Why the Push for Women’s Ordination?

by sighandcry on July 25, 2012

SDA Ordination Crisis

screenshot from http://christorculture.com

 ”Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”— Isaiah 58:1

Did you ever wonder why it is that discussions on the ordination of women into the ministry continue within the higher levels of the Seventh-day Adventist church leadership, especially the North American Division? This despite the fact that many church leaders and members, especially outside of North America and Europe are steadfast to uphold the Bible standard of ordination for men only. Why is it at the 2010 General Conference Session in Atlanta, Georgia that the theology of ordination was once again made the subject of research and discussion. As a considerable amount of time, money, and effort is expended on this seemingly endless narrative one must wonder that something is behind all of this. For most Adventists the theology of ordination is as straight forward as the theology of marriage and the family if we simply take the Bible as it reads. So why does the topic of women’s ordination keep arising when the flock starves for real spiritual food? The bottom line answer is money. Yes the love of money is the driving force behind all of this. Let us look at the evidence from the mouth of the church leaders themselves.

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;” — 1 Peter 5:2

The severely flawed unscriptural reasoning that is used to justify the full ordination of women into the ministry has been thoroughly refuted by conservative Adventist theologians and will not be addressed in this post. We recommend an excellent presentation from Adventists Affirm that exposes the feminist ideology that has infiltrated the church to get acquainted with the subject, also a new website that focuses on this issue from many perspectives, christorculture.com.

What we would like to draw your attention to is the underlying motivation for this senseless undermining on the fundamental Bible doctrine of ordination. A research paper by Bert Haloviak, former director of the General Conference Archives, entitled: “Money and Theology: IRS and Redefining SDA Ministry” provides the answer. According to the paper, ever since the 1970′s the church leadership has been in a desperate struggle to redefine the theology of ordination in order to keep the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) out of the church coffers (see also: “How Money Got Us Into Trouble” by C. M. Maxwell). Herein is the trouble, the Seventh-day Adventist church has been incorporated with the state ever since the late 1950′s in order to gain favor from the government in the form of tax exemption status as an IRS 501c3 organization. As a result once you bow to Caesar for a favor then you must follow Caesar’s laws. The IRS defines that ministry (i.e. employees) must be “equal” for men and women and insists on compliance or else you will lose the tax exempt favor and could be liable for up to ten years in back taxes. For the corporate Seventh-day Adventist church this would amount of tens of millions of dollars! So how can the church uphold the Bible standard on ordination when the government demands something different? It called politics and it has been going on for over four decades as church leaders desperately attempt to appease the hand that grants them the favor while at the same time trying to keep the church membership in the dark. Hence we have a long history of discussions and research into the theology of ordination for one purpose—to redefine the role of women so that they can be made “equal” with men and keep the IRS off their backs and risk losing a whole lot of tithe monies. So it seems that our church leaders have completely left God out of their decision making. Is it little wonder that they are in such a strange and unmerciful trap?

The troubles with going to Caesar (the government) for favors is that in reality you forfeit the Lordship of Jesus Christ and by asking Caesar to be your head. The legal implications of church incorporation are enormous. In essence by becoming a state incorporated entity the church loses all its legal rights under the United States (US) Constitution (common law) and becomes subject to corporate law, the law that governs corporations. For a full perspective on this most serious act of treason to the government of God, please investigate some of the papers at the following link which make plain the dangers of church incorporation and the Biblical implications. We have also published a thorough research into the dangers of church incorporation from the perspective of Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy directed at various Seventh-day Adventist religious associations and ministries that have wholesale fallen into this trap as well. This is particularly ironic since most independent Adventist ministries are staunch to defend the the Bible in regard to ordination, yet on the other hand are almost all IRS 501c3 organizations! A strange paradox indeed, especially for Seventh-day Adventists who are supposed to warn the world of the emerging mark of the beast system in which the US constitution will be thrown into the proverbial scrapheap. Why is it that we are leading the charge by voluntarily giving up our constitutional protections of free speech and freedom of religion and then turn around and tell the world not to accept the mark of the beast? Do you really expect anyone to believe us?  

Truly if there ever was a time for revival and reformation amongst God’s people, it is now. What will it take to awaken us from our slumber?

Share

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Godsloveandlaw July 25, 2012 at 11:50 pm

Can we say “steadily retreating towards Eygpt”? The move is almost complete.

SR-admin July 26, 2012 at 12:26 am

Sad but true, yet it has been prophesied.

Feo August 6, 2012 at 8:27 am

O! only God can help us we need to put our priorities straight. God help us.

GTH January 30, 2013 at 5:55 pm

I HAVE ONE FOR YOU. WE HAD A BIBLE WORKER (A.D.C.) WHOM CAME HERE ABOUT LATE NOV-DEC 2009 AND DURING THAT TIME SHE USED A FALSE NAME OF RUTH JEAN GRONEMEYER AND WAS HAVING EVEN A LESBIAN AFFAIR WITH A MARRIED WOMAN AT OUR CHURCH.I HAVE THE TRANSCRIPTS SHE POSTED ON FACEBOOK,NOT USING JEAN J’S ACTUAL NAME BUT CALLING HER HER HONEY. AT THE TIME SHE WAS GETTING HER TEACHING ASSISTANT DEGREE. WHAT GETS ME SO MAD IS THAT SHE LIED AND DECEIVED EVERYONE EXCEPT JEAN,J AT OUR CHURCH.S HE MADE UP A LIE JUST A WEEK BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER 2012 THAT SHE WAS HOUNDED BY MOFFIA AND NOT TRUE. SHE ALSO WAS POSING AS A SINGLE LADY AND THAT WAS A OUTRIGHT LIE CAUSE SHE HAD A SICK HUSBAND IN WILMINGTON, MASS THAT DIED IN SEPT 27TH JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE SHE MADE UP THE LIE THAT SHE GOT BROKEN INTO BY MAFIA. ALL DURING THE TIME SHE WAS LYING SAYING SHE LIVED IN MASSACHUSETTS SHE WAS LIVING HERE IN ASHLAND, WISCONSIN FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS. I LOVE MY S.D.A. CHURCH BUT, I CAN’T LIVE ANY MORE WITH THIS LYING CRAP ON MY CONSCIENCE. I EVEN AM THINKING OF LEAVING THE S.D.A. BECAUSE THE APPROVE OF PEOPLE LIKE HER AND HER LIFESTYLE BUT YET THEY TURN AROUND AND TELL MY HUSBAND AND I THAT ITS A ABOMINATION……THATS TWO FACED, SORRY!!!

SR-admin January 30, 2013 at 9:41 pm

Dear Friend of the Adventist faith:

Lord have mercy! What treachery. Please do not leave the church. Things are bad all over but God will have a true people that will be sealed by sighing and crying for all of the abominations found in the church (Eze. 9:4). Please read Ezekiel 9 and 3T 266, 267 and 5T 211 from the SOP. There is a divine remedy, God is going to save His church from all of the slime and filth that pollute her borders. You have come to the right place. Please look at our video studies, go over the blog posts, and feel free to request some tract literature that will greatly enlighten and revive your soul with a fresh unfolding of present truth that will let you see how God has a perfect plan to save His church, but we cannot, must not, run away. There was apostasy in Ellen White’s day and she did not abandon the ship. All of the prophets of old were sent to call God’s church to reform and repentance despite the fact that they were stoned and sawed asunder. God need heroes today my friend who will stand strong for the Truth, though the heavens fall. So hang in there.

You can send us an address where we can send you some tract literature at the following email address: hosea21@gmail.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us anytime.

May God bless your search for truth as for hidden treasure.

In that blessed hope,

The Publishers

Enock kaanga April 17, 2013 at 5:44 am

It is now, yes now when we should pray and afflict ourselves before Jesus and ask for His eyesalve so that we be able to see, then start “sighing and crying for all the abominations” in our church.

Enock kaanga April 17, 2013 at 5:57 am

It is now, yes now that we must ask for the Lord’s eyesalve so that we be able to see, then “sigh and cry for all the abominations in the Lord’s church”

sighandcry April 17, 2013 at 10:05 am

Amen brother, we must follow the Lord’s command despite whatever men may do to us, lest we lose the favor of God. Stand strong, come what may.

Ursula April 19, 2013 at 9:45 pm

Good evening, I am so happy that we belong to such a great and powerful God. No man on earth can diminish His power. What great protection we have in Him. I do believe that our God has created, within the confines of marriage, equal. This is written in the Spirit of Prophecy in Adventist Home and in From Eternity Past. However, this does not give anyone the authority to confuse the rolls of a man and a woman. God made us different for a reason. There is also another great abomination in our church and that is, the way men treat women and the concept men have of women. The oppression and abuse of women has been going on for centuries. In our church, most men actually think that a women is a lesser of a human being and that she is a something and not a someone, that must be used to build themselves up and discard of her when they are finished with her. Many men feel threatened when they see the gifts, talents, intelligence and nurturing skills God has created in women. Many men even become jealous of their wives abilities and that is when the oppression and the abuse begin’s. A man, in God’s eyes, only becomes the head of the woman once he has proven that he loves his wife as Christ loved the church. Men need to stop believing that women are nothing and can’t be used by God and that men have no sin in their hearts and that women are under some kind of curse from God. If you, as a man are able to make your wife’s heart happy, then you will be able to make God’s heart happy and she will naturally want you as an authority over her because your intentions towards her are to build her up and not to break her down. To cherish her and give her honor and not to use her as an object to polish your sinful male ego and satisfy your lusts.
May the Holy Spirit continue to educate us and lead us home. God bless.

sighandcry April 28, 2013 at 8:48 pm

Dear Ursula,

Thank you for your thoughts and observations. It makes it clear why we should follow the Holy Bible and God’s perfect role for the man and the woman. Unfortunately, we often allow the popular trends in society and the unsanctified authority of some men to rule over women and overlook their talents to enter into our churches and create confusion and tension. I long for that day when Christ will step in and take the reigns in His own hands (TM 300) and then all things will be done decently and in order according to God’s plan.

May God help us to stand strong and put into practice what is right until then,

In that blessed hope, The Publishers

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: