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"A Warning and its Reception"
A motion presented to the Executive Committee
of the North Pacific Union Conference
by Al Hudson
February 1959
Preface
The collection of documents contained herein has been prepared specifically for the study and guidance of the members of the Executive Committee of the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists pursuant to a Motion lodged with this Committee on February 3, 1959 by the undersigned.
It is not intended that this collection shall have extensive circulation among all classes of our church membership but neither is it contemplated that it will be confined to the members of the Union Committee.
Our Motion requests the Committee to make the documents contained herein "available to the membership of the North Pacific Union Conference and provide for an open, proper, just and sufficient examination of this matter in this field."
Obviously, this Committee cannot reach an intelligent decision and take a proper action upon the Motion until it has read the documents in question. These are not readily available otherwise -- hence the preparation of this collection. Also, the preparation of this collection will make it easy for the Committee to act favorably upon our Motion insofar as the physical availability of the material is concerned. Since the officers of the General Conference are opposed to having the church become informed on the matter, it would be somewhat embarrassing to have this material published in one of our regular publishing houses. But with the plates already made and the printing facilities under our personal ownership and operation it would be simple to furnish the Union Committee with sufficient copies at a reasonable price to comply with the request at hand.
Inasmuch as it may happen in time that this book shall fall into the hands of some who are not familiar with the facts of the controversy involved we are presenting herewith the Motion lodged with the Committee and the remarks preceding the Motion.
At the time we made the Motion it was our opinion that the documents enumerated therein were all that would be necessary to a consideration of the subject matter involved. However, at the time of the filing of the Motion the General Conference president who was present represented to the Committee that the third report of the General Conference on the Wieland-Short presentations and the final letter of commitment written by Wieland and Short under date of January 21, 1959, would considerably alter the picture as contained in the documents previously mentioned. We are, therefore, including herein the third report of the General Conference entitled "Wieland-Short Manuscript Committee Report" and the letter mentioned above.
Page ii
A Preliminary Memorandum of 81 pages previously presented to the Committee contains other documentary material relative to the Wieland-Short representations covering the period preceding the manuscript, ‘1888 Re-Examined’,
PRESENTATION TO UNION COMMITTEE
On February 3, 1959, this Petitioner appeared in person before this Committee making the following representations and Motion.
Preface to Motion
"Mr. President: Comes now this Petitioner, A. L. Hudson, appearing in person and makes the following allegations and representations.
"I am a lay member of the Seventh-day Adventist church with membership in the Baker, Oregon, body. I was 'born in the message,' as we say, in this same church body and have served it in many different capacities from my childhood. I am now, and for many years past have been, first Elder of this church.
"In common with all my brethren of our communion I believe the Seventh-day Adventist church corporation in all its various affiliated associations and corporations to be the legal and corporate vehicle for the promulgation of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14.
"I believe that unmistakable evidence in both the secular world and the religious world, including our own beloved church, indicates beyond a doubt to those holding the prophetic tenents [sic] of our faith that the good ship Zion is nearing the Harbor. We are now sailing between the reefs of infidelity and materialism in full sight of Home.
"If we are to fulfill the purpose of God in our existence, we must now take aboard the Harbor Pilot and complete the journey. More than a hundred years ago a handful of God-fearing and Christ-loving men and women joined together in holy fellowship to establish what later came to be known in the world as the Seventh-day Adventist church. In humble dependence upon God for the accomplishment within them and through them of a humanly impossible task they fulfilled the prayer of the Divine Pilot, 'That they all may be one; as thou, ' Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.' John 17:21
"With the passing of years and the accession of membership encircling the globe this unity of heart and mind has been lessened until in 1952 Elder R. A. Anderson, speaking at the Bible Conference in Washington D.C. publicly expressed the apprehension of the leaders of our church to hold such a conference lest the meeting be broken up with adverse factions.
"Today the bond of unity and fellowship within our ranks on the basis of unity with the same Christ and Lord is so weak that ecclesiastical authority and intellectual and spiritual despotism have largely taken the place of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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"The issue at hand today is the matter of religious liberty within the Seventh-day Adventist church.
"Elder H. L. Rudy, Vice-president of the General Conference made the following pertinent observations in his article, 'The Gift of Freedom' which was presented in pamphlet form to church elders for Religious Liberty Day, Sabbath, January 17, 1959:
" ‘Among all the freedoms men cherish and have struggled to obtain is freedom of conscience. This freedom gives dignity to man when he is in possession of it. Without it the quality of human living is absent. Man cannot refuse freedom for himself if he wishes to maintain his own dignity as a creature made in the image of God. Neither has he the right to deny it to others.
'Psychological compulsions brought to bear upon him by mass propaganda have caused him to cease thinking for himself, to cease thinking creatively. He has not been educated to freedom.
'Freedom is dear only to those who are not satisfied to think as they are told. Too many people have not become aware of themselves as free beings, bearing within themselves the dignity and aristocracy of freedom. The free man not only loves freedom, but also affirms it for others.
'Truth demands freedom, both for him who reveals it and for others as well. Religious tolerance accepts the fact that truth is without limit, and is capable of opening boundless perspectives before the mind.'
"In direct and distinct contradiction of these noble and lofty sentiments just expressed the facts I would like to present indicate that the Officers of the General Conference are violating the principles of religious liberty and vitiating the glorious propositions outlined by this vice-president.
Brief Resume of Wieland-Short Representations
"Since you brethren have previously received copies of my letters to the General Conference Officers under dates of November 21, 1958 and January 9, 1959, and because of the shortness of the time which I have requested before you I shall not make any lengthy recitation of the facts contained in those letters but merely take recourse to a short resume to lead up to the point of my appearance before you.
"In June (July) of 1950 Elder R. J. Wieland and Elder D. K. Short made written representations to the Officers of the General Conference at the time of the General Conference session in San Francisco.
"On July 11, 1950 these brethren wrote in part as follows-.
" ’The President's stirring address last night, calling upon us to guard the faith once delivered to the saints, and to speak forthrightly in defense of it, presents a challenge. With this in mind, it is imperative that we know exactly what it is that should be guarded, for certainly there is great confusion in our ranks today.
'This confusion was evident in the "Christ-centered" preaching urged upon us repeatedly in the Ministerial Association meeting of the past four days. These meetings were supposed to set the stage for a mighty revival among God's people at this General Conference session. This "Christ-centered" preaching is expected by its proponents to bring great reformation among Seventh-day Adventist workers the world round.
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'No one for a moment would disparage the preaching of the true Christ as the center and substance of the three angels’ messages. However, in this confusion, it has not been discerned that much of this so-called "Christ-centered preaching" is in reality merely anti-Christ centered preaching. It vitally affects the outcome of this General Conference session. To make such a statement to the General Conference Committee sounds fantastic. But startling things are not unexpected by the church in the last days.'
"At the time of the General Conference session no official consideration was given to the subject matter of the Wieland-Short representations. Subsequently in Washington, D. C. these men appeared before a committee at which time both written and oral material was presented.
"Wieland and Short were asked to further write out their contentions and the manuscript, ‘1888 Re-Examined’' was the result. They returned to their mission field in Africa and the Defense Literature Committee was asked to make an official report on the representations of Wieland and Short.
"In this report which was released in 1951 the Officers of the General Conference rejected the analysis of the 1888 Minneapolis conference episode which Wieland and Short had made in their manuscript and also rejected the false christ allegations of these men by labeling them as slander against the Adventist ministry
"In this report by the General Conference silence on the subject matter was enjoined upon Wieland and Short by the Officers.
"Much to the annoyance of the brethren in Washington, copies of the manuscript were sold by Wieland and Short to some of their immediate friends before they left for their mission field and before the Committee had time to render its official report.
"When the official decision was communicated to the authors they complied fully and desisted from any agitation of the subject. However, the few existing copies were multiplied many times in the ensuing years by substantial, loyal Seventh-day Adventists sometimes even under the noses of disapproving administrators, and the message of the document got around. Its reception was varied, but at least a sizeable minority in the church have believed it to be a message of truth sent by God at a critical hour.
"Concerning this document the Secretary of the General Conference wrote on January 16, 1959 ‘Many in the field and in our institutions have considered this matter and numerous opinions have been expressed to us.'
Relationship of Petitioner to the Problem
"Some four years ago the paper came into my possession from a minister friend. Since that time l have been contending with the officers of the General Conference that their evaluation of the representations of Wieland and Short is erroneous and the first official report completely untenable.
"On February 28, 1958, I filed a formal Complaint and Request with the officers of the General Conference relative to thereafter of the Barnhouse-Martin episode and supported the Complaint with a short Brief. In this Brief I made reference to the Wieland-Short manuscript on p30 as follows:
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" 'This manuscript was written some seven years ago and presented to the officers of the General Conference. The manuscript, the letters preceding it and the personal representations connected therewith were a potion too big for the officers of the General Conference to swallow; even as this statement of Jesus to Peter. was too big for him to swallow. He could not deny the truth of the Saviour's words, but he did not understand them and thus did not believe nor profit by them. In like manner, the officers of the General Conference have not been able to deny the truth of the positions taken by Wieland and Short; they have not been able to correctly evaluate them and have thus refused to believe them and profit by them.'
"The officers refused any type of hearing upon the Complaint but did essay to write a reply to the Complaint without giving an opportunity to plead my cause at all. Some of you have a copy of this alleged answer to certain points appearing in the Brief supporting my Complaint.
"This purported answer, however, was only half the reply of the officers. The other half was to consist of a second consideration of the Wieland-Short manuscript.
"In September, 1958, this second report was released and a copy was sent to me. It was entitled, "Further Appraisal of the Manuscript, ‘1888 Re-Examined’."
"The second report was as unsatisfactory as the first, coming to some of the same conclusions as the first report and coming to other conclusions even less tenable.
Officers Refuse to Answer Questions
"On November 21, 1958, I requested from the officers of the General Conference an official answer to the following three-part question:
" 'Is it the purpose of the General Conference (a) to suppress by considering improper, illegal and undesirable an open discussion of the Wieland-Short manuscript and its contents in the world field; (b) to force Elders Wieland and Short to abandon their positions or to keep silent concerning them by the weight of your ecclesiastical authority when you have not been able in eight years to sustain any substantial error in the same; (c) knowing that the statement referred to above from "Appraisal" is false, to force brethren Wieland and Short to take an open stand against the officers of the General Conference, their hiring agency, and to publicly state their true position?"
"The officers have twice refused to answer this question as asked and the only pertinent comment they have been willing to make is this, 'The brethren feel that under present circumstances their dealing on this matter should be with Brethren Wieland and Short.'
"This is, of course, a polite and diplomatic way of saying to us laymen in the field that it is none of our business what is going on in Washington and that a determination of truth and error will be made by men allegedly qualified to make such determinations and that henceforth we are to accept their decisions without question or protest.
"This position is unacceptable to us in the field. In the words of Elder Rudy: 'Freedom is dear only to those who are not satisfied to think as they are told.’
Leadership does not Employ Flattery nor Coercion
"In reply to our suggestion that coercion or flattery might be used upon Wieland and Short by the officers they made the following significant reply:
‘' ‘The leadership of God's cause does not employ flattery nor coercion in dealing with workers. Such an attitude is entirely foreign to our understanding of leadership responsibility. Brethren Wieland and Short are workers of experience and they will make their decisions as they feel they should. The field that employs them may want to come to some understanding with them, but this is in no way related to "flattery" nor to "coercion".’
"I do not believe the members of this Union committee would want any specific comments upon this statement by way of concrete illustrations contradicting it, but you are all aware that such evidence could be introduced. There are at least three conferences in this Union which have attempted to suppress discussion of vital truths relative to the matter at hand by coercion.
"Now, by way of summarizing this short resume, we have the following situation. Ordained ministers of recognized worth and integrity have charged the Remnant church with worshipping in a substantial measure a false Christ. The officers of the General Conference are determined to ignore and discredit this allegation all the while under the pretense of considering it in the darkness of camouflage, in the secrecy of private conference and committee meetings in Washington and submit the results for us laymen to accept without question.
"This we cannot do.
Motion
"The representations of Elders Wieland and Short are sufficiently contained in two documents: (1) Their manuscript, ‘1888 Re-Examined’, and (2) their Reply to the second report of the General Conference on their manuscript.
"The official stand of the General Conference is contained in two documents: (1) The first report rendered by the Defense Literature Committee in 1951; (2) "Further Appraisal of the Manuscript, ‘1888 Re-Examined’ released in September, 1958.
"WHEREFORE, believing that the prohibition of discussion and investigation of this material which is believed by a considerable minority to be a message from God constitutes departure from the principles of religious liberty in the Remnant church, I MOVE this Committee make the above enumerated documents available to the membership of the North Pacific Union Conference and provide for an open, proper, just and sufficient examination in this field."
Respectfully submitted
A. L. Hudson, First Elder
Baker Seventh-day Adventist Church
Baker, Oregon
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