Dialogue 25 3 English

E n g l i s h

•

F r e n c h

•

P o r t u g u e s e

God exists!

The church: Knowing and living its purpose Augustine and creation “I have fought a good fight”: William Ellis Foy as a Millerite

3

Vo l u m e 2 5

•

S p a n i s h

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

CONTENTS

EAST-CENTRAL AFRICA DIVISION Private Bag, Mbagathi, 00503, Nairobi, KENYA Andrew Mutero muteroa@ecd.adventist.org Magulilo Mwakalonge mwakalongem@ecd. adventist.org euro-asia DIVISION Krasnoyarskaya Street 3, 107589 Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION Vladimir Tkachuk vtkachuk@ead-sda.ru Kasap Gennady kgennady@ead-sda.ru INTER-AMeRICAN DIVISION P.O. Box 830518, Miami, FL 33283-0518, USA Gamaliel Florez gflorez@interamerica.org Benjamín Carballo carballobe@interamerica.org Inter-European DIVISION Schosshaldenstrasse 17, 3006 Bern, SWITZERLAND Barna Magyarosi barna.magyarosi@eud. adventist.org Stephan Sigg stephan.sigg@eud.adventist.org

5 8

11

NORth AMERICAN DIVISION 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, USA Larry Blackmer larry.blackmer@nad.adventist.org James Black james.black@nad.adventist.org Gary Councell gary.councell@nad.adventist.org NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION P.O. Box 43, Koyang Ilsan 411-600, KOREA Chek Yat Phoon cyphoon@nsdadventist.org Nak Hyujg Kim youth@nsdadventist.org

16

SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION P.O. Box 040, 4118 Silang, Cavite, PHILIPPINES Lawrence Domingo ldomingo@ssd.org Jobbie Yabut jyabut@ssd.org TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION 119 St. Peter’s St., St. Albans, Herts, AL13EY, ENGLAND Daniel Duda dduda@ted-adventist.org Paul Tompkins ptompkins@ted-adventist.org

Our chances of seeing God in the future are infinitely greater than the chances that science will discover a process that explains our existence.

by John F. Ashton

The church: Knowing and living its purpose

The purpose of the church is to reveal God to the world, to be a classroom of discipleship training, to demonstrate how redeemed people live in community, and to partner with God in His mission

by Lowell C. Cooper

Augustine and creation: How theological tradition influenced acceptance of evolution

“I have fought a good fight”: William Ellis Foy as a Millerite

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church this year, here is the story of a forgotten Millerite who had a significant influence on the founders of Adventism.

by Benjamin J. Baker

south pacific DIVISION Locked Bag 2014, Wahroonga, N.S.W. 2076, AUSTRALIA Ken Weslake kenweslake@adventist.org.au Nick Kross nkross@adventist.org.au

SOUTHERN ASIA DIVISION P. O. Box 2, HCF Hosur, 635 110 Tamil Nadu, INDIA Nageshwara Rao gnageshwarrao@sud-adventist. org Lionel Lyngdoh lyngdoh@sud-adventist.org

God exists!

Augustine’s preoccupation with Greek philosophical interpretations eventually led to a reinterpretation of the biblical account of origins and opened the door to other future possible replacements.

by Raúl A. Kerbs

south american DIVISION Caixa Postal 02600, Brasilia, 70279-970 DF, BRAZIL Edgard Luz edgard.luz@adventistas.org.br Areli Barbosa areli.barbosa@adventistas.org.br

SOUTHERN AFRICA-INDIAN OCEAN DIVISION P. O. Box 4583 Rietvalleirand 0174, SOUTH AFRICA Ella Kamwendo kamwendoe@sid.adventist.org Busi Khumalo khumalob@sid.adventist.org

ESSAYS

DEPARTMENTS 3

20 25 28

EDITORIAL Mountain shrines

by John W. Taylor V PROFILE John Ashton Interview by Don Roy Ramón Rolando Garrido Quevedo Interview by Enrique Becerra Books The God We Worship

by Daniel Scarone Review by Aecio E. Cairus

29 30 32 35

111 Tips For Managing Your Money

by Gelyn Musvosvi Review by David Birkenstock Logos Spirituality and leadership: lessons from Acts

by John M. Fowler index Vols. 21-25 (2009-2013) Portfolio The art of Ramón Rolando Garrido Quevedo

WEST-Central AFRICA DIVISION 22 Boîte Postale1764, Abidjan 22, IVORY COAST Chiemela Ikonne cikonne@wad-adventist.org N. John Enang njenang@wad-adventist.org

2

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

EDITORIAL Mountain shrines Rounding a bend in the deteriorated strip of asphalt, our crowded bus creaked to a halt. Conversations dwindled to a whisper. We had arrived at the mountain shrine. Several passengers knelt before the monument, paid their solemn obeisance, and left their offerings. The ceremony completed, our vehicle began its descent, gathering speed around hairpin bends, hurtling towards the city. A din of banter again surged above the engine’s roar.

As the jungle sped by, I began to wonder if we at times erect shrines on the hillsides of our lives. Could we unwittingly relegate our religion to the lonely monument of a mountaintop experience?

Might Christianity become but a shred of life, a relic to which we pay occasional homage? Might we ride high on a wave of spiritual fervor one day, only to slump into secular despair the next? Could it be that after our high time, we abandon our high calling?

Genuine Christianity, however, must embrace all of life. Whether in word or in deed, we are to do all “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).1 Whether we eat or drink – or whatever we do, we are to do it all “to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Consequently, each activity in which we engage must connect to God. Each incident acquires eternal significance, shaping our lives for eternity.

Christians cannot live in a false dichotomy – segmenting life into spiritual and secular realms. We cannot piously worship on Sabbath and then disconnect from God as we head to “the rest of our lives.”

We cannot merely include a brief devotional thought at the start of our day and then dash out to the marketplace, without any further thought about God or His plan for our lives. Christianity is all or nothing. There is no neutral territory, no halfway allegiance, no precarious fence-sitting. Christ Himself declared, “He who is not with Me is against Me.” (Matthew 12:30).

To live a fully Christian life, a Christian must first think Christianly. Every thought must be brought into submission to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Scripture reminds us, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). But what does it mean to receive “the mind of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

To receive Christ’s mind means that we see all things from His point of view. We begin to see others as God sees them, as candidates for His kingdom. We consider each decision as an opportunity to do what Jesus would do. We view each moment in the light of eternity.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

This international journal of faith,

thought, and action is published two to three times a year in four parallel editions (English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish) by the Committee on Adventist Ministry to College and University Students (AMiCUS) of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Volume 25, Number 3 Copyright © 2013 by the AMiCUS Committee. All rights reserved.

Dialogue affirms the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and supports its mission. The views published in this journal, however, are the independent thoughts of the authors.

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Lisa M. Beardsley-Hardy Editors John M. Fowler, John W. Taylor V Managing Editor Susana Schulz International Editions Susana Schulz International Copy Editors Monique Lemay (French) Henrianne Barbosa (Portuguese) Susana Schulz (Spanish) Designer Glen Milam Editorial Correspondence Dialogue 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A. Telephone 301-680-5073 Fax 301-622-9627 E-mail schulzs@gc.adventist.org AMiCUS Committee Chair Geoffrey Mbwana Vice Chairs Gary R. Councell, Gilbert Cangy Secretary Lisa M. Beardsley-Hardy Members Mario Ceballos, Lyndelle Chiomenti, Gary Councell, John M. Fowler, Linda Koh, Kathleen Kuntaraf, Dionne Rowe, Roy Ryan Circulation Inquiries should be addressed to the regional representative located in the area where the reader resides.

See names and addresses on page 2.

Subscriptions US $13 per year (three issues, airmail). See order form on page 6 for details.

Web site http://dialogue.adventist.org Dialogue has received correspondence from readers in 120 countries around the world.

3

How do we receive this divine perspective, this “renewing of our mind?” (Romans 12:2). We receive the mind of Christ by spending quality time with God – with His Word and in conversation with Jesus. It is by beholding that we become changed (2 Corinthians 3:18). And then we intentionally live each moment in the presence of God (1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18). The result? A Christian mind will lead

Write to us!

We welcome your comments, reactions and questions, but please limit your letters to 200 words. Write to: Dialogue Letters 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A. Fax 301-622-9627 E-mail schulzs@gc.adventist.org Letters selected for publication may be edited for clarity and/or space.

4

to Christian thought, Christ-like decisions, Christ-like actions, and Christian witness.

Today there is a crucial need to develop true Christian minds.

The critical problem is that “Christians” think largely in secular terms, to the point that the Christian perspective is almost nonexistent. Often, we think spiritually only about personal morality or doctrinal themes. In our short-sighted vision, we sometimes even think secularly about religious concerns, such as baptismal goals, offerings, or positions within the church.

Occasional Christian references, prayers, and proof texts, however, are insufficient. These by themselves are mere tokens, evidences of a fragmented, dichotomized life. A pervasive spiritual commitment, however, cannot be banished into a corner of life. It must continually permeate the farthest reaches of our existence, of our very being. We must learn to live fully the faith life. The eternal perspective must radically revolutionize our hearts.

We do not need a Christian badge pinned on the lapel of life.

We need genuine Christian lives.

We do not need individuals who can also serve as Christians on special occasions. We need consistent, authentic Christians.

Christianity is more than a shrine. It is a lifelong calling, a forever commitment. Christians are not simply to live for a job, a family, or a position. In all things,

we are to live for Christ.

It is dangerously easy to become so caught up in a frantic pace, a hectic dash through life, that we forget our mission and our destiny. Christ’s call breaks into our dizzying whirl of activity. He invites us to make our high calling sure (2 Peter 1:10).

Eternity stretches before us. The City lies just ahead.

John Wesley Taylor V, Editor Dialogue

Endnotes

1. Unless otherwise indicated, all biblical passages are from the New King James Version (NKJV).

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

God exists!

by John F. Ashton

Our chances of seeing God in the future are infinitely greater than the chances that science will discover a process that explains our existence.

One of the great things about the Christian faith is that it is based on evidence – real evidence – that God is real, that Jesus Christ is God, and that the Bible can be trusted as true. But sadly, in many countries today young people are questioning God’s existence and the validity of the Bible, after being taught the theory of evolution at school or university. So I thought it would be a useful exercise to consider some of the evidence I have found for my faith.

When I was in my early twenties, I began to attend church. There I met and read about other Christians who had experienced very specific answers to prayer and miracles. I discovered that the Bible also gave accounts of answers to prayer, public miracles, and hundreds of prophecies that were historically fulfilled. As I read my Bible, I came to believe in God – specifically, Jesus as God my Saviour – and began to experience an inner change for the better, as well as many specific answers to prayer. These experiences are very real to me, and so, to me God is very real.

Later, I wrote to Christian university professors around the world, asking why they believed in answers to prayer and miracles. Some of their responses became the book On the Seventh Day: 40 Scientists and Academics Explain Why They Believe in God.1 These highly-educated professional

researchers described subjective evidence for a real, personal supernatural being – the God of the Bible. There are literally thousands of similar accounts of answers to prayer and witnessed miracles in both Christian and secular literature, that provide a massive amount of consistent subjective evidence for the existence of God. However, there is also objective evidence.

by natural physical processes. Since we observe that matter and energy exist, they must have been created by a supernatural non-physical, non-natural process. The Bible explains that matter and energy were created from nothing by a self-existing supernatural God, outside the space and time that we can “know.” This account is the best fit of the observed data.

Existence of the universe

The second objective point of evidence is the observation that we and other things are alive. However, we also observe that life always comes from life. In fact, when Jesus arose from the dead, we call that a miracle, because we know that nonliving things cannot become alive by natural processes. Also, from a “theory of origins” perspective, there is no viable mechanism that can explain how the first living cell could form. In fact, we now know it is biochemically impossible. Why this is so is explained by biochemists Dr. John Marcus and Dr. George Javor in my book In Six Days: Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation.3 For the first life to form, we have to produce massive biopolymers.

However, these giant types of molecules should not naturally form in an aqueous environment, according to Le Chatelier’s principle. The DNA that contains the codes for the

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Firstly, we observe the existence of the universe and ourselves. A number of theories have been proposed to explain the origin of the universe: big bang theory, string theory, multiple universe theory, etc. But there are major problems with all of these theories. Even the commonly-touted big bang theory requires a singularity (a one-off something), hypothetical inflation, as well as imaginary entities such as dark energy and dark matter, etc.2 None of these theories offer an explanation of how the first matter or energy came into existence or how the precise mathematical laws of physics and chemistry that constrain matter and energy came to be.

There is a law of physics which states that while matter can be converted into energy and vice versa, according to E=mc2, matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed

Life comes from life

5

components of living things is a huge molecule, encoding massive amounts of information. For example, the simplest free-living bacterium has a DNA code containing 580,000 base components. Furthermore, the first genetic code carried on the DNA molecule also had to form by some naturalistic process. However, there is no known mechanism or experiment that demonstrates how natural processes could produce such a code.

As the eminent biologist Dr. Eugene Koonin (from the National Center for Biotechnology Information) points out in his 2009 paper “Origin and Evolution of the Genetic Code: The Universal Enigma”: “Indeed, it stands to reason that any scenario of the code origin and evolution will remain vacuous if not combined with understanding of the origin of the coding principle itself and the translation system that embodies it. At the heart of this problem is a dreary vicious circle: what would be the selective force

behind the evolution of the extremely complex translation system before there were functional proteins? And, of course, there could be no proteins without a sufficiently effective translation system. A variety of hypotheses have been proposed in attempts to break the circle but so far none of these seems to be sufficiently coherent or enjoys sufficient support to claim the status of a real theory.”4 So science offers no naturalistic explanation for the origin of the DNA code; rather, it constitutes obvious evidence of amazing intelligent design.5 But there is more. Having a DNA code doesn’t make something alive.

Scientists cannot take dead bacteria that have all their DNA intact and make them alive. To make a cell alive, one would have to set hundreds of biochemical reactions in a state of dis-equilibrium at just the right concentrations. That is, chemical A would have to be set at just the right concentration to make B, which it has

Subscribe to Dialogue So you want to be a thinker, not merely a reflector of other people’s thought? Dialogue will continue to challenge you to think critically, as a Christian. Stay in touch with the best of Adventist thought and action around the world. Get into Dialogue.

One-year subscription (3 issues, air mail): US $13.00 Back issues: US $4.00 each I’d like to subscribe to Dialogue in o English o French o Portuguese o Spanish Issues Begin my subscription with the next issue.

I’d like to receive these back issues: Vol. ___, No. ___.

Payment I’m enclosing an international check or money order.

My MasterCard or VISA # is___________________________________

Expiration Date________________ Please Print Name ______________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Mail to Dialogue Subscriptions, Linda Torske

12501 Old Columbia Pike; Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; U.S.A. Fax 301-622-9627 E-mail torskel@gc.adventist.org

6

to be at just the right concentration to make C, and so on, for hundreds of reactions, which is impossible to do by any known technology, let alone happen naturally.

So based on our scientific knowledge, it is impossible for life to start by some natural process. Yet we observe life. I give more details in my book Evolution Impossible: Twelve Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth.6

The mind

The third objective piece of evidence is the observation that we have a mind, think thoughts, create new ideas, and have an individual will.

We wake up and think “I will get out of bed,” and those thoughts activate nerve impulses, which in turn activate muscles, and we get up.

What constitutes your mind or your thoughts? Your brain is a physical entity made up of chemical molecules; has mass and occupies space, but the mind and thoughts are non-material.

Your thoughts don’t have mass. They don’t occupy cubic centimeters of space. Yet your non-material thoughts affect nerve impulses and move your body to create something that we would call intelligent design (nonrandom, that has never existed before) such as a poem, a mobile phone, an army tank, a painting, a sculpture, etc. Handel’s thoughts created the amazing piece of music “Messiah.”

Jorn Utzon’s thoughts became the design that is now the Sydney opera house.

But where do thoughts and the mind originate? How does a mind and thought become part of life? The brain is physical and incorporates chemical processes that obey chemical laws that do not encode “intelligence or willpower.”

As the eminent New York University professor Thomas Nagel argues in his recent book, Mind and the Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Is Almost Certainly False, evolution cannot explain the origin of the mind.7 If human thoughts can cause physical actions in the human body, then God’s thoughts can cause the existence of the universe and us. It follows that just as artefacts are evidence of human activity, the universe is evidence of God’s existence.

The big picture

When we consider the big picture, science cannot explain our existence.

Rather, the overwhelming evidence for design in the universe, in our planet, and in living things, all points to a non-material supernatural intelligent designer and creator whose thoughts initiated our existence – our universe, our planets, and life. This scenario is consistent with our three objective observations.

The creator God scenario is also consistent with the biblical account and many of the supernatural miracles and answers to prayer reported in Christian literature. Therefore, on the basis of the above arguments, I propose that we have consistent evidence from both science and personal experience for the existence of God. Now, an atheist may be tempted to argue that in the future we will discover the seemingly-impossible mechanisms to explain the universe, life, and the mind. To this I would argue that in the future we will see God, because that is predicted in the Bible. Professor J.B. Payne, who earned his doctorate at Princeton Theological Seminary, notes in his 1973 book Encyclopaedia of Biblical Prophecy that there were 737 events predicted in the Bible, with the majority clearly fulfilled.8 So, clearly, your chances of seeing God in the future are infinitely greater than the chances that science will discover a process that explains our existence.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

John F. Ashton (Ph.D., University of Newcastle, Australia) is strategic research manager for Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing, and serves as adjunct professor of applied sciences at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia. He has co-authored scores of science-related articles and published several books, including Evolution Impossible: 12 Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth (Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books, 2012). E-mail: john.ashton@ sanitarium.com.au

REFERENCES

1. J. Ashton, ed., On the Seventh Day: 40 Scientists and Academics Explain Why They Believe in God (Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books, 2002).

2. See, for example, http://www.cosmologystatement.org/ and http://metaresearch.org/ cosmology/BB-top-30.asp.

3. J. Ashton, ed., In Six Days: Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation (Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books, 2001).

4. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC3293468/.

5. A former leading researcher in the area of chemical evolution, Dr. Dean Kenyon, professor of biology (emeritus) at San Francisco State University, explains how he became convinced that it is impossible for chemical evolution to have produced the first living cell. See http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=a2RZzyFTTXo. 6. J. Ashton, Evolution Impossible: 12 Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth (Green Forest, Arkansas: 2012).

7. T. Nagel, Mind and the Cosmos, Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).

8. J.B. Payne, Encyclopaedia of Biblical Prophecy (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1973).

7

The church: Knowing and living its purpose

by Lowell C. Cooper

The purpose of the church is to reveal God to the world, to be a classroom of discipleship training, to demonstrate how redeemed people live in community, and to partner with God in His mission.

What is the church? Why do we have one?

Our thoughts about the church are often rather casual. It is a building on the landscape, a place to meet friends on Sabbath, just one among many different faith groups. Or it may be my employer.

We often evaluate the church in terms of what it does for us when we attend its services or programs.

Thus the endless variety of expressions heard: “I like/dislike the music/ preaching/atmosphere/sound system/ Sabbath school/warmth/coldness.

There are not enough aisle seats. The fellowship meal is what keeps me going there.”

What is the use of the church? The typical answer depends on what I feel the church does for me. The Bible’s answer is different. According to scripture, the importance of the church is not so much what the church does for you or me but what it does for God. When we begin to understand this, we move from a self-centered view of the church to a God-centered awareness that God created the church for His own purposes – and that all who attend are enveloped in a grand design that originates with God. When we understand this, the Christian life becomes a lot more than a continual struggle to cultivate a list of virtues

and avoid a list of vices. We begin to see the church as the representation or demonstration of God in this world – that the way we live and the way we respond to one another is part of a much larger story and purpose than we ever imagined.

In this context, let us consider the purpose of the church in four different yet interrelated dimensions.

8

1. To bring attention to God

It should not be surprising to discover this as a theme in scripture. The apostle Paul summarizes the purpose of his own calling and provides a crucial insight regarding the purpose of the church. “To me … this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ … to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:8-11).1 Elsewhere, Paul conveys similar thoughts (Colossians 3:17, Galatians 1:15, 16). The same idea is found in the words of Jesus (Matthew 5:16), of the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah (Isaiah 42:5-7, Zechariah 8:23), and of Peter (1 Peter 2:9).

Ellen White also spoke and wrote

frequently with this theme in mind.

“The Lord does not want us to walk in darkness and perplexity. He desires us to know the truth as it is in Jesus, and wherever we go, to proclaim that truth. By word and deed we are to reveal Jesus to the world.”2 “Christians are set as light bearers on the way to heaven. They are to reflect to the world the light shining upon them from Christ. Their life and character should be such that through them others will get a right conception of Christ and of His service.”3 The purpose of the church is to bring attention to God, not to itself.

The size of its membership, the architecture of its buildings, the extent of its presence in the world can sometimes be mistaken for its real impact: how much does it really present a picture of who God is and what He wants to achieve in this world?

2. To be the classroom for discipleship training

One of the main emphases we make in the proclamation of the gospel is that God in Jesus Christ has forgiven our sins. But we must never stop there. What we really need to be proclaiming as well as demonstrating is that the salvation offered to us, provided for us, is deliverance from the dominating power of sin in our lives.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Jesus did not come only to save us from the punishment of our sins, but to provide us power to overcome the tendency to continue in sin.

The discipling role of the church is to help us understand that the gospel is not just a set of beliefs but a power that changes us profoundly and continually. Salvation is much more than release from the consequences of our sins. It also ushers us into a new realm of thinking and feeling, where the heart and will become pure, where sin is seen in its true light. Jesus came to save His people from their sins, not just from the punishment of their sins (see Matthew 1:21).

The hard truth of the gospel is that it reframes everything in our lives, not just our religious acts. Sooner or later, the gospel brings us to a confrontation with our habits and our attitudes. It initiates warfare with our idols and our self-centeredness. It delivers us from an egocentric way of thinking.

And ultimately, a true understanding of the gospel introduces us to a deeper happiness than can be found anywhere in life.

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus concerning his desire and prayer that they would be “filled with all the fullness of God” (see Ephesians 3:16-19).

He appealed to the church members in Colossae to live with new perceptions and new behaviors. “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth… . Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry… . But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another” (see Colossians 3:1-11).

These changes in conviction and conduct do not happen instantly.

One grows in the development of DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Christian views, values, and graces.

The church is the classroom for discipleship training in which a person’s life is transformed into Christlikeness and in which an individual learns how to use his/her talents, skills, and energies in the mission of God. “There is nothing that the world needs so much as a knowledge of the gospel’s saving power revealed in Christlike lives.”4

3. To demonstrate how redeemed people live in community

God does not call people to live in isolation from each other. On the contrary, the call of God embraces relationship with others. Some of these relationship expectations can be very challenging, because they cut across many of our cultural and cultivated affinities.

It is very tempting to adopt a onesided view of spirituality – to concentrate on my connection with God while neglecting my interactions with people. A presumed spirituality can flourish amidst social neglect (see Malachi 1:10; Jeremiah 22:11-18).

J.B. Phillips rightly states: “The truth is that the wholeness which God is working to achieve is never complete in an individual, but through individuals living together as one body, each supplying the deficiencies of the others.”5 The challenge for the church is to demonstrate how followers of Jesus Christ live out the principles of discipleship in a social context. The church is called to be cross-cultural, multicultural, counter-cultural, and transcultural. A place where the upsidedown priorities of the beatitudes operate. A place where service counts above status, where humility replaces hubris, where love reigns instead of lust, and where a competitive spirit is exchanged for collaboration.

Paul’s admonition to the churches under his care embraced new dimensions of every human relationship: husband and wife, parents and children, employers and employees, Jews

and Gentiles, rich and poor, wise and otherwise.

Apparently, some of the Christians in Corinth had taken each other to secular courts to settle matters. In his letter, Paul takes a dim view of church members who sue one another in secular courts. In effect he says, “Can’t you find a way to sort out these differences among you? You are going to judge the world one day with Christ.”

He goes on to write: “It is already an utter failure for you to go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not let yourselves be cheated?” (see 1 Corinthians 6:1-8). Paul advises that there is an option when believers are faced with the struggles of living in community: you can choose to lay down your rights.

Of all the purposes for the church here described, this one, about demonstrating a redeemed society, is the most challenging because it directly confronts the human tendency to be self-centered.

What might happen in our faith community if the world really did see the dramatic difference that God makes in all human relationships? Is it right to expect that as a result of Jesus in their lives the people of God would be the happiest group on the planet, the healthiest group on the planet, the most peaceful group, the most helping group, etc? Is this not what Jesus meant when He said that He came that people might have life and have it more abundantly?

4. To be a healing/reconciling presence in the world

Many Christians believe they are called to retreat from the world. Jesus calls us to be His followers. Like Him, we are not of the world. But He sends us into the world (John 17:15-16, 20:21). For it is His desire to save the world, not just the church. He calls us to be partners with Him in the mission of God. A thoughtful review of Jesus’ min9

istry reveals that the whole spectrum of society received His attention and care. But Jesus appears to have special regard for the least, the lost, the last, the lowest, and the left-out. He gave attention to those most overlooked by society: children, the poor, the sick, those maimed or mentally challenged, and sinners of the worst kind (Matthew 4:23, 24). In the minds of many, His reputation was sullied by the time and attention He gave to those society had marginalized.

Jesus ministered to the demonpossessed and the disfigured. He healed withered limbs and wounded spirits. The blind, deaf, and dumb were recipients of His tender mercies.

Jesus identified with human need. In fact, He makes this a test of true discipleship. Our service to Him is seen in our service to others (see Matthew 25:35-40).

It has been a weakness of religions that they care more for religion than for humanity. Christ cared more for humanity than for religion – rather, His care for humanity was the chief expression of His religion.

Free subscription for your college or university library!

Do you wish to see Dialogue available in the library of your public college or university so that your non-Adventist friends may also have access to the journal? Contact the librarian, show him or her a copy of the journal, and suggest that they request a free subscription to Dialogue, writing on official letterhead.

We will take care of the rest!

The letter should be addressed to: Dialogue Editor-in-Chief; 12501 Old Columbia Pike; Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6600; U.S.A.

10

The story of the exodus is the metanarrative within which the Old Testament people of God find their identity and purpose. It is an example of God engaged in mission. In the exodus, God responded to all the dimensions of Israel’s need – political, economic, social, and spiritual.

Our commitment to mission must demonstrate the same broad totality of concern for human need that God demonstrated.

There are two ways of falling short in our understanding of mission: one is to concentrate on its spiritual significance and marginalize the political, economic, and social dimensions; the other is to concentrate so much on its political, economic, and social dimensions that the spiritual dimension is lost from sight. “The world cannot possibly begin to believe in the reality of an unseen God, extravagant in mercy, lavish in goodness, bent on redeeming and reconciling and restoring creation, until our churches are living object lessons of this very thing.”6 God’s mission involves the restoration of all that was true about His whole creation, and the eradication of all the evil that has worked its way into this world. Our mission, therefore, has to be as comprehensive in scope as the gospel the whole Bible gives us.

We must be careful lest we buy into the idea that the markers of religious life are Bible study, prayer, and witnessing. This is an incomplete list.

What is missing is service. The whole of life is seen as a response to God’s grace. Both work and worship are dedicated to Him. Church members easily fall victim to the idea that we serve God best when we are in church, when we are praying or reading the Bible, or giving Bible studies or handing out tracts, and that our work is merely a necessity to provide resources to serve Him when we have completed our allotted task or shift of duty. But in the larger

view of discipleship, our daily work becomes an outworking of God’s sovereignty, a platform for service to others on behalf of Him who called us and who equipped us to do it.

It is participation in the mission of God that consecrates every kind of work that is done for the sake of human community. Any job, any profession that is pursued in the interest of serving God and advancing His reign in individual lives and human community becomes a sacred calling.

We must challenge the idea that ministerial work is more holy than teaching math or fixing machinery.

Conclusion

The purpose of the church is to reveal God to the world, to be a classroom of discipleship training, to demonstrate how redeemed people live in community, and to partner with God in His mission. What an awesome challenge! What an amazing privilege!

What an energizing objective!

Lowell C. Cooper is a vice-president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

REFERENCES

1. All Scripture passages unless otherwise stated are from the New King James Version.

2. Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, January 19, 1905, par. 24.

3. ---, Steps to Christ (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1956), p. 116.

4. ---, The Ministry of Healing, (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1942), p. 133.

5. J.B. Phillips, Making Men Whole (London: Fontana Books, 1964), p. 115.

6. Mark Buchanan, Your Church Is Too Safe (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012), p. 170.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Augustine and creation: How theological tradition influenced acceptance of evolution

by Raúl A. Kerbs

Augustine’s preoccupation with Greek philosophical interpretations eventually led to a reinterpretation of the biblical account of origins and opened the door to other future possible replacements.

Ever since Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, the biblical doctrine of creation has been increasingly under attack. More and more, science has promoted evolution as a plausible explanation for the origin of life on earth, believing this evolutionary process over millenia eventually resulted in human life. So sweeping is the influence of evolutionary theory that the biblical doctrine of creation – that God created life on earth in its multi-variant forms in seven days of 24 hours – is no longer accepted as real by many Christians. Indeed, it has become common for many churches to hold that the Genesis creation account shouldn’t be taken literally; rather, it should be viewed symbolically, as an account given “for us” in “our human language” of a reality that is far beyond our understanding.

With the theory of evolution establishing its ascendancy within science as an explanation of origins, a great number of Christians reacted to this theory by trying to harmonize it with the Christian doctrine of creation.

The process led to the view that the biblical account proceeds from a spiritual or theological perspective, whereas science proceeds from a material spatiotemporal perspective. Such

a Christian stance would suggest that the biblical affirmation that God created life on earth is a faith statement, and that the role of science is to show how life was formed and evolved from simple to complex forms over millions of years. The Catholic Church for many years now has accepted the position that the claims of faith and evolutionary theory are not contradictory, but complementary – a view that is embraced by most other Christians as well.

How did it happen that Christians came to believe that the biblical report represents just a language referring to a spiritual immaterial realm but not to the spatiotemporal historical realm? How did it happened

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Although Augustine’s interpretation of biblical creation was not included in the official teaching of the Catholic Church, it contributed to the formation of the Christian traditional mind, in both Catholicism and Protestantism.

that Christianity came to think that creation didn’t actually occur the way the biblical texts say it occurred – that is, through divine action performed in the spatiotemporal realm?

A possible answer to these questions should be located not just in scientific advances and development of evolutionary theory as an explanation of origins, but also in the long process of Christian theological tradition as it attempted to deal with questions arising from the doctrine of creation.

While a detailed study of this historical development of Christian theology is not possible here, let us consider the most influential theologian of the early church, Augustine, and how his views influenced the varied explanations of origins in Christian theology.

Although there were other Christian thinkers before Augustine (for example, Justin Martyr, Origen, etc.) who read the biblical text as referring not to the temporal realm but to the spiritual one, the great church father from the fourth and fifth centuries was the outstanding figure who, with his prominent theological and ecclesiastical authority and influence, opened the door to a new reading of the biblical report of creation that later made it easy for Christians to accept the modern evolutionary 11

theory. Although Augustine’s interpretation of biblical creation was not included in the official teaching of the Catholic Church, it contributed to the formation of the Christian traditional mind, in both Catholicism and Protestantism.

As we will see, Augustine’s interpretation of biblical creation does not fit the biblical report, but submits it to certain principles of interpretation that in his reading determined the meaning of biblical expressions. These principles of interpretation consist especially of the Augustinian concept of the being of God and of His relationship to the temporal world.

In order to understand Augustine’s interpretation of the biblical text, we should first present his principles of interpretation.

Augustine’s basic principle of biblical interpretation

Although conflict marked the attitude of the early church fathers toward the suitability of using Greek philosophical concepts, most of them accepted and introduced these concepts in presenting Christian theology and doctrine. Augustine overtly used the Greek distinction between the spiritual-immaterial-timeless tier of reality and the corporeal-materialtemporal one. The former was considered the realm of truth and knowledge, and the latter was viewed as the realm of appearances and changing opinions. Augustine thought that biblical writers assumed this distinction in speaking of the eternal God and the temporal world. Let’s see how this works in Augustine’s biblical interpretation in general, and how this determined his interpretation of biblical creation in particular.

Augustine maintained that in the understanding of God’s being, we must deny everything corporeal and spiritually mutable, and agree with the “Platonists” that God is absolutely perfect and immutable.1 Whereas all corporeal is mutable, God is immuta-

12

Augustine’s philosophical interpretation of God as an immutable and timeless being determines his interpretation of God’s relationship to the temporal and material world. He made a fine distinction between God’s being and God’s manifestation. As its essence is invisible and immutable, divinity itself can never appear in the temporal and material world; it can only reveal itself through a created being. This bases the possibility of interpreting the biblical text in a way that fits in the philosophical interpretation of God. ble.2 The human soul is not corporeal, but is mutable, so we have to leave it to define God. Thus, what is denied of God is not only corporality, but also mutability. God is the only one not experiencing any kind of change.3 “… There is only one immutable substance or essence, that is God ... consequently, only he who doesn’t change nor can change is, without doubt, truly the Being.”4 Augustine thought that in conveying the revelation of God’s being in Exodus 3:14 (“I am who I am … say unto the children of Israel: I Am hath sent me unto you”) the biblical writer was assuming the idea that what characterizes God as the One who “is” truly the Being, is His immutability.5 For Augustine, the immutability of God implies His eternity: “He is also true Eternity, as he is immutable, without beginning or end, and therefore incorruptible. To say that God is eternal, immortal, incorruptible and unchangeable is to say the same thing.”6 However, in following Greek philosophy, Augustine claims that God’s eternity is not an infinite temporality: “nothing temporal may be in God,” 7 “God must be conceived as eternal ... without time;” “within the pale of the sovereign Trinity, who is God, there are no time intervals.”8 God does not precede temporarily to time; in God there is no temporal succession at all; God is an eternal today, an eternal present without

distinction between past, present and future.9 In God there is no time, no change.10 Influenced by the Greek mind, Augustine emphasized that if there was time and change in God, there would be no true eternity.11 Therefore, God’s immutability and timelessness imply each other.

Augustine’s philosophical interpretation of God as an immutable and timeless being determines his interpretation of God’s relationship to the temporal and material world.

He made a fine distinction between God’s being and God’s manifestation. As its essence is invisible and immutable, divinity itself can never appear in the temporal and material world; it can only reveal itself through a created being.12 This bases the possibility of interpreting the biblical text in a way that fits in the philosophical interpretation of God. The separation between the timeless God and the temporal world does not correspond to biblical revelation but to Greek philosophy. Following Greek thought, Augustine thinks that the biblical language about God as undergoing change is only an analogical or metaphorical manner of speaking “for us”: “Nothing can be worthily said of God. Nevertheless, for us to nourish ourselves and to understand the things that cannot be expressed by any human language, are expressed by words we can understand.”13 For example, when Scripture DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

attributes to God something related to time, as in Psalm 90:1, which says: “‘Lord, thou hast been our refuge,’ this indicates no mutation in God, because He always remains the same... .”14 For Augustine, all that Scripture attributes to God as relating to time is only improperly said.15 The reports of apparitions of God appearing to the patriarchs of the Old Testament always express symbolically the presence of God through a mutable creature.16 Let’s see now the way in which Augustine’s interpretation of God’s being and God’s relation to the world determined his interpretation of the biblical report of creation.

Augustine’s interpretation of biblical Creation

As for the creation of the universe, Augustine maintained that God first created what the Bible calls “heaven of heavens,” which he understood as an intellectual heaven, without space and time. This heaven participates in the eternity and immutability of God, but it is not as eternal as God, because it is created.17 Then, according to Augustine, God would have created what the Bible calls “the heavens and the earth,” which is the realm visible to the senses.18 In other words, following the Greek distinction between the timeless realm and the temporal one, Augustine claims that God first created a timeless and immutable heaven, and then the temporal and mutable world we see through the senses.

Regarding the creation of the earth, Augustine distinguished, first, the invisible, formless, and chaotic earth that is not related to the creation days but is referred to in the phrase “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This earth, being formless and chaotic, does not pertain to the spatial and temporal order of creation. Second, Augustine distinguished the earth God arranged, ordering the chaos according to the DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

temporal order of the six days of creation.19 Augustine conceived that the universal, disordered, and mixed matter was created out of nothing and was ready to receive the forms from the creator, in order to give birth to the “world” that consisted of separate and distinct things.20 The biblical story describes that the earth was without form, void and dark, because – says Augustine – it lacked form, which is the essence of things.21 “First, the matter was made confused and formless, so that later it should be made all things that today are separated and formed.”22 This means that, for Augustine, God did not create things during six days, but He placed in the matter the seed of things, which arose later: “If we take the seed of a tree we say that there are the roots, trunk, branches, fruit and leaves, not because they appear already there, but because from there they have to be born: thus, it was said, ‘in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,’ as if it were the semen of heaven and earth, being still confused the matter of heaven and earth. It has been called heaven and earth to that stuff because it was sure that from there had to proceed the heaven and earth we now see.”23 In other words, God created and placed the form of things (the species of beings) in the matter, but in potentiality, so that they could be in actuality later.24 Creation is interpreted, then, as the temporal development

of an instantaneous action performed

by God outside of time (the creation of forms or species).

Furthermore, in his interpretation of the biblical report of creation, Augustine makes a distinction between an intellectual operation and a corporeal one. When Genesis says “and it was so,” Augustine interprets this to mean that something was created “in the reason of intellectual nature.” When the story tells, for example, that “the water was gathered unto one place and the dry land appeared,” it means that the operation was performed corporeally. This distinction reflects the philosophical distinction between God’s timeless being and the world’s temporal being. In other words, the “intellectual operation” corresponds to God’s action that created simultaneously and timelessly the “forms” of things (the “seeds” God put into the universal and chaotic matter); the corporeal operation corresponds to the successive process that, over time, gets these forms to become separate and individual things. For Augustine, God created the timeless essence of things, but temporal, individual, and material things emerged over time.25 God creates all things simultaneously by saying them, although they are made successively.26 This interpretation, based on the Greek philosophical stance, is evidenced clearly when Augustine argued that the human soul was cre-

Augustine put aside the biblical report of divine creation, replaced it with a Greek philosophical interpretation and opened the door to other future possible replacements. On the one hand, Augustine postulated a distinction between the intellectualtimeless realm and the corporeal-temporal one.

On the other hand, he maintained a philosophical interpretation of God’s being, moving him away from the concept of the biblical text.

13

ated – along with the angels27 – before the body, since this was created only in the sense that God put in the matter the seeds thereof, whereas the soul, being spiritual, was created on the first day of creation28 and later it “tended willingly to rule the body.”29 Thus, to Augustine, the biblical creation report is presented in a temporal order, not because God really created it that way, but in order that we can understand through the eyes of the flesh – that is, from our temporal perspective. Furthermore, the report presents the divine work temporally because “the temporal nature executed their movements temporally,”30 but “all that is said of God, that begins or ends, in no way is to understand as occurring in the nature of God, but in his creature.”31 For example, “the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” should not be understood as if God moved to occupy a place. In any case, it would have to be understood – said Augustine – as referring to a living creature, in which the visible world was contained, and to which God would have granted the power to perform His works.32 The replacement of the biblical account of creation in favor of a Greek philosophical interpretation goes hand in hand with the Augustinian distinction between the truth “in itself,” and the truth “for us.” Reason (that is, Greek philosophy) grasps the truth “in itself ” while the biblical text presents truth as just “for us.” Augustine maintained that Scripture says that God created everything in six days, but it is also in Scripture (Augustine did not identify where) that God created everything at once.33 Consequently, the biblical text is considered as a pedagogical or illustrative way of transmitting successively and temporarily the creation that in God occurs simultaneously.34 For Augustine, there was no contradiction, since Scripture (although he did not identify where it was expressed) presents only to carnal eyes something 14

Augustine and the succeeding great Catholic and Protestant theologians introduced in Christianity the fateful idea that the divine action and revelation in time as registered in Scriptures should be interpreted not as the truth, but just as a symbolical and analogical way to convey a knowledge about the spiritual, timeless, and immutable reality in which God exists and acts. that has not happened exactly as it presents to carnal eyes.

Expressing his conviction that Scripture understands God in the same way Greek philosophy does, Augustine puts into the mouth of God the following: “What does my scripture say, that’s what I say, but it says it in order to time, while time has nothing to do with my word, which stays with me unchanged in eternity; and so, those things which you see by my Spirit, I see them, and also the things you say by my Spirit, I say them too. But whereas you see and say them temporarily, I don’t say them temporarily.”35 Augustine was very clear in saying that the truth is not as presented in the biblical narrative: “So maybe it was said, ‘and the evening and the morning were one day,’ first as reason understands that could or must be done, but not in the way one works in time intervals... .

In God’s operation there are no time intervals, although these are in the works themselves.”36 As can be seen, Augustine put aside the biblical report of divine creation, replaced it with a Greek philosophical interpretation, and opened the door to other future possible replacements. On the one hand, Augustine postulated a distinction between the intellectual-timeless realm and the corporeal-temporal one. On the other hand, he maintained a philosophical interpretation of God’s being, moving him away from the concept of the biblical text. Had Augustine interpreted God’s being as He reveals

Himself in the Bible, then he could have interpreted the biblical account of creation as the true revelation of the successive action of God during seven days of 24 hours.

Conclusion

Philosophical, non-biblical assumptions led Augustine to discard the biblical account of creation as the true revelation of God’s action in time.

Starting from Greek philosophical presuppositions, Augustine regarded the temporal divine creative action as reported in the Bible as not referring to the proper way in which God created. In Greek philosophy, God is immutable and timeless. For Augustine, Greek philosophy is the “science” that explains the way things really happen, as well as God’s nature and action. Given that God can act only timelessly and simultaneously, Augustine didn’t regard the biblical revelation of God’s temporal creative work as true knowledge. For him, true knowledge can be produced only by the rational “science” (Greek philosophy) of his time. Thus, Augustine and the succeeding great Catholic and Protestant theologians introduced into Christianity the fateful idea that the divine action and revelation in time as registered in Scriptures should be interpreted not as the truth, but just as a symbolic and analogical way to convey a knowledge about the spiritual, timeless, and immutable reality in which God exists and acts.

Following Greek philosophy, Augustine and Christian theologiDIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

cal tradition sharply separated God from time. Later, when modern science appeared on the scene, God had already been dropped out of the temporal realm by Christian theological tradition. Thus, modern scientists began to explain the origin of the world and life without considering the existence of the biblical God. Augustine had already taken the same approach, because he explained the origin of the world and life starting not from the Bible but from the “science” of his time (Greek philosophy).

Augustine didn’t become an atheist, because this science accepted the existence of a timeless and immutable God. Modern science doesn’t accept God, because He cannot be evidenced by observation and experimentation. But as modern science cannot demonstrate the nonexistence of a timeless and immutable God, many Christian believers harmonize the scientific evolutionary explanation of the origin of the material word with the belief in the timeless, immutable, and spiritualized God Augustine and the Christian theological tradition introduced into Christianity. This can be called a Christian traditional approach, but not a biblical one.

Christians who take seriously God’s biblical action and revelation in time may not harmonize biblical creation with evolutionary theory, because the Bible explains the origin of the universe and life by assuming a temporal and historical interpretation of God’s nature and action. The biblical concept of God – as an eternal temporality, i.e. as a being who can act in time without being limited by time – cannot be blended with an evolutionary explanation of the temporal and mutable processes by which the universe and life emerged over time. Only by reading wrongly the Genesis account as being "metaphoric" can evolutionary theory be introduced in Christianity as the explanation of the creative process. But the DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Bible provides no room for such a metaphorical stance. The whole of the biblical account of creation shows that creation happened as a sequence of actions performed by God in time.

Thus, Bible-believing Christians cannot harmonize biblical creation and evolutionary theory, because both are mutually exclusive and contradictory.

Raúl A. Kerbs (Ph.D., Córdoba State University, Argentina) is professor of philosophy at River Plate University, Argentina. E-mail: raulkerbs@gmail.com.

REFERENCES

1. Augustine, The City of God Against the Pagans, ed. R.W. Dyson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), VIII, 6 (henceforth CG).

2. Augustine, Concerning the Nature of Good: Against the Manichaeans, The Complete Works of Saint Augustine, tr. Marcus Dods (Kindle Edition, Amazon Digital Services, 2013), 1.

3. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, The Complete Works of Saint Augustine, tr. Marcus Dods (Kindle Edition, Amazon Digital Services, 2013), I, 8 (henceforth CD); On the Holy Trinity, The Complete Works of Saint Augustine, tr. Marcus Dods (Kindle Edition, Amazon Digital Services, 2013), V, 2, 3; see also V, 4, 5; V, 5, 6; IV, Prol., 1; VIII, 2, 3; XII, 14, 22; V, 16, 17; VII, 3, 5; I, 1, 3; XV, 4, 6; V, 1, 2 (henceforth OHT); The Confessions of Saint Augustine, The Complete Works of Saint Augustine, tr. Marcus Dods (Kindle Edition, Amazon Digital Services, 2013), VII, 7, 11; VII, 11, 17 (henceforth C); On Free Will, Augustine: Earlier Writings, The Library of Christian Classics, ed. J.H.S. Burleigh (London and Philadelphia: SCM Press/The Westminster Press, 1953), II, 6, 14.

4. OHT, V, 2, 3; see also V, 4, 5; V, 5, 6.

5. OHT, V, 2, 3; VII, 5, 10.

6. OHT, XV, 5, 8; OHT, I, 6, 10; II, 9, 16.

7. OHT, V, 16, 17.

8. OHT, XV, 25, 45; IV, 21, 30.

9. C, XI, 13, 16.

10. CG,XI, 21.

11. C, 11, 7, 9; 11, 10, 12; 11, 13, 16; 11, 14, 17.12 OHT, III, 11, 26.

12. OHT, II, 15, 26; II, 14, 24; II, 18, 35; III, 5, 10.

13. Augustine, On Genesis: A Refutation of the Manichees, The Works of Saint Augustine, Volume 13 : On Genesis, tr. Edmund Hill (New York: New City Press, 2002, I, 8, 14 (henceforth RM).

14. OHT, XV, 3, 5.

15. OHT, V, 8, 9; CD, III, 11; Augustine, Augustine Catechism: Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Love, tr. Bruce Harbert, The

Augustine Series, Volume 1 (New York: New City Press, 1999), 33.

16. OHT, II, 17, 32.

17. C, 12 9-11, 13; 12, 15, 19-20.

18. C, 12, 12, 15.

19. C, 12, 12, 15.

20. C, 12, 3, 3; Augustine, Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis, The Works of Saint Augustine, Volume 13 : On Genesis, tr. by Edmund Hill O. P., New York: New City Press, 2002, 3, 10; 4, 13-14 (henceforth ULCG).

21. ULCG, 5, 25; RM, I, 7, 11; I, 4, 7.

22. RM, I, 5, 9; I, 6, 10.

23. RM, I, 7, 11; see also GLI, 10, 32.

24. Augustine, The Literal Meaning of Genesis, The Works of Saint Augustine, Volume 13 : On Genesis, tr. by Edmund Hill O. P., New York: New City Press, 2002, IV, 33, 51; VIII, 3, 6; IX, 17, 32 (henceforth LMG); OHT, III, 9, 16.

25. ULCG, 10, 32, 35.

26. C, 11, 7, 9; 11, 10, 12 27. CG, XI, 9.

28. LMG, VII, 24, 35.

29. LMG, VII, 25, 36.

30. ULCG, 7, 28.

31. ULCG, 5, 19.

32. ULCG, 4, 16-17 33. LMG, IV, 33, 52; 34, 53, 55.

34. LMG, VII, 24, 35.

35. C, 13, 29, 44.

36. ULCG, 7, 28; 9, 31.

15

“I have fought a good fight”: William Ellis Foy as a Millerite

by Benjamin J. Baker

Here is the story of a forgotten Millerite who had a significant influence on the founders of Adventism.

The Millerite movement of the 1830s and 40s is one of the most dynamic in the religious history of the United States. The names of certain Millerites stand out: William Miller, the founder; Joshua Himes, the public relations mastermind; Charles Fitch, the bold preacher; and Ellen Harmon, James White, and Joseph Bates, who would go on to found the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But one of Millerism’s most compelling figures is lesser known.

This individual was entrusted with the rarest of gifts, which he used during the most historically inhospitable of times. Against tremendous odds, he grew to great prominence as a minister, blessing the lives of thousands. Ellen White vividly remembered him more than half a century after she first encountered him. His name: William Ellis Foy.1

life, it was most likely consumed with helping run the farm and associating with the children of other black families in the area. When Foy was 15, the family moved to Palermo, Maine.

Frequent visits to the nearby city of Augusta brought Foy in contact with Silas Curtis, a local Freewill Baptist minister. Foy recalls: “In the year 1835, under the preaching of Elder Silas Curtis, I was led to inquire what I should do to be saved. Christians directed me to the lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.”

After a time of despairing if God would accept such a sinner as he, the 17-year-old had a breakthrough when he realized the extent of God’s grace: “I then became willing to give up all… . I then saw such a fullness in Christ that I wanted to proclaim it to all the world. Oh the glory of God that filled my soul! Three months rolled away in which I enjoyed sweet communion with my God.”2 Interrupting his months-long joy came “a trial by those who should have been nursing fathers in Israel… .”3 But Foy accepted wise advice from another “father in Israel,” and became fully integrated into the life of the church, even learning to read there. After “three months disobedience” of resisting baptism, Foy

Early life

Foy was born in a rural setting just north of Augusta, Maine, in 1818, to African American parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Foy. As was often the case during that time, the Foys lived among a small collective of black families, making a living by farming a modest plot they owned. Although little is known about William’s early

16

was baptized by Curtis. Shortly after, he decided to become a minister.

Move to Boston

Foy married Ann4 in about 1836, and the couple had their first child, Amelia, the next year. The Foys relocated to Boston in 1840, residing in the historic Beacon Hill district. There Foy set out to obtain Episcopalian clergy credentials and learned a trade to support his family.

The Boston years kept the budding preacher busy with speaking engagements in the many churches in the bustling city. Shortly after his move to Boston, Foy became acquainted with Millerite teachings. Although initially averse to it, the young preacher soon embraced the doctrine of the Second Advent.

During this time, at the very height of the Millerite movement, Foy had his first prophetic experience. On January 18, 1842, in the Twelfth Street Baptist Church on Southock Street, the 23-year-old “met with the people of God … where the Christians were engaged in solemn prayer, and my soul was made happy in the love of God. I was immediately seized as in the agonies of death, and my breath left me; and it appeared to me that I was a spirit separate from DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

this body.”5 In this vision, Foy was given a tour of the Christian’s heaven, which he later powerfully described with rich metaphors and symbolism.

Just after beholding the unspeakable glories of heaven, Foy sank into depression and despondency, feeling that he should share what he had seen, but not doing so: “I was disobedient, settling upon this point for an excuse, that my guide did not command me so to do; and I thereby, brought darkness, and death, upon my soul. But I could find no peace or comfort. I began to doubt whether indeed my soul had been converted, and although I often met with the people of God, I obtained no relief, but felt distressed and lonely. I could get no access in prayer.”6 To alleviate this desperate state, Foy wrote down his vision and had it published. But alas, he was unsatisfied with the finished product and remained miserable.

Exchange of miseries

William Foy would soon exchange miseries. On February 4, 1842, at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Beacon Hill, Boston, he again went into vision. This time the sanctuary was standing-room only, and Foy, giving up his seat to a friend, “immediately fell to the floor, and knew nothing about this body, until twelve hours and a half had passed away, as I was afterward informed.”7 This revelation depicted a solemn judgment scene in which some whom Foy knew were refused entrance into heaven. Following this was an awesome scene of those who entered heaven in surreal panoply. This time Foy’s guide told him to share what he had witnessed.

Of course, at that time millions of Foy’s racial counterparts were enslaved on plantations south of the Mississippi River. This reality pressed in on Foy, and he wrote: “... knowing the prejudice among the people against those of my color, it became DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

very crossing.” These misgivings, combined with the uniqueness of the visionary experience, caused the young man to continually question: “Why should these things be given to me, to bear to the world, and not to the learned, or to one of a different condition from myself?”8 His “condition” could have referred to a number of things: his race, age, relative poverty, social status, or even his onlyrecent literacy. Whatever the case, a burden from above rested so heavily on his soul as to nearly suffocate it.

Four days after the second vision, J.B. Husted, pastor of the nearby Broomfield Street Church, visited Foy with several of his parishioners.

His request was straightforward: tell our church what you have seen. Foy agreed, and they arranged that he speak the following afternoon. After they left, Foy regretted his decision, thinking that “had the world been mine it would cheerfully be given, to have the appointment recalled.”9 As the time approached to go to Broomfield Street, “temptations began sorely to afflict [me]. I feared lest my guide would not be with me, and I should be unable to tell the people the things which had been shown me.”10 Ironically, this also happened to another Millerite to whom God gave visions.11 But Foy’s willingness is what saved him, for he was escorted to the church by a “band of brethren” who perceptively discerned his struggle. When he entered, a large group greeted him, and, as he descriptively puts it, “each individual seemed like a mountain.”12 In a last-ditch effort, the terrified Foy asked Pastor Husted to begin the meeting with prayer, hoping that the occasion would turn into a prayer meeting and he would be relieved of his duty. But as the pastor prayed, Foy heard a voice say, “I am with thee; and I promised to be with thee!” At that moment, “my heart then began to burn within me, the fear of man suddenly fled, and

unspeakable glory filled my soul.”13 Foy then shared his visions so eloquently and powerfully that he was inundated with requests to speak, his calendar booked months in advance.

John Loughborough, the first historian of Seventh-day Adventism, has this to say about Foy: “Mr. Foy’s visions related to the near advent of Christ, the travels of the people of God to the heavenly city, the new earth, and the glories of the redeemed state. Having a good command of language, with fine descriptive powers, he created a sensation wherever he went. By invitation he went from city to city to tell of the wonderful things he had seen; and in order to accommodate the vast crowds who assembled to hear him, large halls were secured, where he related to thousands what had been shown him of the heavenly world, the loveliness of the New Jerusalem, and of the angelic hosts. When dwelling on the tender, compassionate love of Christ for poor sinners, he exhorted the unconverted to seek God, and scores responded to his entreaties.”14 After three months of constant speaking, fearing that his family was not being provided for, Foy did manual labor for another three-month period, but “could find no rest day nor night, until again I consented to do my duty.” Foy commenced touring, attesting that although he “suffered persecution,” his guide was with him.

Ellen White’s memories of Foy

Around this time the Foys moved to Portland, Maine, the city where Ellen White’s family lived. In a 1906 interview, the septuagenarian recalled her experience as a teenager going with her family on several occasions to hear William Foy speak: “He [William Foy] came to give it [lecture on visions] right to the hall, in the great hall where we attended, Beethoven Hall. That was quite a little time after the visions. It was 17

in Portland, Maine. We went over to Cape Elizabeth to hear him lecture. Father always took me with him when we went, and he would be going in a sleigh, and he would invite me to get in, and I would ride with them. That was before I got any way acquainted with him.”15 White also recalled the opportunity she had to talk with the popular Millerite preacher: “I had an interview with him. He wanted to see me, and I talked with him a little. They had appointed for me to speak that night, and I did not know that he was there. I did not know at first that he was there. While I was talking I heard a shout, and he is a great, tall man, and the roof was rather low, and he jumped right up and down, and oh, he praised the Lord, praised the Lord. It was just what he had seen, just what he had seen. But they extolled him so I think it hurt him, and I do not know what became of him.

“His wife was so anxious. She sat looking at him, so that it disturbed him. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘you must not get where you can look at me when I am speaking.’ He had on an Episcopalian robe. His wife sat by the side of me. She kept moving about and putting her head behind me.

What does she keep moving about so for? We found out when he came to his wife. ‘I did as you told me to,’ said she. ‘I hid myself. I did as you told me to.’ (So that he should not see her face.) She would be so anxious, repeating the words right after him with her lips. After the meeting was ended, and he came to look her up, she said to him, ‘I hid myself.

You didn’t see me.’ He was a very tall man, slightly colored. But it was remarkable [the] testimonies that he bore.

“I always sat right close by the stand. I know what I sat there for now. It hurt me to breathe, and with the breaths all around me I knew I could breathe easier right by the 18

stand, so I always took my station.”16 One suspects that Foy had a significant influence on Ellen Harmon during her formative teenage years.

Before she herself experienced the prophetic gift, she saw this charismatic young black man effectively sharing his visions and winning souls to Christ – all of this under tough circumstances not unlike the hurdles of age, gender, lack of education, and ill health that she would have to overcome to be an effective spokesperson for God. She also owned a copy of the booklet detailing his visions, which he would later publish. Further, her initial visions bear striking similarities to Foy’s, as he enthusiastically made clear when the two switched roles after the Great Disappointment and Foy listened to her speak of her vision. Finally, the Millerites who became Seventhday Adventists saw the ignition of the spirit of prophecy in the life of William Foy as proof that the 2300day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 was approaching its fulfillment.17 In Portland, William Foy encountered the same sort of racial persecution as he did elsewhere. The Portland Tribune of February 10, 1844, carried the following piece: “When will wonders cease? The Millerites of this city have recently imported a great bull nigger, who has been rolling up the white of his eyes, showing his ivory, and astonishing the good people by his dreams and prognostications. It is said the fat and greasy black can neither read nor write – but he told of the joys of the blest and the wailings of the damned with such gusto that even the weakest disciple of the prophet smacked his lips for more. What will be the end of these things, we cannot divine… .

We soon expect to see this fat bull nigger, superbly dressed, seated in a chariot, and drawn through our streets, by the devoted disciples of Miller, who will bow down and worship him as a God.”18

Editorials like this prove that Foy was neither paranoid nor delusional for fearing racial animosity toward him at speaking engagements. Nor was he exaggerating when he reported that he suffered persecution after he began lecturing. That this piece would be featured in the official newspaper of a racially-progressive and tolerant city like Portland, Maine, is telling.

More visions

Foy continued to have visions – at least two more. Loughborough speaks of a third vision in which three fiery steps ascended up a pathway; on each step were multitudes of people who began falling off into oblivion while others advanced to heaven.19 Ellen White insists that Foy had a fourth vision whose content is unknown, although she might have been privy to the details of the final revelation now lost to us. What is known is that Foy had both of these visions around the summer of 1844.

In early 1845, Foy collaborated with two Millerite brothers, John and Charles Pearson – sons of the respected Sabbatarian Adventist Father Pearson, and minor pioneers in their own right – and published the 24-page pamphlet The Christian Experience of William E. Foy. In it, Foy shares his conversion experience and describes his first two visions.

On the last page is a testimonial of 10 individuals vouching for the authenticity of Foy’s visions, as well as a copy of his certificate of church membership, both requisite bona fides in that day.20 It is significant that Foy published this booklet after the Great Disappointment, indicating a continued commitment to the second coming of Jesus and to the encouragement of the broken believers. His attendance at a gathering in 1845 where Ellen Harmon spoke about her vision also bears this out.

And thus was the Millerite era for William Foy. After 1845, as far DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

as is known, he lost contact with those who would eventually become Seventh-day Adventists – Ellen Harmon and John Loughborough – and continued his ministry, albeit on a considerably smaller stage. Taking residence alternately in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the Maine towns of Chelsea, Burnham, Mount Desert Island, and East Sullivan, Foy pastored interracial and predominantly white Baptist congregations.

In Sullivan and Sorrento since Seventeen-Sixty, lay genealogist Lelia Clark Johnson remembers Foy as being an “esteemed and beloved” minister who held religious meetings in various places.21 William Foy died on November 9, 1893, and is buried in Birch Tree Cemetery in Sullivan, Maine. On his tombstone is chiseled the epitaph: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.22

Lessons from Foy’s ministry

The lessons of William Foy’s three years in the spotlight of the Millerite movement are plentiful and potent.

First, one can have a major impact in a brief amount of time. Foy’s visionary career lasted just three years, yet it still encourages and instructs 170 years later.

Second, God does use the newly converted in unheard-of ways. Foy was 17 when he came to Christ, and 23 when he had his first vision. How was this sufficient time to prepare him? What were his credentials for such a weighty task? It doesn’t matter what we make of it; God ordained it, and that is that.

Third, our weakness is God’s strength. At his conversion, Foy was an illiterate black farm boy. Just a few years later, he was a forceful, sophisticated Boston preacher. The bulk of people of his race were in bondage in the very same country in which Foy

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

enlightened whites about the things of God. Next is the absolute necessity of remaining humble. Foy recognized and appreciated his weakness and inability; thus, it didn’t enter his mind to trust in his own strength, because he had none.

Fifth, much can be said of William Foy actually stepping out in obedience. He stated that the people to whom he was called to speak seemed like mountains, and he was scared of them, but he focused on Christ and did what he was told to do. Aside from his race, having visions was not a normal and accepted thing, even in prophet-rich 19th century New England. Foy’s vulnerability in admitting his fear and inadequacy is compellingly touching, and all can immediately identify to a lesser or greater degree with his dilemma.

Lastly, like Foy, we are a people of prophecy. As unlikely as it may seem, God used this unassuming young man to herald and prepare humanity for one of the greatest events in salvation history: Jesus’ entrance into the heavenly sanctuary, the final phase of His preparatory work. Seventhday Adventists, especially we who are alive at this time, are also a people of prophecy, called to usher in Jesus’ second coming. You can be used in a vital way as was Foy. During this commemoration of 150 years of Seventh-day Adventism, may the bright star of William Foy’s ministry inspire us to complete our God-given mission.

Pub. Assn., 2013).

2. William E. Foy, Christian Experience (Portland, Maine: J. and C.H. Pearson, 1845), 7-8.

3. Ibid., 8.

4. Ann’s maiden name is not known.

5. Foy, Christian Experience, 9.

6. Ibid., 15.

7. Ibid., 16.

8. Ibid., 21.

9. Ibid., 21.

10. Ibid., 22.

11. A man named Hazen Foss had received visions but consistently refused to relate them, but when he finally attempted to share them, he could not recall what he was shown.

12. Ibid., 22.

13. Ibid., 22.

14. J.N. Loughborough, The Great Second Advent Movement (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1906), 146.

15. Ellen G. White, “Interview with Mrs. E.G. White, re: Early Experiences” (Manuscript 131, 1906), 6.

16. Ibid., 4-6.

17. See Loughborough, 146.

18. “When will wonders cease?” Portland Tribune, February 10, 1844.

19. Loughborough, 146-147.

20. William E. Foy, Christian Experience (Portland, Maine: J. and C.H. Pearson, 1845), 24.

21. Lelia A. Clark Johnson, Sullivan and Sorrento since Seventeen-Sixty (Ellsworth, Maine: Hancock County Publishing Company, 1953), 65-66.

22. Baker, 132.

Benjamin J. Baker, Ph.D., is assistant archivist at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland. His email is bakerb@ gc.adventist.org.

REFERENCES

1. For the authoritative work on William Foy, see Delbert Baker, The Unknown Prophet (Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald

19

PROFILE John Ashton

Dialogue with an Adventist scientist from Australia Interview by Don Roy

John Ashton was born in Newcastle, Australia, and raised with a younger brother in a nominally Methodist home. His father, who had served in the Australian Navy, was an electrical engineer, while his mother was an accomplished portrait artist. After John was baptized into the Adventist Church in 1971, he was keen to share his faith with his fellow university students and was helped by a young Avondale College-trained primary teacher, Colleen Bryan. Over the months, their friendship grew as they found they shared common friends and interests such as hiking and country living. They married about a year later, in 1974. They currently live on a small acreage near Lake Macquarie and have two married daughters, two adult sons, and three grandchildren.

Colleen, who retrained in massage and complementary therapies, now runs her own clinic and is active in women’s ministries, while John regularly presents talks on creation and health at local churches.

Dr. Ashton is currently strategic research manager at Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing, one of Australia’s largest cereal and health food producers. Along with that role, he serves as adjunct professor of 20

applied sciences at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), and adjunct professor of biomedical sciences at Victoria University.

He has been involved as a senior research adviser at seven Australian universities and a research advisor to a dozen or more Ph.D. students.

He is also a fellow of the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute. n John, when did your journey as an Adventist Christian begin?

I began attending the Adventist church shortly after completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Newcastle. At the time, I was working at the central research laboratory of what is now the world’s largest mining company, BHP (Broken Hill Proprietary). They had top scientists from around the world working there. But the thing that stood out was that even though those scientists had gone to some of the best universities in the world, such as Oxford and Cambridge, their lifestyle and habits indicated they led empty, unfulfilled lives. I thought to myself that there had to be something more to life than this. I had aspired to be a scientist, but there was nothing in their demeanor to inspire me.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

n What aspect of science interested you in particular?

My early association with BHP was as a physicist, as they had offered me a cadetship to do physics. But at the time, I could see that most of the people following that path ended up doing computer programming.

So during my course, I changed to chemistry and finished up at the head of the chemistry class at Newcastle University in chemistry in 1969.

I remember thinking about it and asking myself, “Is there a purpose to life?” I was speaking to my mother about it and asked her, “How do you find out about God?” She said, “Go to church!” We were nominally Methodists, and so I went to the little church around the corner, where I heard about the gospel and accepting the Savior into my life. I knew I needed to do that, but I was shy. Even so, I wanted to find out more.

I again asked my mother how I might find out more about the Bible.

Nine years earlier, my father had died suddenly, and when some Adventist people visited us, they left a copy of Your Bible and You. My mother had visited their church a couple of times, and I decided to visit there myself because they had a Bible study each Saturday morning. Amongst other things, they talked about the Sabbath, so I looked up my encyclopedia and discovered that Saturday is the seventh day. That appealed to my logical scientific mind! I felt I wanted to make a fresh start, and I prayed for God’s leading.

At that time, a Tioxide Research Scholarship was being advertised.

It was the most prestigious and highest-paying postgraduate scholarship in chemistry being offered in Australia. I applied and promised the Lord I would buy a Bible and start going to church. In 1970, I won that scholarship and kept my promise: I have attended the Adventist church since that day. I continued with my university studies, attending church DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

and studying a Bible correspondence course. I was baptized in 1971. n I understand your interest in the creation-evolution debate was triggered early in your church experience. How did that come about?

Because I was studying science, a number of church members asked me questions about creation. So I began reading the literature for and against creation and evolution. I had a friend who was studying geochemistry at the university. He had a European shovel handle that was supposedly several thousand years old, and that didn’t seem to make sense to us. It clicked in my mind that there was some major problem with the radiometric dating method. And so I began reading in that area. Incidentally, he also became an Adventist! n I believe that about this time you experienced another special event in your life.

Yes, I met a young school teacher, Colleen, who is now my wife. She is a wonderful companion and has been a great supporter of my personal growth.

After gaining my master’s degree, I lectured for a number of years at Hobart Technical College in physics and mathematics. During that period, I devoted quite some time to Bible study and applied some of my research skills to the study of prophecy and the associated historical and archeological evidence for its fulfillment.

relevant to evolutionary theories.

I was interested in examining the underpinnings of science research and why science can know. Biological science led me to explore the environmental and medical sciences and the implications of iatrogenic illness. This led to looking at a range of issues around the relationship between human action and the environment.

I was interested in how science could make better predications and avoid some of the side effects. n You are also well known for your publications in the area of health. Tell us about that.

Following Hobart, I moved to New South Wales and took up employment as chief chemist at the Food Research Laboratory of the Sanitarium Health Food Company. This led to a focus of interest in food. I was invited to be one of two Australian collaborators on an international project developing a method for analyzing dietary fiber.

I also participated in another international project of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists that was looking at the toxicity of aluminum in foods. This involvement help build my reputation as a chemist.

I was publishing quite a number of papers in these areas.

The research supervisor I was working with, Dr. Ron Laura, had studied at Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge.

He was heavily into publishing, and we began writing books together.

It was quite providential. Our first book, Hidden Hazards, which looked

n John, you are a person with wide interests. But please explain your special interest in creation and evolution.

I was around 40 years of age, now with children, and reasonably well established, when I felt overwhelmingly impressed to devote my attention to the study of creation, especially to the area of epistemology as it related to the sciences, and biomedical science, as this is an area particularly 21

at the impact of technology on the environment, sold very well, and the publisher invited us to write another.

So I began thinking about the main issues, and my mind settled on the subject of the impact of alcohol on the community. Nobody was speaking out about it. It was just at the time when advertisers were focusing on encouraging women to drink alcohol to increase sales. Over one period in Australia, for example, the rate of women drinking heavily had doubled. The lack of awareness of the dangers of alcohol and its impact on women in particular were disturbing.

Some very good research was being done, but this knowledge was just not getting out. My publisher was taken aback at the topic, but because the first book had done so well, agreed to proceed. So I researched the alcohol book for several years. Unfortunately, the publisher thought it was too “preachy.” It wasn’t until eight years later, in 2004, that the Signs Publishing Company published it, under the title Uncorked! The Hidden Hazards of Alcohol.

When I had become a Christian while teaching at Hobart Technical College, I became interested in witnessing. I was so pleased to be associated with the Adventist perspective on health, so I began writing short articles on health, and they were well received everywhere.

When I moved to New South Wales, I shared these with Ron Laura, and we decided to do some health books together. We then wrote another environment book, The Perils of Progress, published by the University of New South Wales Press. It looked at the impact of technology and food practices on the environment and human health. The book was well received and was also republished in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa. I was then invited to coauthor a book on food poisoning, titled Risky Foods and Safer Choices, and having published 22

so many books, my desire to witness though my writing increased. n What other interests were brewing?

My mind turned again to my interest in theology, especially Isaiah and God’s declaration that He is like no other, affirming the end from the beginning. So I started looking at the historical evidence for people who saw the future ahead of time. I put that book together as The Seventh Millennium.

At the time, I really felt that I needed to follow up with material on the evidence for Creation. While I was visiting The Answers in Genesis Bookstore, a person recognized me and told me about a seminar recently held at Macquarie University in Sydney, where the curator of the Sydney Museum made the statement that no practicing scientist with a doctorate would believe in a literal six-day creation. This person went on to say that he had given that scientist my name as the chief chemist for Sanitarium, and added, did I mind!

Of course I didn’t!

A few days later, as I was walking, the thought occurred to me, “Why not ask scientists with Ph.D.’s why they believe in Creation?” And that became the book In Six Days: Why 50 Scientists Believe in Creation. That book was first published in 1999, and 14 years later, it is still selling strongly. It has gone through more than 20

printings and been translated into a number of languages. Working with scientists from all around the world with rich Christian experiences was a wonderful inspiration to me.

Richard Dawkins challenged the fact that some of the contributors had studied at church-based universities like Loma Linda, for example. So I began to contact university academics who had obtained their educational qualifications and taught at secular universities, but who believed in God. I asked them about their beliefs in miracles, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and answers to prayer. That book became The God Factor, published by Harper-Collins. In the United States, it was published under the title On the Seventh Day. The publisher felt it would be a worthy sequel to In Six Days. Corresponding and working with the contributors was such an inspiration and confirmation of my own faith. n What was the response to all this work?

It is not surprising that some critics of the book claimed the contributors were working outside their fields. I had a young friend who was a university student and had the idea of writing answers to many of the questions challenging Adventist university students. This time, we made contact with contributors who had expertise in the related fields, and that became the book The Big Argument: Does God Exist?

As we were working on the book, it was difficult to find any academic to write on the evidence for the Exodus.

Then someone suggested David Down, who agreed. He also told me he was working on a book on the history of Egypt and invited me to join him in that. Together we worked out a chronology that harmonized the Bible and Egyptian chronologies.

That book, Unwrapping the Pharaohs, broke new ground when it was published in 2006.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Prior to this, when I was studying aspects of foods, I became interested in the amazing, unrecognized, beneficial properties of cocoa and chocolate.

Later, my daughter-in-law worked on that with me to ensure a writing style that would engage a wider audience.

This became the popular book A Chocolate a Day, published 2010.

In 2009, at the time of the sesquicentenary of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, I felt really compelled to write in the area of why evolution is impossible. We now have so much evidence to challenge the assumptions of evolution, particularly from the biochemistry angle. It is impossible for the genetic code to form by chance – that is, its probability is much less than 1 in 10150. When you consider there are only about 1080 atoms in the known universe, that’s a big number. Some have calculated that the chance of the DNA forming randomly is in the order of less than 1 in 105000 ! So that became my latest book: Evolution Is Impossible. I am passionate about helping our young people to see through the assumptions made by evolutionists that really can’t be backed up. n It appears that much of the opposi-

tion of evolutionists to creation is more politics than science. What is your opinion about this?

It is interesting that a number of philosophers of science are now speaking out strongly against evolution and the long ages associated with the geological column. But the issue has become so political, and anybody who speaks out against it attracts opposition and ridicule. For example, we have Dr. Stephen Meyer, who studied at Cambridge, publishing a paper arguing that the fossil record doesn’t provide evidence for evolution. There was a lot of criticism arguing that he was predisposed to his worldview of intelligent design. The paper is still available on the Internet. And then there was the paper by Jerry Fodor, “Why Pigs Don’t Have Wings.” He

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

was essentially saying the same thing, and that caused an outcry.

But evolution still doesn’t have a mechanism to explain how new higher organisms can form. Recently, in 2012, Thomas Nagel, professor of philosophy at the University of New York, published The Mind and the Cosmos: Why the Material Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False. That book undermines the entire naturalistic position from the perspective of biology, evolutionary theory, and cosmology. In 2012, students and faculty at Emory University reacted strongly to Dr. Ben Carson, the eminent neurosurgeon, because of his open rejection of the theory of evolution. That is politics, not science! It is sad that scientists who are speaking out against evolution are being sacked and papers they have written being removed from circulation. These actions should sound alarm bells and draw attention to the serious nature of what is going on.

books Six Days: Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation or Evolution Impossible or websites such as creation.com. Whatever the situation, hold on to your faith in Christ; He will never leave you or forsake you. Pray and read your Bible daily, and it will give you courage and the words to speak in season. n John, thank you for sharing your inspiring story. If you could sum up in a few words your primary motivation, what would you say?

My passion is to get this information out there to young people so that they can have confidence in God’s Word.

Don Roy (Ph.D., Deakin University, Victoria, Australia) is conjoint senior lecturer, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia. E-mail: doncroy@sanitarium.com.au

n What counsel would you give to Adventist students in secular institutions and Adventist professionals in a faithchallenging work environment?

In these environments, I believe it is important to own your faith. You are entitled to your views and beliefs; when asked, be confident to explain what they are. However, in these environments I would not flaunt my beliefs. Rather, I would try to be the most helpful, generous, and thoughtful person I could be. The biological sciences are underpinned by the theory of evolution, and for everyday research in these areas – such as in microbiology and virology research – the theory works, and papers have to be written in this framework. Where the theory falls down is that it cannot explain the origin of the complex DNA genetic codes and the incredible design in nature – only creation by a super intelligent God can explain this.

When challenged on creation issues, point people to resources such as the 23

PROFILE Ramón Rolando Garrido Quevedo

A dialogue with a Chilean Adventist artist Interview by Enrique Becerra

Ramón Rolando Garrido Quevedo was born in the city of Concepción, in the central-south region of Chile.

His mother introduced him as a child to the joy and variety of drawing and painting, and he has taken up painting with a passion for accomplishing a mission that is always in his mind.

Although art is not Garrido’s primary profession (he is a medical technician), he spends every bit of his free time drawing and painting – an activity that gives him immense joy and provides a means of sharing his love of the beautiful with those around him.

Garrido was 20 years old when he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, an experience that influenced his artistic expression. From that time onward, he began to find inspiration in the different stories of the Bible, and he helped make local Seventh-day Adventist churches more colorful.

But his witnessing is not limited to the arts. Currently, Garrido serves his local church in various capacities, including direct witnessing, since his dream is to plant a new congregation in the near future.

Besides his artistic hobby, Garrido’s professional activities are also oriented toward service to the community. He completed studies in Chile and at Montemorelos 24

University in Mexico, and has worked as a nurse and dental assistant in mountain areas and faraway islands in southern Chile. Presently, Garrido serves on the campus of Chile Adventist University, close to the city of Chillán, where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth. n How did you find your calling for painting?

It was rather spontaneous. When I was a primary school student, my mother tried to help me do my drawing class homework. It was at that moment that I noticed how easy it was for me to draw, even better than what she was trying to teach me. I found out my hand was able to draw as if water was springing out of it.

It was not perfect, but it was easy. I soon became aware that for my classmates, or even my mother, it was not that simple. n Did you go then to art classes or art school?

No, I did not have the opportunity; in fact, I was not aware of the need.

Art was just a hobby, but since I was so involved, I began to make progress, thanks to some books and the motivation of some of my teachers in grade school. They would amuse themselves

watching what I could do with a pencil. Of course, I used to take part in every school contest where some kind of drawing or graphic outline was involved. As I look back, I acknowledge that some kind of training with a professional would have been very useful for me, but in my case, it was more of a progressive vocation or a hobby, and not as much a professional means of earning a living. n What kind of drawings and paintings did you produce in that first stage?

During grade school, I mostly drew and painted within the setting of the schools where I was studying. I took part in school contests, illustrated and assisted with works of art for educational events, and became known in local newspapers, which used to ask me for specific illustrations. These beginnings opened the opportunity to work for a publishing house in Santiago, the capital city of Chile. n At what time did you decide to set those opportunities aside to focus on different themes and styles?

The big change occurred when I met Jesus Christ and decided to be baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At that moment, I felt the urge to improve and grow; DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

ing my technique of painting hands.

So, I painted a higher hand, very strong, which holds a lower hand that looks safe under the powerful hand of God. I also created a painting whose center is a shaky boat in the midst of a big storm, but which somehow keeps itself afloat, thanks to God’s protection.

I felt the longing to express the presence of God, which had become a very important reality in my life.

So I began to draw inspiration from religious motifs, focusing specifically on the faces of Bible characters. I got particularly interested in mastering the use of light and shadows better, and in resorting to oil painting more often and with better techniques. n What do you mean by improving and growing?

I mean, during my first years as a Seventh-day Adventist, I usually was not more than a copyist or an imitator of very well-known Seventhday Adventist artists, such as Harry Anderson or Nathan Green. Since then, my spiritual growth has helped me produce my own creations, where I am able to express myself the way I desire. n Can you explain this kind of growth by specifically referring to some of your paintings?

Of course. I worked on a painting based on the well-known mountain range Torres del Paine, those imposing rocky formations that impressively rise as a solid natural monument in the isolated and faraway south of Chile. In that painting, I tried to show the sound and stable life of someone who clings to the Rock of Ages. On the other hand, as I increasingly drew inspiration from Bible characters, I got interested in improvDIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

n I understand that at the same time, you served the church in various evangelistic endeavors. What can you say about that?

Often, I was asked to prepare illustrations for various church programs and activities. For instance, from the fantasy-inspired art of my youth, I turned to illustrating Bible prophecies, especially during the time when it was common to preach about Daniel and Revelation. I also worked on paintings inspired by Bible scenes. I began to reflect my personal experience with the Bible. Thus, I have paintings that try to illustrate the kindness and mercy of God as expressed in His creation and natural wonders. For me it has always been a great satisfaction to see those paintings in churches or friends’ homes, both as exhibits but also as my life’s testimony. Nevertheless, it is very clear for me that since I belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, my gift should be used to serve the church. Some time ago, I painted a 9-foot by 18-foot mural for one of our schools. It often happens that I donate those projects, because not every congregation can pay for them, and because my major motivation is the satisfaction that I get from painting in a church, not particularly the business reward. n Can you give us some details about your technical choices?

I prefer oil painting. I like it because is flexible, even when I decide to make changes on the go or when I do not feel particularly inspired. I can even leave the project aside and go

back days later. I like painting in a 70 by 80 format. Any time of day is the same for me. When I feel inspired, I just take a piece of paper and pencils, and outline the idea. n You have lived in areas of varied landscapes and natural colors. Do you feel that being close to nature has increased your artistic sensitivity? I am talking not only about the landscape itself, but also about your interest in colors, light, etc.

Of course. Being close to nature has helped me to develop my perception.

I have become more sensitive and more attentive to detail, and my range of topics has become wider. n What do you think: is an artist born or made?

From my personal experience, I know that I cannot deny that there is a gift, a natural inclination from birth, something that is inside you.

It is essential, however, for a process of growth and development to take place, by which what is still fledgling or rudimentary is learned and perfected. Day after day, I am thankful for my gift, but I am also conscious of my limitations. So I am now planning to attend an art academy to get professional assistance. I feel that my artistic expression will be boosted with the help and guidance of professional painters. I am sure that not only my technique will improve, but also my creativity. I began by imitating other painters, by being more of a copyist, who would only add a few personal touches. But an artist is always trying to show more of his own personality and feelings through his paintings; it is a way of expressing himself. n How would you define the creative process?

I think it is like the action of using the brush to express something that is personal, a detail – even intimate – of my life. For instance, some of my paintings show how God reached and 25

The art of

RamĂłn Rolando Garrido Quevedo Freedom 70 x 80 cm. Oil painting on canvas.

I tried to show the freedom, the strength, and the single-mindedness of the horses in an open landscape, so as to somehow reflect the original strength and the tenacity of a created human being.

Rendezvous 70 x 80 cm. Oil painting on canvas.

While I was in the city of La Paz, Bolivia, I usually was able to witness the details of my surroundings from my seventh floor window. As an artist, I tried to depict the perfect spot for a romantic encounter.

Continued on page 35.

26

Still Life 80 x 70 cm. Oil painting on canvas. There is light, brightness and depth, the basic ingredients an artist try to incorporate in a painting so as to transmit realism in the form of some fruit.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

transformed me. On the other hand, painting is a way of explaining how I perceive life. Every artist “speaks” through his/her works; it is a way of expression. In my case, I do it by using shapes and colors. Other people use sounds and rhythms, matter and volume... . Art can be expressed in many different ways. n Has it ever happened to you that ywhat you saw on the canvas did not agree with what you were trying to convey? Have you destroyed or set some of your works aside? Do you keep working on them even when you are not satisfied with the results?

Yes. There were times I had to set my work aside and come back at some other time, when I felt more inspired to complete it. This is one of the advantages of oil painting: you can always leave it and restart after many days, or definitely introduce major changes. n Well, from your standpoint, what is failure?

Failure is to have been defeated; it is not failing to reach your goal. This can be applied to every aspect of our existence, not just to artistic creation.

But thanks to God, it does not end there, because the Lord already made everything so we can be overcomers. I think we are born to be successful, in spite of all our circumstances. Heaven will be the ultimate triumph; we will not get there on our own merits, but our Savior’s. Heaven is the opposite of failure. n Do you follow a specific philosophy

of art?

Of course. Art is an expression of the way I see life, a visible expression

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

of my worldview. In my case, it results in a tendency to express my picture of God. Thus, I have come to know Him as the God of art, which underlies how much I depend on him. n Do you think that art and the God of art are not too abstract?

I do not think so. It is true, you have abstract painting, which is not the style I prefer, since often it lends itself to various interpretations, some of them mutually exclusive. I would rather follow realism and impressionism, which I feel convey a message, a testimony. n Do you have any life advice for our readers?

Based on my experience, my advice is that no one should allow themselves to feel intimidated as a result of either seeming or real setbacks. Never allow anyone to take away your desire to make your dreams come true. God

helped me realize that not everything is easily achieved. I have shared this piece of advice before, and I have seen with satisfaction that other people have benefited from it. I joyfully serve as a paramedic, and find time to spend on my passion, which is painting. I feel a sense of fulfillment when I am able to use the gifts God has given me.

Enrique Becerra (Doctorat en Sciences Religieuses, Université de Strasbourg, France) is a native of Chile and a former associate director of education, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. His email: ebecerra36@gmail.com.

Ramón Garrido Quevedo may be reached at rolandoquevedo7@ hotmail.com.

27

Books The God We Worship

by Daniel Scarone (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2011), 128 pages, paperback.

Review by Aecio E. Cairus

This is a book about trinity, though this is not obvious in the title. Two chapters use the term “tri-unity,” common among English-language authors. Such avoidance of the term “trinity” owes much to the fact that the oneness of God is so clear in the Bible that some people cringe at the sight of a term that suggests three-ness (trinitas in Latin). They do not need to worry.

Trinity is a quality (it does not need to be capitalized): it means that there is something three-like about God, not that God is three. He is just one. When we speak about the “unity” of something, that thing is usually not really one: the unity of the nation, or the church, or anything else composed of more than one subject, but that in some respects is or should be like one. It makes little sense to speak about the unity of a single person. Conversely, when we speak about the trinity of God, we are speaking about a God who is only one, but who reveals Himself as three persons. It makes little sense to speak about the trinity of three: trinity is a quality of one. The idea of oneness, therefore, is stronger in the term “trinity” than in the term “tri-unity.”

“Person” in this case means “someone,” not a human being: someone who can send another of the three (God the Father sends God the Son, and the Father and the Son send the Spirit of God), honor Him, and speak to Him or about Him. We know this, not because we dare to speculate about God, but because this is abundantly clear in the Bible. We are baptized in the name of all three, not only because Jesus commanded us to do so in Matthew 28:19, but also because this is how He himself was baptized: the Father proclaiming His Son in the bodily presence of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16, 17; Mark 1:10, 11; Luke 3:21, 22; John 1:33, 34; note that this fact is uncommonly reported by all the gospels in unison). But the trinity or three-ness of persons within God does not make Him three: all three persons collaborate in each of the actions of the deity in the universe (as in creation or redemption) in a perfectly harmonious way, with oneness of purpose, 28

message and action, so that God is effectively one and not several.

Scarone has detected the continuing need to explain the biblical facts about the trinity of God, which, in spite of its centrality, is under attack inside and outside Adventism.

The stakes are very high in this struggle. “If the doctrine of the Trinity is true, then those who deny it do not worship the God of the Scriptures. If it is false, the Trinitarians, by paying divine honor to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, are equally guilty of idolatry” (Raoul Dederen, as quoted on p.

19).

The author is to be commended for his effort. We need more books on the subject. His is small and compact (128 pages). Unadorned by an excess of words or graphic illustrations, the book is still clear. Trinitarianism has to fight mainly on two fronts: first, those who agree that Jesus is not the same person as the Father, but make Him somewhat less than fully God; second, those who agree that any of the persons, or at least the Spirit of God, is, well, God, but deny that He is a person other than the Father Himself. Many attack from both fronts, and Scarone deals with them in order.

Scarone begins with a review in Chapter 2 of Old Testament hints about a trinity in God. Then the author devotes Chapters 3 to 8 to dealing with the full deity (Godhead) of the Son. Chapter 9 takes up the separate personhood of the Spirit of God. A description of the nonTrinitarian world follows in Chapter 10. Frequent objections are answered in Chapter 11. After the conclusion (Chapter 12), a couple of chapters deal with the history of Trinitarianism in the time of Ellen White and other pioneers of our church.

The book may be recommended for informed readers among church members in general; seminarians will also recognize materials often found in college courses on the doctrine of God and Hebrew Biblical thought. The book is also an appropriate study resource for church seminars on the subject, since the material cannot always be adequately covered in sermons.

Aecio E. Cairus (Ph.D., Andrews University), a retired theology professor, worked at Universidad Adventista del Plata in Argentina, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in the Philippines, and South American Publishing House in Argentina. E-mail: aecair@ yahoo.com.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

111 Tips for Managing Your Money

by Gelyn Musvosvi (Somerset, South Africa: African Publishing Company, 2013), 116 pages, paperback.

Review by David Birkenstock

Gelyn Musvosvi is well qualified to write this book, which is meant for both laypersons and business professionals, as she comes with both a rich academic background and business leadership experience. She is currently dean of the Faculty of Business at Helderberg College, Somerset West, South Africa, and has previously served as a lecturer at Solusi University.

She has also been the chief financial officer of Gateway Inc., in the United States. Her teaching experience includes lecturing in business, with an emphasis on finance and accounting.

Musvosvi takes a novel approach to the topic, providing 111 easy-to-read, easy-to-understand tips for effective management of money. One page is devoted to the discussion of each tip, and some of the sample tips cover important areas that we encounter every now and then as we make decisions about money. A sample of the topics includes: the importance of financial concepts; banking tips; what to look for when investing; the value of a good credit record; buying a car; the philosophy of money; fraud prevention; planning your debt; investments, etc.

The author begins with a basic premise: family is the primary center for the practice of financial management, and parents are the first teachers of children on the subject of money and its effective and careful use. Children can learn the necessary skills in managing money from parents who exemplify the careful use of money, proper observance of stewardship, the need to be thrifty without being stingy, and the importance of savings as well as being charitable. When parents take children into their confidence and involve them from an early age in the basic concepts of money management, the children in turn will grow up with a proper appreciation for the use of money, and thus understand the meaning of good citizenship and sound character.

Musvosvi has achieved her purpose well by writing the book in laymen’s language and by targeting the family as the basic teaching unit. The illustrations are apt and can be understood by all, as they come from real-life experiences.

Difficult financial and accounting principles are very well defined and illustrated, and can be easily understood even by those who have no experience or knowledge in financial management.

Although the author presents important business principles DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

in a professional manner, she weaves a biblical philosophy of financial management throughout the book. The philosophy underscores not only the author’s call to Christian values of stewardship, but also challenges young adults and families with the idea that their financial future is secure only as they commit themselves to biblical values of management – of time, talents, possessions, and relationships. The author frames all of these concepts in simple lay language, without sacrificing scholarship and academic value. The wisdom of the Bible comes through in the many illustrations that are used to explain financial management and accountability.

The author presents a strong case to show that all possessions and wealth belong to God and that it is God who gives us the ability to make money. Because humans are but stewards of the goods that already belong to God, the author argues, every person must recognize and acknowledge in word and deed that they are but stewards of God’s blessings.

Once God is acknowledged as our partner and the owner of our life and our resources, we can walk the path of meaningful stewardship and management, and need not be hindered by stress or worry.

Although the primary target of the book is the family, it also appeals to young adults and those involved in business and financial management. The tips provided have something for everyone: married couples, singles, children, experienced users of money, and the newly-working person just starting out in life. The subjects covered include basic guidance on topics needed for financial management, keeping source documents, manual and electronic filing, chores for children, fixed and variable expenses, budgeting, caring for financial instruments, banking and E-banking, reconciling bank statements, using ATMs, purchase and ownership of cars, insurance, debt management, maintaining a credit rating, owning property, managing investments, planning for children’s education, etc.

The book also discusses what money can and cannot do: it cannot buy love and happiness, but is just a resource to be managed.

This book is well written and has something for everyone.

It features many homespun illustrations that make the principles easy to understand, and the format is user-friendly, making the book not only a valuable tool for financial management but also a resource for talks to small groups on money management and stewardship responsibilities.

David Birkenstock (Ed.D., Andrews University) is a lifelong Seventh-day Adventist educator and administrator.

Prior to his retirement, he served as the president of Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Silang, Cavite, Philippines. He writes from Somerset West, South Africa. E-mail: birksd@absamail.com.za 29

Logos Spirituality and leadership: lessons from Acts

by John M. Fowler

Leadership at any level – be it the local church, the school, the conference, or even the General Conference is an exciting spiritual passion for some and an administrative mechanism for others. Those selected to serve attribute the working of the elective process to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and those disappointed would suggest that the whole process is political, pushed by influential lobbying. Whenever we face the issue of leadership and administration, it would be well to consider some principles from the book of Acts, which records the apostolic church’s struggles with choosing leaders that would extend God’s kingdom on earth, even as it awaited the Parousia.

Four instances from Acts give us the spiritual qualities to expect from leaders and the principles the church should follow in choosing its leadership for any of its entities. Those instances are: the replacement for Judas (Acts 1:21, 26); the choosing of deacons (Acts 6:16); and the mission to Antioch (Acts 11:19, 25); the mission to the Gentiles (Acts 13:2).

1. Personal experience with Jesus Personal experience with Jesus is the first and foremost qualifica-

30

When spirituality characterizes leadership, the church and its institutions as a whole shall turn to its main function: proclamation, evangelism, mission, nurture, healing, awaiting. tion expected of a leader. To fill the vacancy left by the tragedy of Judas, the disciples were convinced that they needed a person who knew the Lord as he “went in and out among us” (Acts 1:21).1 Theology, culture, erudition, management, personal charm, and persuasion were all skills that the church could have used in its administration, but none of these could have taken the place of knowing Jesus personally, heart to heart, mind to mind, one to one. A person had to be a companion of Jesus before he or she could become a leader of His flock.

A potential leader should have been a witness to Jesus “from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up” (verse 22).

By witness, we mean not simply spectators of the spectacular events in the life and the ministry of Jesus, but personal and unreserved identification with that ministry and that call: in Jordan, to initiate a baptismal vow of obedience to the Father; in Nazareth, to proclaim liberty to the poor and downtrodden; in Cana, to extend a helping hand to an urgent need; with Nicodemus, to speak of the new birth; with the woman at the Samaritan well, to help break down a wall; with the lepers and the blind

and the dead, to show that God is the God of hope and the harbinger of new life; at the communion, to gird up the loins in servanthood; in Gethsemane, to discover the cup of God’s will; at the cross, to witness reconciliation and redemption; at the empty tomb, to proclaim the living Lord; at the Ascension, to accept a global mission, to experience the power of the heavenly high priest, and to await the Second Coming.

2. “A witness to his resurrection” (Acts 1:22)

This is another qualification that the church should seek in its leadership. Resurrection cannot be isolated from the cross. The cross vindicates God’s redemptive plan for sin, and the resurrection offers the hope of newness. One cannot be a Christian, let alone a Christian leader, without experiencing the power of the cross and the empty tomb. Even as early as a few weeks after the Crucifixion weekend, the disciples insisted on this affirmation of the crucified and risen Lord as essential to Christian discipleship. Witnessing to the Resurrection, Paul held, was imperative to being a proclaimer of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:8).

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

To be such a witness does not mean theological veracity or doctrinal certainty. It includes these, but more so it demands that Christian leaders walk with Jesus daily, talk with Him, plead with Him for both themselves and others, and experience the mediating power of the heavenly high priest. Christian leaders cannot be any less.

3. “Good repute” (Acts 6:3, 5)

Good reputation is a qualification that the apostolic church insisted on in their choice of leaders. We see this in the appointment of deacons to care for the routine needs of the Jerusalem church and in the selection of Barnabas (Acts 11:5) to investigate the miraculous happenings in Antioch and to lead the church there. In both cases, the church wanted good and trustworthy persons. The selection guidelines defined goodness in two ways that the church today can ignore only at its peril. First, goodness meant “good repute” as persons of integrity.

Their work required the handling of money: the Jerusalem deacons were in charge of caring for the needy; Barnabas was to carry funds from Antioch for the poor in Jerusalem.

Leaders cannot afford to be easy on their own integrity.

Second, goodness called for fairness, dealing with all segments of the church on an equal footing, recognizing neither race nor ethnicity, neither gender nor tribe, in Jerusalem as well as Antioch. Barnabas was so good at this that the Antioch church was perhaps the first corporate body to break down every wall of partition; as a result, it grew to great proportions. In fact, Antioch launched the Christian church’s first global mission. When we have leaders who are honest and fair, loving and compassionate, “prudent [in] management and … godly [in] example,” church growth can take care of itself (see Acts 6:7; 11:24).

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

4. “Full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24)

This is another element that the early church sought in its leadership.

These terms describe not a political process but a spiritual maturity, not a longing for power but a submission to a higher calling, not a jockeying for positions in administration but a willingness to be used by the Spirit as mediators of His grace.

A Christian leader is willing to be led by the Spirit all along the way and at every fork where the road divides.

A Christian leader waits on bended knee for clarity of the task and for power to accomplish it. A Christian leader has the wisdom to distinguish between the essential and the peripheral, between the compulsions of the kingdom and the concerns of self, between people and things.

A Christian leader is full of faith in God and fellow beings, and manifests the grace to forgive, the ability to empower others, and the generosity to be inclusive.

If these are the qualifications that the church should look for in prospective leaders, what are the principles the church should follow in appointing leaders?

Three principles

The instances referred to in Acts also point to three principles the church should follow in the selection of its leaders.

First is prayer. Whether it was choosing a substitute for Judas or selecting deacons or sending missionaries to the Gentiles, the early church placed the utmost emphasis on prayer.

The disciples must have learned this process from their Lord, who “was wholly dependent upon God, and in the secret place of prayer He sought divine strength, that He might go forth braced for duty and trial.”2 Before the Antioch church sent Paul and Barnabas as missionaries to the unreached, the church fasted and prayed. When the church as a cor-

porate body and as individual members fast and pray before leaders are elected, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit will thwart political ambitions and guide in the selection of persons “full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24). Submit to God as the ultimate chooser. The prayer in Acts 1 has this dynamic opening: “Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen” (verse 24).

Second is the unity of the believers in seeking God’s will and the admission that the Lord knows the hearts of all and will reveal His purposes. The history of the church tells us that whenever God’s people unitedly seek to know and do His will, God has never failed. The failure comes only when we, because of our selfish arrogance or our corporate strength or our Laodicean indifference, seek to become our own gods and pay mere lip service to God’s true will and purposes.

Third is the recognition that we choose leaders to advance God’s purpose. Selection of leadership in the church at any level has no other significance. “Preaching the word” (Act 6:2, 5) cannot be surrendered to administrative expediency. Global mission cannot be held back by the glorious achievements of Antioch.

Nurture cannot be constrained by a costly structure. Evangelism is not to be held hostage to the feeling of “we have prospered and we lack nothing.”

The church we are a part of is a transcendent body, however frail and human it might be. It is not a political institution; it does have elections, not to prove democracy, not to convert the body into a perpetual political arena, but for choosing leaders.

Once the process of selection is over, the inadequacies of that process must be put aside. The body as a whole must turn to its main function: proclamation, evangelism, mission, nurContinued on page 34.

31

Index

College and University Dialogue Vols. 21-25 (2009-2013)

By Author

Adams, Roy. Religion faces atheist fundamentalism 21.1 Alexe, Adelina. John Ortberg book 21.1 __. Monica Reed and Donna Wallace book 21.2-3 Almocera, Reuel. Edgar Douglas book 23.1 Aranda Fraga, Fernando. Jerusalem and Athens: Two worldviews, two schools 23.1 Aromäki, Kalervo. Hannu Takkula Profile 23.1 Ashton, John. Can a Christian be a good scientist? 24.3 ___. God exists! 25.3 Babalola, David. Michael Abiola Omolewa Profile 21.2-3 Babalola, Funmilola. Your God is superior 23.3 Badenas, Roberto. Looking for (present) truth 24.3 Bailey, Karl. You, your neurons, and free will 25.1 Baker, Benjamin. “I have fought a good fight”: William Ellis Foy as a Millerite 25.3 Bartley, Christopher. Allan Martin, Shayna Bailey and Lynell LaMountain book 22.1 Beardsley, Lisa. Stealing past watchful dragons 21.1 ___. Someone is praying for you 21.2-3 ___. I found Faith in Singapore 22.1 Beardsley-Hardy, Lisa. The faith of your friends 23.1 ___. Beware of counterfeits 24.2 ___. Ses-qui-cent-e-nial 24.3 ___. Things that don’t change 25.1 Becerra, Enrique. Ramón Garrido Quevedo Profile 25.3 Birkenstock, David. Gelyn Musvosvi book 25.3 Blackmer, Sandra. Catastrophe and the Creator 23.1 ___. Richard Litke book 23.2 ___. From farm to fork: How should Adventists view the dark world of factory farms? 25.1 Brand, Leonard. Is the theory of evolution scientific?

24.1 Brasil de Souza, E. The Bible and the church: Revisiting the obvious 25.1 Burt, Merlin. Ellen White and mental health therapeutics 21.1 Cafferky, Michael. Career in the marketplace: Is it appropriate for a Christian? 23.3 Cairus, Aecio. Daniel Scarone book 25.3 Cangy, Gilbert. Rules of engagement 23.3 Carvalho dos Reis, Suelen. Managing time while you are a student 24.3 Chimpén, Carlos. Relationships: Cultural contours or biblical mandats? 24.3 Cooper, Lowell. The church: Knowing and living its purpose 25.3 Cooper, Rae. An attitude: Which one would you like?

22.2-3 Covrig, Duane. Minding your moral conscience: Lessons from Huss and Jerome 21.1 Cowles, David and Gibson, James. Evolution and diversity of life 23.3

32

Davidson, Richard. Does Genesis really teach a recent, literal seven-day Creation week and a global flood?

22.2-3 ___. Homosexuality and the Bible: What is at stake in the current debate 24.2 Duda, Daniel. Jón Barna book 24.3 Editors. 59th General Conference Session to convene in Atlanta 21.2-3 ___. Revival, reformation, discipleship, and evangelism 22.2-3 ___. Reinder Bruinsma book 23.2 ___. Consensus Statement on a Seventh-day Adventist Theology of Ordination 25.2 Escobar, Iván and Mendoza, Rocío. Action Report: Argentina 21.1 Esperante, Raúl. What if I accept theistic evolutionism? 25.2 Falconier, Marcelo. Our darkness or His light? 23.3 Fischer, Roland. Purposive learning: Lessons from Apollos 21.2-3 Ford, Heide. Cynthia Prime Profile 21.1 Fowler, John. Work out your salvation? 21.1 ___. The Sabbath: A day of delight, a day of freedom 21.2-3 ___. Go forward: The call from the 59th session of the GC 22.1 ___. Standing strong, standing firm 22.2-3 ___. The needle and the camel 23.1 ___. Do we need doctrines? 24.1 ___. Work out your own salvation 24.2 ___. Dialogue: Celebrating a continuing ministry 25.2 ___. Spirituality and leadership: Lessons from Acts 25.3 Galusha, Joe. James Gibson and Humberto Rasi book 23.1 García, Hugo. The wonder of water: A challenge to evolution? 23.2 Garilva, Don and Criscel. Action Report: Philippines 22.2-3 Gibson, Annette and Tidwell, Charles. Michael Cafferky book 25.2 Gibson, James and Cowles, David. Evolution and diversity of life 23.3 Giebel, Herb. A legacy of unfinished business: Lessons from the life of Saul 24.1 Gregorutti, Sylvia. Humberto Rasi Profile 25.1 Hankins, Raewyn. Kelly Kullberg book 21.2-3 Hayes, Floyd and William. What do Adventists have to say to the world about environmental stewardship?

25.2 Hernández Vital, Ruth. What have they seen? 24.3 Hill, Barry. CindyTutsch book 21.2-3 Hodgkin, Georgia. Donna Galluzzo Profile 24.1 Idowu, Olubunmi. Rebecca Oyindamola Olomojobi Profile 22.2-3 Kerbs, Raul. Augustine and creation: How theological tradition influenced acceptance of evolution 25.3 Kharbteng, Boxter. Sigve Tonstad book 22.2-3 Kibuuka, Hudson. Restful peace, trust in the Lord 22.1 ___. Daniel Ntanda Nsereko Profile 23.2 ___. Kwabena Donkor book 23.3 ___. Doris Mendoza Profile 24.1 ___. Christopher Mbulwa Profile 24.2 King, Greg. Is the God of the Old Testament different from the One in the New Testament? 24.1 Klingbeil, Chantal and Gerald. To church or not to church? 22.1

Krumm, Sonia. Graciela Fuentes Profile 21.2-3 Lam-Phoon, Sally. My brook Cherith: When life dries up on you 21.1 Lichtenwalter, Larry. Truth and moral absolutes 24.2 Lima, Valdecir. A smile in your soul 24.2 Magyarosi, Barna. Action Report: France 23.2 ___. Uli Nees Profile 24.2 Matthews, Lionel. Why Christians should study sociology 24.1 Mayer, Lorena. Heather Thompson book 23.2 ___. Margaret Ashby Profile 25.2 Mendoza, Ruth and Escobar, Iván. Action Report: Argentina 21.1 Mora Angomás, Alexandra. Action Report: Spain 24.1 Müller, Ekkerhardt. Gerhard Padderatz book 21.1 ___. Who should do theology? 23.2 ___. The gift of sexuality: A biblical overview 24.2 Musvosvi, Joel. Ron du Preez book 23.1 Mutazindwa, Charles. Action Report: Uganda 24.3 Nedley, Neil. Emotional intelligence: A biblical understanding 23.2 Nolan Freesland, Shelley. Norma Nashed Profile 23.3 Norheim, Hanna. Women in the service of Christ 21.2-3 Nunes Lima, Creriane. Organ donor: To be or not to be 22.2-3 Oestreich, Bernhardt. Jesus gives freedom 24.2 Oliveira Japhet de. Roy Gane, Nicholas Miller and Peter Swanson book 24.2 Oluikpe, IIkechukwu. Jon Paulien book 21.1 Omeonu, Chimzie. Bringing Christianity into courtship 24.1 Paseggi, Marcos. Trudy Morgan-Cole Profile 23.1 ___. Lionel Matthews book 24.1 Paulien, Jon. Samir Selmanovic book 22.1 Paulsen, Jan. Affirming our position on creation 21.2-3 Pearson, Michael. A new “trinity” 25.2 Penner, David. Patrick Allen Profile 22.2-3 Pereyra, Mario. Zipporah: The voice of silence 25.1 Pfandl, Gerhard. The Bible: A brief survey of the translation process 23.1 ___. Herbert Douglass book 23.3 ___. Humberto Rasi and Nancy Vyhmeister book 24.1 Phillips, Suzanne. John Ashton book 24.3 Pickell, Ron. Action Report: U.S.A. 24.2 Plenc, Daniel. Joseph Kidder book 24.1 Puni, Erika. Questions to Dialogue about stewardship and student life 22.1 Rasi, Humberto. Why do different scientists interpret reality differently? 23.1 ___. A vision and a journey: 25 years of Dialogue 25.2 Razmerita, Gheorghe. Is it reasonable to believe in a recent six-day creation? 21.2-3 Robinson, Marlon. Mark Noll book 22.1 ___. Dating and sexuality: Guiding the young 22.2-3 Romand, Raymond. The ecological cost of what we eat 22.1 Roy, Don. Is Christian education really “ministry”?

25.1 ___. John Ashton Profile 25.3 Sanchez-Sabaté, Ruben. Francisco Badilla Briones Profile 21.1 ___. Davide Sciarabba Profile 23.2

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

___. Edino Biaggi Profile 24.3 Santrac, Alexandar. Sensus divinitatis and the mission of the church 21.2-3 Schulz, Susana. Isaac Newton: Scientist and theologian 22.2-3 ___. Overcoming the hurdles 24.1 Scott, Marilyn. A livable community 22.2-3 ___. Who do you say that I am? 24.3 Shipton, Warren. Words that still speak 24.2 ___. History, philosophy, and destiny: Insights from Daniel 25.1 Singh, Juanita. Aruna Papp Profile 25.2 Standish, James. Give them some truth 25.1 Standish, Timothy. Humans and chimpanzees 23.2 Steed, Lincoln. The revolution we all need 23.3 Stele, Artur. His Word endures forever! 23.3 Steward, David. Injustice to one, justice for all 23.2 Swanson, Gary. Can faith and science be divorced?

21.1 Tasker, David. The gospel that came to Abraham 22.1 Taylor, John W. (V). The Christian and politics: Peril or opportunity? 22.1 ___. Escaping tunnel vision 23.2 ___. Mountain shrines 25.3 ___ and John W. (VI). Who are you? Sense of identity 23.1 ___ and Miriam. Every town needs a carpenter 24.3 Thomsen, Halvard. Our lives, our work: What kind of influence do we exert? 21.1 ___. Action Report: Italy 21.2-3 Tidwell, Charles. Dennis Tidwell Profile 23.3 ___ and Gibson, Annette. Michael Cafferky book 25.2 Tornalejo, Remwil. Nikolaus Satelmajer book 25.2 Unknown. Action Report: Indonesia 23.3 Weigert, Ursula. Leonid Hrytsak Profile 22.1 White, Ellen. Faith and acceptance 21.1 ___. It’s still a fight 22.2-3 Wilson, Ted. Christ our righteousness. our salvation, our mission, and our hope 23.3 ___. A time to remember, a call to press on 25.2 Wong, Johnny. Action Report: Australia 25.2 Yi, Zane. Action Report: U.S.A. 22.1

By title

59th General Conference Session to convene in Atlanta.

Editors. 21.2-3 A legacy of unfinished business: Lessons from the life of Saul. Giebel, Herb. 24.1 A livable community. Scott, Marilyn. 22.2-3 A new “trinity”. Pearson, Michael. 25.2 A smile in your soul. Lima, Valdecir. 24.2 A time to remember, a call to press on. Wilson, Ted. 25.2 A vision and a journey: 25 years of Dialogue. Rasi, Humberto. 25.2 Affirming our position on creation. Paulsen, Jan. 21.2-3 An attitude: Which one would you like? Cooper, Rae. 22.2-3 Augustine and creation: How theological tradition influenced acceptance of evolution. Kerbs, Raul.

25.3 Beware of counterfeits. Beardsley-Hardy, Lisa. 24.2 Bringing Christianity into courtship. Omeonu, Chimzie. 24.1 Can a Christian be a good scientist? Ashton, John.

24.3

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

Can faith and science be divorced? Swanson, Gary.

21.1 Career in the marketplace: Is it appropriate for a Christian? Cafferky, Michael. 23.3 Catastrophe and the Creator. Blackmer, Sandra. 23.1 Christ our righteousness – Our salvation, our mission, and our hope. Wilson, Ted. 23.3 Consensus Statement on a Seventh-day Adventist Theology of Ordination. Editors. 25.2 Dating and sexuality: Guiding the you. Robinson, Marlon. 22.2-3 Dialogue: Celebrating a continuing ministry. Fowler, John. 25.2 Do we need doctrines? Fowler, John. 24.1 Does Genesis really teach a recent, literal seven-day Creation week and a global flood? Davidson, Richard. 22.2-3 Ellen White and mental health therapeutics(2nd part).

Burt, Merlin. 21.1 Emotional intelligence: A biblical understanding.

Nedley, Neil. 23.2 Escaping tunnel vision. Taylor, John W. (V). 23.2 Every town needs a carpenter. Taylor, John W. (V) and Miriam. 24.3 Evolution and diversity of life. Cowles, David and Gibson, James. 23.3 Faith and acceptance. White, Ellen. 21.1 From farm to fork: How should Adventists view the dark world of factory farms? Blackmer, Sandra. 25.1 Give them some truth. Standish, James. 25.1 Go forward: The call from the 59th session of the GC. Fowler, John. 22.1 God exists! Ashton, John. 25.3 His Word endures forever! Stele, Artur. 23.3 History, philosophy, and destiny: Insights from Daniel.

Shipton, Warren. 25.1 Homosexuality and the Bible: What is at stake in the current debate. Davidson, Richard. 24.2 Humans and chimpanzees. Standish, Timothy. 23.2 I found Faith in Singapore. Beardsley, Lisa. 22.1 “I have fought a good fight”: William Ellis Foy as a Millerit. Baker, Benjamin. 25.3 Injustice to one, justice for all. Steward, David. 23.2 Is Christian education really “ministry”? Roy, Don. 25.1 Is it reasonable to believe in a recent six-day creation?

Razmerita, Gheorghe. 21.2-3 Is the God of the Old Testament different from the One in the New Testament? King, Greg. 24.1 Is the theory of evolution scientific? Brand, Leonard.

24.1 Isaac Newton: Scientist and theologian. Schulz, Susana. 22.2-3 It’s still a fight. White, Ellen. 22.2-3 Jerusalem and Athens: Two worldviews, two schools.

Aranda Fraga, Fernando. 23.1 Jesus gives freedom. Oestreich, Bernhardt. 24.2 Looking for (present) truth. Badenas, Roberto. 24.3 Managing time while you are a student. Carvalho dos Reis, Suelen. 24.3 Minding your moral conscience: Lessons from Huss and Jerome. Covrig, Duane. 21.1 Mountain shrines. Taylor, John W. (V). 25.3 My brook Cherith: When life dries up on you. LamPhoon, Sally. 21.1 Organ donor: To be or not to be. Nunes Lima, Creriane. 22.2-3 Our darkness or His light? Falconier, Marcelo. 23.3

Our lives, our work: What kind of influence do we exert? Thomsen, Halvard. 21.1 Overcoming the hurdles. Schulz, Susana. 24.1 Purposive learning: Lessons from Apollos. Fischer, Roland. 21.2-3 Questions to Dialogue about stewardship and student life. Puni, Erika. 22.1 Relationships: Cultural contours or biblical mandats?

Chimpén, Carlos. 24.3 Religion faces atheist fundamentalism. Adams, Roy. 21.1 Restful peace, trust in the Lord. Kibuuka, Hudson.

22.1 Revival, reformation, discipleship, and evangelism.

Editors. 22.2-3 Rules of engagement. Cangy, Gilbert. 23.3 Sensus divinitatis and the mission of the church.

Santrac, Alexandar. 21.2-3 Ses-qui-cent-e-nial. Beardsley-Hardy, Lisa. 24.3 Someone is praying for you. Beardsley, Lisa. 21.2-3 Spirituality and leadership: Lessons from Acts. Fowler, John. 25.3 Standing strong, standing firm. Fowler, John. 22.2-3 Stealing past watchful dragons. Beardsley, Lisa. 21.1 The Bible and the church: Revisiting the obvious. Brasil de Souza, Elias. 25.1 The Bible: A brief survey of the translation process.

Pfandl, Gerhard. 23.1 The Christian and politics: Peril or opportunity?

Taylor, John W. (V). 22.1 The church: Knowing and living its purpose. Cooper, Lowell. 25.3 The ecological cost of what we eat. Romand, Raymond. 22.1 The faith of your friends. Beardsley-Hardy, Lisa. 23.1 The gift of sexuality: A biblical overview. Müller, Ekkerhardt. 24.2 The gospel that came to Abraham. Tasker, David.

22.1 The needle and the camel. Fowler, John. 23.1 The revolution we all need. Steed, Lincoln. 23.3 The Sabbath: A day of delight, a day of freedom.

Fowler, John. 21.2-3 The wonder of water: A challenge to evolution? García, Hugo. 23.2 Things that don’t change. Beardsley-Hardy, Lisa. 25.1 To church or not to church? Klingbeil, Chantal and Gerald. 22.1 Truth and moral absolutes. Lichtenwalter, Larry. 24.2 What do Adventists have to say to the world about environmental stewardship? Hayes, Floyd and William.

25.2 What have they seen? Hernández Vital, Ruth. 24.3 What if I accept theistic evolutionism? Esperante, Raúl.

25.2 Who are you? Sense of identity. Taylor, John W. (V) and John W. (VI) 23.1 Who do you say that I am? Scott, Marilyn. 24.3 Who should do theology? Müller, Ekkerhardt. 23.2 Why Christians should study sociology. Matthews, Lionel. 24.1 Why do different scientists interpret reality differently?

Rasi, Humberto. 23.1 Women in the service of Christ. Norheim, Hanna.

21.2-3 Words that still speak. Shipton, Warren. 24.2 Work out your own salvation. Fowler, John. 24.2 Work out your salvation? Fowler, John. 21.1

33

You, your neurons, and free will. Bailey, Karl. 25.1 Your God is superior. Babalola, Funmilola. 23.3 Zipporah: The voice of silence. Pereyra, Mario. 25.1

Action Report (by country)

Argentina. Adventist students gather in Argentina 21.1 Australia. Adventist international student receives prestigious award in Australia 25.2 France. Three hundred youth meet in Paris for AMICUS convention 23.2 Indonesia. Adventist university students organize nationally in Indonesia 23.3 Italy. Gloria Patri conference held in Italy encourages scholarly collaboration 21.2-3 Philippines. Shine on until Jesus comes: the motto becomes a reality at Mountain View College 22.2-3 Spain. Adventist student convention in Spain 24.1 Uganda. Adventist students at Gulu University hold evangelistic meetings 24.3 U.S.A. Adventist scholars, pastors, and graduate students meet to discuss the organization of a philosophical society 22.1 U.S.A. North American Division holds its first-ever campus ministry conference 24.2

Books (by author)

Ashton, John. Evolution Impossible: 12 Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth 24.3 Bailey, Shayna; Martin, Allan and LaMountain, Lynell. GOD encounters: Pursuing a 24/7 Experience of Jesus 22.1 Barna, Jón. Ordination of Women in Seventhday Adventist Theology: A Study in Biblical Interpretations 24.3 Bruinsma, Reinder. The Body of Christ: A Biblical understanding of the Church 23.2 Cafferky, Michael. Management: A Faith-Based Perspective 25.2 Donkor, Kwabena. The Church, Culture and Spirits: Adventism in Africa 23.3 Douglas, Edgar. The Hearbeat of Adventism: The Great Controversy Theme in the Writings of Ellen White 23.1 Douglass, Herbert. Red alert: Hurtling Into Eternity 23.3 Gane, Roy; Miller, Nicholas and Swanson, Peter.

Homosexuality, marriage, and the Church: Biblical, Counseling and Religious Liberty Issues 24.2 Gibson, James and Rasi, Humberto. Understanding Creation: Answers to Questions on Faith and Science 23.1 Kidder, Joseph. Majesty: Experiencing Authentic Worship 24.1 Kullberg, Kelly. Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas 21.2-3 LaMountain, Lynell; Martin, Allan and Bailey, Shayna. GOD encounters: Pursuing a 24/7 Experience of Jesus 22.1 Litke, Richard. What Jesus Really Meant 23.2 Martin, Allan; Bailey, Shayna and LaMountain, Lynell. GOD encounters: Pursuing a 24/7 Experience of Jesus 22.1 Matthews, Lionel. Sociology: A Sevneth-day Adventist Approach for Students and Teachers 24.1 Miller, Nicholas; Swanson, Peter and Gane, Roy. Homosexuality, marriage, and the Church: Biblical, Counseling and Religious Liberty Issues 24.2

34

Musvosvi, Gelyn. 111 Tips For Managing Your Money 25.3 Noll, Mark. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind 22.1 Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted 21.1 Padderatz, Gerhard. Amerika: Mit Gewalt in den Gottesstaat 21.1 Paulien, Jon. Armageddon at the Door 21.1 Preez, Ron du. Judging the Sabbath. Discovering What Can’t Be in Colossians 2:16 23.1 Rasi, Humberto and Gibson, James. Understanding Creation: Answers to Questions on Faith and Science 23.1 Rasi, Humberto and Vyhmeister, Nancy. Always Prepared 24.1 Reed, Monica and Wallace, Donna. The Creation Health Breakthrough 21.2-3 Satelmajer, Nikolaus. The Book that Changed the World: The Story of the King James Version 25.2 Scarone, Daniel. The God We Worship 25.3 Selmanovic, Samir. It’s Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian 22.1 Swanson, Peter; Gane, Roy and Miller, Nicholas.

Homosexuality, marriage, and the Church: Biblical, Counseling and Religious Liberty Issues 24.2 Thompson, Heather. Hook, Line and Sinker: How to Keep from Swallowing Popular Myths 23.2 Tonstad, Sigve. The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day 22.2-3 Tutsch, Cindy. Ellen White on Leadership 21.2-3 Vyhmeister, Nancy and Rasi, Humberto. Always Prepared 24.1 Wallace, Donna and Reed, Monica. The Creation Health Breakthrough 21.2-3

Profiles

Abiola Omolewa, Michael. Dialogue with an Adventist ambassador and permanent delegate to UNESCO 21.2-3 Allen, Patrick. Dialogue with the Governor General of Jamaica 22.2-3 Ashby, Margaret. Dialogue with an Adventist senior official of the Barbados Postal Service 25.2 Ashton, John. Dialogue with an Adventist scientist from Australia 25.3 Badilla Briones, Francisco. Dialogue with a Chilean Adventist artist and aesthetic philosopher 21.1 Biaggi, Edino. Dialogue with an Adventist musician from Argentina 24.3 Fuentes, Graciela. Dialogue with an Adventist judge at the United Nations 21.2-3 Galluzzo, Donna. Dialogue with an Adventist home care business executive 24.1 Garrido Quevedo, Ramón. Dialogue with a Chilean Adventist artist 25.3 Hrytsak, Leonid. Dialogue with an Adventist artist from Ukraine 22.1 Mbulwa, Christopher. Dialogue with an Adventist police officer in Botswana 24.2 Mendoza, Doris. Dialogue with an Adventist professor of medicine in the Philippines 24.1 Morgan-Cole, Trudy. Dialogue with an Adventist writer from Canada 23.1 Nashed, Norma. Dialogue with the president and founder of “Restore a Child” 23.3 Nees, Uli. Dialogue with an Adventist Lufthansa pilot from Germany 24.2

Ntanda Nserenko, Daniel. Dialogue with an Adventist judge at the International Criminal Court at The Hague 23.2 Oyindamola Olomojobi, Rebecca. Dialogue with a Nigerian Adventist judge 22.2-3 Papp, Aruna. Dialogue with the first Adventist IndoCanadian female specialist in the fight against culture-rooted abuse of women 25.2 Prime, Cynthia. An Adventist businesswomen with a heart for HIV/AIDS orphans in Swaziland 21.1 Rasi, Humberto. Dialogue with the founder of this journal 25.1 Sciarabba, Davide. Dialogue with an Adventist pastor and sport chaplain from Italy 23.2 Takkula, Hannu. Dialogue with an Adventist member of the European Parliament 23.1 Tidwel, Dennis. Dialogue with an Adventist U.S. Foreign Service Officer 23.3

Acts...

Continued from page 31.

ture, healing, awaiting. These are the transcendental dimensions that we are called to serve.

History tells us that whenever church members or leaders are preoccupied with anything less, there begins a decay. Hence the call to a higher ground: power and pomp must give way to a passion for ministry and modeling; ecclesiastic positions must become instruments of compassion and service; institutions must become dispensers of love and grace to the communities in which they exist; a sense of stewardship and integrity must permeate dealings at personal and organizational levels. When this happens, the triumph of the church will not be far behind.

John M. Fowler (M.A., Ed.D., Andrews University; M.S., Syracuse University) is an editor of Dialogue.

E-mail: fowlerj@gc.adventist.org.

REFERENCES

1. All Scripture passages are from the Revised Standard Version.

2. Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press, 1940), p. 364.

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013

More art of

Ramรณn Rolando Garrido Quevedo

Fortress 80 x 70 cm. Oil painting on canvas and mixed technique, realist painting.

I worked on this oil painting taking the southern region of the Chilean Patagonia as my source of inspiration.

Those mountains, Torres del Paine, are as imposing as a fortress, and to me they resemble the Rock Jesus Christ. The painting surface includes a mixed technique.

DIALOGUE 25 โ ข 3 2013

The Storm 80 x 60 cm. Oil painting on wood.

As an artist I tried to capture the fury of the sea, as if it was trying to engulf the sailors, and the danger of going through such a complex situation, as we may also experience in our daily life.

I Will Hold You Tight 60 x 40 cm. Oil painting on wood.

This painting is one of my favorites.

We can see the powerful hand of God, which comes down to take my right hand. His hands holds me tight and safely so I do not fall. I know His hand will not rest until I arrive safely to my heavenly home. This is the basic idea I try to share in this painting.

35

E n g l i s h

•

F r e n c h

•

P o r t u g u e s e

•

S p a n i s h

S

ome things never change — such as Dialogue’s mission and focus. Other things, though, are updated and enhanced — such as new ways in which you can access Dialogue. We want you to know that Dialogue is now available online, in addition to the regular printed format. At the Dialogue site, you will have the opportunity to read all of the articles, from the very beginning of Dialogue to the present. Additionally, you can read the articles in any of the four languages in which Dialogue is published.

So spread the good news to your friends and colleagues, so they can be a part of Dialogue.

We want to Dialogue with everyone, everywhere!

dialogue.adventist.org

36

DIALOGUE 25 • 3 2013