In part two of this series, we discussed that God has earthly representatives to whom He has delegated authority—specifically parents, governments, and the church. We also discovered that these authorities cannot be taken lightly, since disregarding them is as disregarding the voice of God. However, we pointed out that since these delegated authori
In the previous installment of this series, we discovered that the rejection of Christ’s authority was the central issue that sparked the entire Great Controversy. It was the root cause of Lucifer’s rebellion with one-third of the angels and it has bled into our world’s history. Our individual destinies will be determined by our attitude and relati
In much of modern-day Western culture, there is a pervasive sentiment that any authority is bad authority—or it’s at least something to be questioned. Law enforcement in all its forms are suspect, governments are corrupt, parents are ignorant, and organized religions are duplicitous. The highest virtue of the day is individualistic independence—the
This past October marks exactly 500 years since Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church building, challenging the authority of the established Church of his day. The famous words of Johann Tetzel were well-known in the area at the time: “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” However
The Worldwide Church? The world is becoming increasingly smaller in some ways (i. e. technology- media, information access, social accessibility) and larger in others (information overload, social isolation, cultural heterogeneity).[1] In varied ways, this can create blessings for a global community of faith as well as impediments to true koinonia
The lesson this week looks at Galatians 1, and is concerned primarily with the issue of Paul’s authority in relation to the gospel. The question arises, was Paul’s claim to authority based on his experience of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus? Or is there something deeper going on in Galatians 1, which could help to explain the reason that Paul
Few issues have caused as much personal anguish, vexed the Administrations of four of the last five consecutive General Conference Presidents, and culminated in increasingly close margin votes at General Conference Sessions in 1990, 1995, and 2015, than the question of whether or not to ordain women to the Gospel Ministry. The Seventh
