THIS FORD NO LONGER RUNS By DiS. Porter Raprinted’ from PRISM, December 1980 (Ths Mantels College newspaper in England) c ‘The Later 1970te were « most interesting period in’ the history of Adventism,..- ne day they may be looked upon as the most importent,: too,” What-has heppened. in. the last few years may, perhaps be described as the bursting open of the long- &- closed denominational cupboards: with a consequent clattering out of, several skeletons, ‘to lie, :bony.and grinning, on that very lumpy carpet, under which so much has for so lorig been swept, Less macebrely, it could*be saidthat the = =~ denomination hasbeen undergoing a crisis of authority which might ‘have’ changed it fandaméntally, but against which ite strongly rebuilt conservatiem seems Likely"to prevail, \ so ‘the people who precipitated this crisia make strange colleagues: an ‘isteaian Anglican clergymany. two women workers at the Pacific Preai, the most brilliant schol&s in the church, and an obscure pastor in California, The first, Geoffrey Paxton, may be thought to have begun the process with his book, The Shit ing ‘pe saan: Near ‘the end of that book Paxton described what he calle teiumphalist natuze of authority" in the Adventist church, That authority was challenged in the courts by, Mecikay Silver and Lorna Toblér, In defending the suits. they brought, the. ‘edminfgtration resorted to even stronger assertion of euthority. in the plea that the chirch is “hierarchical.” The basis of the auth- ority of the church Giheter hderarcliical or not) rests squarely upon the writings of Mrs, White, whose claim to Divine insp§ration was next challenged by, Walter Rea, Desmond Ford has no time for the plodding research of Rea, but it is highly likely that. if Rea had.not alteady been heard from when Ford deliveted his now 2 famous Tketuce at Pavtitc Wkign College on Octobee-27;~1979, Ford-woutd taws-hie credetitiala weary 7 Tk is. one thing ‘phe ‘churehts undsesténding of tghivdtiiians cee eRe te our minds on it more than once) ‘or ey¢i ee 1, the. ;ecoepted view of the gpnctuaty, (There % eppeat. to be athitess Safely’ in pogsessgon of their ¢radantials, who do. that.) 8 quite another matter’ to appear. (whatever disclainats one may make opted tustanding) to question the auth-. | deity pf Prophét, for in 60 doithg oid questions the sole basis af that form, of ecclesial government described by Paxton and defended in the Excific Press césies, That. authority ‘then must: be sustained even though thd Walter. Reds of this world should provéto their satisfaction that every comma and every colon tas beet boweewd fromelsevhore, It is this: angle which connects the Ford and Rea affated S+ wo appadently unvelated except in timing ~~ and makes thes! so intetest~ ing-evén to #’non- theologian, Paxton again who began it, Is it entirely fanciful to imagine that ‘tha bE the. then President of the General Conference, when he saw. a, section 's book haaded “The Ford-Brinsmead Mateship" might have been similar to I viaea-vis Becket "Who will free me from this turbulent priast?® were sufficient to precipitate Becket into sainthood; one hundred in were. aBgembled to'martye Ford, A coup de grace could not, however, red. solely on the evidence of a non-Adventist scholar, © An overt, act ‘and this Ford obligingly provided in his P.U.C. lectus axceilent dé¥ctwive poattion at Dunbar in 1651, ‘he is said to have emelaimed, S*The' Lord hath Beltveret: them into my hande", When the noise of the -banwer jdeiling Rord*s' thasis tothe chapel door at Angwin was heard (on ‘taps}.in: i "~ Rekems ‘Park, thé reketion may well -have been similar, meantime, however, a new king had. aacended the throne, (I merely Haney I parallel, ahd do not re any strictures upon agscalled . e kingly dn. the’ writings “of Mea, White.) ys ed execution would consort . reputation for Libegglity ‘and tolerance, ‘There must wli This Ford No Longer Runs,, .Cont " a therefore:be' a. thoreugh investigation (not a "trial" as. the President: hinself declared in the Review) by ccmpatent authorities, or, as some diplonatic have expressed it, Ford must be given‘enough cope with which to hang hineet£, a facility of which he availed himself mightily, The ‘rope! conaisted-of six month’ Leave of absence; wectetarial help, access to certain denominational seconds and:the ogststance ofa ‘giidence. coonittes!...No condemned. man .es ever given. the scans of making « heatticr brackfast, The gesutt of this’ was 691" pages of goibtasypaced ‘typesertat with copious” fhgle-spaced) pius 300" ages of ‘appandiessy alt under the titte of At it! nt In considering this: work,-one unteuth shouldbe nailed et.the outsats. nenply that the beck: 1s ‘unschélarly!, This weiter daale in his. daily: work: with written scholarship in several disciplines, and if this is not scholarly, he, does not; know, what is, - Thie‘ canard may have got into circulation because Ford's work is intalligthle echolarship’and fs only rarely cluttered with thot detent FT when ‘presisiably the author could not: resiat the”teaptation briefly to dite his vest’leagning, That fs a minor. sin for probably the grettast scholar Adventésa hae produced. (The contiyast with many of ttibse appoitited to “tteyt ene te ‘Very? hia, is ‘stetking,) Scholarelifp that is intelligible to the hatiy, nok i Live every day with concapts such as the ‘apotelesmatic’ print iples pores inthds of ‘some Adventists be schol fitp at atl,” On page 586 fPoment, “Any administrative oat chat chat Srteupt té'behave® as’ though “in” the sine teenth century or the MiddTe! saniivt hope to ‘retain the coh¥tdence of 4 saucaned Latty,® Well said, But what on earth mokes him think that the tion of this church wants to retain that confidence, of Qyei Believes fn the evlstence, of such a latty? — Apert fromthe .dd-tnbtence of pemede-oftesming, the main fault. of the work 45 repetition, Doubtless thie is intended to drive the poigts: hone: ‘bat. ie countegproductive in that the reader tends to “switch off', 1s SPL retorts Pee dangor of catty Use of the closecknit’ abputients tr, te ta peers ely matte id tn tha médate chapters pitch te aty cane, Login. Rees “torah nage y chaaey ty lo the lay of icnenine tn Deniel and 3 japteir given to "Releersél' ‘of the probleis,’ aioe to be oar te you here’ that "Regs, olutton® is atfered, too, : CWhat Ford sote.out-to do-én these ‘cheptars: ia: now pretty well know. Hits, ate te to,.ahow the unbdblical nature: . of the: 'undque'. Geventheday Adventist. doctrine of the ‘Javestigativa:judganent, .or fp: put. positively: ee be’ does,’ tha purpose Of. the: Work’ fa.,to attempt, £6 answer the question of, whet should be pmdected. in explaining Daniel 8:14 in @ way "which will be intellectually responsible, bib- Uspalty:defanatble, and yet sustain out. eachatotogieg! understanding of, the Day “asa work of pre-edivent judpement".’ ¢p,33). ‘Zo 'Qo'this He’ Bemonste- oo cue ebetvs Krioid nothing d's firdteapdktment wlniatey Ii thé heavdaly ors 1844, but, sabes Taachiis ‘Hrut Christ, vent into thi Holy’ uf ma at, see ‘that cléshsing Gf. that, be’ the’ correct teri) “of soactiey, at ‘to See Saas deals witht that! thehe: Ha itthen: proceeds’ to the. 230009. eopieent of Daniel» oe ‘thot. thes ‘yearr., dey prineiple deca nob doplys thet. the thw, Toatenent weitare, expected: Cheiet. ta. feturn: dn theis. day cand ‘that, therefore, the Daniel iprephecy ‘could Rot: Have. “applied to’ a date 1600 years tater, Qne.of .the weaknesses of "Pord*a, peeoahtate. ion herd eeemg to this Tes tq be in hig res to the queation "Why did jt not boule back in the firgt’ pe x red) ‘that wad’ Bacaibe Sapa tat the wel, F but since’ it was’ ween ice, ‘Phat <** peed an tdi!’ conelus: Sato eee a : reoF This Ford No Longer Runs...Cont, the Divine’ térelevance of tim! itself’ in the”post~eross period on the basis’ bf °> 2 Petr’ 3. The Day of Atonénient” imagery in Daniél; according to Ford, applies’ "” to the cross and the end of the world, but not to any intermediate period, Such as, that beginning in 1844, 4 des Mh Chiapter four does mich the ane For‘hevelation as chapter three did for Dantél. In chapter five Ford'dffers his solutions for the problete he has posed--the’ epotelesmatic principle and inaugurated’ and consuninated eschatology "Whereby’ events’ to’ be matertally fulfilled in connéction with’ the end of the world had” a prior legal application at the cross", - Praiitiig these theological: chapters ‘are- chapters ‘one and six, sespectively, the most Tnterevting and the’ most important in the book, The former deals with the history of disquiet about’ the "sanctuary truth’ in the Adventist church dovn the yeats and the melancholy procession of *hetetics' who have gone to the metaphorical steke-in Washington, D,C., which company bf martyrs Ford must’ even thigh have ‘known’ that he was soon to join, That chapter “fs the most readable tn the work and two statements alone (both on..p.145) would make it worth the price. "Ig. gteess on. colestial geography really that, important for a generation, dying, . through ignorance..of the gospel?" ~.a question. which all our theologians == «7 Ford,ineluded -~ might do vell: to ponder. and a stateaent about. the "strangu- lation-hold on research and true progress".in the church, brought about resistance always encountered by any view which seems to run counter to “what, hes gone before, especially as expressed by Ellen G, white", Ih those lest words we. come to the heact pf Ford's difficulty. He may spend. months of research and hundrads of; typewritten pages demonstrating that the conn cept of the investigative judgement beginning n.1844 is unscriptual, but at. evagy, tien ba.4e gonfronted by « briek wall on whick-~aro inscribed the words, t is endorsed By~the Spirit of Prophecy" 5 : np surmount Ghat obstacle Ford ‘hai! to eeeape'y dleeicuTe task, He Hasta" knock out cortditt BAKA WHINE preventing Che “whole all frou tumbling domi, This ttsiipt' he'nekes inUhapter six, snd’ fascinating reading ‘it is. Faseinaé © ing ye ‘yeas bee whit? one closes thie’ bookshd the dazzlement of Ford's brttiianes ‘Che “reader is left asking whether he ‘hay ‘not simply been saying that - ° Elien ithite 18 inspired when she agrees with Des Ford and not when she does" t,'‘ Ong showly realises. too, that, in sone fespacts,..he-is.simply wrong. For im: stances she did.claim to have, ascertained by, vision things which she could easily haye found out by mundane ways., 4, good exemple is found in the papers,;;" put cutby tha White Estate on the Fannie Bolton affair, A.vigion of. suse:..; passing glecy involving the Lord Hingelf. gave hor the mossage "Fanny Bolton 3.05: is your adversary" when there was a man in the same house who was about to ; Sdpart to hee that very information, ie Nowsctheless, this reviewer believes that. thers may be hore the basis For: Bie: more realistic appraisal. of Ellen White's cole than.the 'Ellenolatcy! which.has ; hithesto held the field, Such an appraisal, will not, I fear, be made. Oa. page. 159, Ford*quotes Andreasen on an éacliad crisis, "As soon as the immediate crisis. was past, we did little or no further officiel study, though. sharp differences and divergent views had been revealed that should have called £1 ‘exhaustive investigation of the subject, The sane situation will doubete peivadt fey that the latest "troubler of Taree!" has-been cast out, Indeed, evan; in thia very chaptce there is a.certain.anount of apécial pleads, ing dictated.by, ite author's inmodiate ,eituation...This comes in the interest- .. me gestion entitled "The Bottae. Line" beginning on page 628, This consistg.of:, tug.sets, of questions,-ong,set "fog. these ‘who wish.fo give Ellen CG, White greats ef authority. than Scriptyra!! and ope, fog ‘those who widh to, reject Ellen.Gp-. = Whagette., Sdgnificantly there. ate.six times as. many questions in the sccond set: ) as ingtha firat. (They are diffecent.in, style, too, but that is another.mattgn.) It is as i£.ford, with his head .an.the.bloek,..is saying to.his executionars; “You see am almost 100% orthodox and I can do. you good service against the 1dThis Ford No Longer Runs,,.,Cont : Reaite ttibe, Please do not chop my head off." But, logically from their point of view, his executioners answer, "Almost is not enough," and down comes ~ ‘the axe, In the old silent movies it was, I believe, an inflexible rule that one met *, Mot-kill off the hero or the villain in the first reel, Neither must we, There is.still a little more to be said as ve glance briefly at what happened in the period between the completion of Ford's magnum opus and the descent of the antipodean axe in September 1980, The sequence of these events is now fairly well-known but one of two points are worth making, One is that Ford received no "teial", The President of the General Conf- erence hed declared in the Raview that the meeting of the one hundred and fourteen scholars. and administrators at Glacier View was not to be a trial, No one has yet produced any evidence that any 'trial' was held between the close of that meeting and the removal of Ford's credentials, so presumably that act took place without the convening of any assembly at which he was tried, Another significant point {6 that not one of all that large body of people assembled at Glacier View was a non-denoainationally employed person, Perhaps then, it was ac. well, that it was not a trial, otherwise the prosecutton could justly ‘have been charged with not merely packing, but also providing the jury, a Jury of persons who could hardly have been expected to incline towards the accused. : The meetings went as planned, although some @nxious moments must have been canded by the well-meaning efforts of such as De. Provonsha to mediate, Fort- unately Ford was obdurate, The scholars departed, having delivered their ex= pectet verdict, The administrators remairied behind with what Ford himself described as a “herstt” demand for recantation. Ha refused, went away to think about it, and then, belatedly realizing that politics, not theology; war the Reme.of tha gene, played what could have been a master steoke, by offering not to publiciz- his views. Mercifully it was a loquacious corpse and in the length of Ford's letter of August 26, there was opportunity to finish him off once and for all, What, in effect, the undectekers. did was to tall the world Gee The Ministry, Oct. 1980 pp,12-14) that the corpse could not ba trusted to lie low and keep quiet. Gree Ford's alleged untrustworthiness on that point was asserted, the sdmin{= steation wes, beck in thé driving seat,’ and, accompanied by “beautiful prayers", “the presence of the Holy Spirit", and even appreciation to-Dr. Ford for making us think, (no mean feat!) the drama drew to ite preordained conclusion and the most brilliant scholar in’contemporary Adventism was told that there was no longer @ piace for him in the work, (ne down and one to go, Ironically, it may happen that the obscure pastor _ (although a ‘czodentialectoay' has now been performed on him, too,) may yet tifaimph where‘ the outstanding academic hes failed, Recondite theological diffecetices do make:headlines in the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribynes “ot lien, but prophets with alleged ‘feet of clay’ (or, Paxton again, Tnoses OF waxt) “do, ‘Two massive barricades separate Séventh~day Adventiem from-evangelical Protestanttex, vith, which in thie godless aga, it should be standing ahoulde towshoulder, Ford has failed to demolish one, ‘Rea may succeed in pulling down:the ‘other, The fiepired prophet may yet become the inspired ‘anthologist, A moge biblicéllyworietitated basis for authority'in the church may yét’be | developed, Tne time ‘may come when Adventist scholars no longer have 'to write, [ a8 A.W, Spalding did to H, Camden Lacey in 1947, "I have: the intellectual task of rearranging my concepts to harmonize with Sister White's pronouncanents", If théwe things happen and Seventheday Adventiem ceases to be a nineteenth-century Awetivan sect end becones a sixteenth-contury evangslical protestant church, Ford's name may yet head the roster of martyrs wime blood was its seed, =20~