“To: Dr Leslie Pollard
President Oakwood University,
The content and the intent of this letter are to petition you and your administration to "suspend,” halt all deliberations on the proposed abrogation, and reinterpretation of the GC and NAD codified principles of the SDA Church and practice on the “adornment and jewelry” issue at Oakwood University.
Our concerns that actuate the importance of this petition revolves and evolves on the procedural process that is currently being employed and deployed to obfuscate and obscure the clear fixed paradigmatic locus of control that regulates the principle on the denominational teaching and practice of not wearing jewelry as outlined in our fundamental beliefs which is codified by church policy.
The essence of our appeal is to call for the suspension of the current deliberations to allow the wearing of jewelry at Oakwood University prefaced on the criterion that the:
General Conference policy which codifies principles formed and informed by the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy have not been deployed in the Oakwood process. We understand that these principles are codified in our Fundamental Beliefs.
Moreover, The Local Unions which are lynchpins to mediate the various process of concerns have not been enlisted. No Unions have been asked to form committees to discuss the effects and ramifications of the process of how this adornment issue will impact the various institutions in the governance and administrations of the Ministry of the Lord.
The Regional conferences, which are the lynchpin and pipeline to recruit students to enroll at Oakwood have not been asked to form committees and pray, or study, the implications of how codifying jewelry and adornment will affect the local churches in their areas.
Has Oakwood generated surveys to ascertain data and feedback from the parents about the normalization of Adornment and Jewelry?
How will this process affect the image of Oakwood and faithful monetary donors who faithfully support Oakwood University?
This approach appears to be arbitrary and does not consider how this will affect professors who are currently teaching, enforcing, and implementing NAD and denominational belief and policy on Adornment.
If the nuanced policy is that male as well as female students can wear studs in their ears, why can’t they wear studs in their noses, or their tongues? This is incongruent and is an amalgamation of orchestrated chaos.
Oakwood cannot employ and deploy policies that are incongruent and creates dissimulation between GC, NAD, Unions, Conferences, Churches—there has to be unitive polices that are the locus to compass all practices on this issue.
Oakwood University has not formed committees to discuss this theological change with the Regional Conferences. The Regional Conferences should dialogue and meet with the Unions (their respective Biblical-Theological committees on the Adornment issue. The Union Biblical committees must meet with the NAD committees and reconcile the perspectives into a cohesive coherent whole). The NAD should meet with the GC Adornment committee and meld fused synergistically the policies at the theory level and practice derived by the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.
Lastly, Mr. President, in light of the gravity and the momentous change being considered, we would like to see the implementation Prayer-Conferences to fast and pray on this transformative, transformational, transforming proposal being considered. The proposed changes are so earthshattering, heartrending and consequential that this current process is not interlaced, intercalated and woven by the whole cloth of the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy and the listening of the all the governing bodies and the saints and supporters of Oakwood to embrace the new integrating-integrative policy grounded in Biblical principles.
Submitted by concerned parents, members and stakeholders on all constituent levels that are prayerfully appealing to you to suspend this proposed new adornment policy until all the above points and concerns have been rigorously adjudicated, vetted, and resolved. Oakwood's DNA is on the tapestry and flag of our allegiance to this great institution. Concerned alumni, Oakwood University and members of Regional conferences, and SDA members from around the world.”
Send Concerns to NAD
G. Alexander Bryant
President
Email | (443) 391 7137
Send Concerns to GC
Email +1 301-680-6000
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“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”