General Conference Suspends 3abn's Status, Supportive Ministry Status suspended by GC announcement Options

[Daryl Fawcett]

Perhaps clarification should be asked of the Conference President who sent out his email to all of his pastors? The gist of his email was that it came from the General Conference.

[SoulEspresso]

Note i am in no way attacking SE with this post, my anger is direct at the h church that seems more worried about politically and financial concerns on this topic then about Truth and rightness and holiness.

Erik, I thought your post was entirely appropriate. My only aim was to offer a bit of an explanation of what I take to be their point of view.

This church suffers greatly for a lack of real leadership when it comes to tough issues. They have forgotten that doing the right think is apt to make people angry, and they should do it anyway.

[Observer]

Perhaps clarification should be asked of the Conference President who sent out his email to all of his pastors? The gist of his email was that it came from the General Conference.

Daryl:

If the first source was the President of the South Pacific Division, it came from the General Conference.

Divisions are not a seperate organization, as are Union Conferences.

Divisions are sections of the General Conference.

The President of a Division is a Vice-President of the General Conference.

The Division President represents the General Conference, and speaks for the General Conference when that President speaks in the Division to which he is President.

So, any communication that comes from a Division President, to the Division to which he is President, may truthfully be said to be comming from the General Conference.

[Brick Step]

The divorce of Danny and Linda Shelton was a master stroke engineered by Satan. We can see how the GC might be between a rock and a hard place trying to deal with the fallout. From available facts, it is very difficult for me to understand that Linda and those who have spoken in her defence, have received a fair deal, even if there have been some indiscretions along the way. Our home has praised God there are those who have cared enough to appeal her cause, even if sometimes I feel reservations about some points being taken. (This might sometimes be because on this issue, I have been more of a “puppy on the porch”, than “running with the big dogs” – as somebody described things on another thread.) I agree with the alleged GC statement that there may not be a fire, but there is enough smoke to warrant an investigation into 3ABN at this time.

Hopefully a clearing of the air that could come with a fair and impartial investigation, would indeed see 3ABN saved for God’s cause, names cleared that should be cleared, and redemptive action taken towards all concerned. I agree Hope TV is on God’s map. So is LLBN, and so is 3ABN.

It’s interesting to note it is Victoria, Australia that was apparently the first to speak of the alleged GC resolution to revoke 3ABN’s approved status, and Observer says another GC source says the statement from Victoria, because of its brevity, is misleading.

Elder Mark Finley is currently in the final stages of a public crusade in Melbourne, where both the Victorian Conference Office and the Australian Union Conference Office are located. In Australia Mark Finley’s lectures are being aired three nights per week over Hope TV, and other churches in the country are holding public meetings based upon an airing of his lectures live from Melbourne.

Friends in Melbourne have commented that at first there was worker resistance to the idea of a public evangelistic effort in the country. “The days of public crusades are finished in Australia,” they are alleged to have said, “and you can’t say here what you have preached in other countries of the world.”

But it seems there have been very good attendances at Elder Finley’s meetings. Another friend in Melbourne commented just in recent days that the Finley crusade is the best thing to have hit Melbourne in years. Many young people were up and out giving Bible studies, and souls were being won to Christ.

A couple of years back we heard Evangelist John Carter on 3ABN say that folk in Australia say 3ABN is the best thing to have come to Australia in decades. (Two best things for Australia.) 3ABN got a head start on Hope TV in this country. While some were able to access 3ABN via the Thiacom 3 satellite a year or more earlier, Hope TV and 3ABN were not readily accessible here till the Optus B3 provision end 2004, after Linda Shelton’s memory was all but blotted out from 3ABN. Most in Australia would not know Linda, and this fact must affect the nature and extent of any interest in behind-the-scenes happenings at 3ABN.

Though 3ABN has been widely received with joy in Australia, people in America should understand that still, this county is not nearly as accepting of independent ministries as is USA, and the church in Australia is still somewhat torn and bleeding as a result of doctrinal conflicts and other pressures.

[lurker]

Erik, I am a senior citizen, faithful giver, and I am just as dissapointed with the lack of action by the GC as you are. I gave sacrificially to 3ABN and quit when Danny started dropping the mask. Not when this all came out on the internet but when he started putting his foot in his mouth on t.v.

[erik]

Erik, I am a senior citizen, faithful giver, and I am just as dissapointed with the lack of action by the GC as you are. I gave sacrificially to 3ABN and quit when Danny started dropping the mask. Not when this all came out on the internet but when he started putting his foot in his mouth on t.v.

praise the lord, I want to make it clear that i need the senior members of the church, I need their wisdom and knowledge.


Erik

This post has been edited by erik: Jun 6 2007, 09:31 AM

[mikell]

Gentlepeople:

I have recieved the following comment in regard to the published statement by Elder Hankinson in reference to a suspension of "supporting ministry" status of 3-ABN:
In my question to Elder Dabrowski, I informed him that I would publish his response to me, exactly as he responded, without editorial revision. In keeping with my statement to him, I am posting his entire respose to me exactly as he sent it.

The question may now be asked as to how his response is consistent with the response made to me by an individual who previously responded to me, and requested that he not be identified. My answer to that is that I do not believe that they are inconsitent to any great degree.

My advice to all is as I have stated earlier: This situation is developing. No one can predict with certainty exactlly how it will develop. Therefore, we must simply wait and see.

does not that sound the original announcement about the GC was not accurate?

[PeacefulBe]

Brick Step,

Your statement was a healthy, hearty, big dog woof!

Thank you so much for bringing your perspective and sharing about our brothers and sisters in Australia!

PB

[SoulEspresso]

praise the lord, I want to make it clear that i need the senior members of the church, I need their wisdom and knowledge.

Yeah, me too, on so many levels. When it comes to this topic, I'm grateful for lurker's stand.

[Snoopy]

I feel for the GC, on this but i will Say that if they want to keep the loyalty of there younger members they had better stand for truth and standards of the most basic type. I am 33 years old and it turns my stomach that it is taking years for the NAD and GC to even in the smallest way to appear to care that a man can lie about his now ex-wife, to all their loyal tithe payers, but they are to scared of losing some dollars that are not theirs any but God's to speak out against sin the the camp at 3 abn.

DO I give has much as the older members in my church nope hardly they make more then i do, But who is out doing missionary work My age group far more then the older age group, at least in my church besides which in my church half the older group could die this month, and then thier money would be gone.
THe GC Could have and still could come out with a simple statement that Until such time has 3ABN leadership can proves that they are not lying to the masses of the laity, the official support is going be withheld from 3abn, and that while they realize this will upset many church members that were trusting God to carry the church and 3abn financially while the church stood for truth.

God could replace the greater funder behind 3abn with ten men if he wanted to, way has he not seen fit to do so, maybe because we the SDA church have not seen fit to stand up has church and say enough is enough. Truth and standards matter, to this church because they matter to god.

I mean the 3abn network has done great things for God, but how much more could they be doing if the sin in their camps was repented of.

Note i am in no way attacking SE with this post, my anger is direct at the h church that seems more worried about politically and financial concerns on this topic then about Truth and rightness and holiness. I want my church when this hits the public arena, to not look like a small time RC, but rather the even if it was hard that we stood for what was right no matter if it was hard to do.
because the church has looked the other way so many times on the issues of sexual sin in the leadership of the church both high and low, God has allow this cross to come to our church to test us if we will obey the simple and clear word of the lord on this topic has found in the bible.

I guess i have said enough for now so i will climb off my soap box.

Erik Wenberg

PS I post my real full name because i want any one in leadership at the GC and 3ABN to know that real laity are very, very upset with the weak way this whole topic has been handled.

Hello, Erik!

Proud to make your acquaintance. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to post my name at this time but I certainly respect you for posting yours. And, I totally agree with your position regarding the GC. I feel for the position they now find themselves in, but I also think it is self-made.

My academy memories are full of things like, "if I can see your nail polish, it is too dark", or "if I can tell you're wearing make-up, it's too much", or "I heard you have a radio in your room - please bring it to me". And heaven forbid I were to miss a service whether it be Friday night vespers, Sabbath School, Church, Sabbath afternoon meeting, whatever. And, don't forget that yardstick to measure the length of our skirts! And then, horror of horrors - I left campus with a girlfriend on a day not designated for girls to leave campus. Can you imagine such a terrible thing?? Should I be allowed to graduate???? Of course, my "salvation" depended on all of this important stuff.

Yet, while my eternal life depended on whether or not I chose to wear make-up or listen to a radio, all of this mess is allowed to fester at 3ABN because the GC doesn't like conflict?????? Give me a break!!!! Sorry. I have a real problem with that. And the God I serve does, too!! Thankfully, I found my own relationship with my own Jesus. He will accept me regardless of whether I wear make-up or jewelry!!! He will also see this 3ABN fiasco through to His end. He is in control. But I am a firm believer that not only those who have perpetrated wrongdoing wherever it might be, but also THOSE WHO TURNED A BLIND EYE ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN will be held accountable. Utterly disgusting.

OK - off box now. Thanks for listening.

~~Snoopy~~

[mozart]

i would tell the truth.

The GC is between a rock and a hard place. Many of our loyal members, especially older folks who are more regular tithepayers and have more money, not only give to the church but to 3ABN. 3ABN is on TV; that gives them a lot of credibility, like it or not. We could name off GC officers, but would their faces pop into your head the way Danny's, Walt's or Shelley's would? So the GC lets it lie as long as they can (because they hate confrontation and dirty laundry), but then the laundry goes sour and someone has to clean it out. The church hasn't the guts, but a couple of laypeople tackle it in a fairly public way, expose the trouble, and 180,000 people (to date) find out about it.

They can't stay silent too long, but they know the minute they speak up they're going to make angry a bunch of their loyal members. What would you do in their position?

[Clay]

Perhaps the title of this thread should be amended to:

General Conference Suspends 3abn's Status..... Or does it

[mozart]

sounds like a bunch of politicians.
sad statement for "men of Christ"

Yes, the GC statement is partially consistent with the almost totally consistent answer which was not quite 100 percent correctly supplied yesterday as a partially correct answer which referenced the almost, but not quite, 100 percent statement given by Australians, previously.

And I think I'm almost 100 percent correct on that.

Thanks, Mr. Matthews, for at least trying.

However, I think the GC is saying one thing: We're not to know.

do Mars or Pluto count?

Strike up the band.... .... a little background music here..... "He's got it..... He's got it..... I really think he's got it......"

Now... go away band...... ..... silence please.....
Are we ready for the next question?...........
What about OTHER World Divisions?

Surely we have some here who are from other Divisions and/or can find out for us whether the same or similar actions as we have heard about from the SPD and NAD are being taken in other parts of the world field.

i'm not liking all this reference to "age". maybe i'm just being sensitive. not sure what you mean by older. to a 40yr. old, i'm older; to a 20yr. old, i'm just "old" but to a 12yr. old, i'm ancient. personally, all 5 of our kids (ages 21 to 38) make more money than we do.
i don't think we are an exception to the rule, but maybe so.

...........I feel for the GC, on this but i will Say that if they want to keep the loyalty of there younger members they had better stand for truth and standards of the most basic type. I am 33 years old and it turns my stomach that it is taking years for the NAD and GC to even in the smallest way to appear to care that a man can lie about his now ex-wife, to all their loyal tithe payers, but they are to scared of losing some dollars that are not theirs any but God's to speak out against sin the the camp at 3 abn.

DO I give has much as the older members in my church nope hardly they make more then i do, But who is out doing missionary work My age group far more then the older age group, at least in my church besides which in my church half the older group could die this month, and then thier money would be gone.
THe GC Could have and still could come out with a simple statement that Until such time has 3ABN leadership can proves that they are not lying to the masses of the laity, the official support is going be withheld from 3abn, and that while they realize this will upset many church members that were trusting God to carry the church and 3abn financially while the church stood for truth.
...........

[mozart]

does she or doesn't she?
only her hairdresser knows for sure.

Perhaps the title of this thread should be amended to:

General Conference Suspends 3abn's Status..... Or does it

[Rosyroi]

Hello, Erik!

Proud to make your acquaintance. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to post my name at this time but I certainly respect you for posting yours. And, I totally agree with your position regarding the GC. I feel for the position they now find themselves in, but I also think it is self-made.

My academy memories are full of things like, "if I can see your nail polish, it is too dark", or "if I can tell you're wearing make-up, it's too much", or "I heard you have a radio in your room - please bring it to me". And heaven forbid I were to miss a service whether it be Friday night vespers, Sabbath School, Church, Sabbath afternoon meeting, whatever. And, don't forget that yardstick to measure the length of our skirts! And then, horror of horrors - I left campus with a girlfriend on a day not designated for girls to leave campus. Can you imagine such a terrible thing?? Should I be allowed to graduate???? Of course, my "salvation" depended on all of this important stuff.

Yet, while my eternal life depended on whether or not I chose to wear make-up or listen to a radio, all of this mess is allowed to fester at 3ABN because the GC doesn't like conflict?????? Give me a break!!!! Sorry. I have a real problem with that. And the God I serve does, too!! Thankfully, I found my own relationship with my own Jesus. He will accept me regardless of whether I wear make-up or jewelry!!! He will also see this 3ABN fiasco through to His end. He is in control. But I am a firm believer that not only those who have perpetrated wrongdoing wherever it might be, but also THOSE WHO TURNED A BLIND EYE ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN will be held accountable. Utterly disgusting.

OK - off box now. Thanks for listening.

~~Snoopy~~

Snoopy,
Wow! All the memories you have given to me! We must have attended the same school! I had forgotten all about those "rules".

And I agree with you about GC.

Rosyroi

This post has been edited by Rosyroi: Jun 6 2007, 04:54 PM