Every year, the Southern Union Conference organizes an Academy Prayer Conference for young Adventists within its area. The 2024 event is being held this weekend at Camp Kulaqua, a church-owned facility. The “worship scenes” from the retreat were captured on video and shared on Instagram by the Florida Conference Youth and Young Adult Ministries. [1] The problem with the video is that this isn’t worship. You cannot tell the difference between what the Southern Union Conference calls worship and what takes place at secular rock concerts, in which the audience gets up and jumps, cheers, shouts, and dances, because that’s exactly what you see in the video.
The Youth Ministries Department of the Southern Union Conference Provided Loud Drums and a Dance/Jumping Session for its 2024 Academy Conference #sda #adventist #adventista pic.twitter.com/f5n6B4aUMa
— Advent Messenger (@Advent1844) January 13, 2024
Tragically, Adventism is reaching a point where anything we do is legitimate and acceptable as long as it is done in God’s name. There are no longer any boundaries. Worship is evolving nowadays to try and imitate as much of the outside world as possible. We no longer seek worship that is different, distinctive, or unique from the commonplace “cheap, miserable inventions” that we witness in dance hall club scenes. With the confusion, drums, and worldly music taking place in Seventh-day Adventist youth retreats, Satan is truly placing his stamp on what is meant to be the work of God, just as inspiration predicted would happen.
“The third angel’s message is to be given in straight lines. It is to be kept free from every thread of the cheap, miserable inventions of men’s theories, prepared by the father of lies, and disguised as was the brilliant serpent used by Satan as a medium of deceiving our first parents. Thus Satan tries to put his stamp upon the work God would have stand forth in purity. The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with such a confusion of noise and multitude of sounds as passed before me last January. Satan works amid the din and confusion of such music, which, properly conducted, would be a praise and glory to God. He makes its effect like the poison sting of the serpent” (Letter 132, 1900).
“I knew those who led the people into these noisy demonstrations, and as I arose to speak, they commenced dancing and jumping up and down, crying and shouting loudly, over and over again … I bore my testimony, declaring that these fanatical movements, this din and noise, were inspired by the spirit of Satan, who was working miracles to deceive if possible the very elect. I said that it was not God’s will that His pure, holy, sacred truth should be thus misinterpreted and brought into disrepute. The truth remained the truth still. These demonstrations did not change the unerring character of truth, but Satan was working to deceive and delude honest souls. Satan’s agents were working vigilantly to make use of human minds in mingling the truth with tares and indecent practices, to bring a stigma upon the truth and make it of none effect” (Letter 132, 1900).
Sources
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/C2ARYwsO4um/?igsh=NHNpdzIzdzlzOHVj&img_index=6
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As the world burns, we fiddle and dance.
As the world burns we have hundreds of teens wanting to be in a place singing and praising God. Praying, praising more, listening to sermons… how can this be wrong?
They have lost their minds.
Not at all!
I think adults who only see fault in the youth are the ones who have lost their minds!!!
All the prayers for revival are completely neutralized unless we are willing to address these wrongs and put a stop to it.
“The searching testimony of the Spirit of God will separate those from Israel who have ever been at war with the means that God has ordained to keep corruptions out of the church. Wrongs must be called wrongs. Grievous sins must be called by their right name. All of God’s people should come nearer to Him…. Then will they see sin in the true light and will realize how offensive it is in the sight of God. The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins.” 5T 676
I remember going to Bible Conference at Kulaqua from academy in 1970 and it was a spiritual experience back then. It’s when I found Jesus. We need to bring back the ukulele, Kumbaya and the campfire. My niece from NC was at this event. I’m anxious to hear her thoughts. I doubt this was a good experience for her.
So what did your niece say?
I attended this conference and I gotta say that I was blessed. God was working through all the young individuals there, and even those that are not Adventist and went got a change of heart and feel for who God is. Worship there was giving our hearts and singing praises to Him.
As a Junior in Highschool I attended prayer conference as a Sophomore and found that it is an amazing and Christ centered experience, purposefully catered to the youth who are the future of the Adventist church. This conference was a great way for me to reconnect with God. Frankly it is people and churches who criticize the way youth worship that are forcing the youth out of the church.
God has given us emotion. I would rather youth give all that emotion back to God. It is organizations such as these that demean and deter youth from entering the gates of praise.
If percussion is not of God why do we use the piano or organ??
Also, we should remember David. The man after God’s own heart who was leaping and dancing for God. I love EGW writings but let’s get our basis from the WORD.
If David were here today some would probably try to kick him out too.
King James Version
2 SAMUEL 6
14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord;
I had the amazing opportunity to attend the youth prayer conference in January, a truly life-changing experience. It was a gathering where I felt the presence of God working in the lives of many.
I wonder, when did our religious traditions start overshadowing the authentic connection between us and God? Shouldn’t we celebrate the unity and worship that brings us together?
That Thursday night worship was truly special. The Holy Spirit was there, touching everyone’s hearts. It’s not about the details like jumping or drums; it’s about the work of the Holy Spirit. Throughout history, people have praised God through music and dance, showing the power of faith and devotion.”
Psalm 150 tells us :
1 Praise the LORD.Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
The song we are singing in the video is actually talking about how all we want to do is praise the Lord! I personally think that is incredible! That out of all of the kids there only 20 left to go back to there rooms while the rest of us just wanted to linger in Gods presence and praise him for all the things he has done for us. Aren’t you proud that the youth of this church are jumping up and down and on fire for God?! This is something to celebrate!!!
David tells us to Praise the Lord through the crash of cymbals and singing and dancing!
I do understand your reservations and feeling that there is a lack of reverence in the actions shown. I strongly believe that reverence is incredibly important, so I do understand where you are coming from. How are we supposed to grow in Christ and grow together if we can’t talk through disagreements like this one?
However I want to challenge you try reframing this through this lense:
We need to remember that our God is simultaneously Trancendent( above all deserving all the respect and reverence we have to give) and also immanent( existing within us and working in any and every circumstance). He is simultaneously king of kings and also so close to us that we breathe him in. he is our very best friend.
We need to treat him as such! Treating him with both extreme reverence and yet also being his number one fan.
He is the one who gave us breath so it is only fitting that we should use our breath to praise his name!!!
With all due respect! God existed BEFORE denominations did! He made mankind in his image to live breath and praise him before we began to split off into groups. I’ve been raised Adventist through and through and I can easily say it is the judgment like this that pushes me away!!
We all take away different translations from Gods word. I do not believe that God allowed for these different translations in an effort to divide us. I believe it was to meet every person where they are at and express that his word is his love letter to us. He longs for a relationship with us so much that he came and died for all of us.
Notice how Jesus was not popular on earth because he hung out with all the “right people” he hung out with the outcasts and the “untouchables”. This is because God loves everyone and wants everyone to live with him forever if they will give him a chance and accept him into our lives.
The problem with your response to a conference like this is that you are essentially saying that there is only one way to praise God and that is simply not true. The judgment tells kids that God will only love them if they are a certain way and that’s also is wrong.
There is already so much in this world that is going crazy and it seems the presence of God seems to become less and less. That is in part due to the worldly practices and also in part due to certain denominations looking down on people and saying that are not good enough.
Personally I think this is the WORST thing we can do because since God created us in his image, we are called to be a representation of him and his loving character. That response is NOT loving it is condemning. And some of our churches are acting in this way not only on their own account but IN GOD’S NAME.
At the end of the day we should want nothing more than to take pride and joy in the blessing it is to represent God’s BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER.
As for church? There is nothing wrong with wanting to spend your own time in a more conservative space with people who view reverence in the same manner as you! however, that does not mean you get to make that decision for everyone else and exact yourself above everyone else. We are all sinners and in need of a savior so who are you to tell the youth that cannot jump in praise for the lord.
We should be rejoicing that there are still youth who want to praise God with everything they have in their hearts. I PROMISE YOU the angels in heaven are rejoicing.
If your framework around Adventism being unique represents the denomination as “exclusive” then you are misrepresenting that as well. Take a closer look and celebrate people wins
My guess is that negative Nelly was never all that happy! (this an analogy! I only have love for you if your name is Nelly)
It takes far more energy to judge someone than it does to love them. So just LOVE PEOPLE and guide with grace and acceptance.
Very well said!!!!
Let me open my heart as a Mom of a 17 year old who was there THAT night!
I feel blessed my son had the desire to go to this conference and returned home recharged by everything he experienced there!
Are we showing here every song they sang during this conference and how powerful their prayer time was? or are we just picking and choosing a very short segment so we can criticize and condemn the organizers, the church, the leaders and our youth for being on fire for Jesus???
Yes, it is a different kind of praise than the one I was raised with, yes, it is a different kind of praise than the one I use as an adult. BUT, I am sure our Lord and the angels were delighted to hear such amazing group of teens singing their hearts out for Jesus!
How are we going to encourage the youth to stay in our churches if we criticize everything they do? How are we going to encourage them to be leaders in our churches if we have an agenda for them and they must not deviate from it?
This week a group of 60+ teens (many of whom were at this conference) met on a Thursday night from 8:30pm – midnight to sing praises to God, pray, sing more, and to share a special moment with their friends and Jesus. What a dream for a Mom: That my boys (16 and 17) wanted to be in an activity like this, in the middle of the week while they could be elsewhere (and singing many of the same songs from prayer conference). Some were solemn and quiet, some were happier and loud, and when they were all done, those who wanted to stay, kept on singing and singing and praising God and they were asking “one more song… one more song!!”
Can we concentrate in supporting our youth and offering opportunities for them to grow in Jesus? Or should we continue finding ways to discourage them from attending amazing activities like these that will help them as they navigate this difficult world we live in?
I choose to support the leaders of my church and school, who are helping my boys grow closer in their relationship with God… yes, with music I might not know the words to, but I know is touching their hearts!
Now, if you absolutely don’t like it… pray for them. Our youth needs our prayers, not our criticism and stones thrown at them all the time!
I hope we all experience at least once the joy of singing our hearts out for Jesus 📣