Walter McGill explains the history prior to the Shubert hoax website.

Pastor McGill's Story

Tracing the background prior to the controversy between Pastor “Chick” (as he is often called) and the SDA denomination serves as an appropriate starting point in our discussion.

The story begins with a 1974 prophecy crusade conducted by Pastor Kenneth Cox in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Knoxville First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Walter was highly interested in prophecy as the result of reading Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth. The Cox seminars were both amusing and convincing to Mr. McGill, and as the result, he was baptized by Kenneth Cox and became a zealous member of the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church.

It was only a short time before the McGills moved to Missoula, Montana. There, while enrolled at the University of Montana, McGill became known for his “Way Out” campus ministry. The materials and resources were authored and provided by Voice of Prophecy in California. Soon McGill’s ministry boosted him to candidacy for church elder, though his conservative stands prevented him from achieving eldership.

Walter’s zeal led him to study the writings of Ellen G. White fervently. He saw many discrepancies within the denomination and specifically within the congregation in Missoula. McGill and his family then began to worship with the little Stevensville company where the fervor for the pioneer ways was common. “Chick” was very active in all phases of gospel and church lay work.

As time passed, it was apparent to McGill that the SDA denomination was not of the mind to repent of her backsliding. One disappointment led to another until the family separated from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This precipitated loneliness and finally discouragement. These emotions coupled with a godless university environment effectively took away the faith of Walter. He began to speak more like an agnostic than a Christian.

Some years later, as McGill found himself back in the state of Tennessee around 1984, his “bottom rung” in life caught up with him. Consequently, he decided to visit the Grace SDA Church near the famed Little Creek Academy and Sanitarium in a suburb of Knoxville. After agreeing to study with Pastor Follett of Grace Church, he discovered a new relationship with his Creator and was re-baptized. Immediately, the zeal of the old days returned, and McGill was again active in the gospel work. He began to conduct cottage meetings at his home. He further functioned as a fill-in speaker on Sabbaths when Pastor Follett was not available.

During McGill’s studies, he became impressed with the “1888 Message of Righteousness by Faith.” Finding truth in Scripture as never before, McGill became convinced and convicted that “victory over sin” was not only possible, but also a requirement of salvation. His problem of falling into known sin continued no matter what he seemed to try. This was discouraging though it did not take him fully down as the negative emotions had conquered him before.

The victory message naturally drew McGill to a study of the 144,000 who are to be found “without fault before the throne of God.” Interestingly, about the same time, a discussion of this subject was surfacing among other Adventists, and that, even at the University of Tennessee campus ministry. Pastor Ron Pickell was leading the work there and often invited “Chick” to participate. On two different occasions, persons claiming the 144,000 experience of victory over sin came to meetings where McGill attended. It was exciting to Walter, as he heard the voice of God in the testimonies given. He wanted to have such an experience of the Spirit’s power in his own life.

There was a man named John Witcombe who visited the McGills’ home in Knoxville and shared the message of “the faith of Jesus” shortly after those meetings at Advent House. This was as water in a dry and desert land. In little time, Walter accepted the invitation to receive “the faith of Jesus” as assurance of victory and salvation. Afterwards, McGill was re-baptized again, and an evident change was witnessed in the life. It was as if the man had been “born again.”

McGill insisted that this message was “truth as it is in Jesus.” He never failed to witness to the overcoming power of the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ. The majority of laity and pastors rejected McGill’s “newly found faith.” Wherever Walter attended, he discovered the same deadness of spirit in the worshipers. Finally, it was apparent to him that the Spirit of God had departed from the “old house.” A decision was made to study at home where the sweet Spirit of peace and comfort would always abide.

In a short time, the McGills completely separated membership from the SDA Church, and that decision was based on their flagrant rejection of the gospel message outlined in Scripture. “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” was no longer believed by Adventists (in general) to be the gospel and “truth as it is in Jesus.”

After a time of personal ministry, Walter was ordained by a Baptist organization that honored his keeping of the Sabbath. From that point, Walter became known by all as Pastor “Chick.” But, the pastor could not abandon his Adventist roots, and in 1991, he with an associate, visited Andrews University in Michigan. During their stay that lasted three months of summer, the two researchers discovered many interesting pieces of information. As they studied the works of Ellen G. White and the pioneers of Adventism in the James White Library, they uncovered vital truths for the last days. Among them was the fact that Adventists were never Trinitarian in doctrine until fifteen years after the death of Adventist Church co-founder and prophetess, Ellen Harmon Gould White.

The researchers, having taken the name Remnant Church by now, noticed that the name “Seventh-day Adventist” was a sacred name given to the people of God by God Himself. This served as a rebuke to the founders of the Remnant Church movement. After returning to Spring City, Tennessee, where the Creation Ministries and Remnant Church office was located, Pastor “Chick” began writing a position paper wherein he published the researchers’ findings from the Adventist archives in Berrien Springs. After two weeks of writing, Crucified Afresh! was completed. Following the release of Crucified Afresh!, the Remnant Church of Creation 7th Day Adventists was formed in Spring City, Tennessee. The taking of that name “Creation Seventh Day Adventist” was based upon a divine revelation received by both Brother Danny Smith and Pastor Walter McGill. Then, in the Fall, at a meeting held in Plant City, Florida, the official Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church was organized as an association of like believers.

During October of 1991, Pastor McGill told the assembled Church that in the future a lawsuit would be filed against Creation Seventh Day Adventists because of a trademark of the term “Seventh-day Adventist” granted by the Federal government (USPTO). He further stated that this would amount to religious persecution and that Christ’s second advent would follow close behind the conflict.

I think we have given you a brief summary of the events leading to the rift between Pastor Walter McGill and the SDA denomination, with the addition of what followed the separation.

Presently, in June 2009, surfing and searching the Internet, you may not find any websites offering the free services and resources of the once-named Creation 7th Day Adventist Church. As Pastor McGill’s prophecy came true in 2005 with the initial formal demand to surrender the cherished sacred name of his faith, the final decision from United States District Court, May 27, 2009, was that McGill’s Church must cease any use of Seventh-day Adventist, SDA, Seventh-day, or Adventist, even in combination with other terms. Following the Judge’s injunction order, and with hast of an inquisition, the General Conference SDA lead attorney began to obliterate all signs of church-sponsored websites on the Internet. The little flock had previously overcome the first wave of Internet inquisition when at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church prevailed against McGill and his members to acquire four of their Internet domain names. The Federal civil lawsuit then proceeded almost immediately after the WIPO decision was issued.

Pastor “Chick” contends that from the beginning this conflict has been about “liberty of conscience.” He has argued that since the name of his Church was based upon a divine revelation, no court held by man should interfere with freedom to express religious faith. The Pastor has written a trilogy entitled Earth’s Final Apostasy. The three essays and epilogue are found online at the following links:

Sued by a Fictitious Person
Hated of All Men for [His] Name’s Sake
With LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL?
The Last Day of Grace

Since the latest wave of website attacks by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Binary Angel site has been confiscated. Please find the trilogy now located here.

Thank you for your interest in "truth as it is in YAHshua."

Pastor "Chick" at work in Africa