Statement from White Horse Media In Response to “An Invitation to Uplift Jesus” Issued by our General Conference Executive Leadership and Division Presidents
April 12, 2018
From: Steve Wohlberg, Speaker/Director, White Horse Media
To: General Conference Officers and Division Presidents
Re: Affirmation of our Beliefs/Support of Jesus Christ and His Word, of the General Conference, of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs, and of the world mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Dear brethren,
I was blessed today to read the official announcement in the Adventist Review (released 4-11-18) from our General Conference Executive Leadership and Division Presidents stressing the need to exalt Jesus Christ while at the same time affirming His teachings (doctrine) in the light of current issues within our church. At White Horse Media, we deeply appreciate the public stand you have taken. In response to your public “Invitation to Uplift Jesus” made to supportive, ASI-member ministries like ours, here is my public reply to your fully appropriate inquiries:
1. To “accept Jesus Christ” means to surrender fully to our loving Savior and to trust His grace, which includes surrendering to, and believing in, His teachings as revealed in the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16). This will result in our sins being forgiven and in a new birth experience (John 3:3), the fruit of which will be a deep commitment to obey His Word (Matt. 4:4). We fully believe in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on Calvary for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4) in our place. Praise be to our loving Lord and Savior!
2. The word “doctrine” means “teaching.” We affirm that accepting Jesus also means accepting His teachings. “If you continue in My word,” Jesus said, “you are My disciples indeed” (John 8:31). To verbally say that we believe in Jesus, and yet to reject, downplay, or minimize in any way His written word and doctrines, means believing in “another Jesus,” which Paul warned us about in 2 Cor. 11:4. We sincerely want Jesus Christ to be “All” to us, which also means accepting “All” of His teachings.
3. We affirm that the organized Seventh-day Adventist Church is the Remnant Church of Bible prophecy (Rev. 12:17) whose mission is to give the Three Angels’ messages to the world (Rev. 14:6-12). We affirm that the 2300 day/year prophecy ended in 1844 and that Jesus Christ as our High Priest is now engaged in His closing, sin-cleansing ministry in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary (Heb. 8:1,2; Rev. 11:19; 14:7). In spite of what our enemies claim, we believe these teachings are wholly biblical and can be proven from Scripture.
4. While we affirm that there are true Christians in all denominations, “Seventh-day Adventists” have “in a special sense” (9T, 19) been called by God to give the Three Angels’ messages to the world. Jesus Himself is the Author of the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:1) and of the Three Angels’ messages which, along with its other truths, exalt “the everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6), the death of “the Lamb” (14:10) and “Jesus” (14:12). While we affirm that true Christians in other churches worship the same Jesus as we do, we also believe that this same Jesus has given us more light that must be shared with the world.
5. We fully affirm and believe in the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of our church (because they are biblical), including our belief that God made the world in six literal days and rested on the seventh day (Gen. 1,2; Ex. 20:8-11). Believing in a literal creation week is fundamental to our belief and message about the seventh-day Sabbath as stated in the fourth commandment and stressed in the urgent appeal of Angel One to worship the Creator (Rev. 14:7).
6. We are “Historicist” in our view that the “little horn” (Dan. 7:8) and first beast of Revelation 13:1-10 represent the papal power. We affirm that the predictions in both the Bible and in Ellen White’s book, The Great Controversy, are not only true, but are coming to pass before our very eyes. Sunday laws are often being discussed in the news and are being enforced in various locations (such as in Poland). More are coming. The final issue facing our world will involve the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath, Jesus as our Creator, His death on the cross for our sins, and our obedience (by His grace) or disobedience to Him as our Creator/Redeemer/Lord. We aim to be among those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
7. As to current gender issues, we believe that Jesus Christ created us all (John 1:1-3;10; Col. 1:16), and loves us all (John 3:16), yet biblical marriage is between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24). Regardless of our particular temptations as fallen humans, church membership should be limited to persons who have chosen to “repent” (Acts 2:38, 41, 47) of all sin (including sexual sin, Rev. 21:8; 22:15), to believe in Jesus as their Savior, and to follow the teachings of the Bible (including what it teaches about men and women). While showing love and compassion toward all, God’s church should never compromise with sin. God created men to be men, and women to be women, and His holy plan is that the gift of the sexual act should be limited to a man with a woman after they are married (Heb. 13:4).
In these closing days of confusion when “every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14) is blowing, White Horse Media wants our world leaders to know that we are fully loyal to our organized church and its worldwide mission. Through our radio and television programs, speaking appointments in churches and camp meetings, books, articles, blog, videos, websites, social media posts and evangelistic endeavors, we wish to maintain a supportive, cooperative role with our world church. By God’s grace, we are determined to do our part to help “press together” and finish His work, so we can all go home to a better land. Alleluia!
Seeking to “Uplift Jesus,”
Steve Wohlberg
Speaker/Director, White Horse Media