World Edition · strategy and use it for making donations. Certainly the confer-ence treasurer would have (in fact, should have) let the donor des-ignate the application of the sale

March 12, 1998

World Edition

Glenn Coon, Sr.I really appreciate Ella Rydzewski’sbeautiful tribute (“A Nail on theWall,” Jan. 8 World Edition) to myfather, Glenn Coon, Sr.

My father pastored in an era whenyou could lose your job if you did notget your Ingathering goal or baptizeenough new members. (He baptized2,000.) And the pressure brought himclose to a breakdown. Once in a fit ofdiscouragement, he said, “What doyou get from working for the church?Forty years of service andan obituary!” He now hasboth. Thanks.

— G l e n n C o o n , J r.

V I A E - M A I L

Donated PropertyI hope that Calvin Rock’sreply (Faith Alive, Jan. 8)to the donor who gener-ously gave a $40,000property to the churchdoesn’t discourage thedonor and other potentialgivers. That donor was aprudent steward and anastute businessperson inavoiding $7,000 capitalgains taxation by donat-ing appreciated property.Others should follow thisstrategy and use it formaking donations.

Certainly the confer-ence treasurer wouldhave (in fact, shouldhave) let the donor des-ignate the application of

the sale proceeds as tithe rather thaninsisting they be “unrestricted.” IfRock is concerned about “prepaidtithe,” would he rather have thedonor sell the property, pay the tax,put the net proceeds in the bank (oreven in the conference “storehouse”),and dole it out over the next 10years? Let’s be realistic!

— F r a n k M c M i l l a n

A P O P K A , F L O R I D A

A New ResolveIn “A New Resolve” (January NADEdition), columnist John Nixonstates, “The Pharisees of Christ’sday had correct doctrine, but it didnot save them.” I concur with theidea that correct doctrine will notsave you. However, I question the accuracy of saying that thePharisees had correct doctrine whenthey were legalists to the max andalso had a very distorted view of the Sabbath.

— G l e n B a l l a r d

V I A E - M A I L

Addictions andRecoveryThank you so much forprinting Roger Belcourt’s“Grounded” (JanuaryNAD Edition). I am arecovering addict whoalso lived two lives as alifetime Adventist. It isawesome to go throughthe agony of two lives,pray and struggle, strug-gle and pray, get up, falldown, get up, fall down.I truly feel that the 12-step recovery programsare of God. In fact, thereis a lot to learn in theChristian life andchurch communicationfrom the 12 steps. ManyfundamentalistChristians, Adventistincluded, have no clueabout how to help an

LETTERS

2 (354) A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W , M A R C H 1 2 , 1 9 9 8

A Contest for Fresh VoicesIf you don’t get the weekly Review, you missed our announce-

ment of a special contest for Adventists age 35 or younger (see RoyAdams’ “Fresh Voices,” in the Jan. 8 World Edition). Here again arethe specifications and guidelines:

1. Write an essay about one of the Adventist Church’s 27 fun-damental beliefs. Tell what the doctrine is all about, what it meansto you personally, and how it’s made a difference in your life or inthe life of someone you know. (You may find it helpful to refreshyour mind on the 27 fundamentals by consulting the AdventistChurch Manual, your baptismal certificate, or another source.)

2. Articles should be 1,700 words or fewer, typewritten, anddouble-spaced.

3. The Review staff will award three prizes—a grand prize of$700 and two runner-up prizes of $500 each. Other articlesaccepted will merit an honorarium according to our regular rates.

4. To qualify, your article (on paper and on a three-inch disk, ifpossible) should reach us no later than July 31, 1998. Pleaseinclude your complete address and telephone number (if any);your age; a photo of yourself; a one-sentence bio giving your occu-pation (student, homemaker, electrician, whatever), and yourSocial Security number (if you live in the U.S.). Because of timeconsiderations and logistics, nothing sent to us can be returned.

5. Send your article to: AnchorPoints Contest, Adventist Review,12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A.

And if you don’t already subscribe to the weekly Review, call 1-800-456-3991.

addict and often use only con-demnation and prayer.

— N a m e W i t h h e l d

Trademark CaseLast week I spent considerable time onthe Sabbath school lesson on 1Corinthians 5 and 6. In this passage,Paul, under inspiration, strongly disap-proved the practice of members takingother members to court. He said, “Darehe take it before the ungodly for judg-ment?’’ (1 Cor. 6:1, NIV). Then Ipicked up the January NAD Editionand read “GC to Enter Trademark Casein New York” (Newsbreak). Does Paul’sadvice still hold? Would it not be betterto “be wronged,” to “be cheated,” asPaul suggests (verse 7, NIV)?

— L u c i l e L e w i s

Y O U N T V I L L E , C A L I F O R N I A

I disagree with the involvement of thecourt systems to solve disagreementswithin the church. This matter shouldhave been taken to the Lord. One hasto get out of the driver’s seat, give it tothe Lord, and be willing to acceptGod’s providence, especially when itdoes not agree with one’s idea of thesolution.

— J o h n F e n d e r

F O L E Y, A L A B A M A

“Close Personal Relationship”I keep reading and hearing about theimportance of a “close personal rela-tionship with Christ.” It is seen asimperative if we are to be seriousChristians en route to the kingdom.

I also keep wondering what this“close personal relationship” means.Does it involve a mystic quality?When one prays, does Jesus seem to bealmost physically present, listeningand responding as if He were rightthere by one’s side?

Maybe I’m lacking something. I’m aconscientious person who wants to do

God’s will, but am not deeply religiouslike some people I know. When I pray,nothing mystical is involved, no feel-ing of a semighostly presence in theroom to comfort, reassure, and en-lighten. I believe God hears mebecause the Bible says He does.

Is a close and personal relationshipautomatically present if people readthe Bible or other religious literaturefrequently and pray for help in mattersgreat and small? Do some people thengain an impression that God is leadingthem whatever their subsequent deci-sions may be? What kind of impres-sion? A hunch? Something more thanthat? What?

Sometimes I wonder how often peo-ple talk about this relationship becauseit is the approved and religiously correctthing to say. But usually I suspect thatsome Christians really do have an expe-rience that hasn’t been mine. Assumingthe latter to be true, could we hear fromsomeone who has discussed this phe-nomenon with a number of committedChristians who claim this experience?Please explain as explicitly and con-cretely as possible just what a close per-sonal relationship is.

— R e o M . C h r i s t e n s o n

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

Please send responses to Close PersonalRelationship, Adventist Review, 12501Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD20904. We’ll print several in a futureissue.—Editors.

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C O V E R P H O T O : W H I L E S E R V I N G A S A

G L O B A L M I S S I O N P I O N E E R , A U G U S T I N A

PA S U A N G ( S TA N D I N G L E F T ) I N T R O -D U C E D T H E V I L L A G E C H I E F, C A LV E N

T I M B A N G C A N G ( S TA N D I N G M I D D L E ) , T O

C H R I S T. C A LV E N A N D A U G U S T I N A W E R E

M A R R I E D , A N D A R E N O W S E R V I N G A S A

G L O B A L M I S S I O N P I O N E E R T E A M . T H E Y

A R E P I C T U R E D W I T H K A L I M A N TA N

M I S S I O N P R E S I D E N T D J O K O S O E WA R S O

( R I G H T ) , T H E I R O W N C H I L D R E N , A N D

S O M E N E I G H B O R H O O D C H I L D R E N .

Christ in Kalimantan
haring the gospel in a Muslim coun-ry is not without its obstacles, but itlso features incredible rewards.
B Y J A C K I E O R D E L H E I D E S M I T H

LES

entlemen, Pleaseemove Your Hatshat does the Bible really say

bout the roles of husbands andives?

B Y B A R R I N G T O N H . B R E N N E N

o You Hear Voices?t seems that everyone has a mes-age; how do you know which onesod wants you to hear?

B Y D A V I D N . M A R S H A L L

When Healing Camehere was an obvious need. Andne that was not so obvious.

B Y R A Y P U E N

The Manna Principlet’s new every morning.

B Y R . S . N O R M A N

RTMENTS

Letters

Give & Take

Bible Questions Answered

Adventism 101

World News & Perspectives

Faith Alive!

Bulletin Board

Children’s Corner

Reflections

RIALS

Bringing the Kingdom

Now It’s Lazarus’ Turn

WEEK

ing Up the Church congregation looking a little flabby?

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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.

Publishing Board: Robert S. Folkenberg, chair; Phil Follett, vice-chair; Lowell Cooper; William G. Johnsson; A. C. McClure;Dorothy Watts; Ted N. C. Wilson; Martin Ytreberg; RobertNixon, legal advisor

Executive Publisher and Editor William G. JohnssonAssociate Editors Roy Adams, Bill Knott Managing Editor Myrna TetzNews Editor Carlos Medley Assistant Editors Stephen Chavez, Andy Nash Editorial Assistant Ella RydzewskiAdministrative Secretary Chitra Barnabas Editorial Secretaries Mary Maxson, Jean SequeiraArt Director Bill Kirstein Designer Bill TymesonDesign Assistant Alan ForquerDesktop Production Stephanie KapingAd Sales Melynie TooleySubscriber Services Steve HansonMarketing Coordinator Ray Tetz

Consulting Editors: Robert S. Folkenberg, MatthewBediako, Phil Follett, Robert J. Kloosterhuis, A. C.McClure, Jan Paulsen, Leo Ranzolin, R. F. Rawson,Calvin B. Rock, G. Ralph Thompson Special Contributors: P. D. Chun, L. T. Daniel, L. J.Evans, Ulrich Frikart, Lee Huff, Israel Leito, Ruy H.Nagel, L. D. Raelly, Ron Watts, Bertil Wiklander

To Writers: We welcome unsolicited manuscripts. (Pleasequery before submitting long articles.) Include address,telephone number, and Social Security number, whereavailable. Address all editorial correspondence to 12501Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600.Editorial office fax number: (301) 680-6638.

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Subscriptions: US$38.97 for 40 issues, US$50.97 for 52issues. Add $10.20 postage for addresses outside NorthAmerica. To order, send your name, address, and paymentto your local Adventist Book Center or Adventist ReviewSubscription Desk, Box 1119, Hagerstown, MD 21741.Single copy, US$2.50. Prices subject to change without notice.Subscription queries and changes of address: Call l-800-456-3991, 301-791-7000, ext. 2439. or E-mail [email protected].

Postmaster: Send address changes to Adventist Review, 55West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740.

Scriptures credited to ICB are quoted from the InternationalChildren’s Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1983, 1986,1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by per-mission. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, NewInternational Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984,International Bible Society. Used by permission of ZondervanBible Publishers. Texts credited to NKJV are from the NewKing James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bibletexts credited to RSV are from the Revised Standard Versionof the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, by the Division ofChristian Education of the National Council of the Churchesof Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.Vol. 175, No. 11

BILL KNOTT

Out of all the stuff of yesterday—the thoughtsunspoken, the words uttered, the miles dri-ven—it was a half-heard story that matteredmost for the kingdom.

She lingered at theclose of the party last night, search-ing for ways to make the conversa-tion last. Outside in the driveway,her cold minivan promised onlymore responsibility: more miles togo before she slept, an endless jour-ney to keep the others in her life fedand schooled and well and happy.

It would be easier, she admitted,if Aunt Mildred slept better atnight. Caring for a 91-year-old relative in her home meantlistening to each nighttime cough, each creaking floorboard,almost as intently as when she had a baby or a teenager inthe house.

And she still had both a baby and a teenager in thehouse. Her daughter’s child, just six months old, absorbed atleast 10 hours of her day as the 18-year-old struggled to fin-ish high school. At one end of the day this fortysomethinggrandmother could hear Aunt Mildred moaning, prayingthat the Lord would simply let her die. And at breakfastevery morning, she would fold her granddaughter’s chubbyhands and teach a little child to bless the brand-new day.

I marveled at her pleasantness as I gleaned her story fromacross the living room. Three women—tiny, teenaged, andtired—all depended on her caring. And still she smiled andlaughed as though her life were not one great unendingchore. Several months ago, before Aunt Mildred came tostay, it had been just her and the baby through each day.Then she could at least get outside, run errands, look atother people’s lawns. But taking an arthritic aunt to Wal-Mart or the doctor’s office was infinitely harder than trans-porting a baby who only knows to smile or sleep. Most dayswere now spent wordlessly, sharing silence with a womanwho had few words left to say and with a child who had yetto speak even one.

She needed a few minutes to herself, she admitted, if onlyto clear her head, if only to find that long-hid joyous selfthat still sang a tremulous alto in the church choral group.Perhaps that’s why she lingered, shy and half embarrassed, in

the embrace of a friend’s home, knowing these might be heronly moments of freedom for the week.

In her careworn face last night I saw the faces of a hun-dred folks I’ve known in half adozen churches—mostly women,mostly quiet—who labor for thecause of Christ in unsung, evenunsingable roles. While we preachthe coming kingdom, my experi-ence tells me they are alreadyinhabiting it. While we praise themissionary who has crossed a dozenseas, they create the Red Sea inthe folds of an old blue blanketspread for children on the floor.

While we applaud the scholar whose creative exegesiscasts a whole new light upon the text, they will count thisday good if, in between the laundry and the last “goodnight,” they can find 10 minutes with the Morning Watch.

In His kingdom, according to Jesus, it is not the sermonsor the structures that matter most. Chances are, these wordsI write will not endure. I suspect that much of what westrive to build, albeit in His name, will never merit mentionin the kingdom’s Hall of Fame. But those who cook themeals, wash the clothes, teach the grandchildren to pray andcomfort the aging are so much the joy of heaven that I imag-ine whole cantatas sung for caregivers of whom the churchwill only rarely hear.

Truth becomes true when it is lived, when good doc-trines join good deeds, and great grace is widely prac-ticed. To the hundreds, even thousands, whose days (andnights) are filled with cups of cold water,pieces of memory verses, and stories youhave heard so many times, I say,“‘Greater love has no one than this’:*you have laid down your life foranother. You bring the kingdom.”

“For not with swords’ loud clashing,

Nor roll of stirring drums,With deeds of love and mercyThe heavenly kingdom comes.”

* John 15:13, NKJV.

Bringing the KingdomE D I T O R I A L

I imagine wholecantatas sung for

caregivers.

A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W , M A R C H 1 2 , 1 9 9 8 (357) 5

STEPHEN CHAVEZ

Of all Jesus’ parables, it may be the mostignored. It is certainly the most misunder-stood—especially among Adventists whospend more time try-ing to explain what it

doesn’t say than what it does say.I’m referring to the parable of the

rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).Adventists tend to ignore it becausewe resist looking past the literary vehi-cle Jesus used in telling the story, andso fail to unpack the lessons He wastrying to communicate.

Let’s review: The rich man hadeverything that Lazarus didn’t have:a comfortable home, family and friends, fine clothes, abun-dant food—enough material goods to insulate him from theneeds of society’s less fortunate.

Lazarus’ only companions were the dogs who came andlicked his sores. Imagine him, lying there, wrapped in rags, dis-gustingly filthy, nourished only by the few scraps and crumbs leftover after the rich man, his family, and his servants had eaten.

By and by both men died. And what a shock it must’vebeen when they discovered how their fortunes were nowreversed. The rich man was in agony, and Lazarus ended upsurrounded by celestial bliss. Imagine how Jesus’ hearerswere scandalized by the very notion. Remember that they,like many today, viewed material blessings as a token ofGod’s approbation. Poverty, on the other hand, was viewedas a sign of God’s disapproval.

The rich man begs Abraham for relief. But Abrahamreplies in essence, “You already had your good things; nowit’s Lazarus’ turn. You didn’t lift a finger to minister toLazarus’ needs, so don’t expect him to do anything for you.”

Then the rich man remembers his family. “I have fivebrothers,” he tells Abraham. “Let [Lazarus] warn them, sothat they will not also come to this place of torment.”

“They have Moses and the prophets,” says Abraham; “letthem listen to them.” This is a great fact, curiously overlookedby many of us who call ourselves Christians: the directive tocare for the needs of the poor existed long before Jesus’ state-ment “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothersof mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40, NIV). Calls for com-passionate service to widows, orphans, the disabled, the home-

less, and others punctuate the Old Testament. Moses andother Old Testament prophets remind us that true spiritualitydoes not exist in a climate that ignores social responsibility.

Yet many of us live in a society inwhich chronic poverty and thesymptoms that accompany it (crime,promiscuity, illiteracy, despair, emo-tional and physical abuse) are prac-tically ignored. Governmentattempts to provide solutions,although well-intentioned, often failto make a lasting difference.

Many churches have becomeislands of sociability—where peoplecan come to hear a concert, learn

about lowering their cholesterol, understand prophecy, orbecome financially secure—rather than outposts of compas-sion, where Christians venture into their communities tominister to the real needs of society’s less fortunate.

For too long our acts of compassion have revolved pri-marily around food distributed at Thanksgiving andChristmas. For too long our fund-raising efforts have goneprimarily to such projects as paving the church parking lot,redecorating the church restrooms, or putting an additiononto the fellowship room.

When Jesus announced the beginning of His public min-istry, He quoted from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of theLord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for theprisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release theoppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke4:18, 19, NIV). Many modern Christians have so “spiritual-ized” these words and rationalized away thereality of Christ’s mandate that they spendmore time and money polishing their indi-vidual and corporate résumés than meet-ing the needs of those at their verydoorsteps who are poor and “coveredwith sores” (Luke 16:20, NIV).

For the Christian, service to soci-ety’s less fortunate is an opportunityto cooperate with Jesus in proclaim-ing His love to the poor, the prisoners,the disabled, and the oppressed.

Now It’s Lazarus’ TurnE D I T O R I A L

Calls for compassion

punctuate the Old Testament.


GIVETAKE

&

ADVENTIST LIFE

For some reason we Adventists so often criticizeeach other until at times one wonders who Seventh-day Adventists really are. There are those who saythe southern Californians are far too liberal. Thereare those who speak in shock that soccer is played

on Sabbath afternoons at some ofour foreign schools. Then some

Europeans are criticized for“taking a little wine for thestomach’s sake.” Also, there are themeat eaters versus the vegetarians,and the subject of wedding rings. So it goes. The questionarises: Who is an Adventist?

When I was a small child my mother answered that ques-tion for me clearly and concisely. Each

year we went to Ohio camp meeting, andwhile in the state visited many of our

Adventist relatives. Aunt Tina’s house was different. She hadmeat in the refrigerator and pepper and salt on the table!(Pepper was definitely not permitted in our house, and theonly meat was the dog food.) I was curious to know whythere were so many differences.

As we drove back to Massachusetts, I asked, “Mom, is AuntTina an Adventist?”

“Well,” replied my mom, “she always reads the Review on Sabbath.”—Marjorie Punches von Pohle, Riverside, California

A couple years ago my husband and I made a trip to Thailand to do researchfor my dissertation project. There we met Dr. Siriporn, the president of the nurs-ing college associated with the Bangkok Adventist Hospital.

After greeting us, Dr. Siriporn said, “The Adventist world is a small one. Let ussee who we both know.” She proceeded to name three people: someone I hadnever heard of, someone whose name I recognized but couldn’t place, and one ofmy mother’s dear friends, who lives about a quarter mile from my parents.—Verna Blaine, Hollister, California

WHAT’S UKRAINIAN FOR“AMAZING”? Members ofthe Adventist youth groupof Nikolayev, Ukraine,pose in front of backdropsfor a recent AmazingFacts evangelistic series.Also pictured (at left) isLinda Koh, a student atSouthwestern AdventistUniversity (formerlySouthwestern AdventistCollege) in Keene, Texas.Linda’s father was assist-ing evangelist LowellHargreaves.


WE NEED YOU

Send 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.

LET’S PRAY

Have a prayer need?Have a few free minutes?Each Wednesday morningat 8:00 (EST) the AdventistReview staff meets to prayfor people—children, par-ents, friends, coworkers.Send your prayer requestsand, if possible, pray withus on Wednesday morn-ings. Let’s share in eachother’s lives.

TRUTH IN ANY LANGUAGE

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BY JACKIE ORDELHEIDE SMITH

THE MISSION VAN TOOK ME

from the airport to a local hotel

where I’d be staying. I’d arrived in

Kalimantan, Indonesia, with John

Duroe, the Southern Asia-Pacific

Division Global Mission coordinator, to visit some of the

New Work Taskforce volunteers, better known as Global

Mission pioneers. I had come not knowing what to expect.

C O V E R S T O R Y

Christ inKalimantan

As we prayed, my eyes welledwith tears. I had met her only moments before, yet in my heartI had known her a lifetime. She had become my soul mateand didn’t even know it.

Beating the odds, young adults push backthe frontiers in hostile territory.


After checking into my room, Ifound a cardboard arrow hanging fromthe ceiling, with the word Kiblat on it.It served to remind me not only whichway was east (should I wish to pray inthat direction), but that I was now aminority in the world’s largest Muslimcountry. Ironically, that arrow also rep-resented my purpose for being there: tovisit Global Mission pioneers who areactively working in that country toreach Muslims with the gospel.

Kalimantan, Indonesia, boasting aland mass of 210,210 square miles,occupies the southern three fourths ofthe island of Borneo. (The northern

quarter comprises the state ofSarawak in Malaysia.) The island iscomprised of tropical rain forests andrivers. Because of its mountainous ter-rain and dense forests, Kalimantanhas few roads, and travel to theinterior must be done by eitherplane or boat. Since boats are moreaccessible and can easily traversethe many rivers and inlets, most ofthe interior villages are located onor near waterways.

Islam is the preferred state reli-gion, comprising 85 percent of thepopulation. However, the govern-ment allows a certain tolerance for

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chris-tianity. But in an effort to propagateIslam further, as well as address theoverpopulation problem on theisland of Java, the government insti-tuted a transmigration program backin the sixties, which it still practicestoday. Citizens from Java are relocat-ed to farm in such sparsely populatedregions as Sumatra, Kalimantan,Sulawesi, and Irian Jaya. Each familyis given a plot of land, a small house,agricultural equipment, seeds, and ayear’s supply of food. After a year—which is believed to be a sufficientamount of time in which to get

BRIEFING TIME: Elder Djoko Soewarso (center), Kalimantan Mission president, oversees the 38 Global Mission pioneers serving inKalimantan. Here he reviews aspects of the program with former Global Mission pioneer Pastor Darmansyah and Jackie Smith, GeneralConference coordinator for Global Mission pioneers.

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established—each family is on its own. Global Mission pioneers have been

working in Kalimantan since 1991,thanks to the efforts of DjokoSoewarso, the Kalimantan Missionpresident, who initiated the programthere. Currently 38 pioneers are scat-tered in teams of two acrossKalimantan and are working tospread the gospel and establish newcongregations either in populationcenters of one million people ormore, or in other densely populatedareas without Adventist churches.

Every year new and veteran pio-neers gather at the mission office fortraining or retraining in such coursesas Bible doctrines, personal evange-lism, public evangelism, and health

and sanitation, aswell as polishingvocational andother practicalskills. Once in thefield, the pioneersuse these skills tomeet the needs ofothers as well as tosupplement their$42-per-month liv-ing allowance, andof course to sharethe gospel moreeffectively. Sincethey all come fromwithin Indonesia,they blend easilyinto the cultureand immediatelybegin their work.

F erryOngkowi-joyo was a

Muslim whohated Christians.In fact, in 1981,when Ferry was inhigh school, heorganized an anti-Christian gang toburn downChristian busi-nesses and breakchurch windows.While working for

the government, he was arrested andimprisoned for what he had done.Normally a government worker con-victed of a crime would be fired, butsince his crime was a result of hisanti-Christian beliefs, the govern-ment overlooked his convictions andwelcomed his services after his releasefrom prison.

Ferry began working for the government as a nurse and was trans-ferred to a different town. By thistime his destructive anti-Christiansentiments had abated, and he wassomewhat tolerant when a Christianpastor approached him to study theBible along with the Koran. Ferrysoon learned from the Koran thatJesus was the Saviour. His curiosity to

know more about the Bible even-tually led him to become a Christian,and he chose to attend a PentecostalBible school.

One month before graduatingfrom the Bible school, he returnedto his parents’ home for a visit.During the visit he came in contactwith a young neighbor, AugustinaPasuang, who was working as aGlobal Mission pioneer along withher female partner in this Muslimcommunity. As Augustina and Ferrybegan talking about Christianity, sheshared her convictions with him andexplained some texts about theSabbath. Although Ferry had neverheard about the Sabbath, it madesense, and in his heart he felt it wasthe truth.

Ferry shared his convictions withhis wife, Murin, who wasn’t as easilyconvinced. She remembered what hadhappened when they’d first becomeChristians: Her father, who had giventhem a house when they were married,demanded it back for their havingabandoned the Muslim faith. Andtheir oldest son, 15 at the time—adevout anti-Christian Muslim—ranaway from home, upset over hisfather’s new religion. That had hap-pened some four and a half years ago,and they hadn’t seen or heard fromhim since.

Now Murin, who was being askedto accept another more radical belief,questioned what impact this decisionmight have on her and her family. Butafter much Bible study and prayer, shefelt God was impressing her to acceptwhat she had just learned and to trustHim with the outcome.

Ferry and his wife were baptized andjoined Augustina’s church. Afterward,just as expected, their few remainingfriends deserted them. And Ferry’s old-est sister officially disowned him.

“I’m Going to Kill You!”Feeling called to do a greater work

for God, Ferry and Murin chose toserve as Global Mission pioneers.Soon after they arrived in Joang, thevillage where they were to establish anew congregation, Ferry met a Muslim

WHAT A CHANGE! Mijan and Munah, now Adventist Christians, holdthe knife and shovel Mijan was going to use to kill Global Missionpioneer Ferry Ongkowijoyo when he tried talking with him aboutChrist. They are pictured with their daughter, Jubaidah.

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man, Mijan, from the strictMuslim island of Madura.Since Ferry spoke the lan-guage of that island, hewent to visit the man.When he arrived, the manheld out a long, sharp knifeand threatened, “I’m goingto kill you!”

Ferry prayed for protec-tion as he immediatelyturned to leave. That nighthe cried to God for help inhis new pioneering work.Ferry kept praying for thisman and felt impressed tovisit him a second time.This time, however, Ferrycarried his Koran with him.Having been raised aMuslim himself, Ferry knewthat a Muslim will not killsomeone carrying a Koran.

Ferry visited Mijan more than 10times. Four times Ferry asked Mijan ifhe wanted to study the Bible. Eachtime Mijan declined. However, thefifth time Ferry asked, Mijan began tolisten, especially when Ferry openedthe Bible along with the Koran.

Meanwhile Ferry was planning anevangelistic campaign at his newchurch. Several women, includingAugustina (who had told Ferry about

the Sabbath), were leading out in themeetings. Ferry invited Mijan and hiswife, Munah, to attend. During themeetings, Mijan and Munah acceptedChrist and felt convicted to becomeSeventh-day Adventists. However,once their Muslim friends and neigh-bors learned about their decision tojoin the Adventist Church, they per-suaded the couple to return to wor-shiping in the mosque.

On the day Mijan and Munah werescheduled to bebaptized, theirneighborsarranged forthem to be atthe mosque fora special pro-gram. Feelinghelpless, theyprayed thatGod wouldintervene andget them to thebaptism ontime.

Within minutes aneighborappeared inthe mosquewith the reportthat Mijan’s

goats had escaped from their pen.“Hurry and go round them up,” hesaid, “before they destroy someone’sgarden!”

Mijan and Munah got up and ranfrom the mosque before the wordswere barely out of the man’s mouth.However, instead of running home totheir goats, as everyone presumed,they ran to the river for the baptism.The church members were therewaiting, and Mijan and Munah werebaptized. Today they are active mem-bers in Ferry’s new congregation of30 people, and Mijan can now laughat the time he threatened Ferry witha knife.

The Village Chief Calven Timbangcang was originally

from Toraja, a section in southernSulawesi where people make figurines oftheir deceased relatives and display themon cliffs above the graves. His grandfa-ther had become a Christian, which hadinfluenced Calven to do the same. Sinceliving in Kalimantan, Calven hadbecome pastor of a Christian church aswell as chief of the local village.

While working outside one day,Calven was approached by anAdventist farmer who tried to tell himabout the Sabbath. Calven wasn’tinterested, and dismissed the subject

STARTING UP: Augustina Pasuang and Calven Timbangcang built a church for their newly organized con-gregation and have already established a branch Sabbath school that worships nearby in another buildingoutside of Balikpapan, Indonesia.

SMART STRATEGY: Global Mission pioneer Ferry Ongkowijoyoopened the Koran along with the Bible when studying with funda-mentalist Muslims Mijan and Munah.

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along with the farmer. In the meantime, two young Global

Mission pioneers, Augustina Pasuangand a female partner, moved to town toestablish a new congregation. At firstthey were not welcomed, since theywere both single Christian women in aMuslim community. In fact, the vil-lagers warned each other about associ-ating with them. They said, “If youbecome friends with them, you willbecome Seventh-day Adventists.”Everyone kept their distance.

In spite of the odds against them,the women decided to conduct apublic meeting, to which they in-vited the whole village. Amongthose who came was Calven. Afterattending a number of the meetings,Calven became particularly inter-ested in the Sabbath. He remem-bered when the farmer had tried toexplain it to him, but at the time hewasn’t interested. Now he wantedmore information so he couldpreach about it the followingSunday at his church.

During the course of the meet-ings, the two pioneers visited allprospective interests. Augustinavisited Calven and helped answermore of his questions about theSabbath. As the series of meetingscontinued, Calven learned about theBible’s teaching on diet and uncleanmeats. This was particularly difficultfor Calven to accept, since in Torajanculture pork is eaten at almost all cel-ebrations. Accepting this belief wouldaffect not only his lifestyle but hisculture. As he continued to attendthe meetings and study withAugustina, Calven felt the HolySpirit leading him to accept every-thing he had learned. Shortly there-after Calven was baptized.

Through the meetings, home visits,and Bible studies, Augustina andCalven had developed a specialfriendship—much to the consterna-tion of his parents and other villagers.Many people believed that it was thestrategy of the Seventh-day AdventistChurch to send out single women tobring new men to the church. ButAugustina’s Christlike example and

consistent lifestyle didn’t give themanything to gossip about. Calven’sparents also noticed a change for thebetter in their son’s life, and theygradually changed their attitude aboutAugustina. Calven’s friends tried toconsole him, saying that once he andAugustina were married, she wouldeventually come around and startattending his church. But Augustinaproved them wrong.

Calven and Augustina are nowmarried and working as Global Mission

pioneers in that same village. Calvenis still the village chief and is nowfunctioning as pioneer pastor for thenew Seventh-day Adventist church of44 members. As he leaves his houseeach morning and looks across thestreet at the church he used to pastor,Calven is reminded of how far God hasled him.

Larger Than LifeAs many of the pioneers shared their

experiences with me that day at themission office, it seemed that the nameof one pioneer kept surfacing:Augustina Pasuang. She had helpedestablish a new congregation, led out inevangelistic meetings, and been respon-sible for the conversion of a number ofpeople who are now serving as pioneers.Yet by her absence it seemed her contri-butions were somewhat understated. Ofall the pioneers I had met, I wantednow, more than ever, to meet her. She

had grown in my mind to be a personlarger than life.

The local leaders arranged for us tovisit Augustina and Calven’s home.When we arrived, I was surprised tosee a little 21-year-old mother holdinga baby on her side and looking quiteordinary. Had I not known the rest ofher story, I would have assumed thatAugustina’s life was filled with cook-ing, caring for the children, and livingin the shadow of her husband. Butfrom what others had shared with me

earlier that day, Augustina wasunique. As she spoke I too wasdrawn to her and wanted what shehad. She was a capable leader, agentle witness, a humble servant,and a special friend. She exemplifiedChrist to her village. She spoke,with authority, but did so with com-passion and tenderness. She wasrespected.

As we prayed, my eyes welledwith tears. I had met her onlymoments before, yet in my heart Ihad known her a lifetime. She hadbecome my soul mate and didn’teven know it.

As we drove away, my eyes stillmoist from tears, I pondered what itwas that made her different. Was it

her personality? her experience? herbackground? her culture?

Then it came to me. Everythingabout her that I was attracted to—her humility, courage, gentleness,and compassion—was a reflection ofGod’s character. And those samequalities could be mine if I allowedGod to use me to the extent thatshe had.

My prayer that night included aspecial blessing on all the pioneersand the work they are doing inKalimantan, and concluded with:“Lord, use me, and make me more likeYou.” ■

Jackie Ordelheide Smith iscoordinator for GlobalMission pioneers.

When he arrived,the man held out along, sharp knifeand threatened,“I’m going to

kill you!”

ANGEL MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ

Irecently became an Adventist, and some friends havebeen quoting Romans 14 to me to demonstrate thatour health message isn’t biblical and that the obser-vance of the seventh-daySabbath isn’t required of

Christians. Could you commentabout that chapter?

In the study of a passage it’simportant to notice not only what itsays but also what it does not say. Insome cases what a passage does notstate is more important than what itexplicitly states. In this particularcase we’ll concentrate on what thepassage does not say, then we will make a suggestion aboutwhat Paul is dealing with in Romans 14.

1. Paul is not attacking biblical practices. Some of the recip-ients of this letter apparently believed that one shouldabstain from eating meat and drinking wine (Rom. 14:2,21). The Old Testament does not require total abstinencefrom animal flesh, but only of the flesh of some animals(Lev. 11). Neither does the Old Testament consider grapejuice unclean; only the high priest and the Nazarite are for-bidden to drink it. The discussion is not over unclean(Greek, akáthartos) food, but over food that is consideredcommon (koinós, the term used in verse 14) and thereforenot proper for consumption under certain circumstances.

2. Paul is not discussing the Sabbath. Paul says that the indi-vidual who is “weak” values one day more than another, buthe doesn’t explicitly state the reason for the distinction.There is no explicit statement from Paul indicating what wasdone during that day or why the day was considered special.

Whatever it was, the “strong” individual valued every daythe same for the purpose or activity that he or she had inmind. Hence, the problem was not the activity, but the argu-ing over which was the best day to perform it. Those to whomhe wrote doubtless understood what Paul had in mind.

We should not jump to the conclusion that Paul is dis-cussing here the Sabbath commandment. This is not statedor suggested by the text, and the simple mention of the word“days” does not justify that conclusion. He is not dealinghere with the Old Testament torah, or law.

3. Paul did not put the emphasis on the problem of “days.”He dedicates only two verses to that subject and about 21 to

the issue of food. Had he been discussing the Sabbath, hewould have developed his thought much more, because ofthe potentially controversial nature of this subject. (A good

parallel would be the topic of cir-cumcision and the controversy thattopic generated in the churches.)This suggests that for Paul, selectingone day over another was a personalmatter, not one in which he wantedto be involved as a referee.

4. Paul is not attacking legalism.Paul is addressing a problem in thechurch based on differences of opin-ion. He apparently didn’t consider it

to be a threat to the gospel. Whatever church members weredoing, they were not going against God’s revealed will;therefore, he does not condemn the practices, but simplygives advice on how to accept the differences in Christianlove. The fundamental issue is the unity of the church andthe preservation of that unity in spite of the diversity ofopinion in some unimportant areas. Paul is not attacking thelegalism of false teachers among the believers.

Then what should we conclude? The reference to “days”in the context of abstaining from certain foods suggestsdays of fasting. This is the conclusion reached by somescholars, both Adventist and non-Adventist. According tothem, Paul was probably addressing the practice of days offasting, during which certain foods were considered “com-mon” and improper for consumption. This would explainthe dispute over food.

In addition, some individuals considered certain days asgood days for fasting, while others considered all to be ofequal value. This would explain the conflict. Fasting was animportant topic in the early church. A document written inthe second century encouraged believers to fast onWednesday and Friday instead of Monday and Thursday, aswas the practice among Jews (Didache 8.1). As far as we cantell, the Jews did not fast during the Sabbath.

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

Matters of Eating and Drinking

B I B L E Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D

The fundamentalissue is the unityof the church.


Gentlemen, Please Remove Your Hats

A reexamination of the male role in marriage

L I F E S T Y L E


BY BARRINGTON H. BRENNEN

IT WAS A TRADITIONAL SUMMER WEDDING.The church was filled with eager ears and anxiouseyes awaiting the official announcement of thenewest couple in the growing little town. After thesinging of the hymn “O Perfect Love,” the pastor

turned to the congregation and began his sermonette.“Today we gather here to witness the union of two per-

sons in holy matrimony. Marriage is a solemn institutioncreated by a loving God to make men and women whole.God knew that neither the woman nor the man would be a complete person unless they were joined in mar-riage. For marriage to be biblical, each spousemust follow God’s ideal plan in the marriagerelationship.”

My ears perked up and my feet ner-vously rubbed the floor beneath me as Ilistened.

Then the pastor turned to the brideand said: “Understanding the biblicalrole of the wife in marriage is impor-tant. You are now, as it were, becomingthe vice president of a new company.First, God made the woman to fulfill theman’s life. Genesis 2:18 states: ‘And theLord God said, It is not good that the manshould be alone; I will make him an helpmeet. . . .’ Second, she must be obedient to herhusband and be willing to submit to his leadership.Without willing submission on the part of the wife, therecan be no loving relationship.”

I wondered what messages the bride and groom werereceiving as they heard this century-old wedding sermon.Then the real message burst through as the surprisinglyyouthful pastor turned to the groom and said: “Your role as aChristian husband is to be a loving leader to your wife. Bestrong and gentle. You are her head. You are her guide andprotector. When God created man, he was required to bethe chief caretaker of the Garden of Eden. When Eve camealong, this role was not changed. Adam became a husband,but he remained in charge.”

As I sat there, I pondered the messagethe pastor was giving to the new groom

and bride. Was he reading from thesame Bible I had studied in college

some 20 years ago? Do such mes-sages truly reflect the meaning ofoneness in marriage? Do they pre-sent the biblical concept ofmutuality and equality? Do theytruly encourage partnership inthe marriage relationship?

Christ’s example as “head” of thechurch offers the best example for

married couples today. The apostle Paulstates, “The husband is the head of the

wife, even as Christ is the head of thechurch” (Eph. 5:23). Paul was writing to a male-

dominated society in which women were not educated,worked only at home, and were treated as second-class citizens.Paul’s emphasis was not whether men were to be heads, for they P

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already believed they were. Instead, hestressed the relationship between bothspouses. This is evident when Paul illus-trates his understanding of headship bystating “as Christ is the head of thechurch.”

When we examine the lifeof Christ, we learn thatChrist came toearth as a ser-vant. Neveronce did Hejump on aplatform,raise Hispatrioticflag, andshout,“WatchMe! Lookover here! Iam head of thechurch.” Instead,He humbled Himselfand became a servant.Wouldn’t it be great to hear, at wed-ding ceremonies, pastors emphasizethat husbands are servants of theirwives; that they should be affectionate,caring men instead of “heads”?

In my counseling practice I havediscovered that there are at leastfive types of heads in marriage. First, there is the “lion king,”

authoritarian head. This is the hus-band who makes it known who is theboss. He sits, as all lions do, waitingto be served. When he roars, every-one must move. His children respecthim as head, but they are really afraidof him. His wife nervously honors hiswishes so as not to cause him tobecome angry. Other words that canaptly describe this type of head are“domineering” and “military-commander” head.

Second, there is the “passive-aggressive” head. This is the husbandwho insists he is the head, but is sel-dom seen or heard and is not visiblyinvolved in the life of the family.Sometimes these husbands are alco-holics or religious addicts. They oftenuse put-downs and manipulation toforce their wives and children to

accomplish tasks or fulfill theirrequests. When they become angry,everyone trembles.

Third, there is the “gentleman”head. This is the husband who isrespectful and does all in his power toenrich the marriage, although he will

never change his views aboutit. He is usually willing to

attend married couples’club meetings and

marriage seminars.He will never talkdown to his wife.If he washes thedishes or helpswith the laundry,he makes it clear

that he is justhelping his wife do

some of her chores.Nevertheless, he

insists that he is thehead of his wife. He argues

that the husband musthave the last say in impor-tant decisions, althoughhe tries not to disre-gard his wife’s opin-ions. ManyAdventist hus-bands fall into thiscategory.

Fourth, there isthe “ceremonial”head. This is thehusband who deepdown inside reallybelieves in equality,mutuality, and partnershipin marriage, but is afraid to lethis friends see how often he washesthe dishes, cooks the food, and takescare of the children. He avoids gettinginvolved in the discussion about head-ship because his true feelings conflictwith the traditional lifestyle of hisfriends and associates. Only when he ispressured does he stand on the side oftradition and state shyly that he is thehead of his home.

The fifth type of head is the“Christ-centered” head. This is theideal concept of partnership in mar-riage. In reality, this husband is notthe head of the wife, but rather her

servant. He believes in total equalityand mutuality in the marriage relation-ship, and his wife is an equal partner inhome government. This husband viewsthe differences between husband andwife as just that—differences intendedto blend together two persons in aunique partnership and companion-ship. His emphasis is: “We are equalpartners.” The wife is free to exploreher chosen calling and career whilestill feeling feminine and motherly.The husband, on the other hand, isfree to be compassionate and affection-ate, but is still masculine and fatherly.

What subliminal messages dowives get when they hear pastorsemphasize male headship in the marriage relationship?

1. The woman is to be submissive toher husband at all times.

2. The husband is a better decision-maker.

3. The husband is moreemotionally stable.

4. The hus-band alone is

the providerand pro-tector.

5. Al-thoughthey arecreatedequal, the

husband ismore equal

than the wife.6. Roles in

marriage are deter-mined

by gender and tradition. 7. When there is a crisis, the hus-

band always decides what to do. 8. Since she is the “weaker vessel,”

it is impossible for her to participate inhome management activities.

On the other hand, here is whatequal partnership in marriage implies:

1. Husband and wife are of equalvalue.

2. They are equal in intelligence. 3. They exercise equal authority. 4. They share in decision-making. 5. They submit to each other. 6. Submission is a result of how

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Gentleman


they respect each other. 7. Roles in marriage are determined

by talents and gifts, and not by arbi-trary traditions.

8. Sexual and emotional dif-ferences become strengths inthe relationship.

Partnership is God’sconcept. Fromthe very begin-

ning, the oneness andpartnership of theFather, Son, and HolySpirit were evident.Genesis 1:1 says: “In thebeginning God created . . .”As Seventh-day Adventists, wehave always taught that “God” inthis passage refers to more than onePerson, but that They are equal in spir-it and power.

Partnership was also evident in thecreation of human beings. The imageof God was revealed through the cre-ation of both Adam and Eve, not justAdam. “Let us make [human beings] inour image” (verses 26, 27). Further-more, the redeemed will share in thispartnership. They will reign withChrist when He returns the secondtime. God is eager to share Hispower and glory with them. “Hethat overcometh . . . to him will Igive power over the nations” (Rev.2:26). “To him that overcomethwill I grant to sit with me in mythrone” (Rev. 3:21). True partner-ship always involves the sharing ofpower and authority. Genuine lovealways seeks to elevate and empowerthe other.

God has set an example for us fromCreation to the Second Coming onhow to be effective partners in mar-riage and in the world. The Bible has ahistorical setting in which writersspoke in response to the traditions, rit-uals, and practices of their times. Inthe concept of headship, we have beentaught to focus more on traditions andpractices of Bible times when it suitsus, rather than on the messages of theauthors.

However, we will discover in adeeper study of Scripture a new reve-

lation of truth about partnership. Forexample, tradition indicated that all

males were to bein authority

and allfirst-

bornthe inher-

itors of familywealth, but God broke through tradi-tion and focused on balanced rela-tionships, mutuality, and equality. Wenote that Esau was the eldest child.Tradition wouldhave itthat

hewould bethe leader of thefamily when his father died. Godsaid, “Not so.” It was to be Jacob.The Israelites were facing the enemy.No man had the guts to lead God’speople against the vicious foe. Godchose Deborah, a woman, to lead andfight against the enemy. Traditiondictated that women should not leadin such a fashion. Jacob had 12 sons.Tradition said that the eldest wouldlead the youngest. Nevertheless, God

placed one of the youngest assupreme leader, over not only thefamily but the nation as well. AgainGod broke through tradition.

I believe that when pastors begin topreach partnership instead of headshipand submission, we will have lessabuse among us. Too many Adventistwives are forced to remain in abusiverelationships because pastors say it istheir duty as Christian wives to submitto their husbands. Many hurting wivesnever go to their pastors for counsel-ing when on Sabbath they are bom-barded by the traditional messagesabout their roles as Christian wives.They feel guilty just thinking aboutseparation even when their lives arethreatened. Many wives believe thesemessages and believe they are theproblem, not their abusive husbands,and try harder by being more obedientand submissive.

I challenge us to have the humilityto reexamine our concept of roles in

marriage and to review theconcept of headship

versus partnership. Ichallenge pastors

to preachabout being

a “servant-husband”instead ofa “head,”to preachmutual

submission,not wifely

submission. Ifwe do, these

concepts will createa new dimension in our

pastoral ministry and bringhealing to many hurting hearts in

our congregations. ■

Barrington H. Brennen isan ordained minister of theSeventh-day AdventistChurch and cofounder withhis wife, Annick, of Soundsof Encouragement Counseling and MediaAssociation, Nassau, Bahamas.

Ceremonial

Christ-centered

How important is it to be a vegetarian? Iknow some Adventists eat meat and somedon’t. I want to do the right thing, but Idon’t know where to begin.

Four reasons come tomind for choosing a vegetarian diet.

1. The Manufacturer’s recommenda-tion. When an appliance or car is pur-chased, one of the initial steps is toconsult the manufacturer’s directionsfor use of the newly acquired item.

The Manufacturer says in Genesis1:29: “I give you every seed-bearingplant on the face of the whole earth andevery tree that has fruit with seed in it.They will be yours for food” (NIV).

Thus the original diet Godintended for His people was a vege-tarian diet. Only after the Flood,when the plant life had beendestroyed, did God allow the eatingof clean animals. (See Genesis 9:3and The Seventh-day Adventist BibleCommentary, volume 1, page 263,for a discussion of clean and unclean meat.)

2. Inspired counsel. Unique among denominations is theemphasis on health given by Ellen G. White. She describedthe ideal diet: “Fruits, grains, and vegetables prepared in asimple way, free from spice and grease of all kinds, make,with milk or cream, the most healthful diet” (Counsels onDiet and Foods, p. 92).

3. Scientific findings. The Adventist Health Study, aNational Institutes of Health-supported study of Seventh-day Adventists, concludes that Adventists live longer thanthe general population. The vegetarian diet has been citedstatistically as a major reason.

The 1995 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, the document closestto a national nutrition policy in this country, has among itsrecommendations: “Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables,fruits, and grains”; that sounds very much like a vegetariandiet. “Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and choles-terol”; since animal products are the primary source of satu-rated fat and the only source of cholesterol, the vegetariandiet best fulfills that recommendation as well.

4. Environmental considerations. Sixteen pounds of cerealgrains or soybeans are required to produce one pound of edi-ble beef. A little more than 5,000 gallons of water are neededto produce one pound of beef, as compared to 25 gallons to

produce a pound of wheat. In order toget one calorie of beef protein, 78 calo-ries of fossil fuel must be expended; toget one calorie of soybean protein, 2calories of fossil fuel must be expended.

A loving Creator ensured our freedomto make choices regarding all aspects ofour lives. You may choose a flesh diet ora vegetarian diet. Since I have access tofoods that easily fit a vegetarian diet, Ihave chosen that cuisine.

If you choose a vegetarian diet, allthe nutrients needed for good healthwill be available by following theVegetarian Food Guide Pyramid (seediagram).* Create your meals usingthe appropriate number of servingsfrom each of the food groups. Theserving sizes given will ensure theneeded amounts of nutrients

(depending on the age, sex, and activity levels of eachindividual in your family).

The choice is yours. The Manufacturer, the prophet, andscience support a vegetarian diet for good nutrition. Perhapsfor your health and the environment it’s the better choice.

* For a laminated four-color diagram of the Vegetarian Food GuidePyramid for your meal planning, send $3 to The Health Connection, 55West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740.

Georgia B. Hodgkin, Ed.D., R.D., is fellow of the AmericanDietetics Association and associate professor, Department ofNutrition and Dietetics, School of Allied Health Professions,Loma Linda University.

This column is intended to answer questions asked by newAdventists and by those unfamiliar with some Adventist terminol-ogy. Send your questions to: Adventism 101, AdventistReview, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.

Food for ThoughtA D V E N T I S M 1 0 1



BY DAVID MARSHALL

I SAY, COULD YOU KEEP THIS ONE QUIET?Er . . . just between the two of us, as it were?You see, I’m beginning to get a bit of aspiritual inferiority complex, and I needyour help and advice.

Do you hear voices? No. Please don’t laugh; I’m entirely serious.

Does God speak to you in a voice you canhear?

A certain woman who urged me to writethis article claims that the messages shereceives from God are so clear and distinctthat she is able to write them down in sen-tences and paragraphs—in one notableinstance, in two very long paragraphs!Always the messages are aimed to give herstrength and comfort, and are right on target inher present situation. She believes that the failure of“the brethren” to listen to the voice of God accountsfor a great deal of . . .

So many people are making that claim today (“Godspoke to me”; “The Spirit gave me this to pass on,”etc.) that I feel like the odd man out. You see, thoughthe Spirit has often impressed me, He has never spokento me in words and sentences, or given me messages to passon to others.

Is there something wrong with me? Is God’s silence to meexplainable by the fact that I’m an ordained pastor? I askthis because I have canvassed a large number of my fellowministers, and not one of them has heard voices either. Somaybe God does not speak to pastors?

Of course, some who have contacted me claim to hearmore than voices. One man (a pastor in another denomina-tion) has written a long narrative for me. In it he gives anaccount of how every move in his life is prompted by “aword from the Spirit”—or by a dream. When his bishopasked him to change districts and move to a crime-riddencity, he was troubled. That is, until he received a vision inwhich he was given a picture of a house.

The next day he went to the new city in search of thishouse in the belief that he was to buy it. And find it he

did—and he bought it.Moving to the new location, he

was able to make a major con-tribution in that rough-and-

tumble community. When I finished

reading his story, Ifound myself wonder-ing if what he believedto be a gift of the Spiritwas not some semi-sanctified, quasipsychicability. Or was that myspiritual inferioritycomplex speaking?

I do not question(or maybe I do; but Ishouldn’t) the valid-

ity of a fellow believ-er’s experience. But it

has occurred to me thatthe phrases “God told me . . .”

or “God told me to tell you . . .” could be a very dangerous

power play in the mouths of some people.You’ve heard some of the televangelists, their rantings

peppered with claims that their messages come directly fromGod. They claim the authority of God to do everything—from trouncing certain political leaders to preaching highlyquestionable eschatology to demanding money from theirviewers. And judging from the megadollars they receive, Iam drawn to the conclusion that their viewers accept theirclaim of divine authority.

For almost 20 years I have edited a biweekly denomina-tional magazine in Europe. Over the years scores of fel-low believers have used the “God-told-me-to-tell-you”

power lever in an attempt to get themselves into print. Had Igiven in to their power play, my readers at different timeswould have read that Jesus was coming in 1987, 1988, 1990,1992, 1994, 1996, and 1997, as well as lively denunciations

D E V O T I O N A L

I do not deny that God speaks to us, but sometimes I wonder . . .

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of fellow church members and some ofthe most awkward phrases ever com-mitted to paper in the name of poetry.

I have lost count ofthe number of

timeswhen, eitherdirectly or byimplication, Ihave been accused of committing theunpardonable sin for refusing to printsomeone’s “message.”

However, power players aside, Ihave to accept that many of my fellowbelievers who claim to have heard adirect and specific word from God aretotally sincere.

How do these messages come? If theydirect (in detail) an individual’s life, dothey in any sense put pressure on thatindividual’s freedom of choice—freedomto choose being the most fundamentalprinciple of God’s government? Andgiven the claim that some receive mes-sages from God and others do not, doesthis signify the existence of a spiritualelite and a spiritual underclass? Is “Godtold me . . .” just a habit of speech thatsome have adopted, caught from the

charismatics? Or does it depend on anindividual’s spiritual conditioning,upbringing, or temperament?

When I have been conscious ofthe Spirit’s direction or power, therehave been no voices or visions. I

have had a consciousness thatthis needless pain or

problem hasbeen

takenoff myshouldersand placedon broaderones. Lookingback on a com-plex situation, I have been able totrace the way God has led methrough it. In Bible study and sermonpreparation I have been aware thatGod has answered my prayer to directand inspire.

Instead of a voice out of the ether,God’s promptings have come in that

period of silence after personal prayeror when I have been nose-on to a cri-sis. When God has used words to com-municate with me, they have been thewords of inspiration.

Never shall I forget how, in my firstyear at a university, God used my read-ing of the Psalms to let me know thatHe understood all things and was mynever-ending source of spiritualstrength. Down the years, if you hadtaken away my Bible (or my memory

of its message) or my prayertime,you could have cut off my

access to power. In onecrisis time, when an

idealistic youngman (who, nolonger young,now knows bet-ter) was shov-ing me to ship-

wreck on the haz-ardous shores of sin-

less perfectionism, God’scounsel came to me through

words of Ellen White:“Our dependence is not in

what man can do; it is in whatGod can do for man throughChrist. When we surrenderourselves wholly to God, andfully believe, the blood ofChrist cleanses from all sin.

The conscience can befreed from condem-

nation. . . . We arenot to be anxiousabout what

Christ and Godthink of us, but about

what God thinks ofChrist, our Substitute. Ye

are accepted in the Beloved” (SelectedMessages, book 2, pp. 32, 33).

So tell me, how am I to under-stand those who preface theirremarks with “God has told me”?

Help me. I need to understand. ■

David Marshall is editor atthe Stanborough Press,Grantham, Lincolnshire,England.

Located in the horn of Africa,Somalia is one of the world’smost water-deprived countries.However, the AdventistDevelopment and Relief

Agency (ADRA) is responding to life-threatening emergencies in the country asa result of unprecedented monsoon rains.

Narrow creeks have become ragingtorrents. Bridges have been demolishedand telephone lines destroyed. Not onlyhave harvest-ready crops been sweptaway, but also fertile topsoil. Populationdisplacement and malnutrition fromloss of food reserves are causing stressand trauma to the threatened Somalis.

While passing through Uganda enroute to Mogadishu, Somalia, I experi-enced the worst tropical storm ever of itstype. I can recall earlier years in Africawaiting more than an hour to deliver aspeech while the rain beat loudly on themetal roof of the auditorium. It made myloudest shout inaudible.

That storm was brief compared towhat I experienced recently at Mbale,

near the Kenya border. The deluge,which began at sunset, was still ragingas dawn broke. Morning revealed a har-rowing scene of devastation, particular-ly in the traditional wattle-and-daubAfrican housing on the outskirts oftown. This is where the full impact ofthe storm was visible.

Dazed victims of the horrendousnight struggled to salvage their few pos-sessions, including the dripping sacksthat contained all of their food. Onlythe upper parts of their houses were visi-ble, standing out of a meter and a half ofswirling brown water. There were noreports of drowning in Mbale, so what Iwitnessed in Uganda was not typical ofthe situation in Somalia, where morethan 1,000 persons were missing in wide-spread flooding.

In collaboration with the WorldFood Program, ADRA/Somalia directorFrank Brenda is now seeking to bringrelief supplies to threatened com-munities, but widespread political unrestover the past years has caused manyproblems for humanitarian agencies.

ADRA has undertaken a large num-ber of water projects in the Nugal,Hiran, and Middle Shabelle regions,which has helped the agency to be bet-ter prepared for such sudden disasters. Atypical ADRA water installationincludes large covered holding tanks, acemented water dispensing area withmultiple faucets, and commodioustroughs for watering camels and smallerchannels for sheep and goats. Any localperson or traveler coming to the waterpoint can draw off 100 liters free ofcharge. After that a small charge islevied to guarantee that the installationmaintains full working and sanitaryorder.

Ben Odinga, the water project man-ager, explained one downside of havingto drill through several hundred feet ofsubsoil and rock to reach the watertable: keeping an eye on the diminish-ing budget. The most beautiful gift thatcan be offered to a desert traveler is acup of cool, clear water. Imagine whatkind of gift a continuously available supply of pure water must be to a com-munity that previously had to fetch itsdaily water needs from springs 22 kilo-meters (13 miles) away.

Apart from its water projects, ADRA/Somalia also runs health, education, roadimprovement, and agricultural projects.Dr. Rukarangira Wankera, ADRA/Somalia health coordinator, administersADRA’s primary health programs inSomalia. Ali Mohamoud Mohamed, aphysician, is medical superintendent inMogadishu, with a subsidiary hospital inAdale, farther up the coast. About 200

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

Even the Camels Like ADRA


B Y J A C K M A H O N , W H O W R I T E S F R O M B R A C K N E L L , B E R K S H I R E , E N G L A N D

STREAM OF LIFE: With more availablewater, the standard of hygiene in many vil-lages increases.

ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL: A consistent watersupply is essential for Somalis.


German Adventists Voice Regret at Parliament’s Failure to Ban Public Smoking

Seventh-day Adventist health experts and churchleaders expressed disappointment at the German

parliament’s vote on February 5 not to ban smoking inpublic places.

After a long debate, preceded by intense lobbying byGermany’s tobacco industry, the parliament voted by 326to 256 to defeat the proposal that would have imposed aban on smoking in public.

“We regret this vote by parliament,” said Dr.Lothar Erbenich, a physician specializing in internalmedicine at the Adventist-run Berlin Hospital.“Germany is the last country in Western Europe notto have such controls of smoking in public. Smokingis one of the most serious threats to health, and for the government not to take such action isdeplorable.” Commenting on the implications of thedecision, Reinhard Rupp, North German UnionConference president, likened the failure to ban public smoking to a major national disaster.

“Year after year 100,000 active and 400 passivesmokers are killed in Germany by tobacco,” said

Rupp. “What if all these victims of tobacco had beenkilled in a single catastrophic accident on one day?The German nation and the world would be shockedand horrified.”

“The members of parliament chose to close theireyes and not see what could have been prevented bythis law. Instead of taking a stand for better health,especially for children and young people, they showedthemselves much more willing to follow the argumentsof the tobacco industry.”

Herr Seehofer, the German minister of health, hadbeen elected on a health protection platform. It wasvery disappointing to see him taking the lead againstthis law, said Rupp. Speaking for the AdventistChurch at the local level, district pastor StephanBrass, minister of three churches in the Osnabruckarea, said that the decision would signal acceptance ofsmoking by the authorities and made smoking a “tolerated social activity.”

“This means a green light for those who smoke in pub-lic, and another barrier in the way of those who wish toquit,” said Brass. “I just finished conducting a smoking-cessation program sponsored by my church, and knowhow difficult it is for some to give up the habit. To try toquit and yet be surrounded by those who are smoking inpublic places will make it much harder. Add to that the

N E W S B R E A K


tuberculosis (TB) patients are caredfor on a daily basis, and an averageof 70 outpatients are seen in morn-ing surgeries. In addition thereare two outpatient clinics and ahalf-dozen health posts in variousoutlying districts.

In a recent report the UnitedNations Development Programacknowledged ADRA’s contribu-tion in dealing with the high inci-dence of tuberculosis in the coun-try. Wankera believes that therecurrence of this problem is re-lated to poor nutrition, which isendemic. He also fears that in ahigh percentage of cases, TB is causedby lowered resistance because of AIDS.

Wankera said that ADRA enjoys ahigh profile in the country, adding, “Noharm is imposed on ADRA vehicles.They associate ADRA with the manygood things we are doing in the coun-try. Even the camels like ADRA!”

He might have said especially thecamels! For one thing, although camelscan last many days without water, whenthey get to drink they take in a largequantity. But in Somalia, camels equippedwith enormous panniers and jerricans area major part of the water supply lifeline tothe desert villages and townships.

Humans and livestock alikeenjoy better health when there’san abundance of clean water. Thecommunity diet also improveswhen ADRA overhauls irrigationsystems. With the use of heavymachinery in the Jawhar region,ADRA improved a 20-mile (32-kilometer) stretch of irrigationcanal. Once the water is flowingfreely, it is in the local farmers’own interest to keep their linking subsidiary canals in good order.

A farmers’ association has alsoformed to maintain the canal sys-tem. Agricultural training has

been given and seeds and tools pro-vided. The fact that “water is life” isaptly demonstrated as fields, oncebrown and barren, become living greenwith nutritious vegetation. And aschildren, once weak, sickly, and ailing,grow lively and graceful with the sheenof health on their smiling faces.

REST FOR THE WEARY: Even the camels benefit fromADRA’s water projects.

dangers of ‘passive smoking’ [inhaling the smoke fromothers], and this is a really sad vote.”

Adventists have actively promoted smoking cessation for more than 130 years and were the first to devise a scientifically based stop-smoking programcalled the Five-Day Plan, now known as Breathe Free. Smoking is identified as the number one pre-ventable cause of death in most Western nations.—Adventist News Network.

Adventist Among Dead in Jamaican Floods

A Seventh-day Adventist was one of four personskilled in a mudslide caused by heavy flooding inPortland, Jamaica, on January 4.

Luther Dyce, a member of the Adventist church inStanton, was assisting an elderly church member whenthe torrential rain forced him into a shelter in a nearbyshop, reports East Jamaica Conference treasurerHerman Ming.

“A major landslide came crashing down on theshop from the hillside,” said Ming. “Some of the occu-pants of the shop building were admitted to the localgeneral hospital, and three were taken out of the land-slide, dead. It was not until the next day that Dycewas dug out.”

Continuous rain for more than 10 hours caused floodsthat killed at least six people and damaged more than1,000 houses. Adventist leaders were on the scene imme-diately. “They offered words of hope to a great number ofindividuals, both members and nonmembers,” said Ming.“Special prayer was offered for the bereaved families.”—Adventist News Network.

Adventist Broadcasts Enter China

Nearly a third of a billion people in northern Chinacan now access the Voice of Hope broadcast on medium-wave (AM) radio.

The Adventist radio ministry started broadcasting onJanuary 28–-the Chinese New Year’s Day––from a leasedtransmitter in Ussuriysk, Russia.

The programs, also heard on Adventist WorldRadio from Guam, include devotional and doctrinaltopics, family life, youth, health, and English as a second language.

The Chan Shun foundation encouraged the medium-wave broadcasts with a $75,000 start-upgrant. Other funding is expected to come from a spe-cial offering taken in Adventist churches worldwidein December 1997, says Andrea Steele, AWR publicrelations director.


N E W S B R E A K


Recently in Bangladesh 25 young hooligans broke into a distillery, drank copious amounts of the local intoxicating brew, flattened an

entire village, and chased dozens of people from their homes.

Meanwhile in Britain a victim of avicious blinding in both eyes was roam-ing the streets until finally a peerbefriended him and led him to safety.

All of the characters in the above accounts were animals.

A plethora of animal stories like these have hit theBritish press lately. The February 15 Sunday Telegraphcontained fascinating accounts of drunkenness andloutish behavior in the animal kingdom, ranging fromrats and butterflies to the 25 drunken elephants men-tioned above. Apparently drunkenness is a fact of life in

the animal world. Elks have terrorized villages inSweden; apes have attacked people in Sri Lanka. Oneparticularly startling anecdote concerned an outraged(and brave!) farmer who threw hot water over a drunken

elephant. When sober, the animalreturned and demolished the farmer’shouse, forcing him to move away.

Then there are the heartwarmers,such as the blind terrier Ben who followed the sighted ter-rier Bill to food and water—and then a new home. As theFebruary 12 Daily Mail put it, “Bill led and Ben followed,both learning to survive in a cruel world by looking aftereach other.”

Even in our increasingly scientific age, we can stilllearn much from the natural world around us. “Ask theanimals,” wrote Job long ago, “and they will teach you”(Job 12:7, NIV).

All Creatures Great and SmallB Y R O G E R H U N T E R , T E A C H E R , S TA N B O R O U G H S E C O N D A R Y S C H O O L , S TA N B O R O U G H , E N G L A N D

NEWS COMMENTARY

Test Your GlobalMission IQ

1. The Hindu Study Centre, inthe state of Tamil Nadu, spon-sored meetings in an orthodox

Hindu town in neighboring Kerala. Adventists have 200congregations in Kerala, but few Hindu converts. At these1997 meetings 34 Hindus were baptized. In what countryhas this Global Mission endeavor been conducted?

A. Sri Lanka C. IndonesiaB. India D. Pakistan

2. As a result of the Hands Across the World offerings of1995-1996, hundreds of new churches have been built. Thepresident of the Duna Conference writes his appreciation toall donors: “Thank you for your kind assistance.” In hiscountry, churches are being used in Zalaegerszeg, Kisvarda,and Ketegyhaza. These attractive facilities have appealed tonew members. The well-known Danube River flows throughthis country’s capital city. What is the country?

A. Poland C. AustriaB. Slovakia D. Hungary

3. Some Karen people live in the remote jungle moun-tains of this country. Adventist leaders sent theology gradu-ate Sutut Detchanonchai to the Karen village of Muangpaam(population 450) as part of its Global Mission program.Noticing the water shortage there, he asked ADRA for help.ADRA allocated funds for a pipeline. This project openedthe door and Sutut now studies with two families who wantto become Christians. Where is Muangpaam?

A. Northwestern Thailand B. Northeastern Cambodia C. China Yunan province, D. Eastern Bangladesh

Answers1. B. India. About 83 percent of its population of 950

million are Hindus. Only 3 percent are Christians. 2. D. Hungary. Its capital is Budapest. Membership in

Hungary is approaching 5,000 in a total population of 10million, or one member in 2,000.

3. A. In northwestern Thailand, where several peoplegroups continue to follow tribal ways. Some regions of 1 mil-lion or more have no Adventist presence.

Compiled by F. Donald Yost, Office of Global Mission, General Conference ofSeventh-day Adventists.


ADRA Reclaims Compound in Albania

A six-hour police operation resulted in the return of acompound belonging to the Adventist Development andRelief Agency/Albania on January 16.

Located in Tiranë, the leased compound had beentaken over by 15 squatter families. The illegal settlerswere allowed to remove their personal possessions andrelocate to other accommodations. “Nobody has beenrendered homeless,” says Flamur Gorica, ADRA/Albania’sprogram officer. “The settlers have been asked to return totheir homes.”

In March 1997 mobsters stormed and looted the prop-erty, stealing thousands of pounds of relief supplies.Fortunately, no ADRA worker was harmed, but ADRAdirector Sean Robinson was forced to flee the area.Police action became necessary after ADRA staffersspent months negotiating for the repossession.

Adventist Review Program Airs March 21

The Adventist Review magazine presents the “Acts Files”satellite program at 4:30-6:00 p.m., March 21, on Galaxy4, channel 11. Hosted by Review editor William G.Johnsson, the “Acts Files” features video reports of missionprojects in Cuba, Peru, and Russia. You’ll also enjoy live

interviews featuring Adventist Christians who have madetheir commitment to Christ a part of their everyday life.

The music lineup features soprano soloist JaniceChandler and the gospel choir Assurance.

News Notes

✔ Wilmore Webley and Dwight Rose, both facultymembers at West Indies College in Jamaica, recentlyreceived 1998 Fulbright scholarships.

Webley, a lecturer in the medical technology depart-ment, will pursue graduate studies in microbiology in theUnited States, and Rose, an associate instructor in chem-istry, will study environmental science and policy.

Only three scholarships were awarded in Jamaica.

What’s Upcoming?

Mar. 21 Adventist Review satellite program 4:30-6:00 p.m., Galaxy 4, channel 11

Mar. 22-28 Youth Week of PrayerMar. 28 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for the

Southern Asia DivisionApr. 4 Missionary magazine emphasisApr. 11 Youth Spiritual Commitment

Celebration

N E W S B R E A K


G

LO B A

L

MI S S I O

N

When Hea liS T O R Y


BY RAY PUEN

P.C. STOOD AT HIS WIFE’S BEDSIDE, distraught. Rose had been rushed to the hospitalwith septicemia, a complication developing fromthe birth of their third child. Despite the medicalteam’s heroic efforts, Rose’s condition had wors-

ened and she had slipped into a coma.“There’s nothing more I can do for her,” said the attending

physician as he shrugged helplessly. The steely announcementpierced P.C.’s heart. As the doctor left the room, P.C. and theother relatives gathered around Rose’s bed and broke into muf-fled sobs.

But P. C. Banaag, a recently baptized Seventh-dayAdventist, had learned enough in his brief employment at thePhilippine Union Mission to know that there was at least oneother recourse. He knew about prayer, and he decided to callForrest Pratt, acting mission president.

Let’s Back UpConditions in the pre-World War II Philippines weren’t

much different from anywhere else in the world. Jobs werehard to come by, and P.C. was grateful to have a job as astenographer at Everett Steamship Lines.

Pastor Roman Senson, a professor at Philippine UnionCollege, was visiting the Manila Central church, where he waspreparing to participate in a baptism. As he sat preparing forthe service, he was arrested by a familiar voice: “Pastor, willyou baptize my son?”

Pastor Senson turned to look into the face of EmiliaBanaag. “This is my son Pastor,” she said as she introducedP.C. Emilia had named her third son Pastor, cherishing thedesire that his name would one day be fulfilled in his life’s work.

Pastor Senson recognized Emilia as a longstanding, devoutmember of the congregation. He knew that she diligentlyprayed for her nine children—including P.C. It was the customin the early days of Adventism in the Philippines to baptizechildren when they came of age, on the assumption that theyhad been taught the Bible’s truths by their parents.

“Son, put this on,” said Pastor Senson as he handed a bap-tismal robe to P.C. Emilia witnessed P.C.’s public declaration ofhis faith in Christ with great joy.

The very next Monday morning Emilia returned to thechurch to speak to mission president Flaviano Dalisay. (The

Does God listen to men who are

PH

OT

OS

BY

JOE

LD

. S

PR

ING

ER


Central Luzon Mission was then headquartered in the church base-ment.) “Pastor,” she began, “would you help my son find employ-ment? He’s had experience in stenography.”

Stenography was the profession of choice for young men aspiringto careers in business (there weren’t many female stenographers inthose days). P.C. had studied stenography in school, and a year aftergraduation he accepted an offer from the Everett Steamship Lines,where he earned a comfortable salary. He expected to spend hiscareer working for Everett Lines, until concerns aboutSabbathkeeping arose.

Emilia expected that P.C.’s experience would benefit thechurch, and she was right. The next day a messenger knocked atEmilia’s door and announced that Pastor Dalisay wanted to seeP.C. right away.

“Good news,” Dalisay said as he greeted P.C. “I found a job foryou at the union office.”

P.C. took the tram to the Philippine Union Mission office inPasay. R. R. Figuhr, union president, was the only one in the buildingthat early, and he conducted the interview himself. Taking an instantliking to P.C., Figuhr directed him to Howard Klaser, the union trea-surer, for his first assignment.

During P.C.’s first year at the union, Figuhr left on furlough, mak-ing the union secretary, Forrest Pratt, acting president. Althoughthe assignment was only temporary, the shift in authority neverthe-less created some tensions. Not everything went well, but P.C. wastoo busy to notice. Immersed in his new responsibilities, he occu-pied himself learning new “steno” strokes for the vocabulary associ-ated with church work: “tithe,” “evangelistic meetings,” “literatureevangelist,” etc.

Desperation in the HospitalThat’s when tragedy struck. With P.C.’s wife close to death, he

called on his friends at the union office. “Operator, would youplease connect me with Pastor Pratt?” P.C. begged the switch-board operator.

“But sir, it’s after midnight!” the operator objected. “I can’t wakePastor Pratt.”

“But this is an emergency,” P.C. implored. “My wife is dying.”In his apartment Forrest Pratt reached for the jangling phone.

“May I help you?” he said.“Elder Pratt,” P.C. blurted, “I’m sorry to disturb you at so late an

hour.”“P.C., what’s wrong?” asked Pastor Pratt as he tried to reach out to

a ling Camewho aren’t speaking to each other?


the anxious voice on the other end ofthe line.

“It’s my wife, Pastor Pratt. She’sdying. Would you please come rightaway to St. Luke’s Hospital and prayfor her?” P.C. asked. “I’ve alreadycalled Pastor Klaser.”

“We’ll come right away,” PastorPratt promised.

P.C. returned to Rose’s room. Shewas surrounded by relatives who hadbeen arriving all week long. For severaldays they had kept an anxious prayervigil, and now they gathered, expect-ing Rose’s imminent death. A few sobspunctured the grim stillness.

After what seemed like a long wait,Forrest Pratt and Howard Klaser enteredthe room. P.C. greeted them gratefully,and after a few hasty introductions tohis family he asked them to pray.

They knelt, and Pastor Pratt prayedfirst. After a short, heartfelt prayer,Pastor Klaser followed. The urgency intheir words was noticeable. As they fin-ished and everyone rose to their feet,

Rose opened her eyes. “Pastor Pratt,”she said, “what are you doing here?”

The Healing ExplainedRose’s miraculous recovery caught

everyone by surprise and provokedunexpected joy. With tears in his eyesP.C. walked the two union officers tothe door, apologizing for calling solate and thanking them for their sin-cere prayers. “Thank you very much,”he stammered. “I will never forgetyour kindness.”

“No, it is we who will never forgetthis occasion,” said Pastor Pratt, “and itis we who thank you very much.

“You see,” he continued, “beforeyou called, Elder Klaser and Iweren’t on speaking terms. Thingsbetween us hadn’t been going well.In fact, they were getting worse.”

Elder Pratt cleared his throatand added, “But when you calledus for help, we knew that we hadto make things right between us ifwe were going to be able to minis-

ter to you and Rose. So we met andasked each other for forgiveness.Then we knelt together in prayer.Afterward we had tears in our eyes as we embraced each other.

“So, P.C., we thank you for callingus. And we give God the glory andthanks that this crisis provided heal-ing for your wife—and for us.” ■

Ray Puen writes from LosAngeles, California, wherehe is active in the U.S.-based chapter of thePhilippine Union CollegeAlumni Association.

“This is an emergency,” P.C.

implored. “Mywife is dying.”

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CALVIN B. ROCK

Irecently contacted the General Conference, askingfor financial assistance for my university education. I was told that nothing is available. Problem: if onecan’t get educational supportfrom one’s own church,

where can one go? With rare exceptions, our organi-

zations (General Conference, divi-sions, unions, even local confer-ences) do not receive money fromtheir constituencies for scholarshipallocations to individuals.

That does not mean that educa-tion is not a priority. It is. In fact,the General Conference, in budget-ing for the year 1998, appropriatedits three institutions of higher education—AndrewsUniversity, Loma Linda University, and Oakwood College—a total of $18,171,425, a healthy 16 percent of the totalworld budget. Local conference budgets in the NorthAmerican Division average approximately 38 percent forChristian education.

The General Conference has oversight of divisions andsome unions, but it is not structured to deal directly with theproblems and appeals of individuals. That is the responsibi-lity of the local church and/or conference.

At the elementary and in some cases the academy level,many churches have assistance funds. Those who don’twould be well served to reread Ellen White’s comments:“Let all share the expense. Let the church see that thosewho ought to receive its benefits are attending the school.Poor families should be assisted. We cannot call ourselvestrue missionaries if we neglect those at our very doors whoare at the most critical age and who need our aid to secureknowledge and experience that will fit them for the serviceof God” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 217).

The greater costs for college and university educationusually require direct contact with the school’s financial aidoffice. Information regarding scholarship-granting organiza-tions can also be found in most public libraries.

Ellen White once wrote: “If he could not obtain someof these things, a little domestic wine would havedone her no injury; it would have been better for

her to have it than to do without it” (Testimonies for theChurch, vol. 2, p. 384). Does this support recent scientificstudies that show the moderate use of wine (i.e., a glass a

day) as good for one’s health? This statement concerns a

pregnant woman who, because offanatical positions held by her hus-band, was being deprived of necessarynutrition. Prior to the sentence youquote, Ellen White names a numberof foods that would be good for theexpectant mother and her baby. Sheconcludes by suggesting that if theseare not available, “a little domesticwine” would be helpful.

More than anything, this positiondemonstrates the prophet’s practicality and balance. DidEllen White elsewhere warn against the use of wine as acommon drink? Yes, a number of times. Did she, on theother hand, approve its use for medicinal purposes? Yes, andthat is the case in this instance.

Here she mirrors Paul’s suggestion that Timothy (in hisweakened condition) might be aided by “a little wine” morethan by water (1 Tim. 5:23).

It’s conceivable, given the richness of grapes in mineralsand vitamins, that for some, these ingredients in wine, mod-erately consumed, are therapeutic in spite of their alcoholicaccompaniment.

But that does not suggest a change in our position. Thefirst reason is that the positive properties that “moderate”wine drinkers acquire we regularly obtain by following aproper diet—one that is free from the harmful effects ofalcohol.

A second and as persuasive reason is contained in theprophet’s words: “If all would be vigilant and faithful inguarding the little openings made by the moderate use of theso-called harmless wine and cider, the highway to drunken-ness would be closed up” (Review and Herald, Mar. 25, 1884).

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

Practical AssistanceF A I T H A L I V E !

Did Ellen Whiteapprove of wine

for medicinal purposes?


Literature RequestsImagine having church or an evangelistic

series without written material or visual aids.The following persons and institutions haverequested denominational literature and wouldbe grateful for your help. This list is for literatureonly. Please discourage any solicitations forfunds by the recipients.

CAMEROONNojock Jose Emery, c/o Kinjouo Felix, P.O. Box242 SOA, Cameroon, West Africa. Devotionalbooks, sermons, Ministry, Bibles, concordances.

GHANAPastor Omane Acheamfour, SDA Church, P.O.Box 16, Dinkwa On Offin, Ghana. Bibles,Picture Rolls, Spirit of Prophecy books, maga-zines, tapes.

Sam Yaw Afriyie, P.O. Box 236, Konongo, A.A.N.,Ghana. Hymnals, songbooks, Bibles, music.

Pastor E. A. Allotey, Afram Plains District ofSDA Church, P.O. Box 3, Tease, EasternRegion, Ghana. Needs evangelistic literatureand visual aids for this newly-opened area.

Samuel Amoh, P.O. Box 9358, Accra, Ghana.Signs, Adventist Review, Spirit of Prophecy books,tapes, Picture Rolls, children’s teaching aids.

Elder Paul Wiredu-Anyankwa, P.O. Box KW151, Kwadaso-Kumasi, Ghana. This evangelistfor the Central Ghana Conference is in need ofbooks, tapes, Bibles, sermon outlines, and litera-ture for public crusades.

Joseph Appiah, c/o S.O. Hinneh, P.O. Box 480,Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana. Adventist Review, Signs,books, Spirit of Prophecy books, tapes, PictureRolls.

Stephen Y. Busi, SDA Church, P.O. Box 22,Kintampo Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana.Commentaries, Spirit of Prophecy books, andperiodicals.

INDIAMrs. Winifred Devaraj, headmistress, LowryMemorial Junior College, P.O. Box 1603

Dooravaninagar, Bangalore—560016, India.Insight, Action, Guideposts, Guide, books forteenagers, and Signs.

KENYAPastor Samwel Onchwari Okero, publishingdirector, Nyamira Conference, P.O. Box 285,Nyamira, Kenya. Magazines, Bibles, books,lessons, Picture Rolls.

Pastor Eliab Ombworo, Global Mission pioneer,c/o Kenya Coast Field, P.O. Box 89251, Mombasa,Kenya. Adventist Reviews and any literature thatcould be used as gifts during crusades.

The South Kenya Conference sends the followingrequests for literature (Bibles, Spirit of Prophecybooks, periodicals, and hymnals).

Pastor Samson Kingona Nyasaae, JohnsonRatemo Miyienda, Josephen A. Kingoina, AlfredM. Karori, all at the same address of P.O. Box3050, Kisii, Kenya.

Elkanah Meraba Mogusu, P.O. Box 3,Masimba, Kenya.

Pastor Thomas Ngote, P.O. Box 2211, Kisii,Kenya.

Richard Mwancha, P.O. Box 65, Masimba,Kenya.

Milton Matoke Nyamao, P.O. Box 874, Kisii,Kenya (blind—needs Braille).

Evans Nyamari, P.O. Box 619, Keroka,Kenya (evangelist).

Thomas Mogere Makini, P.O. Box 333, Kisii,Kenya (magazines).

Clive Mogaka, P.O. Box 800, Suna, Migori,Kenya (magazines).

Methuselah Oanda, P.O. Box 604, Keroka,Kenya (Picture Rolls).

MYANMARNang Khen Thang, SDA Mission LawibualVeeng, Tedim Myo, North Chin State,Myanmar. Adventist Review, SDA books andmagazines.

Mr. Rawngbawla, principal, SDA BibleSeminary, Khampat-2, Tamu 02071, UpperChindwin, Myanmar. This school for ethnictribals near the Indo-Myanmar border is in needof educational and denominational books, maga-zines, maps, pictures, etc., for both children andadults. Religious materials have not been avail-able in Myanmar for years.

PHILIPPINESPastor and Mrs. Trophimo B. de Leon, WesternMindanao Conference, P.O. Box 2389, 7200Ozamiz City, Philippines. Bibles, Picture Rolls,cassettes and tapes, Church Hymnals and songbooks, children’s visual aids and sermons, period-icals, and used greeting cards.

Mrs. Vivian P. Paler, Calinan SDA CentralChurch, Calinan, Davao City 8000, Philippines.


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SabbathSchool LessonHelps for Second Quarter ’98

Have you ever gotten aninvitation to a party? It’spretty exciting. Some-times you can tell itmight be an invitation

when you get it out of the mailbox,because often there is something spe-cial about the envelope.

When you open the invitation,first you look to see who the party isfor. Next you check to see what dayit will be to make sure you can go.Then you find out where it is andwhat time it starts.

But before you start to think aboutwhat present you will bring or whatyou will wear, you probably need to doone thing: look near the bottom of theinvitation and see if it says RSVP.

Do you know what RSVP standsfor? Répondez s’il vous plaît. Can youpronounce that? It’s French. It means

“Let us know if you want to come ornot.” You can see that it is muchquicker to write RSVP instead of allthat. People need to know how manyare coming to their party so they canmake plans and have enough cake. Sothey ask their guests to RSVP.

There are lots of invitations in theBible. When Jesus first started to

InvitationsROSY TETZ


teach, He chose some followers. WhenHe invited them, He said, “Come fol-low me” (Matthew 4:19, ICB). Jesusinvites you to follow Him too.

When Jesus was teaching, He toldthe people who were listening, “Cometo me, all of you who are tired andhave heavy loads. I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28, ICB). Jesus invitesyou to come to Him for rest too.

When people brought their childrento Jesus so He could bless them, His fol-lowers tried to shoo them away. Jesussaid, “Let the little children come to me.Don’t stop them” (Matthew 19:14, ICB).Jesus invites you to receive His blessingstoo. Jesus especially invites children.

“Come and share my happinesswith me,” Jesus says (Matthew 25:21,ICB). “Come and receive the kingdomGod has prepared for you” (Matthew25:34, ICB).

So you see, you have the invitation.Now you need to RSVP. You need tolet Jesus know whether you will acceptHis invitation or not. Next time youpray, let Him know that you want tofollow Him. Let Him know that youwant to share His happiness. Let Jesusknow that, more than anything else,you want to come to His party.

Bible dictionary, hymnals, Spirit of Prophecybooks, VBS material, Sabbath school materials,books and periodicals for adults and children.Others in her church make similar requests withsome additions:

Robert Barrete.Johnny Dolorso (sermon outlines, Bibles,

books, and magazines).Phoebe Gementiza (visual aids, large-print

Bibles).Riza Ayuban (hymnals, pictorials).

UGANDASamuel Bwami, executive and ministerial secretary, Central Uganda Field, P.O. Box 22,Kampala, Uganda. Tracts, magazines, Spirit ofProphecy books, Sabbath school materials (espe-cially for children), and other books.

Pastor S. K. Twumasi, Department of Theology,Bugema University, P.O. Box 6529, Kampala,Uganda. Magazines, Bibles, slides, Picture Rolls,books, tapes, Sabbath school materials.

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Million Peoplein the United Statesare visually impaired.

1.1You can help showthem Jesus. Support

Christian Record Services’Annual Offering in

March.

RICHARD S. NORMAN

It seems as if it were yesterday, not 1956. We hadrecently moved to Miami, Florida. All that summer Ihad looked everywhere I could to find a “good” job.We “Colored” people (latercalled Black, and now desig-

nated as African-Americans) hadvery few choices so far as jobs wereconcerned, other than menial jobspaying the minimum wage of 75cents an hour.

Though I had my B.A. degreein religion, I could not find a goodjob anywhere. Many days I wentto the state employment office,where I sometimes was assigned ajob cutting someone’s lawn, working in a garden, orcleaning a house for one day. If the Lord saw fit to blessme more, I might get a job that lasted all week. Somedays I found no job at all.

So as the time drew nearer and nearer for my wife,Mabel, to be delivered, we prayed for money to pay the hos-pital bill, but I could find no good job anywhere. We wentto a loan company where we had done business before, butthey refused to renew our loan. My wife cried as we walkeddejectedly out of that office. I tried to console Mabel byreminding her that “the Lord will provide,” but right then Iwas not so sure I was very convincing.

Soon after, on a Thursday morning, I took my wife tothe hospital, and thankfully she was accepted. All Iremember the kind woman at the admitting desk sayingwas “Now, her hospital bill will be $57, and it must be paidbefore she is discharged.”

“I will pay you Friday afternoon,” I promised.When I went to visit my wife that Thursday night to see

our new daughter, Audrey, the same woman was still there,and gently but firmly she said, “Remember, the $57 must bepaid before your wife is discharged.”

“Don’t worry; I will have your money by then.”That previous Monday I had gotten a job working as a

carpenter, working 10-hour days at $2.25 an hour. When Itold my wife about this job, we both praised the Lord forproviding it for me “just in time.” That Friday I paid thehospital bill out of the first decent payroll check I hadreceived in months.

Throughout my life such experiences have occurredmany times. Even though I would pray and worry aboutwhat was going to happen in the future if certain things

didn’t occur, the Lord alwaysanswered my prayers just in time,and often not a day sooner. When Istop to think about it, that has beenthe Lord’s method of answering ourprayers since early Bible times.

The Lord severely testedAbraham’s faith by not supplying aram for a sacrifice until Abrahamhad raised his knife to slay his sonIsaac (Gen. 22:9-13).

He did not dry up the water atthe Red Sea until Moses and the Israelites were ready tocross (Ex. 14:13-31).

In the wilderness the Lord provided manna for theIsraelites to eat one day at a time (Ex. 16:2-31).

At the Jordan River the Lord again tested Joshua’s faith bynot stopping the water from flowing until the priests leadingthe way actually put their feet in the water (Joshua 3:14-16).

Finally, after all these years, the Lord has helped me tosee more clearly how He works. Although I have a tendencyto look down the road and see certain disasters, these disas-ters never come because the Lord provides the help I need,often on the very day I need the help.

I have chosen to call the Lord’s method of supplying ourneeds just when we need them “God’s manna principle,” forobvious reasons. So now I am trying not to worry aboutwhat will happen six months or a year from now. Instead Iam learning slowly to trust the Lord more fully and to pray,“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).

Since this belated discovery, I have now found life tobe more peaceful. Finally I am learning to really believewhat David said: “I have been young, and now am old; yethave I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed beg-ging bread” (Ps. 37:25).

Richard S. Norman is retired and writes from AvonPark, Florida.

The Manna PrincipleT U R N I N G P O I N T

I call the Lord’smethod “God’s

manna principle.”


BY GINA LEE

American military involvement in Vietnambegan when I was 3 years old and endedwhen I was a teenager. My father was a civil-ian, but we lived near aMarine base, and as I

watched soldiers get blown apart on thenews every night, the war became an inte-gral part of my life. It never occurred to meto protest it any more than I would protestthe skating rink or the bowling alley. Warwas just business as usual.

It wasn’t until the war was over that Imet my first Vietnamese. The Marine basebecame a temporary refugee camp, andragged children ran around behind thebarbed wire wearing bits and pieces of soldiers’ uniforms.

From newspapers and television Ilearned everything I knew about the Vietnamese—thatthey tended to be short by American standards, that theylived in huts and ate rice and dogs. The only cities I hadheard of in Vietnam were Hanoi and Saigon.

It wasn’t until years later that I finally met someone fromVietnam. The office I worked in was hopelessly understaffed,and I often came in as early as 5:30 in the morning to try toget caught up. My only companion in these early-morningsessions was Toan (pronounced “Twan”), the Vietnameseman who worked the night shift. Although he was workingjust down the hall from me, Toan might as well have beenliving on the moon.

All that changed one day when I came in and discoveredhim standing at my desk, looking at a picture of my two dogs.

“These are your dogs?” he asked.“Yes, those are my babies,” I told him. “Gabriel and Galen.”“I love dogs, but I cannot have one,” he said sadly. “My

family in Vietnam always had dogs, but my apartment man-ager doesn’t allow pets.”

Wait a minute! People had said that Vietnamese eatdogs! Yet here was one who obviously loved them. Wechatted for a few minutes about dogs, and I mentionedthat people would frequently abandon their pets in thewoods near my home. Although I found homes for a fewof them, I didn’t have the time or the money to help allof them.

“I know,” Toan agreed, nodding. “It was so hot the otherday, and I saw a stray cat panting and miserable, so I put outa bowl of water for it. The landlord got very angry. He says

we cannot even give them water, becausethen they might stay.”

After that Toan often stopped by mydesk to discuss my pets and the abandonedanimals I was trying to help. I also discov-ered that Toan loved to laugh.

One morning I brought a bag of micro-wave popcorn for breakfast. Passing by hisoffice, I stopped and offered him some.Toan started laughing so hard at the ideaof popcorn for breakfast that I thought hewould knock over the bag! I later learnedthat in the Vietnamese culture laughter isused much as we would use a friendlysmile. It doesn’t necessarily mean some-

thing is funny; it merely means that the laughter is relaxedand happy and everything’s fine.

Eventually Toan started teaching me a few phrases inVietnamese. But he taught me a lot more than a fewwords in another language. He taught me that I

should look beyond stereotypes and see people as theyreally are.

I have yet to meet a human being who is totally withoutprejudice. Often our prejudices are so subtle that we maynot even recognize them. Prejudice is more than lookingdown on someone who is a different race or religion fromyours. Do you avoid speaking to people who dress or speakdifferently than you do? Do you have any friends fromanother generation?

When you recognize prejudice in yourself, read what itsays in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek,there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male norfemale: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” The war againstprejudice is a war we all have to fight. ■

Gina Lee is a freelance writer living in Burbank,California.

My WarR E F L E C T I O N S


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Adventist Health Ministry

The Adventist Review on-line is made

available free through the sponsor-

ship of the North American Division Adventist

Health Ministry Department—coordinators for

“The Year of Health and Healing.”

During this year, Adventist Health Ministry

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Documents

World Edition · strategy and use it for making donations. Certainly the confer-ence treasurer would have (in fact, should have) let the donor des-ignate the application of the sale