January 2018
Destinations
The World Made New nigeria
About the Cover Elizabeth Ubani-Ebere attends the Seventh-day Adventist church in Isolo, Lagos, Nigeria. She is a retired midwife who teaches lifestyle choices in her community. Elizabeth’s husband, Gideon, is communication director for the Lagos Atlantic Conference. Her favorite part of being a Seventh-day Adventist: “I love studying the Word with people.”—Editors. Cover Photo: David B. Sherwin
The new design of Adventist World involves many changes, including the cover of this monthly international magazine. On every cover you will find a member of our global family, reflecting the many regions and places where Adventists live, love, and serve their communities. So, meet your family—again and again.
Focus 10 The Earth Is the Lord’s 14 Educate! Educate! Educate! The Word 24 Discovering the Spirit of Prophecy 26 Devotional My Church 16 Global View 20 What We Believe Living Faith 18 Faith in Action 22 Millennial Voices 23 Health and Wellness 28 May I Tell You a Story? 30 Growing Faith—Children’s Pages
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great and good people deserve a great and good magazine. In your hands is the reimagined and newly redesigned edition of Adventist World magazine. For the past 12 years this unique global journal of the Seventhday Adventist Church has brought hope and courage to millions of believers in more than 160 countries, uniting their stories and their passion for the soon coming of Jesus. As one of the most widely distributed religious publications in the world, it continues to fulfill the purpose of the man who founded Adventist publishing 168 years ago. James White wrote that his first journal, Present Truth, was designed to gather the “scattered flock.” God’s messenger to this movement, Ellen White, envisioned that journal going like “streams of light” “clear round the world.” In 1849 the “scattered flock” numbered fewer than 300. Today nearly 20 million Seventh-day Adventists work, worship, and witness in cultures and regions vastly different from each other— but united by their belief in salvation through faith in Jesus; the perpetuity of the Bible Sabbath; the literal second coming of Jesus; Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary; and the truth of conditional immortality. In the pages of this remarkable journal their stories are told. Their triumphs and struggles are revealed; their courage in difficulty and even persecution is underlined for all to see. These are men and women whose love for Jesus energizes their efforts to share their faith; improve their communities; teach children; and feed the hungry. It’s a rare privilege to tell their stories—in this print journal; on the robust and feature-packed Adventist World website (www. adventistworld.org); through short, shareable on-demand video (ARTVnow.com); in audio editions and podcasts; and on multiple social media platforms. Those “streams of light,” represented by the circling bands of the new Adventist World logo, remind us that the good news of Jesus literally now moves at the speed of light. Immerse yourself in the message and the movement you love. All of us on the team of Adventist World—authors, editors, designers, videographers; translators; podcasters; distribution specialists—pray that you love what you read and see and hear, and that it moves you to serve Jesus with deeper joy and expectation.
News Moment
A Rohingya refugee escaping violence in Myanmar now resides in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. ADRA Bangladesh is providing supplies. Photo: Britt Celine Oldebraten
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News in Brief
“The Reformation must help make Christianity practical. Preach the gospel to the poor. Heal the brokenhearted.” —Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, addressing Russian church and government leaders at a Moscow forum commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Venezuela Adventists Participate in Massive Outreach Approximately 35,000 Adventists in Venezuela took a week off work to volunteer across the country in various service activities. Some participated in free dental clinics, others with medical checkups, blood donations, haircuts, hospital visits, distribution of hot meals, reforestation, musical concerts, sports activities, medicine drives, face painting for children, park cleanups, and prayer sessions. Organizers estimate a half million people were served.
1,300 Filipino literature evangelists that gathered in the Philippines in 2017 to celebrate and train together
New Book Sheds Light on Ellen White in Australia A new book, Stories From Sunnyside: Ellen White in Australia 1891-1900, reveals new information about Ellen White’s practical ministry and the difference her faith made in the community in which she lived. The volume shares various stories gathered from those familiar with White’s years in Australia, where she wrote, among other things, a part of The Desire of Ages, a book about the life of Christ.
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“I am amazed at how resilient you are. Remember we are stronger when we work together.” —British Virgin Islands Governor Augustus Jaspert, addressing Adventists in Tortola to show solidarity with residents who suffered during the aftermath of Hurricane Irma
157,000,000 Population in the Turkey-Iran field served by only four local churches.
“It’s like a dream come true for this group of students.” —Oliver López, communication director of the East El Salvador Conference, referring to a group of 15 students who traveled 450 kilometers (280 miles) to join hundreds of others in the capital for an annual march bringing awareness to an anti-violence message.
Mongolia Organizes First Pathfinder Camporee More than 120 Mongolian Pathfinders attended the first-ever Mongolia Mission Pathfinder Camporee at the new youth training center in Bayanchandmani, Tuv, Mongolia. A team of Pathfinders from the Georgia-Cumberland Conference in the United States participated and taught several honors. The camporee was themed “Heroes of the Cross: Live Like Doss,” and featured a screening of the film Hacksaw Ridge. Eight Pathfinders chose to be baptized.
News in Brief
“I feel 30,143 frightened and think about my parents.”
Seventh-day Adventist evangelists and pastors employed around the world
Jamaica Grants National Honor to Adventist Leader
—Delma, a ninth grader in Vanuatu, a South Pacific island, was evacuated to the nearby island of Ambae, because of volcanic activity on Vanuatu. Aore Adventist Academy on Ambae has taken in the evacuated students.
Glen Samuels, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in western Jamaica, was recognized by the government of Jamaica for his outstanding contribution to religion with the Order of Distinction, Officer Class. Samuels also serves as a justice of the peace, a member of the Police Civilian Oversight Authority of Jamaica, and a member of the St. James Peace Management Board.
“They are hungry, weak, and sick. It is a humanitarian disaster.” —ADRA Bangladesh director Landerson Santana commenting on the 603,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled deadly violence in Myanmar for safety in Bangladesh. ADRA Bangladesh is providing shelter kits and food baskets.
Adventist Leader Addresses European Parliament Rafaat Kamal, president of the Trans-European Division, was invited to present thoughts on the Reformation at a European Parliament. Kamal, one of several religious leaders invited to speak, focused on religious freedom and the Reformation theme of grace. Kamal explained that a true experience with grace “inevitably motivates persons, communities, and nations to see and apply biblical justice and mercy in this world.” Photo: Trans-European Division News AdventistWorld.org January 2018
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News in Depth
Adventist Community Services Continues Relief Efforts By Adventist Community Services, North American Division
For months Marshall Gonzales, Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR) director for the Texas Conference, managed the ACS DR multiagency warehouse in San Antonio, Texas, as per the agreement with the state. Up until the planned closing of the facility on November 17, 2017, many groups received products from the warehouse for the Hurricane Harvey-affected Houston area.
Florida. FEMA has been working with us over the past month to open a warehouse for those affected in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” An agreement for warehouse management was approved on October 31; ACS gained entry to the Jacksonville facility on the same day. According to Lea, the South Central Conference, which has an experienced team, has been leading
Photo: Texas Conference ACS
W. Derrick Lea, ACS Disaster Response director for the North American Division (NAD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said, “Though our effort is ending in Texas, our services have begun at a warehouse in Jacksonville,
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local groups from both the Florida and Southeastern conferences. “While the local team received training from South Central, we also [brought] other teams into the area to train and gain valuable experience,” Lea says. “We scheduled
Flood relief buckets are ready to be distributed to those in need after Hurricane Harvey’s destruction.
groups like the effort that took place in Houston.” Lea says that the effort will go on for at least six months. The division has also been engaged in ACS DR activity in northern California. In early November, Charlene Sargent, Pacific Union Conference coordinator, said, “Several Northern California Conference churches have served as shelters and distributed relief supplies.” “Thousands of individuals have registered to volunteer throughout the state,” added Sargent. “Most needs are financial, however. . . . Thousands of homes have been destroyed, but hazardous material and debris removal will take some time.” Rebuilding is not expected to start in earnest until early this year. “Lives were lost and structures were destroyed,” said Sargent, after touring the Sonoma area. “ACS DR is revising and implementing their volunteer and donations management plan. Efforts are now transitioning to recovery.” In addition to the work taking place on the ground, NAD ACS DR is also investigating longterm recovery options. “We have spoken with some of the leaders in this area, such as the Mennonite, Presbyterian, and United Methodist teams, to discuss how we might partner in this area,” Lea says. “Many of our universities, schools, and churches have contacted us, asking how they might help in other ways outside of warehousing. . . . Our job is to figure out how this might look, and we are working to develop ways we might work to assist those affected.”
News in Depth
Brazilian State Declares “Adventist Day”
São Paulo state acknowledges Adventist Church’s contribution to society
By Lucas Rocha, South American Division News and Adventist World staff
On October 16, 2017, Paulo Geraldo Alckmin, governor of the Brazilian state of São Paulo, signed a bill passed by the state legislative body that officially declared October 22 of each year as “Adventist Day.” The state’s new law is in recognition of the ongoing work of the denomination across the territory, which has made significant contributions to society through projects in education, health, religious liberty, and social development. The date is significant for Seventh-day Adventists, since October 22, 1844, marked what is known in Adventist history as the Great Disappointment. After studying Bible prophecy for years, a group of Christians led by farmer-turned-preacher William Miller concluded that Jesus would return to the earth on October 22, 1844. While many deserted the group after Jesus did not return that day, a small group kept studying the Bible, concluding that while the date of the prophecy was correct, their interpretation of the event was incorrect. Out of that group, the Seventh-day Church was born a few years later. ADVENTISTS IN SÃO PAULO
With 45 million people, São Paulo is Brazil’s most populous state. More than 262,000 baptized Seventh-day Adventist members live and work in the state, about one Adventist member per 172 people. The Central Brazil Union Conference church region oversees the work of the church across the state, and its territory is divided into eight subregions, called conferences. Across the state, Seventh-day Adventists are known as active Christians who go beyond church walls to meet people where they are and to provide humanitarian assistance, health and educational support, and words of encouragement and hope.
Several Adventist-driven projects gained media attention, including a partnership between the Adventist Church and the City of São Paulo government during the city’s Winter Emergency Program. The program provides winter clothes to people living on the streets of the city that has a population of 12 million. According to official estimates, approximately 25,000 homeless people in live São Paulo, but local shelters have room for only 11,000. During the 40 days of the program, the Adventist Church provides basic health care to those who stop by the official winter clothing distribution center. Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Brazil, the humanitarian arm of the Seventhday Adventist Church, is involved
Photo: Draga Work
in 24 projects in the state of São Paulo alone. ADRA also provides emergency services when natural disasters affect the territory, as when torrential rains affected several Paulist towns in 2016. Another area where Adventists contribute to Brazilian society is in religious liberty. A Seventh-day Adventist coordinates the Religious Liberty Committee of the influential São Paulo Lawyers Association. Adventists recently erected a support center to assist pilgrims walking dozens of miles along a major road as part of a religious festival. The "Adventist Day" bill was signed into law on October 16 and has been added to the official events calendar of Brazil's most populous state.
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News Focus North American Division (NAD)
“I’m a lifer! I believe this is a special church of God, chosen for a remnant mission.” —Dan Jackson, NAD president, speaking at the 2017 year-end meeting
1,243,316 Members in the NAD as of June 30, 2017
At a Glance: Daniel Jackson, president, and G. Alex Bryant, secretary of the North American Division (center), cut the ceremonial ribbon at the new NAD headquarters. Also present were former NAD administrators and local and state officials. (^-)
Adventist Attorneys Admitted to Supreme Court Bar Eight Adventist attorneys (Harold Cleveland, Jr., Allison Dichoso, Theodore Flo, Meredith Jobe, Maria McPhaull, Josue Pierre, Leesa Thomas, Jesus Uriarte) were admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court bar on November 1, 2017. The General Conference Office of General Counsel sponsored the event. The attorneys are now able to argue cases before the United States Supreme Court.
New NAD Office Opens On October 26, 2017, the North American Division officially inaugurated its new headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, United States. The opening ceremonies included special appearances by Charles Bradford, the first NAD president, and Don Schneider, former president, among other guests. An estimated 600 people attended the event, which served as the first meeting of the 2017 year-end meetings.
US$1,002,276,749 Tithe reported in the NAD in 2016 (highest ever)
250 Number of new NAD church plants in 2016
“As a Christian, I pray that God helps me to be someone who is the least-angry, least-fearful, and least-resentful person whom others will encounter.” —Terry Shaw, president and CEO of Adventist Health System, in a commentary published at AdventistReview.org.
Photo: Pieter Damsteegt/NAD 8
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Perspective
By Sandra Blackmer, Adventist World
“Storm is trying to save this baby deer!” Photo: Erik Cid
Compassion: Our First Instinct? When Mark Freeley’s golden retriever, Storm, plunged into the water off the coast of Long Island in New York, United States, last July, Freeley at first didn’t know what to think. Then he noticed a fawn struggling to stay afloat. “Storm is trying to save this baby deer!” you can hear Freeley say on the video that captured the event.1 The dog grabbed the fawn in his mouth and carried it back to shore. After releasing the young deer, he nudged its body and pawed its leg, as if trying to make sure it was OK. Rescue workers responded to the call for help and transported the fawn to a local wildlife sanctuary. The fawn is expected to make a full recovery. And Storm is being lauded a doggie hero! Some are skeptical about Storm’s motivation for rescuing the deer, but his owner believes it’s in the dog’s nature to help. “It showed he really had a care and was worried about the fawn,” Freeley said.2
A June 2013 article in Psychology Today titled “Compassion: Our First Instinct”3 suggests that “a growing body of evidence,” based on studies with both infants and animals, indicates that “at our core, both animals and human beings have . . . a ‘compassionate instinct.’ ” Apparently, even in this world of self-centeredness, scientists are saying that “adults’ and children’s first impulse is to help others”—and we reap personal benefits as well. Compassion not only boosts our happiness level, it seems, but also results in improved health. Social scientists have demonstrated that “compassion is contagious” and that “acts of generosity and kindness beget more generosity in a chain reaction of goodness”—a concept not new to most of us. In this world in which sin and selfishness reign, acts of terror, cruelty, and crime are reported daily and are more than we can fathom! So where does this “instinct” to help others come from? Many scientists cite Darwin’s theories of evolution to explain it, but Adventist Christians look to Another.
In the aftermath of natural disasters and other tragedies, numerous individuals are lauded for selfless acts of kindness and heroism. Countless people, both inside and outside the church, are on the front lines helping the most vulnerable. But why do they do it? Perhaps it’s because in each of us there may reside—even in small measure—a reflection of the goodness of the One who created us in His image and whose character is described as “love.” In other words, as we look to Jesus and behold Him in His Word, even on this very dark planet people can offer hope and compassion. We won’t live in a perfect world that fully reflects God’s character until Jesus takes us home to heaven, but until then we can take courage that He is still among us, inspiring those who are open to His Spirit to help those in need. www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/07/18/ this-video-of-a-dog-saving-a-drowning-baby-deer-is-the-sweetestthing-youll-see-all-day/?utm_term=.85e543ba0310. 2 www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/nyregion/dog-rescues-adrowning-deer-and-becomes-a-social-media-hero.html. 3 www.psychologytoday.com/blog/feeling-it/201306/compassionour-first-instinct. 1
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Feature
The Earth is the Lord’s Caring for God’s creation in Central America
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BY NOEMÍ DURÁN
A local boy helps release newborn sea turtle hatchlings
omeone said that environmentalism is a luxury for the rich, a strong statement that contains a certain amount of truth. Caring for the environment, worrying for endangered species, thinking globally about the planet and the wellness of future generations—all these things may come almost naturally for many today. For the millions of people who live in conditions of extreme poverty, however, they are not a priority. If you struggle every day to provide enough food for your family; if your home lacks electricity and sanitation; if your job—if you have one—is unstable and poorly paid; if you do not have access to health care when your children are sick, then it is unlikely that you spend much time thinking about environmental issues. If, in addition, you live in an unsafe region where crime abounds and human life seems worthless, you will probably be much less concerned about the future of the planet than your own personal future. REALITIES OF HONDURAS
Sadly, this is everyday life for many in Central American countries. I witnessed it firsthand when doing research in rural southern Honduras. I am a marine biologist specializing in sea turtle conservation, and my doctoral research focused on the reproductive behavior of a population of olive ridley sea turtles that nest on the beach of Punta Ratón, a small fishing village located on the Pacific coast of Honduras. Before my first research trip, my professor at Loma Linda University in California, United States, who had been working in Honduras for several years in charge of the environmental NGO (nongovernmental organization) ProTECTOR,1 warned me about the difficulty of persuading the local communities of the importance of sea turtle conservation. For centuries they’ve collected sea turtle eggs for consumption and commerce, and were quite unwilling to give up so valuable a resource. I thought it was just a matter of finding better ways of communication: they should realize that the population of sea turtles was declining because they were removing all the eggs; and at current rates of overexploitation, the turtles would disappear in a few years, along with their precious eggs. It seemed crystal clear to me. Then I arrived at my research site. I found about 200 one-room houses made of mud, sticks, and plastics inhabited by large families with children who looked All photos courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted
much younger than their real ages because of malnourishment. In Punta Ratón the main source of income is fishing, but catches are often too low to cover even basic needs. Most families eat only once a day, beans and rice, adding some fish or chicken when they are lucky. No wonder they take anything edible from their environment: wild fruits, iguana-like lizards, buried mollusks, and sea turtle eggs. A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE
It took just a few weeks in Punta Ratón for me to realize that the hand-to-mouth existence of most people was not a sign of laziness or irresponsibility, but a survival strategy. Honduras is not only a poor country; it is a dangerous one. In 2010 it ranked highest worldwide in homicides.2 Drug trafficking and gangs are a serious issue in large cities, but they also affect rural communities in many regions. I met several families in Punta Ratón that had lost a member because of street fights involving guns or knives. Death stories were
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Fishermen from Punta Ratón fishing in the Gulf of Fonseca
way too common, some because of violence and others because of poor health care; but almost every family had been touched, some of them repeatedly. Babies or mothers lost because of childbirth complications, cancers in young people that remained undetected until it was too late, deadly infections, heart and respiratory conditions that could have been treated if they had just had cars and getting to the nearest hospital hadn’t required a one-hour drive on an inundated dirt road. Then I understood. I understood why fishermen wanted to get paid daily for their job, and why after a good catch they spent all their profit that very evening. Life is so uncertain that they have become accustomed to not planning for tomorrow. Under these circumstances, how could I speak to them about environmental care? How could I convince them of the importance of refraining from removing the eggs from the beach so the baby turtles could hatch and grow, fulfill their pivotal ecological role in the marine ecosystem, and come back 15 to 20 years later to lay more eggs? Many organizations that work on conservation worldwide deal with this same type of challenge. Developing countries face all sorts of environmental problems, but people have neither the environmental awareness nor the necessary resources to do anything about them. One powerful reason for developing countries to get involved, however, is that given that environmental factors are tightly linked with human health,3 engaging in environmentally responsible behaviors not only would benefit the planet in the
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long run, but could also provide almost immediate improvements in the quality of life of the communities performing them. THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH
Most of the 5 billion cases of diarrheal disease that happen in the world every year and cause more than 1.5 million deaths4 could be prevented if people had access to clean water and proper sanitation. Replacing wood and coal for cooking by greener methods would prevent many respiratory infections, and reforestation would create soils and reduce erosion, improving agricultural productivity and diminishing the effect of some natural catastrophes. In the specific case of Punta Ratón, a study by Loma Linda doctoral student Carizma Chapman5 revealed that 52 percent of the families reported at least one sick member at the time of the study, being diarrhea, respiratory infections, anemia, malaria, and dengue, among the most prevalent diseases. Malaria and dengue are
severe mosquito-borne infectious diseases. Because mosquitoes abound in Punta Ratón, the usual practice to keep them away is to burn plastic waste in houses and yards, creating toxic smoke that the people then breathe. These types of vicious cycles in which the measures to cope with one environmental problem are the direct cause of another environmental problem are common in poor local communities and extend to all aspects of life. Fishermen in Punta Ratón suffer from lack of fish in their waters as a result of decades of overfishing. But because they depend on fishing to feed their families, their response to the scarcity of captures is to intensify the fishing efforts and to use more aggressive nets, which kill smaller fish and bycatch turtles and other nontarget animals, thus aggravating the problem. COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION
In recent decades, many voices have claimed that the only effective
The local community at Punta Ratรณn help to build a hatchery where some of the sea turtle nests are moved and protected until they hatch.
way to break the feedback loop between poverty and environmental exploitation is to create programs that address poverty and environmental issues together.6 Experts also affirm that a direct involvement of the local communities in the conservation projects is paramount for the projects to succeed in the long run. Community-based conservation7 is a modern approach to environmental issues that combines all the above: it seeks to achieve both nature conservation and human economic benefits, while considering the specific features of the local communities (needs, culture, traditional use of natural resources, opinions, and ideas) and encouraging local people to play an active role in the planning, development, and implementation of the projects. Community-based conservation projects come in many styles. Some consist of the production and commercialization of local products obtained through sustainable practices, and others are based on ecotourism; but a key aspect for success is if the local community feels a sense of ownership of the project. Most conservation projects happen in collaboration with an NGO or a government agency, but they can be perceived as a collaboration or an external imposition. In this latter case the project is unlikely to work. Conversely, if the local people feel the need for a change and have a say in how that change should happen, if they have the opportunity to work themselves for that change, then the project will be much more prone to success. In Central America some examples of successful sea turtle conservation projects follow the community-based conservation model. One of them has been in place since 1987 in the Ostional Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica,8 a mass nesting beach for
olive ridley sea turtles where tens to hundreds of thousands of female turtles aggregate to lay millions of eggs for several days in a row. Because most of the eggs laid first would be destroyed by the following nesters, the local community at Ostional decided to harvest only the eggs deposited at the beginning of each nesting event. They organize the harvesting and commercializing of these eggs, providing economic income for the community, but they also protect the turtles, clean and patrol the beach, and act as guides for the tourists. To reproduce this exact model in sites such as Punta Ratรณn is not feasible because of the very low number of nesting turtles, but the underlying principle is still valid: local communities will get involved in conservation projects if (1) they can participate in the decision-making process and (2) they receive some economic benefits. Indeed, the study by Chapman revealed that the people at Punta Ratรณn are willing to work for turtle conservation through ecotourism initiatives (providing accommodation and meals for tourists, serving as guides for nesting beach tours, etc.), but they lack the infrastructure, logistics, and specific training to make it happen. Loma Linda University and ProTECTOR have been providing help to Punta Ratรณn in a community-based-like fashion, focusing not only on nature conservation but also on human health and community development. In recent years several crews of medical, nursing, and dentist students, with their professors, have periodically visited Punta Ratรณn to provide medical care, workshops on sea turtle conservation, and environmental education, as well
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as training for women on healthful cooking, accounting, and operating a small business. Although many challenges still exist, such as getting the community to take actual responsibility for the projects and obtaining support and participation of the local government, significant advances have been achieved. The local community is now more open to allowing scientific research onsite, the environmental awareness has grown, and people are showing interest in participating in conservation projects, especially in ecotourism. A WHOLISTIC APPROACH
When I arrived in Punta Ratón for the first time, I thought I had to convince people of the importance of environmental care. After six years working there, my perspective has changed. I still believe that a respectful and sustainable way of living is good both for the planet and for the people who practice it, but I came to realize that I should not impose that view on others, especially on those who are suffering. As I found out in many other areas in my life, the best approach is to follow Jesus’ example. He fed and healed people first, then He addressed other issues. We have the God-given duty of being stewards of creation (Gen. 1:28; 2:15), but we have as well been commanded to take care of those in need (Deut. 15:11; Isa. 58:10; Matt. 25:34-40; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17). A wholistic approach aiming both for poverty alleviation and nature conservation seems not only the most effective way to fulfill environmental goals in Central America, but the most Christian way as well.
We have the Godgiven duty of being stewards of creation but also to take care of those in need.
Protective Turtle Ecology Center for Training, Outreach, and Research (ProTECTOR, Inc.), www.turtleprotector.org. United States Embassy, Tegucigalpa, Honduras (2012), Temporary Duty Personnel Security Brief Honduras 2012. Retrieved from http://hortcrsp.ucdavis.edu/2014/tdy_security_briefing.pdf. 3 Hiremagalur N. B. Gopalan, “Environmental Health in Developing Countries: An Overview of the Problems and Capacities,” Environmental Health Perspectives 111 no. 9 (2003): A446. 4 Peter Furu et al., “Poverty, Health, and Environment: Placing Environmental Health on Countries’ Development Agendas” (2008). 5 Carizma Amila Chapman, “Communities in Action: Participatory Assessments as an Initial Stage in Critical Consciousness Raising and Community Capacity Building” (2015). 6 William M. Adams et al., “Biodiversity Conservation and the Eradication of Poverty,” Science 306, no. 5699 (2004): 1146-1149; Dilys Roe et al., eds., Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Alleviation: Exploring the Evidence for a Link (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2012). 7 For more information on community-based conservation, see Noemi Durán, “Can Conservation Projects Be Economically Viable?” in S. Dunbar, L. J. Gibson, and H. M. Rasi, eds., Entrusted: Christians and Environmental Care (Montemorelos, Mexico: Adventus, 2013). 8 Lisa M. Campbell, “Use Them or Lose Them? Conservation and the Consumptive Use of Marine Turtle Eggs at Ostional, Costa Rica,” Environmental Conservation 25, no. 4 (1998): 305-319; Lisa M. Campbell, Bethany J. Haalboom, and Jennie Trow, “Sustainability of Community-based Conservation: Sea Turtle Egg Harvesting in Ostional (Costa Rica) Ten Years Later,” Environmental Conservation 34, no. 2 (2007): 122-131. 1 2
Noemí Durán, Ph.D., is director of the Inter-European Division branch office of the Geoscience Research Institute and lives in Valencia, Spain.
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Educate! Educate! Educate! The answer to saving the environment
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or too long we’ve held the idea that humans are entitled to consume as much as the earth will provide at the expense of the balance of nature. So as an individual—one out of more than 7.5 billion people1—is there anything significant I can do that will help preserve life in all its forms on our planet?
RAISING AWARENESS Becoming aware of the current environmental issues is important, and I suggest that a good place to start is global warming. There is strong scientific evidence that the earth is warming as a result of the increase in greenhouse gasses, including CO2 (carbon dioxide) and methane.2 The year 2017 proved to be one of the hottest on record for many countries. NASA reports that for the first half of 2017, the average global surface temperature was 0.94°C above the 1950-1980 average. “That makes 2017 the second-hottest first six calendar months on record, behind only 2016.”3
WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO? The first important step to restoring some sort of balance is to recognize that each person is a player in this struggle to live and let live and then act. It is
Environmental education activities organized by ProTECTOR for the children at Punta Ratón on occasion of the Children’s Day National Holiday
therefore expedient to try to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases, including CO2 (carbon dioxide) emitted in my individual life activities, because if everyone did their part the effect would become significant. The other angle of approach would be to shift the balance of carbon from the atmosphere to vegetation through reforestation and the reduction of deforestation. Although this belongs in the political arena and the average layperson is not involved in policy decision-making, politicians were once children whose worldviews were shaped at a young age. In Papua New Guinea a local mining company has introduced an early-childhood training and awareness program on composting called Agrikids to improve the sustainability of farming and address this global issue. Being informed about the issues is essential.
A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE Our contribution to the enhanced greenhouse effect is significant and measurable, and individually we have the power to reduce it through scientifically proven strategies in decision-making. This begins at home with consumer choices that favor environmentally friendly products. Learning to measure our impact and the long-term effects on the environment should start at an early age to help formulate our worldviews during the transition to adulthood, when lifestyle choices are made and corporate decision-making takes place.
DEALING WITH WASTE The other obvious human-caused environmental issue is waste. We have the unparalleled ability to concentrate the earth’s minerals and resources during some manufacturing process, turning them into something to facilitate some aspect of our existence. Then we throw it away. As individuals, this is an aspect of pollution that has no natural parallel and one that we can directly influence.
EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY World cultures have diverse worldviews, many of which share Christianity’s appreciation of nature and its sense of “stewardship,” or what some might describe as “ownership.” “In Western societies, ownership signals possession and control, but in other cultures ownership has broader meanings.”4 For the Pintupi of Australia, ownership means shared identity. For the Naskapi Indians of Labrador and the Sami people of northern Norway, it means allegiance (“We belong to the land”).5 Every human activity affects the environment to a lesser or greater
extent. The worth we attach to nature is a response based upon our own background, upbringing, and experience. The universal values of stewardship regarding nature are best cultivated during our early years. From a biblical worldview the value of stewardship over our planet is in perfect harmony with Scripture. We have the God-given mandate to care for creation, which has always required service and stewardship, and, in the twenty-first century, rescuing nature itself.
OBLIGATED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE We must recognize that we are not only consumers but producers and have an obligation to return resources to the environment. This fundamental point needs to be instilled in us from an early age so that we will make decisions and act from this worldview. Each one of us has an invaluable part to play in the care of the natural world. Just as our planet, apparently inconsequential in the cosmos, was chosen as a special place for humanity, where the Savior was incarnated to save each human being, so each individual has a God-directed responsibility to the ecosystem of which he or she is a part. This should be the underlying ethos of Christians. To read the full article, go to www.adventistworld.org/ educate-educate-educate/. Worldometers, estimated figures from sources that include the United Nations Population Division, World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank. 2 IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, 2014. 3 The Guardian, July 31, 2017. 4 S. S. Hanna, C. Folke, K. Maler, Rights to Nature (Washington, D.C.: Island Press), p. 36. 5 Ibid. 1
Rodger Jones, Ph.D., is dean emeritus of the School of Science and Technology for Pacific Adventist University in Papua New Guinea.
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A Global View
No Fear Going Forward When God leads the way
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new year offers a fresh start, a new beginning. It is often a time of reflection on the past and a look into the future, hoping for a better year ahead. Unless we begin with God, however, the author of new beginnings, we have little chance of success. In His Word He has given us a precious promise: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:18, 19, KJV). God, the Creator, is the author of new beginnings. He can make a way when there seems to be none. A DILEMMA
A key moment in the history of Israel illustrates this point powerfully. In Exodus 14 we find the Israelites in a seemingly impossible dilemma. They thought they had left slavery behind. But as they camped by the Red Sea, the flash of armor and the fast-moving Egyptian chariots in the distance brought fear to their hearts. “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness” (Ex. 14:12), they screamed at Moses. They had nowhere to go, with the Red Sea on one side, rugged mountains on the other, and their oppressors closing in from behind. They had forgotten that it was God, in the form of a cloudy pillar by day and fire by night (see Ex. 13:21), who had led them to that very place.
Photo: Ian Froome
NO FEAR OF CONSEQUENCES
Moses, however, hadn’t forgotten. He “was greatly troubled that his people should manifest so little faith in God, notwithstanding they had repeatedly witnessed the manifestation of His power in their behalf. . . . True, there was no possibility of deliverance unless God Himself should interpose for their release; but having been brought into this position in obedience to the divine direction, Moses felt no fear of the consequences. His calm and assuring reply to the people was, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace’ [Ex. 14:13, 14, KJV].”1 Moses wasn’t afraid, because he knew they were in that place because they had followed God’s directions. He obeyed God and left the consequences with Him, and God delivered in a mighty way! The same can still be true for us as individuals and as God’s church today. While we remain faithful to God and His revealed will through Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy, we need not fear any consequence; we will be in His hands, and He will show us a way through every difficulty. GOD’S POWER
Isaiah 43 hearkens back to God as Creator, Redeemer, and Deliverer, and specifically mentions the deliverance at the Red Sea as an indication of God’s might and power to deliver today: “ ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be
with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.’ . . . “Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power (they shall lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): ‘Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert’ ” (verses 1-19). We don’t need to fear the journey, for this passage is filled with promise. It reminds us of the mighty work God performed at the Red Sea, and encourages us to look forward to His mighty work in us. AN INVITATION
At the beginning of this new year, I invite you to follow God’s leading and go forward in faith and confidence. Let us take to heart this familiar quote, followed by a reminder of what God calls us to do: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us. “We are now a strong people, if we will put our trust in the Lord; for we are handling the mighty truths of the Word of God. We have everything to be thankful for. If we walk in the light as it shines upon us from the living oracles of God, we shall have large responsibilities, corresponding to the great light given us of God. We have many duties to perform because we have been made the depositaries
While we remain faithful to God and His revealed will through Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy, we need not fear any consequence. of sacred truth to be given to the world in all its beauty and glory. We are debtors to God to use every advantage He has entrusted to us to beautify the truth by holiness of character, and to send the messages of warning, and of comfort, of hope and love, to those who are in the darkness of error and sin.”2 Brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming very soon. Are you right with Him? If not, now is the time to claim the promise “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Are you discouraged? Look “to the place where you last saw the light,”3 remembering that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Go forward in faith and courage, in Total Member Involvement, sharing God’s love and proclaiming to the world that Jesus is coming soon! Maranatha! Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1890), p. 284. 2 Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1923), p. 31. 3 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 250. 1
Ted N. C. Wilson is president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. You may follow him on Twitter: @PastorTedWilson and on Facebook: @PastorTedWilson.
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Faith in Action
My Airplane Joyride
Actions always have consequences— even 25 years later!
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’ve traveled to about 20 countries in the past six months and never faced a problem with the immigration authorities. Then I arrived in Canada. My plan was to visit a Seventh-day Adventist mission school for First Nations children to collect stories for Adventist Mission. The immigration officer looked slightly uncomfortable as he checked my passport at the airport in Edmonton, Alberta. He placed a big red stamp on my immigration card and indicated that I required further inspection. In another part of the airport, a second immigration officer sent my baggage through a scanner and said, “So you have had problems with immigration in the past?” “Not that I know,” I replied, wondering what had prompted the comment. The officer took my passport and stared at his computer screen for a long time. Finally he turned to me and said, “What can you tell me about March 17, 1992?” Then I knew what he was talking about. That was the day that I stole an airplane in the United States and flew to Canada. BACK TO 1992
I grew up in a missionary family but never developed a personal relationship with Jesus. My parents divorced and returned to the United States when I was 15, and I became an angry, self-absorbed teenager. 18
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After high school I enrolled at Walla Walla College (now Walla Walla University) in the U.S. state of Washington and immediately signed up for flight lessons. I had always wanted to be a pilot, and soon I was flying solo in a twoseater Cessna 152. Up in the clouds, I felt like I was on top of the world. Back on the ground, my life was more complicated. I was rude and disobedient to my parents. I developed friendships that God couldn’t bless. My thoughts focused continually on myself. After a year I flunked out of college but was still able to fly because I hadn’t completed prepaid flight lessons. On March 16, 1992, I signed out a Cessna 152 at the Walla Walla Regional Airport for a practice flight. Soaring high above rolling farmland, I grumbled to myself about the perceived injustices of my 19 years. I considered ending it all. Then I pointed the plane’s nose away from home. Four hours later the needle on the plane’s fuel gauge hovered near empty, and I had no idea where to land. A panorama of rivers, lakes, and forested hills stretched out below me. I searched for a clearing. Then a small airstrip came into view. After landing the plane and parking beside a locked hangar, I wondered where I was. The sun was setting, and an evening chill swept over the airfield. My light jacket
offered scant protection from the cold. I had only $5 in my pocket. Spotting a pay phone nearby, I dialed “0” for a free call to the operator. A British-accented woman’s voice answered. I explained that I was lost and asked whether she could tell me where I was calling from. The woman incredulously inquired how anyone could not know their location. She told me that the pay phone was in Trail, British Columbia. I realized that my new life would start in Canada. I slept in the plane and spent most of my money the next morning on breakfast at a nearby McDonald’s. Then I walked eight miles (13 kilometers) to the town of Rossland and, bitterly cold, called a crisis line for help. A police officer picked me up and, learning that I had crossed the border without a passport or authorization, drove me straight to jail. That evening my mother arrived to take me home. Her face was red from crying, and anguish filled her eyes. She had spent a sleepless night worrying that my plane had crashed. “When he didn’t return, college officials notified the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office,” the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin newspaper reported at the time. “An aerial search involving several agencies began at daybreak.” Canadian authorities released me without any charges. The college also didn’t press charges.
Up in the clouds, I felt like I was on top of the world.
FAST-FORWARD 25 YEARS
My visit to Canada was my first since 1992. Much has transpired during the past 25 years. I finished my undergraduate studies and worked for 17 years at a newspaper in Russia, including nearly eight years as editor in chief. In 2006 I began to seek Jesus for the first time and was baptized. After that, I reached out to my parents and others whom I had wronged, and sought forgiveness. I contacted Walla Walla College and made restitution. I started a new life. But then the immigration officer stopped me at the Edmonton airport and asked about 1992. “I was a foolish young man,” I told him. “I did a stupid thing.” The officer asked more questions and searched my baggage by hand. As I zipped shut the bags afterward, he walked over to another immigration officer and spoke with him quietly. I prayed. When the officer returned, he looked at me for a moment and said, “I’m going to let you into Canada.” He stamped my passport. I thanked the officer. I asked whether similar interviews would await me every time I visited Canada in the future. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll make a note that we let you in today. But once you’re in the computer, we never forget you.”
DEALING WITH CONSEQUENCES
Consequences follow every action. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Gal. 6:7, 8). Through selfishness, I sowed to the flesh in 1992. A quarter century later I am reaping the results. God has forgiven me, my parents have forgiven me, and others have forgiven me, but Canada has kept a permanent record of my mistake. “For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” No amount of forgiveness—even from God—can change the reality that we face consequences for our actions. I began a new life when I gave my heart to Jesus. But I realized from this experience that my old life will follow me until Jesus returns and creates all things new. In Isaiah 65:17 the Lord promises, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” With God’s forgiveness, heaven keeps no permanent record of mistakes.
Andrew McChesney is editor of mission quarterlies for the Seventhday Adventist world church and writes daily mission stories at AdventistMission.org.
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What We Believe
Stewardship
6 +1 When God’s rhythm becomes our rhythm
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e live in a world of bigger, better, faster, and, always, more. Many of us have bought into the illusion of continuous growth. Every month, financial markets watch closely for key numbers about employment and GDP (gross domestic product) growth. Technology companies such as Apple and Samsung invest billions of dollars to crank out innovative technology that will drive more sales—and growth. The official September reveal event demonstrating a new Apple iPhone draws thousands of journalists and ten thousands of online viewers watching every year. Innovation creates growth—and growth drives innovation. As Adventists we may not look as closely at new technology, but we are equally tempted to get sucked into the alluring drumbeat of constant growth. We report frequently on new membership numbers or the
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Photo: Sasin Tipchai
development of financial contributions by our members. We love to see the good news of salvation reach thousands or even millions—and rightfully so. Constant growth is God’s plan—or is it? REDISCOVERING GOD’S RHYTHM
When God finished creating this world, He invited His creation (including Adam and Eve) to rest. The seventh-day Sabbath was the pinnacle of God’s creative activities. Sure, it must have been awesome to watch Him speak stars and moon and the sun into their orbits and to observe, mouths wide open, how animals began to take shape and roam the garden. But it was the Sabbath that brought all of it together. A busy Creator stopped, rested, blessed—and fellowshipped (Gen. 2:2, 3). Rest taught Adam and Eve more than all Creation activity taken together. “God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise,” writes Ellen White. “He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate upon His power and goodness.”1 “Even in Paradise” is an astonishing assertion. God’s 6 + 1 rhythm was not meant primarily for worn-out, sinsick, tired post-Fall inhabitants of earth, but was designed for a perfect creation, reflecting a perfect Creator. God made sure that His rhythm permeated all spheres of life of His people—including food production. Following Israel’s liberation from Egypt, Israel received laws that reflected God’s unique life rhythm. Leviticus 25:2 introduces the important notion of Sabbath rest for the land: “When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord.”2 The land was part of God’s creation and also required Sabbath rest. Israel was told that every seventh year the land was to rest—no sowing, no pruning, no fertilizing, no removing of rocks and weeds (see also Ex. 23:10-12). The land would produce following its own rhythm and God would provide enough “for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you” (Lev. 25:6). God’s people were to rely completely on their Creator and Redeemer for daily sustenance, and God’s 6 + 1 rhythm became a weekly and a yearly reminder of divine grace. The laws governing debt slavery were another way of grasping the crucial 6 + 1 rhythm of life. Both in Israel and in the ancient Near East a person could sell himself or a family member into the service of a creditor to pay off debt. Six years the work of the slave would pay off any debt, but in the seventh year every Hebrew slave had to be released (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12). Deuteronomy goes even further and explains the true 6 + 1 ethos: “And when you send him [the slave] away free from
God made sure that His rhythm permeated all spheres of life of His people.
you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him” (Deut. 15:13, 14). Biblical stewardship concerning time, people, land, and even animals always included the perspective of a covenant community before God and responsibility for those who needed to see, in a tangible way, God’s gracious hand in their lives. Bigger, better, faster, and more is not God’s way. LEARNING THE 6 + 1 RHYTHM
When Israel camped at the foot of Mount Sinai and prepared for their encounter with the Lord, they were told that God’s plan for them included a high and lofty goal: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). The very fabric of Israel’s society was to be governed by its relation to the Lord (“kingdom of priests”) and their constant (priestly) access to His presence. Every weekly Sabbath, every seventh year, every Jubilee (following 7 x 7 years) was to remind them of this privilege and lifestyle. Care for the land, for their servants, for their animals, and even for the stranger living next to them was to be part of God’s 6 + 1 rhythm. Habits are powerful patterns of behavior. A “good habit” (such as regular exercise or personal morning devotions) will go a long way in helping us live wholesome and productive lives. A “bad habit” (such as wasting time in front of a TV screen or computer or abusing our bodies by eating unhealthy food or sleeping too little) similarly will often result in self-destructive behavior. Habits are powerful frameworks. God’s comprehensive 6 + 1 rhythm (including the Sabbath but touching many more aspects of our lives) offers a chance for God to reprogram our sin-sick hearts to focus beyond ourselves and our selfish natures. It’s truly a habit-forming rhythm that counters the bigger, better, faster, and more mantra we hear all around us. We stop, we rest, we fellowship—and then we become a blessing to the world around us. Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1890), p. 48. Bible texts in this article are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 1 2
Adventist World associate editor Gerald A. Klingbeil tries to learn every day to live God’s 6 + 1 rhythm in meaningful ways.
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Millennial Voices
They Knew Jesus— I Do Too
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f you ask my neighbors about the history of our small town, they will probably tell you that you can trace its history back 200 years. But most important, they will tell you that this is a land of pioneers. I live in a small town of about 6,000 people. It was named Libertador San Martín, after a great leader of Argentine independence. It’s located a few miles from the first official Adventist church in South America, and it’s now home to a big hospital (we call it a sanatorium), a university, and an academy. Faithful believers founded all these institutions to share the Adventist message of hope and prepare professionals to serve in different parts of the world. For as long as I can remember, the vast majority of the population has been Seventh-day Adventist. This is uncommon in many parts of the world. I remember growing up in places where my friends had to struggle to pass their school coursework if they wanted to keep the Sabbath. But here, all stores are closed during the Sabbath hours; teachers actually encourage students to keep the Sabbath as Jesus would. However, although it’s very comfortable to live in a place where most people share one’s beliefs, this can become a double-edged sword. I recall hearing my great-grandfather, my grandparents, and both my parents telling me stories about their experiences in this place. I grew up as a fourth-generation Adventist, but it was only a few years ago that I realized how dangerous this could also be. You may wonder why. What’s wrong with growing up in an Adventist home in an Adventist town? Isn’t that a blessing? Well, yes, but not necessarily. As I am about to finish my studies here and anticipate leaving this familiar place, I see the importance of raising “first-generation” believers. What do I mean? First-generation believers are not necessarily the
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first in their families to follow Jesus, but they need a firsthand encounter with Him. I am surrounded by grandchildren of Adventist pioneers, of the missionaries who came to this land with many uncertainties, little money, and insufficient knowledge of the language. They settled here because God had sent them here. But have their children experienced the same call? Or is it still their grandparents’ call? If you have not had a personal encounter with God, no matter how much Adventist blood runs through your veins, it’s likely that Jesus’ blood does not mean anything to you. After I began to personally study my Bible and pray, I felt God challenging me in a huge way: He wanted me to wake up, experience Him personally on a day-by-day basis, and help young fourth-generation Adventists around me to notice that we may live our whole lives believing we have it all when we are actually missing it all. You may be facing other difficulties in your church today. Your experience as a believer may be different from mine. But His call remains the same, and it’s very personal. I now teach an earliteen Sabbath School class. I long for my students to be first-generation believers. I want them to be the first in their class to say: “I am up for the challenge. I want to be part of the last generation. My grandparents were missionaries, and I will be one too. They knew Jesus. I do too.”
Carolina Ramos studies translation, English teaching, and music education at River Plate Adventist University in Libertador San Martín, Argentina. She is passionate about mission and enjoys working with children and teens.
Photo: Carolina Ramos
Health & Wellness
The World Around Us Can we make a difference? As a denomination Seventh-day Adventists choose a healthful lifestyle in order to live longer. Does my diet and lifestyle impact the environment? And since Jesus is coming again, should we even worry about it?
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he health message entrusted to the fledgling Seventh-day Adventist Church was given so those carrying the gospel to the world could be of service, and as Ellen White commented, because “our work was not yet done.”1 Uriah Smith referred to church workers at the time as the “invalid party,”2 as they went for treatment largely necessitated by incessant work and failing to live balanced lives. You are correct: Seventh-day Adventists do have a longevity advantage and live seven to nine years longer than the general population (shown in the first Adventist Health Study).3 This was corroborated in an October 28, 1996, article in Time magazine; they termed it the “Adventists’ Advantage.” Longevity, improved quality of life, and wholeness in our brokenness are all advantages of the health message. It was given primarily to fit us for service, and for sharing the grace-filled message of health, wholeness, and hope in Jesus. You mention the question of our lifestyle and possible impact on the environment. After working with us on a health-related project, renowned filmmaker Martin Doblmeier sent an e-mail affirming the wholistic health work of the Adventist Church, adding the challenge that Adventist Health Ministries (AHM) emphasize health, wellness, and the environment. We are happy to share that for the past 15 years the Adventist Church has been urging the importance of the environment and health. In the comprehensive health education program CELEBRATIONS®, environment is included as a specific factor that influences health. And, reversely, careful lifestyle choices can affect the environment. Photo: Ryan McGuire
Historically, Seventh-day Adventists have practiced and advocated vegetarianism for hygienic reasons, not philosophical or theological reasons. We have been instructed, and believe, that care of the whole being can lead to improved spiritual awareness, clear minds, and the intricate nerve cells of the brain being more open to the impressions and leadings of the Holy Spirit. Careful analysis of studies looking at the influence of particular food consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have shown beef production (and consumption) has a greater GHG compared to other types of animal products (including dairy) and vegetable products. Further research concludes that reduction in livestock will be important in ensuring future food security, as current consumption levels are unsustainable.4 Should we also be concerned about the way animals are treated—or often mistreated and abused—in our food chain? Yes, we should, because God cares (see Jonah 4:11, NIV). What about environmental pollution? Ultimately, at the Second Coming, God will reign forever and “destroy those who destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:18). Does God care? He surely does. We may honor Him by faithful stewardship of the bodies He has given us and the environment He has created for our habitation. Ellen G. White, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1958, 1980), book 3, p. 279. 2 Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Progressive Years (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1986), vol. 2, p. 119. 3 https://publichealth.llu.edu/adventist-health-studies 4 T. Raphaely and D. Marinova, Impact of Meat Consumption on Health and Environmental Sustainability (Information Science Reference). 1
Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist, is director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference. Zeno L. Charles-Marcel, a board-certified internist, is an associate director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.
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Discovering the Spirit of Prophecy
Ellen White and the Environment Highlighting the link between creation and Creator
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as Ellen White an environmentalist? Was she concerned with Planet Earth, with ecology, recycling, contaminants, and the effects of materialism? These questions were not really asked in the nineteenth century when Ellen White lived. Yet, while plastics, nuclear power, or chemical pollutants were mostly unknown in her time, Ellen White was a strong advocate for the care of the earth. Her environmental consciousness came from two sources: Scripture and direct inspiration from God. She stressed that we should prize the Bible because it reveals God’s will. In its pages we learn the reason for our creation and how to achieve our purpose.1 Ellen White took a wholistic approach to her life and mission. For her, care of the earth was not distinct from care for human beings. She stressed that nature not only fosters a sense of God’s glory, but also brings rest and joy to people of all ages.2 LIVING PRACTICALLY
Growing food for the family was not the only reason Ellen White spoke of the advantages of country living. In her view, children who have opportunities to garden, care for animals, and watch the wonders of nature in beautiful settings, experience both educational and spiritual advantages.3 She believed that physical health improves in nature’s pristine environment.4 How did Ellen White practice what she preached about ecology? She enjoyed gardening, hikes, camping in the mountains, and outdoor picnics with her family; and promoted such natural treatments as hydrotherapy, massage, and other wholistic health interventions. Ellen White loved flowers and often drew parallels between the botanical world and the Creator of diversity. Convinced that God wants us “to delight in the beautiful things of His creation,”5 she planted her flower beds carefully
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and every Sabbath during the growing season, fresh bouquets graced her dining table. She taught that nature is God’s gift to us. He intended that we care for and preserve it as a response to His grace.6 Ellen White’s environmental concerns are best reflected in her emphasis on a balanced vegetarian diet. Not only does practicing vegetarianism result in better health—it saves animals and earth’s commodities. It provides a practical answer to feeding the world’s hungry through more efficient uses of grains and other crops. It was not just the health of humanity7 that drove Ellen White’s activism for the vegetarian diet, it was also concern for the suffering of animals.8 She spoke to the ecological abuses of slaughterhouses and factory farms when she wrote, “Animals see and hear and love and fear and suffer.”9 CREATION RESTORATION
Ellen White linked ecology to the gospel commission when she wrote, “[Men and women] were to cooperate with God in restoring the diseased land to health, that it might be a praise and a glory to His name.”10 Indeed, she felt that careful stewardship of the land is an important duty.11 Long before greed for oil dominated world politics, before the alarming chemical contamination of water, air, and land, Ellen White recognized the need for pure water and clean air.12 She also understood the ill effects of chemical and noise pollution.13 She often pointed to the benefits of a home in the country, even a hike in the country, providing the peace, quiet, and rest that are essential for mental and heart health.14 Like the Scriptures, Ellen White continually urged Christians to reject materialism and simplify their lives in order to have funds to support missions and care for the poor.15 She encouraged families to live within their income, and not accumulate unnecessary belongings.16 In recent years research has shown the moral development potential of the natural world. Yet Ellen White wrote about the moral development potential in nature more than 100 years ago. She believed that nature provided opportunities to learn and deepen spiritual values, if we are intentional in pointing to God as nature’s Creator.17 Thus ecology is not an end in itself. An unspoiled environment points to a God who delights in the beautiful.
Photo: Nathan Anderson
CREATION’S CREATOR
In Ellen White’s view, respect for creation included respect for the Creator. She recognized that human rights are grounded in the doctrine of Creation. Sin fractured humanity’s relationship with God, with each other, and with nature. But motivated by God’s grace, we seek to restore all three relationships to wholeness. Thus, Ellen White could speak to God’s approval of a “government that protects, restores, relieves, but never savors of oppression. The poor especially are to be kindly treated. . . . Aid is to be given to the oppressed, and not one soul that bears the image of God is to be placed at the footstool of a human being. The greatest possible kindness and freedom are to be granted to the purchase of the blood of Christ.”18 Adam and Eve lost their perfect Eden environment because of sin, beginning a process of environmental degradation. Today we damage our environment through materialism, greed, pollution, and an apparent disregard of the earth’s limited resources and beauty. As Christians, we not only look forward to the final restoration of earth to its original Eden state, but also honor God today by taking responsible care of Planet Earth. Ellen G. White, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1913), p. 427. 2 Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1952), p. 153. 3 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), vol. 6, p. 195; The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 370. 4 Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1923), p. 266; The Ministry of Healing, p. 264. 5 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1958, 1980), book 2, p. 356. 6 E. G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 365. 7 Ibid., pp. 296, 297. 8 Ibid., p. 314. 9 Ibid., p. 315. 10 The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments, vol. 1, p. 1112. 11 Ibid. 12 E. G. White, Selected Messages, book 2, p. 456. 13 E. G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 365. 14 E. G. White, The Adventist Home, pp. 136, 139; Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 187. 15 E. G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 287. 16 E. G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 396. 17 E. G. White, Testimonies, vol. 3, pp. 376, 377; Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, pp. 54, 55. 18 Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White Estate, 1990), vol. 3, pp. 37. 38. 1
Cindy Tutsch retired as an associate director of the Ellen G. White Estate. She lives in Seattle, Washington, United States.
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Devotional
Consider the Scorpion What is it teaching us?
C
onsider the scorpion. It’s carefully designed to be formidable and dangerous, with an armored exoskeleton, strong pincers that grab its prey, and a lightning-fast stinger that injects excruciatingly painful poison. After its prey is dead—or at least no longer moving—the scorpion devours almost all of it, whether an insect, a grub, or a mouse. Most people find the scorpion to be a loathsome creature. Its very existence is problematic and raises an uncomfortable question: Did God create scorpions? To answer that question using only the Bible and logic, I’d offer a grand-unification argument on the subject of sin, suffering, and the current accelerating decay of our environment. I would begin my argument by pointing out that the Bible says God is love; it’s the essence of His character. What kind of world, then, would such a God create? LOVE—CREATION’S ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE
In Job 38:6, 7 we find that “the morning stars sang together” when the world was created. If the new creation had been inconsistent with the character of God, the angels would not have responded with song. They would have, instead, been appalled. So the world, as originally created, must have been consistent with the character of God; love would have been its organizing principle. I conclude that all things in such a world would give as the basis of their existence; everything in it would pass on a blessing with each interaction, and nothing would take as the basis
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for its existence. We catch a glimpse of this in Genesis 1:29, 30, where we read that everything—everything!— in that perfect new world ate plants. The taking of life was not designed into God’s newly created creatures. We find a bookend to universal vegetarianism in Isaiah 11, where we encounter striking descriptions of the re-created earth: the lion and lamb will lie down together. Bears will graze, and lions will eat straw. It will be that different. That passage promises, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain” (verse 9). A world with love as its organizing principle, in which nothing hurts or kills as a basis of its existence, is radically unfamiliar to us. It is a world in which there are no threats and in which even basic biological systems (such as the digestive tract of a bear) fundamentally differ with what we currently see all around us. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
So how did the world, created in perfection, get to be so at odds with the character of God? The Bible provides a riveting story in response to this question, and, tellingly, the story is provided in nonlinear fashion, such as found in the book of Revelation. The story begins in Ezekiel 28 with an extensive description of Lucifer, who was beautiful, wise, and covered in jewels and gold. Lucifer was not just any angel; we’re told in verse 14 that he was the anointed covering cherub. We don’t know what the hierarchy of heaven is, but Lucifer was very, very highly placed. If we say God was the emperor, then perhaps we can say Lucifer was the prime minister. Lucifer was perfect until, one day, iniquity was found in him; he became proud and vain (see Eze. 28:14-17). The story picks up from there in Isaiah 14:13, 14, where Lucifer says, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . . I will be like the Most High.” For Lucifer, it wasn’t enough to be prime minister; he wanted to be emperor. OFFERING A NEW MODEL
So what did Lucifer do? He started the very first political campaign, recruiting angels to his side. As with any political campaign, he attacked his opponent’s character.
He also began articulating his plan for a superior administration of the universe; he offered a different model, whose organizing principle is selfishness. We read that “war broke out in heaven” (Rev. 12:7). But this word “war” (Greek: polemos) means not just “war” and “battle” but also “argument” and “contention.” It’s the root for the words “polemics” and “politics.” So this war was primarily a battle of opposing ideas, and Lucifer—now renamed Satan—succeeded and drew many to his side; a third of the angels in heaven joined him (verse 4).
But here is Satan’s problem: his plan is a complete disaster.
Satan lost his campaign and was cast from heaven to earth, along with the angels he recruited (verses 7-9). Here is where it all comes together, because on earth he conquered Adam and Eve and took as spoil the only thing they truly possessed: the dominion that God had given them. Satan became the “prince” of this world (John 12:31, NIV). Here, he had both the power and the opportunity to continue his campaign and implement his plan. Satan can’t create—God is the Creator—but Satan certainly can pervert and effect fundamental changes. So he set about showing the universe that his plan would work brilliantly. But here is Satan’s problem: his plan is a complete disaster. A world organized around selfishness results in death, destruction, and suffering—the decline of everything in it rather than advancement to Godlike status. It’s a terrible plan, not least because selfishness collapses in on itself, with terminal consequences for the environment and human society. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
What we see around us—conflict, hunger, disease, and natural disasters—are the natural consequences of this disastrous plan. God will allow it to go on only until Satan has not one argument left that his plan is better and that God’s character is tainted. Until then, we are called to be living examples of God’s kingdom of love, passing along a blessing with each interaction, proclaiming and defending His character to a selfish world. That, at least, is my Scripture-and-logic argument. To view Christiansen’s video Earth Is a Battlefield, go to artv.adventistreview.org.
Scott Christiansen is an evangelist for the Northern New England Conference and author of the book Planet in Distress. He lives in Milton Township, Maine, United States. AdventistWorld.org January 2018
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The Lion’s Roar “Hurry! I hear a lion, and we must go!”
“May I Tell You a Story?” BY DICK DUERKSEN
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My wife, Brenda, and I were staying with new friends in South Africa, near the edge of Kruger National Park, and it was 5:00 a.m., time to get up. We grabbed our cameras and bundled into the Land Rover. It was cold enough to freeze fire, and the extra blankets in the open vehicle felt snuggly and wonderful. “One lion’s roar today means that the brothers may be back,” our driver rattled on as he bounced toward the distant sound. “Three years ago three young lion brothers came into this area. They were a powerful team and quickly killed or chased off the other male lions, taking the territory for themselves. They come and go as they choose,
of course. But, sometimes when they come, they all three come! I hope today will be like that.” We drank our hot chocolate and snuggled deeper into the warm blankets, trying not to bounce out of the Rover as our driver headed through the brush and arroyos. “Stop!” he said, pressing the brake pedal through the floor. “Listen!” We listened. Silence surrounded us, making the predawn air feel even colder. Then came the roar. Once. Twice. Three times. Four times. Five. A terrible sound that shook the Rover and the ground around us. “Closer,” he said. Brenda suggested that this was a good time to return home for breakfast. I rechecked my cameras and waited, hoping I would be calm enough to keep the beast in focus. The Rover was creeping now, almost silently slipping around an acacia tree so we could see the huge lion who was lying in the grass and calling up the sunrise. The Rover stopped, and the engine died. I cradled my telephoto lens against the back of a seat and pointed it toward the beast in the grass. Photo: Dick Duerksen
Brother 1 roared again, this time his voice matched by the hum of the motor drive on my camera. It was still dark, and so cold that each roar brought a vast cloud of white vapor from the lion’s lips. Brenda tried hard to keep from shivering so the camera wouldn’t be bounced out of focus. I blew my breath out slowly, hoping at least one frame would be a perfect portrait of Brother 1. He looked over at us now, his mane glowing red in the early-morning sun, his breath an active volcano. “Look east,” our driver said. “Brother 2.” The second lion seemed even larger than his brother, glowing orange in the sun and sashaying through the brush as if he owned the world. Brother 1 stopped roaring and looked over at his pal. They were like kittens preparing to pounce on each other in the grass. Instead of pouncing, Brother 2 leaned in and hugged the first lion. Everything about the reunion spoke of “best friends and brothers.” “Look north,” the driver whispered. “Brother 3.” There he came, even more regal than the other two, prancing on his tiptoes toward the sunrise reunion. “I have never seen this, not in all my years living in the bush,” said our friend. “Usually the big males kill each other and take over, but these three are still best friends. Never have I seen this!” I had traded my long telephoto lens for a shorter one, and was using up batteries and storage space as I continued to record the love-in. Three lions, rolling and playing together like giant tawny kittens in the icy morning light.
A few minutes later Brother 3 growled, stood, and slowly walked toward our Land Rover. “Don’t move,” our driver said quietly. We didn’t so much as shiver. He walked right toward my Brenda, slowed and looked up slightly, then padded on toward the dry riverbed beyond. A moment later the two other brothers followed, passing silently, as if we didn’t even exist. Brenda breathed again. Her first breath since the lion had walked toward her. A breath of fear and relief, all mixed together with the sheer joy of adventure. “They didn’t eat us!” she whispered with relief. That broke the tension of the moment. We all breathed, laughed, and praised God for this glimpse of heaven, in the bush of wild Africa. In the distance a lion roared. *** “Daniel!” King Darius called down into the depths of the lion’s den. “Are you OK? Has your God protected you?” “Yes, my king,” Daniel answered, his hands digging deeply into the black mane of a giant lion. “My God has sent His angel and closed the lions’ mouths.” “Ah, yes. I thought that would be so,” smiled the king. “The Creator God is like that. Turning a night of terror into a night of brotherly love with the Great Lion.”
Dick Duerksen, a pastor and storyteller living in Portland, Oregon, United States, is known around the world as “an itinerant pollinator of grace.”
Publisher The Adventist World, an international periodical of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The General Conference, Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists®, is the publisher. Executive Editor/Director of Adventist Review Ministries Bill Knott International Publishing Manager Chun, Pyung Duk Adventist World Coordinating Committee Si Young Kim, chair; Yukata Inada; German Lust; Chun, Pyung Duk; Han, Suk Hee; Lyu, Dong Jin Associate Editors/Directors, Adventist Review Ministries Lael Caesar, Gerald Klingbeil, Greg Scott Editors based in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA Sandra Blackmer, Stephen Chavez, Costin Jordache, Wilona Karimabadi Editors based in Seoul, Korea Chun, Pyung Duk; Park, Jae Man; Kim, Hyo-Jun Operations Manager Merle Poirier Editors-at-Large/Advisors Mark A. Finley, John M. Fowler, E. Edward Zinke Financial Manager Kimberly Brown Management Board Si Young Kim, chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Chun, Pyung Duk; Karnik Doukmetzian; Han, Suk Hee; Yutaka Inada; German Lust; Ray Wahlen; Ex-officio: Juan Prestol-Puesán; G. T. Ng; Ted N. C. Wilson Art Direction and Design Types & Symbols To Writers: We welcome unsolicited manuscripts. Address all editorial correspondence to 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. Editorial office fax number: (301) 680-6638 E-mail: worldeditor@gc.adventist.org Web site: www.adventistworld.org Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible references are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. Unless otherwise noted, all prominent photos are © Thinkstock 2017. Adventist World is published monthly and printed simultaneously in Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Austria, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States. Vol. 14, No. 1
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Growing Faith
Fun-filled pages for younger ages
Facing the
T
he king could hardly believe what he’d just heard! Had three young men really refused his royal order to bow down to the huge golden statue? Didn’t they know the penalty for their actions was death in a fiery furnace? “Bring them here!” King Nebuchadnezzar commanded. Soon the three young men stood before the king. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you did not worship the gold statue I have set up?” 30
Heat
It was true, but the king gave them one last chance. “If you bow down and worship the statue this time, everything will be fine,” said the king. “But if you don’t, you will be thrown into the fire!” The king was startled by what he heard next. “Our God can protect us,” the threesome explained, adding, “but even if He doesn’t, we’re not going to bow down to the statue.” King Nebuchadnezzar was angry! “Throw them into the fiery furnace!” he ordered. But
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he was in for another shock! When the king looked into the fire, the three young men were just fine. And when King Nebuchadnezzar looked more closely, he saw a fourth Person in the fire—Jesus! The king had seen enough. “Bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the fire,” he ordered. The three young men had faced the fire and trusted God—no matter what might happen.
Ask Yourself ■■ When
I pray, am I willing to accept God’s answer, no matter what it might be?
■■ How
can my faith become more like the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Read this entire exciting Bible story in Daniel 3! Illustration: Xuan Le
BY WILONA KARIMABADI WITH RANDY FISHELL
Floating Finger
Bible Treasure “I call on you, my God, for you will answer me” (Psalm 17:6, NIV).
Five Ways to Pray Write your prayers—and answers—in a special notebook or on a piece of paper.
1
Start a prayer group with a friend or two (or more). Choose a fun name for the group and meet once each week.
2
Find and even memorize some prayers from the Bible. Ask for the Holy Spirit to bring them to mind at special times, or when you can’t think of anything to say.
3
Heart
Here’s a fun “eye trick” you can do. Hold your hands a little less than arm’s length out in front of you. Next, touch the tips of both index fingers together and lower them into an upside-down V shape (see illustration). Shift your focus to something a little beyond your hands. You should see a perfectly shaped heart appear between the tips of your fingers! Move the fingers “Prayer is the slightly away from each opening of the other, and the heart will heart to God as appear to float! (This to a friend” works best against a plain background.) Use this as (Steps to Christ, a reminder to open your page 93). heart to God as your prayers float toward heaven! “Floating heart” appears here
Choose a word, such as THANKS or GRANDPA, and pray about something that begins with each letter.
4
Find all the words to a Christian song you like and read it to God as a prayer.
5
What ideas can you think of for new ways to pray? Look toward the distance
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