As a kid, I listened intently with an element of fear and trepidation, as my dad would read aloud, about the last day events. Wow!... I thought, I sure wouldn’t want to be alive then. However, I was pretty sure I didn’t need to worry about it.
A few days ago, I became aware that a few people wrote to the president at Walla Walla University, pleading with him not to allow a repeat performance of last year, when a newly purchased outdoor tent was used to celebrate “Gay Pride.” An unthinkable event for a Christian college educating students with God’s design and plan for those who choose to believe in Him. Last year’s event was a blatant move for a Seventh-day Adventist university to openly celebrate.
This public demonstration of world view solidarity would be a move that would test the denomination’s administrative eye. Would the event set a precedent, exercising its independence? Is there nothing in place where warning or sanctions would result? Wouldn’t allowing such an event, garnering school administrative approval, lend to the fact that new staff needs to be hired to reliably ensure Christian principles and beliefs? Parents, paying the nearly fifty thousand dollar a year price tag, have no way of knowing what activities take place on our campuses. I check this fact with church audiences where I speak.
It's impossible for our institutions to convey two distinct messages and receive God’s blessings. I see church doctrine and beliefs posted on our university websites, while actual university practices and teachings are completely the opposite. I’ve been talking about this fact over my twelve years of ministry.
An appropriate message at any church during the month of June, while the world celebrates “Gay Pride,” would be one that would demonstrate God’s rich, deep love for those who have drifted into a world of compromise and self-gratification. It’s an opportunity for “friendship evangelism,” confirming that God has not abandoned or forsaken us, and has an amazing offer of something superior to the confines and trappings of our flesh.
In this dark world, whirling about in pestilence, war, sexual immorality, and a disregard for our amazing Creator, we’re commissioned as Adventists to share God’s “love and truth.” Together. They go hand in hand.
Several months ago, Pastor James Ash invited me to speak at the Stateline, Milton Freewater church. It’s about ten minutes from Walla Walla University. I praise God there are a sprinkling of God’s servants who recognize and demonstrate the value He has placed on EVERY soul who will respond to His sweet call. Far too many “believers” have exchanged the gospel of Jesus for a lie.
Rumblings of a planned protest began to surface. ‘Coming Out’ Ministries and myself have only been physically protested once in the past twelve years. Seven or eight years ago, my colleague and I were in Pasadena, California. Ryan Bell is a former SDA pastor, now claiming to be atheist. He called the media to come to the church where we were to speak, with an intent to smear us on camera. Also, a former Adventist lady took to Change.org with a petition trying to prevent us from speaking. It had over 5,000 signatures.
I’m fascinated by those who live in a self-made world, who want to demonstrate against someone else’s personal freedoms visibly and vocally. Human rights and religious freedoms which we narrowly experience today. LGBT+ people have long fought to for equality and tolerance, yet take to the streets, and even private property to rob the human rights and tolerance of others who don’t share the same beliefs. In truth, God provided all of us with equality, by giving us the power to choose. We can choose to agree or disagree with Him.
When acting out primarily on “feelings,” caustic things can occur. It’s been a lifetime lesson for me. My colleague and I were called to come to the church on the Friday evening before we spoke. The media wanted to know what we were going to share.
We prayed that God would go before us, and He did. We both shared out intentions for the weekend, and when the news coverage aired, it revealed fair and accurate reporting of both sides of the coin. We had a similar occurrence a couple of years earlier when the LGBT+ community was successful in banning us from London. Our Adventist leaders there caved to the demands and shut us down.
A news reporter for the London Mirror reached out and talked to us at length. While she didn’t necessarily agree with our positions on the matter, she could see no reason or harm in allowing us to conduct meetings in a church. It’s a person’s personal choice as to whether they wish to attend. That’s the beauty about “freedom.” However, “freedom” as we know it, is rapidly disappearing. Social Justice is the new ruler, taking exception with God’s justice.
Why do I write about this? Decisions must be made now, as to who you’re going to follow and what you are willing to stand for under persecution.
Considering the rumblings circulating around Walla Walla, I wasn’t terribly shaken. At the protest in Pasadena, the women of the church set out water, hot chocolate, and pastries. When the protesters arrived, we invited them to access the restroom, check out the seminar if they liked, and to enjoy the lunch which was prepared for them. The pastor and church family gave an iconic representation of soliciting souls with God’s attractive and loving measures.
The pastor was told to cancel the meetings by leadership in his conference. However, he saw the greater need of sharing the saving gospel of Jesus with those desperately in need. He refused to shut it down. I thank God for men and women who are bold in the gospel.
The event resulted with many blessings. The protesters were stunned by how kindly they were treated. One young man asked to have his picture taken with a church family who came out to love on him. He said this was certainly an example of how Christians should act, and he was going to post the picture on Facebook, advertising such. God demonstrated love where hate was expected.
So, this last Friday night, the pastor and I met with the deacons and elders, to be sure that nothing but kindness and love would be extended.
This last Sabbath was a cool, rainy day. Not the best for a protest, yet one ensued. To my amazement, attendees of the seminar began to say they knew and recognized some of the Adventist university students and even a chaplain who were protesting at the entrance of the church on both sides of the steps where church members would be entering.
My heart sank as I thought, oh dear Lord… these are Adventists protesting Adventists. How can this be? Members of a denomination into which they were baptized, agreeing to follow Scripture and the scriptural foundations of this church’s doctrine.
Might a different result have presented itself if their “Christian education” had included testimonies, Bible teachings and conversations about God’s solutions for LGBT+ ideations constructed by like-minded people? What if they had experienced God’s truth and His healing love that overrides “feelings” that advance Satan’s clever and appealing deceptions? What if instead of caving in, university presidents, administration and faculty were dispersing God’s saving gospel, instead of conceding to cultural demands and insistences?
Most of the statements on homosexuality in our denomination, confirm same-sex intimacy as sin before God. However, I haven’t read anything official that helps guide a person to the answers and solutions God has for those who feel compelled to live by their “feelings” that trap them in LGBT+ ideologies. The King who loves us so deeply has not left us without answers or solutions.
Philippians 4:13 says that all things are possible through Christ. “Change” is possible. However, our leaders can’t seem to agree with what that “change” is. Naysayers of our ministries claim that we are trying to make people heterosexual. While marrying someone of the opposite sex is a possible through the miracles of Jesus, it’s not His ultimate goal. He want’s your heart.
When we speak, we aim for the heart, inviting the Holy Spirit to touch lives with hope, redemption, and restoration.
Reveling in the claim of God’s unfairness, Satan is taking educators hostage, dictating his counterfeit reign. Sadly, he doesn’t appear to be facing any administrative opposition. Instead of leadership being led by the freeing message God has commissioned, they are lending culturally sympathetic ears to gay/straight alliances, thereby making God impotent.
My heart aches for the leadership who have thrown their Christian education training under the bus. Today’s reality has revealed them throwing God under the bus. The divine authority and sovereignty of God is being superseded with the elevation of self. Just as Lucifer told the angels to follow the dictates of their own will, the same effort is effectively consuming 99% of our educational institutions.
Because of a shift in focus at Battle Creek College, noted by Ellen White in 1881, she stated that she could no longer encourage parents to send their children to this teaching institution. I wonder what she would say about the mess of things we’re currently in today.
Where does the blood of lost souls lay? Who might have eternally benefited from the trustworthy teachings of Scripture? Isn’t the Bible and its juxtapositions to culture all that we can rely?
Despite the efforts to disrupt, seminar attendees packed the Stateline church from 8:00 AM until 5:30 PM. At least four of the protestors came inside and listened. Making note of their presence, I apologized for any experience in our church history that has made them feel undervalued, unloved and without purpose. Love, compassion, and hope was conveyed with sincerity, promising that God highly values all His children, and we should certainly value one another.
I also confirmed that LGBTQ+ culture is not Christ-centered with its roots. It is not a religious institution. In actuality, LGBT+ culture celebrates its separation from the reliability of Christ and Scripture.
As we reflect on the ministry of Jesus, we quickly see how so many, claiming to be Christian, hated their own Messiah, by being lovers of themselves. History repeats itself, and I firmly believe we’re in the last revolution.
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Wayne Blakely is the Director of Know His Love Ministries. www.knowhislove.org. After living in the LGBT+ culture for nearly forty years, he surrendered to Jesus ten years ago and today seeks humility in Jesus, sharing His “love in truth” message.
