by means of divine power.

We dare to put it this way: if your theology does not produce changed people, it isn't God's theology. If you are not cooperating with heaven, your converts will not be converted people. No amount of pleading for children or manufacturing births will bring to life the dead. As a church we are not called to create Frankenstein's new monsters. We cannot compose a living being of a spiritual corpse. We must be in God's work or He cannot be in our work. He can and will be in it if we fulfill our mandate--if we live and give the third angel's message. Our Father is waiting to bless. Let us then do a faithful, honest work. Let us prepare our candidates well, and watch for new life from above working in them and decimating old habits, cutting away sin like a chainsaw through hot butter. Then they will be strengthened and the church will be strengthened, and the solemn covenant of the church will be honored. Let us turn away with nausea and disgust from all attempts to make our own children of the still-unconverted for the sake of pretty numbers. We must be about our Father's work, and that will include baptisms. But it will include authentic ones, not secured by any bribe, Babylonian methodology, or slight of hand. And the kingdom will be the better for it.

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