The Investigative Judgement and the Everlasting Gospel

For much of the second half of the twentieth century, the Seventh-day Adventist church was embroiled in dissent and argument over a doctrine which was largely unknown by other Christian churches. October 27 1979 was a pivotal date for Seventh-day Adventism. On that day Desmond Ford, responding to an invitation from the PUC (Pacific Union College) Forum, spoke to over 1000 people on “The Investigative Judgment: Theological Milestone or Historical Necessity”. Dr Eric Syme responded, expressing his substantial agreement with Ford’s presentation. Then followed a lengthy Q&A session. The results were cataclysmic: they included the loss of hundreds of SDA ministers and the withdrawal from Adventist churches of thousands in coming years. For several days in August 1980, at great expense to the church administration, over 100 church leaders gathered at Glacier View Colorado to discuss the controversial issues. Here is the story… transcribed, undiluted and unplugged. Dear Reader, Almost forty years have passed since the events you will read about in this publication. At the time, the ripples from this controversy became a tsunami that tore through a generation of Seventh-day Adventists, leading to the exodus of hundreds of dedicated ministers and thousands of disillusioned members from the church. Many more remained inside the church they loved, but grew old and passed away without the confidence they deserved to have in the certainty of their salvation. Desmond Ford