On a typical Caribou, Maine summer day in August, 2024, a bombshell dropped that would ultimately shake up the Adventist world in a way not seen in recent memory. It was Conrad Vine’s audacity to present an inconvenient truth about church leadership’s excursion into secularism, exposing its underlying persona.
That sermon caused him to be labelled a dissident and forever altered the allegiance of many in the church constituency. It revealed a mindset that has left Seventh-day Adventists around the world debating the legitimacy of their leadership’s actions, right along with their professed commitment to the principles that founded the church movement they claim to represent.
Who could ever have imagined that two years later, Dr. Vine would still be viewed as a pariah by many conferences and churches throughout America? It was not merely the context of what he said that created the controversy. It was because he dared to challenge an authority that drives many in the church to cower rather than to defend their rights and the principles of religious liberty that once defined the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Many in the elite class of the church will insist that their ought with Conrad Vine is due to his supposed advocacy for parachurch organizations and, of course, for the redirection of tithe. After all, money talks. But in reality, this was framed erroneously – perhaps intentionally. The honest truth is that he brought the behind-the-scenes Covid story and the GC’s insistence on vaccination to the forefront by highlighting the plight of Daniel Rosina and others like him.
Out of his determination to present the truth, even at the risk of compromising his reputation, including decades of faithful service to the church, Dr. Vine brought this flagrant violation of religious freedom to the world stage. His boldness in speaking out on behalf of the downtrodden threatened the newfound profitability GC leadership unearthed through their affiliation with secular agencies like the World Health Organization and the United Nations, right along with the financial benefits they accrued by complying with reckless government initiatives. This is what drew their ire and determination to censure and deplatform him. Indeed, money does talk. They were caught with their proverbial pants down and backpedaling to set the record straight was simply not an option.
For those who discount the impact of the Covid-19 quagmire as the driving force behind the ongoing persecution of Conrad Vine, consider this: despite the voluminous amount of mainstream scientific data, lawsuits, and policy reversals by major government agencies, GC leadership and many conference leaders still cling to the corrupted, outdated narrative that created the entire controversy in the first place. Like a pit bull holding on to a pant leg, they still defend a fictionalized, two-dimensional version of a technology that has in fact cost the lives of countless thousands. They bow the knee to Baal-pharma. This anomaly has brought the authoritarianism rampant in church leadership out into the open, much to the chagrin of many who still see the Conference as the voice of God.
Rocky Mountain Conference
My own plight attests to this unrelenting attitude those in leadership promote. I have been banned from speaking in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) because of my stance on the leadership’s handling of the pandemic mandates and my alleged defiance of their authority. This was spelled out in correspondence from Doug Inglish, Vice President of the RMC, following a request by the Pagosa Springs SDA Church to have me visit as a guest speaker. The email sent to the pastor and elders of that church on July 3, 2023, stated in part the following:
“RMC is very clear with our pastors that politics has no place in the pulpit, and we have had some frank discussions with our own pastors about their public persona remaining politically neutral except when it lines up with our fundamental doctrines or with statements made by the GC or Division. Arnie Suntag has posted online some strong political statements on COVID-19 responses which are not only outside of any guidance offered by our denomination but critical of denominational employees who acted contrary to Mr. Suntag's preferred position.”
It is my understanding that the Pagosa Springs church tried for two years to convince the RMC to change their position. Even a subsequent business meeting failed to override their decision, much akin to the saga many have witnessed at the Village SDA Church in Berrien Springs, MI. Evidently, folks like Doug Inglish and Jim Micheff are determined to set new standards for Seventh-day Adventists that overrule local church decisions, challenging the very ideals and principles that our pioneers held so dear.
The cancel culture that terminated my trip up to Colorado in 2023 to speak at the Pagosa Springs church is merely the tip of the iceberg. Prominent speakers like Conrad Vine are still facing cancellation at churches everywhere in the nation, even to this day. But it does not just stop there.
Quo Vadis TV
Over the past several months, QVTV (Quo Vadis Ministry) has been trying to arrange a religious liberty symposium in British Columbia that includes Conrad Vine, Jonathan Zirkle, and Barry Bussey. It was rumored that Conrad Vine was banned from speaking in BC. After running into some brick walls with a few churches that were asked to serve as a venue for the symposium, and in an effort to be proactive, Wenzel Goubej, president of QVTV, met with Brad Thorpe, president of the BC conference, in the hope of clearing the way for the symposium to take place. He asked Thorpe if he would permit the event to be held at one of the local churches. Initially, Thorpe was cordial and seemed to be amenable to the idea. Goubej even invited him to speak at the symposium. Thorpe said he would consider the request and get back to him shortly with a decision. Weeks passed by and the decision never materialized.
Finally, after Goubej connected with Thorpe by phone, and facing a tightening timeline, Thorpe made a 180-degree turn and his demeanor morphed from affable to somewhat antagonistic. He stated that the local church Goubej was referring to is a conference church and that he did not approve of Conrad Vine speaking there nor would he allow him to do so, any decision that the church may have made notwithstanding.
Fear in British Columbia
This led to an urgent hunt to find a church that would host the symposium. Unfortunately, every SDA church in BC that QVTV approached rejected the request. Because of the event’s topic of religious liberty, the numerous non-SDA churches that were approached also rejected the request. Evidently, the socialist mindset in Canada, particularly in British Columbia, had reared its ugly head and short-circuited any reasonable chance of finding a viable facility for the event. With time running out – mere weeks in fact, a location was finally found. The decision was made to hold the symposium at Trinity Western University. The event is scheduled to take place on Sabbath, May 9. Registration is required, but it has already filled up, illustrating the thirst so many have to hear the truth about their God-given freedoms. There is no seating available at this point. However, QVTV does plan to livestream the event to accommodate those who were unable to register in time.
Arizona
Not to be overshadowed by the aforementioned, a similar situation is happening in Arizona – my home state. Don and Diane Johnson, members of the Pagosa Springs SDA Church in Colorado, became impressed with the importance of religious liberty by watching various messages at the Village SDA Church in Berrien Springs over the years, including those of Conrad Vine. The couple spends part of the year in Colorado, but they live in southern Arizona not far from my home.
Some time ago, they decided to contact Conrad Vine and arrange for him to speak at one of the churches in our area. The first available date for Conrad was two years out (he is booked that far in advance). They made the arrangements and then proceeded to contact some of the churches in our area and beyond.
Realizing there had been changes made to the church manual, and aware of the controversy in Berrien Springs, they proactively sought counsel from the local conference to determine whether Conrad Vine would be permitted to speak in Arizona. At that time, they were surprised to learn that there were no objections. Nonetheless, as they began to contact churches around the state, they encountered increasingly heavy opposition. Some said no, others failed to get back with them, and still others stated that if they approved him as a guest speaker, the subject matter he discussed would have to be restricted.
There were refusals to include an announcement about his visit in church bulletins, regardless of the church who would ultimately wind up hosting him. One church went so far as to bring the matter before their board, but their decision was to decline hosting him. Another claimed to be very interested, but after several weeks passed, they declined as well.
As of this writing, a venue for Dr. Vine’s visit on November 6th and 7th has not been confirmed. The Johnsons are waiting for confirmation from a non-SDA facility, quite similar to the situation recently faced by QVTV. The couple has become somewhat disillusioned with the responses from our churches, noting that while scripture exhorts us to preach the Gospel ((Mark 16:15), it is nearly impossible to do so when those in leadership roles ban certain individuals or regulate what they are led to say by the Holy Spirit.
The most disturbing aspect of this war on Conrad Vine and those with the same theological perspective is the unwillingness, particularly of those in positions that can foster real change, to stand up for what they know is legally, morally, and biblically right. Apparently, they are intimidated by the bluff and bluster of authoritarian leadership.
Denominational Serfdom
To allow a conference to usurp the authority that church elders and members have in making decisions by the leading of the Holy Spirit, particularly when they are arrived at through properly conducted business meetings, contradicts the biblical axiom that we are all brethren in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 5:17). It is particularly offensive when you consider the fact that churches support their own operating budgets while sending their tithes to the Conference, only to be shortchanged by unreasonable restrictions on who they can or cannot have as guest speakers.
After paying for everything—the Church building, maintenance, property, utilities, furniture etc, faithful members are told they cannot worship with people of their choice in the building they have purchased through sacrifice and Godly generosity.
Conrad Vine
Conrad Vine has an impeccable record of service to the church. Other than politically motivated agendas, there is no valid reason for prohibiting him from speaking at any of our churches. This is not only counterproductive, but it has a chilling effect on church membership that can cause sincere constituents to leave the organized church. Ironically, Dr. Vine’s intimation that the persistence of such authoritarianism could potentially cause a mass exodus has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The real question in all of this is, when will Seventh-day Adventists take a stand and say, “enough is enough?”
Isn’t it time that we live up to the principles that founded our church and dispel this papal attitude that subliminally crept into the church hierarchy? The words of E.G. White could not encapsulate it better than this:
“The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall” {Education, P. 57}.
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Arnie Suntag is President of Walk of Faith Media in Arizona
Office : 866.359.2640
Mobile : 928.978.9575
Fax : 888.381.3743
Email : arniesuntag@walkoffaithmedia.org
Post Office Box 4124
Bisbee, AZ 85603
www.walkoffaithmedia.org
