Some may wonder, “Can non-scholars sift this kind of evidence and arrive at the truth? Can laymen trust their judgment as they read the evidence? Isn’t it ‘a highly complex and confused problem’ that must be left to ‘experts’? “
The authors of this “Confession” believe that the familiar text applies in principle: “Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Habakkuk 2:2. For many decades we have applied this to the ease with which the common man can understand the truth of the Sabbath, the prophecies, and other doctrine that make up Seventh-day Adventist teaching. We believe that Ellen G. White especially wrote in a lucid style that does not require “interpretation” and certainly not explaining away. Seventh-day Adventists are trained to evaluate evidence. Take the simple Sabbath truth, for example. There are some eight or ten New Testament texts that “scholars” superficially explain to support Sunday observance. Yet hundreds of thousands of Seventh-day Adventist layman have given up jobs in order to keep the seventh-day Sabbath, correctly evaluating the so-called “evidence.” They have risked everything on their ability to understand a plain “Thus saith the Lord.”
This matter is as simple and clear as the Sabbath truth. Brief excerpts out of context can be selected from Mrs. White’s writings that may appear on the surface to support some particular viewpoint. But in the end the Seventh-day Adventist conscience will insist on seeing the full evidence, not someone’s evaluation of what he judges it to be. The Church is capable of seeing and appreciating the truth. We agree with Movement of Destiny that the time has come when we must “weigh the evidence . . . for the facts are accessible. They are neither hidden nor ambiguous” (page 358).
Our Lord’s call to the Church and its leadership to “repent” is just as clear as any of our “doctrines” which have made us a people. It is not “new light” but is “old light” that has not been clearly perceived. The call is in Revelation 3, and has been there all along; and our denominational history affords an apt commentary to it.