World Edition - Adventist Review · Nelson had preached a dynamic and convicting sermon about the...

December 10, 1998

World Edition

Like a RockI commend William Johnsson for hisexcellent editorial “Like a Rock”(Oct. 8 World Edition). These aremy sentiments exactly. We need tostick to basics and keep our eyes onthe Rock, Christ Jesus. The Reviewdoesn’t need to dabble in every mudpuddle that comes along.

— E m i l y M i n i c k

R E D L A N D S , C A L I F O R N I A

My prayer is that more of God’s peoplewill discover the Adventist Review andlet it point them to the Rock, JesusChrist. Many of the articles make medesire a closer walk with Jesus. I getideas from our church paper on how Ican serve my Lord better and hastenHis advent.

Just before I read “Like a Rock,” mywife and I had come home from aNET ’98 program in which DwightNelson had preached a dynamic andconvicting sermon about theSabbath—“The Secret Charles DarwinForgot to Remember.” It was awesome,like a rock that cannot be broken. Iam so grateful that God called me tofollow the Rock of truth at age 19—48years ago. It’s wonderful to have beenkept by His grace to be a Bible-loving,Sabbath-believing Christian all theseyears.

— C a r l H a r t m a n

A N D R E W S , N O R T H C A R O L I N A

Trust and ObeyCalvin B. Rock’s response as to “why

there is always tension about whobelieves what” (see “The Benefit of theDoubt,” Oct. 8) was nicely done frommany sides, and he gave many reasons.The big one, according to inspiredsources, is that we are confused aboutwhat we believe because we do notobey what we profess to believe. Mytheology impresses me that this will beone of the big things that will shakemany out.

— H e n r y We l c h

C O N D O R , A L B E R TA

The Final DeceptionIn Jon Paulien’s “The Final Deception”(Oct. 29 Special Issue), much space isgiven to a verse-by-verse commentaryof Revelation 13 to establish the con-cept of a “counterfeit” trinity operatingin this chapter. I fear that, in the pub-licizing of this concept, the propheticinterpretation of the symbols inRevelation 13 will be obliterated andthat we will lose sight of the identifica-tion of: (1) the sea beast as a revital-ized papal authority; (2) the earthbeast as the United States; (3) themark of the beast as Sunday lawenforcement; and (4) the “42 months”being symbolic for a literal 1260 yearsending in 1798, when the papal powerreceived a “deadly wound.”

— F r a n c e s Av e r i l

S I LV E R S P R I N G , M A R Y L A N D

The focus of the article, which was adaptedfrom an address presented to the 1997Annual Council, is on the events justprior to the Second Coming. This focus is

not intended to negate the historicistunderstanding of Revelation 13 thatAdventists have long held.—Editors.

E-mail CorrectionIn the Oct. 8 Readers’ Exchange fea-ture (Give & Take), you published asnippet about our need for corre-spondence regarding church plantingwork. It has been brought to ourattention that the e-mail address wasin error. I will have to admit that wedid get a number of responses inspite of the error, and we praise Jesusfor that and thank the Review for theavenue. Our correct address is:[email protected]. Our snail mailaddress is P.O. Box 377.

— K i m H e c k

A L E X A N D R A , N E W Z E A L A N D

Reaching the Cities (cont.)Thank you for Monte Sahlin’s“Mission to an Island NamedManhattan” (Oct. NAD Edition).Especially thought-provoking was theinset interview (by Andy Nash) withPastor Samir Selmanovic. The pastor’sviews of the people to whom he isministering seem to describe many ofthe people I meet in my own world ofwork and business.

“They prize authenticity,” “it isabout basic honesty,” “people are ontheir own journeys to God,” “unwill-ing to accept simplistic answers,” and“have great tolerance for mystery inmatters of God” are all phrases thatseem to fit.

I salute Pastor Selmanovic for his

LETTERS

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courageous approach to ministrywith the Church of the AdventHope. It sounds as if a distinct con-tribution is being made to the livesof those who find their way to thischurch while living in this hugemetropolitan area.

— R o b e r t V i s s e r

B E LT S V I L L E , M A R Y L A N D

Thou Shalt Not KillAs an agnostic-turned-Adventistserving a sentence for a noncapitaloffense, I was appalled by the secondparagraph of Leslie Kay’s “Hungry forLove” (Oct. NAD Edition), in whichher husband kills a rattlesnake. Ourheavenly Father gave human beingsa great responsibility when He gavethem dominion over the animals ofthe earth. All life is very sacred toGod. The Hebrew word translated“kill” in the sixth commandment isratsach. This word means to dashinto pieces, or murder.

As a commandment-keepingChristian in prison, I’m constantly awitness to humanity’s thoughtlessnessin violating this commandment.Nowhere in God’s Word does He indi-cate that the sixth commandmentapplies only to human beings. Humanshave no right to take the life of any ofGod’s creatures except for self-defenseor food.

The intentional squashing of a bugor beheading of a snake with a shovelis exactly the type of ratsach killingthe sixth commandment forbids.Nothing in Kay’s story indicates thatthe snake presented such an inherentdanger to anyone that it shouldn’thave been allowed to live. I feel toomany Christians do not realize thesanctity of life as it applies to God’snonhuman creatures. Perhaps that iswhy so few today can realize thesobering lesson God intended by hav-ing the Israelites cut the throats oftheir own sacrifices.

— E r i c K n a p p

C A L I P AT R I A , C A L I F O R N I A

Online Bible StudyThank you for publishing DavidPendleton’s “Virtual Veritas” (Sept. 17Cutting Edge Edition). There is aSeventh-day Adventist website (notmentioned in the article) that hashelped people find God’s Word on theWorld Wide Web. One can find whatthe Bible says on more than 316 top-ics. The site is: www.bibleinfo.com.

— J o h n L o o r, J r.

S P O K A N E , WA S H I N G T O N

Tithe BlessingsIn the July 9 World Edition you printedan article about the Review and HeraldPublishing Association giving tithe tothe General Conference and how thefinances improved after that (see TimCrosby’s “Review and Herald PublishingAssociation Revives a TithingPractice”). Here is a similar story.

When we came back to IshakaAdventist Hospital in 1993, the patientcount was low most of the time. Someworkers had to be laid off, and therewere no funds to pay for long-neededrepairs and development. All thewhile, my administrator husband and Ihad been discussing whether the hospi-tal should return tithe and offerings; hesaid he had never heard of anyAdventist institutions returning tithefrom their income.

Then came this article. My hus-band took the matter to the housecommittee, and it was voted to startgiving tithe to the Uganda Union.Our wards and rooms and even corri-dors are now overflowing withpatients. We are running out of spaceand beds—and there isn’t even anepidemic going on! The Lord hasopened the windows for Ishaka, andwe are so happy and thankful.

— L e i l a R o c e r o

B U S H E N Y I , U G A N D A , E A S T A F R I C A

COVER STORY

8 An Indian OdysseyHow teaching others makes a difference in our own lives.B Y S A R O J I N I C H E D A L AW A D A

ARTICLES

12 Social Justice: Who Cares?Are we shrugging our shoulderswhen we should be rolling up oursleeves?B Y B R Y A N V I C K E R Y

14 Santas: They’reEverywhere!Then why is Christmas called “theloneliest time of the year”?B Y D A V I D M A R S H A L L

22 The Call of FreedomThey were alive, but they weren’tliving.B Y C L A U D E T T E T A N G - K W O K

24 Born FreeThe implications of being a child of God.B Y G A R Y P A T T E R S O N

DEPARTMENTS

2 Letters

7 Give & Take

16 World News & Perspectives

21 Bible Questions Answered

27 Adventist World Radio

28 Bulletin Board

29 Faith Alive!

30 Children’s Corner

31 Reflections

EDITORIALS

5 Reckless

6 To a Once-Believer

A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W , D E C E M B E R 1 0 , 1 9 9 8 (1667) 3

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“Behold, I come quickly . . .”

Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ through stories ofHis matchless love, news of His present workings, helpfor knowing Him better, and hope in His soon return.

The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), published since1849, is the general paper of the Seventh-day AdventistChurch. It is published by the General Conference ofSeventh-day Adventists and is printed 40 times a year eachThursday except the first Thursday of each month by theReview and Herald® Publishing Association. Periodicalspostage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Copyright © 1998,General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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Scriptures credited to ICB are quoted from the InternationalChildren’s Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1983,1986, 1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Usedby permission. Texts credited to NIV are from the HolyBible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978,1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission ofZondervan Bible Publishers. Bible texts credited to NRSVare from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible,copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Educationof the National Council of the Churches of Christ in theU.S.A. Used by permission. Bible texts credited to RSVare from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copy-right © 1946, 1952, 1971, by the Division of ChristianEducation of the National Council of the Churches ofChrist in the U.S.A. Used by permission.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.Vol. 175, No. 50

ROY ADAMS

There is a certain (unsolicited) magazine that crosses my desk each month. Every sooften, before placing it in file 13, I take aquick look, just forinformation. During a

leaf-through of its May 1998 issue, one article arrested my attention.“Spiritism Engulfing the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” the titleread.

Wow! I thought. What is this? Imust not have been paying attention.How could I have failed to notice?

They had me. I settled down to take a look. And what Ifound startled me.

One Student’s StoryIf you were a teacher, and a student presented you a paper

under the title quoted above, what sort of documentationwould you expect to find? Wouldn’t you expect that there’dbe some relevant quotations from one or two of the church’sleading magazines? Or some revealing statements from a halfdozen or more of the church’s administrators, educators, orprominent laypeople? Or perhaps a reference to the resultsof some recent survey indicating a shift in the church’s his-toric position on the state of the dead?

And how would you grade that student if you discovered,after reading their paper, that the main evidence consistedof the alleged statements of just two Adventist students, one16 years of age and the other 17? Do you see yourself hand-ing out high marks for such elementary negligence?

But that precisely was the level of documentation I foundin this piece. The first reference was to a Washington Postarticle about a student whom the Post described as “aSeventh-day Adventist and a Takoma Park [Maryland]native.” An admirer of Mother Teresa, the student is sup-posed to have described her funeral as “a celebration of what. . . [Mother Teresa] has done and . . . also a celebration ofher spirit going on to a better place.”

Another Student, Another Story“Six days later in the White Mountain Independent paper

of Arizona,” the authors wrote, “a 17-year-old girl wasreported as strongly supporting the concept of immediate

life after death.” According to the story, a student atNorthern Arizona Academy in Show Low, after undergo-ing a near-death experience following a road accident, told

how she’d visited heaven duringthe ordeal, and met a friend whohad been killed in another recenttraffic accident.

So Is That It?What better evidence could we

ask for? Clearly the testimony ofthese two young students demon-

strates that “spiritism [is] engulfing the Seventh-dayAdventist Church.” And as if to clinch their argument, theauthors refer finally to the findings of their highly scientificpoll: during church meetings in Florida, central California,Norway, Brisbane, and Melbourne, they had asked each con-gregation “How many have heard a sermon on the topic ofspiritism or the state of the dead in the past 12 months?”The response, they said, was just about the same each placeas it was in Florida, where “not one hand went up out of themore than 200 people present!”

It never dawned on the authors that the reason for theabsence of sermons on those topics was probably a sense onthe part of pastors that their congregations faced no signifi-cant problems in those areas. Such a positive conclusionapparently was never considered.

That’s bad research. Sloppy. With the aid of the Internet,and out of curiosity, we tracked down Priya Nowrangi, theTakoma Park student mentioned in the Post story. “What doyou believe happens when a person dies?” I asked her,before intimating the reason for my call. “Basically,” shesaid shyly, “you die and remain in the grave tillJesus comes.” “How long have you believedthat?” I continued. “I’ve always believedit,” she responded. She was unfamiliar withthe statement cited in the Post.

We have many problems as a denomi-nation, but I sense that confusion overthe state of the dead is not one ofthem. And to go into print with thesuggestion that the Adventist Churchis engulfed in spiritism is irresponsi-ble. And reckless.

RecklessE D I T O R I A L

That’s badresearch. Sloppy.


STEPHEN CHAVEZ

After nearly 20 years in pastoral ministry, I havefriends and former parishioners living all overthe country. So I’m often delighted to receive aletter or a phone callfrom someone with

whom I’ve shared times of Christianfellowship.

Not long ago I received a phonecall from someone I’ve known formany years. After an initial greeting,I asked, “So how are things going?”

The words “Not very well” wereaccompanied by the sound of weep-ing. The person proceeded to tell me about the struggles anddecisions that loomed imminent, making the future seem diffi-cult and foreboding.

We talked for a while, and then, in an attempt to saysomething “pastoral,” I counseled, “Just stay close to the Lordand listen to His voice.”

Then came the plaintive admission: “But I don’t know how!”The person at the other end of the line was raised in an

Adventist home, the product of an Adventist education. Itwasn’t information that was being sought. The words wererather a confession that the person was living a life farremoved from the simplicity of childhood prayers, Bibleclasses and sermons, pat answers, and proof texts.

Iknow from experience that at a certain point in life formu-laic answers fail us and we all have to discover the founda-tion of this thing called living the spiritual life. It’s what

happened when Jacob struggled with God and exclaimed, “Iwill not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26).* EitherGod is going to be a central part of our lives or we’re going toregard Him as a kind of heavenly fire extinguisher—useful inemergencies, but just part of the decor the rest of the time.Life is a meaningless, futile struggle if God isn’t part of thecombination of present experience and future expectations.

Our problem as a church is that for many years the phrase“surrender your life to the Lord” meant “let someone else doyour thinking.” Countless administrative hours have beenspent debating such personal matters as the length of a boy’shair or a girl’s skirt, whether denim is satisfactory Sabbathattire, or whether women should wear pants.

An inward relationship with God always affects our

outward behavior, but not vice versa. So it’s your responsi-bility—and yours alone—to establish a relationship withGod, then follow Him only. God’s way of leading is as var-

ied as the believers who claim Himas their Saviour. But this is whatworks for me:

Latch on to His promises. It’s impor-tant not only to know that they’rethere, but also to make them part ofyour life. Every spiritual blessing isavailable to you if you put your faithin the promises of God’s Word.

Linger in His presence. Here’s anews flash: prayer is not a monologue; it’s two-way communi-cation. In this process silence is not bad. Open your mind tothe fact that God may be trying to communicate with youthrough an impression, a memory, a Bible story, or a recentconversation.

Take God with you as you run your errands, work, socialize,recreate. He wants to be part of your life, not just in the quietplace, but also in the busy place.

Be active. Inactivity in the Christian life is deadly. Acts ofservice (preferably beyond your circle of friends and family)are essential ingredients in staying close to the Lord.

Keep first things first. “The kingdom of God is not a matterof eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy inthe Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Christianity is a life of growth.But sometimes, with so many “add-ons,” it’s easy to lose yourfocus and believe that what you wear is more important thanhow you live, that what you eat is more significant thanwhether or not the Holy Spirit is living in you. It’s not amatter of doing one or the other; it’s a matterof doing the one without leaving the otherundone (see Matt. 23:23).

Friend, you can call me anytime, and I’lldrop whatever I’m doing to talk with youabout whatever’s on your mind. But youalso have a Friend who will be with youand lead you as far and as fast as you’rewilling to be led.

You can trust Him.

* All texts are from the New InternationalVersion.

To a Once-BelieverE D I T O R I A L

Keep first things

first.


GIVETAKE

&

WE LEARNED . . .

Mongolia, as experienced by 10Canadian University College students onassignment with ADRA in the Gobi Desert:

. . . that camels spit.

. . . that one can bathe with only a basin of water.

. . . that two changes of clothing is enough.

. . . that the desert can be very cold.

. . . that the nomadic lifestyle—looking after animals, preparing food, finding water—is very hard work.

. . . that hundreds of homeless childrensurvive bitterly cold nights by crawling into sewers.

. . . that straw bale construction is a low-tech, low-cost method ofbuilding sturdy, energy-efficientbuildings.

. . . that in a rented room in the capital city about 30 young people meeteach Sabbath to worship—theonly Seventh-day Adventists inthe entire country.

. . . that communication and friendship transcend language and culture.

. . . that true happiness comes through service.

ADVENTIST LIFE

My small granddaughter Jillian and Iwere looking through a book when weturned to a lovely Nativity scene. Ipointed to the three figures in thepicture and asked Jill if she knew whothey were.

“Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus,” shereplied confidently.

Then I pointed to one of the sheep inthe scene and asked, “And what is this?”

Without hesitation, Jill replied, “Maryhad a little lamb.”—Shirley B. Powley, Lockport, New York

Since our retirement, my husband and I spend part of our winters traveling.One year when we were going to be away for Christmas, our daughter-in-lawfound this poem on our 8-year-old grandson’s dresser:

My grandparents have gone awayAnd tomorrow is Christmas Day.I pray and pray and pray to Thee—Why can’t they spend Christmas Day with me?This grandson is grown now, but you may be sure that this changed our

Christmas plans after that.—Bea Creech, South Colby, Washington

GANG’S ALL HERE


WE NEED YOUSend Give & Take submissions to . . . Give & Take, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike,

Silver Spring, MD 20904; Fax: 301-680-6638; E-mail: [email protected]. Please

include phone number. Submissions will not be returned.

NOLLAIG SHONA DAOIBH: With that Gaelic Christmas greeting students and teachers atthe Grianach House School, an elementary mission school located on the emerald isle ofIreland, sent their wishes last year. In the third row center are the teachers: (left to right)Mary O’hIci, Lynne Hollister, Ed Hollister (headmaster), and Iva Baasch. Grianach is fundedby the local Galway church and the Emerald Health and Education Foundation, a member ofASI (Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries). For more on Emerald, go tohttp://www.cvja.edu/~emerald.

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Two unexpected questions, providentially timed, made all the difference.

C O V E R S T O R Y

BY SAROJINI CHEDALAWADA

SISTER, YOU HAVE KNOWN THE

Sabbath truth for so long; how is it that

you never shared it with us?”

This question

from Brother

Pospu Samuel left me dumb-

founded. In the quiet that fol-

lowed my cousin’s question, I

could hear only the buzzing of

insects in the humid Indian

evening in the village of

Mandapaka. Nor did I know

what to say to fill that silence. It

had never occurred to me or my

husband, Baburao, that our rela-

tives had been waiting for an invitation to join us in

Sabbath worship.

On our previous visits to India from the United States we

ALMOST TIME: The congregation enjoys Sabbath school outside the church under a shamiyanabefore the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

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would always visit our non-Adventistrelatives, offer gifts, and spend a few dayssocializing and getting reacquainted.During weekends we had even con-ducted our own Sabbath services. Whythen had we never invited them toembrace the new truth that we hadfound!

Brother Samuel and his family hadlong been devout Christians. In fact,most of our relatives in the neighboringvillages knew Christ. But they workedon Saturdays and kept Sunday as theirday of worship. How could we knowthat they had any interest in change?We’d never asked.

Was It an Omen? Here’s WhatHappened.

The Lord continued to work on usfrom another direction, sending to thissmall village another of our cousinsfrom 300 miles away. With no knowl-edge of Brother Samuel’s earlier query,Cousin Kamala proceeded to ask virtu-ally the identical question when shearrived: “Why haven’t you told us?”

We took this as a double messagefrom God to share our faith. And sowe began witnessing to the thirdangel’s message in Mandapaka.

Later the Southern Asia Division

sent K. J. Moses to hold evangelisticmeetings, during which many of ourrelatives chose to be baptized into theSeventh-day Adventist Church, join-ing one or the other of three new(house) congregations.

Remarkably, however, BrotherSamuel was not one of the new con-

verts. Though he’d taken an active partin the evangelistic campaign—evenleading out in music and inviting every-one he knew to the meetings—he wouldnot accept baptism. This puzzled me.

Some 10 years passed. Then in 1995my husband and I accompanied a teamof 25 evangelists and physicians fromthe United States to participate inrevival meetings in Vijayawada andneighboring towns. Strategically, weinvited cousins Samuel and Elisha tocome to Vijayawada with their familiesand spend some time with us duringthe meetings. (These meetings werepart of a region-wide seven-site RealTruth crusade.)

“Brother Samuel,” I asked mycousin just before the campaign con-cluded, “do you remember the questionyou put to me several years ago? Nowit is the time for you to respond.”

“I am ready to be baptized,” hereplied immediately.

Cousin Elisha, along with his threedaughters, was also baptized. AndKamala (remember her?) also took herstand.

And There Were OthersAnother memorable baptism was

that of Sathyam, our driver. A non-THE REASON FOR IT ALL: Santhosham, a Chedalawada family member in India, was baptizedby Pastor P. J. Jesurathnam, secretary of the North Andhra Section of the country.

NOW’S THE TIME: Family patriarch William B. Chedalawada leads the procession into thechurch after the ribbon-cutting.


Christian whose religion requires certainrituals as well as “being good” to obtaineternal life, he’d accepted an invitationto attend the meetings. During our timetogether we answered his questions,explaining that Jesus gives us eternal lifeand that our good deeds have nothingto do with it. Two years after the meet-ings one of our pastors baptized him.

At that time we had a congregationof about 100 people attending churchin Mandapaka, with no church build-ing in which to meet. So for two yearsor more they met in the home of oneof the members.

Then something wonderful hap-pened. God used the entireChedalawada family to build a churchin that town.

We felt God’s presence while build-ing the church in Mandapaka. We’dprayed for an engineer. God sent usone who was also an architect, and hestuck with us until the project ended.When funds got low, he put up hisown funds to finish the job on time.

We’d prayed for a mason. God sentus the best mason in town. We toldhim, “You have four and a half monthsto complete the job. You can work six

days, but you cannot work onSaturdays.” He hesitated. “You knowwe build churches for other denomina-tions,” he said, “and they don’t mindus working on their holy day.” This isdifferent, we told him. Under no cir-

cumstances shouldany work be donebetween sundownFriday and sun-down Saturday.

And there wasone other problem.A devout Hindu,the mason wantedto have a Hinduceremony beforestarting the workon the building.“No,” we said,“that won’t be nec-essary. We willcome and havespecial prayerbefore you start thework.” God wouldbless the work andfinish it in time,we assured him.

And God did.On December 20, 1997, William B.Chedalawada, 91-year-old patriarchof the family, along with a numberof his children (including my hus-band), was present for the dedica-tion service.

WITNESS FOR THE GOSPEL: The new Mandapaka Seventh-day Adventist Church gives a positive signal to the entire region.

THIS IS IT: The congregation settles back to enjoy their first wor-ship service in the Mandapaka church.


Train Riders Take NoticeThe church in Mandapaka stands

near the railroad tracks like a beaconof light. Riders of the train tell us thatevery time the train passes by, some ofthe passengersraise their handsin reverence tothe temple ofGod.

We have rel-atives in threeneighboring vil-lages, most ofwhose inhabi-tants are inter-related andbelong to non-Christian reli-gions. Non-Christians inIndia are join-ing the church in greater numbersthan ever before in our mission’s his-tory. Now we have Seventh-dayAdventist congregations in all threevillages. Another church, to be com-pleted from donations given by

American friends, will be ready byJanuary 1999.

Christ says that with His call comesthe enabling. Christians are Christ’sjewels and must shine brightly for

Him. Every soul inChrist’s kingdom has asacred trust. “Let yourlight shine beforemen,” Jesus said, “thatthey may see your gooddeeds and praise yourFather in heaven”(Matt. 5:16, NIV).

Yes, the Bibleadmonishes us tobring to our

neighbors lighted can-dles from the Sun ofrighteousness and pourupon our friends the

sparkling gems of light from the throneof God.

We praise God for Brother Samuel’simportant question to us years ago.And we’re thankful for the new jewelsin India that came as a result of it. ■

Sarojini Chedalawadaworked for many years atthe General Conference ofSeventh-day Adventists inSilver Spring, Maryland.

She and her husband are now retired andlive in Seattle, Washington.

India: The Big Picture

BY GARY KRAUSE

If Global Mission were a business, wewould cut our losses and give up trying toshare the good news about Jesus in India.More than a billion people will be livingthere by the year 2000. More than 80 per-cent of the current population are Hindu,11.5 percent are Muslim, less than 2.5percent are Christian, and .025 percent areSeventh-day Adventist. In other words,there are scarcely 250 Adventists per mil-lion people.

Global Mission doesn’t quit, becausethere are no conditions attached to thegospel commission. We keep searching forways to share the good news—notbecause of outrageous success, butbecause Jesus asked us to go into all theworld and preach the gospel.

When the Global Mission initiative wasvoted at Annual Council in 1989, northernIndia was one of the four major globalfocus areas chosen. Since then there have been stunning

breakthroughs, and the past six years have seen the mostrapid growth in the history of the Adventist Church in India.

Global Mission has specifically targeted India’s unen-tered nor th, where there are scarcelyany Christians. In the state of Haryanaalone live 17 million Hindus, and untilrecently just a handful of Adventists.Global Mission pioneers are now workingin more than 100 target areas inHaryana and have established hundredsof new congregations. These pioneersare Indian nationals who know the peo-ple, understand the culture, speak thelanguage, and find ways to reach intothe hear tland of Hinduism.

Visiting Global Mission work in northernIndia is like stepping back into apostolictimes. The pioneers are preaching, teach-ing, and healing the sick. Several hundredpeople have already been baptized, andwhen you see the pioneers smile, you knowthat God has big plans for India.

Gary Krause is Global Mission communicationdirector for the General Conference.

COMMITTED: Global Mission pioneerLiaquat Masih (pictured) and hisfamily are holding Bible studies withnearly 250 people in the Naraingarhdistrict of Haryana. They began workin this unentered area in the middleof 1997, and already nearly 100 peo-ple have been baptized.

Passengers raisetheir hands in

reverence everytime the train

passes by our church.

STILL REACHING OUT: Santhu and Sujathawith their two daughters, Karen andStephanie, were visitors at the newchurch.


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BY BRYAN VICKERY

ADVENTISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE? AS a church we’ve cut our teeth proclaiming thejudgment theme of the three angels’ messages.But it’s sometimes alleged that our witness andactions don’t match our rhetoric.

This shouldn’t be the case, because our fundamentalbelief number 12 (about the preaching of the everlastinggospel) states, “Every believer is called to have a personalpart in this worldwide witness.”

Witnessing, however, isn’t just articulating sound truths;it’s an experiential living out of justice and mercy. It’s aligningone’s life with Micah 6:8: “To act justly and to love mercy andto walk humbly with your God” (NIV). Adventists are com-

mitted to present truth and being abreast of the latest trends;consequently, we need to be more responsive to the catch-word of the nineties—thinking globally, acting locally. Howtragic if the Adventist Church developed a reputation forbeing indifferent to people’s needs because we were preoccu-pied with our message and evangelistic agenda.

When we’re exposed to suffering and injustice, are weguilty of shrugging our shoulders and thinking that ADRA(the Adventist Development and Relief Agency) or theSalvation Army will handle it? The world today needsChristians prepared to fight for social justice.

In the past some Adventists have been quoted as saying,“Social work mustn’t distract us from our prophetic calling.Let others wait upon the tables of the needy and push thesocial justice wheelbarrow—our job is to preach.”

O P I N I O N

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Attitudes are changing. Now manyAdventists argue that the concept thatwe are the remnant means more thandoctrinal purity. It must also involve adeep sense of social responsibility.They contend that if Adventists are toqualify as the remnant, then they needto take a more assertive and clearstand on key social issues.1

Supporters of this more contempo-rary view of the remnant base theircase on the example of the ancientprophets.2 For instance, Amos had aburden for social justice (Amos 5:24).He was more than a mouthpiece. He

was a defender of thecovenant—and thatmade him an activistfor the poor and theoppressed.

Christ’s first sermon(Luke 4:14-21) was rid-dled with numeroussocial justice connota-tions. Some scholars sayit was an outline of Hisministry of deliverance,based on the Jubileeprophecy of Isaiah 61:1-3. Read the sermon; it’sradical.

We’re a propheticmovement; therefore,we need to live like theprophets. The status ofa prophet is one of ser-vice and justice forGod—not doctrinalsmugness because wehave the truth.

Adventists shouldn’tindulge in denomina-tional self-congratula-tion, but be commu-nity- and people-cen-tered. It’s timeAdventists bore a morevigorous witnessagainst the wrongs andinequities of society.

Bearing in mind thatthe church and stateshould be separate andcivil disobedience isout, how canChristians champion

justice and mercy?1. Take a genuine interest in your

neighborhood. Lobby the council, with-out being rude, for things that needimproving. That might be for tidyingup parks, initiating an anti-litter campaign, or even the need for bettermaintenance on roads and bridges.

2. Get to know who is in need inyour area. These people need visiting sothey know the church cares for them,irrespective of their background.Helping disadvantaged groups couldentail providing transport to town,mowing lawns, child minding, and help-

ing people with language difficulties.3. We can write letters to the editors

of newspapers and magazines giving apositive Christian perspective on topi-cal issues. People are hungry for goodnews. And we’ve sure got some. So let’sshare it. The media welcomes analyti-cal, constructive letters—whiningpolemics usually end up in the bin.

Ellen White and Joseph Bates, two ofour founders, were noted for their activesupport of temperance leagues. EllenWhite often itinerated as a popular tem-perance speaker and drew large crowds.

Adventists shouldn’t sit back andpassively watch multinational compa-nies exploit and denude the environ-ment. Nor should we ignore the insidi-ous, manipulative influence of TV, vio-lent videos, and pornography.

Christians are to be the salt of theworld, and salt prevents decay. So whylet society rot? Let’s do something toarrest this trend. It doesn’t mean we gooverboard and jump on the politicalbandwagon. Nevertheless, societyneeds to know where Adventists standon important issues.

Adventists have a reputation forbeing religious liberty watchdogs.That’s important, but surely we havemore to offer.

There’s a lot we can do individuallyand corporately to demonstrate ourconcern for social justice—which, afterall, is part and parcel of the everlastinggospel. But we can’t proclaim a mes-sage without getting personallyinvolved. We are called to witness, andwe’re commissioned to care. ■

1 Charles Scriven, “The Remnant and theChurch: A Reconsideration” (unpublished paper,April 1985).

2 Jack Provonsha, “The Church as aProphetic Minority,” Spectrum, vol. 12, No. 1,pp. 18-23.

Bryan Vickery is the pastorof the Hamilton, NewZealand, church. This arti-cle is reprinted by permis-sion from the South PacificDivision Record. Minor changes havebeen made to conform with Americanusage.

le:es? remnant


Santas:They’re Everywhere!

Keep your Christmas where your flexible friend can’t find it.

L I F E S T Y L E

BY DAVID MARSHALL

CHRISTMAS LONG PAST. A BEFRECKLEDpreschooler, I was being tugged around F. W.Woolworth’s by my mother, who was intenton a spot of last-minute present-buying. Onthe way into the crush of feet and stab of

elbows we had passed a Father Christmas. I had caught on tothe Santa thing by then, and in any case, I never did havedifficulty identifying cotton. That particular Santa, however,would have been picked out as a phony by even the mostcredulous infant. He spoke to no one, kept away from kids,and, we noticed, seemed intent on losing himself in theimpossible seethe of bodies.

Those were the days when a woman carried her shoppingin a basket held over her right arm, and not infrequently lefther purse among the groceries. At precisely what point mymother figured out Santa’s game, I couldn’t say. After a hushsignal, she drew my attention to what Santa was doing. Usinghis voluminous red sleeves for cover, he was attempting toremove a packed purse from among a shopper’s food items.

“Excuse me, madam. But Father Christmas is trying tosteal your purse!”

My mother, normally a quiet soul, pronounced these syl-lables in ringing tones that could be heard two countersaway. The shopper spun around to find Santa’s fingers in theact of lifting her purse. He had no chance of escape. Thestore detective discovered quite a collection of purses andwallets under Santa’s red clothes.

Since those distant threadbare times I have always

identified Santa with the pocket-picking, purse-pinching,plastic-card-account-inflating aspect of the season ofpeace and goodwill to all people—but especially to shop-keepers.

Although I have long since pruned my present list to“children only,” informing the remainder of the clan thatthe price of their gift has been blown on a check to myfavorite charity, there is one aspect of those Christmaseslong past that I remember with a warm glow. No, it is notswirling snow. Most Christmas mornings of my memory,though bone-bitingly cold, were clear as a mirror and brightas the promise of heaven.

Christmas was the time when everyone came home.There was only one flip side to this. It was, as I recall, alwaysmy turn to sleep on the floor. But no matter. Everyone wasthere, plus everyone’s best friends. And it made for livelyand laughter-filled times.

Of course, those times are long gone. We married our bestfriends. Then the magnetism that drew us together died withthe couple who made it all possible. Even the house hasgone, and the family who moved in after us called it “WitsEnd.” Cheek!

Those Christmases, needless to say, have not just gone forme and mine, but for almost everyone. They’ve been killedby TV and the advent of the “nuclear family” of Mom, Dad,and 2.4 children. The disappearance of the extendedfamily—three generations, plus aunts and uncles andfriends—has been bad news for millions. And now, strangest


of turnarounds, Christmas has beencalled “the loneliest time of the year.”Samaritan telephone lines are white-hot with the cries of those who, feelingtheir isolation more keenly than at anyother time, are decid-ing to end it all.

MeetGeorge.My wife

insists we visit himon Christmas Eve.George, even in oldage and in theadvanced stages ofParkinson’s, is ahandsome chap.When exactly his lifewent wrong, I couldn’tsay; but his wife, chil-dren, and grandchil-dren, who never seehim all year, don’t seewhy they shouldmake an exceptionfor Christmas. Hisspeech is slurred, andthere are tears in hiseyes when we leave.

MeetMargie.She

remembers thoseChristmases athome—Mom andDad and five chil-dren, of whom shewas one—as the hap-piest of times. ButMargie never mar-ried. She has oodles of nephews,nieces, great-nephews, and great-nieces, and she never forgets a birth-day. But now the holiday season forMargie means plenty of cards, but nohuman contact whatsoever betweendrinks at work on December 23 andwhen she clocks in again on January 3.

Meet Mrs. Aitkin. She wasonce the center and pro-vider for a family of four.

They’ve each done well in the worldand made her a grandmother. They

used to write and visit occasionally.Now they have followed their for-tunes to different places, and MrsAitkin does not have all theiraddresses. Last year she was admitted

to a rest home, and worried that theywouldn’t know. I undertook to writeto each of them at their last knownaddresses. Christmas brought threecards and one box of cookies, her sonhaving forgotten that she was a dia-betic. The local church people cameto sing carols, but spoiled it a bit byasking for a “contribution.”

Meet Madeleine. She’s 13.Her mother left her at theMatthew’s Home for

Children when she was 4. She said

she would be back, but at 13Madeleine is not holding her breath.She is tall for her age, and when shelaughs, she throws back her head,opens her mouth wide, and shows

white, straightteeth. But when shecries, I feel almostterrified; not asnoisy as her laugh-ter, her weeping hasabout it a hollow-ness and utter deso-lation of spirit.

George,Margie,Mrs.

Aitkin, andMadeleine—to-gether with the hun-dreds of thousandslike them—do notwant your moneythis Christmas. Theylike to hear your car-ols; they appreciateyour cards and thenicely wrapped giftsyour church sendsthem. But the giftthey would reallyappreciate is in amore preciouscoinage. It’s yourcompany—yourplace or theirs.They don’t want tobe told “Jesus lovesyou.” They want tobe shown.

So as we approachyet another “Santas: They’re Every-where” Christmas, put your flexiblefriend away, keep your purse where“Santa” can’t get it—and prepare tospend yourself. “Inasmuch as ye havedone it unto the least of these Mylonely children . . .” ■

David Marshall is editor ofthe Stanborough PressLimited, Grantham,Linconshire, England.

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The ribbing was sharp butgood-natured. “Let’s see ifthe Yanks can get it righttonight,” the pastorteased as we waited for

the opening night telecast to begin.Appreciative laughter rose from aroundthe auditorium, while several Americanstudents yelped in mock dismay.

“As of 5:00 this afternoon we weregetting 39 languages via satellite from

the U.S.” he added solemnly. “The badnews is that none of them was English.”He stood there in the semidarkness aswe stared at the test pattern on thescreen.

“Hasn’t five minutes already passed?”he asked nervously. Suddenly imagesswept on the screen, and music rolledout of the auditorium speakers. NET’98—one day and a worrisome 15 min-utes late—had finally begun in Britain.

In the glow from the backlit red exitsigns at the rear of the NewboldCollege auditorium, I studied the crowdat the Saturday night event. Fifty ormore college students, many of whom I

recognized from the student worshipservice of that morning, had beenjoined by more than 100 church mem-bers from the surrounding community.

Directly in front of my family and mewere four non-Adventist guests, all past60 years of age. I watched as they strug-gled to keep pace with the lyrics of thepraise choruses that scrolled on thescreen and smiled at the nervous banterbetween Shasta Burr and BernieAnderson. From their vantage point,NET ’98 looked like a very Americanevent indeed. Once they got past the“Hi, y’alls!” and the rapid-fire delivery,they would settle in to hear the clear,compelling preaching of the Word. Atleast that’s what I prayed would happen.

One night later we were gatheredinto the Holloway Road church onLondon’s north side by an enthusiasticgroup of greeters. “You’ve come fromwhere?” they asked in obvious surprise.“The States—all the way from theStates? Well, we must let some peopleknow you’re here.” Still sporting thesneakers and jeans that we had wornfor some quick sight-seeing on Sundayafternoon, my wife and I weren’t eagerto be pointed out in an audi-ence in which many menwore ties and half the womensported hats. Soon the pastorswere warmly welcoming us,full of the good cheer thatcomes with great attendance.

“We had more than 500persons here last night,” saidPastor Brighton Kavaloh,quietly proud of the hardwork his congregation haddone to bring friends andneighbors to the NET event.“As best we can tell, morethan 150 were nonmembers.

That’s the best news of all.”The numbers would be lower

tonight, he explained, for Sundaynight was hardly an optimal time forevangelism. But he and his teamwere still expecting 70 or 80 gueststo register before the lights went

W O R L D N E W S & P E R S P E C T I V E S

A Welcome Yank InvasionBritish Adventists embrace NET ’98 series.


B Y B I L L K N O T T, A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R , A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W

GOOD CHEER AND GREAT ATTENDANCE:Holloway Road pastor Brighton Kavalohshares a smile with South EnglandConference president Donald McFarlane onthe second night of the NET ’98 series.

GRATEFUL FOR THE MESSAGE: Bulletin board motto inthe Holloway Road entry

WARM AND READY: Greeters preparematerials for dozens of community guestsat the Holloway Road church.

down. Outside, a flashing red sign-board scrolled an invitation for last-minute walk-ins: “Hear CredibleAnswers to Crucial Questions.”

While the audience joined in a vig-orous song service, I did the quick count

for which pastors and evangelists arefamous. More than 250 persons sat inclusters across the large sanctuary, rang-ing in age from very young children toelderly saints. While predominantly aBlack congregation built aroundCaribbean and West African émigrés,the Holloway Road audience includedAnglos and Asians as well in an easy,friendly fellowship. Secretly I won-dered how a guest seeking anonym-ity—say, one in jeans and sneakers—might have fared with these gregariouschurch members.

If there was a more appreciativeaudience for Dwight Nelson’s pre-sentation that evening, it’s difficultto imagine where it might havebeen. A powerful sense of “amen”rolled over the audience as Nelson’swords sank in: “It took the birth of aBaby to save us.” Bodies leaned for-ward in the worn wooden seats;heads nodded vigorously in assent.Here in one of the world’s largestcities, the American evangelist was

striking all the right chords.Three days later and 200 miles to

the north, more than 70 members andguests filled the back two thirds of the



When Todor Needed Help Michigan church rallies on behalf ofBulgarian member.

B Y K E L L I E A N N T O M P K I N S , W R I T I N G F R O M L A N S I N G ,

M I C H I G A N

Get the money together in three weeks? $3,500?Todor Simeonov, a Michigan State University student in

chemical engineering, didn’t actually ask for the money. Hesimply stated the needs of his church in GornaOryakhovista, Bulgaria—projection equipment for NET ’98.The rest was left up to the 100-member University church inEast Lansing, Michigan.

“I’m a terrible fund-raiser,” said Gary Heilig, thechurch’s NET ’98 coordinator. “I didn’t even want to talk tothe pastor about it because we had spent so much alreadyfor our own NET ’98 effort.” But Pastor Roy Castelbuonosaid if Gary found a projector and members donated themoney, go ahead.

On Sabbath, October 3, one week before NET ’98,half of the $3,500 had been raised. The deacons ofUniversity church placed pledge sheets on the pewsbefore the 11:00 service. “This is our chance to help,”Pastor Castelbuono told the congregation. “We can par-ticipate in the world ef for t. Our church is going to

move out in faith concerning this project.”After the service enough pledges came in to pay for the

projector. The pastor and Gary quickly faxed a letter confirm-ing a sister-church relationship and a check to theOklahoma company for the projector to be sent to Bulgaria.

Todor’s church in Gorna Oryakhovista was able to usethe projection screen for NET ’98 instead of a 30-inch televi-sion. This 80-member church meets in a room that holdsabout 100 people. The room was overcrowded during theseminars. Pastor Trifonov plans on giving another NET ’98presentation soon. He also plans to use the projector forvarious Bible study efforts in the surrounding towns.

A HEART FOR BULGARIA: Growingup in an atheistic home in GornaOryakhovista, Bulgaria (pictured),Todor Simeonov had an Adventistfriend who challenged him to studythe Bible for himself. After twoyears of discovery, Todor was bap-tized. Though he now studies inthe United States, Todor still caresdeeply for his native Bulgaria—acountry, he says, where most peo-ple either attend the OrthodoxChurch to worship saints no longeralive or have no faith at all.

NOT WITHOUT OUR ELDERS: Local eldersEugenia Moses and Courtney Robinsonhave helped to organize the HuddersfieldNET ’98 meetings.

LARGER THAN LIFE: Huddersfield members andguests listen closely to Dwight Nelson’s mid-week message.

Huddersfield church on the fourthnight of the series. The brick-and-stonechurch in the working-class neighbor-hood almost literally vibrated withNelson’s message. “It’s the surround-sound audio system we put in,” said theyoung man at the back, beaming whenI complimented him on the clarity.

I slipped into a cushioned pewbeneath the giant image of the evange-list, whose head was nearly three feethigh by two wide. Now, this is immedi-acy, I thought to myself, noting theintensity of faces all about me. Almost asif he were talking just to me. If there wereany misgivings about the American ori-gins of NET ’98, they were kept dis-creetly hidden. Choruses of murmured“amens” rose at every key point.

“We’ve had more than a dozenguests who’ve stayed with us throughthe first four nights,” said local elderEugenia Moses, “including several whojust walked in off the street on the firstevening. We’re delighted with whatthe Spirit is doing here.”

The Newbold College, HollowayRoad, and Huddersfield sites seem typi-cal of the unexpectedly strong responseto NET ’98 in the British Union. Morethan 10,000 church members and nearly3,400 guests attended opening night,

October 10, according to Dalbert Elias,British Union Ministerial director. Atthe halfway point of the series morethan 13,000 Adventists in the BritishUnion—71 percent of the total—hadattended one or more of the meetings,bringing with them nearly 5,000 visitors.Seventy-four sites, mostly Adventistchurches, hosted the live telecastthroughout the United Kingdom andIreland, while dozens more showed tapeson a one-week delay.

“Do you think it was a good meet-ing tonight, Daddy?” my 8-year-old sonwanted to know as we rode the latetrain home after one night’s session.The hope in his question was impossi-ble to miss.

I thought for a moment as we clat-tered through the darkness on thedouble rails.

“Yes, Evan,” I said slowly, findingmyself both glad and relieved at theBritish church’s warm embrace of a“Yank” initiative. “It was a very goodmeeting.”



CHURCH ON THE CORNER: Like mostBritish Adventists, Huddersfield memberschose to hold NET ’98 meetings in theirown church sanctuary.

At a conference in Durban,South Africa, theInternational Health Food

Association (IHFA) invited 46 repre-sentatives from church food industriesto join with church administrators todiscuss matters of mutual interest.

The conference gave attendees anopportunity to review progress inintroducing a system of evaluation andaccreditation similar to that which isused for church educational and med-ical institutions. IHFA members gavetheir enthusiastic support to this pro-gram, which will accomplish the ini-tial evaluation of all companies by thesummer of 2000.

For more than 100 years theAdventist Church has been engaged

in the manufacture and distribution ofhealthful foods in support of itsemphasis on health of body, mind, andspirit. From modest beginnings in localcommunities this ministry has devel-oped into a highly competitive, suc-cessful (more than $285 millionturnover in 1992) 25-country industrythat produces approximately 160,000tons of product per year.

Through the years the health foodindustry has retained its focus on min-istry and on the counsels given throughEllen White. One of her themes in par-ticular has shaped IHFA’s recent work:“It is the Lord’s design that the poorestpeople in every place shall be suppliedwith inexpensive, healthful foods. Inmany places industries for the manufac-

ture of these foods are to be estab-lished” (Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 125).

In response to this counsel IHFAhas committed itself, with the supportof member companies, to the establish-ment of a food processing-basedhumanitarian project in Tanzania, EastAfrica. Malnutrition and poverty pre-sent major social problems in thiscountry. Jose Luis Gomez, an experi-enced food industry administrator fromSpain, will move to Arusha with hisfamily to develop this project. IHFAbelieves that working to satisfy people’sphysical needs, a prominent feature ofJesus’ earthly ministry, will prove to beequally effective today in reaching thepoor with the good news of salvation.

The International Health FoodAssociation continues in its mission ofpromoting a healthy lifestyle throughthe production and distribution ofnutritionally sound food, not as an endin itself, but as a means of communi-cating the message of a returningSaviour and King.

International Health FoodAssociation Continues in MinistryBY EUGENE GROSSER , I N T E R N AT I O N A L H E A LT H F O O D A S S O C I AT I O N D I R E C T O R


Church Representatives React toInternational Religious Freedom Act

A dventist Church leaders attended the United StatesSecretary of State’s Advisory Committee on

Religious Freedom Abroad to respond to the Inter-national Religious Freedom Act signed into law byPresident Clinton on October 27.

John Graz and Richard Fenn of the Adventist Church’sPublic Affairs and Religious Liberty Department attendedthe November 4 meeting at the State Department.

Responding afterward, Graz spoke of the historicdevelopment symbolized by the act.

“This is the first time any country, let alone a super-power like the United States, has enacted a special lawwith the purpose of defending religious freedom abroad,”said Graz. “The act calls for the nomination of anambassador at large who will oversee the implementa-tion of the law, together with a special adviser on reli-gious freedom who will be part of the staff of theNational Security Council and advise the U.S. presidenton these issues.”

Commenting on its global implications, Graz said thatthe act could prove supportive of those who suffer reli-gious discrimination and persecution.

“We appreciate religious freedom being a concern of

the U.S. government, which has such an influencearound the world. We trust the law will be well imple-mented, and not used for political purpose or nationalinterest. The act is in contrast to those countries that aresetting up state-sponsored ‘sect observatories’ andrestricting religious freedom.

“Seventh-day Adventists are not linked to any law orgovernment, but everywhere work for religious liberty forall.”—Adventist News Network.

ADRA Helps Victims of Hurricane Mitch

In the aftermath of the worst natural disaster inNicaragua this century, the Adventist Development andRelief Agency (ADRA) is delivering desperately neededrelief materials to thousands of refugees, reports EdBaumgartner, ADRA/Nicaragua director.

ADRA personnel in cooperation with the AdventistChurch are using a mobile clinic staffed with a medicalteam to give relief to those affected by the storm, servingseveral hundred people daily.

“What we see in our relief efforts is indescribable.People are suffering and have lost everything,” saysRuben Rojas, an ADRA employee and member of themobile clinic.

Baumgartner reports that ADRA is receiving more

N E W S B R E A K


B ack in 1955, at the height of the cold war, PremierNikita Khrushchev told some East German digni-taries visiting Moscow that the day the Soviet

Union gave up the teachings of Marx, Engels, and Leninwould be the day a shrimp learned to whistle.*

Khrushchev never foresaw the fall ofCommunism and the rejection of itsteaching across almost all its formerdomain. Today the Soviet Union is gone, and Communismabandoned.

The day of the whistling shrimp has come.Yet though we know all this, perhaps we miss the signifi-

cance of such events. We become accustomed to seeingrapid change in today’s world. Another day, another majornews story . . . and we miss the point.

The point is that our world is changing faster than at anytime in its history, and the rate of change continues toincrease. The revolution in technology and information flow

not only informs but blends the world together, as if thestage were being set for the final performance.

We cannot be indifferent and unconcerned, unmovedand uninterested in the latest news bombshell. Too manymay have “cried wolf” in the past, but that must not lead

us to ignore the warning sounds allaround us now.

Unstable financial organizations.Rapidly changing political systems. Disrupted economies.Unforeseen health threats. Global terrorism. Religious fanat-ics. Real global warming. Famine stalking one third ofhumanity. Pollution and plagues . . .

As Adventists we have truth for this time, and we needto share it. Time to wake up and, while listening to all thewhistling shrimps, time to act.

* New York Times, Sept. 18, 1955.

NEWS COMMENTARY

The Day of the Whistling ShrimpB Y J O N AT H A N G A L L A G H E R , G E N E R A L C O N F E R E N C E N E W S D I R E C T O R

than US$100,000 to purchase medicines, temporary shel-ter material, blankets, and other relief supplies for vic-tims of Hurricane Mitch.

ADRA is currently distributing 420 tons of a cornand soy blend cereal and 98 tons of vegetable oil,enough food for 57,000 people for one month, basedon a ration size that provides 1,000 calories per dayand 40 grams of protein.

With an estimated 750,000 homeless (one fifth ofthe entire population), 1,500 dead, and thousandsmissing, ADRA is moving quickly to bring relief tothe country.

In Honduras, ADRA continues to house hurricanevictims in five shelters on the mainland and in the BayIslands. Members of the Comayaguela Adventist Churchin Tegucigalpa collected enough relief supplies to fill a40-foot container within two days. The AdventistChurch in the Cayman Islands also airlifted supplies fordistribution.—Adventist News Network.

Hawaii Member Assumes LegislativeLeadership Post

The Republican caucus of the Hawaii House ofRepresentatives unanimously elected David A. Pendleton,an Adventist lay member and frequent contributor to the

Review, as the new minority floor leader.The position is considered by many as thenumber two leadership post in the caucus.

First elected to the state legistlaturein 1996 Pendleton, an attorney, previ-ously served as minority whip for thecaucus. He has also served as a youthpastor in his local church.

News Notes

✔ CompuServe Users. You can access the AdventistReview online each week within 48 hours of presstime,and several days before the magazine reaches your home.The Review is available free of charge in the AdventistOnline Forum (GO SDA).

If you have e-mail, you can also contact the Reviewstaff online. Send letters, prayer requests, and subscrip-tion requests to [email protected].

What’s Upcoming

Dec. 12 Health and Temperance DayDec. 19 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for the

North American DivisionDec. 26 Ingathering Campaign ends


N E W S B R E A K


Test Your GlobalMission IQ

1. Abdul Wahi believes thatGod called him to witness toMuslims in his multiisland

nation that stretches along the equator. His workresulted in 16 former Muslims being baptized last year.Three hours a day he serves the people. Then heinvites them to study the Bible and the Koran withhim, and they readily agree. He speaks Arabic and pre-sents biblical truth with authority. His country’s popu-lation of more than 200 million is 87 percent Muslim.The nation’s islands surround the Java Sea. Whatnation is this?

A. Malaysia C. PhilippinesB. Indonesia D. Micronesia

2. Despite a large Buddhist population, spirit worshipsurvives in Asia. Api Wat, a Global Mission pioneer,works in the community of Pran Ka Ti. He taught the

people that spirits work against us. As a result, almost 50became Seventh-day Adventists. The converts’ grownchildren had counted on their parents’ maintaining con-tact with spirits to intercede for them. But these newAdventists now see this as “a waste of time,” whichupsets their children. The Mekong River, of Vietnam Warfame, forms the northeastern border of this Asian coun-try. Can you name it?

A. Cambodia C. LaosB. Vietnam D. Thailand

Answers:1. B. Indonesia. Here the Muslim population

approaches that of India and of Pakistan.The 160,000Adventists are finding new methods to reach theirMuslim neighbors.

2. D. Thailand is home to 11,000 Adventists in a popu-lation of 60 million (a ratio of 1 to 5,500). NeighboringMyanmar (Burma) has a ratio of 1 to 2,500. The world aver-age is about 1 to 600.

—Compiled by Don Yost of the General Conference Global Mission Office.

David A.Pendleton

ANGEL MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ

Could you explain the meaning of the law thatrequires “life for life, eye for eye, tooth fortooth, hand for hand” (Ex. 21:23, 24)?

This piece of legisla-tion sounds barbaric

and inhumane to many modern peo-ple. And until rather recently schol-ars tended to interpret it in terms ofthe practice reflecting a very earlystage in the development of theIsraelite legal system.

Fortunately, archaeological discov-eries have unearthed legal materialsfrom the ancient Near East that havefacilitated a better understanding of this piece of legislationthan can be found in more recent commentaries on the bookof Exodus.

The law of “an eye for an eye” is usually called the law ofretribution, or “lex talionis” (Latin, lex [law] and talio [like];the punishment is like the injury), or the law of equivalency.

1. History of the legislation. The lex talionis is found in threepassages in the Old Testament (Ex. 21:23, 24; Lev. 24:19, 20;and Deut. 19:21). A similar law is found in the ancientMesopotamian code of Hammurabi. Earlier codes legislatedfinancial compensation for bodily injuries, but Hammurabiseems to have been the first to require physical injury forphysical injury. This has led some historians to conclude thatthere was a time when monetary compensation redressed per-sonal injuries because the state did not consider them to becrimes against society.

The law of equivalency was a significant development inthe history of jurisprudence in the sense that what used tobe a private matter between two families was now takenover by the state and considered to be criminal behavior.This fits very well with the Old Testament understanding ofoffenses against others as offenses against the covenant com-munity and against the God of the covenant.

2. The principle involved. The law of equivalency wasan attempt to limit the extent of a punishment and todiscourage cruelty. The principle of this legislation is oneof equivalency; that is to say, the punishment should cor-respond to the crime and should be limited to the oneinvolved in the injury (Deut. 19:18-21).

This law was a rejection of family feuds and the spirit of

revenge that led the injured party to uncontrolled attacksagainst the culprit and the members of his or her family (cf.Gen. 4:23). The punishment was required to fit the crime,

a principle still used in modernjurisprudence. I must add that inthe Bible this law was appliedequally to all members of society(Lev. 24:22), while in Mesopotamiait was limited to crimes againstsociety’s “important” people.

3. The enforcement of the law. It’sdifficult to determine to what extentthis legislation was strictly enforced.We do know that in the case of

murder the life of the murderer was taken—life for life(Num. 35:31). But apart from this, the formulation “an eyefor an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” etc., seems to have been atechnical phrase used to express the idea of equivalency,leaving the court to determine the nature and extent of theequivalence.

“Whatever he has done must be done to him” (Lev.24:19, NIV) is used to indicate that the culprit should getwhat he deserves (cf. Judges 15:6-8, 11). The restitutioncould be monetary or in kind, as indicated in Leviticus24:18: “Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal mustmake restitution—life for life.” Obviously, in this case “lifefor life” does not mean that the individual who killed theanimal was to be killed. The law provided the legislativefoundation to establish proper equivalence in specific cases.

4. Jesus and the law of equivalency. The intent of the law ofretribution was to ensure that the punishment corresponded tothe crime in order to control the punishment inflicted on theguilty one. In Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus was not abrogating thisimportant legal principle, but was rather inviting Christians intheir daily lives to go beyond the letter of the law.

The implicit intention of the law—to eliminate personalrevenge—was stated explicitly by Jesus; and He, in His ownperson and ministry, modeled it for us.

Angel Manuel Rodríguez is an associate director ofthe Biblical Research Institute of the GeneralConference.

An Eye for an EyeB I B L E Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D

This law rejectsthe spirit

of revenge.


The Call of Freedom

S T O R Y

BY CLAUDETTE TANG-KWOK

AS HE WALKED THE STREETS OF Lausanne, Switzerland, Lozan Andonov had neverbefore seen such an abundance or variety of food.Compared to this, my children are starving, hethought as he gazed on the bounty.

Lozan was with a Bulgarian Opera House delegationattending a two-week festival in Lausanne. His first visit toSwitzerland highlighted the outstanding contrast betweenthis country and his homeland. On his return to Bulgaria hesaid to his wife, Donna, “Our children are starving.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked. “We always have food.”“I know,” Lozan replied, “but if you could’ve seen what I saw

in Lausanne . . .” He looked at Donna and said, “When I saw allthat food, it occurred to me that we must leave this country.”

“Lozan,” Donna whispered, “you can’t be serious. Youknow what will happen if we are caught.”

“Yes, I know,” he replied. Nonetheless, from that timeLozan anchored his determination on the words of Psalm118:6: “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What canman do to me?” *

The Narrow PathLozan was born two years after the Communist Party took

control of Bulgaria. He knew what life was like beforeCommunism only from the stories his parents and grandpar-ents told him. His mother was a Seventh-day AdventistChristian; his father was not.

After graduating from technical school Lozan went towork with the Bulgarian Opera House. An exceptionalcraftsman, he eventually supervised 150 of the Opera’semployees. Lozan had done quite well materially. He owneda car, a country home, a bank account, and an apartment inthe city. He also had his own lampmaking business. He wasan elder in his church, and he covertly distributed Bibles.

Nevertheless, Lozan was deeply concerned about thefuture of his children, Monika and Eliza. Under Communist

rule all the children belonged to the state and were requiredto attend public schools. Their names could not be placedon the church books. The Communists had closed all thechurch schools, confiscated the books, and fired the teach-ers. Lozan’s children had to travel a great distance to go toschool; and they were taunted about their beliefs, theirthings were stolen, and they were kicked and mistreated bytheir fellow students. But they dared not complain to theirteachers, and many times they came home in tears.

In 1984 a delegation from the Italian Opera House visitedBulgaria. Impressed with Lozan’s expertise, the head of thedelegation invited him to visit Italy as a consultant. Butbecause Lozan was not a Communist, his supervisoroffered to send someone else instead. The Italiansdeclined, and Lozan, unwilling to let the opportunity slipaway, quit his job and spent two months with the ItalianOpera Company.

On his return to Bulgaria Lozan got a job with theNational Puppeteer Company. One morning his bossannounced, “Lozan, we’ll soon be taking part in an exposi-tion in Canada. I want you to make a puppet of a grand-mother sitting in a rocking chair knitting. It must almostseem alive. Can you do it?”

Excited about the idea of visiting Canada, Lozan put allhis creative energy into the assignment. The result was anamazingly lifelike puppet. However, his excitement was shat-tered shortly before the trip when his boss told him that hecould travel with the puppet only if he joined theCommunist Party.

Stunned by the news, Lozan heard himself say, “Then I’llstay home.”

“Very well,” his supervisor replied. “Georgi will go.”For several weeks bitterness shrouded Lozan. When the

delegation returned to Bulgaria, he sought out Georgi. “Whatwas Canada like?” he asked.

“Canada was nice,” Georgi replied, “but we also visited

He longed to live where he and his family could learn, work, and worship as they pleased.


Washington, D.C. I liked Washingtonbest.”

This conversation kindled a greatbitterness in Lozan. However, theSunday morning after his talk withGeorgi, Lozan awoke without the bit-terness and anger he had felt. Some-how he knew everything would be allright.

After two seasons with the NationalPuppeteer Company, his former supervi-sor at the Opera House contacted Lozanand asked him to return to work. Hedid, and for a while things went well.But Lozan’s faith was again tested whenhe was fired for refusing to work on theSabbath.

An Open DoorLozan found a job as a laborer and

with every passing day became moredetermined to flee the country. Duringthis difficult time he held firmly to thewords of Isaiah 59:1: “Surely the arm ofthe Lord is not too short to save, norhis ear too dull to hear.”

In 1987 Monika graduatedfrom school, and Lozan decidedthat the time had come.Monika wanted tobe a doctor, but shecouldn’t get into medicalschool because she was not aCommunist.

Lozan applied for visas to travelto Vienna for a vacation. Statepolicy mandated that a familycould not visit a non-Communistcountry without someone from theimmediate family staying behind assecurity that those who left wouldreturn. Yet authorities inadvertentlyissued Lozan three visas instead of two(since Eliza was only 9, she did notneed a visa). But the error was discov-ered before the family left for Vienna.An immigration officer called Donnaat home.

“Mrs. Andonov,” he said, “we mis-takenly gave your husband three visasinstead of two. Please return to thecountry at the end of your vacation. Ifyou don’t, I’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

When Lozan got home from work,Donna told him about the call.

“We’re not coming back,” he said

angrily. “God has opened the way forall of us to leave; why should wereturn? Besides, why should I careabout a Communist? It means nothingto me if he gets in trouble.”

But Lozan decided to pray aboutthe matter. Why did You open the wayfor all of us to leave if it only meant thatwe have to return to Bulgaria? For eightyears I’ve prayed unfailingly for thisopportunity. In the midst of this strug-gle God spoke to Lozan’s heart thewords of 1 Samuel 2:30: “Those whohonor me I will honor.”

“We’ll come back,” Lozan said toDonna. “I don’t want to build our free-dom and happiness on someone else’smisfortune—even if he is a Communist.”

Another ChanceTwo years later, in 1989, Lozan

decided to leave Bulgaria, this time forWest Germany.

Once

more the entire family was grantedvisas to vacation in West Germany.This time the error was not discovered.Before their departure Lozan remod-eled his apartment in the city so thatno one would think that he was plan-ning to defect. He also sold his carunder the pretext that he needed a big-ger vehicle for his business.

To protect his parents from any pos-sible retaliation from the Communistsas a result of his defection, Lozan toldthem nothing about his plans. If theywere questioned by the Communists,they could honestly say that they knewnothing.

The day before the family left for

West Germany Lozan’s mother calledfrom the city. She needed a ride home.On the way out to meet her Lozan putall the money he received from the saleof his car into a brown paper bag andtook it with him. When they got to thetrain station he gave her the bag.

“What’s this, Lozan?” she whisperedwhen she opened the bag. “Why areyou giving me all this money?”

“I just want you to keep it for me,Mama.”

Lozan kissed his mother andwatched her board the train. As itslowly pulled away from the station,his eyes filled with tears. He wished hecould tell her about his plan; hewished he could say “Mama, I loveyou.” He didn’t know when he wouldsee her again. Jesus, he prayed, pleasekeep Mama safe, and when I see heragain I’ll tell her how much I love her.

The next day Lozan and his family,with suitcases in hand, locked the doorof their apartment for the last time,leaving behind nearly everything theyowned. Without looking back, theyheaded for the airport and the flightthat would take them to WestGermany—and freedom. ■

Epilogue: Lozan, Donna, and ElizaAndonov now live in Olney, Maryland,where Lozan runs a furniture upholster-

ing business part-time and also works atthe Kennedy Center for the PerformingArts in Washington, D.C., creating propsfor musical and stage performances. Theirelder daughter, Monika, attends medicalschool at Loma Linda University.

Lozan occasionally travels to Bulgariato visit his father and take Christian litera-ture to the believers in his former congre-gation. Lozan’s mother has passed to herrest. He never saw her again after sayinggoodbye to her at the train station.

*All texts are quoted from the NewInternational Version.

Claudette Tang-Kwok is alegal secretary who works inWashington, D.C. Sheattends the Seventh-dayAdventist church inBeltsville, Maryland.IL

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But where do we go from here? We must know ourorigin before we can figure out our destiny.

T H E O L O G Y

BY GARY PATTERSON

The following article was condensed from a sermon prepared inobservance of the fiftieth anniversary of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.—Editors.

SO GOD CREATED HUMANKIND IN HISimage, in the image of God he created them; maleand female he created them. God blessed them, andGod said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fillthe earth and subdue it’ ” (Gen. 1:27, 28, NRSV).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (see sidebar)is a secular document proclaimed by the General Assemblyof the United Nations. But it carries deep religious and spiri-tual significance. And it may well be that, in terms of itsintended impact on individuals and society, it can achieve itsfull results only in the context of religious practice and indi-vidual commitment to the principles of Sacred Scripture.

We Must Understand Our OriginRecently while I was driving across town near my office,

my mind wandered. I lost track of where I was and for awhile could not recognize a single landmark—no streets, nobuildings, no familiar scenes. Put plainly, I was lost.

I was reminded once again of the importance of knowingone’s point of origin. Looking at the map I had with mewould have been of no value, since I did not know where Iwas. And without a point of origin, finding the desired desti-nation was impossible. The crisis passed only when, as I con-tinued to drive, I came to some recognizable landmarks.

The broader application to life was obvious. It’s only inknowing our point of origin that it’s possible to know our

destiny. In this context the Creation motif of the first chapters of Genesis becomes normative both for the presentreality of our lives and the destiny of the world. In human-kind God has given “a specimen of Himself.” 1 Such aknowledge of origin and purpose for our lives not onlyinforms, but mandates relationships among people as lovingand supportive brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Embedded in the preamble to the Universal Declarationof Human Rights are words that call for the best and highestmotives of the committed Christian. It speaks, for example,of “the conscience of mankind” and of “freedom of speechand belief.” It speaks of “faith” in the worth and dignity ofthe human person, concepts fraught with religious implica-tions. And in articles 2 and 18 the declaration enunciatesthe principle of the freedom of religion and belief “in teach-ing, practice, worship and observance.”

In fact, had this document originated among religiousinstitutions, its scope would have been significantly reduced,for it would have run the risk of mingling church and statein a ruinous union, a prospect stoutly rejected by the decla-ration itself. Yet the implications are clear. It is in knowingthe shared principles of Scripture and the declaration thatthe God-given freedoms of human rights may reach theirhighest and most noble accomplishment.

In other words, it’s in knowing who we are—our origin—thatwe may understand human rights correctly. As Ellen White putsit, “every human being, created in the image of God, is endowedwith a power akin to that of the Creator—individuality, powerto think and to do.”2 With such a concept of origin—of the sis-terhood and brotherhood of the family of God—it would be

Born Free


basic heresy to reject the truth of humanrights as they are derived from and exer-cised in God’s image.

In the extension of such a concept,it would be a violation of the authorityof God Himself either to trample on orto fail to work for the rights of humanbeings created in His image. “Inasmuchas you have done it unto one of theleast of these brothers and sisters ofMine,” Jesus says, “you have done itunto Me” (see Matt. 25:40).

We Must Know Our WorthBefore sin entered the world, it was

enough to know who we were. Now,however—because of the tragic choicesof the parents of our race—it is equallyimportant to know whose we are. Forthere are now two opposing forces inthe world—the forces of good and theforces of evil, each claiming our alle-giance.

It’s a battle that has been ragingunabated since the Fall, the battle forthe souls of men and women. And God,unwilling that His children should bethe helpless dupes of the enemy, hasinterposed the option of choice. Hewould not allow us to be the unwillingcaptives of evil. But neither would Heimpose His will on us.

God was so determined that weshould have the choice of whose we arethat He came in the form of Jesus, ourRedeemer, to establish again that thedecision should be ours. The issues ofhuman rights are demonstrated notonly in thedesign and cre-ation of theworld (whichpoints to who weare) but also inthe redemptiveact of the cross(which gives usthe choice inregard to whose weare). It was on thecross that God, inChrist, paid the ransomfor our souls, both indi-vidually and as a fallenrace. And it was in this ulti-mate sacrifice that He demon-

strated His intent to preserve andrestore His original plan for the cre-ation of the world and humanity.

And We Must Be Sure Where We’re Headed

Knowing who we are and whose weare would be incomplete without aknowledge also of where we’re going. Amap is of no use unless you know yourpoint of origin and route of travel. Butit is likewise superfluous if you have nodestination.

In other words, it’s vital to knowabout our creation in the image of Godand about our redemption through thesacrifice of Christ. But we cannot affordto forget the question of destiny. Andthat destiny is nothing less thanrestoration to the full potential of ourcreation as sons and daughters of God.

Several years ago a strange accidentoccurred in a sport fencing duel. As theopponents sparred with each other foradvantage, the foil of one contestantinadvertently found its way up throughthe nose of the other, piercing the softtissues of the nasal canal and going onup into the brain. The result was a lossfor some time of the victim’s memory.For days the victim knew nothing of thepast beyond the previous five minutes.

Here was a manimprisoned in anunrelentingpres-

ent—a present that barred him fromrelationships with his family (whom hecould not remember), his work (ofwhich he had no recollection), and hisfriends. Nor could he even make newfriends, since five minutes would notbe enough time to form relationships.Even more devastating, perhaps, hehad no future, for future is possibleonly when we have a past, a heritage, ahistory from which to project.

Today it seems that the world isrushing headlong into the unknown,unsure of its origins and imprisoned inan unrelenting present. In this modethe scramble for power and territoryand sustenance all but obliterates therights of humanity created in theimage of God.

In the search for a heritage and afuture, the efforts of secular humanismhave at times appeared to do noblethings. Yet no matter how noble suchefforts may appear, when the point oforigin is in the motif of “survival ofthe fittest,” this default position willultimately reject the very principles ofhuman rights that secular humanismprofesses to uphold.

With no moral absolutes on whichto draw, society sinks to insecure rela-tivism, leading inevitably to narcissismand nihilism. That’s precisely asLucifer would have it. The image ofGod is thus destroyed in humanity.

Yet even in the secular world—among those schooled in twenti-

eth-century science and phi-losophy—there is an awaken-ing to the realization that theneeds of humanity and theindividual cannot be foundapart from God. In his 1997book God—The Evidence,Patrick Glynn, scholar inresidence at GeorgeWashington University,makes the following com-ment on secular ethics: “Itwas skin-deep morality, for

at some level one hadthe secret atheist

insight: if Godis dead,

then

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everything is permitted.” 3

“If you come to imagine that there isno moral order to the universe,” he con-tinues in this line of argument, “thenthe incentives to good conduct, particu-larly in private life, are, unfortunately,much weakened. There is little to justifygreat self-sacrifice or deep personal com-mitment. Indeed, it is hard . . . to feel orexpress love to the fullest extent. Evenif one cares for others and thinks onecares greatly, one is inclined to be guid-ed in the final analysis by one’s selfishwishes. What is there in the nihilist’suniverse to call forth sacrifice? Andwithout willingness to sacrifice, one’scapacity to care for others is narrowlycircumscribed.” 4

Of Lies and Half-truthsWhat then of origins? What of our

identity? “Ironically,” Glynn con-

cludes, “the picture of the universebequeathed to us by the mostadvanced twentieth-century science iscloser in spirit to the vision presentedin the book of Genesis than anythingoffered by science since Copernicus.” 5

Perhaps we are now coming to thepoint where we have nearly exhaustedthe perversions of that great lie in theGarden of Eden. “You will not surelydie,” the devil had said, “for Godknows that when you eat of it youreyes will be opened, and you will belike God, knowing good and evil”(Gen. 3:4, 5, NIV).

There was, indeed, a half-truth inthis statement. They already knewgood—in fact, that was all they knew.Would to God that were all any of uswould ever know. And it was true—they would know evil when they ate.But the deception was that in serving

Lucifer there was some advantage inknowing evil. Now it is all too clear.Centuries and millennia of life haveonly proved the reality that any devia-tion from the plan of God leads todestruction. Not that God is intent ondestroying His children who disobey.Rather, destruction is inherent in evilitself. The choice is ours.

Contrary to the great lie in the gar-den, true freedom exists only in har-mony with God’s law of love. Life out-side that law is slavery to evil.

And one day evil will come to anend. The universe will be restoredagain to its harmonious and pristinesetting as it came fresh from the handof the Creator. And God will savethose who by their own free choicehave sought His kingdom of peace andjoy, based on their acceptance of theredemptive grace of Christ. Our fullhuman rights as creatures in God’simage will be restored as in the begin-ning. And we will go back, so tospeak, to the future.

“The great controversy is ended.Sin and sinners are no more. Theentire universe is clean. One pulse ofharmony and gladness beats throughthe vast creation. From Him who cre-ated all flow life and light and glad-ness, throughout the realms of illim-itable space. From the minutest atomto the greatest world, all things, ani-mate and inanimate, in their unshad-owed beauty and perfect joy, declarethat God is love.” 6 ■

1 Medical Ministry, p. 221.2 Education, p. 17.3 Patrick Glynn, God—The Evidence: The

Reconciliation of Faith and Reason in a PostsecularWorld, p. 13.

4 Ibid., pp. 13, 14.5 Ibid., p. 26.6 The Great Controversy, p. 678.

When he wrote this article,Gary Patterson was thedirector of the Office ofMission Awareness at theGeneral Conference, SilverSpring, Maryland.

Excerpts From the Declaration Cited in the Present ArticlePreamble

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rightsof all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peacein the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarousacts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a worldin which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedomfrom fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the commonpeople, . . . Now, therefore, the General Assembly proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achieve-ment for all peoples and all nations. . . .Article I.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They areendowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in aspirit of brotherhood. Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration,without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political orother opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. . . .Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; thisright includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either aloneor in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion orbelief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

The full declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (without dissent) December 10, 1948.


ANDREA STEELE

Christmas Eve. The chill winter air hung like acurtain around a small building in a city innorthern China. Inside all was warmth, light,and excitement as a small group of Adventistsprepared their “church” for a special program

to commemorate the birthof Jesus.

Then the believersbegan to hear scufflingfootsteps and voices out-side and turned toward thedoor with concern. Woulda raid prevent them fromhaving their worship ser-vice? Would some of themspend Christmas compro-mised in some way?

Their fear turned toamazement as the doorburst open and in tumbleda group of young people—not one or five or 10, butseveral dozen, talking,laughing, and bumpingagainst each other as theyfilled up the small space.

For a few momentseverything grew quiet asthe two groups faced eachother. Then one youngman stepped forward,bowed, and said respect-fully, “Are you the peoplewho know about Jesus?”

Always wary of con-trived interference, theAdventists hesitated; thenone said boldly, “Yes, weknow about Jesus.”

Pleased murmurs andsmiles broke out amongthe young people, andtheir spokesperson contin-ued: “Good! We’ve been

listening to the Voice of Hope on our radios, and they talk a lotabout someone called Jesus. We like the programs and havebeen trying to find someone who can tell us more. A man inthe town said that ‘Jesus people’ meet here. Can you help us?”

The Adventists responded to the youthful fervor withan equal amount ofexcitement, inviting theyoung people, mostlyuniversity students, to sitdown; then they beganto share the wonderfulstory of salvation. It waslate, nearly midnight,when students andAdventists finally leftthe building in smallgroups, quietly, thought-fully, full of the wondersof the night when Jesuswas born, the night whenJesus was born in manyyoung hearts for the firsttime.

Broadcasting 123 hoursto China each week, 18hours each day,Adventist World Radio iscarrying the gospel mes-sage to hundreds of thou-sands of people whomight not know Jesus inany other way. Pleasepray for people in Chinawho seek spiritual nour-ishment; pray they’ll tunetheir radios to the Voiceof Hope on AdventistWorld Radio.

Andrea Steele is director ofpublic relations and devel-opment for Adventist WorldRadio.

A Christmas Eve FirstA D V E N T I S T W O R L D R A D I O


TO EVERY NATION: Li Wai San, a 70-year-old retired engineer in China, sayshis painting expresses the theme of the three angels of Revelation 14. Liserves as a volunteer monitor for Adventist World Radio broadcasts in China.Li, his wife, and children are Seventh-day Adventists who attend church regu-larly in China. Li’s father was an Adventist pastor; his mother and father wereboth imprisoned because of their faith, and his father died in prison. Li him-self spent 12 years in prison on account of his faith in Christ.

They Still Go

Adventist Volunteer ServiceThe following persons left their homes

during the year to volunteer their time toassist in mission work in other countriesfor short-term service. Please rememberthem in your prayers.

Kenneth Minsung Kim, to serve asEnglish/Bible teacher, Korea Seventh-dayAdventist Language Institutes, Seoul, Korea, ofOdessa, Florida, left Atlanta, Georgia, June 20,1998.

Wagner Kuhn, to serve as country director,ADRA/Azerbaijan, Baku, Azerbaijan, GiseleKuhn, and one child, of Loma Linda, California,left July 21, 1998.

Jill Allison LaFever, to serve as dentalhygienist, Adventist Dental Clinic, Yaounde,Cameroon, of Donna, Texas, left Nashville,Tennessee, August 1998.

Paulo Sergio Lutke, to serve as associateproject director, ADRA/Azerbaijan, Baku,

Azerbaijan, of Riverside, California, left May 17,1998.

Samuel Donaldo Schmidt, to serve as theol-ogy professor, River Plate Adventist University,Entre Rios, Argentina, of Yucaipa, California,left March 1, 1998.

At RestBIGGS, Thomas H.—b. July 19, 1911; d.

June 15, 1998. A graduate of Loma LindaUniversity Medical School, he served as a med-ical missionary in Ghana, West Africa. He is sur-vived by three sons, Robert, Stanley, and ThomasH. Biggs, Jr.; and three daughters, Marilyn Sykes,Ruth McKerrow, and Janet Crase.

DEAN, Cyril—b. 1923, Calcutta, India; d.Aug. 12, 1998, Six Mile, S.C. He served in edu-cation for 40 years and developed and directedphysical education programs for Pacific Union,Southern Missionary, and Canadian Union col-leges. He is survived by his wife, Norma Jean;two daughters, Beverly Swafford and ShirleyDean; and two sisters, Una Flynn and VeraHargreaves; and two grandsons.

HAGELE, Emil M.—b. Apr. 23, 1910,Bowdle, S.Dak.; d. July 7, 1998, Staunton, Va.He taught elementary school in South Dakotaand Iowa. In 1944 he became treasurer and Bibleteacher at Oak Park Academy. He was secretary-treasurer of the South Dakota, West Virginia,Pennsylvania, and Potomac conferences andretired in 1976. He is survived by his wife of 62years, Ethel; one daughter, Bonnie Louden; onesister, Delpha Johnson; and two grandchildren.

LENO, Lloyd—b. Nov. 14, 1925, Willa,N.Dak.; d. July 28, 1998, Vancouver, Wash. Hetaught elementary and secondary schools, and atUnion College. For 25 years he taught musiceducation at Walla Walla College for a total of

more than 40 years in denominational educa-tion. He toured with the Walla Walla Collegebrass choir and percussion ensemble in the 1970sand continued his musical interests and activi-ties after retirement. He is survived by his wife,Donna; two sons, Michael and Douglas; four sis-ters, Ruth Daws, Edith Smith, ElaineGildersleeve, and Lorraine Poulin; three broth-ers, Aaron, Arlie, and Lester; mother-in-law,Grace Hudson; and seven grandchildren.

LUCAS, Ivy E.—b. 1907, Brazil, Ind.; d.June 9, 1998, Tullahoma, Tenn. She served as ateacher in denominational schools until herretirement in 1970. Her husband, TheodoreLucas, died in 1986. She is survived by onedaughter, Cathy Snyder; two granddaughters;and one great-granddaughter.

MILLER, Johina White—b. Oct. 31, 1902,Glasgow, Scotland; d. July 9, 1998,Hendersonville, N.C. She served as a Bibleinstructor in England and later became a proof-reader at the Stanborough Press. In 1947 shebecame an editor at the Oriental WatchmanPublishing House in Poona, India, and was therefor almost 12 years. She came to the MinisterialAssociation of the General Conference as a copyeditor for Ministry in 1958 and worked there for12 years. She returned to England and in 1977married William Miller, from Pennsylvania, andthe couple returned to the United States. Hedied in March 1986.

MORNEAU, Roger—b. April 18, 1925, St.Jacques, New Brunswick, Canada; d. Sept. 22,1998, Modesto, Calif. He worked in sales from1948 until he retired in 1984. He was the authorof numerous books and was known for the faith-ful prayer ministry that he conducted with hiswife, Hilda, until the time of his death. He issurvived by his wife, Hilda; two sons, Donald R.and Daniel R.; one daughter, Linda A. Morneau-Hatley; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grand-children.

PAULSON, Lawrence—age 97; d. Sept. 11,1998, Canon City, Colo. He was a longtimePathfinder leader in North America and wasinvolved in the beginnings of the Pathfinder pro-gram, serving in California for many years. He washonored as “Mr. Pathfinder” at larger camporees inthe West and participated in his last PathfinderCamporee in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Sue.

RIFFEL, Benjamin—b. Feb. 14, 1914,Crespo, Argentina; d. May 13, 1998, Los Altos,Calif. He served as a pastor, publishing house rep-resentative, and colporteur leader for more than45 years, working in various countries throughoutCentral, South, and North America, and Europe.He also authored two books. He is survived by hiswife, Lidia; one son, Raul; one daughter, MarlynRiffel-Krun; and two grandchildren.

TURNER, Jack—b. May 17, 1913,Chicago, Ill.; d. Nov. 13, 1997, Camarillo, Calif.He served in the denomination for 37 years as ateacher and administrator in the printing field.He worked in California, Texas, New York,Trinidad, and Africa. He was also a World WarII veteran. He is survived by his wife, Naomi;and one daughter, Janene Turner.



CALVIN B. ROCK

Do Seventh-day Adventists believe in hiringnon-Adventist (even non-Christian) musi-cians to play the instruments during our wor-ship services on a reg-ular basis? They do it

at some churches I know.There are a number of reasons to

suggest that it is not the best ofarrangements. The first is that anindividual who helps conduct thepresentation of gospel truth eachSabbath over a protracted period oftime without accepting and obeyingit is a negative example to otherattendees, particularly our children and guests.

The second is that, as in all other efforts for Christ, onlythe Holy Spirit’s blessings can make one’s service truly effec-tive. Those who hear truth and do not obey, although tal-ented and attractive, cannot be instruments of the Spirit’suse, as might be one who is less talented yet believes andkeeps God’s commandments.

A third reason is the commercial or “for hire” lookthat such arrangements give the worship service. Non-Adventist musicians who contract to play for our worshipservices often do so on a regular basis for other denomi-nations as well. The business relationship that resultsclashes with the spirit of voluntary praise that drives truecongregational worship.

If the hiring of musicians must be done, an Adventistbeliever should be the first choice; a sincere non-AdventistChristian whose person (dress and lifestyle) is not problem-atic, second. Hiring non-Christian musicians for such ser-vices is, in my opinion, not an option.

The following counsel from Ellen White apparently refersto the participation of non-Christian vocalists in Adventistworship services, not Christian instrumentalists. However, Ibelieve the advice is instructive.

“Do not hire worldly musicians if this can possibly beavoided. Gather together singers who will sing with the spiritand with the understanding also” (Evangelism, p. 509).

“How can those who have no interest in the Word ofGod, who have never read His Word with a sincere desire tounderstand its truths, be expected to sing with the spirit andthe understanding? How can their hearts be in harmony

with the words of sacred song? How can the heavenly choirjoin in music that is only a form?” (ibid., pp. 508, 509).

We are told by EllenWhite that the time willcome when dairy prod-

ucts will no longer be safe. Howwill we know when that timecomes? Will the GeneralConference give a pronouncement?And what advice do you haveregarding preparation for this andthe other troublesome times?

The statement of Ellen White is:“The time will come when we may have to discard some ofthe articles of diet we now use, such as milk and cream andeggs” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 206). And I suspectthat while no special pronouncement will be made, appro-priate commentary will appear in various publications aswell as in preaching and teaching venues.

How does one get ready for this and the even moreserious crises ahead? By functioning faithfully in presentcircumstances; what one does in crisis situations is shapedby the way one performs in ordinary times, as expressedin the saying “Hard times do not make martyrs, they onlyreveal them.”

In other words, failure to conquer appetite and otherweaknesses of the flesh now is what will make the moresevere tests of tomorrow overwhelming. This was preciselythe meaning of God’s challenge to Jeremiah when Heasked, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they havewearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, theywearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling ofJordan?” (Jer. 12:5).

On the other hand, victory over present temptationsbreeds confidence in God’s many assurances (e.g., Ps. 46;Isa. 43:2; 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 12:9) of conquering grace.

Calvin B. Rock is a general vice president of theGeneral Conference. He holds doctoral degrees inministry and Christian ethics.

Listening to theMelodies of the Spirit

F A I T H A L I V E !

Victory breedsconfidence in

God’s assurances.


One time when I wasabout 12 years old I wassitting at the tabledoing my homeworkwhen I saw a mouse.

The next thing I knew, I had jumpedup on my chair.

This surprised me. Why was Istanding on the chair? Such a tinymouse—only about three inches long,if you didn’t count the tail.

Why was I standing on the chair? Iloved animals, even rodents—even myfriend’s hamster that bit me every timeI tried to pick it up.

Why was I standing on the chair?In cartoons I had seen silly ladies

scream and jump onto chairs whenthey saw a mouse. I had laughed atthem—they looked ridiculous.

So why was I standing on the chair? When the little mouse scampered

away, I sheepishlyclimbed

down—thankful

that mybrother

(the world’sbiggest teaser) hadn’t seen me.

I had never seen a mouse in thehouse before. My reaction surprised me.

If you had seen me earlier that dayand asked, “If you see a mouse, willyou scream and jump on a chair?” Iwould have laughed at you and said,“Of course not. I’m not afraid of amouse.”

Other people often surprise us. Wethink we know them, and then they do

Eek!ROSY TETZ

things we never expected them to do. What’s amazing is that we also

surprise ourselves and do things wenever thought we would do. You canspend your whole life learning toknow yourself.

The last book in the Bible iscalled Revelation. Do you knowwhat the word “revelation” means?It means truth that has been hiddenis revealed, shown, discovered.Revelation is a good description ofwhat the Bible does.

We find truth in the Bible. Godreveals Himself there. He says, “Here Iam! I stand at the door and knock”(Revelation 3:20, ICB).

And the Bible can reveal the truthabout you. You may not know yourselfthat well, but God does.

King David often surprised himselfby what he did and by what he foundout about himself. He wasn’t alwayspleased by what he discovered, but heaccepted it and asked God to help himdo better.

At the beginning of one of hissongs David wrote, “Lord, you haveexamined me. You know all about me”(Psalm 139:1, ICB). At the end, hesang, “Lead me in the way you set longago” (verse 24, ICB).

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BY CAROLYN BRIGGS

My two brothers and I grew up as children ofmissionary parents assigned to work in adeveloping country surrounded by lovely,caring, but verypoor people. We

developed friendships with thechildren and had wonderful timestogether. In spite of the poverty,lack of toys, and other materialthings, we kept occupied with sim-ple games such as jacks, hop-scotch, jump rope, football, andbuilding forts, houses, and the like.The mission compound was sur-rounded by jungle, and explo-ration was exciting and fun.

Because my parents wanted todevelop in us a compassionate andgiving spirit, we were encouragedto share with our friends. Our par-ents wanted us to emulate theexample of Jesus and the lessons He taught, such as: “Freelyyou have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:9, NIV). AtChristmastime we would pick one family with children andprovide some Christmas items for them. For my brother andme this was very exciting. My mother was a good seamstress,and she would begin by making clothes—an outfit for eachchild in the “Christmas family.” Then I would help hermake a rag doll, and my brothers would make or buy toys forthe boys in the Christmas family.

Along with the toys, we would pack a box of foodwith home-baked bread and cookies; these were fooditems they rarely had. On Christmas Eve we would all goover to the Christmas family, deliver our packages, singsome carols, and watch their faces light up with joy. Wetoo would be overcome with happiness and experiencethe promise that “whoever sows generously will also reapgenerously” (2 Cor. 9:6, NIV).

I remember doing this several times during my childhood,but the thought never occurred to me that something likethis would ever happen with me as the recipient. My hus-band and I live comfortably. We aren’t needy, but I havefound that “needy” presents itself in different ways. Ourgrown daughters live nearby, and as they were growing up,

we tried to instill in them the idea of compassion and theimportance of caring for others, telling them that “he whosupplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply

and increase your store of seed”(verse 10, NIV).

One fall I developed an illnessthat made it impossible for us to cel-ebrate Christmas in the usual way. Ijust didn’t feel good enough to dec-orate or cook, and my husband andI decided to keep things simple. Nosending of cards, no tree, no deco-rating. We would provide a few giftsto share with our daughters and par-ents, but simplicity would be theorder of the day.

A week before Christmas, about4:00 p.m., I answered the doorbellto find my youngest daughter, afriend, her husband, and theirthree daughters with a beautiful

fresh-cut Christmas tree. They came in, set up the tree, anddecorated it while I sat and watched. The children did abeautiful job, and the tree was lovely. Three days beforeChristmas another friend came over with a whole Christmasdinner prepared to perfection. All I would have to do wasturn on the oven.

That evening another friend came by with a gorgeoustwo-foot-high poinsettia plant to decorate my entry table.The next day the florist delivered a beautiful Christmas cen-terpiece from the institution where my husband works.

It was a Christmas I will always remember—made possi-ble by people who cared.

As I mentally reviewed my parents’ example of selfless liv-ing and the “simple Christmas” my husband and I hadplanned, my mind turned to Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast thy breadupon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” ■

Carolyn Briggs writes from Cherry Valley,California.

Bread on WaterR E F L E C T I O N S


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