Participants:
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000305B
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00:04 Welcome back to "The Liberty Insider."
00:06 Before the break with Dr. Diop we were talking about unity. 00:10 Correct. 00:11 And that whole discussion 00:12 came from introducing your responsibility as-- well, 00:17 tell me the title with the Christian World Communions. 00:19 Yes, actually, literally 00:21 it's the conference of secretaries 00:23 of the Christian World Communions. 00:25 And you're the general secretary of that? 00:27 The secretary, there's a chair and I am the secretary, 00:30 like we meet once a year in a forum 00:35 where each denomination share what they're doing. 00:39 So this way we can better know each other 00:45 and so that is very important. 00:48 And we were saying earlier, you see, I used to say that, 00:53 the worst is always the corruption of the best. 00:56 That's true. And the error is very-- 00:59 the most effective error is so close to truth, 01:02 it's hard to tell. 01:03 But in this case when we talk about unity, 01:06 unity is a good word. 01:07 Absolutely. God wants unity. 01:09 Unity is something 01:11 that should be sought by every person. 01:13 The reason actually, 01:15 I would not even talk about, you know, necessarily-- 01:17 Well, unity is closely related to holiness 01:20 and holiness is unity with God and His-- 01:22 But even, you know, 01:24 most of the problem of the world can be, 01:31 can be tied, connected to the idea of division. 01:37 Just think about it, nations fight 01:41 because of this idea that we are not one human family, 01:45 there is a refusal. 01:47 And sometimes I hear people, you know, 01:50 like putting so much differences in races 01:53 for example, they will say, 01:55 okay, we're the sons of Noah, yeah but go back to Noah 02:00 and then after that, you know, and how about Adam. 02:04 Do we really know that they were siblings? 02:05 There is one humanity, 02:07 but for whatever reason differentiation, 02:10 discrimination, and so far separates people. 02:13 So God wants unity 02:14 and He has never succeeded even with Israel 02:17 when we think about it. 02:19 Twelve tribes then divisions, ten and two, 02:22 et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 02:25 Divided by the mothers of the-- 02:26 Naturally, so now we have a war of people 02:29 who call themselves Christians. 02:31 So meaning, they find their common identity 02:35 in Jesus Christ, manifestation of God on earth. 02:41 Pretty good starting point for discussion. 02:42 Yes. But then the question becomes, 02:45 okay, people go into minors-- 02:48 I'm not diminishing the differences, no. 02:53 But, what we're talking about unity in God is vital, 02:58 it is important. 03:00 However, that irreconcilable differences, 03:03 some religion insists some Christian tradition insist 03:08 and some of the, some aspect that not everybody can accept. 03:13 There was a reason why there was a reformation 03:16 based on these five Solae. 03:17 I was gonna mention that. 03:19 But even with the, 03:20 I was thinking about this on Friday, 03:22 a couple of days ago. 03:23 I attended an all day religious liberty seminar 03:26 at Catholic University. 03:27 Well, I'd look at-- 03:29 there was an Archbishop of Baltimore there, 03:33 very nice man. 03:34 But I look at him and he stands doctrinally 03:35 for many things that I can never accept. 03:38 But here I also look at him 03:40 and he's a person that's professing Christ. 03:42 I had certain things in common with him 03:44 and I have to respect him and reach out to him. 03:48 So this, you know, what does it say in the Bible, 03:50 "Love of Christ constrains us," 03:52 which we should have much more of an affinity 03:55 even with a radically doctrinally 03:57 different church group than with the person 04:00 that professes in our faith in God. 04:02 Yeah. 04:03 But where it goes is a little dangerous. 04:05 Yeah. 04:06 And, you know, you made an elusion that reminded me. 04:10 There is no question that the reformation 04:12 has been undone. 04:13 I think in a very negative way of recent years, 04:16 the world Lutheran federation sat down 04:19 and decided that was sort of all a mistake 04:21 and they are moving towards practical unity, 04:24 organizational unity of Church of England 04:26 I think it's the pretty much last step 04:28 where they can even hold ordinary positions 04:31 with their Roman Catholic Church. 04:33 For someone with a reformation viewpoint 04:36 that has to be troubling. 04:37 That's not good unity, is it? How do we see that? 04:39 Well, I really think it's more complex than that 04:43 but fundamentally the foundations 04:45 for the reformation and I think and these are good foundations 04:49 upon which the Seventh-day Adventist church 04:51 actually stands also in a sense-- 04:54 Well, we see ourselves as the inheritance 04:56 of the reformation principle. 04:57 No question, in a sense that these five principles, 05:01 one is Scripture Alone, Sola scriptura, 05:06 Grace alone, Faith alone, Christ alone, 05:10 and then Soli Deo Gloria, to God be all the glory. 05:13 If you take each one of those five principles, 05:17 these will protest actually 05:19 because like from a Protestant perspective 05:21 and from an Adventist perspective 05:23 in particular, the reason why we emphasize scripture alone, 05:27 because this is a protest we are saying scripture alone, 05:31 not scripture with traditions, tradition or traditions. 05:36 Grace alone, not grace with merit, all right. 05:40 Faith alone, not faith with work. 05:43 That's a very good way of expressing 05:45 the reformation principle. 05:46 Exactly, Christ alone, not Christ with others, 05:50 whether priest, not Christ with other mediators, right. 05:56 These principles affirm Christ's sufficiency. 06:00 And then, to God be all the glory, 06:03 this is like a total dedication. 06:05 This is why Adventists insist whether we eat 06:09 or whether we drink or whatever we do, 06:11 we do all to God's glory. 06:13 Now even Adventists, I think this may be a challenge 06:17 you know, to some but I think it's important to rediscover 06:23 and to live on the basis of these five principles. 06:26 Now of course, you will find churches who, 06:29 you know, because of how the world of pluralism 06:34 tend to diminish or that the importance 06:38 of this or that aspect. 06:40 But this is where I think Adventists should keep 06:43 our prophetic voice in society to say, 06:48 well, and I really emphasize on this point, 06:53 you see, and I'm going to use an illustration. 07:00 Some people may enjoy in always accusing others, 07:04 one thing, where they are wrong, 07:06 what they do wrong. 07:07 That is kind of productive 07:09 and it is not in harmony with God's spirit. 07:11 It's true, we should be Christ centered. 07:13 Absolutely, the way Christ did. Now this, let's think about it. 07:18 Christ knew everything, every wrong, 07:21 of every person that He met. 07:23 But He focused, except, except, I know, 07:27 you know, at the end of the ministry 07:29 but He focused on preaching light 07:31 and I think this is where I think, share light 07:35 and light will dispel darkness, rather than I mean in a sense. 07:40 You would not agree with that or how would you-- 07:43 I've got to quibble on something 07:44 and at the risk of, 07:46 I'm not sure Christ knew everything. 07:50 Yeah. What I'm saying-- 07:51 But He, it is in communion with His Father, 07:53 things were revealed in a continuous fashion. 07:56 And you're supporting-- 07:58 I don't believe He's a human, living in a human form 08:01 at that moment when He looked, He knew everything. 08:03 That would be another conversation 08:05 but what I was referring to-- 08:06 But I understand the principle you're saying. 08:08 No, and I am just quoting the Bible, 08:11 I am quoting the Bible when He said, 08:13 He knew what was in man. 08:16 So that was-- 08:17 Well, He knew, He had a clear understanding 08:19 with His closeness to the Father 08:22 of the degradation and the weakness of human. 08:25 Correct, but my was that He could spend time 08:29 showing what's wrong with people 08:31 and what's wrong with the world. 08:32 Well, He did it as the moment required with the Pharisees. 08:36 He was quite direct. 08:37 Yeah, but His life was spent in expressing what He said, 08:43 "I'm the light of the world." 08:44 And He said to His Father was, "You are the salt in light." 08:48 The salt mingled. 08:51 It's impossible to isolate and we are living, 08:53 yes, in a dangerous world, in many areas, 08:56 syncretistic alliances. 08:58 I mean, compromising, apostasy, all kinds of things but-- 09:01 I think the real danger is forgetfulness. 09:05 With Seventh-day Adventist we were told by leading light 09:09 of early Adventism, 09:11 Ellen White that we have nothing to fear 09:12 except we forget the way that Lord has lead us. 09:15 And that was good advice 09:17 and I think when we talk about many of the, 09:20 mostly Christian churches 09:21 because that's say I'm with the danger 09:24 is in regard to ecumenism 09:26 but the danger generally as far as spirituality 09:29 is they're forgetting the principles 09:30 they were founded on. 09:32 These reformers that I've noticed 09:35 they've been re-appropriated by the Roman Catholic Church 09:38 which is very charitable of them, 09:40 but I think they are trying to embrace 09:41 what they cannot embrace without changing to reflect 09:44 the reformers' views. 09:46 You know, those reformers had very particular view points 09:50 that when they lost it damages 09:56 each body that exemplified them. 10:00 And while we're at the end of this, 10:02 we need to have another discussion. 10:04 But back to the Christian World Communion 10:07 just if you can give a little statement 10:10 of what you think where that's going 10:13 and its importance for our involvement. 10:16 Again, the importance first of all 10:18 is for Christians to talk to one another. 10:21 Of course, Christians should talk to everybody 10:25 and I mentioned earlier here 10:27 that there is solidarity that among all human beings, 10:33 we are the same human family. 10:35 There's one human race in spite of the theories 10:39 that have been created in the 19th century 10:41 differentiating different races et cetera. 10:44 There's one human family and so, and when Jesus came 10:49 He emphasized this particular point 10:52 that to all who believe in His name 10:55 He gave them the authority, the power, 10:58 to become children of God. 11:00 So Christians in addition to sharing common humanity, 11:05 common solidarity, they also share this family 11:09 because of their worldview of God 11:12 as the Creator, the Father, the provider, 11:16 the sustainer, the Creator of everything, 11:19 who brings them together. 11:21 So Christians ought to talk to one another 11:24 in order to work to make this world a better place 11:27 and to share their vision of God. 11:34 Many people want to say the Lord's prayer 11:38 at moments of high religiosity 11:41 but far too many are unfamiliar with the prayer 11:44 that Jesus prayed in John Chapter 17, 11:47 it is a beautiful outline of the principles 11:51 of the kingdom of the dynamic, of necessary dynamic of union 11:57 with the Father as He the Son had union with the Father, 12:01 that we are called to be one, a band of Brothers 12:04 if you like, with Brother, capital B from heaven. 12:09 We need to be working towards that end. 12:12 We need to say that we are not isolated individuals 12:15 reaching for a principle. 12:17 We are part of this great heavenly family, 12:22 a band of Brothers working for a principle 12:26 that will have its ultimatum aim 12:28 of oneness with God, not as a secular construct, 12:32 not as a constitutional norm, 12:35 not even as a historical moment of great memory 12:39 like the Shakespearian play where King Henry said 12:44 that we will be a band of Brothers 12:46 but we are indeed brothers with the heavenly presence. 12:51 For Liberty Insider this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2015-10-08