World Edition - Adventist Review · lance drivers, hospital dietitians, police officers, firefighters—even physicians and nurses who labor under common, everyday secular circumstances”

July 8, 1999

World Edition

A New Mood in IndiaOur Candidate Is Winning

Waiting for a Visa

A Horn Player’s DilemmaI loved Bert Williams’s piece (May

13 WorldEdition). Hiscomparison ofplaying theFrench horn to aChristian’sattempt to live aChristlike lifewas one of thebest illustrations

I’ve ever read. My favorite part(because I could identify with it sowell) was “It’s not that the miscuesdon’t matter. (What self-respectingmusician wants wrong notes?) It’sjust that to focus on them will onlymake them worse and bring more intheir train.” This is so true. We needto focus on Christ and hang onloosely to everything else—includ-ing our own performance.

I also empathized with his anguishover the missed notes. I used to playthe clarinet, and it’s a humbling expe-rience when instead of a clear, truenote, you hear something closer to thesound of fingernails being scrapedacross a chalkboard.

— C h e r y l C a m p b e l l

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

Church Rejects Use of ViolenceThe church wishes to negotiate asettlement with a band of thugs?(Newsbreak, May 13 World Edition)How do you negotiate with criminals?How do you determine how muchevil is acceptable? The church doesn’tbelieve violence should be used in

conflict resolution? This, from thesame church that takes people tocourt to prevent them from using itsname? Doesn’t the church realize thatthe court’s power is based on the gov-ernment’s ability to enforce the lawagainst unwilling citizens? Using vio-lent means as required? How can thechurch support (and make use of)government power to enforce itsrights and then reject the use of gov-ernment power to enforce the rightsof those who are victims of “ethniccleansing”?

Perhaps the church also believesthe Israelites should have negotiatedwith the Canaanites.

— D o u g l a s K i n g s f i e l d

A U R O R A , C O L O R A D O

Abiding PrinciplesI found it interesting to read CalvinRock’s thoughts on “the growing ten-dency in our churches to sanction anyand all humanitarian-related wageearning on the Sabbath, i.e., ambu-lance drivers, hospital dietitians, policeofficers, firefighters—even physiciansand nurses who labor under common,everyday secular circumstances” (May13 World Edition).

I sure hope Mr. Rock is nevertraveling between home and churchand happens to need an ambulanceor a police officer. I also hope thathe never needs to go to a “secularhospital” or an Adventist hospitaland have any kind of treatment onthe Sabbath.

You see, Mr. Rock, after having hadto be in the hospital on Sabbath, I

came to admire the hardworking jani-torial staff. Not much thought is givento them, but I sure do like to see themcleaning up after everybody. Oh, andI’m sure you would consider their jobnonhumanitarian as well as those ofmany other support people who,although they have no patient contact,make your stay more comfortable.

— K i m b e r l y M . T r e w i t t

B E LT O N , T E X A S

Since, in the final analysis, each oneof us must come individually beforethe judgment seat, and because whatis acceptable Sabbath activity variesacross time and culture, I believe thatit would have been more appropriatefor Elder Rock to refer the writer toJames 1:5 as the ultimate place for ananswer to the question.

— J a n e G u i l e s , R . N . , P h . D .

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

Who Said It?I’m grateful and disappointed at thesame time. See, there was this EllenWhite quote that was my all-timefavorite. I read it often, hung it onmy wall, claimed the promises itentailed, and sent it out to others.And then, lo and behold, RoyAdams (May 13 World Edition)pulled the rug out from under me!The quote that “prayer is the answerto every problem in life” is still pow-erful, but since I found out myfavorite author didn’t say it, it was adisappointment. I am thankful,

LETTERS

2 (890) A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W , J U L Y 8 , 1 9 9 9

though, that I found out the truth.Now I add my plea to Adams’: Whosaid it? Does anybody know? Again,thanks for sharing the uncertainty ofthe origin of that quote.

— S a r a h L . C l a r k

F O R T W H I T E , F L O R I D A

Roy Adams is collecting research andreader responses. Look for a follow-uparticle sometime this fall.—Editors

Disturbing DisclaimerI enjoyed Roger Coon’s article “EllenWhite’s Disturbing Disclaimer of1904” (May 13 World Edition). Ithelped me, as a new member, clarifythis issue by explaining the events ofthose days. I must admit, though, thatI have a hard time thinking of John’sprophecy in Mark 1:7 as an offhandremark (see page 26).

The Bible makes it clear that Johnwas preaching when he gave thisprophecy and I truly believe that hewas under divine guidance during thiswork. An offhand remark is usuallythought of as coming from a person,not the inspiration of God.

— G r e g C a r e y

C A S S O P O L I S , M I C H I G A N

Meaningful MagazineI met a young woman at a women’sministries retreat in Winnipeg,Manitoba, recently. She mentionedthat she hadn’t been to church inseveral years. However, a year and ahalf ago she subscribed to AdventistReview. (Her mother had part in thatdecision.)

After she’d decided to subscribe,she changed her mind . . . thenchanged it again . . . and finally did it!

“I can’t tell you how much it hasmeant to me,” she said, and went onto talk about the magazine’s content.How it has made her connected tothe church again, and how much sheappreciated the coverage of thechanges in General Conference

presidents. And I thought you nicepeople ought to know.

— P e n n y E s t e s W h e e l e r

E D I T O R , W O M E N O F S P I R I T

V I A E - M A I L

Punishing the Rebellious ChildIn your article (Angel ManuelRodriguez, May 13 World Edition),you state that the theocratic govern-ment is no longer operative, and youfurther state that punishing the rebel-lious child comes from the fifth com-mandment. Would you selectivelyenforce the Ten Commandments,which were given under theocraticgovernment? Would you say, as others,that the Ten Commandments aremoral laws, thus not abolished?

The other matter is that weChristians (including Adventists) arenot to take the matter to the secularcourts as they are not fair (as I haveexperienced on my own). The Biblesays so, the preachers say so, andmany others discourage taking mat-ters to courts of this world. I considerthis matter an intrusion to our pri-vate family life by the government.

— Wo n H . B a e , D . D . S .

V I A E - M A I L

L E T T E R S P O L I C Y

The Review welcomes your letters. Short,specific letters are the most effective and havethe best chance at being published. Letters willbe edited for space and clarity only. Send cor-respondence to Letters to the Editor,Adventist Review, 12501 Old ColumbiaPike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600;Internet: [email protected] network: 74617,15.

COVER STORY

8 A New Mood in IndiaBoth society and the church arechanging—at a pace that bogglesthe mind.B Y W I L L I A M G . J O H N S S O N

ARTICLES

14 A Heart for the Down-and-outAn interview with the firstAdventist member of India’s lowerhouse of ParliamentB Y D I T T U A B R A H A M A N D

J . J O H N W Y C L I F F E

16 Waiting for a VisaHe planned his itinerary, ordered histickets, and waited . . . and waited.B Y C H I T R A B A R N A B A S

22 Our Candidate Is Winning!The “what” has already beendetermined. Now it’s just a matterof when.B Y R A C H E L E . W H I T A K E R

24 The Other AdventistSchool SystemHome Study International turns90 years young.B Y B I L L K N O T T

DEPARTMENTS

2 Letters

7 Give & Take

13 Bible Questions Answered

18 World News & Perspectives

26 Tuesday’s Child

27 Faith Alive!

28 Adventist World Radio

29 Bulletin Board

31 Reflections

EDITORIALS

5 Lessons From India

6 The End of the Story

A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W , J U L Y 8 , 1 9 9 9 (891) 3

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“Behold, I come quickly . . .”

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

Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day AdventistsExecutive Publisher William G. JohnssonAssociate Publisher Charlotte McClure

Publishing Board: Phil Follett, vice-chair; Lowell Cooper;William G. Johnsson; Robert E. Lemon; A. C. McClure; Ardis D.Stenbakken, Donald R. Sahly; Ted N. C. Wilson; Robert Nixon,legal advisor

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 Secretary Jean SequeiraArt Director Bill Kirstein Designer Bill TymesonDesktop Technician Stephanie KapingAd Sales Genia BlumenbergSubscriber Services Steve Hanson

Consulting Editors: G. Ralph Thompson, MatthewBediako, Phil Follett, Robert J. Kloosterhuis, A. C.McClure, Jan Paulsen, Leo Ranzolin, R. L. Rawson,Calvin B. RockSpecial 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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Scriptures credited to ICB are quoted from theInternational Children’s Bible, New Century Version, copy-right © 1983, 1986, 1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas,Texas 75039. Used by permission. Texts credited to NIVare from the Holy Bible, New International Version.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International BibleSociety. Used by permission of Zondervan BiblePublishers. Bible texts credited to RSV are from theRevised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946,1952, 1971, by the Division of Christian Education of theNational Council of the Churches of Christ in theU.S.A. Used by permission.

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 © 1999,General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.Vol. 176, No. 27

WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON

Seventh-day Adventists came to India more thana century ago, but for the most part the work hasgrown at a glacial pace. In the past several years,however, a sea change has occurred (see accom-panying report beginning on

page 8, “A New Mood in India”). Whathas made the difference?

Only the Lord knows the full story. InHis divine wisdom He brings the time ofreaping after many years of labor; Heplaces together people and circumstancesin opportune combinations for the mov-ing of His Spirit on human hearts. Wecannot know the mind of God, but wecan discern matters from a human per-spective, and this perspective revealsthree factors important for the world Adventist Church—simplicity, love, and prayer.

In India the Lord is using simple means to bring men andwomen to accept Jesus Christ. His agents are largely youngpeople with little or no education who love Him and shareHis love with others. In several cases these young peopleemploy music: they travel from village to village impartingthe joy and peace that Jesus’ presence brings. No budgetedwork here and no dependence on props and gadgets—nopictures or PowerPoint—only the word of simple testimonyaccompanied by the Spirit’s power.

In a setting in which the majority of the hearers are illit-erate, the presentation cuts to the bone, to the rudimentarygospel as the apostle Paul laid it out: “that Christ died for oursins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that hewas raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (see1 Cor. 15:1-5, NIV). For this audience, fine details of the 27fundamental beliefs, let alone other theological areas thatexercise some Adventists in developed societies, have nomeaning. Simplicity is the keynote as the core of Adventismis conveyed—our message, mission, and basic lifestyle.

A spirit of love permeates the work—love for God andHis children and a passion to share His love. Concernsabout salary, fringe benefits, and perks seem minimal amongthese itinerant village workers. Touched by grace, they havebecome instruments of grace.

Here a practice unique to our fellowship takes on height-ened significance—the ordinance of foot washing. Adventists

are a people who love enough and care enough to do whatJesus did—wash one another’s feet in the attitude of a servant,regardless of caste, education, or social standing.

And the movement of the Spirit in India is a work ofprayer. For centuries godly men and womenhave implored the Lord to bring a break-through, searching for ways to present Jesusin a manner that will soften hearts. InGod’s good time those prayers and laborsare bearing an abundant harvest.

I saw evidences of men and women andyoung people who speak to God one-on-one,who rely on Him to lead them, who bringevery decision before Him. God is going onbefore, opening the way, doing amazing,incredible things.

The name of Jesus is powerful. People are learning thatpraying in that mighty name brings answers: the sick arehealed, miracles are wrought, people on the thin edge of pov-erty find a resilience and providence for day-to-day existence.

India today confronts the Adventist Church with a stu-pendous challenge. Whereas for many years our work seemedslow and difficult, now we face a multitude eager to knowmore about Jesus and to welcome Him as a living power intheir lives. How will we, how can we, respond to this mov-ing of God’s Spirit?

I believe the lessons from India need to sink deep intothe hearts of Adventists everywhere. I believe the Lordcalls us to simplicity—in faith and trust, in courage, in obe-dience, in lifestyle, in presentation of the gospel. EllenWhite, who wrote much in this area and whose counsel wedo well to get back to, advised: “God often uses the sim-plest means to accomplish the greatestresults” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822).

The Lord began His work in simplic-ity, and He will finish it through sim-ple means. And as God wraps up thework—and He is doing so in our day—it will be bathed in love and prayer.

A threefold cord, said the wiseman, is not quickly broken (Eccl.4:12). The threefold lesson fromIndia will serve well the entireAdventist Church.

Lessons From IndiaE D I T O R I A L


BY MYRNA TETZ

Many times I’ve wondered what would hap-pen if everyone in the Seventh-dayAdventist Church tithed. After listening toa Lee Venden tape,I now have a new

question. What would happen ifeveryone in the Seventh-dayAdventist Church loved?

Venden, pastor of the Auburn,Washington, Seventh-day AdventistChurch, says that if the church inNorth America had retained 80 per-cent of its children since its incep-tion, the Adventist population herewould be 8 million, and, based onthat ratio, perhaps the world membership would be one billion.

Jumping to conclusions is not a good idea—such as if weloved, all our children would stay in the church. But when sta-tistics tell us that the majority of fifth-generation Adventistshave no assurance of salvation, we have to wonder about ourunderstanding of how best to share God’s love.

Several years ago we moved to a college communitywhere a sensitive and thoughtful preacher presided.One Sabbath the sermon was about God’s love and

our response to it. I waited after church to speak to himbecause I had a question.

“Do you get credit for doing good things when you don’twant to do them?” I had asked, donning a smirk so he’d knowthat I knew that my theology wasn’t quite right. Ignoring mypretext, he said he’d bring me something to read.

No pastor had ever ministered, personally, to me before.I’d been a pastor’s wife. I shouldn’t need anything, should I?But I knew him well enough to expect a follow-through, so Iwas not particularly surprised when, on Monday morning,Pastor Allan Robertson (now pastor of the Kelowna, BritishColumbia, Canada, Seventh-day Adventist Church) came tomy office with excerpts from two books on the topic of love.

One writer expressed an uneasiness about his lack of self-less (agape) love. He explained that he did love some people,but they were usually the attractive ones or the ones whoseemed to have a concern for him. He knew this was the“same old ‘swapout’ marketplace love Erich Fromm and oth-ers had described so well as characteristic of our capitalistic

and consumer-type living. He also admitted that he didn’tfeel very loving much of the time.” *

Where, he asked, was the genuine caring impetus hethought would be central to thisexperience of sharing Christian love?I could relate. That was my question.

In any kind of discussion on loveand the reasons for doing whatChristians should do, I’ve thoughtabout the cross and Christ hangingthere. Vertically hung from nails,sweating blood, asking that the wholeordeal be taken from Him: was Hereally liking the experience? Had Helooked forward to it, greatly anticipat-

ing the joy He would feel from the pain of the piercing?Probably not. And, in a crass comparison, I wasn’t really

euphoric about dutifully taking food to an older person whohad told others that she didn’t like my cooking. But sheneeded it, and I did it. Anyway.

So I wonder if we have neglected loving deeds because wedon’t feel any particular glow from the heavens above or, forthat matter, the earth beneath. Or do we wait for those lov-ing feelings to come before we act because we wouldn’t wantto have to level the accusation of hypocrisy on ourselves?

There’s a young woman, 17, who doesn’t thinkAdventists are all that loving. She has a vivacious,caring single mother. And two grandmothers.

One grandmother will not write to her unless she writesto her. The other one writes whether or not she ever hearsfrom her. One is not a Christian, and one is an Adventist.Which one is the grandmother who writes faithfully? I’d tellyou the answer, but you either already know oryou don’t want to know.

My pastor husband purports that reallove—Christian love—is altruistic. It hasnothing to gain and no stipulations.Christians do loving things becausethey love the Lord, and that’s thesource of their motives. And that, hesays, is the end of the story.

* Keith Miller, A Second Touch, p. 83.

The End of the StoryE D I T O R I A L

He loved somepeople—usuallythe ones who had

a concern for him.


GIVETAKE

&

HATS OFF TO ADVENTIST YOUTH

In this feature we pay tribute to outstanding Adventistyouth (age 18 and under). We welcome your submissions,

which must include a photo.Shortly after he started studying

with the Voice of Prophecy,Samuel Ndurya, of Bamba,Mombasa, Kenya, had registered 50 others—pastors, middle-age adults, and his peers. “He started visiting Sunday schoolsof various churches and teaching them the songs, poems, andBible verses he had learned,” reports Pastor Eliab Ombworo,a Global Mission pioneer. “Children came to like him, andwhen their parents wanted to know how he is well versed in

the Bible, Samuel just told them to register in the school of Bible prophecy.” The Adventist Review honors Samuel Ndurya for going the extra mile for God.

Look for your Review cap in the mail.

ADVENTIST LIFE

Over Christmas some of our church members’relatives from other parts of North Americacame back to visit. One such visitor was asked tohave prayer during the worship service.

During his prayer he said, “And we request,Your Honor,” then quickly corrected to “DearLord.”

There were a few smiles as people rose fromprayer. A teenage girl sitting in front of meturned to her mother and asked, “Is he alawyer?” The mother nodded in the affirmative.—Lucille Landry, Beauvallon, Alberta, Canada

When our youngest son was 3, his 5-year-old neighbor playmate, Big John, waswatching me peel potatoes.

“Mrs. Blehm,” he asked, “are those real potatoes?”“Why, of course,” I said. “Why do you ask?”“Well,” he said, “you eat fakey everything else. I thought you might eat fakey

potatoes, too.”—Shirley Blehm, Gresham, Oregon

JUST IN CASE: Ishaka AdventistHospital in Bushenyi, Uganda,has just started a health insur-ance scheme for the communi-ties around Bushenyi District,with the help of USAID, HealthPartners USA, and the Ministryof Health of Uganda. Here GraceMbabazi and Dan Kakuntaexplain the new project to mem-bers of a village. Driver IsaacKiiza is at right. Photo by IngridVan Horf.


HELP! HELP!

We’re running low in someGive & Take categories. We canespecially use brief submissionsto:

Adventist Quotes (profoundor spontaneous)

Adventist Life (anecdotes—especially from the world ofadults)

Dream Center (church-re-lated dreams)

Jots & Tittles (church-relatedtips)

Readers’ Exchange (requestsfor correspondence on a specifictopic)

And we can always usechurch-related photos and cap-tions, short poems, and otherfast-paced items. Send submis-sions (which won’t be returned)to Give & Take, AdventistReview, 12501 Old ColumbiaPike, Silver Spring, MD 20904;fax: 301-680-6638; e-mail:[email protected].

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A New Mood in IndiaIn society and church the pace of change

boggles the mind.

C O V E R S T O R Y


BY WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON

MUMBAI, INDIA: THIS IS THE MOSTdifficult report I have ever filed for theAdventist Review, because so much ofwhat I want to convey lies close to myheart. I am still grasping to process what

this trip has revealed. Noelene and I first came to this city, then known as

Bombay, nearly 40 years ago. We arrived wet behind theears, married just one month, ready to take on India and winit for Christ. And we came by ship.

You either love India or hate it. We fell in love withIndia, especially its gentle and hospitable people. Our twochildren were born here; we stayed more than 15 years.When we eventually left, a large part of ourselves stayedbehind.

I have been back in India for two weeks. Although I havemade earlier visits on behalf of the church, this latest one,coming after a break of seven years, has affected me pro-foundly, more than any other.

Things have changed, in society and in the church.

BIG EVENTS: The village turns out for dedication of the new prayer hall. Flanking editor William Johnsson are the village mayor (holding gourd instru

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There is a new mood in India.

The Lufthansa flightdeposited me right at1:00 a.m. It was a wel-

come sight to see leaders fromthe local section (confer-ence), who forfeited their restto welcome me. Immediatelythey posed a question: Did Iwant to go to a hotel oraccompany them toLonavala, a couple hours’drive away, where churchleaders from around Indiawere meeting in council?

That made for an easychoice. The opportunity tomeet many former studentsfrom my teaching years atSpicer College was too goodto pass up. We bundled my bags in thevan and drove into the night.

Mumbai presents a picture of a cityin rapid transition. Wide new roadsand potholed back streets, boomingconstruction and wretched hovels, cellphones and poverty—you see it all.

Many things are different. Instead ofancient clunkers, the streets arechoked with new automobiles of avariety of makes. Billboards are all inEnglish. Cable TV brings in 70 chan-nels for better or worse. Instead of arupee tip, now you give 10 rupees, andeven so you’re likely to be asked for a

dollar instead (exchange rate: 42 toone). India is a nuclear power, andMahatma Gandhi seems forgotten.

And now you can drink the water,available in low-priced bottles. Theold days of boiling or chlorinating oriodizing are gone, and the scourge ofBombay belly or Delhi belly no longerhaunts the visitor from abroad.

You can’t escape the feel of the newIndia. With its rapidly expanding tech-nology and population of nearly 1 bil-lion, this is an economy ready for take-off. Within a few years India shouldbecome a major player on the world

scene.The British rulers of India

constructed a fine railroadnetwork, and free India con-tinued to build it up. But thenew consumer economywants its goods faster thanrail can provide, so the roadsare incredibly jammed withtrucks. The government isracing to build new highwayslinking the major cities, butthey are years behind.

On and on we spedthrough the night. Past milesof trucks with sleeping dri-vers lining the sides of thehighway. Past the satellitecity under construction thatwill join with Mumbai to

make a metropolis of 30 million, theworld’s largest. Past new flyovers andnew apartment complexes and newindustrial sites.

Ahead loomed the Western Ghats, arange of mountains that jut up fromthe coastal plain like dragons’ teeth.The ascent is steep and tortuous, butthe 2,000-foot climb brings you to thecool air of the Deccan, the plateauthat comprises central India.

A new four-lane expressway isn’tfinished, so the old winding road wasour only course. The old road has beendivided into one-way traffic, but thehuge increase in trucking makes it anightmare. We slowly made our wayup the mountain, fighting behemothsgroaning, laboring, and belchingclouds of diesel fumes as they foughtfor every inch of road. Then our for-ward progress came to a dead halt onthe steepest grade. For 30 minutes wewaited until a passage opened upbetween overheated trucks and wecould proceed.

Sunday driving this is not. Whichleads me to pass on a hint to the trav-eler to this colorful, wonderful land:you will enjoy your visit much more ifyou can avoid the roads. New, privatelyowned airlines provide outstandingdomestic service, while air-conditionedrail travel is low-priced and fast.

It was a relief to reach Lonavala. By

WALL-TO-WALL: More than 300 people pack the prayer halls with others at the windows outside.

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ment) and local pastor A.P. Tiru.

the time I checked in and found myroom it was 5:30 a.m.; my devotionalmessage was scheduled for 8:00 a.m.Which would allow me one hour ofwelcome rest.

When we came to India in1960, the total membershipof the old Southern Asia

Division, comprising India, Pakistan,Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Burma(Myanmar), was about 20,000. Atevery level the church was led and runby expatriates, and progress was glacial.

Today India alone has 15 times thenumber of Adventists than the wholeregion then. National leaders havestepped into the ranks and, under theblessing of the Lord, have propelledthe church into new strength.

I found a group of lively, positiveleaders at Lonavala. Their openness tonew ideas and possibilities was refresh-ing. The topics under discussion—principles of leadership, insurance (wehave some 200,000 students inAdventist schools), investment ofresources, and so on—were totally out-side my sphere of reference from theIndia I had known.

From Lonavala I traveled to Pune(formerly Poona) for meetings at theOriental Watchman Publishing House.Manager Robert Clive showed me a

picture of the stamp that the authori-ties are about to issue to mark the cen-tenary of the institution. In this coun-try where Christians account for only 2percent of the population and Ad-ventists are but a tiny fraction, thisstamp is a dramatic pointer of chang-ing times.

Editor Edison Samraj introducedsome of their latest publications. Chiefamong them are a set of six four-colorbooks on religious instruction for ele-mentary school children, a large bookon plants with healing properties, anda groundbreaking collection of essays,Maturing of Adventism. The latter,edited by Samraj himself, pulls togetherthe thinking of Adventists in variouscountries in an attempt to get majorissues facing the world church out onthe table.

Adventist publications of the IndiaI knew relied heavily on foreign writ-ers. Books and magazines essentiallyreprinted manuscripts and articlesfrom the West. In the church of thenew India all that has changed, andnational writers are taking the lead.

The chief reason for my visit tothe publishing house was to workout details for a Telugu edition ofthe Adventist Review. Among ourmembers the largest number speakTelugu, hence the choice of thatlanguage by leaders of the churchwho requested the Review’s services.We hope to begin with the worldedition in August; editions in Tamiland Hindi will follow.

Across town from the publishinghouse stands Spicer Memorial College,where I taught for 12 years, and Icouldn’t resist the invitation for aquick visit. I found a college grown tomore than 1,100 students and a cam-pus much more built up.

But the role of Spicer College ischanging. All along Spicer has beenthe church’s only senior college inIndia, but suddenly the picture haschanged. Lowry Memorial College inthe south has expanded to senior sta-tus, a new institution has arisen inSurat, and in the north both Roorkeeand Assam training schools are movingto full college level. With the new

configuration I will be interested tosee how Spicer will continue to servethe church and India as our premiereducational institution.

Welcome to Delhi, wherethe temperature is 48degrees,” intoned the jet-

liner’s captain as we landed in thenation’s capital. A quick calculation:48 degrees Celsius is 118.4 on theFahrenheit scale!

For all its changes, India remains ahot country. And with the franticrush to modernity in the big cities,the villages of India seem little differ-ent in their simple, basic ways of lifethan they were a thousand years ago.Here, in these 580,000 hamlets, threequarters of the people continue in theold paths.

But a new breeze is blowing acrossthe hot landscape. Large numbers ofpeople are increasingly attracted tothe person and teachings of JesusChrist. There is a readiness to acceptJesus such as I never witnessed in our15 years here.

Christianity came early to thesubcontinent. Tradition has it thatthe apostle Thomas brought thegospel to India; the alleged site of hisburial can be identified nearChennai (formerly Madras). In theeighteenth century William Careyfelt called to leave his nativeEngland and labor here, and a vast

DRUMMER BOY: At a remote location thevillage band, led by the drummer, gathersto welcome us.

CONCENTRATION: A prayer hall for the village, afuture for the children.

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missionary movement was born.From Thomas to Carey to the most

recent times India was deadly slow inembracing the teachings of Jesus. Themissionaries are gone now, but some-thing is happening. The prayers andthe labors of the centuries are bearingfruit; the thousands of graves of earnestworkers are blossoming into new life.In God’s time He is bringing the har-vest, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Recently India received a blackeye in the world press because ofreligious persecution. Christianshave been harried and killed,churches destroyed. SeveralAdventists have been beaten, andwe lost four or five churches.

It’s important to note that theIndian constitution specificallyguarantees religious liberty,including preaching and propaga-tion of religion. The governmentis required by law to protectminorities.

This is a land with a long her-itage of tolerance of differences.Violence and persecution are anti-thetical to the values of India, sothe recent persecution of Christianshas led to widespread searchings ofheart. In particular, the grisly mur-der last January of an expatriate fami-ly—father and two sons burned alivein their car by a drunken mob—causedan outcry that still reverberates aroundthe land.

A commission set up by the govern-ment concluded that the persecutionof Christians had a political ratherthan a religious foundation. BecauseChristians voted for the Congressparty, losers in the last national elec-tion, they were singled out for retalia-tion by political opponents.

In the midst of this rapidly changingscene, God is using simple means tobring Jesus to the forefront. Prayer is a bigfactor: people are learning that calling onthe name of Jesus brings answers.

A woman holding her baby faces adesperate situation as a cobra wrapsitself around her leg. She cries out toJesus, and the cobra uncoils itself andslithers away.

A man breaks both wrists in a truck

accident and can no longer find work.He prays in the name of Jesus, promis-ing that if He heals him so he canwork again, he will build a house ofworship. And God works a miracle.

Simple men and women, peoplewho live day and night with but thebare necessities of life, bear their testi-mony that God is real and answersprayer. And the wind carries theirwords with a power that is irresistible.

And something else is changing.Along with the hunger and thirstingfor Jesus, new prayer halls are beingconstructed. They are simple, basicstructures, built by Indians for Indians,and they are hugely important.

I know no country where a place ofworship is so important to the believerand to the surrounding community asIndia. In the eyes of the village, thechurch has no standing and no perma-nence unless and until a house of wor-ship is constructed. In the past nation-al workers labored long and hard onlyto experience the frustration of seeingtheir congregation melt away becauseno building accompanied their work.But in the new India those who feel aburden for their country and have adesire for their fellows to hear aboutthe God who answers prayer havehope that, after they work day andnight, a prayer hall will follow.

As in many other countries,

Maranatha Volunteers International islending a hand. This lay ministry ofthe Seventh-day Adventist Churchacts as a coordinator, a facilitator ofthe efforts of the nationals who are thecontractors, builders, and supervisors ofthese prayer halls and, in several cases,accompanying schools.

Invited to attend the dedication ofsome of these prayer halls, I was deeplymoved by the love and appreciation of

the villagers. Ontheir limitedincomes theirchances of everachieving a build-ing were remote;now they have asimple, solidlybuilt structurethat provides acenter for thewhole commun-ity—a placewhere all are wel-come to pray,where the nameof Jesus can beuplifted, andwhere instructioncan be given forbetter health,

happier homes, and stronger youth.These dedication ceremonies in

most cases were a high point in thesocial life of the community. Thesarpanch (mayor), local political fig-ures, and other leaders welcomed useffusively, and the people greeted uswith garlands and music.

I was impressed by the hard work,skill, and professional efficiency of theIndian leaders of this magnificent min-istry. And also their spirit of sacrifice.For example, Mohan Narayan, con-struction manager for Maranatha,spends most of his time on the roadinspecting scattered building sites, andgets back to his wife and children inHosur only once each month for acouple days.

Sometimes the work is dangerous.One Friday afternoon as Mohan and alocal contractor were returning bymotorcycle from a building project,they were accosted by a group of

A SCHOOL, PLEASE: All hands up in thanks for the prayer hall and requestfor a school building.

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drunken men and boys carryingmachetes and bows and arrows. Themen grabbed them and tied them up,and discussed cutting off their limbsand burning them after sundown. LaterMohan realized that the men had mis-taken them for individuals who earlierhad defrauded the villagers of funds tobuild a school.

Mohan thought that they had nochance. “I prayed and thought of mywife and children,” he told me. Asevening drew on, a tall man dressed inwhite suddenly appeared on the road.Although he did not belong to thetribal group holding them hostage, hespoke to them authoritatively in theirlanguage. The mob reluctantly decidedto release them for a while. “Run!” saidthe tall man, and Mohan and the con-tractor ran to the motorcycle andescaped to safety.

On another occasion the vehicle inwhich Mohan was traveling ran over amine set in the road by antisocial ele-ments. The jeep rose a couple feet inthe air but didn’t even blow a tire.

While Maranatha is the chief orga-nization helping to facilitate the build-ing ministry, the Quiet Hour is alsoinvolved in raising funds for the con-struction of smaller prayer halls ofmore modest structure.

The last stop on this trip took meback to the place whereNoelene and I began life and

our work together. High above thebaking plains, on the first ridge of thevast Himalayas, Adventists carved aschool out of the mountainside in1922. We were called to serve there—Noelene to be in charge of the smallboys (we had boys from 8 to 18) in thedorm, and I to be dean of boys andBible teacher.

Vincent Hill School enrolled only151 students at its maximum. With thedecline in expatriate workers, it wasclosed in 1969 and subsequently soldto the Sikhs. End of story.

Not quite. Over the years its spirithas been kept alive by a newsletter foralumni and former faculty; now itboasts a website. And this year theidea coalesced for a reunion—on site.

The event was extraordinary. Some75 people gathered from seven differentnations on a 7,000-foot hilltop toremember a little school that closed 30years ago. Some who came were spousesand children of alumni who wanted tofigure out what was so different aboutthis school that influenced husband,wife, or parent so greatly.

The excitement and power of theevent were palpable. For me the occa-sion was made all the more memorableby Noelene’s joining me.

Friday afternoon we walked thelong, winding, up-and-down main roadof Mussoorie, stopping at stores andsights we hadn’t seen inmore than 30 years.Friday evening we allgathered to reminisce,share, remember friendswhose lives had ended.

For Sabbath we hadplanned to sit at Vale-head overlooking theold school and thenroam the campus. Butthe Sikhs extendedextraordinary courtesies.They shut down allactivities for the day;organized a program in the old chapel,where they honored us with culturalitems and gifts and asked us to share thespiritual and moral values that madeVincent Hill unique so that their facul-ty and students could carry on the her-itage of the school; and then invited usto a dinner with their faculty.

None of us who came back toVincent Hill were pleased that theschool was sold in 1969. For years wecarried it in our hearts, grieving that itwas no more. But in an utterly unex-pected turn of events our coming back“home” brought a sense of fulfillmentand continuity.

India has everything.Because India is a kaleidoscope of

ever-changing images, no one picturecaptures the whole. For every statementone might make about India someonecan give a rejoinder based on their obser-vations. And both will be right.

India is new. India is old.India is hurtling into the new mil-

lennium. India is tied to agelong ways.India is changing. India is still India.A new mood is blowing across the

land. India will never change.This trip had everything.Church leaders dreaming dreams

and seeing visions. Young people firedwith enthusiasm to tell others aboutthe mighty name of Jesus that bringsanswers to prayer. Old workers rejoic-ing to see new companies of peoplewho accept Jesus gathering in newprayer halls.

Nostalgia. Faith and vision. Hardwork, toil, sacrifice. And prayer—especially prayer.

Old Indiahands will findmy report incred-ible. The sugges-tion of thisancient landleap-frogging thelandline commu-nication systemto a cellular net-work will boggletheir minds.Someone whothinks prayerhalls can be con-

structed from scratch in 30 to 40 daysmust have gone out in the midday sun,along with mad dogs and Englishmen.

I am still coming to terms withthese new realities. But I rememberthe power of the word of the One whosays: “See, I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up; do you not perceiveit?” (Isa. 43:18, NIV). And also thispromise: “In India . . . God has inreserve a firmament of chosen onesthat will yet shine forth amidst thedarkness, revealing clearly to an apos-tate world the transforming power ofobedience to His law” (Prophets andKings, pp. 188, 189). ■

William G. Johnsson is theeditor of the AdventistReview.

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY: William andNoelene Johnsson return to Vincent Hillafter more than 30 years.

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ANGEL MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ

Some Adventists are interpreting the time peri-ods mentioned in Daniel 12:5-13 literally, asfuture events. What is your reaction?

Some Adventists areindeed applying Daniel

12:5-13 to future events that will takeplace after Michael arises (verse 1).Accordingly, the prophetic periodsmentioned in those verses (the 1260,1290, and 1335 days), are taken to beliteral days still in the future. Usingthe historicist method of interpreta-tion, Adventists have traditionallytaken the time periods to be symbolsfor years. Any attempt to merge futur-ism and historicism by introducing a double fulfillment of apoc-alyptic prophecies will undermine our system of propheticinterpretation. These new proposals cannot be supported fromthe context or from the book of Daniel. Here’s why:

1. Structure of the vision: The vision introduced in Daniel10 covers Daniel 11:1-12:4, and ends with a conclusion,Daniel 12:5-13. The introduction consists of a conversationbetween Daniel and two heavenly beings. The conclusion tothe vision describes the same conversation between Danieland two heavenly beings. It is a single literary unit.

2. Location of the time periods: The time periods in Daniel’sprophecies are located at the end of the visions. In Daniel 7the vision is described in verses 1-14; the time period is givenin verse 25. The vision of Daniel 8:1-12 is followed by thetime period in verse 14. This implies that the time periods inDaniel 12:5-13 are directly related to the vision in Daniel 11.

3. Daniel 7 and the 1260 days: The three and a halftimes/1260-day prophetic period is introduced for the first timein Daniel 7:25, in a context that is clearly symbolic. There isno reason to interpret the same prophetic period literally inchapter 12:7. Such an approach invalidates the year/day princi-ple because of the lack of consistency in its application.Besides, in Daniel 12:7 the time period during which God’senemy persecutes the “holy people” perfectly parallels Daniel 7.

4. Linguistic connections between Daniel 11 and 12: Thephrase “the end of the astonishing things/wonders” (Dan.12:6) refers back to Daniel 11:36, where the same Hebrewroot, pala, is used to describe the words of the enemy spokenagainst God (cf. Dan. 8:24). Both passages indicate that this

evil power will be successful for a period of time. Daniel 11deals with the specific time during which this phenomenontakes place and points out that it will come to an end after the

enemy breaks the power of “the holypeople” (Dan. 12:7). This same eventis described in Daniel 7:25 and 8:24,where the same terminology desig-nates God’s servants. Other connec-tions include references to “thewicked” (Dan. 11:32; 12:10), theverbs “to understand” (Dan. 11:33;12:10), “to refine,” “to purify,” and “tomake spotless” (Dan. 11:35; 12:10).

In Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 theword “daily” is used together with the

verb “to abolish/remove.” They both use the phrase “theabomination that causes desolation” in conjunction with theverb “to set up.” There is no ground to argue that these twopassages are dealing with different events. By using the sameterminology the writer is telling us that the reference is to thesame event. Therefore, the time periods mentioned in Daniel12:11, 12 (1290 days and 1335 days) are to be applied to theevents described in Daniel 11:31. Daniel 12:7 describes thetime of persecution mentioned in chapter 11:32-35.

Defining the historical fulfillment of the 1290 days andthe 1335 days is not difficult. First, the 1290 days are associ-ated with the work of God’s enemy, mentioned elsewhere.Daniel 7 indicates that the control exercised by that reli-gious/political power over God’s people came to an end in1798. That date provides the end for the 1290 years; its start-ing point would then be A.D. 508, when the Franks defeatedthe Arian Visigoths. Second, the 1335 days are an extensionof the 1290 days, thus indicating that they start at the sametime. This means that the 1335 years ended in 1843/1844.

For a more comprehensive treatment of prophetic inter-pretation, I suggest that you study the commentary byWilliam Shea, Daniel 1-7 and Daniel 7-12 (Boise, Idaho:Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1996).

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

Prophecy as Past andFuture?

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

Some new interpre-tations cannot be

supported from thebook of Daniel.

A Heart for the Down-and-outAn interview with Kim Gangte

F E A T U R E


On November 26, 1998, J. John Wycliffe and DittuAbraham interviewed Ms. Kim Gangte, the first Adventist mem-ber of Parliament of the Lok Sabha (the Indian Parliament’slower house). Following are excerpts of that interview:

Dittu Abraham: Tell us about yourself. To which tribe doyou belong?

Kim: I am a Kuki. This tribe has many subgroups. I amfrom the Gangte subtribe.

DA: Which part of Manipur do you hail from?I am from Churachandpur in south Manipur, a district

that borders Mizoram. The Kukis and Mizos have much incommon.

DA: Isn’t Churachandpur the area that has beenextremely tense for some years now? Is that also your par-liamentary constituency?

Yes. Insurgents have been very active in this area, but theproblem does exist almost everywhere in the state. I repre-sent the Churachandpur constituency in Parliament.

DA: Please tell us about your family and your education.

I hail from a family of farmers. My parents were evange-lists to the Kukis. I attended the Adventist Training Schoolat Jowai in Meghalaya State, India. Then I went to GwahatiUniversity and completed a degree. I then finished a master’sdegree in English at Pune University. I have always beengrateful for the Adventist education I had early in life.

DA: Exactly at a time when the church and our mis-sionaries were facing false accusations of forced conver-sions and of aiding terrorism, news came that you wereelected to Parliament. I guess it was an answer to theprayers of all of us.

I went to Mr. L. K. Advani, the union home minister,with some of our church leaders. I told him, “You haveknown me for a number of years and hence you know whata nationalist-minded person I am. You know how I havebeen fighting for the poor and the downtrodden. If you havefaith and confidence in me, then you have to have confi-dence in my church. This is the church in which I wasbrought up. I was educated in a church-run school. I knowthe missionaries of my denomination, that they get involvedonly in activities such as trying to help the poor and needyof this country.” “I know,” he agreed, and told me that hetoo was brought up in Christian schools. Then we asked[Southern Asia Division president] Ron Watts to pray forhim. He really appreciated that gesture.

John Wycliffe: In the United States, the state and thechurch are two separate entities, and people fight to keepit that way. How would you maintain this principle inyour work as a parliamentarian and politician whileremaining loyal to the church?

My view of politics is very simple. It’s loving people,appreciating human values, honoring human rights, andserving people. My target is helping the poor and setting anexample for others. It does not necessarily involve preachingfrom the Bible, but practically applying its instructions.

DA: From what you have said I gather that you arereferring to the need for religious people in politics, peoplewho are value-driven.

Yes. Religious people should get into politics so that poli-tics can be kept clean. Politics today is looked upon as some-thing dirty. But if the people who are in politics are clean,politics itself will be clean. Service for the people is the rightkind of politics.


JW: So would you encourage ayoung Christian who is aspiring toenter politics?

Sure. Do you know why I say this?Before I ran in the election, I askedGod to guide me and show me Hisapproval by a sign. If it was His willthat I should not run, I asked Him towipe out the thought of runningfrom my mind. I had come to therealization that I should run becauseI had helplessly witnessed a lot ofbloodshed and human rights viola-tions. I saw women and children suf-fering. I saw the poor and underprivi-leged oppressed. And I tried in myown little way to help them. But veryoften it was like banging my headagainst a stone wall. Sometimes Iwept. Sometimes I shouted. Some-times I got angry. I would go to mybedroom and remember how houseswere burned down and innocent peo-ple chopped to pieces. I did notknow what to do.

Then I went into my room. I shutthe door, knelt down, and just prayedto God: “Please send someone to helpmy people. As You used Moses to leadthe children of Israel out of Egypt,

send us someone to help us out of thischaotic situation.” I prayed and I wept,not once but a number of times. Andthen one day an idea came to mymind. I realized that to make a differ-ence, we must have a representative inthe policymaking group.

It finally dawned on me that per-suading other people to do what Iwant will not work. I now consideredentering the election myself. But myjob as a college lecturer was my life-line. I was also working as anannouncer in the All-India Radio,Imphal, and as a correspondent frommy state for the Eastern Panorama, amagazine in which I highlightedwomen and human rights issues.

It was an exceedingly tough deci-sion. A defeat could have spelled finan-cial ruin for me. I prayed as neverbefore. Finally, just two months beforethe elections, I suddenly resigned fromthe college. Many people felt that Ihad done something really foolish. “Ifyou are not elected, what will you do?”they asked. But deep inside I knew thatGod would provide for me. Then Ientered the elections.

JW: Now that you have been

elected, are you still close tothe people?

Poor people come from5:00 in the morning to visitme. I try to meet and help asmany as I can every day.

DA: As a member ofParliament these past fewmonths, do you see a role forthe church in helping thesepeople?

Yes. I have been statingin Parliament that one ofthe main reasons we have somany insurgents is unemployment. The churchcan play a big role by intro-ducing some kind of voca-tional training—somethinglike at Spicer MemorialCollege. I was so impressedwith the bakery at Spicerrun by students. If such pro-grams were introduced inManipur, we could help a lotof people become self-sup-

porting by engaging in income-gen-erating projects.

DA: Our church will have toinvest in something like that. Wemay need to give loans to some andenable them to gain self-reliance.

Yes, we should help young people toget work. That way, slowly, insurgencycan also be solved. We can help themand the government will appreciateour efforts.

DA: Do you have any favoriteBible characters?

Moses is my role model. I considerhim the greatest politician because ofhis undying love for the people.

JW: Thank you, Ms. Gangte. Godbless you as you “preach” throughyour kind deeds for the upliftment ofthe poor and the downtrodden. ■

J. John Wycliffe works in Archives andStatistics at the General Conference ofSeventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring,Maryland, and is a Southern AsiaDivision committee member representingIndians living overseas. Dittu Abraham isthe editor of the Southern Asia Tidings,printed in Pune, India.

TRENDSETTER: Kim Gangte (left) shares her convictions with Dittu Abraham (center) and J. JohnWycliffe (right).

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VisaA routine trip proved to be anything but.

S T O R Y


BY CHITRA BARNABAS

TOM CARTER COULDN’T UNDERSTANDit. As director of the General Conference TrustServices he had traveled all over the world—many times. Until now he had never faced adilemma quite like this. Carter was scheduled to

travel to the Africa-Indian Ocean Division to train represen-tatives from the division for Trust Services. Priscilla Metonou,director of the division Trust Services, had been working tire-lessly for more than a year to arrange this meeting.

The Best-laid PlansCarter was able to get an excellent fare for his itinerary,

the only hitch being that it was a nonrefundable ticket.Carter then applied for visas. In a short while visas weregranted for Zimbabwe and Zambia, but nothing came forNigeria. Upon contacting the division office, he wasinformed that visas for the United States were slow in beingissued. He was also informed that it would require an offi-cial invitation from the government of Nigeria for him toenter the country. The division office foresaw no problem inobtaining such an invitation.

Believing that it would be smooth sailing as far as his visawas concerned, Carter left for London. To escalate theprocess, he decided on having his visa papers worked on atthe offices of the Nigerian High Commission in London. Butthis was not to be. The High Commission turned down hispetition and advised him to work with its office inWashington, D.C.

Carter wondered what he should do, whom he shouldturn to. On an impulse he asked the British Airways office

for help. He requested for them to arrange for him to flyinto Accra, the capital of Ghana, so that he could travelthrough Benin, which is adjacent to Nigeria. Then hewould be close enough to enter Nigeria when his visa was finally granted. But the airline politely informed himthat they could not help him in any way because of thetype of ticket he had. Other alternatives were explored,but the cost was prohibitive.

The only course seemed to be to wait in London until theinvitation from the Nigerian government came through.The British Embassy apparently did not want to becomeinvolved in the matter, but they did issue a second passportso as to enable him to send the original one to the NigerianEmbassy in Washington, D.C.

Carter waited for more than a week in London. But nothingcame through—no invitation from the Nigerian government,and no visa. To top it all, he received word from the EasternAfrica Division that the meetings there might be postponed.

Baffled, Carter pondered why he had faced one roadblockafter another regarding his travel to Nigeria. In 17 years oftraveling for the General Conference this would be the firsttime that he would be unable to complete a planned itiner-ary. The previous year he had set out for meetings in Chinawithout a visa and had been able to procure one in HongKong. But this time nothing seemed to work.

The Master’s PlanCarter remembers sitting in his hotel room that Saturday

night mulling over the impasse he was facing. It suddenlydawned on him that the only viable option would be for

Waiting for a

him to return to Washington, D.C.Things became still clearer to himwhen his wife, Janette, called later thatevening.

The news Janette conveyed to himchanged the entire course of his life.She informed him that his doctor hadcalled, stating that biopsies performedon him before he left for London werepositive. They showed that he hadcancer. Carter couldn’t believe whathe was hearing. Routine X-rays earlierthat year showed no trace of cancer.He began to see the Lord’s hand in hisdilemma. He realized now that therewas a reason that his visa to Nigeriaand the invitation from the Nigeriangovernment had not worked out. Herushed back to the United States forhis surgery. Suddenly it dawned on himthat “some of God’s greatest gifts areunanswered prayers.” *

Carter underwent surgery on April

28, nearly two months after he left forLondon. The surgery was successful,and the pathology report indicatedthat the cancer had not spread. Aftertwo three-month checkups Carter wastold that he need not return for acheckup for a whole year. The doctorsinformed him that they consider himone of their success stories.

Carter in no way feels that he wasfavored by the Lord above others; infact, he wonders at times why his lifewas preserved when four of his closefriends succumbed to the disease with-in three months of his surgery.

What Carter does believe is thatthe Lord portrayed His love for himthrough this perplexing experience;that God stood by him and taughthim to trust in spite of any outcomeor consequence.

Carter readily cites one of hisfavorite passages in the book Steps to

Christ: “We can so far comprehend Hisdealings with us, and the motives bywhich He is actuated, that we may dis-cern boundless love and mercy unitedto infinite power. We can understandas much of His purposes as it is for ourgood to know; and beyond this wemust still trust the hand that isomnipotent, the heart that is full oflove” (p. 106).

Tom Carter now understands whythe visa never came. ■

* Garth Brooks, Pat Alger, and LarryBastian, Unanswered Prayers.

Chitra Barnabas is adminis-trative secretary to the editorof the Adventist Review.

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While the world’seyes are focused onthe tragic situationof Kosovar refugees,the Adventist

Development and Relief Agency(ADRA), which is active in Albaniaand the former Yugoslavia, hasalso started making plans toease the plight of refugees fromthe Democratic Republic ofthe Congo.

ADRA is prepared to man-age a transit refugee camp forregistration and a temporaryhousing site for 50,000 to100,000 refugees enteringZambia, reports Ron Ringrose,ADRA/Zambia director.ADRA officials recently metwith the government ofZambia, the United NationsHigh Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), andother participating nongovernmentalorganizations to prepare final contin-gency plans.

“Since March 4, 27,000 Congoleserefugees have entered Zambia’s north-ern region to flee ongoing politicalinsecurity,” explains Ringrose. Headds, “The current daily influx ofrefugees into Zambia is approximately150.” It is estimated that as many as200,000 more refugees will cross theborder seeking safety.

The transit camp that ADRA/Zambia is preparing for the enteringrefugees is in Nchelenge, approximately25 miles (40 kilometers) south ofPweto on the shores of Lake Mweru.“This camp will be the refugees’ firstcontact point and will be a collectionarea for registration as the refugees

wait for transport to Kala, about 100miles [160 kilometers] away,” Ringrosesays. The refugee camp at Kala, nearKawambwa, will cater to these samerefugees. It is expected that as many as100,000 refugees will flee to this area.

ADRA/Zambia is currently part-

nering with Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF—“Doctors Without Borders”)of Holland to distribute 35 tons (32metric tons) of emergency relief sup-plies to a camp in Mwange andanother transit center at Kaputa, onthe northern border. The supplies,including medicine, water bladders,pumps, and plastic sheeting, weredonated by MSF. Both of these campsare being managed by another non-governmental organization. TheMwange camp is prepared to provide35,000 refugees with temporary hous-ing and supplies.

“ADRA/Zambia’s agricultural insti-tute in Chimpembe is acting as a sup-ply depot for the Mwange camp andwill also be a supply source for theADRA camp in Kala once it is up and

running,” says Tom Ngenda, ADRA/Zambia planner. “The agriculturalinstitute is the most established insti-tution located between the two campsto hold the supplies.”

The institute was established in1992 with funding from ADRA/South

Pacific Division and theAustralian Agency forInternational Development todecrease malnutrition andpoverty in an area that had7,000 residents. “Approximately22 percent of the refugees whohave entered through thenorthern border near Kaputaare unaccompanied childrenand child soldiers,” reportsRingrose. “ADRA and theUnited Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) are currently lookingfor a person who can care forthese children, to provide thecounseling, special care, and

education they will need.”Among the other organizations

participating in the relief distributionto the refugee camps are UNHCR,UNICEF, World Food Program, RedCross, and CARE. Other projectsADRA/Zambia is running include aUS$1 million, three-year child-sur-vival project in the Chipata andChadiza districts, a three-year childand primary health project in theNyimba District, a family planningand anti-AIDS project in Kabwe, andan agriculture training support projectin Chimpembe. ADRA/Zambia is alsocompleting a US$1 million relief foodproject, monitoring and organizingthe delivery of 3,500 tons (3.175 met-ric tons) of grain in drought- andflood-affected areas of Zambia.

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

ADRA/Zambia Preparing forCongolese Refugees


B Y B E T H S C H A E F E R , A D V E N T I S T D E V E L O P M E N T A N D R E L I E F A G E N C Y N E W S A N D I N F O R M AT I O N O F F I C E R

FOR THE CHILDREN: Even before Congolese refugees enteredZambia, ADRA had a major presence in the country, helpingchildren and adults.


Alleged Vatican Document a Hoax

Many Adventists have seen a document that describes 10ways in which the Roman Catholic Church will evangelizeSeventh-day Adventists. The document is purportedly fromthe Vatican. The following statement was issued by the NorthAmerican Division to church leaders to help them respond toquestions on the issues.

A disinformation campaign has reached manySeventh-day Adventist members. A disinformation cam-paign is one that presents false information to distract ordisturb a group of people. In this case, the message ispurportedly a document from the Vatican. The fake document describes ways to reach “the most desirablesectarian group,” referring to the Adventist Church.

The methods of evangelizing Seventh-day Advent-ists include: To make concessions that would bringCatholic thinking into Adventism, to question the bib-lical basis for Adventist doctrines and for Ellen White,to show the danger to world peace of Adventist posi-tions about the pope and the Sabbath, to reveal howAdventist leaders have taken ecumenical steps towardthe Catholic Church, and to warn Adventists that theywill be blamed for world evils if they do not unite withCatholics and Protestants.

The document is a hoax.The North American Division has received informa-

tion about the document from many separate and totallyindependent sources, and none of the sources agree onhow the document came to be. In one iteration the doc-ument was discovered in Honduras. In another iterationit was discovered on a website. Both of those sources saidthe document was originally in Spanish and was trans-lated into English. In a third iteration the documentstarted out in English. The versions of the document alsodiffer from each other slightly.

The Inter-American Division has had the greatestflurry of information about the document. The leadershipof Inter-America agrees with us that it is not a valid doc-ument from the Vatican. The Inter-American leadershipfeels that the document may be part of a campaign todiscredit the Adventist Church, especially in Inter-America, where many Roman Catholic members havejoined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The docu-ment appeared on one website that had an official linkwith the Inter-American Division’s website. When Inter-America asked that the link be severed, an additionalarticle was posted that described Adventist history andthe Adventist position “against” Catholics.

For now we can say with clarity that the documentis not what it purports to be, but the campaign of

N E W S B R E A K


Adventist Health Managed CareSigns Affiliation Agreement in TaiwanB Y R AY D A B R O W S K I , D I R E C T O R O F T H E G E N E R A L

C O N F E R E N C E C O M M U N I C AT I O N D E P A R T M E N T

A new era in Adventist health care has started in Taiwanwith the signing of an affiliation agreement betweenAdventist Health Managed Care and the three Adventist hos-pitals in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The affiliation, formalized in ceremonies on April 28 andMay 2, will try to meet the needs of the hospitals in theareas of information systems experience sharing, managed-care contract review services, recruitment services, physi-cian visitation, medical symposium, network patient refer-rals, telemedicine, and training.

“Many companies and organizations recognize how impor-tant globalization is,” said James Wu, vice president of TaiwanAdventist Hospital and spokesman for the Seventh-dayAdventist Church in Taiwan. “By signing this agreement, we arein step with the present opportunities.”

“This new oppor tunity improves our reputation even

fur ther,” said Wu. Presently the three hospitals in theSouth China Island Union belong to Adventist Health CareAsia (AHCA) under the jurisdiction of the Nor thern Asia-Pacific Division. AHCA members include Tokyo and KobeAdventist hospitals in Japan, Adventist Medical Center inOkinawa, and Pusan Adventist Hospital in Korea. Thethree hospitals in the South China Island Union (HongKong and Taiwan) are Hongkong Adventist Hospital, TsuenWan Adventist Hospital, and Taiwan Adventist Hospital.

The Adventist Health Managed Care will provide apatient referral coordinator and service to facilitate med-ical referral to Loma Linda University Medical Center,White Memorial Medical Center, Glendale AdventistMedical Center, and Castle Medical Center in the UnitedStates. The affiliates will continue to acknowledge theimportance of maintenance and enhancement of the quality image of Seventh-day Adventist health care acrossthe Pacific.

The Adventist Church’s care system is worldwide, with161 hospitals. This affiliation agreement inaugurates anew dimension of Adventist global outreach in healthcare.—Adventist News Network.

disinformation against the Adventist Church seems tobe real.

Romania Denies Religious Freedom to Students

Romania’s Ministry of National Education has deniedreligious freedom to students who could not take anexam on Sabbath, June 5.

According to Viorel Dima, general secretary of thecountry’s National Association for Religious Liberty, theeducation ministry is opposed to any suggestion thatwould allow students to take the Capacity Examinationon any other day. The exam is an entrance requirementfor any high school or vocational school.

“We observe that the Ministry of National Educationremains inflexible in its position, in spite of official rec-ommendations coming from the State Secretariat forReligious Affairs, the Romanian Presidency, theRomanian Senate Commission for Education, the presi-dent of the Romanian Senate, and the president ofRomania,” Dima commented.

Some 1,000 Adventists were affected, and thechurch has been trying to arrange a rescheduling ofthe exam in September. The education ministry refus-es any date changes, saying that “due to the fact thatthe Capacity Examination is a national examination,

to change now the examination days for a certain cat-egory of students would disturb it and would createsuspicions. . . . To observe all the religious festivalswhen scheduling the exams would create serious per-turbations of the system.”

In a May 27 meeting with Dima and AdrianBocaneanu (president of the Adventist Church inRomania), the minister of education explained theMinistry’s opposition to any date changes by saying thatthis is a national examination and it is impossible tomake exceptions for any reason.

The Adventist Church in Romania continues toappeal this decision. If the direct appeal is unsuccessful,the church intends to seek judicial remedies.—AdventistNews Network.

Brazilian Adventists Warn of Smoking Hazards in Public March

Approximately 1,000 individuals participated in thewalk in honor of the Worldwide Day Against Smoking,created by the World Health Organization, on May 29in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The walk tookplace on Saturday, a more favorable day to mobilizevolunteers.

In addition to alerting the public to the dangers of


N E W S B R E A K


W ith the year 2000 less than six months away, anincreasing number of government, religious, andentertainment personalities are joining together

in an unusual coalition to urge debt relief for 33 of theworld’s poorest countries.

A spokesperson for the Jubilee 2000 Coalition, speakingduring the Group of Eight summit in Cologne, Germany,recently said that the 52 poorest nationsin the world owe debts of $370 billion.Leading industrial countries agreed tolower the debt by as much as $100 billion.

Interestingly, part of the momentum for the debt reliefmovement comes from the biblical concept of the jubilee, inwhich debts were supposed to be canceled every 50 years.There’s no evidence that the jubilee was ever observed inthe Bible times or since, but with the year 2000 looming,maybe this is a good time to give it a try.

Who would be affected? The governments and

corporations (that is, the taxpayers and stockholders) ofthe largest and richest industrialized nations would haveto pick up the tab. But in all likelihood, the bottom linewouldn’t be affected very much. The governments andindustries of the smallest (in terms of gross national prod-uct) and poorest countries would, perhaps, be able tomeet their remaining loan obligations. And citizens of

these poor nations may have their stan-dard of living raised just a bit.

But there’s also the real risk that theones who would benefit most from debt reduction would becorrupt and unscrupulous political and business leaders inpoor, undemocratic, and underdeveloped countries. There’sa real possibility that wasteful and ill-advised business prac-tices will put these countries back in debt in a few years.

But if debt reduction can give poor nations a chance tostart over, shouldn’t it be tried? Isn’t that what forgivenessis all about?

NEWS COMMENTARY

Forgive Us Our DebtsB Y S T E P H E N C H AV E Z , A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R , A D V E N T I S T R E V I E W

Test Your GlobalMission IQ

1. When civil war erupted inthe land of the White Nile,10,000 refugees fled south to

Nimule on the border with Uganda. A Global Missionpioneer has worked there for three years. Through a mira-cle Martin Tako Abea was able to learn the local Arabicdialect in a week. Among the 60 who now worshiptogether, three come from a tribe never before reached bythe Adventist message. What African country is this?

A. Central African Republic C. SudanB. Kenya D. Egypt

2. Six people baptized on the formerly unentered Isle ofWight made Global Mission history for the Trans-EuropeanDivision. Seven times larger than Bermuda, this islandnation is situated not far from the cities of Southampton andPortsmouth. Of what country are these members citizens?

A. Denmark C. IcelandB. United Kingdom D. Ireland

3. The Adventist Media Centre-Middle East will benefitfrom the new $15 million shortwave radio station to be builtin Argenta, Italy. Its Arabic and Farsi programs will drawmore correspondence school mail to its headquarters inNicosia on a politically partitioned island nation in the east-ern Mediterranean with a Greek and Turkish population.What nation is this?

A. Cyprus C. MaltaB. Rhodes D. Crete

Answers:1. C. Sudan.This ethnically divided nation of 28 million

lies south of Egypt. Church membership (6,900) hasincreased 331 percent in 10 years.

2. B. United Kingdom. These new members of theSouth England Conference join 19,000 in the BritishUnion Conference.

3. A. Cyprus is the headquarters of the Middle EastUnion of the Trans-European Division. The center learnedthat a letter from Egypt cost the equivalent of 20 loaves ofbread; from Iraq, 150 liters of petrol. So the center buysstamps locally and encloses them with return mail.

Compiled by the Global Mission Office of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.


cigarettes, participants also invited smokers to attend astop-smoking course from May 31 through June 4.

During the walk there was a parade with floats thatdemonstrated the consequences of the smoking habit. Asound system denounced the use of cigarettes and pre-sented smoking-related statistics.

The participants, mostly Pathfinders from GreaterFlorianopolis and students from the Seventh-dayAdventist schools, carried banners and posters, anddistributed pamphlets warning of the dangers of smoking.

At the end of the march the Vivacce Choir from theCentral Seventh-day Adventist Church in Florianopolispresented several songs. Former smokers also told of theirexperiences in giving up cigarettes. The Santa CatarinaConference Health Department of the Seventh-dayAdventist Church organized the march.

Countdown to Showdown Winds Down

The Countdown to Showdown evangelistic series inTottenham, London, England, ended May 29 withmore than 30 baptisms, reports the British UnionConference. Another 15 persons are being prepared forbaptism.

The four-week tent revival drew between 400 and 500

attendees to the weekday meetings and more than 1,000persons on Sabbaths. Thirteen area churches participatedin the meetings. The featured evangelists were MichaelHamilton and Stephen McKenzie.

Middle East Union Reports New Growth

Middle East Union officials report 333 baptisms in thefirst quarter of 1999, almost as many baptisms as for all of1998 (340). Union membership was 9,320 on December31, 1998.

Evangelistic efforts are being planned for the entireunion territory, says Roland Fidelia, union communi-cation director. The NeXt Millennium seminar (NET’98) videos featuring Pastor Dwight Nelson are beingtranslated into Arabic and shown throughout the territory.

What’s Upcoming

July 3 Vacation Witnessing emphasisJuly 17 Home Study International PromotionAug. 7 Global Mission EvangelismSept. 4 Lay Evangelism emphasisSept. 11 Adventist Review emphasisSept. 18 Family Togetherness Day

N E W S B R E A K


Our Candidate Is Winning!What I learned out on the stumps

D E V O T I O N A L

BY RACHEL E. WHITAKER

SINCE I’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED INpolitics, I spent a summer working on the reelec-tion campaign of my United States representative(whom I’ll call Fred Brown). Despite glamorousmoments—such as photo opportunities with high-

level government officials—the intense deadline pressureand the acrimonious partisan debates discouraged me frompursuing a career in the fast-paced world of election politics.Nonetheless, I noticed some interesting parallels betweenmy job and the Christian life.

God, too, has a cause to promote: the redemption of ourplanet. He wants as many people as possible to choose Himas the ruler of their lives, and He has enlisted us to tell theworld about His principles of governing. I can think of atleast four ways that working for God is like working on apolitical campaign:

1. We have to be sold on our candidate.It’s very difficult to promote a person or a cause you don’t

believe in. This is especially true in a campaign, where allissues are polarized. Everything your candidate does and saysis automatically good; the opponents’ opinions andactions are automatically bad, or at least suspect.Since I’m the kind of person who likes to lookat both sides of a topic and avoid takingdogmatic positions, the unquestioningloyalty of some of my coworkers mademe uncomfortable. Fortunately, Iagreed with most of CongressmanBrown’s views and appreciated hisapproach to government. Working for acandidate I didn’t support would havebeen almost intolerable.

The same dichotomy exists in the

great controversy, where one candidate is challenging theother for the government of the universe. We must bewholeheartedly on one side or the other. The ballot of lifehas no spot for an “Undecided” vote. Jesus said, “He who isnot with me is against me” (Matt. 12:30),* and “Whoever isnot against us is for us” (Mark 9:40).

There are only two choices. If we waver back and forth,hoping to have the best of both parties’ proposals, we willfind ourselves on the losing side in the end. Fortunately,God has a program we can support with confidence. Hispolicies have never failed!

2. We have to give the job our all.My plan at the beginning of my summer job was to work

four days a week so I could have some time off. I soonlearned that there is no such thing as working part-time ona political campaign. By the end of the summer I was work-ing more than 40 hours a week, plus Sundays and holidays.On American Independence Day I marched in two small-

town parades to represent Congressman Brown.I spent one Sunday delivering yard signs to

supporters and another passing out cam-paign flyers. On the night before our

biggest fund-raising din-ner I worked until 1:30a.m. to finish prepara-

tions. So much for hav-ing extra free time!

Similarly, when we com-mit ourselves to God’s service,

we can’t keep anything back forourselves. “Love the Lord your God with

all your heart and with all your soul and withall your mind and with all your strength,” Jesus


commanded (Mark 12:30). We give atithe of our money, and one day of ourtime is especially consecrated to God.But our whole lives must be dedicatedto Him as well. We can’t serve God onSabbath and ourselves the rest of theweek. All our time, abilities, andresources are His, to be used as Hedirects. There are no part-time jobs onGod’s campaign staff.

3. Our boss hasn’t left us to do thework alone.

Since Congressman Brown spentmost of his time in Washington, D.C.,fulfilling his duties as a representative,he was rarely around to direct his cam-paign staff. Fortunately, his absence didnot severely hamper the campaigneffort, because his chief of staff (I’ll callher Susan Thomas) worked in his dis-trict office just a few doors away fromthe campaign headquarters. Thomashad known Fred Brown since she was ahigh school student volunteering onhis first campaign for the state House ofRepresentatives. After working for himfor many years, she could almost readCongressman Brown’s mind. If wewanted to know what the congressmanthought on an issue or how he wouldwant an event organized, all we had todo was ask Thomas. She even knew thewords and phrases he liked to use in hiscampaign materials!

God, too, it might seem, has leftHis workers on earth to run Hiscampaign on their own. But we arenot really alone. Before He wentback to heaven, Jesus promised that

the Holy Spirit would be with us asHis representative, giving us thepower and the knowledge we needto finish God’s work. The Spirit isthe ideal Counselor; He “knows thethoughts of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). LikeThomas, “He will not speak on hisown. . . . He will bring glory to me[Christ] by taking from what is mineand making it known to you” (John16:13, 14). Moreover, Jesus promisedthat the Spirit would influence theworld to cast their votes on God’sside (John 16:8-11). With the Spiritof God as our adviser, our effort issure to succeed.

4. We don’t need to worry aboutthe outcome.

Congressman Brown had been pop-ular during his previous terms in officeand had many supporters in his dis-trict. Because his opponents wereclearly at a disadvantage, none ofCongressman Brown’s campaignstaffers were very worried that wewould lose the election. This feeling ofassurance made the job far more enjoy-able; cam-paigns arestressfulenoughwithout thefear that allthose monthsof work mightprove futile in thefinal showdown.We did lit-tle nail-biting

as we listened to radio reports of vot-ing results on election night. We wereconfident that our candidate wouldcome out ahead. And he did!

It’s the same with us as Christians.Although the entire world may seem tobe against us, we don’t need to worryabout the future, because we know whatthe outcome will be. Jesus has alreadydefeated His opponent. Our side hasalready won! When the poll results lookdismal, Jesus says, “Take heart! I haveovercome the world” (John 16:33). Theenemy’s mudslinging tactics can’t changethe results in God’s campaign to savehumanity. When all the returns come in,we will find that our hard work has notbeen in vain; our candidate will comeout ahead in the end. ■

* All Scripture references in this article arefrom the New International Version.

Rachel E. Whitaker lives inCharlotte, Michigan, andworks as a proofreader. Sheenjoys writing in her sparetime.

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The Other AdventistSchool System

Home Study International/Griggs UniversityCelebrate 90 Years

E D U C A T I O N


BY BILL KNOTT

AT AGE 80 THE ELDERLY SCHOOL-teacher was in poor health, worn out by“compassion fatigue.” For decades she hadserved her community and her church, chal-lenging thousands of young minds with disci-

pline, wit, and the latest teaching methods. Hundreds roseto call her “blessed,” but many feared she wouldn’t surviveanother decade. Her pulse was weak, and, to make matterseven worse, she was in dire financial straits, unable to meetmany basic expenses.

“It was a difficult time,” says Joseph Gurubatham, pres-ident of Home Study International, about the 80-year-oldAdventist “schoolteacher” he came to work with in 1989.After decades of spirited service to the Adventist Churchand the community, HSI seemed headed for a diminishedrole that year as newer, more flexible programs rapidlyanswered the pleas of parents for creative home-basededucation.

The reorganization launched in 1989 succeeded in arrest-ing HSI’s decline, however. To the wonderment of all, theelderly “schoolteacher” has not only survived but eventhrived, arriving at her ninetieth birthday this summer withrenewed energy and vigor, an international focus, and a cur-riculum increasingly adapted to an online age.

Long regarded as the “other” Adventist school system,Home Study International has filled a specialized educationalniche for many Adventist families since it was founded in1909 by one of the church’s leading educators, ProfessorFrederick Griggs. Originally serving many isolated church fam-ilies and the church’s missionary population, HSI grew through

the work of gifted administrators to become a vital part of thechurch’s worldwide education program. Always careful not tobe seen as competing with established Adventist elementaryschools, academies, and colleges, HSI helped tens of thousandsof families achieve educational goals through correspondenceeducation, guided independent study, and distance learningwho might otherwise never have had access to a Christian andvalues-based curriculum.

Hundreds of students who don’t live close enough toattend Adventist schools still depend on HSI and its rangeof services to finish either entire grade levels in K-12 educa-tion or to supplement other home-schooling programs.

“From its very beginnings HSI has consistently remindedstudents and families that correspondence education cannever fully replace the impact of a strong Christian teacherin a classroom,” Gurubatham says. “We regularly ask poten-tial clients, ‘Have you looked at your local Adventist ele-mentary or secondary school?’ But in the absence of thatoption, we can offer top-quality resources that help familiesreach their special educational goals.”

“Many factors influence parents to look at home school-ing and to HSI,” he continues. “Increasingly, there seems tobe a perception, especially in North America, that publicschools may no longer be safe–not morally safe, and some-times, not even physically safe. Some parents are also con-victed that they should be the primary teachers of their chil-dren. They believe that the most successful way to commu-nicate their values to their kids is to have an additional sixto seven hours a day of contact time.”

“We’re also in an era that increasingly focuses on individ-


ualizing education to meet the uniqueneeds of each student, from the acade-mically challenged to the academicallygifted,” Gurubatham adds. “Parentswant their children to be treated aspersons, not as products on a conveyorbelt. Home Study International hasfound ways to help parents meet thatimportant goal inside a nationallyaccredited program.”

The 1990s haven’t been withoutchallenges for HSI, though.Explosive growth in Christianhome-schooling alternatives hasbrought vigorous competitors intothe market, causing HSI to reevalu-ate its curriculum, adapt to newtechnologies, and keep prices for itsproducts at a minimum.

“There was a perception severalyears ago that our prices for home-schooling materials and tuitionwere too high as compared to whatwas available from other programs,”Gurubatham says. “As one of theoldest, if not the oldest, Christiandistance-education programs, weknow that we have to provide asuperior product at prices peoplewill actually pay. That’s why we’veworked hard to keep our tuitionand materials prices affordable dur-ing the past four years.”

“We’re now advertising in morethan 100 publications, includinghome-schooling journals, magazinescatering to Christian colleges, and par-enting journals. As a direct result,inquiries about our program have beenrapidly climbing.”

Two innovative programs offered byHome Study International have alsosucceeded in enriching the church’s K-12 program. The APLE (AlternativePrograms for Learning Enrichment)has provided small Adventist elemen-tary schools and junior and senioracademies supplemental teachingmaterials and support for more than adecade, giving many Adventist schoolscritical support while they grow intofull-fledged educational institutions.

HSI is also experimenting with Web-based distance education at the highschool level. This program has alreadybeen pilot-tested in three public school

districts in Maryland and Virginia,where administrators have been enthu-siastic about the new service.

The rapid internationalization ofthe Seventh-day Adventist Churchsince the 1960s has also created newchallenges and opportunities for HSI.Conversations with the church’s worldleaders a decade ago resulted in the1990 creation of Griggs University, anaccredited, degree-granting institution

that offers collegiate courses through amix of print and other media applica-tions. Many of the church’s postsec-ondary schools in developing nationsexpressed needs for a portable, flexibleprogram to educate college-age stu-dents and to offer training opportuni-ties to established church workers with-out displacing them from their posts.

Today hundreds of Adventistemployees and ministerial studentsaround the world are enrolled in theGriggs program and are completingmodules in Adventist educational phi-losophy, Adventist history and mis-sion, biblical doctrines, and thechurch’s health message, as well as arange of traditional subjects. GriggsUniversity programs have also helpedto fill curricular gaps in emerging col-lege programs in Africa, Asia, and

Eastern Europe, as well as providing anumbrella degree that can enlarge a col-lege’s two-year program to a full four-year college degree.

“We’ve learned to adapt to uniquelocal conditions without surrenderingthe quality of our academic offerings,”says Gurubatham with a slow smile.“Some would say that we have becomethe ADRA of the Adventist educa-tional system.”

Collaborations with ColumbiaUnion College in Takoma Park,Maryland, and Andrews Universityin Berrien Springs, Michigan, haveexpanded the collegiate program toinclude both external degree pro-grams (through which adults pursuea college degree while living athome and continuing full employ-ment) and distance education viaWeb-based instructional programs.The church’s North American theo-logical seminary, also at AndrewsUniversity, is exploring new distanceeducation opportunities in concertwith Home Study International andGriggs University.

On May 27 of this year GriggsUniversity signed a general agree-ment with the University of SouthAfrica to offer joint degrees inmany disciplines. “UNISA” is one

of the largest distance education uni-versities in the world. A core seg-

ment of the designated curricula willbe offered by Griggs, utilizingAdventist course materials andAdventist professors.

“A decade ago no one could havepredicted what we are experiencingtoday,” Gurubatham concludes. “TheLord obviously knew that this piece ofHis work would be important to Hisplans, and He has blessed it abundantly.Our challenge is to keep listening—toHim, to our church members, and tothe wider community as it increasinglymoves toward values-based and charac-ter-building education.” ■

Bill Knott is an associate editor of the AdventistReview.

Joseph Gurubatham

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Last week at the grocery store I watched a little boy andhis big sister play a game while they followed their momaround the store. Right away I could tell the boy was

just learning to read. “What does that say?” his sister asked as she pointed to

one of the banners hanging from the ceiling.“Cost Cutter Days,” said the boy.“Good!” his sister squealed.She took a box off a shelf and handed it to him. “What does this say?” she asked as she pointed to two words. The boy took the box. “Fa . . . fa . . . fa-seal . . .”“Facial,” his sister corrected. “Facial tissue. That’s OK

Those were hard ones. What about this?” She took somethingelse out of the grocery cart and handed it to her brother.

They played this game the whole time I followed themdown the aisles of the grocerystore. Most of the time the boygot the words right. But when hecame across a word he didn’tknow, such as “facial,” he lookedat it again and repeated it to him-self several times. He studied it tomake sure he would know it thenext time he saw it. A few min-utes later his mom asked him togo back an aisle and pick upsomething she had missed.Because he could read, he wasable to get her just what sheasked for.

Anastasia just finished firstgrade, and she knows a few thingsabout studying. Reading home-work and spelling sentencesweren’t as much fun as playing agame in the grocery store, but allthat studying has made a readerout of her, too. Now she can keepher little brother, Parker, busy byreading to him, especially in thecar. She shows Parker what

different words look like and now he knows some of themalso. Anastasia helps Parker check for e-mail from theirgrandmother, reads the letters to him, and then sits with himat the computer and helps him type messages back. It givestheir mom time to make supper and do other things at home.

Every time Anastasia uses what she has learned to keepParker busy for a while, she’s serving God by helping hermom. Last year she helped some by playing with Parker. Butnow that she has learned to read she has more ways of keep-ing him busy. Now she’s an even bigger help.

The Bible says, “How much better to get wisdom thangold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” (Prov.16:16, NIV). That’s because the more you know, the moreyou will be able to help others. Your studying will help youserve better in God’s family.

RENÉ EVANS

The More You Know

Family Time☛ With your family’s help, make an acrostic out of the word STUDY.

Use each letter to start a word that describes something someone inyour family knows how to do that can be used to serve others. (Example: S = sing)

☛ Help your family members know what they do best. Sit in a circle,and have each person name something that the person on their rightknows a lot about or does really well. After you’ve gone around the circleonce, switch directions and try it again.

☛ How can you use the things you just named to serve others? Howcan those skills help God’s family? (Hint: Even learning a new song can beused to encourage someone.)

☛ Read a Bible story in Acts 2:42-47 about how God’s family servedeach other. What did those believers need to know or be able to do to serveeach other like that? How could you have served if you had been there?

☛ Ask the adults in your family the most important thing they’velearned. Why? How have they used this to help God’s family? What do theywish they knew or could do to serve others better?

☛ Make up a song to thank Jesus for the mind He gave you. Whenyou pray, thank Him that you can learn new things.

✁


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CALVIN B. ROCK

Irespect Ellen White, but I have noticed that peopleseem to be able to find something in her writings tosupport whatever position they wish. This is espe-cially true with respect to thesubject of the nature of

Christ. Are these real contradic-tions and if so do they not dimin-ish Ellen White as a prophet?

There are, in Ellen White’s writ-ings, statements that are seeminglycontradictory. An example withrespect to the topic you mention is:“His human nature was created. . . .It was human, identical with our own” (Selected Messages,book 3, p. 129) versus, “Let every human being be warnedfrom the ground of making Christ altogether human, suchan one as ourselves” (The Seventh-day Adventist BibleCommentary, vol. 5, p. 1129).

What are we to make of these and other such seeminglyclashing points of view or emphasis?

I conclude that since Ellen White, for the most part,wrote without conscious need to clarify her statements ofprior decades, it is not surprising that apparent discrepanciesoccasionally occur within her voluminous record of speech-es, letters, articles, and books. I further conclude that insuch instances her enduring position is best derived and insome cases only derived by a comparative weighing of hertotal counsel on the issue under consideration. Acceptingthe view of the vastly superior number of mentionings islogically preferable to deciding in favor of positions basedupon isolated or singular quotes requiring tortuous exegesis.

Furthermore, since Ellen White neither claimed norachieved inerrancy and since she did mature spiritually overthe decades of her ministry, and since even in Scripturethere are verses that speak differently (i.e., Matt. 27:44 andLuke 23:39-43), and since in no case do these occurrencesoppose essential truth, they do not lessen her impact orauthenticity.

Finally, it is helpful to remember that Ellen White’s viewson faith and doctrine are not the first word: the Bible is. Norare they the last word: continued revelation in the churchguarantees that. Diligently studied, however, they are a clearand potent word and demand not only our solemn respect butour aggressive investigation and wholehearted acceptance.

Ihave always believed in the Second Coming, but I amresigned to the fact that Christ may not actually comein my day. My problem is that I don’t know what to

tell coworkers and acquaintanceswho insist that such thoughts arenothing but fictitious dreams. Do Iargue with them or simply ignoretheir snide and cynical remarks?

You should, in my opinion, con-fess to your doubting friends thatyou do not know that Jesus is com-ing in your lifetime—because youdon’t. What you do know is that the

signs of the times foretell His soon return. Soon, however, isrelative to both God’s estimate of time as well as the com-pletion of all the signs, at least two of which are yet tocome—the gospel into all the world and the full outpouringof the latter rain upon the church.

What we Christians have is not verifiable knowledge. Wehave faith, and we have hope: faith in the immutable coun-sels and unfailing prophecies of God’s Word and, because ofthat, hope that He will return in our day.

Of course, while we cannot prove the Second Coming,we have voluminous evidence in nature, the fulfillment ofother prophecies, the harmony of Scripture, and the habit-changing influences of the Bible upon lives (including one’sown) to cite as substantiation for our hope.

But if all that fails to convince your friends, tell themthat hope in the Second Coming has given uncommonfocus and happiness to your life and tell them that its corol-lary teachings—i.e., the Sabbath, tithing, health reform—have brought you immeasurable blessings, one of which islongevity itself (six to eight years for the average Adventist,according to Loma Linda University studies). Then let themknow that you would rather live with an endless hope thandie with a hopeless end and that if this is dreaming, thenmay you dream on.

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

Knowing for SureF A I T H A L I V E !

The signs foretellHis soon return.


ANDREA STEELE

Striding through the sunlit forest on hisway to visit a favorite Christian congrega-tion, Pastor T* was still caught up in theexcitement of his new understanding ofthe Bible and the joy of his recent bap-

tism into the Adventist Church—as a result of lis-tening to programs broadcast in his language onAdventist World Radio (AWR).

The baptism itself was a miracle. In his country inAsia, where a public baptism in a large city wouldhave brought down the wrath of government authori-ties, Pastor T’s baptism was public. A picnic organizedat the beach with food, games, and swimming was thevenue for his baptism along with many others. One byone, each person swam up to Pastor L, the speaker onthe AWR broadcast, and he baptized them there in thewind and waves and sun, in plain view of anyonewatching—if they were watching closely.

Months before, Pastor T had heard the Voice ofHope on AWR. At that time he was a leader in aSundaykeeping denomination. Amazed at the messagehe heard, he began to study his Bible as he listened,and soon became convinced about the seventh-daySabbath.

After his baptism Pastor T had the opportunity totravel to a neighboring country for a lay-training program conducted by Pastor L. At the end of thetraining Pastor T willingly took the assignment tosupervise Adventist work in a district in the southernpart of his country. He visited some of the congrega-tions that he had formerly visited for the otherdenomination, and he worked to organizeSabbathkeeping house churches.

His stride slowed as he left the forest andapproached the next village. He asked himself howhe would share his new faith with these church mem-bers. Would they accept? Would they reject him com-

pletely? He decided that the best course to follow wascareful, prayerful Bible study, to bring the members toa fuller understanding of the Bible, and to introducethem to the Sabbath of the Lord.

He was delighted at the warm reception. The peo-ple said they had missed him and had wondered wherehe had been. They had asked the denominationalleaders where he was, but they had only replied, “Hewent to work in the north,” and did not reveal that hehad become an Adventist. A time of happy fellowshipwith old friends ensued.

That evening, as they studied the Bible, the leaderof the group said, “After you left, the leaders of ourchurch came to us to encourage us in the faith. Theygave us a radio and told us to listen only to a certainChristian broadcast. Then one night we accidentallytuned to the Voice of Hope program from theAdventist Church. We like that program so much.Everyone now listens to it, and we have learnedabout the seventh-day Sabbath. Do you know any-thing about it?”

With joy lighting his face, Pastor T said that hedid know about the Voice of Hope. He told them hehad become a Sabbathkeeper, a Seventh-dayAdventist, and he was delighted to share his new dis-coveries with them. Full of extra excitement now, thegroup studied and talked through the night. The nextday was Sabbath, and they worshiped together. Thewhole group of 18 families accepted the faith. Todaymore than 100 people now worship on Sabbath inthat village.

* Names used in this article are pseudonyms. AWR broadcasts to manyplaces where, for political or religious liberty reasons, it would be difficult or dan-gerous for believers and program producers if their names and locations wereknown.

Andrea Steele is director of public relations and listener servicesfor Adventist World Radio.

A Story That Cannot Be Told

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

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They Still Go

Adventist Volunteer ServiceThe following persons left their homes

in 1998 to volunteer their time to assist inmission work in other countries for short-term service. Most of them have returnedhome, but because of limited space andother delays, their names are just beingpublished. We want them to know howmuch we appreciate their ministry.

Neil Stewart Brantley, to serve as English lan-guage teacher, Montemorelos University, NuevoLeon, Mexico, of Berrien Springs, Michigan.

Kenneth Scott Brown, to serve as educationteacher, Pakistan Adventist Seminary, Punjab,Pakistan, and Marion Hazel Brown, of Yucaipa,California.

Lucy Aimee Caesar, to serve as teacher,Seychelles Mission, Seychelles, Indian Ocean, ofMount Vernon, New York.

Forrest Alan Davis, to serve as English/Bible teacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes,Seoul, Korea, of Gresham, Oregon.

Everton George Dawkins, to serve asEnglish/Bible teacher, Korea SDA LanguageInstitutes, Seoul, Korea, of Miami, Florida.

Michael and Jamie Delay, to serve as ele-mentary teachers, Ekamai International School,Bangkok, Thailand, of Collegedale, Tennessee.

Carolyn Patricia Douglas, to serve asEnglish/Bible teacher, Japan English Schools,Yokohama, Japan, of Garland, Texas.

Brigett Michelle Dunn, to serve as elemen-tary teacher, Ekamai International School,Bangkok, Thailand, of Arden, North Carolina.

Esther Jemima Edwards, to serve as English/Bible teacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes,Seoul, Korea, of Brooklyn, New York.

Raymond C. Gager II, to serve as teacher/evangelist, Korea SDA Language Institutes, Seoul,Korea, of Berrien Springs, Michigan.

William Edward Hawthorne, to serve asteacher/technical advisor, Davis IndianIndustrial College, Paruima Village, Guyana, ofVernon, Alabama.

Tosco-Gabriella Henry, to serve as English/Bible teacher, San Yu English Bible Center,Pintung City, Taiwan, of Collegedale, Tennessee.

Clarence Eugene Hodges, Jr., to serve as

English/Bible teacher, Korea SDA LanguageInstitutes, Seoul, Korea, of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Jaclyn Jung, to serve as English languageteacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes, Seoul,Korea, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sanjay Naria Khurchandani, to serve asphysician/pediatric resident, Guam SDA Clinic,Tamuning, Guam, of Oak Park, Illinois.

Veda Nicole Knight, to serve as English/Bible teacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes,Seoul, Korea, of Belle Glade, Florida.

Jill Allison LaFever, to serve as dentalhygienist, Yaounde Dental Clinic, Yaounde,Cameroon, of Donna, Texas.

Carol Jean Marino, to serve as English/Bibleteacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes, Seoul,Korea, of Palisade, Colorado.

Christina Vitto Mendoza, to serve asEnglish/Bible teacher, English Language Centers,Almaty, Kazakhstan, of Chunkee, Mississippi.

Jennifer Lynn Mueller, to serve as English/Bible teacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes,Seoul, Korea, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Pamela Joan Nickel, to serve asteacher/girls’ dean, Davis Indian IndustrialCollege, Paruima Village, Guyana, of St.Thomas, Ontario, Canada.

Christopher Lynn Patchen, to serve asEnglish/Bible teacher, Korea SDA LanguageInstitutes, Seoul, Korea, of Startup, Washington.

Andrew Phillips, to serve as English/Bibleteacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes, Seoul,Korea, of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Julia Anne Pope, to serve as computer appli-cations director, ADRA/Haiti, Port-au-Prince,Haiti, of Springfield, Virginia.

Joseph John Pour, Jr., to serve as English/Bible teacher, English Language Centers,Kyrgyzstan, of Coupeville, Washington.

Mark Richard Raedisch, to serve as English/

Bible teacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes,Seoul, Korea, of Metairie, Louisiana.

Denise Remon, to serve as English/Bibleteacher, English Language Centers, Golianovo,Russia, of Oconto Falls, Wisconsin.

Dos Santos, to serve as assistant food con-troller, ADRA/Bolivia, La Paz, Bolivia, ofRiverside, California.

Annie Eun Myung Sohn, to serve asEnglish/Bible teacher, Korea SDA LanguageInstitutes, Seoul, Korea, of Redmond, Washington.

Tanya Marie Spilovoy, to serve as Englishlanguage teacher, San Yu International LanguageInstitute, China, of Bismarck, North Dakota.

David Alan Wedel, to serve as English lan-guage teacher, Euro-Asia Division, Moscow,Russia, of Colton, California.

Lloyd Dean Wenzel, to serve as dentist,Guam SDA Clinic, Tamuning, Guam, andSharon Joyce Wenzel, of Montrose, Colorado.

Kimberly Kay Whidden, to serve as English/Science teacher, Guam Adventist Academy,Talofofo, Guam, of Walla Walla, Washington.

David Andrew Zabaleta, to serve as English/Bible teacher, Korea SDA Language Institutes,Seoul, Korea, of White Plains, New York.

Regular Missionary ServiceThe following persons left for regular

missionary service in 1998. Pleaseremember them in your prayers.

Douglas Clayville, returning to serve as asso-ciate secretary, Southern Asia-Pacific Division,Silang, Cavite, Philippines, Susan Clayville,and three children.

LaRonda Rene Forsey, returning to serve asEnglish teacher, Maxwell Adventist Academy,Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa, David Forsey, andtwo children.



BY DAN SERNS

Iwas in Korea teaching English conversation and Bible.One day I received notification that a package fromthe United States had arrived. I knew my way to thepost office (I’d been in Koreaabout eight months), so I headed

out to fetch my treasure. Soon I wasstanding in line anticipating the familiarroutine—wait, hand your notice to theclerk, who gave your package to the cus-toms inspector, who opened the packageto approve the contents. If there was afee, you paid the clerk.

Mom had remembered my favoritedessert, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs! Mymouth began to water. Then I watchedthe inspector smash the eggs one by oneto make sure they didn’t conceal anything.

The now-damaged box made its wayto the clerk, who looked at me and said in Korean, “Thatwill be $7.50, Korean money.” I was furious. What began asMom’s thoughtfulness had turned into destruction and high-way robbery.

Assessing the situation, I played the dumb American, notunderstanding Korean. “What?” I said loudly in English.“Can’t you give me my box that’s already messed up?” Theclerk didn’t understand.

“May I help?” a smiling Korean businessman behind measked politely, in perfect English. The last thing I wantedwas someone to translate while I tried to evade paying forthe smashed box.

“Yes! These people opened my box of candy, smashedhalf of it, and now they want me to pay. They ought to giveit to me, since they damaged it,” I replied.

The businessman spoke to the clerk in Korean. Turningto me, he said, “You’ll need to pay the customs fee anyway.”

“Why? What if I walked away and left them with thesmashed candy?”

“You’ll need to pay the customs fee anyway. That’s thelaw.” His kind voice frustrated me.

“What a stupid law!”Looking into my eyes, he asked, “Are you here on mis-

sionary work?”I wished a hole would open and swallow me. Yes, I was

there to teach about Jesus and show how to live the Christ-

centered life. And here I was selling my witness for $7.50and a box of smashed candy.

How had he known? He saw right through my heart. Mymessed-up priorities were on public viewto the people in line. The apostle Peterdenied Jesus too, but only when it waslife-threatening. I had done it for candyand far less than 30 pieces of silver.

Without answering, I paid the clerk,took my box, and headed home. I tried acandy, but it tasted rotten. Was it becauseit was smashed or because my grand ambi-tion of coming to Korea to witness forJesus had been found to be not so grand?

I knew how Peter felt after he deniedJesus when he looked into His eyes andsaw only pity and forgiveness. That day Icried tears of repentance. I saw myself as I

really was, and it wasn’t a beautiful sight. But that day I alsofound forgiveness and cleansing in my Saviour’s arms.

My last four months in Korea were more productive thanmy first eight. I think one reason was that humbling experi-ence in a post office, and the mercy of God in spite of it all.

I’m thankful God doesn’t call just the righteous to be Hisambassadors. He calls us in spite of ourselves, not because ofourselves. He calls us so we can tell others what a wonder-ful, caring, forgiving Friend we have in Jesus.

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.Not many of you were wise by human standards. . . . ButGod chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.He chose the lowly things of this world and the despisedthings—and the things that are not—to nullify the things thatare, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of himthat you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdomfrom God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemp-tion. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast inthe Lord’ ” (1 Cor. 1:26-31, NIV). ■

Dan Serns was a student missionary in Korea. Hecurrently pastors two churches in Kansas City,Kansas.

Selling My Soul for Chocolate

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