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[Dedication]

Presented at the TED European Pastors Conference
Rogaska-Slatina, Slovenia, 25 August, 2012
By: Dr. Bertil Wiklander

The Trans-European Division is a division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It means that T.E.D. follows General Conference policy, except in cases where we request and are given permission to apply a variance to the common world-church policy. The 11 unions within the T.E.D. are all members of the General Conference (and the T.E.D.) and in their constitutions and bylaws they state that their faith, church order, and working policies shall be in harmony with the GC/TED....
I accept women’s ordination as being biblical and appropriate. But I am also very concerned that we manage this important matter in harmony and cooperation with the world church. I know that the Lord will bless our joint efforts to explore his word and to share it with our brothers and sisters world-wide. And I think the best thing we can do is to pray for the Spirit of God to lead his church to understand this matter in harmony with his will. As keepers of the heritage of the Protestant reformation, let us see this matter from a spiritual perspective and ask God to lead us to an understanding of his truth. And let us do it in a spirit of respect for each other, knowing that we all seek the truth and that Christ has promised that the Holy Spirit will ‘guide us into all truth’.


Dr. Bertil Wiklander is president of the Trans-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists.

[Johann]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

[Murcielago]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

I received this note of approval by e-mail:

Bertil Wiklander
7:50 AM (32 minutes ago)

to me

Thank you, Johann. This is fine.

Warm greetings,

Bertil

Sent from my iPhone

Nice!

[SDAminister]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

What's unfortunate is that Bertil Wiklander, Ted Wison, Jan Paulsen and others received their highest theological training from the fallen churches of Babylon. Why they rejected Adventist education, we may never know. We may also never know how much of their own character and theology are not SDA, but Babylonian.

SDAminister

[Murcielago]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

What's unfortunate is that Bertil Wiklander, Ted Wison, Jan Paulsen and others received their highest theological training from the fallen churches of Babylon. Why they rejected Adventist education, we may never know. We may also never know how much of their own character and theology are not SDA, but Babylonian.

SDAminister

I didn't know that. Where did they get their degrees?
I haven't read it in a while, but I seem to recall Great Controversy mentioning that after recieving years of education in the mountains, the Waldenses would often send their kids to the Catholic universities for their higher education. In our case, the SDA church has a great educational system, but I suppose there may be some specialties we don't have.

[SDAminister]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

Let's assume what you state is correct. Do you believe that they were sent there to receive theological training?

What's unfortunate is that Bertil Wiklander, Ted Wison, Jan Paulsen and others received their highest theological training from the fallen churches of Babylon. Why they rejected Adventist education, we may never know. We may also never know how much of their own character and theology are not SDA, but Babylonian.

SDAminister

I didn't know that. Where did they get their degrees?
I haven't read it in a while, but I seem to recall Great Controversy mentioning that after recieving years of education in the mountains, the Waldenses would often send their kids to the Catholic universities for their higher education. In our case, the SDA church has a great educational system, but I suppose there may be some specialties we don't have.

[Johann]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

What's unfortunate is that Bertil Wiklander, Ted Wison, Jan Paulsen and others received their highest theological training from the fallen churches of Babylon. Why they rejected Adventist education, we may never know. We may also never know how much of their own character and theology are not SDA, but Babylonian.

SDAminister

In connection with these three individuals I am only able to tell you about the education of Jan Paulsen from personal observation. From many of his schoolmates I know that he attended the SDA secondary school Vejlefjord in Denmark. After that both us attended Emmanuel Missionary College, and from there both of us went to the Potomac Univesity in Washington DC, which later moved to Berrien Springs. There Jan Paulsen obtained the highest degree available anywhere at that time in Theology at a SDA institution.

Later both of us worked in Nigeria as Bible teachers, He at the SDA College of West Africa, while I was at the Ile-Ífe School of Nursing. After several years of Bible teaching Jan took his family with him to Southern Germany where he got his doctorate at the University of Thuebingen. As far as I recall there was no SDA university then which granted a doctorate in theology.

As far as I recall all of these three wrote a doctoral thesis defending some aspect of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, so you could say that they were conducting an evangelistic campaign within the world of education. If you were having an evangelistic campaign somewhere, would you make sure that only SDA would attend your meetings to prevent yourself from getting contaminated?

[SDAminister]

Bertil Wiklander's father was also a pastor in Sweden. In his doctoral thesis Bertil demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Book of Isaiah where he showed, as far as I remember, from the structure of the Hebrew language that the whole book was written by the same author, Isaiah himself, and it was not written by several authors, like some liberal theologians were claiming. So he is a thorough conservative Bible scholar, now a senior among Division Presidents.

What's unfortunate is that Bertil Wiklander, Ted Wison, Jan Paulsen and others received their highest theological training from the fallen churches of Babylon. Why they rejected Adventist education, we may never know. We may also never know how much of their own character and theology are not SDA, but Babylonian.

SDAminister

In connection with these three individuals I am only able to tell you about the education of Jan Paulsen from personal observation. From many of his schoolmates I know that he attended the SDA secondary school Vejlefjord in Denmark. After that both us attended Emmanuel Missionary College, and from there both of us went to the Potomac Univesity in Washington DC, which later moved to Berrien Springs. There Jan Paulsen obtained the highest degree available anywhere at that time in Theology at a SDA institution.

Later both of us worked in Nigeria as Bible teachers, He at the SDA College of West Africa, while I was at the Ile-Ífe School of Nursing. After several years of Bible teaching Jan took his family with him to Southern Germany where he got his doctorate at the University of Thuebingen. As far as I recall there was no SDA university then which granted a doctorate in theology.

As far as I recall all of these three wrote a doctoral thesis defending some aspect of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, so you could say that they were conducting an evangelistic campaign within the world of education. If you were having an evangelistic campaign somewhere, would you make sure that only SDA would attend your meetings to prevent yourself from getting contaminated?

I have yet to meet a single person who stated that the reason they studied theology from a Fallen-Churches-of-Babylon University was to evangelize them.
The only ones that say it are those, such as yourself, who engage in apologetics over it giving cover to a basic denial of Adventist education.

If a local SDA pastor or elder were to attend the pastoral training classes that the big Baptist church in town runs, they would be kicked out of the church. But if they pay $40K and get the same training at a place that has the word University in the name, then it's ok.
Ridiculous!

[Johann]

I could add to this that I happen to know that in Sweden where Bertil Wiklander got is doctorate, most of the work is done by independent studies after which the professor gives you an oral exam. There is no formal class work involved. In between you attend seminars where doctoral students defend portions of the thesis they have written. At least this is how it has been done at the university of Lund. I also happen to know that Bible believing Christians from several other countries go to Sweden to get their doctorates there under favorable circumstances for those who do not want to be under undue pressure by the liberal theologians.

[Murcielago]

SDA Minister, it looks like you meant to respond to my post but your response didn't go through. It just shows the quote part.

[Dedication]

Bertil Wiklander's father, Gösta Wiklander was not only a pastor in Sweden, he was also president in the Swedish Union (a combination of North and South Swedish SDA conferences)

Bertil Alfred - born in Göteborg in  1946. He is, since 1995, President of the Trans European
Division. He has a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Uppsala, Sweden (1972).

But this doesn't tell us where he received his Batchor's and Master"s degree.

Our Universities did offer doctor degrees, so most went outside the SDA school system to get them.

[Johann]

Bertil Wiklander's father, Gösta Wiklander was not only a pastor in Sweden, he was also president in the Swedish Union (a combination of North and South Swedish SDA conferences)

Bertil Alfred - born in Göteborg in  1946. He is, since 1995, President of the Trans European
Division. He has a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Uppsala, Sweden (1972).

But this doesn't tell us where he received his Batchor's and Master"s degree.

Our Universities did offer doctor degrees, so most went outside the SDA school system to get them.

I think you meant to say: "Our Universities did not offer doctor degrees. . ."  which is the reason our educators had to get their degrees elsewhere so that our schools could get the essential state license. M. L. Andreassen tells so humorously how he had to sneak away from the campus to get to the nearest university in between his teaching assignments at Union College. He indicates that Union College was on the verge of closing when he did this. Even old Emmanuel Missionary College had to have a certain percentage of their teachers with a doctoral degree in order to grant their own students a B. A. At that time there was only one SDA institute granting doctoral degrees, and that was Loma Linda - in medicine.

Men like Dr. E. R. Thiele and Dr. Siegfred Horn both got their doctoral degrees from non-SDA universities, and both of them made Adventism known throughout the word for their scholarship

[Bob Pickle]

Men like Dr. E. R. Thiele and Dr. Siegfred Horn both got their doctoral degrees from non-SDA universities, and both of them made Adventism known throughout the word for their scholarship

I am corresponding with a gentleman now where I cite particularly Thiele.

However, it should be pointed out that while Ellen White did call for us to send particular students to other schools for evangelistic purposes, she did acknowledge the danger of doing so. Now I don't recall which of the above men was involved in the following story, but I believe one of them was: Some students in a class took exception to his maintaining that the earth's civilizations were older than 6000 years, and he at some point shut down the discussion. At a later class these students came in, marched to the front, and gave him their drop slips.

Whether it was Thiele or Horn, where did they ever get the idea that their own personal, private opinion should take precedence over inspiration, to the point that they felt they had license to teach their personal, private opinion as fact in an Adventist school, and disallow any challenge of that personal, private opinion? If the teacher who did this had never studied at a Babylonian school, would that incident have ever occurred? More importantly, why was this incident allowed to occur at an Adventist school?

[Dedication]

Bertil Wiklander's father, Gösta Wiklander was not only a pastor in Sweden, he was also president in the Swedish Union (a combination of North and South Swedish SDA conferences)

Bertil Alfred - born in Göteborg in  1946. He is, since 1995, President of the Trans European
Division. He has a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Uppsala, Sweden (1972).

But this doesn't tell us where he received his Batchor's and Master"s degree.

Our Universities did offer doctor degrees, so most went outside the SDA school system to get them.

I think you meant to say: "Our Universities did not offer doctor degrees. . ."

You are correct --
Our Universities did NOT offer doctor degrees, so most went outside the SDA school system to get them.

[Gregory]

Thiele:  He is best known for his book:  THEYMYSTERIOUS NUMBRS OF THE HEBREW KINGS.  That book set the standard for resolving the questions about the accuracy of the Bible in relation to the times when the kings of Judah and Isreal reigned.  In summation, he convinced the academic world that the Bible was accurate in regard to its statements regarding the reigns of the Hebrew kings.

However, near the end of his life he went off into some issues and took some positions that greatly detracted from his previous works.  In a sense, he demonstrated that with comming age one may lose some of their intellectual abilities.

Horn:  He was an archaeologist.  He steadfastly refused, both in his classroom and in private conversations to go outside of his field and to discuss issues raised by Genesis.  He standard response was to tell people to ask such questions of people better able to expound upon them than he was able.  I know.  I was there.