Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition
Reviewing Adventist World, NAD edition
November 2010
Vol. 6, No. 11
Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles and editorials that I believe to be of special interest.
WORLD REPORT
GUATEMALA: ADVENTIST LEADERS PARTICIPATE IN PEACE CEREMONY
“Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Guatemala were chosen to participate in the Change of the White Rose…The Change of the White Rose of Peace ceremony came about after the signing of peace accords ending Guatemala’s 36-year civil war in 1996. Every day since then, a white rose is placed on the monument in the courtyard of the National Palace by an army honor guard or a distinguished person to symbolize another 24 hours of peace in the country.
ADVENTIST ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG YIELDS IRON AGE TEMPLE
“Confirming and completing a modern-day view of Bible history, a Seventh-day Adventist archaeologist and historian has unearthed important, pivotal ruins and artifacts from the 3,000-year-old Iron Age at a temple site in Ataruz, Jordan…“ ‘This is an extremely important find and one that has relationships to biblical history; it is very exciting,’ ” said Lawrence Geraty, president emeritus of the school and an archaeology professor [at La Sierra University].”
COMMENT
A REVIVAL OF TRUE GODLINESS in the Adventist Church will herald the Second Coming, according to Ted N. C. Wilson. When the Adventist Church “holds fast to the Bible truths by which God raised up this end-time movement, including the biblical teaching about the gift of prophecy. Of God’s many gifts to His remnant, this is one of His greatest. The Spirit of Prophecy offers counsel for almost every aspect of Christian life, and is as relevant today as when it was written decades ago. These are truly messages from heaven. Read the Spirit of Prophecy daily alongside your Bible. Believe it. Promote it. Use it. Teach it. Support it—and you will discover a new power in your spiritual life that helps you to rise and walk in newness of life.
“Let’s hold fast as well to the three angels’ messages; to the imminent second coming of Christ; to righteousness by faith in Christ; to the seventh-day Sabbath; to the Genesis account of the creation of this world in six literal, consecutive, 24-hour days of recent origin; to the sanctuary message; and to the Bible’s teaching about the state of the dead.
“Let’s remind ourselves that the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy call us to righteous living through the Holy Spirit’s power, to a healthy lifestyle outlined in Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy, and to music and worship styles that uplift Christ, not ourselves. Let’s pay special attention to what we have been taught about the conditions under which the Holy Spirit will be poured out to those earnestly seeking revival and committed to a message of reformation…
“A humbled and surrendered church will very soon also be a revived and reformed church. And a revived and reformed church will very soon be a church looking up into the eastern sky with joy and expectation as Jesus returns to claim His own.”
No mention here of, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.“ Sad.
REVIEWS
THE CHALLENGE OF BEDBUGS by Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless provides everything you need to know about those pestiferous pests.
Check out A HOLE IN THE SOUL online. The video clip provides a well-produced and interesting attempt to “reach out to a secular world”. Gerald A. Klinbeil reports that the Australian Union Conference is sponsoring a series of thirteen 27-minute videos that tackle life’s “Big Questions”.
Richard Doss’ CATERING TO DIVERSITY provides a fascinating look at Kenya’s Maxwell Adventist Academy. It has to be one of the coolest SDA high schools in the world. It’s a place where missionary kids from all over the world “feel at home” and excel academically. (I would be ecstatic if one of my grandchildren had a chance to attend!)
HOPE FOR HAITI by Jimmy Phillips is one of the most compelling, thoughtful, and loving pieces I have read about that ravaged country and its people.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Reviewing the Adventist Review
October 28, 2010
Vol. 187, No. 34
GENRAL COMMENTS
This issue had one very refreshing moment, courtesy of Stephen Chavez, and one mind blowing moment, thanks to Hyveth Williams. NO STRINGS and NO FEAR are MUST READ editorials!
COMMENTS
Stephen Chavez' editorial, NO STRINGS, was a breath of fresh air.
"It occurs to me that too many people do things to call attention to themselves or their causes. If they get a few seconds on TV or a few column inches in the newspaper, so much the better. But Jesus calls us to love our neighbors not to draw attention to ourselves or to our causes, but because it’s the neighborly thing to do."
In NO FEAR, Hyveth Williams blew me away with words that put her on the shelf of my mind that I reserve for only the most Christian SDA writers and thinkers.
"The act of being disfellowshipped from a community of faith...was often used to control or influence the behavior of believers through negative reinforcement. Much as we love and value the communities, the groups, the churches, and even the families that surround us, the gospel truth is that we don’t have to belong to anyone but Jesus, who has the ability to set us free (John 8:36).
"Coming to this realization will make us blissfully happy, causing us to ride on the heights of the earth and be fed with the heritage of Christ (Isa. 58:14). When we are free in Christ, we become a terrifying force to the majority of society, because we cannot be controlled, cajoled, or manipulated, even with the threat of death (see 2 Cor. 11:21-33). Like Jesus, we may be threatened with false accusations, criticism, and rejection, but we will take the punishment rather than succumb to fear."
REVIEWS
In SUMM(IT)ING IT UP Bill Knott marvels at the exponential growth of the Adventist Review since the Advent Review began as an eight-page, print-only paper in November, 1850.
"The languages of this growing ministry—once English only—have expanded in the past five years to include seven major world languages in print and 12 (most recently Romanian, Arabic, and Urdu) on the Web."
"A human network of dozens of editors, translators, designers, and proofreaders now circles the globe, supported by hundreds of press personnel in eight publishing houses from Indonesia to Korea to the United States to Germany. Except when Sabbath makes its welcome visit in each time zone, someone is working on Adventist Review or Adventist World every hour of every day of every week all year long."
FORGIVING FATHER, REPENTANT SON, ANGRY BROTHER by Clinton Meharry concludes his devotional essay with some questionable theology, but he makes this point: "Based on the importance of the three parties involved, it would seem appropriate to call the story “The Forgiving Father, the Repentant Son, and the Angry Brother.”
Our intrepid Moscow reporter, Andrew McChesney is determined to share his faith on the way to work. THE FIVE MINUTE WITNESS proved it could be done. The result was surprising!
THE DEVIL DOESN'T PLAY GAMES tells the story of Wilona Karimabadi's grandmother' life and times before, during, and after World War II. In addition, This is a tribute to a remarkable woman by her granddaughter, and the writer's love and respect shine through every word. The title refers to the great evil of war and a particular evil that might also have destroyed lives.
WATCH AND PRAY...LEST YOU WILL BE FOUND SLEEPING is a cautionary essay from Ellen White on the need for a keen, sanctified perception of reality. "This perception is not to be used in criticizing and condemning one another, but in discerning the signs of the times."
VIBRANT LIFE is Sandra Blackmer's interview with Heather Quitana, the editor of Vibrant Life, a magazine that has been advocating the Adventist health message for the pst 125 years.
"Quintana also promotes healthful living as benefiting not only individuals but the planet and God’s nonhuman creatures as well. Along with the Adventist Church’s wholistic perspective of personal health, we sometimes forget, she says, that there’s a connection to the health of the planet.
“ 'It’s not just about us,' Quintana explains. 'What’s healthy for us is also healthy for the planet. For example, in our special ‘Going Vegetarian’ issue this year [an undated issue released in May/June 2010], we have some really significant statistics and facts about what it means for the planet when someone eats a hamburger.' ”
HYPERTHYROIDISM is one more important medical bulletin by Drs. Handysides and Landless. In this article, Hyperthyroidism or Graves's disease and Parkinson's disease are explained, prognosis discussed, and appropriate medical follow-through recommended.
Jimmy Phillips concludes his series on falling in love--with God. MORE LIKE FALLING IN LOVE provides some salient advice to all lovers: "Transcend emotion; choose to love. And we’ll all live happily ever after."
AT REST
HODDE, Erwin F.—b. June 29, 1918, Cincinnati, Ohio; d. July 19, 2009, Greeneville, Tenn.
HOFMANN, Dorothy June “Dottie”—b. July 12, 1927, Nevada, Iowa; d. Mar. 19, 2010,
Sunland, Calif.
HUNT, Roger W.—b. July 12, 1919, Bravo, Mont.; d. June 8, 2009, Avon Park, Fla.
HUTTON, Barbara Aileen Twiggs—b. Aug. 21, 1927, Gentry, Ark.; d. Dec. 9, 2009, Grants Pass, Oreg.
KYAMBADDE, Stanley B.—b. July 21, 1927, Namulesa-Kyaggwe, Uganda; d. Feb. 7, 2010, Kampala, Uganda.
LING, Irene—b. July 22, 1917, Kulangsu, China; d. Apr. 6, 2010, Loma Linda, Calif.
MEDFORD, R. Foster—b. Apr. 6, 1923, Coleman, Mich.; d. Dec. 29, 2009, Grants Pass, Oreg.
In WORDS ON A WALL; WORDS IN MY HEART, Kathryn Lay reflects on the following words that encourage and provide hope: "I know that I am never unloved. There is always Someone who loves me unconditionally, who loves me in spite of my flaws, who wants me to love others as best that I am able. And He is the God of the universe!"
A FISHERMAN’S PRAYER
Dear Lord,
Thank you for fishing
for the memories
for the moments of my life
that are so necessary
for my spiritual
and emotional survival
In a world of chaos
that seems
at every turn to be
a jungle out there
My prayer is
that every reader
will make the time
to go fishing
The fishing I’m talking about
doesn’t require a pole
or hand line
Books or cooking work fine
or skiing or golf,
yoga or bird watching,
gardening or teaching,
swimming or story telling
riding or meditating
praying or skipping rope
or anything that resets the mind
that nourishes the soul
that makes it possible for us
members of the Christian community
to be as Christ commanded
spiritually whole
effective
fishers of human kind
in a worried world
of disorder and confusion
Amen
ah
10/15/10
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