On Thursday, August 5, 2021, Pastor Mark Finley gave a lecture during the ASI Convention in Orlando, FL. His theme was on what principles should guide us when interacting with government authorities. In his lecture, Pastor Finley mentioned that many are stirring up controversy in Adventism by speaking out against government mandates and decisions. Notice the full statement:
“Some people are more interested in the political parties in the governments of this world than they are in the government of heaven. Some people divide the Adventist Church based on government’s decisions and they bring conflict into the church because of a certain political party or a certain government mandate and they divide the church over that issue. That is a terrible tragedy.” (YouTube video above)
Oh really? Is this a tragedy? We will come back and address the mandates of the government, but first let’s talk about the real tragedy taking place in Adventism. Pastor Mark Finley, what about obeying papal mandates? How about engaging in Eucharistic unity with Rome and the other churches? What about the Ecumenical Charter we told people we were not going to be engaging in anymore? Well, it’s still happening. What about certain church unions in Spain and Italy who are following the mandates contained in the papal encyclical Laudato Si’? What about Ganoune Diop and other leaders promoting the mandates contained in the papal encyclical Fratelli Tutti? All of this is fully documented, with much more.
I suggest we take a huge knife and cut the foundations of the church in two and see how much Catholic social teaching is devouring the spirituality of Adventism. Instead of lecturing us on government mandates, Pastor Mark Finley should begin by taking action at the highest levels of the church and use a knife to cut away the worms eating away the lifeblood of the movement. Slice down to the heart of our foundation of our beliefs so that you can identify the rot that is souring the mission and message of the church.
Now, regarding government mandates, Andrew Cuomo, former New York governor, is out, thankfully. He was a petty dictator who arbitrarily issued unfair mandates on his own authority. Gavin Newsom, soon to be a former California governor, is also on his way out. These are just two examples of men who destroyed the livelihoods of tens of thousands of businesses, ruined restaurants, put people out of work, destroyed the service industries, and for what! By imposing their own arbitrary mandates that they themselves were not willing to follow.
Gavin Newsom closed all restaurants in California and they all had to obey his mandates, but then he threw a big dinner for his friends and family with dancing at a restaurant that was closed to everyone else. Now Mark Finley says, “Don’t say anything, and don’t talk about government mandates.” But Praise the Lord; the people of California are not following this kind of advice. They followed their constitutional rights by recalling their governor. This is a movement carried out by Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Moderates, and Libertarians. People voted for him and have the right to kick him out for his unfair and arbitrary mandates that destroyed jobs, cost people their livelihood and left many people out of work.
We have even more mandates that are creating a new class of discriminated citizens. They are called the “non vaccinated.” They are not granted the same freedoms that are given to the vaccinated. Some are fired from their jobs; some are not allowed to attend school, travel, and shop, eat at restaurants and enjoy other basic civil liberties. What we don’t realize is that our civil and religious liberties stand together or fall together. When civil liberties disappear, our religious rights will disappear with them. Notice what inspiration says:
“Many were driven across the ocean to America and here laid the foundations of civil and religious liberty which have been the bulwark and glory of this country” (Great Controversy, p. 252).
We are Protestants, not Catholics. We are Americans, not North Koreans. Protesting is in our DNA. And we cannot remain indifferent when our freedoms are under attack. As civil and religious liberties are suppressed, as governors and mayors rewrite the laws of the land with their “mandates,” may Seventh-day Adventists not give such weak responses to what is currently happening.
If politicians can unilaterally abolish our fundamental liberties by simply declaring them “non essential”, then we no longer have any Constitutional rights. The “Bill of Rights” quickly becomes symbolic and is no longer “guaranteed.” Freedom becomes a nice concept without any real application.
State governors are exercising absolute power when deciding what is essential and what is not for their citizens. Some governors have unilaterally allowed abortion clinics, marijuana dispensaries and liquor stores to remain open, while unilaterally restricting churches. To speak out against this disparity in these government mandates is not political but Constitutional. The Constitution allows us the right to peaceably assemble to petition the government for a redress of grievances:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (1st Amendment of the US Constitution).
The government has no authority to declare that our “Bill of Rights” is not essential. Our civil and religious liberties must be protected from rogue, corrupt governors who are turning citizens into slaves and subjects. Mark Finley should stick to cleaning up the church from Rome’s political influences that are decimating Adventism; and let the citizens of the United States follow their Constitutional right to clean up the mess left by unjust politicians.
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Amen! We try to articulate these things to others, but most will not listen. The “terrible tragedy” is allowing this denomination to become this rotten wreck of a “ship”. Let us see if Pastor Mark Finley has the fortitude to try to refute one single word. We suspect not. Let us see if he can prove any of these facts to be wrong. It won’t happen. Woe to them, hypocrites! The truth ALWAYS triumphs.
Yet……, the church obeys and celebrates a military that sends our youth to fight for “freedom” in mandated corrupted wars. Finley is confused……
I don’t understand how our church can expect people to take a experimental injection. Fetal tissue is used in these “vaccines”. Where does this fetal tissue come from? Are there that many babies dying of natural causes they are able to harvest enough tissue to create millions AND millions of injections? NO!! Babies are being killed and the tissue is being sold. BABIES are being KILLED.
Mark Finley and the entire “cabinet” of the GC needs to be recalled along with 95% of the Washington DC buffoons. Such men are not fit to even preach in the church or govern the nation. Lynching is too good for them. They should join the politically correct churches of the harlot. Maybe they don’t have to as the SDA corporate beast is aligning very nicely with mama Harlot in Rome. Amazing that those who stand up for justice and freedom now are the problem even in the church. Such men are not even Americans and should go live in N. Korea. Such a sad disappointment is Mark Finely. Keep preaching the truth until the synagogue of Satan SDA Rabbi’s silence you.
Good to hear from you Torah Tom……. Torah Tim…..
Blessings torahtim. Glad to. Hear from you.. Yah has blessed us with a strong congregation and baptized 17 today in the lake. SDA’s are leaving the corporate beast and joining biblical Israel at an alarming rate. Time to flee babylon and escape the fires of hell that will punish all the daughters of the harlot, Rome.
There were very few facts in the article. It simply demonstrated the divide Pastor Finley was talking about. God help us. Satan is hard at work.
That’s exactly what I thought when I read this article and the comments. We are acting as if we don’t know the world is going to change for the worse. We’ve been warned about this. Are we helping others prepare for the spiritual war or are we too busy protesting and demanding recalls? We forget that God is in control and His will will be done despite of what we think we can control. This article saddens me, but it doesn’t surprise me. If churches are doing things they shouldn’t, then they should be addressed by their conference leaders. As a denomination, we should proclaim the 3 angels’ message. God help us.
I hope you are faithful when you are being tortured for your faith. Are maybe facing the guillotine. Like the Jews faced the gas chamber. No body did anything to stop it before it was to late. Peter tells us in Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Paul tells us in 1st Cor. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I do not take any medication of any kind and i am not going to take a vaccine that is an experimental vaccine that is proven NOT to work. Or to wear a mask that has me breathing my own carbon dioxide and also does not stop any virus from going through it. Or to stop visiting family or friends. You can do all these things if you want. You body, your choice.
By Mark Finley bringing up what he sees to be division he was just causing division himself. Dividing those that agree with him from those that do not.
That right there is gold. I amazes me to no end how many people get all hot and bothered, like Mark Finley, warning us about causing divisions, while doing the very thing he pontificates against.
Get with the program, Mark. There is ALREADY a division. It only remains which side of this division you want to take. And I think you gave us your answer.
Revelation 18:23 Amazing how many 501c3 Pastors in SDA are unfamiliar with this scripture? (sarc)
When He (Mark Finley) agrees with the pope on vaccines what can we expect? It is quite obvious he also agrees with Tony
Palmer who said “the protest is over”. Maybe he is a Catholic
They both agree that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
And satan agrees with that as well.
No articles for almost a week
Brother AR
You had us worried
Were praying for you
Welcome back
😊
Mark Finley is the same person who some years back had died a young Korean SDA pastor for using some images from i i written material
I guess he never read
Freely yr have received freely give
Sorry above
Sued korean pastor
This is to show that most of these SDA pastors are working with Jesuits or they are Jesuits themselves. May God have mercy on them.
Got a disturbing notice from the Seventh Day Adventist YouTube channel in my YouTube home screen (even though no longer subscribed to their channel…..)
🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
“ARE YOU CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR CHURCH COMMUNITY?”
🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
(So I clicked on it maybe they mean Covid stuff…they didn’t!)
Here’s excerpt of what they wrote:
{ …it is so important to have A SAFE SPACE for people of ALL BACKGROUNDS to learn about Jesus,
Church should be a place where they can SHARE and without fear of judgement AND BE ACCEPTED…}
Wow that’s incredibly disturbing…
Reading between the lines:
“A Safe space, All backgrounds, can share and be accepted”
With zero judgements?!?
None whatsoever,
Hindus, Buddhists, Satanists, Witches, Jesuits all invited and can share?
Really, doesn’t get any more inclusive than the word ALL,
Who’s preaching to who in that scenario?
So Lot should have invited the Sodomites in to hang out with The Angels who they wished to fornicate with,
Nehemiah wall of protection around Israel, Totally Gone in this scenario!
Child molestors could take the children’s classes,
Neo Nazis, KKK and similar can sit next to person’s of color and preach hate to them, no judgements
Catholic priests could come and preach from the Pulpit a message of eccunism under Rome, no retaliations if your including them, want them to feel safe right?
The question has to be asked how is Ted Wilson and Mark Finley totally fine with that message from Their platform…
but deeply troubled if you dare to question the government policies which aren’t even laws at all, but mere guidelines.
Have a rule that if something is unquestionable it’s probably highly wrong, I believe God even allows for Infinite questioning
“Come let us reason together…”
If something stands up to a barrage of questions it’s usually very very Good,
If you can’t question something at all it’s obviously very very bad .
YMJ, do you have a link you can share to the SDA YouTube post about safe places?
Hi YesMsJane. “Safe space” is the term used to be inclusive of the lgbtqia (homosexuals of the various abominable behaviors). Do a search on this term…then ask yourself, what did Jesus do? Did he accept people AND their behavior or did he accept people while gently rebuking their sinful behavior? Do ask yourself what do they mean when they say That the ‘Church should be a place where they can SHARE and without fear of judgement AND BE ACCEPTED…}’. …hummm SHARE what?
The word share at least In this scenario probably means re-educate as in away from victory over sins via Christ and His Word.
Perhaps The Fox is in the Hen house or someone was told to be politically correct instead of Biblically sound, it does look like (so called) virtue signaling….
{They may regard virtue as better than vice;
but God being removed from His position of sovereignty, they place their dependence upon human power, which, without God, is worthless.
The unaided human will has no real power to resist and overcome evil.
The defenses of the soul are broken down.
Man has no barrier against sin.
When once the restraints of God’s Word and His Spirit are rejected,
we know not to what depths one may sink.
Those who continue to hold these spiritualistic theories will surely spoil their Christian experience, sever their connection with God, and lose eternal life.5Evangelism, 601, 602.
From Maranatha – Page 133}
Msjane are you a sinner???? If you are then why are you allowed to be in church????. If we say that we have no sin then we make God a liar. Jesus said the well have no need for a physician the sick are those that need a physician. What’s very very sad is that Satan is controlling you and your claiming Christianity. Myself and you are the created not the creator it’s God’s job to judge and our job to obey. So stop judging others we are not the special chosen ones we are unfortunate doomed sinners. That need to be saved from our sins just as all of the people we are judging so please stop.
Fact is most of our pastors are chained with money.Mark Finley is the pastor of which he directs GC president as an advisor.Since catholicism is dangerous,we need to be ware of the leaven of the pharisees which is hypocrites.My hope is built on CHRIST JESUS.No GC leader,union leader and division leader are my example.Iwill follow the LAMB where He goes not these leaders where they go and say.
Amen
I concur with Mark on this one, it is not our mission to be arguing vaccines or politics, these are not questions of faith or salvation. These arguments do not uplift Christ. Our mission is to share the gospel of Jesus and the 3 Angels messages, this is the message for our time. As we know there will come a time when we need to make a stand. These are but a distraction to our God given cause. Corruption is increasing in both sides of politics, either political persuasion is quite capable of forming an image to the beast and to be vaccinated or not should be a personal choice, what more is there to say. People are more interested in their own civil liberties than the life of another.
I appreciate articles with messages for our time, but I see little building the church up in discussions on this list but rather tearing it down. We should be praying for our church leadership.
I think we would do well to consider this quote,
“God permits men to be placed in positions of responsibility. When they err, He has power to correct or to remove them. We should be careful not to take into our hands the work of judging that belongs to God.” (HDL 24.2)
Titus 3:3-7 has really spoken to me, made me reflect on my sinful state and His love and mercy for each one of us.
Thank you Tim. Politics must not muddy our message. Yet truth must be proclaimed.
It is a balance ONLY the Holy Spirit can achieve!
They have made health issues a political issue and we have a health message that comes from God which is contrary to allopathic medicine. The pharmaceutical industry belongs to Satan and this is the entire basis of operation of the world’s health system and authority. We will continue to stand for God even though it has become politicized to do so. This is only “Part A”. “Part B” is coming, built upon the very same template and following this trajectory it will bring worship also into politics, a point that was made in this article with its reference to the coming mark of the beast, when the rhetorical question is asked of Elder Mark, “What about obeying papal mandates?” Exactly. This is a set-up. Leaders like Finley expect us to ignore the vaccine issue when it is the number one threat to humanity at this time? When the cover of this so-called “pandemic” is used to control people even in worship and witness, to counter the commands of God to assemble and to travel? When they may not even write or speak certain things? No, we will fight by pen and voice, and will fight to the death. Away with this nonsense of creating division in the church. It is not truth that divides. Truth has always been. Lies and deception are those things that divide, to be clear. Those that have the truth are standing on a rock, the Rock, and lies swarm about like stinging insects to make us fall off the high ground.
Yes I really love the way that you are trying to wake them up to realities, but they are blinded by the glitter of the world. Chances are their consciences are asleep. However keep trying to wake them up and keep on praying for them also.
” People are more interested in their own civil liberties than the life of another.” So I take it you are pro-vaccine? Because Mark Finley says the same thing. In fact, he said people were selfish who only thought about their own welfare and not the well being of their neighbor. He was insinuating those who don’t take the jab are selfish.
Most people who are pro-vaccine think we should follow government mandates and take the jab to protect everyone else. Well, I don’t believe in taking experimental drugs that haven’t been tested or proven, and are killing and injuring thousands. That isn’t political to me, it’s a moral issue.
The jab contains aborted fetal tissue as well.
No it doesn’t.
Yeah it does they all contain “Hek293”
Look up the ingredient it’s made from aborted fetal cell lines.
It’s about the welfare of the people who take the vaccine my dear!
COERCION & CONSCIENCE SYMPOSIUM @ Berrien Springs SDA Village Church – August 20 & 21, 2021
Featured Speaker Dr. Peter McCullough Who brings the actual science regarding Covid & each individual vaccine. About time we really get the truth covered up by politics & the media. A must watch for this incredible presentation!
https://youtu.be/nQz-FnKZbig
Tim, dude, how is it you don’t see that all this covid stuff is ALREADY politicized? Every single part of it. And since “covid” has been used as excuse to lock up churches and change the entire nature of worship for many around the world, how can you sit there with a straight face to tell us our mission is not to “argue about vaccines or politics”? We MUST deal with these issues, because they are affecting every single part of our lives. You don’t get to dictate to the rest of us what we should or should not be concerned about. And if you don’t think these issues are not tied to “questions of faith or salvation”, then, you have not been paying attention for the last year and a half. But hey, enjoy your ignorance.
Adventist have taken the vaccine and died, Adventist have not taken the vaccine and died from covid, are we saying they are both unfaithful or lacked faith, I think not. It’s not a question of faith if you take the vaccine or not.
We should not be coercing people to take the vaccine or to not take the vaccine, we should not be belittling people because they have a different point of view. If there is a better way then offer it, provide the facts let people decide, free conscious choice. So what if we have to wear a mask for a few months big deal. Nurses have been doing this for many years.
To take the vaccine is not going to omit you from heaven, its not a point of salvation.
We should be giving people hope, yes the bible talks about pestilence these things have to happen but there is hope, you need not be afraid.
We have a message of hope to take to the world, this is where out energy should be spent.
The point on politics I would like to make is that we should not be coercing people to vote a particular way. To say if you vote democrat then your not a Christian, that’s coercion, that’s belittling that is false speak and simply not correct, its too broad a brush stoke to tar everyone that way.
As Adventist we shouldn’t be telling people how to vote.
We should not be causing division on these matters, however I do support the right to free choice on the covid vaccine, a bit of conundrum.
Think how much better it would be for Gods Kingdom if all this effort was put into saving the lost.