Author: shermancox

Vanderbilt Trained Minister (MDiv), Univ. of Alabama Trained Software Developer (MS), Author, Blogger (http://soulpreaching.com ), Husband, Son, Brother, Father.
Posted on

Are We Working Together? – On The Black-White Adventist Conference Divide

I was listening to Elder Dana Edmond, president of South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. To those who do not know this is a “regional” conference (well most conferences are regional today, but I keep the antiquated terminology). He was preaching at the Kentucky Tennessee Conference. A “non-regional” conference for lack of a better term (I don’t use the black-white designation).

Are We Starting To Work Together?

Elder Edmond and the president of Kentucky-Tennessee Elder Steve Haley, both spoke of their friendship and their plans to work together on initiatives including evangelizing Memphis Tennessee.

I thought that was interesting. Especially in light of Georgia Cumberland conference and South Atlantic both working together to evangelize Atlanta during the last GC Session.

Shine A Light

All of these initiatives make me wonder a few things. First, maybe we should put more effort into working together instead of complaining about the separation. The separation doesn’t stop us from doing things together. (Contrary to the view of some, this is not as hardcore a separation as the “segregation” of the Jim Crow Era)

Outreach is the place where we need to see this. We are doing it now. Educational institutions, evangelism, and community service programs. Here we are working together. Perhaps we need to do better at emphasizing and publicizing our work together. Maybe we aughta shine the light instead of cursing the darkness.

Applauding Steps Forward

I am sure there are other initiatives of which I am unaware. I am not saying that we are doing things perfectly. We certainly should do better. We must find a way to get past this separation that continues for various reasons. But the answer is to get in the foxholes and work together.

I applaud folks like Edmond, Haley, and those others who recognize the facts, providence has placed us all together, we need each other just like the arm needs the leg. Maybe the way to unite the conferences is to work together instead of trying to come up with a directive from the top.

Posted on

Harold Camping – Are Adventists Looking In The Mirror?

Harold Camping has predicted the end of the world in late May of 2011. This is not the first time he has made such a prediction. Many have gone on before.

Well guess what, the time came and the time passed, and Harold Camping changed the date again. Now the date is October 2011. I see many folks laughing at him. Others stand with a critical eye on his work. But just like others before (especially the Second Advent Movement that moved the date to October after a missed date) he changed the date.

Doug Bachelor said, “Reckless predictions of the second coming of Christ create an artificial excitement among believers followed by a corresponding depression.” You can find it here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/43054329

Some of these same folks either act like they don’t know, or they don’t know that the Advent Movment was born in this type of thing. And all of the arguments that they are using now could have been used against their origins.

Camping is not the first gentleman that I know who has predicted the end…I have a few friends who send me material predicting the end ALL THE TIME. I have a particular elderly friend who is always predicting the end, only he has no radio program to publicize his predictions.

I sometimes wonder if my elderly friend is allowing his great desires for the end of time to cloud his judgement. I wonder if we have the heart longings of an older man who probably does not wish to die, but wishes to be translated…mixing in with the apocalyptic prophecy that he has made the foundation of his thought…and old age with its struggles on 80 year old people…all mixed together to create a climate where predicting the end is almost unavoidable…perhaps those who are close around him should be more deligent about protecting him…

Be that as it may, I still look forward to the time when the coming kingdom is fully realized. I cut Camping some slack. I know it looks bad on christinaity. I know there will be a lot of disapointed believers. But for some reason I got an image in my head of my friend, Harold Camping, my elderly friend, William Miller, and Jesus when the kingdom is fully realized. Like all of these men, I long for that day…

Posted on

The Information Is Getting Out!

I have been blogging from January 2006 to now, a little over 5 years. when I began there was a small but vibrant group of bloggers. Some of them still blog. Some of them have been swallowed up by the big sites Spectrum and Atoday, and some of them have just stopped blogging.

Independent Sites Providing News

while some have gone, others have come into the place. as noted above the fiercely independent Spectrum and Adventist Today both speak from a place that is not beholden to the church.

Interestingly enough there are other websites like Educate Truth. Educate Truth brought a story out and would not let it go away. In the past the story might have died, but the internet kept it around.

And then there is Facebook and Twitter. We find out things almost immediately now.

Official Channels Monopoly On News

You see when I was growing up, there was little information except through the official channels. Well, those days are long over. Some may not like it, but whether you like it or not, those days are over.

You are right now reading someone that you probably would not have been able to hear 20 years ago without. the Advent makes my work possible both here and in my other internet work. (Like SoulPreaching.Com)

You probably go on Facebook and read individual’s thoughts on every subject from President Obama to President Ted Wilson. You listen to sermons from various locations, not just your pastor and/or the media preachers. The Sabbath afternoon discussion is now on a global scale as you interact with people from Africa, Australia, Europe, and all over North America.

Local Conference Work Affected

Now the workings of Conferences are even being commented on. I saw another website seeking to be a place where laypeople and concerned workers can come to discuss church work and business The Forgotten Shepherdess. We discuss politics. We discuss sports. We even discuss other churches, well now it is time to discuss this church…

I just found the site not too long ago and what hit me about the site is that it appears to be exposing to the general public that which was usually and often only for privileged ears. The site has caused a stir at the Southwest Region Conference for they are now about to “formulate a policy regarding the proper behavior of an employee relative to Internet conduct via soical media sites and other online activities such as blogs…” You can find that here.

I guess they should have a policy, but if they think that restricting information will continue to work, I think there is a problem.

The answer is not to keep information from the people. That answer will not work. With Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter turning everyone into publishers and free websites like blogger.com and wordpress.com providing free websites to anyone, the day of the conference controlling the people by controlling information has come to an end.

And I say with Edwin Hawkins “Oh Happy Day.”