SDA Fascination with the Legal Model of Salvation

Speaker: Categories: Oct 11, 1997


[57min, 37sec / 48min, 33sec]


Words, words, words . .  . They proliferate! Often they subtly change their meanings! They seemingly originate mysteriously. They enable like-language persons to communicate, to convey thoughts and concepts. They reflect societal interests and values. Many words commonly used today were non-existent only a few years ago, i.e.,website,e-mail, andfax. Were such wordsinvented-- or did they just evolve? How do words come into being? How do they take on meaning? How do their meanings change? Why and when do commercially published dictionaries need to be updated? At what point should individuals take inventory of their personal lexicons, their word banks, from which symbols for communications are drawn?

Our October speaker notes:"Typically, for most of us, words are words. We know what they mean, how to put them together to convey meaning, and hence how to communicate. However,"he cautions,"the process is more complicated than that, and at times these extra factors, that are so easy to overlook, impact our understanding in significant ways."

What are some of thefactorsDr. Taylor refers to above? Could these factors limit or prejudice an individual's understanding in subtle, yet very serious, ways? Could these factors predispose, even predestine, an individual to a biased perception oftruth?

Our speaker will discuss how such factors have influenced religion in general and, more particularly, reasons Western-church Christians give for Christ's life and death."What was it Jesus came to accomplish?"asks Dr. Taylor."How do conservative Christians typically account for [or explain] it? Why do they describe it this way?"

At this point some readers may be wondering why such questions would even be considered. After all, they might contend, is there not just one reason, clearly stated in the Scriptures and the writings of Ellen G. White, which everyone who can read ought to know and understand!


A native Australian, Bernard Taylor received his B.A. degree from Avondale College and his M.A. in Biblical Languages at Andrews University. He was the first Seventh-day Adventist to attend Hebrew Union College (Cincinnati, Ohio) where he earned his M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Hebrew and Cognate Studies. His two-volume dissertation,Analytical Lexicon to the Septuagint, was published by Harvard University through Zondervan Publishing in 1994. He served as secretary of the translation committee for theNew English Translation of the Septuagintand was the translator of1 Samueland1 Kings. He is the editor ofSeptuagint and Cognate Studiesfor the Society of Biblical Literature. Closer to home he chairs the Constitution Committee for Southeastern California Conference, serves as adjunct faculty for Loma Linda and La Sierra Universities, is executive producer for University Church media, and is past president of LLU Amateur Radio Club. (How's that for a variety of interests and credits!!)

Donate to SDAF


San Diego Adventist Forum
PO Box 421320
San Diego, CA 92142


Shopping cart

There are no products in your shopping cart.

0 Items $0.00