Elizabeth Iskander

February 28, 2014 Pastor Mike Kim Valle o !ri"e #hur$h %00 Valle o !ri"e &lendale, #' (120) !ear Pastor Kim, *ou ha"e re+uested a ,ritten res-onse to your letter o. February /, in ,hi$h you a$$use me o. 011 disorderly $ondu$t ,hi$h brin2s re-roa$h u-on the $hur$h, and 021 -ersistent re.usal to re$o2nize -ro-erly $onstituted $hur$h authority, or to submit to the order and dis$i-line o. the $hur$h3 *ou ha"e re$ommended that I "oluntarily submit to $ensure, -ursuant to ,hi$h I ,ill be .ree only to ,orshi- at re2ularly s$heduled $hur$h e"ents .or the ne4t si4 months3 I ha"e not en2a2ed in disorderly $ondu$t, nor ha"e I re.used to re$o2nize $hur$h authority3 '$$ordin2ly, I neither a2ree to nor a$$e-t the -ro-osed "oluntary $ensure3 5he #hur$h Manual s-e$i.ies t,o le"els o. $hur$h dis$i-line, 011 $ensurin2, 021 dis.ello,shi-in23 5he -ur-ose o. $ensure is6 7011 to enable the $hur$h to e4-ress its disa--ro"al o. a 2rie"ous o..ense that has brou2ht dis2ra$e u-on the $ause o. &od and 021 to im-ress o..endin2 members ,ith the need .or a $han2e o. li.e and re.ormation o. $ondu$t and to 2i"e them a -eriod o. 2ra$e and -robation durin2 ,hi$h to make those $han2es38 --3 )29)% ' number o. issues ,ere mentioned at the meetin2 and in your letter, but neither indi"idually nor $umulati"ely do they amount to 7a 2rie"ous o..ense that has brou2ht dis2ra$e u-on the $ause o. &od8 .or ,hi$h I need 7a $han2e o. li.e and re.ormation o. $ondu$t38 :in$e it ,ould be ina--ro-riate .or the $hur$h members 0in a re2ularly $alled business meetin21 to $ensure me, it ,ould be ina--ro-riate .or me to "oluntarily a$$e-t $ensure, as .er"ently as I seek to a"oid $on.li$t and $oo-erate ,ith $hur$h leadershi-3 *ou and I ha"e a disa2reement about the theolo2y o. homose4uality, and I am a.raid that you are seekin2 to use $hur$h dis$i-line to short9$ir$uit that ar2ument3 I ,ill
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address some o. issues listed in the 7summary o. issues8 on -a2e t,o o. your letter, startin2 at the bottom o. the list, be$ause I belie"e those items near the end o. the list are dri"in2 your desire to dis$i-line me3 7The continuing disagreements with our sister congregation, Glendale City Church38 My disa2reements ,ith the &lendale #ity #hur$h stem .rom their thirty9year $rusade to normalize homose4uality ,ithin the :e"enth9day 'd"entist #hur$h3 I do not kno, ,hy they ha"e banned me .rom the -remises, and threatened to $all the -oli$e on me; I stron2ly sus-e$t that it is be$ause they do not a--re$iate the e4-osure I<"e 2i"en them o"er the years, 2oin2 ba$k to the time ,hen =udy 5orres ,as the senior -astor there3 I do kno, that they ha"e named an o-enly homose4ual $hur$h elder, 5aylor =uhl, in "iolation o. the standards o. the :e"enth9day 'd"entist #hur$h3 5heir hea"y9handed a$tion to,ard me o"er ,hat is $learly a theolo2i$al>do$trinal disa2reement is by itsel. so e4traordinary and e4treme as to ,arrant the -ubli$ity I 2a"e it3 Peo-le in the lar2er $hur$h are entitled to kno, the len2ths to ,hi$h the -ro9 homose4ual .a$tion ,ill 2o to in order to kee- their a2enda on tra$k and under the radar3 7The accusation of heresy toward Pastors Mike and Tony38 I ha"e not -ubli$ly a$$used you o. anythin23 *ou $on.irmed to me, in the -resen$e o. t,o other -eo-le, that you do not a$$e-t the bibli$al tea$hin2 0Paul<s tea$hin21 on homose4uality3 *ou did not indi$ate that you ,ished your o-inion to be ke-t se$ret, but I ha"e not ,idely broad$ast it; I ha"e told .our 041 other -eo-le3 ?eresy is a stron2 ,ord, but $learly the hermeneuti$ ne$essary to e4onerate homose4uality $ould be used to deny any $ardinal do$trine o. the .aith, in$ludin2 the :abbath and the substitutionary atonement o. #hrist3 I am not the -roblem here3 In a$$e-tin2 2ay re"isionist theolo2y, you ha"e set yoursel. a2ainst the @ible, the lar2er 'd"entist #hur$h, and histori$al #hristianity3 Ane $on.eren$e o..i$ial told me, "ery em-hati$ally, that his $ommittee ,ould not a--ro"e a $andidate .or ordination ,ho did not belie"e the bibli$al tea$hin2 on homose4uality3 I. you ,ere a youn2er minister and ,ere $andid ,ith the ordination $ommittee, you ,ould not be ordained3 7Violation of the safety and openness of Truth and Spirit by writing a misleading online article38 @y 7the sa.ety and o-enness o. 5ruth and :-irit,8 I assume that you intend .or
Pastor Mike Kim, -a2e 2

5ruth and :-irit to be a sa.e en"ironment .or youn2 adults to attend and .reely $on"erse3 ?ad I -ubli$ized somethin2 said at the meetin2 by one o. the attendees or $on2re2ants, I $an see ho, that ,ould 7"iolate the sa.ety and o-enness8 you are seekin23 @ut I did no su$h thin23 *ou seem to belie"e that 5ruth and :-irit should be a sa.e en"ironment .or the V!# -astoral sta.. to -romote .alse, 2ay9re"isionist theolo2y3 5hat is not a reasonable e4-e$tation3 5he arti$le to ,hi$h you are re.errin2, 7An Adventist Church Promotes Pro-Gay Film,8 ,as not misleadin2, but $orre$t in all essentials3 5he do$umentary .ilm you authorized to be sho,n at 5ruth and :-irit, 7For the Bible Tells Me So,8 ar2ues that homose4uality is 2eneti$, that homose4uals $annot re9orient their attra$tion, that thera-y desi2ned to hel- same9se4 attra$ted -eo-le li"e a heterose4ual li.estyle is abusi"e, that #hristians ha"e misunderstood the @ible ,hen they ha"e read it as $ondemnin2 homose4ual $ondu$t, and that $ontinuin2 to hold and -ro-ound the "ie, that homose4ual $ondu$t is sin.ul is 7s-iritual "iolen$e38 &i"en that you do not a$$e-t the bibli$al tea$hin2 on homose4uality, it is not sur-risin2 that you ,ould authorize the s$reenin2 o. a .ilm that -romotes liberal theolo2y and de-re$ates traditional #hristian morality3 @ut to be reasonable, you should e4-e$t some -ush9ba$k, and, 2i"en that my "ie, is that o. the lar2er :e"enth9day 'd"entist #hur$h and histori$al #hristianity, it is not an o$$asion .or you to seek to dis$i-line me3 5o the $ontrary, to the e4tent Elder #a"iness kno,s o. your a2enda, it ,ould seem that dis$i-line has broken do,n at a hi2her le"el3 My arti$le ,as not misleadin23 My re$olle$tion is that, as a $ourtesy to 5ony Parrish a.ter he $om-lained in an email, ,e re,orded the se$ond9to9last -ara2ra-h to indi$ate that Pastor Parrish, in res-onse to a +uestion, ,as des$ribin2 some liberal inter-retationsBnot to endorse them but ust to des$ribe ,hat is out there3 My re$olle$tion o. the e"ent, ho,e"er, is that 5ony ,as ad"o$atin2 those liberal inter-retations3 @ut I ,anted to 2i"e him the bene.it o. any doubt, so ,e did sli2htly $han2e that -ara2ra-h to mat$h his re$olle$tion o. e"ents3 ?e also $om-lained that the .ilm ,as not 7-romoted8 by V!#Bno .liers, no so$ial media -osts, no in"itations, no bulletin announ$ementBbut at '!"indi$ate as ,ith e"ery other -ubli$ation, the editor, not the ,riter, $hooses the headline, and .re+uently $hooses a headline other than ,hat the ,riter ,ould ha"e su22ested3 I re+uested that V!# -ro"ide some balan$e to the 7For the Bible Tells Me So8 do$umentary by s-endin2 a "es-ers dis$ussin2 ho, 2ay re"isionist theolo2y is ans,ered and rebutted in the 'ndre,s Cni"ersity book 7Homosexuality, Marria e and the Church,8 edited by =oy &ane, Di$holas Miller, and Peter :,anson3 5hat re+uest ,as
Pastor Mike Kim, -a2e %

denied3 :o 5ruth and :-irit ,as sho,n (( minutes o. -ure -ro92ay -ro-a2anda, but no rebuttal or -resentation o. the traditional :e"enth9day 'd"entist -osition3 '--arently, an e"enhanded dis$ussion o. the issue o. #hristianity and homose4uality ,as ne"er on your a2enda3 7The maligning of the church and church leadership in social media and/or publications8 I don<t e"en kno, ,hat this is re.errin2 to3 I do not mali2n the $hur$h in any o. my -ubli$ arti$les3 I seek to kee- the $hur$h .aith.ul to her hi2h standards o. .aith and $ondu$t, ,hen ne$essary by e4-osin2 those ,ho re.use to meet the standard and seek instead to lo,er it3 Aur &eneral #on.eren$e President, Elder 5ed Eilson, has $har2ed the members to 7hold them a$$ountable,8 meanin2 to hold the -aid $ler2y and leadershia$$ountable to the .aith, standards, and -ra$ti$es o. the $hur$h3 5hat is ,hat I seek to do, be$ause I lo"e the $hur$h and her do$trines3 5he remainder o. your bill o. -arti$ulars seems mostly to $on$ern the .eelin2s some ha"e $ome a,ay ,ith a.ter talkin2 ,ith me3 I $annot .airly be asked to address these $om-laints ,ithout kno,in2 the s-e$i.i$s3 I ,ill say that I ha"e ne"er intended to be a22ressi"e or $on.rontational ,ith any $hur$h member or 2uest, or to u-set anyone3 Prior to your letter and the meetin2, no one at the Valle o !ri"e #hur$h has e"er asked me not to talk ,ith them, or not to dis$uss $ontro"ersial issues su$h as homose4uality3 I ha"e made it a -oint to try to en2a2e ,ith, and understand the reasonin2 o., those like F&3 P3G ,ho di..er ,ith my "ie,s, but I<"e ne"er been told I ,as makin2 anyone un$om.ortable by merely broa$hin2 the sub e$t3 I. I ha"e u-set someone, -lease dire$t them to me, and I ,ill a-olo2ize .or my tres-ass3 I am sur-rised to be told that some ha"e trans.erred their membershi- be$ause o. me3 5he only ones I $an ima2ine ,ho $ould $on$ei"ably ans,er to su$h a des$ri-tion are F'3 and H3 M3G @oth ha"e a$$e-ted 2ay re"isionism, and I told them that it ,as a$$e-ted and -rea$hed at &lendale #ity #hur$h, ,hi$h has o-enly homose4ual leaders3 I sa, in the bulletin that they had trans.erred to #ity #hur$h but I stron2ly sus-e$t that it ,as more their attra$tion to #ity #hur$h than any re"ulsion at me3 I sa, F'3G at a re$ent 'd"entist Forum, and F'3G ,as "ery $ordial to me3 @ased u-on your letter, and the meetin2, I no lon2er .eel the need to e4-lore the reasonin2 o. liberals on homose4uality, nor to try to $on"in$e them o. @ibli$al and s$ienti.i$ e"iden$e that &od<s $ounsel on homose4uality is truth3 I ,ill not broa$h the sub e$t ,ith su$h -ersons a2ain3 I ,ill $ontinue to $asually dis$uss this sub e$t ,hen the a--ro-riate o--ortunity arises, ,ith those ,ho are i2norant o. these issues and sho,
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interest in my in.ormation3 I ho-e this letter ans,ers all your +uestions3 '2ain, I note that ,e ha"e a do$trinal9theolo2i$al di..eren$e o"er homose4uality3 I ,ould ur2e you not to misuse the $hur$h dis$i-linary -ro$ess by tryin2 to make it the arbiter bet,een us3 *ours in #hrist,

Elizabeth Iskander, M3!3

Pastor Mike Kim, -a2e I