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“Nothing can possess more commanding interest than the way in which the Word is everywhere put forward throughout the sacred cannon, together with the immense importance of strict obedience thereto. Obedience is due from us to God’s Word, simply because it is His Word. To raise a question when He has spoken is blasphemy. We are in the place of a creature. He is the Creator. He may, therefore, justly claim obedience from us. The infidel may call this ‘blind obedience,’ but the Christian calls this intelligent obedience, inasmuch as it is based upon the knowledge that it is God's Word to which he is obedient. If a man had not God’s Word he might well be said to be in blindness and darkness, for there is not so much as a single ray of divine light within or around us but what emanates from God's pure and eternal Word. All that we want to know is that God has spoken, and then obedience becomes the very highest order of intelligent acting. When the soul gets up to God, it has reached the very highest source of authority. No man, nor body of men, can claim obedience to their word, because it is theirs; and hence the claims of the Church of Rome are arrogant and impious.”
(C H Mackintosh, Notes on the Pentateuch, 28-29)

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“The distinction between life as a whole and worship lies behind the distinction between the six days of labor and the Sabbath day. Hence, anti- Sabbatarians use the same superficial argument-‘we are to live every day to the glory of God.’ Now of course we are to live every day for the glory of God but six days out of seven we are to live to the glory of God in the home, in the kitchen, at the office, and at the factory, but on the Sabbath day we are to live to the glory of God by engaging in the specific ordinances of his worship. There is a distinction between glorifying God in our daily living and glorifying God in our conscious approach to Him in worship. The denial of that distinction is destructive of the Sabbath and it is destructive of any biblical attempt to know how to worship God.”
(Douglas Comin, Worship from Genesis to Revelation, p.49)

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“I have been much burdened in regard to movements that are now in progress for the enforcement of Sunday observance. It has been shown to me that Satan has been working earnestly to carry out his designs to restrict religious liberty. Plans of serious import to the people of God are advancing in an underhand manner among the clergymen of various denominations, and the object of this secret maneuvering is to win popular favor for the enforcement of Sunday sacredness. If the people can be led to favor a Sunday law, then the clergy intend to exert their united influence to obtain a religious amendment to the Constitution, and compel the nation to keep Sunday.

There are many who, if they understood the spirit and the result of religious legislation, would not do anything to forward in the least the movement for Sunday enforcement. But while Satan has been making a success of his plans, the people of God have failed at their post. God had an earnest work for them to do; for the honor of his law and the religious liberty of the people are at stake. God would have us see and realize the weakness and depravity of men, and put our entire trust in him; “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
(Ellen White, RH 12/24/1889)

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“Young people today live in a society that prompts them to question their psychosexual identity as never before. Laws are being passed that treat sexual attraction and gender identity as a protected category (like race and religion) in public schools, businesses, housing, health care, prisons, and even churches. These are called SOGI-Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity-laws, and when we analyze their language we find that they assume the two-story divided worldview we diagnosed in earlier chapters. SOGI laws are based on the assumption that a person can be born in the wrong body. Thus they set up an opposition between the body and an inner sense of being male or female, between psychological facts and subjective feelings.

Christians must respond by offering a positive biblical worldview that affirms the value of the body and the unity of the human being. At the same time, Christians should be the first in line to nurture and support kids who don't ‘fit in’ by affirming the diversity of gifts and temperaments in the body of Christ.”
(Nancey Pearcey, Love Thy Body, 194)

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“Every social evil that we find in society can be traced back to a lack of Godly fear. Americans, especially, are more apt to accept, rather than fear. Abortion has killed millions before the Roe v Wade decision in 1973. Yet the killing of the unborn is labeled ‘choice’ rather than murder. The baby in the womb is called ‘POC’ in medical terminology- ‘Product Of Conception.’

A veil of euphemisms has fallen over everything that, at one time would shock us. Thus the diminishment of European ancestry is ‘diversity.’ Support for the homosexual agenda is called being ‘open and affirming.’ Not rebuking unacceptable social behavior is being ‘sensitive’ and on it goes.

Once we understand that the pagan mindset of the self, for the self, and only for the self, the veil quickly falls. All the obfuscation in the world cannot hide the agenda behind the gentle words we use to make sociopathic behavior acceptable. Any attempt to repel the current mainstream is considered ‘backward’ or ‘insensitive.’”
(Joseph Bianchi, Common Faith Common Culture, P 106)

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“Ellen white makes two balancing statements which can help us stay in focus. She talks about the dangers of people simply depending on pastors and professors of theology as their guides: ‘Satan is constantly endeavoring to attract attention to men in the place of God. He leads the people to look to bishops, to pastors, to professors of theology, as their guides, instead of searching the Scriptures to learn their duty for themselves. Then, by controlling the minds of these leaders, he can influence the multitudes according to his will.’ (GC 595)

Therefore she admonishes: ‘It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example. We should day by day study the Bible diligently.’ (Ibid 598)

So even if world renowned scholars make claims contrary to Scripture; even if family- life specialists recommend ‘double protection to avoid pregnancy;’ and even if the theologians claim that it is right to lie to save life, the genuine, Bible- believing Adventist will say, ‘ I have heard what you have said. Now I will go to the Bible itself to see whether these things are correct. I will be faithful to the Divine counsel, living by faith in the Father, not by fear of the future.”
(Ron du Preez, No Fear for the Future, 197)

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“[Softmindedness] has also led to a widespread belief that there is a conflict between science and religion. But this is not true. There may be a conflict between softminded religionists and toughminded scientists, but not between science and religion. Their respective worlds are different and their methods are dissimilar. Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary. Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism. Religion prevents science from falling into the marsh of obsolete materialism and moral nihilism.”
(Martin Luther King, Strength to Love, 11-12)

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“Many of us are busy because we don't believe God. The rest of us are busy because we don't trust God... Whether we think we're ‘too busy’ because of our kids’ countless activities or our job demands, we don't believe that saying no to some of those activities or demands is an option. Whether it's our duties to the church or the volunteer fire department that tends to fill our schedule to overflowing, we don't trust God to accomplish things in our absence, without our involvement. We fall into a ‘functional atheism,’ a mode of operation that acts- whatever we may say we believe- as if there is no power in the world besides our own. We act as though we believe that God, if he happens to share our priorities and concerns, will be caught by surprise and come up short if we cease or slow our activity.”
(Bob Hostetler, American Idols, 208)

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“The subject of prophecy is both zealously pursued and pointedly avoided by many Christians. Some are intrigued by the possibility of knowing what the future may hold, and are eager to be more informed about what the Bible has to say about the future. Others fear that to place one’s hope in or alter one's life due to what may amount to a sincere, yet sincerely wrong speculation, is potentially more trouble than it's worth. There are also those who just plain have no interest in putting forth an effort to understand prophecy, complaining that its language is sometimes ambiguous, and there are too many other mental labors involved.

While overzealousness can be detrimental, fear, apathy and laziness regarding prophecy are the greater evils because they are more akin to disobedience. After all, the Bible does present a great deal of prophetic material for the very purpose of being understood and acted upon. God Himself declares throughout His scriptures that its content is presented at His command for our benefit. ‘Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord?...Look to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.’ (Isaiah 45:21, 22). ‘ And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people.’ (2 Chron. 36:15).

There is no doubt, however, that recorded prophecy raises some problems. On the one hand, if it is misinterpreted or misapplied, the results can be disheartening or mistaken at best, and both physically and spiritually devastating at worst. On the other hand, if we tend to avoid or ignore the prophetic insights given in the Bible, we could similarly be let down a path that will eventually end in our destruction.”
(McMahon & Oakland, Understanding the Times, 26-27)