With the exception of three years of late adolescent rebellion, I have lived my entire life as Adventist.
When I heard about something new happening in one of the local churches in Ohio, my family and I went to check it out. At the time, the Celebration Movement was growing, and it provided an attractive alternative to the dry formalism I had come to abhor. Little did I know where it was headed. I later learned and quickly left.
Fast-forward to the present, when we find the very foundations of God’s Remnant Movement shaking as a result of well-intentioned local church leaders doing their best to speak the truth in love regarding some grave missteps made by some of the leaders higher up the chain of command. Make no mistake – if the leadership at the top had responded to the pandemic by supporting liberty of conscience and promoting the health message, I wouldn’t be up at six in the morning writing this article.
I met Pastors Ron Kelly and Conrad Vine at the Red River Outpost’s annual Camp Meetings a couple of years ago. I am very grateful to both men for their unflinching opposition to the progressive agenda that is infecting the church at this critical time in Earth’s history. In a recent conversation with Pastor Vine, I remember saying, “If they wanted to do something profoundly publicly stupid, fire Ron Kelly.”
And yet, here we are. The out-workings of recent events will be felt for years to come. As a local district pastor, I am currently privileged to work for a Conference that allows us to do our jobs, provides appropriate support when we need it, and otherwise leaves us alone. That said, we have now crossed the threshold into a time when a Conference can use manipulation and bully tactics to attempt to deprive a local Elder of his roles and responsibilities without the due process outlined in the Church Manual and then fire a Pastor for refusing to bow the knee.
If all of this is allowed to stand, we will go forward on a very different footing then we enjoyed in times past. Anyone daring to speak against the progressive narrative will do so with the full knowledge that they may end up canceled as a result. (I’ve always been puzzled as to why we refer to the narrative as ‘progressive’ without clearly acknowledging where it is headed)
At the local church level where I work, think about the ramifications of this not so brave new world in which we find ourselves. Religious Liberty Sabbath is coming; what shall I preach on? Shall I use the recommended sermon from PARL? Not likely. Shall I share what I actually think about the current state of affairs within the church and how it relates to the ever-corrupt world in which we live? If the latter, will I be reprimanded or removed from my position as pastor as a result?
Thankfully, we know how the story ultimately ends, and we can rest assured that God will honor and protect those who stand for Him without fear of what man may do as a result. May we all continue to devote much prayer and fasting to the current situation, knowing full well that the outcome will have profound implications for how things will play out between now and when our Blessed Redeemer comes in the clouds to take us to our Eternal Home!
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“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16).
Kevin is a pastor in the Kentucky Tennessee Conference. Prior to that he worked for the Kentucky State Police.
