New General Conference slogan: “Unity Over Conscience”

When "unity" is the top priority...
When “unity” is the top priority…

Silver Spring, MD — General Conference leaders seeking a catchy slogan to power their efforts until the next GC elections have found one they are convinced has a fun ring to it: Unity Over Conscience.

“What happened with the women’s ordination vote at the General Conference Session in San Antonio should be a blueprint for church business going forward,” said GC Propaganda Director, Beau Spinner. “The guys at the top pressure the masses to vote a certain way and then voting minorities have to suffer through truth as defined by majority vote. If losers speak their conscience they can then be accused of hurting church unity.”

Spinner said that through embracing a Unity Over Conscience mentality, “we can avoid a flexible future for Adventism in which we are held hostage to a culturally-sensitive way of applying biblical principles through prayerful personal study and consideration.

“We all know that biblical truth is defined by the majority opinion of church heavyweights saddled with cultural baggage from oppressive man-made traditions.”

Spinner reminded members that in emotionally-charged times such as these it is important to prioritize “every Adventist moving in lockstep” over giving undue consideration to things as personal as individual conscience.

“I urge my fellow Adventists to cast conscience aside and unite under the great leadership of the aging males that have led us thus far,” said Spinner. “Anything else would be a logistical nightmare and require cutting bureaucracy at our offices.”

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25 Comments

  1. Mark OFfill

    Unfortunately this article is too true, just substitute Beau Spinner’s name for many leaders REAL names, and you’ve got it. Sad but true. Unlike others note, I don’t believe this has been a long term issue in Adventism, excepted points being the period immediately after EGW’s death, the era around Ford’s presentation (I believe another “W” was in charge then??), and the current “W” era.

  2. Jake Frost

    Isn’t this almost the way the Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower operates, too? And the Moonies leader? And Jim Jones? And the [name your favorite cult]? Organized religion can easily devolve into cult-like practices that should scare the %*@$^# out of us. We need to study the early church, which had a congregational model of worship. Check out the Adventist Today article, “In Praise of Congregations.” http://AToday.org/my-take-in-praise-of-congregations.html

  3. Isn’t it ironic that Ellen White warned: “We must study the truth for ourselves. No man should be relied upon to think for us. No matter who he is, or in what position he may be placed, we are not to look upon any man as a criterion for us.” (Testimonies to Ministers 109-110)

    1. APlusDave

      Oh, heavens, we didn’t let one man make the decision. We let the ‘majority’ rule. After all, didn’t God ordain the delegates to be there? Didn’t He plan which ones would be the voting members? It’s exactly how the Israelites voted in Saul to be knig. Ok, maybe they drew lots, but it was still a bad group decision.

      The saddest part is that the world isn’t all the same. Yet here we are accepting a decision that is so contrary to intelligent thought because some of the areas world still think they can keep us in 1950. It’s like cooperating with the Nazi’s in WW2.

      Or that divorce between church members will go away if we would only pray for them more.

      Or that homosexuals are all going to hell and we should toss them out now before they contaminate any of the other members.

      Just because the majority voted for it doesn’t make it a good decision. So count me in the group that thinks my church made a complete fool of itself this session.

      Sorry, I get a little fired up.

        1. STU REDMAN

          “After all, didn’t God ordain the delegates to be there? Didn’t He plan which ones would be the voting members?” UNLIKELY. SDA LEADERSHIP LIKE ALL OTHER LEADERSHIP IN THE WORLD IS POLITICAL.
          WAIT WAS IT SUPPOSE TO BE SARCASTIC? SORRY, YOUR RIGHT.

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  4. Hilarious Clinton

    Lemmings might be silly to follow each other over the cliff, but the lemmings in the photo above sure are cute! What I want to know is: why is a man following them? Sometimes people can be as silly as animals. (No, I’m not referring to Donald Trump — he’s actually very smart–and he pays other politicians to attend his weddings!)

    1. Steven Wunder

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  5. Margaret

    I’m through with this blog. Totally not funny. And totally unfair. The pro-WO mantra prior to the vote was “unity.” Minority voices within the NAD were not given voice in official church media outlets such as the Review. A few leaders within the NAD and certain Unions and Conferences spoke so loudly that we couldn’t really hear what rank and file North American Adventists really believed or desired. Congregants who attended large university-based churches had only one viewpoint shoved down their throats week after week while no time whatsoever was given to the other view. Um, what do they say? People who live in glass houses . . .

    1. Wally

      I’ve heard that criticism of NAD and Review only presenting one side, but it seems to me that the loudest, most wide-spread voices were 3ABN and Amazing Facts. Not sure I can muster sympathy for those opposed.

  6. Cristuto Genobaga

    The new General Conference slogan, “Unity Over Consience” is very troubling for me. It is very apparent that the ‘conscience’ of the General Confrence Leadership controls the conscience of the majority of our dedicated Ministers, Lay Leaders and the Leaderships of many of our Unions in the the North American Division, South Asia Pacific Division and other Unions in Europe that is different the Conscience of Elder Ted Wilson and his loyal followers. This slogan of Unity Over Conscience is the start of an emergence of a dangerous persecution from within our church. The issue of the ordination of women has disunited our church, the kind of disunity that we have experienced since the founding of our church.

  7. Pat Henry

    Reminds me of the old complaints about “taxation without representation.” If we have to suffer with “unity over conscience” while our tithes are going to the GC, then we’re really suffering from “tithe-ation without representation.” Give me liberty or give me debt !

    1. STU REDMAN

      I NO LONGER TITHE TO THE CHURCH IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY. I GIVE DIRECTLY TO THE LOCAL CHURCH BUDGET, MINISTRIES/DEPTS SUCH AS THE POOR OR DORCAS OR PATHFINDERS, CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES ETC.
      I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY 100% OF TITHES NEEDS TO GO THE CONFERENCE. 50/50 SEEMS CORRECT WITH EACH CHURCH DOING AND HELPING IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES AS THEY SEE THE NEED.
      FUNNY THING, THE SAME BIBLE WHICH SAYS GIVING A TITHE IS GOOD ALSO SAYS THAT EVERY 7 YEARS WE SHOULD FORGIVE THOSE WHO OWE US. OUR CHURCH WAS DEEPLY IN DEBT TO THE TEXAS CONF A FEW YEARS AGO AND THEY WENT AS FAR AS TO THREATEN EVICTING US WE DID NOT PAY UP SOON.

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