The idea of Christians heading for safer ground has certainly come up quite a bit in recent years in North America in particular. It’s an idea and a concept Christians have been mindful of for 2,000 years though. More so now than 159 years ago, many elements of prophecy are being fullfilled regarding last day events. The problem is depending on what you believe–emphasis on what–your view of Last Day events is likely different. This is also true among people within the same denomination.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve noticed a lot of confusion being spread among Adventists in North America in particular on this. It’s become easier for me to notice thanks to social media on that note (Facebook, YouTube, etc.). It’s quite the contrast from Adventists in other parts of the world and not in a positive way. The fact of the matter is most Adventists in the U.S. have been severely compromised by the influences of the political discourse and other factors.
It’s not the fault of Church leadership–the SDA Church is not a cult believe it or not–but those who have chosen to mix their political views with their theological views. In recent decades, the SDA Church in the U.S. has gained the reputation of appearing elitist or cliqueish and having a superiority complex compared to other denominations. Not just towards visitors but each other. This isn’t true for every single SDA Church every single week obviously but the North American Division is WELL aware it has a membership retention problem. On the one hand, they point to the fact this is also true for other denominations. On the other hand, that’s still a real bad look.
Based on their own surveys done by former members, here are the top reasons people cited for why they left the church in recent decades:
- Did not feel welcome or no longer felt welcome
- Friction or conflict with another member
- Lack of Support During Personal Difficulties
- Incident(s) involving them or loved one (rape, affair, molestation, etc.)
- Theological Differences or Heresy
- Apostasy or Blasphemy
- Church learned they were in a Same Sex Relationship–often with another member–and refused to “ok” it
- “Aged Out” (Born into or attended Church as a child, left once they were of age)
None of these should be a surprise regardless of your own denomination. I think I mentioned this in a post three years ago but my younger sister referred to churches like these as “Glorified Country Clubs”. People focus on meaningless things and either don’t know or lose sight of things that should really matter. When someone in crisis would rather stop attending church than ask for help out of fear they will be judged, that’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Churches are supposed to be like hospitals for those in need. A growing number of Adventist churches have lost sight of that.
I talked about this over the last two years but the SDA Church in North America has fractured theologically over the last 10 years. The surprise vote by the general conference to ban female ordaination was understandably a shock to many. More so given it was unanimous. The reason they gave to justify the vote was they “could not find evidence in scripture supporting Female Ordaination”. The problem is that is clearly a lie. The very first female prophet introduced is Miriam, the older sister of Moses and Aaron. Deborah was a Judge and a Prophet. Deborah and Esther were both leaders for their people. In the New Testament you’ve got Mary Magdeline and Lazerus’ sisters Mary and Martha.
I could go on but those are the biggest examples in support of Female Ordaination. Then there’s Acts 2:17-18 which I showed above. It specifically states “sons and daughters, men and women“. That is pretty noteworthy given the time period it was written, the known world was traditionally patriarchal. Then there’s the obvious fact Ellen G. White is one of the SDA Church’s co-founders. That’s the main reason for much of the fallout from the vote to ban Female Ordaination. Many Adventists were deeply offended by the surprise vote beause they felt those who proposed it wanted to erase her importance to the church’s history among other things. That likely wasn’t the intention but that is the preception most were given. I won’t pretend to know what the real reasoning behind wanting to ban women from holding leadership positions within the church are but a lot of people left the church because of it.
More recently, Adventists in the U.S. were split over Ben Carson’s run for president in 2016. Some said the SDA Church should formally endorse him as he was the first Adventist ever to run for president. As a policy, the SDA Church does not formally endorse political candidates. It is an apologitical organization and does not involve itself in election campaigns. Finally, the SDA Church endorsed the COVID-19 vaccines. They stopped short of telling people they need to get it but the simple fact they would not grant a religious exception for it drove some to call the church apostate. Yes, really.
Before I move on, I want to clarify something on the topic of being LGBTQ+ and Christian. It actually is ok to be single or celebic if you want to. The problem is when you allow those feelings to become so strong, you want to enter a physical relationship with a member of the same sex as you or act on those feelings. This is true of any denomination and it’s the sole loophole to put it another way. The problem is obviously, most would not be willing to do that these days. Just look at the United Methodist Church splitting in two over this particular matter.
I’ve said this before but the LGBTQ+ Community has a lot of well-meaning Christians confused or fooled on this topic. They succeeded in getting many Christians to compromise on this for “unity”. Scripture does emphasize “Love the Sinner, not the Sin” but the LGBTQ+ community twisted it to mean “Love Us and our Sin”. Don’t even get me started on Trans people and “Non-Binary” people who said 15 years ago “God Made a Mistake” to explain why they no longer wanted to be the gender they were born as. Why Christians didn’t publicly refute that “reasoning” I can only call cowardice. More so since it opened the door to the LGBTQ+ Communty wanting national legislation making telling the truth about their lifestyle classified as Hate Speech. In other words, they were looking to get the same kinds of Civil Rights protections given to the Jewish Community against Antisemetism. They make the case it’s the same thing but it’s not.
I’m going to say something for my Christian “allies” to think about the next time a member of the LGBTQ+ community says they want to be “their authentic selves” or were “always that way”. Before I do, I want to make this clear: I am not for one moment trying to suggest or imply Christians should or have to hate anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. They are our neighbors, coworkers, friends and in some cases members of our families. The best thing you can do is pray for them at the end of the day. If they’re a loved one, be there for them as well. Be clear about where you stand but let them know you care about them.
Having said all that. The fact of the matter is even factoring those born with hormonal issues, no is born LGBTQ+. It’s either taught, they were raped (men included), they were molested (usually as a child), they’re “experimenting” or more often these days someone told them it’s ok to have and act on those feelings. I have spoken to hundreds of members of the LGBTQ+ community over just the last two decades. Almost all of them fall into one or more of these categories. Those who didn’t were simply influenced by our society’s gradual acceptance of the lifestyle though.
It’s interesting to note the rate of those who publicly identified as LGBTQ+ exploded in the mid-2000s. I’m not saying this is the sole cause but a contributing factor in the 80s and 90s was a proliferation of single mothers. Almost none by choice just to be clear. The father either didn’t want to be involved, was abusive, died or most often was in prison. Without fathers at home, most impressionable boys in particular looked elsewhere for a strong male role model. For many, it was a teacher or sports coach.
Many coaches and male teacher both then and now who were aware of their student or player growing up without a father found themselves teaching more than just knowledge or sports but about life and how to be a man. I don’t mean toxic masculinity but how to be strong and responsible young men. With some, they joined street gangs or got into organized crime. With others, single mothers who had sons–some of whom grew up without a father themselves–started teaching their boys to be feminine or emmasculated them. This is why we now have boys growing up confused about their gender identity and thinking they can pick their gender identity.
When society rightfully started speaking out against toxic masculinity and the sharp rise in school bullying 20 years ago, an unintended side effect was triggered in both boys AND girls. While anyone would agree it’s important for boys to learn empathy and girls to learn not to be dependant on males, the problem is many well-meaning people took things way too far. In many cases, boys in particular were being conditioned to be overly sensitive or emmasculate while girls were being conditioned to adopt some masculine qualities. When boys and girls are basically being conditioned to behave like the opposite sex, you can’t be surprised by people getting confused about gender identity before long.
This was going on around the same time the push to legalize same Sex Marriage in America started picking up steam. Massachusetts was the first to do it in 2006 though eventually it would become nationwide 7 years later with the historic Obergafell v. Hodges ruling by the Supreme Court. It stands as the LGBTQ+ community’s biggest victory in America. 12 years later, states majority controlled by Republicans have started what’s best decribed as a counteroffensive to the influences of the LGBTQ+ Community.
That brings me to the recent mass shooting event at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee that took place on March 27. Up until now, most Christians who saw mass shooting events at Public Schools and Public Colleges or Universities in the headlines mistakenly presumed since their children attended a private Christian school, they wouldn’t have to worry as much. This event changes things in a way the mass shooting at Sandy Hook 12 years ago unfortunately didn’t. This will and should change the attitudes of people who are no going to demand their elected officials do something.
That aside, I know there are those who are thinking of or already are looking into home schooling their child(ren) due to these mass shooting events that are happening in growing frequency. That’s not a decision that should be made without a lot of thought, consideration and most importantly planning. It’s a huge responsability and time commitment is why. Strong convictions alone are not enough and more so if you need two incomes (including your spouse if they’re working) for your household to stay afloat financially. You have to be practical about that kind of thing as well as plan ahead.
A story out of Maine that’s recently made national headlines involves a public school that was basically helping a 13 year old student transition from Female to Male without her mother’s knowledge or consent. The mother found a chest-binding band in her daughter’s room but didn’t think much of it since it’s common for women and girls to use one especially when playing sports. The mother realized something was up when she learned her daughter was being referred to as Male at school but Female at home. She’s suing the school saying her rights as parent under Section 1 of the 14th Ammendment were violated by the school.
Here’s what it says:
…I was fortunate to find this chart online with the relevant part already highlighted. For those who might not be able to see the image, here’s the relevant part to know:
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privilages or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of the law.”
~ The 14th Amendment of the U.S., Section 1
That’s going to be what will be argued in court and I can easily see this going to the Supreme Court. For those who might not know this, in America children are considered the legal property of their parents. The mother is being backed by a certain Conservative Law Firm based in Arizona. They will want this case to go to the U.S. Supreme Court for the national implications that would bring. As a reminder, the U.S. Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 Conservative majority. They would rule in favor of the mother if the casse reaches them.
No doubt the rest of the country will be following this case closely. If the mother wins, you can be sure Conservative-led states will pass laws mandating public schools either tell parents about their child’s gender identity or affirm they be identified by their birth gender. If the case makes it to the Supreme Court and rules in favor of the mother, those likely decisions I mentioned will become nationwide. If the school wins, many on the Right politically will take it as an attack on parents’ rights and the decisions I mentioned before will still happen at the state level.
Personally, this does sound like a situation in which a school clearly overstepped their bounds. This also reinforces the concerns rightfully being raised by some parents who are being made to feel by our society their kids have more power than they do in recent decades. “It takes a village” doesn’t mean what it’s being made to mean by some Progressive ideologies. In its proper context, everyone else is support for the primary caregivers. They do not have equal say or power to the primary caregivers. At the end of the day, the primary caregivers should have the final say.
That aside. I do believe children are entitled to basic human rights. Most of the world has adopted a universal bill of rights for children though the U.S. was the only modernized country that elected not to sign on to it. The reason? Politics in short. With everything going on in America these days, it’s unfortunate once again politics has to get in the way of decency.
Finally, I want to get to this renewed campaign being pushed by a growing number of more Fundamentalist Christians for those who live in or near major cities in the U.S. to move to rural areas. They hold up the early days of the Pandemic and the early days of the conflict in Ukraine as the latest reasons why “real” Christians should be living as far from a major city as possible.
…The problem is “Heading for the Hills” at the first sign of trouble actually is not Biblical in concept or practice if we’re going to be honest.
That and for every different reason a well-meaning Christian may have or give to justify “Heading for the Hills”, the same three practical reasons against that kind of move applies:
- Evangelism: No question the biggest reason to stay in or near a city. Someone has to witness to the Lost who live in cities. It’s not your pastor or church’s responsability alone. Coming into a city from elsewhere is an option but it wouldn’t be as impactful as someone who lives there who does the Evangelism.
- Life Experience: Similar to the above, you may have certain life experiences that would be a blessing to someone where you live and work. If you move away, someone will be deprived of the unique talents and gifts you could provide. More so if you’ve been living in a city for all or most of your life.
- Practicality: Let’s be realistic, there’s a huge learning curve for someone used to living in or near a city to be moving into a rural area even with planning. More so one who’s had being self-sufficient and self-reliant heavily romanticized by charismatics. Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s a huge commitment and it’s not something just anyone can jump into with convictions alone. More so given it will take three to five years on average to become reasonably self-sufficient in a rural area. That’s based on a variety of factors.
Let me be clear: I am not saying you shouldn’t take practical precautions. Acts of violence in the U.S. are increasing by the day at this point after all. Contrary to what many well-meaning charismatic Christians like to say, it doesn’t matter if you live in a city or in the middle of nowhere. Someone looking to do you and yours harm will find a way to do it no matter where you live.
Like I said before, someone used to living in a city or suburban area will have a bit of a culture shock in a rural area. One of the biggest changes is municipal services like mail and trash pickup taking longer to get to you due to the longer distances they have to travel per shift. There is also setting up renewable food sources mostly via argriculture. That’s going to take at least two years. By the third year you should have enough of a grasp to be able to scale things up to get an economy going. You keep some of your harvest for yourself of course but most of it is to be sold or bartered for money, other goods and/or services.
I’ll assume most will want a clean water source. There’s many ways to go about that in a rural area. Same with getting your own electricity on that note. Solar Panels or Wind Turbines are two viable options if you’re willing to spend the money. There’s no getting around paying for internet service though. Those who are homeowners already know unlike renting an apartment or room somewhere, you are on the hook for property maintenance. Not just the costs of items needed for repairs but often doing the labor too. This is in addition to whatever your occupation is on that note. It’s something to think about at the very least.
I’m not saying those who are so inclined and able shouldn’t move to rural areas. What I am saying is you need to be practical as well as take your lifestyle into consideration. More often than not, you would do more good staying where you are. I’m seeing a growing number of fast-talking charismatic online evangelists mostly on YouTube basically trying to make the case only real Christians live in the rural areas far from civilization. That’s not Biblical, it’s dangerous and it’s wrong. Most importantly, who can you evangelize to if you’re living by yourself in the middle of nowhere? Who can you witness to if you’re only surrounded by people who have the same beliefs as you?
This is all the more reason Christians in America need to open their hearts and their doors to their friends, neighbors and yes, even strangers if need be. The need to run for the hills is definitely going to come–sooner than I anticipated–but the time is definitely not right now.
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