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As a student at Andrews University at the end of the 1970s, I heard
the names Vick, Weiss, and Hilgert mentioned, almost in a whisper, but
they had been so effectively airbrushed out of the institutional history
that I never learned why they were no longer there. Then Spectrum
went online with its blog, and there was Dr. Herold Weiss, first in
Spanish, then in English. I began reading his essays and studies in 2008
out of curiosity, and I was immediately fascinated by his ability to
drill down to the exegetical bedrock of the biblical texts so that they
could speak freely, unconstrained by the fundamentalist mandate that
they speak with one voice in support of creed and tradition.
In an essay that I wrote some time back for Spectrum ("Tell Me Why I Should Become a Christian"),
I asked the readers if it is possible to come up with a contemporary
restatement of Christianity that might resonate with people searching
for a meaningful faith, a faith that goes beyond the known facts without
requiring you to believe against established facts. Dr. Weiss comes as
close to doing that as I think anybody could. Faith to him is a way of
living in obedience to the call of God in Christ, not a treasure chest
of doctrines.
....
You grew up in a Catholic country, and you spent the greater
part of your academic career teaching at Saint Mary’s College, Notre
Dame, Indiana. What are the greatest misunderstandings about Catholicism
that you encounter among Protestants in general and Adventists in
particular?
As a young person in Uruguay and Argentina, I
grew up with the notion that we Adventists were firmly established on a
moral platform high above what any Catholic could ever attain.
Catholics, by definition, were people without morals. Since they lived
in open depravity, there was no way they could be saved by God. Besides
they were superstitious and idolaters. This was surely due to their
dependence on the Catechism, where the day of Rest has been changed,
rather than the Bible. Obviously, they were in great need to be redeemed
from their sins. This view of Catholics was challenged by my friendship
with a fellow student on my second year of secondary school. He had
transferred to the public school from the Catholic seminary. Our fellow
students decided that he and I should have an open debate for their
benefit. Our debate proved my self-confidence and sense of superiority
totally wrong.
In the USA, I was somewhat astonished to find out
two things: One, that Catholics were the largest single denomination in
the country and, two, that Catholic bashing was the most popular sport
among Adventists and Evangelicals in general. There is a difference
between prejudice and bashing. The prevalence of a conspiracy mentality
among Adventists in the USA is a lamentable flaw. Few mental disorders
are more pernicious than the conspiracy syndrome. That the Bible’s
prophesies support or demand Catholic bashing can only be claimed by
those who are controlled by a sick ideology rather than the love of
Christ (2 Cor. 5: 14). Unfortunately, it is a recurring phenomenon in
Adventist pulpits that are open to television audiences, not only the
one occupied by Doug Bachelor but even the one commanded by Dwight
Nelson. One does not have to be Catholic to abhor such prejudicial
preaching. Obviously, we have forgotten that for some time we were just
as good at Turkey bashing. Spectrum Magazine
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