"Truth Led Me Out"

Dale Ratzlaff. He is no longer a Seventh-day Adventist. But he should be of significance to Adventists. At the 2005 Ellen White Summit, Jud Lake, professor of preaching and Adventist Studies at Southern Adventist University called Dale Ratzlaff "the fountain head" of all who criticize the SDA denomination.

Dale Ratzlaff is the originator, publisher, and major contributor to Proclamation! magazine which is mailed free to an alleged 10,000 former, current, inquiring, Adventists and Evangelicals. The magazine is currently edited by Colleen Tinker, herself a former Adventist.

Dale Ratzlaff is obviously a controversial figure. If we go by the letters to the editor published in Proclamation! magazine, people either love him or hate him. And he has written a number of books arguing against Adventist theology. The two most significant are The Cultic Doctrine of Seventh-Day Adventists: An Evangelical Resource and an Appeal to Adventists which provides an incisive critique of the doctrines of the Investigative Judgment and Ellen White's inspiration; and Sabbath in Christ (an earlier edition was called Sabbath in Crisis) which argues that the Sabbath is no longer a requirement for Christians. In fact, this book played a significant part in the Worldwide Church of God giving up the Sabbath and commemoration of feast days.

I have always enjoyed reading about the spiritual journeys of people. And I have often wondered how individuals move from one belief system to another. How does someone like Dale Ratzlaff, originally a conservative, fourth generation Seventh-day Adventist who studied in Adventist schools, graduated from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, and taught Bible in an Adventist school for seven years — how does someone like this come to make such a major shift in their understanding of the Bible and leave behind a system of belief? Wouldn't it be good if someone like Dale Ratzlaff shared with us his journey from one place to another?

Well... Ratzlaff has done just that in his new book Truth Led Me Out. It is a short book (only 156 pages including appendices) and yet provides a very useful insight into the process of one man courageously following where he believes the evidence leads.

In the preface, Ratzlaff explains why he wrote the book. According to Ratzlaff, he is

... continually being accused of leaving because I wanted to live in open sin. When I respond that I left because of thorough Bible study and a desire to be true to my conscience, I am often met with a blank, questioning stare. For many this is simply incomprehensible. How can one leave "the truth" and not go into error? (p. 9)

Ratzlaff offers three reasons for writing this book:

1. It is his life story.
2. He wishes to answer the many questions that he has received about the details of 'his exodus'.
3. It may motivate some to do their own study to find truth for themselves.

Truth Led Me Out uses, as its "launching pad" an email Ratzlaff received from an Adventist pastor crying out for help as he 'desperately sought God's will.' (p. 11) He shares the email with the reader and then begins his story of his upbringing within the Adventist denomination. He shares the way in which he struggled with serious theological questions from an early age, his discovery of the gospel, secret meetings that occurred as part of the theological turbulence within Adventism as fundamental doctrines were challenged, and the challenging decisions he had to make as he left the denomination and established his ministry to ex-Adventists as he believed God was calling him to do.

There are a number of reasons this book is worth the time to read:

1. It provides an insight into the real reasons that some people leave the Adventist denomination. Within Adventism, there is only one term that is used to label those who have left: apostate. The term implies some moral fall no matter what the reasons for leaving. For many Adventists, leaving the denomination is equivalent to losing salvation. Very few that I have talked to would imagine these individuals have left because they actually don't believe certain doctrines anymore. And often there is no consideration that they may still remain Christian. For many, leaving Adventism is the end of the road as far as salvation is concerned.
   
   It is important that we listen carefully to the stories of people who leave and accept their stories as their stories. It seems clear, from Ratzlaff's story, that he is deeply committed to God, believes he is following God's will. It is important to hear stories about the courage that others have to follow their conscience no matter what the cost.
   
2. This is the first book I have read related to the theological controversy within Adventism where the author names names. Often, claims are made by critics of Adventist theology that Adventist scholars, administrators, and pastors don't really believe certain doctrines but we never get to know just who they are talking about. Well, Dale Ratzlaff tells us who. He provides the names of people who had discussions with him, suggested that he minimize the truth about what he believed, or keep them to himself, and so on. Ratzlaff wants to counteract what he believes is the traditional practice of '... Adventism and how its leaders have either tarnished or rewritten the history of those who have made public its errors.' (back cover)

Despite the value of reading about Ratzlaff's journey, I am a bit disappointed that it stops at the point it does and doesn't explore in more depth some of Ratzlaff's thinking. For example, there is his experience with John Wimber and Ratzlaff's speaking in tongues; his 'Encounter with the Holy Spirit' where he claims to have received direct revelations about others. I would love to read more about how Ratzlaff has incorporated these experiences into a theology of the Holy Spirit and how these relate to his previous understanding of Ellen White's ministry.

In addition, if you read Proclamation! you will find that Ratzlaff has adopted other beliefs held by most (but not all) Christians. For example, he now believes in the traditional Christian beliefs on death and hell and fundamentalist understandings of inspiration and the nature of the biblical text. Clearly, the end of Truth Led Me Out is not the whole story. I would have liked to be able to read how these journeys into other areas inconsistent with Adventist theology occurred.

Truth Led Me Out is an adequate, informative book about Ratzlaff's journey out of Adventism. It is simply told in straightforward narrative form. Although it makes reference to the broader context of the theological and political context of Adventism and the theological crisis that correlated with his journey, the story lacks a breadth and nuance that these would have brought if considered in more depth.

In addition, the suggested resources at the back of the book are all, except for one, critical of Adventism. In my view, when providing resources for people to think through an issue, both sides of the argument should be provided. So if you are looking for both sides of the debate on Adventist ideas and theology, then you will need to explore outside the resources suggested.

If you wish to gain some insight into Dale Ratzlaff and why he is one of the most significant critics of Adventism, then you will want to read this book.