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March 21, 2013
A Faith of Don’ts?
Church to Receive $45
Million in Reparations
The Perfect 10
6
8
14
People leave the Adventist Church only because they’ve had a bad
experience, right? Not anymore. A new study indicates that more and
more church members are leaving because they’ve changed their beliefs.

“Behold, I come quickly . . .”
Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ by presenting stories of His
matchless love, news of His present workings, help for knowing
Him better, and hope in His soon return.
18 24 8 6
COVER FEATURE
18 Beyond Belief
Andy Nash
Do those who leave the Adventist
Church still consider
themselves Adventists?
ARTICLES
14 The Perfect 10
Cecilia Luck
A young adult’s take on
the Ten Commandments
24 One (Happy) Meal
With a Pie on the Side
Leonora Spencer
The word “compassion”
takes on a whole
different meaning.
DEPARTMENTS
4 Letters
7 Page 7
8 World News &
Perspectives
13 Give & Take
17 Cliff’s Edge
2 3 Back to Basics
EDITORIALS
6 Wilona Karimabadi
A Faith of Don’ts?
7 Lael Caesar
Righteousness
ON THE COVER
We used to say, “Once an
Adventist, always an Adventist.”
New research is showing
that’s no longer true.
26 In the Wilderness:
The Epidemic
Gerald A. Klingbeil
The children of Israel
lose their focus, then
find it again.
29 Etc.
30 Journeys With Jesus
31 Reflections
Next Week
A Poem in Progress
What to do when signs
seem to indicate we’re going
in the wrong direction.
Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ® , Executive Publisher Bill Knott, Associate Publisher Claude Richli, Publishing Board: Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Benjamin D. Schoun,
vice chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy; Daniel R. Jackson; Robert Lemon; Geoffrey Mbwana; G. T. Ng; Daisy Orion; Juan Prestol; Michael Ryan; Ella Simmons; Mark Thomas; Karnik
Doukmetzian, legal adviser. Editor Bill Knott, Associate Editors Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil, Coordinating Editor Stephen Chavez, Online Editor Carlos Medley, Features Editor Sandra
Blackmer, Young Adult Editor Kimberly Luste Maran, KidsView Editor Wilona Karimabadi, News Editor Mark A. Kellner, Operations Manager Merle Poirier, Financial Manager Rachel
Child, Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste, Assistant to the Editor Gina Wahlen, Marketing Director Claude Richli, Editor-at-Large Mark A. Finley, Senior Advisor E. Edward
Zinke, Art Director Bryan Gray, Design Daniel Añez, Desktop Technician Fred Wuerstlin, Ad Sales Glen Gohlke, Subscriber Services Steve Hanson. To Writers: Writer’s guidelines are available
at the Adventist Review Web site: www.adventistreview.org and click “About the Review.” For a printed copy, send a self-addressed envelope to: Writer’s Guidelines, Adventist Review, 12501 Old
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Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740-7301. Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts in this issue are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are © Thinkstock 2013. The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), published since 1849, is the general paper of
the Seventh-day Adventist ® Church. It is published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ® and is printed 36 times a year on the second, third, and fourth
Thursdays of each month by the Review and Herald ® Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Periodical postage paid at Hagerstown, MD
21740. Copyright © 2013, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ® . PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 190, No. 8
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www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (227) 3

inbox
Letters From Our Readers
Must Love God
»»
Thank you for printing
Kimberly Luste Maran’s article
“Must Love God” (Feb. 14,
2013). After I lost my wife to
cancer, someone suggested
an Adventist online dating
site. I appreciated the ease
that I could “check out” the
938 women between the ages
of 52 and 72 who had registered.
I was given a percentage
of how close they came to
what I was looking for in a
wife. I told the Lord that I
was too old for this dating
thing—I asked Him to just
pick someone out for me. He
picked out Linda, and we are
very happily married. I am so
glad that we spent a great
deal of time writing and talking
on the phone before we
actually met. In this way we
had learned enough about
each other before “chemistry”
was brought into the
relationship.
I lived in Oregon, and
Linda lived in Virginia, so
there was little chance that
we would otherwise ever
meet. We both prayed the
“scary prayer”—if this relationship
would bring glory
to God, bless it. If not, break
us up.
We wanted our marriage
to be more than just two
people having a wedding. We
wanted a marriage that could
be used by God for His service.
Four months after we
were married, I was asked to
come out of retirement and
pastor again. The Lord
exceeded my expectations
and has given me a wife who
has a heart for the ministry
and health evangelism.
Charles Shultz
Richmond, Virginia
Moving in the
Same Direction
»»
Gerhard Pfandl has written
an article about unity and
division in the church (see
“Moving in the Same Direction,”
Feb. 14). Pfandl certainly
had some good points,
including the fact that unity
comes from common faith
and experience more than
organization. In that vein, it
is important to have a clear
vision of what it means to be
Seventh-day Adventist. Otherwise,
there comes a point
at which a “big tent”
becomes too big. May it
never be that an Adventist is
defined merely in terms of
observing Saturday and a
loosely defined profession of
Jesus Christ.
Second is the statement on
the remnant. George Knight
has ably pointed out substantial
differences between
statements in the 28 fundamental
beliefs and the baptismal
vows (The Apocalyptic
Vision and the Neutering of
Adventism, p. 78). The fundamental
beliefs articulate the
remnant in general terms of
a message, whereas the vows
state it in terms of the Seventh-day
Adventist denomination.
Knight points out
how many can accept the former
but perceive the latter as
overwhelming conceit.
The final point ties into
Galatians 1:8, 9. If you take
that text literally, even the
third angel of Revelation 14
must be anathematized if it
preaches a false gospel. Incidentally,
that text factored
greatly in making the Reformation
possible. Martin
Luther used that text to say
that the true foundation of
the church was the preaching
of the gospel, not the papal
office being descended from
Peter.
Ron Thomsen
Katy, Texas
“It is not what Jesus our Savior
instructed us to do in remembrance
of Him.”—susan stormont, Buchanan, Michigan
Let Me Serve You
»»
Here are my thoughts in
response to Gerald Klingbeil’s
editorial “Let Me Serve
You” (Jan. 24, 2013). Sharing
in the foot washing can be a
warm time of prayer and service.
It is not, however, the
Communion. It is not what
Jesus our Savior instructed
us to do in remembrance of
Him. More and more our
members seem to be putting
a stronger emphasis on the
foot washing than on the
emblems of the cross. The
Communion bread and juice
are our reminders of Christ’s
shed blood and body crucified
for us. This was how He
gave Himself to save us, and
not in the washing of feet.
Foot washing overshadows
the Communion remembrance
service, and is given
too strong a focus.
I do not think Jesus
intended foot washing to be
more than a very important
lesson on humility both for
His disciples at the moment
and for us who have
followed.
Susan Stormont
Buchanan, Michigan
Unstoppable Growth
»»
Ronny Nalin’s article
“Unstoppable Growth” (Jan.
10, 2013) was fantastic and
4 (228) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Thank You
»»
I just want to thank you for
the splendid articles the
Review produces week after
week. I am comforted, espewell
written! It went right to
the core of our Laodicean
condition. My thanks to
Nalin for his insights.
As an aside, I read almost
every article printed in
almost every edition, and I
appreciate the Review very
much. Monte Sahlin’s
“Church Trends” feature suggested
that I should send
you an e-mail and let you
know!
Lorna Peterson
Manteca, California
Share the Tide
»»
Bill Knott’s January 10 editorial
entitled “The Blooddimmed
Tide” was excellent
and should be shared with a
broader audience than those
who are readers of the Adventist
Review. How can we make
a dent in violence if it is promoted
on a continuous basis
by Hollywood, video games,
etc.? Knott’s well-written editorial
should, in my opinion,
be shared widely—and not
just in Adventist circles.
Thank you for this—and
other—excellent articles.
Fred C. Schnibbe
College Place, Washington
What Is a Mystic?
»»
Eric Anderson’s article
“What Is a Mystic?” (Jan. 10)
was excellent and long overdue,
and I highly commend
editor Bill Knott for including
it with the terminology
that was used, especially
given the half-truths, misunderstandings,
and false accusations
that have been
circulating in recent years.
For example, accusations
have been leveled against
“emptying the mind.” When
a Christian (mystic or otherwise)
“empties” their mind,
that person is very specifically
emptying the mind of
self, and opening the mind
and inviting Christ and His
Spirit to come in and fill it.
Anderson was very careful
in his choice of words, and
he gave very acceptable definitions
for his usage of them.
I appreciated his vulnerability
and example in sharing
his personal journey with
Review readers.
A mystic is one who is
devoted to seeking “the mystery
of godliness,” which
according to Paul’s words in
1 Timothy 3:16 is “great: He
appeared in the flesh, was
vindicated by the Spirit, was
seen by angels, was preached
among the nations, was
believed on in the world, was
taken up in glory.”
I want to say with the
inspired apostle, “My goal is
that they may be encouraged
in heart and united in love,
so that they may have the full
riches of complete understanding,
in order that they
may know the mystery of
God, namely, Christ, in whom
are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge”
(Col. 2:2, 3).
Merle J. Whitney
Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania
»»
I am writing in regard to
Eric Anderson’s “What Is a
Mystic?” While it is true that
we need a much deeper personal
experience with God, is
it necessary to repeat the
same mistakes that occurred
around the turn of the twentieth
century with our
church’s brush with pantheism?
Do we really wish to see
God’s judgment poured out
on our institutions again for
drinking the forbidden, mystical
waters?
Daniel Winters
Osaka, Japan
The Gehazi Syndrome
»»
Thank you for posting Gerald
Klingbeil’s article “The
Gehazi Syndrome: Suffering
Familiarity With the Holy”
(Adventist Review posted this
article online on February 8,
2013, www.adventistreview.
org/article/6025/archives/
issue-2013-1503/the-gehazisyndrome;
the article originally
appeared in the May
2010 Ministry magazine). The
four points included at the
end of the article were most
helpful.
Eric Ollila
Bay Roberts, Newfoundland,
Canada
cially since Alice, my wife, is
no more, and the Review now
helps to fill the companion
gap. Alice had roots going
back to the Sisley family of
girls, from England, whom
Ellen White predicted would
be missionary-minded—and
so it was. Our family was
able to serve three years in
Benghazi, Libya, and short
terms in other countries.
Keep up your good work—
it cheers me.
Don Fahrbach
Munising, Michigan
Correction
»»
In the December 27, 2012,
obituary for Dr. Frank Strickland,
his sister Ruth Sipkens’
name was misspelled. We
regret the error.
We welcome your letters, noting,
as always, that inclusion of a letter
in this section does not imply that
the ideas expressed are endorsed by
either the editors of the Adventist
Review or the General Conference.
Short, specific, timely letters have
the best chance at being published
(please include your complete
address and phone number—even
with e-mail messages). Letters will
be edited for space and clarity only.
Send correspondence to Letters to
the Editor, Adventist Review, 12501
Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD
20904-6600; Internet: letters@
adventistreview.org.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (229) 5

Editorials
Wilona
Karimabadi
A Faith of Don’ts?
“So where do your children go to school?” a classmate in
grad school asks.
“A private school—Seventh-day Adventist, actually. I’m Seventh-day Adventist,” I reply.
“Oh, yes, I had a friend back in the day who was Adventist.” I cringe, knowing what would come
next. “Yeah, we hiked together through Yosemite one summer. She wasn’t allowed to use a blowdryer
on Saturday,” she says. And there it was.
“Oh, you’re Seventh-day Adventist,” my new Jewish friend says. “I dated an SDA guy. It made it
pretty easy on Sabbath.” Well, that was slightly better. Sort of.
Over my life there have been many similar conversations with new friends who find out which
church I belong to and ask the questions I dread hearing. “So you’re Adventist, right? You guys
don’t _________, and you don’t _________, and you don’t eat __________, and you don’t
__________, and you don’t drink _________, right?” Feel free to fill in the blanks.
And even in our own circles, there have been too many unhelpful statements that include the
word “don’t”: “Don’t wear lipstick. You won’t go to heaven if you wear lipstick.” I heard that one
from a friend who was told this at boarding academy. And in a beginners Sabbath school classroom
a girl (now a grown woman and mother of three) recalls being extremely distressed at
hearing the following: “Don’t misbehave now, because naughty children don’t go to heaven.”
Huh?
Is this what we are really all about? Of course not. But how many “on the outside” know that?
You’ve likely been in similar situations. You tell someone you are Seventh-day Adventist, and
either they know of us and start listing the “don’ts” we may be known for, or we are confused
with another faith group—also defined by the “don’ts” they are known for. And I’ll be the first to
fess up that in my younger days if someone at the neighborhood playground asked why I was
unavailable on Saturday, my answer never explained things in a positive light. “Well, I won’t be
here because we ‘don’t’ come here on Saturday. I can’t watch that cartoon with you because we
‘don’t’ watch cartoons on Saturday.” Forgive the childish answers, but how adept were any of us
5-year-olds at explaining adherence to the fourth commandment and knowing what the word
“Advent” meant? Perhaps we’ve all been guilty of perpetuating the notion that our belief system
is best defined by a running list of all the things we “don’t” do.
Aren’t you tired of that?
It’s time to flip the switch on being defined by all the things we don’t do, because you and I
know that’s not who we really are. Do others know that?
I realize there are those among us who may find it enhances their spiritual walk to adhere to a
clearly articulated list of behaviors and activities they choose to refrain from. But we need to
remember that if our job is to impact people for Christ—to show them who He really is through
the difference He makes in our lives—practicing a faith of “don’ts” says nothing.
Serve, listen to, understand, educate, and immerse yourself in people who need you—people
who happily live well outside your comfort zone. Build up a broken person through the outpouring
of Someone who lives within you. Put aside the lists and parameters that serve as a primary
source of how you operate in this world, and let Jesus do the talking in any way He sees fit.
Don’t you want someone to say (and if they already have, I’m thrilled): “Oh, you’re a Seventhday
Adventist? You folks are the ones that do___________, and do__________, and you do live
____________, and you really helped ____________, and that made our lives better”?
Feel free to fill in those blanks here and in your daily lives with more Jesus and less “don’t.” n
6 (230) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Righteousness
When God says righteousness, He means business. Which
means that He’s serious about it, and that He’s talking to Wall Street. Righteousness is not more
natural to God than is business. The two do not pertain to distinct and incompatible worlds
where Chicago’s commodities trading contrasts with Solomon’s Temple, or New York’s
stockbroking opposes Moses’ wilderness tabernacle. In reality, unscrupulous business dealing
is only one more variety of human, filthy-ragged righteousness, regardless to how many bucks it
seems to make. The book of Proverbs may not be seen as Christianity’s exhaustive statement on
a theology of righteousness. But it does provide strong evidence that for God righteousness is
demonstrated in exemplary business conduct.
Business and righteousness have a common origin. Their single source is the One whose successful
start-up, named Universe, operates exclusively on His personal investments, while allowing
Apple and Exxon to play bit parts in His Earth subsidiary. Agriculture and economics are for
Him the very stuff of righteousness. In Proverbs, cash flow, cultivation, and going to work early
are all inextricably linked together as proofs of righteousness.
More than any other Old Testament text, Proverbs focuses on the righteous person. By way of
illustration, the Hebrew term tsaddiq, which labels him, occurs more times (67) in the 915 verses
of Proverbs than it does in Psalms (52 times in 2,461 verses). These numbers demonstrate the
intensity of focus on righteousness in a book that gives attention to such matters as respect for
property and boundary markers (Prov. 22:28; 23:10), and the value of precious metals in relation
to heavenly wisdom (Prov. 3:13-18; 8:10). Ultimately, the wages of unscrupulous scheming is
punishment. In Proverbs God talks righteousness by talking business.
When God says righteousness, He means business. n
Lael
Caesar

World News & Perspectives
photos: Tomáš Kábrt, Czecho-Slovakian Union Conference
DEAL SIGNED: Seventh-day Adventist pastor Mikuláš Pavlík, Czecho-Slovakian Union
Conference president, signs an agreement with Prime Minister Petr Necas of the Czech
Republic on February 22, 2013, in Prague. The Adventist Church will receive US$45 million
over the next 30 years as reparations for property seized under the former Communist
regime, which ended in 1989.
■■Czech Republic
Adventist Church Signs
Pact for US$45 Million in
Communism Reparations
Over 30 years, Czech Republic will repay
movement for theft of property.
By Mark A. Kellner, news editor
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in
the Czech Republic will receive US$1.5 million
annually for the next 30 years, a total
of US$45 million, under a pact signed by
church leaders and Prime Minister Petr
Necas on February 22, 2013, in Prague.
Seventh-day Adventist pastor
Mikuláš Pavlík, Czecho-Slovakian Union
Conference president, was one of several
officials of religious organizations
that signed an individual agreement
with Necas.
“Signing the Treaty Settlement means
the legal process is complete, and we
now have redressed the property damage
committed by the Communist
regime against the Seventh-day Adventist
Church,” Pavlík said.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is
among 17 religious organizations—
including Jewish, Protestant, and
Roman Catholic communities—that are
sharing in a US$3.1 billion settlement
from the government.
Prime Minister Necas, according to
media reports, called the settlement “an
act of justice” following a restitution
plan approved by the Czech parliament
in 2012.
“By signing these agreements, we
complete steps to remedy the property
damage the Communists caused,”
Necas said at the ceremony. “In the early
nineties we as a state came to restitution
as the most efficient and just
means to achieve the transformation of
our economy. The church had been
excluded, but today we have completed
this act of justice.”
Necas, who also leads the nation’s
Civic Democratic Party, said the deal
“laid new, modern ground” for relations
between state and church. Under
Communist rule, for example, Roman
Catholic priests’ salaries were paid by
the state, which maintained strict control
over that church’s operations. The
Seventh-day Adventist Church refused
state payments until 2008, when accepting
such money for overall purposes,
but not salaries, became a prerequisite
for receiving property settlements.
CHURCH LEADERS: Representatives of 17 religious organizations, Jewish, Protestant,
and Roman Catholic, gather in the office of the Czech Republic for the ceremony.
Adventist pastor Mikuláš Pavlík is second from right in the first row.
8 (232)
| www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Adventist officials in Prague said the
church lost property worth US$52.1
million when the Communist regime
seized its holdings in 1952. The Czech
republic, church officials said, is the last
formerly Communist nation to reach a
settlement of this kind with religious
organizations.
Opposition Social Democrats tried to
block the arrangement, seeking a court
injunction hours before the individual
agreements were signed. Though not
granting an injunction, the state constitutional
court is expected to issue a ruling
on the Social Democrats’ complaint,
media reports indicate.
J. P. Lorenz, a pastor, organized the
first Seventh-day Adventist congregation
in Prague in 1902. A union conference
was organized in the area in 1919,
according to the Seventh-day Adventist
Encyclopedia. n
—with reporting from Tomáš Kábrt,
Czecho-Slovakian Union in Prague
■■NOrth AMerica
Vegetarian Diet Report Is Launched
at Loma Linda University
Adventist school hosts Sixth International Conference on Vegetarian Nutrition.
By Herbert Atienza, media relations specialist, Loma Linda University Health, writing from Loma Linda, California
A groundbreaking report on the
benefits of a plant-based Mediterraneanstyle
diet—news of which captured
global headlines—was released at a scientific
conference held at Loma Linda
University.
A session at the Sixth International
Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
(6ICVN) saw the first public presentation
of an international headlinemaking
landmark study by Spanish
researchers that made a head-to-head
comparison and determined that plantbased
Mediterranean diets are better at
reducing heart disease risks than a lowfat
diet.
Miguel Ángel Martínez, M.D., M.P.H.,
Ph.D., lead investigator of the study
called PREDIMED, for “PREvención con
Dieta MEDiterránea” (“Prevention With
a Mediterranean Diet”), said 6ICVN was
a good place to unveil his study’s findings
because they stand on groundbreaking
research conducted at Loma
GLOBAL SENSATION: Tony Yang (standing), assistant vice president for public affairs at Loma Linda University Health, addresses a
news conference, held in conjunction with the Sixth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, to announce the findings of a new
landmark study on plant-based diets. The study garnered global headlines and media attention. Sitting on the panel (left to right): Dr.
Miguel Ángel Martínez, lead investigator for the PREDIMED study and professor at University of Navarra, Spain; Dr. Joan Sabate, 6ICVN
chair and chair of the Nutrition Department at Loma Linda University School of Public Health; and Dr. Sam Soret, associate dean for
public health practice at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (233) 9

World News & Perspectives
Linda University, such as the landmark
Adventist Health Study and a study on
walnuts and heart disease.
“It is a good opportunity to celebrate
the findings from these studies from
two decades ago; it’s like closing the
loop,” he said. “Our findings are very
supportive of the research of those pioneering
studies at Loma Linda.”
More than 800 scientists, researchers,
and public-health experts gathered for
the 6ICVN event, organized by Loma
Linda University School of Public
Health. The event is held every five years
and is the premier gathering of the
world’s experts in plant-based nutrition
and health.
At this year’s gathering, held February
24-26, 2013, at Loma Linda University
Drayson Center, delegates participated
in dozens of seminars, workshops, and
presentations exploring such topics as
DELEGATES WELCOME: Dr. Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health,
welcomes more than 800 delegates to the Sixth International Congress on Vegetarian
Nutrition, held February 24-26, 2103, at Loma Linda University Health. Next to him is Dr.
Joan Sabate (center), 6ICVN chair, and chair of the Nutrition Department at Loma Linda
University School of Public Health, and Dr. David R. Jacobs, Mayo professor, division of
epidemiology, University of Minnesota.
LARGE ATTENDANCE: More than 800 delegates attended the Sixth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, held February
24-26, 2013, at Loma Linda University Health.
10 (234) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

the link between diet and longevity, how
plant-based diets can help prevent and
treat major chronic diseases, and the
sustainability of plant-based diet
lifestyles.
“I have been attending the Vegetarian
Congress since the fourth one,
because I’m a vegetarian and there are
many new things that I learn,” said
delegate Hiroshi Yamaji, 52, of Tokyo,
director of health ministries for the
Japan Union Conference of Seventhday
Adventists.
“I feel very blessed by the lifestyle I
have,” he continued. “I have been a
practicing vegetarian since I was born,
and I see the benefits in it. I am glad
there is now strong scientific support
for it.”
Delegates received a rousing welcome
from Loma Linda University Health officials
at the start of the events.
“It’s a real privilege for Loma Linda to
be identified with this congress, which
is the premier international conference
for research in plant-based diets,” said
EXHIBITS A DRAW: Delegates to the Sixth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
check out the exhibitor booths during the event, held February 24-26, 2013, at Loma
Linda University Health.
Richard Hart, M.D., Dr.Ph., president of
Loma Linda University Health, during
his welcome. “Loma Linda has pioneered
efforts that now allow us to
gather here. Vegetarianism is no longer
an Adventist thing or a novelty. It has
become a science-based way of life for
many people.”
Joan Sabate, M.D., Ph.D., 6ICVN chair,
and chair of the Nutrition Department
at Loma Linda University School of Public
Health, noted the event has grown
each time, and this year’s attendance
easily surpassed the expected 700
delegates.
“The interest from both the Adventist
community and the scientific community
is increasing,” Sabate said.
“Vegetarian nutrition is one of the
stalwart research themes of Loma Linda
University School of Public Health,” said
Tricia Penniecook, M.D., M.P.H., who is
dean of the Loma Linda University
School of Public Health. “During the
congress, scientists, practitioners, academicians,
students, and members of
the community at large learned more
about how a vegetarian lifestyle can be
taught and implemented in practical
ways.” n
■■NOrth america
One Project
Draws Adventist
Leaders to
Chicago
Two-day meeting
celebrates “supremacy of
Jesus” within movement.
By One Project staff
Why would 750 leaders from around
the world meet for two days in the
“Windy City,” Chicago, Illinois, in early
February? The answer was simple: Just
Jesus. Leaders and laypersons of all ages
gathered for the One Project on February
11, 12, 2013. This was the third gathering
of the One Project in North America
(Atlanta 2011, Seattle 2012, Chicago
2013). With spaces capped at 750, seats
SPEAKER: Timothy Nixon, associate chaplain at Andrews University, addresses delegates
at the One Project conference.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (235) 11

World News & Perspectives
were sold out a few months in advance
of the gathering. The motto—“Jesus.
All.”—is born from the One Project’s
mission to celebrate the supremacy of
Jesus within the Seventh-day Adventist
Church.
“When we dreamed up the One Project,
the love for Jesus was overwhelming.
When we prepared for each
gathering His love was overwhelming.
When we experienced the gatherings
we get to bask in the presence of His
overwhelming love,” said Japhet De
Oliveira, cochair of the One Project
board. “Our gatherings follow a really
simple process. With 20-minute reflections
on Jesus, followed by our immediate
live responses, and then the
facilitator-led table recalibrations. Like
Ellen G. White, we find Jesus to be the
desire of the ages—every age—including
this one. We desire His love, His
truth, His leadership.”
“When I first heard about the One
Project,” declared Rod Long, of Sydney,
Australia, “I wondered how we would
talk about Jesus for two days. Now I
wonder how we will ever exhaust that
subject! The program elements reflect
my experience: Conversations I had
about Jesus (and there were lots), how
Jesus intersects with all aspects of my
life and experiences, and how the
One Project recalibrated my ‘Jesus
perspective.’ ”
De Oliveira said, “Each year Alex
Bryan, cochair of the One Project, suggests
a subset theme and for 2013 it was
Just Jesus. It is part of our Seventh-day
Adventist DNA with Jesus followers like
the late and dearly loved Morris Venden.
We simply cannot stop talking
about Jesus, and Just Jesus is more than
enough.”
At the Chicago gathering, the movement’s
Hope Channel arranged for live
streaming of the One Project to 450-
plus sites across the globe. One gentleman
came to the Chicago gathering, but
because of a brain injury he suffers
from sensory overload. As a result, he
was only able to join the larger group
during the reflections while the lights
were dimmed and the sound was
focused. During the recalibration
(group discussion) after each reflection,
he would have to leave the room. His
brother, who was participating via the
live streaming, joined him via phone,
and they were able to dialogue one on
one for a recalibration of their life in
Jesus.
On April 5, 6, 2013, thanks to the support
of the Norwegian Union and working
closely with Pastor Victory Marley,
the One Project will be offering the first
gathering in Norwegian with limited
English translation. In July the One Project
will be in Newcastle, Australia, and
then in early November it will be on the
campus of Newbold College in England.
All of these gatherings are limited in
size.
The next North American gathering,
Seattle in February 2014, is already at
50 percent capacity. Other site locations
under consideration are Brazil,
Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and
many other options in the U.S.A. For
more information, visit us at www.
the1project.org. n
AROUND THE TABLE: Delegates to the One Project conference exchange ideas during breakout sessions.
12 (236) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

adventist life
This past fall my son Javad came home
from school excited about an upcoming
field trip to a local farm and pumpkin
patch. “Please, come with us! I want you to
take care of my classmates and me,” he
said. Since he actually remembered to tell
me about this ahead of time rather than
the day before, I told him I would ask for
the day off to go on the trip. He replied,
“Ask your boss [Bill Knott] to let you go. If
he’s a Christian, he will!”
—Wilona Karimabadi, Ellicott City, Maryland
Sermon in seven
What motivates sacrifice?
Do you agree with this?
Sacrifice is
about love,
not about
courage.
share with us
We are looking for brief submissions in these
categories:
Sound Bites (quotes, profound or spontaneous)
Adventist Life (short anecdotes, especially from
the world of adults)
Jots and Tittles (church-related tips)
Camp Meeting Memories (short, humorous and/
or profound anecdotes)
Favorite (Church) Family Photos (must be high
resolution min. 1000 px JPEGs)
Please send your submissions to Give & Take,
Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver
Spring, MD 20904-6600; fax: 301-680-6638; e-mail:
marank@gc.adventist.org. Please include phone number,
and city and state from which you are writing.
© terry crews
think about it
This is the story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could
have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it,
but Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody
could have done.
—Author unknown, submitted by Edson Simon, Clackamas, Oregon
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (237) 13

40 Below
THE
en PERFECT
by Cecilia Luck
Perfect then, perfect now:
the commandments are still relevant
For Today’s pop culture.
Between the ages of 7 and 10 I was involved in a number of children’s musicals at
church. One song in particular is still ingrained in my head, and heart, after more than
20 years. The song “The Perfect 10” puts the Ten Commandments into a rhyme. Then
the chorus says that “they’re just as true as they were way back when.” God hasn’t
changed over the course of history, and neither have His laws.
What is the one thing that currently dominates the majority of our time and energy? Pop
culture. It’s everywhere: the Internet, movies, television, music, magazines and books, video
games, etc. It seems Hollywood has done its best at trying to turn these laws into suggestions—
recommendations that can be disregarded as long as the reason is deemed acceptable. But
these laws are practical and pertinent. Using the Ten Commandments as our guide, let’s
embark on a quick journey to see just how these laws apply today, and how they can help us
get back (and stay) on track toward our future, eternal destination.
14 (238) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Number 1: “You shall have
no other gods before Me” (Ex.
20:3).*
Not long before the
Mount Sinai experience,
the Israelites had been
released from their
bondage in Egypt, a
country whose polytheistic
religion would
have definitely been
ingrained in their
minds. Not only this,
but the land they were
promised was also
inhabited with worshippers
of gods other
than God. Through the
biblical account we see
how easily the Israelites
were taken in by the surrounding
influences. Egyptian
life did rub off on them.
So at Sinai, God first
reminds the former slaves of
His place in their life. We
aren’t much different today.
“No other gods” may have taken
a different meaning these days,
but what we’re doing is basically
what the Israelites were guilty of—
anything that takes higher priority than
God is, in fact, a god. It comes down to
balance: time on the computer and
entertainment, necessities and enjoyments,
both have their place, but God
must come first.
Number 2: “You shall not make
for yourself an idol” (verse 4).
“You shall not make for yourself an
idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven
above or on the earth beneath or in the
water under the earth. You shall not
worship them or serve them; for I, the
Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers on the
children, on the third and fourth generations
of those who hate Me, but showing
lovingkindness to thousands, to
those who love Me and keep My commandments”
(verses 4-6).
In the first part of this commandment
an idol is defined as an image or
representation of a god as an object of
worship. Again, the Israelites were surrounded
by idols while slaves in Egypt.
Anubis, the god of the afterlife, and Ra,
the sun god, are just a couple of the
many deities worshipped and physically
represented throughout Egypt.
By telling the Israelites not to make
any idols, God was turning their minds
back to Him, the Creator. The Creator
God alone is to be worshipped, not any
created thing. We may possess items
that hold sentimental value for us, but
unless we form unhealthy attachments
to them, they aren’t objects of worship.
The second half of the commandment
states that God visits “the iniquity of the
fathers on the children,” but shows “lovingkindness”
to those who love Him and
keep His commandments. Is God saying
that every son or daughter of a drunk, an
adulterer, an abuser, etc., will be visited
with iniquity? No! We aren’t held responsible
for the sins and mistakes of our parents.
The notion that we are responsible
for the actions of our predecessors—and
that we should be punished for it—is
prevalent in Hollywood’s film industry.
But the truth is, we are held accountable
to God only for our own actions. If we
don’t learn from our parents’ sins and
mistakes and we follow in that path, then
we are held accountable.
Number 3:
“You shall not take the
name of the Lord your
God in vain, for the
Lord God will not
leave him unpunished
who takes His name in
vain” (verse 7).
Ancients believed
that God’s name was
so sacred and holy it was not even to be
spoken. Today His name is so disrespected
that it’s nauseating. I cringe
every time I hear—or see—it being misused.
The misuse is so rampant that it’s
hard to block it out. How many times,
for example, have you seen “omg” in
texts or on Facebook or Twitter? It’s like
a breath of fresh air when a movie, TV
show, or a message board is free of it.
We can’t force others not to take His name
in vain, but we can do our part in being an
example of how God should be respected
and honored in our everyday conversations.
Number 4: “Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy” (verse 8).
The Sabbath was, and still is, a blessed
and holy gift. After six days of creating,
God set aside the seventh day for rest
and enjoyment of—and with—His creation.
Today we can’t seem to stop for
anything. Unfortunately for some, Sabbath
is their busiest day.
Remember . . . God commands us to
remember. Take this time to remember all
that God has done. God also commands
us to rest—this is a test of obedience.
Take this day to enjoy a break. Climb a
tree. Call a friend you haven’t spoken
with in a while. Shut off your computer.
Forget about the demands and problems,
and all that pop culture offers that
follows us through the other six days.
Remember the seventh day and rest in
it. Also, remember that it’s lawful to do
good on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:12). So
rest—and go do some good.
Number 5: “Honor your father
and your mother” (Ex. 20:12).
Sometimes this commandment is
easier said than done. To honor means
to have a high respect or esteem for
The Bible is clear. It’s a matter
of putting what we are
supposed to do into practice. If
we do, God will honor that.
someone. We don’t see this often in the
parent/child relationships portrayed on
TV or film, and rarely do we find this
honor toward parents in everyday life.
Just watch any major reality show
involving kids, parents, and competition,
and you’ll see what I mean.
And how are children, no matter their
age, supposed to honor the parents who
neglect and/or abuse them? Or parents
who don’t teach them proper values or
morals? Perhaps honoring the Father in
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (239) 15

heaven in spite of the circumstances
would compensate for the honoring of
earthly parents who don’t honor their
role as they should?
For parents who don’t share the same
belief system or won’t admit to the
change they need—love and honor them
where they are, even if you don’t agree.
As I said, it’s easier said than done, but it
will make those relationships smoother
in the long run.
Number 6: “You shall not murder”
(verse 13).
From children’s video games to PG-13
and R-rated movies, our society has become
desensitized to murder and violence. We
loathe terrorists who murder innocent people,
yet we have no problem sitting through
a movie in which murder is portrayed as
both a crime and as justice served.
We can’t ignore murder. It’s a very
real part of our sinful world. But we can
prayerfully sensitize ourselves again to
the reality that murder is disgusting
and deplorable. It’s life being taken.
How can we not be sensitive to that?
Number 7: “You shall not commit
adultery” (verse 14).
How is it that society has come to the
place that we actually feel sorry for the
one committing adultery? Again, Hollywood
has done a good job of making
adultery seem socially acceptable. We
may sympathize with the one who feels
something lacking and sees the need to
cheat on their spouse, thereby excusing
their behavior. This is not acceptable. I
don’t know the stresses that married
people sometimes experience. I am,
however, the product of a home in
which divorce as a result of adultery
occurred—and I know its damaging
effects. In spite of what pop culture has
deemed all right, people need to do
what is right: honor the vows made on
the wedding day, stay faithful.
Number 8: “You shall not steal”
(verse 15).
The excuses for stealing are many, but
there is no good reason. As we see in
pop culture, stealing not only refers to
material possessions (we can surely
recall, for example, stories about celebrities
caught shoplifting); there are
other things that can be stolen as well:
time, love, ideas, etc. In the end it’s true:
the one who steals never prospers.
Number 9: “You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor” (verse 16).
There’s a reason Solomon, in Proverbs,
puts a lot of focus on two evils:
lying and gossiping. They hurt. They
destroy relationships. They break trust.
They damage reputations. In today’s
society these consequences aren’t often
considered. With our broken human
nature, we do this without thinking.
Once again, the blatant acceptance of
this behavior has contemporary media
and entertainment written all over it.
(Have you glanced over the tabloids at
the grocery store lately?) We are surrounded
by the world’s seeming
approval of it. Even if done with the
“best” intentions, bearing false witness
still has negative effects. The character
of a person can easily be damaged. And
whether the information about a given
person is true or not, we know exactly
what we are supposed to do. The Bible is
clear. It’s a matter of putting what we
are supposed to do into practice. If we
do, God will honor that.
Number 10: “You shall not covet
your neighbor’s house; . . . or anything
that belongs to your neighbor” (verse 17).
A want or desire isn’t necessarily a bad
thing, especially when it’s something
like a better-working car, a good education,
etc. It really depends on what the
desired object is—and our reason for the
desire. We also tend to want not only
what is not ours, but also something that
belongs to another person—and the
object of desire is not ours to want.
While there are a plethora of modernday
examples I could use, my mind
keeps going back to David. He didn’t
banish that initial thought of desire like
he should have. And even though he was
a man after God’s own heart, the breaking
of this commandment led David to
break the sixth, seventh, and eighth
commandments as well. This all started
with the simple act of desire for another
man’s wife who was not his to desire.
When we do see this in modern
media, we should, no matter what the
venue, be brought to a higher state of
contemplation and contentment for
what is ours. The more content and
thankful we are for what God has
blessed us with, the less the want of
anything that isn’t ours to desire will
enter our minds.
Be the Change
The Ten Commandments are still relevant.
And here is something else to consider:
how we interact with the modern
media “enemy.” Sure, we can choose, for
example, not to own a television, or try
to avoid the negative influences that
come out of pop culture. But the disregard
for God’s commandments isn’t just
going to disappear if we ignore it. Those
evils are still going to be created, shown,
read, heard—and they’ll influence those
who watch and read and hear them.
It’s not just about us avoiding it. It’s
about trying to change contemporary
mind-sets for the good. Try to make a difference.
We can be the positive change in
pop culture. Isn’t this how Jesus, through
His life on earth, showed us how to be?
He came face to face with sin and interacted
with the perpetrators—and He
changed things. He didn’t ignore His
surroundings. We should do the same. n
* All biblical quotations and references in this article
are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright
© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Cecilia Luck writes from
Collegedale, Tennessee.
16 (240) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Cliff’s Edge
Erst Kommt Das Fressen . . .
In To Have and Have Not Ernest Hemingway expressed with paper and
ink some moral dilemmas of flesh and spirit. “I don’t know who made the laws,” said a man who committed
sin—a crime, actually—to feed his family, “but I know there ain’t no law that you got to go hungry.” A boy,
a Cuban revolutionary, declared that he would do anything to free his country from tyranny: “I do things I
hate. But I would do things I hate a thousand times more.”
To eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil implied that those who ate would know good from
evil, but the distinction isn’t always so distinct. Erst kommt das Fressen, wrote German Communist Berthold
Brecht, dann kommt die Moral (“First comes food, then comes morals”). We might utter gut-stuffed
protests against Brecht, but who could argue that one’s discernment between right and wrong blurs
on an empty stomach (especially your child’s)?
Mark Twain’s Huck Finn convinced himself that his own soul was damned to hell because he
helped Miss Watson’s slave escape. In the 1600s Thomas Hobbes said that good and evil have
no meanings apart from what humans, in a specific time and place, decide it is. Four hundred
years before Christ, Socrates battled moral relativism pretty much for the same reasons people
battle it today, 2,000 years after Christ. Niccolò Machiavelli argued that the political leader
must “learn how not to be good.” Nietzsche said that we have to get “beyond good and
evil,” because these concepts have worn out their usefulness. From The Rules of the Game,
a pre-World War II French movie, a character says, “The truly terrible thing about this
life, monsieur, is that everyone has their own reasons.” In 2010 atheist jihadist Sam Harris
in The Moral Landscape sought to establish a scientific basis for morality, claiming that “morality
should be considered an undeveloped branch of science.” Eighteenth-century philosopher Jean-
Jacques Rousseau called conscience “thou infallible judge of good and evil,” which helps explain
the German Reich chancellor’s sentiment: “If I live my life according to my God-given insights,
then I cannot go wrong; and even if I do, I know that I have acted in good faith.”
In the Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) Immanuel Kant attempted to create a basis
for morality on pure reason, before, and even apart from, experience or consequences. He thought
he found it with the Categorical Imperative, his metaphysical law for morality: “Always act
according to that maxim whose universality as a law you can at the same time will.” In other
words, do only what you want everyone else to do. Sounds nice, but what if you universally
will that everyone with one Jewish grandmother die in Auschwitz?
Morality is either like sunshine, coming from above, transcendent; or it comes from within us, human
creations such as free funk jazz and abstract expressionism. If the latter, then if all humans decided that
anyone with one Jewish grandparent deserved death, how could it be wrong? If morality’s a human concoction
alone, as subjective as tastes in music or in shoes, then Stalin’s gulags are no morally worse than the
American prison at Guantanamo Bay.
I’m not denying that atheists don’t or can’t live by moral codes that make them good citizens, in some
cases better than their theistic neighbors. (After all, when was the last time an atheist flew a jetliner into a
skyscraper?) Atheists just can’t base morality on anything absolute. Maybe they don’t want to, but this
subjectivism can end up justifying a lot of wrong.
The only answer is a morality from above, one transcending culture, prejudice, jurisprudence, tradition,
logic, custom, even conscience (see the chancellor’s quote). That’s what God’s moral law, the Ten Commandments,
is: a transcendent universal morality, the eternal template for good and evil. The law shows us
exactly how God Himself defines these things.
Of course, we’re still stuck with human subjectivism: some who believe in “Thou shalt not kill” go ape
over abortion but have no problem with lethal injection; others, vice versa. So we’re not done with the
debate, but at least with God’s law we have the absolute starting point. n
Cliff
Goldstein
Clifford Goldstein is editor of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide. His latest book, Shadow Men, is available from
Signs Publishing in Australia.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (241) 17

Cover Feature
People leave the Adventist Church only
because they’ve had a bad experience,
right? Not anymore. A new study indicates
that more and more church members are
leaving because they’ve changed their beliefs.
BY ANDY NASH
Picture a Seventh-day
Adventist church somewhere
with 200 members
attending. Over
time, 100 of these members
will leave the
church and in a sense
be replaced by 100 new members—and
then some. (The Adventist Church is one
of the fastest-growing denominations
in the world, and the fastest in the
United States. 1 )
But the 100 church members who
leave—the ones who used to worship and
fellowship, eat haystacks, and sing “Side
by Side” with us: Why do they leave?
Past studies indicated that if someone
left the Adventist Church, it was almost
always because of bad experiences or
relationships, not because they changed
their beliefs.
In a 1998 report, “Why Do Adventists
Quit Coming to Church?” prepared by
the Center for Creative Ministry, Adventist
researcher Monte Sahlin wrote:
“Three out of four leave for reasons having
to do with their relationships with
people and groups, while less than one
in five leave because they no longer
believe in some teaching of the church.”
Sahlin cited the work of other Adventist
researchers, including Roger Dudley,
director of the Andrews University Institute
of Church Ministry. “Generally
speaking,” said Dudley, “poor interpersonal
relationships in the church” were
the primary reason members left.
“Very few people,” added Gottfried
Oosterwal, then-director of the Institute
of World Mission at Andrews University,
“indicated that they had left
because of a disagreement over doctrine.
Many had questions and doubts,
but no basic disagreements with the
main tenets of the Adventist faith.”
Even more emphatic was Harold K.
West, Florida Conference ministerial
director, based on his 1975 study of
departing church members “There was
absolutely no proof,” said West, “that
anybody left the church because they no
longer believed in the doctrines.”
Interviews with former Adventists
supplemented the center’s 1998 report.
“After my baptism,” said one former
member, “I would wait each week in
the foyer. No one would talk to me, no
one spoke.”
“The church I attended,” said
another, “was so cold I could ice-skate
down the aisles.”
“It’s the Theology,
Not the People”
While relationships will always factor
into any church member’s experience, a
new study suggests a shifting landscape
in which more and more people are
leaving the Adventist Church primarily
because they’ve changed their beliefs.
The study, “Former Seventh-day
Adventist Perceptions of the Seventhday
Adventist Church,” was conducted
in 2011 by Southern Adventist University’s
School of Business under the
direction of marketing professor Lisa
Goolsby. Goolsby was approached by
Pastor Jerry Arnold and member Ken
DeFoor of the Collegedale, Tennessee,
Community church about exploring
the reasons members are leaving the
church. More than 600 former Adventists
from throughout the U.S. were
invited to answer questions online;
190 participated.
When asked why they quit attending
the Adventist Church, 49 percent of
18 (242) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

espondents cited disagreement or disenchantment
with Adventist doctrine,
while another 10 percent cited their
own lifestyle choices being out of harmony
with church teachings. Only 38
percent of responses cited a bad personal
experience or “other” reason for
leaving. (The respondents were able to
cite more than one reason.)
When respondents were invited to
give open-ended feedback about their
departure from the Adventist Church,
68 percent of the comments concerned
Adventist doctrine, 47 percent concerned
judgmental attitudes or other
problems within the church, 31 percent
concerned cofounder Ellen G. White,
and 15 percent concerned legalism. (The
respondents were able to submit multiple
comments, which were then
categorized.)
“I could no longer stay within a system,”
wrote one respondent, “that I
knew to be unbiblical and with which I
disagreed. . . . The ‘tipping point’ came
when I realized we couldn’t expect our
sons to tell us the truth if we were modeling
a lack of integrity by being active
members of a church they knew
we no longer believed. . . . We
did not leave because we were
in any way hurt, angry, bitter, or
disgruntled. We left with great
grief and great loss, and we left
because the Lord Jesus revealed Himself
to us so compellingly that we knew we
could not dishonor Him by remaining
in a system that does not know who He
really is or what He really did.”
“There are many SDA churches,”
wrote another former member, “that
are open, loving, and focused only on
Christ, but this is not the problem. The
problem is with the doctrine of the SDA
Church. The doctrinal beliefs of the SDA
Church are completely unbiblical; this is
the reason I will never attend an SDA
church again.”
“If Adventism,” said another, “would
catch hold of the truth of grace and ‘It is
finished,’ it would be a great package.
I . . . cherish my memories of growing
up in a warm, family-based, healthy,
safe environment. Independent Bible
study led me down a different path.”
Another respondent encouraged
“much more investigation into the fact
that many have left because of doctrinal
[reasons] and often, no other reasons.
There is too much focus on people being
hurt. . . . Doctrinal issues are ignored.”
Doctrinal differences weren’t the only
reason cited; the experiential element
was still very much present. A divorced
single mom with special-needs children
described feeling ostracized by church
members who were “snobbish.” She
said that members with money seemed
more accepted.
We left with great
grief and great loss.
Another former member described
the church as failing to reach out to his
family “in their time of greatest need.”
An inactive church member wrote,
“Although I consider myself an Adventist,
I do not currently attend the local
church due to the judgmental, resistant
attitudes that prevail in my area.”
Still, compared to previous studies,
the shift toward beliefs as the leading
reason for leaving was striking. One former
member wrote: “It’s the theology,
not the people.”
Asking Questions
Pastor Arnold, who helped initiate the
study, said the data align with what he’s
seeing up close and personally. “I have
had conversations with many young
adults who do not embrace every teaching
of the Adventist Church,” Arnold
said. “Some have perspectives that are
not reflective of the official teaching of
the Adventist Church. Some understand
the official teaching and disagree with it
on some points.”
Arnold said the two subjects that he
gets asked about most are the doctrine
of Christ’s ministry in the heavenly
sanctuary and the proper use of Ellen
White’s writings.
“People still leave the church over
their feelings being hurt,” Arnold said.
“But one of the main underlying factors
is the mistreatment they got because
they were questioning. If we can
keep a positive relationship with
them while they are processing
things, it communicates that
they are welcome and wanted in
our fellowship.”
DeFoor, who left the Adventist Church
and later returned, said he represents a
boomer generation that had difficulty
separating salvation in Christ from personal
behavior such as Sabbathkeeping.
“I know we say that the church doesn’t
teach this,” DeFoor said, “but certain
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (243) 19

Former Adventists tend to be a sharpminded
group that demands solid exegesis,
not pat answers. It isn’t enough to
say “the pope changed Sabbath.” We
must first show from Scripture alone
how Sabbath rest and salvation rest continue
to coexist in the New Testament,
just as they did in the Old Testament. 3
We must also be willing to explain
the uncomfortable but historical truth
that the early Christian church began to
distance itself from the Sabbath largely
for the purpose of distancing itself from
the Jews. 4 At a time when both Christians
and Jews are asking questions,
sincere questions, about each other’s
faith, 5 the Adventist Church is perfectly
positioned to teach and model the
Judeo-Christian faith of Jesus Christ:
one that celebrates “new treasures as
well as old” (Matt. 13:52).
3. We should clear up false understandings.
For a myriad of reasons,
many former Adventists seem to have
serious misunderstandings of Adventist
beliefs. One survey respondent wrote:
“Keeping the Sabbath does not save anyone.”
Another respondent wrote that
she believed Ellen White was inspired by
God—but that she is not our way to salvation.
“I don’t think you have to believe
in her to be saved,” she wrote.
It’s truly sad that these former members
were taught so erroneously; that
they attended our churches and never
learned of the all-sufficient grace of
Jesus Christ. We must all bear responsibility
for this and think about the messages
we’re sending to our children and
our members. Consider, for example,
how often we pray “Thank you for the
Sabbath” compared to how often we
pray “Thank you for Jesus.”
Many survey comments falsely
reflected an impression that Ellen White
dreamed up Adventist beliefs—when in
reality her own study and writing complemented,
and often trailed, that of
other Adventists. Former members, to
be fair, have to recognize that it’s
human nature for gifted spiritual leaders
to end up becoming too important
to their most ardent supporters.
Recently an evangelical congregation
decided that a certain woman’s teachpeople
give the strong impression that
it does teach this.”
Based on his outreach to other former
Adventists, DeFoor said that the
Adventist Church needs more emphasis
on the teaching and preaching of the
Gospels. “We need to understand that it
must be Jesus first,” DeFoor said. “That
will lead us to a better understanding of
our heavenly Father.”
Goolsby said the Adventist Church
isn’t the only faith community seeing a
transient membership. She cites a 2008
Boston Globe article, stating that “44
percent of Americans have left the religion
traditions in which they grew up.” 2
“Social media has connected our
lives,” Goolsby said. “We are now more
aware of what our friends, family, and
contemporaries are doing, thinking, and
feeling. If those friends have issues or
questions about their church or their
belief system, they are generally speaking
out through social media. This
causes people who might not otherwise
have questions or issues to suddenly
start asking some of the hard questions.”
Goolsby said a fundamental question
to consider is whether the Adventist
Church is a “one-size-fits-all” religion.
“Does the member,” she asked, “have to
take it all or take nothing? And how
does that fit with the plan of salvation?”
Sahlin, who wrote the 1998 report,
said that his current research also
reflects changing perspectives among
former Adventists. “The relational
issues are not as acute as they were in
the seventies, eighties, and nineties,”
Sahlin said. “They are still there, but
there is this newer issue of how people
experience Christian faith.”
Sahlin said that newer faith issues
among Adventists are “largely driven
by the evangelical critique of Adventism—that
it’s based on salvation by
works because of its insistence on the
Jewish Sabbath and because of an
extrabiblical prophet from which they
get their doctrines.”
Many Adventists today, Sahlin said,
aren’t prepared to handle this critique.
“The fallout of our own theological
debates of the 1980s and 1990s,” he said,
“was a new generation that is uncertain
about its faith and not well equipped to
respond to the evangelical critique.”
Sahlin said that Adventists have quit
making their own biblical critique of
the evangelical faith, such as that found
in The Great Controversy, Ellen White’s
1911 work. “We have tried not to be different,”
said Sahlin, noting that in the
more recent church-published Great
Hope, critiques of other denominations
are largely absent.
“I had to study
my way out of
the Adventist
Church before
I could study
my way back
into it.”
A New Challenge
The reality of members leaving
because of doctrine poses a new—yet
old—challenge for the Adventist
Church. How should we respond? Here
are five suggestions:
1. We should reembrace conversations
about doctrine. The Adventist
Church was founded on doctrine, even
at the expense of relationships. In the
mid-1800s, members of other Christian
churches (including Ellen White, a
Methodist) spent entire nights comparing
the teachings of Scripture with the
teachings of their own churches—
including eternal torment in hell, Sunday
sacredness, and a new teaching, the
secret rapture. When these members
left their home churches to become Seventh-day
Adventists, their existing relationships
were often strained.
Ironically, some of their spiritual
ancestors are now leaving the Adventist
Church to return to these same teachings—and
experiencing the same relational
strain. Rather than feel defensive
or judgmental, we should welcome
respectful dialogue about Scripture
with others. It will benefit everyone.
2. We must provide the best possible
scriptural answers to honest inquiries.
20 (244) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

ings had become too influential—so
they banned all classes using her materials.
The woman? Beth Moore, a leading
Christian writer and teacher. The
church’s problem wasn’t Beth Moore;
the church’s problem was finding a
sense of balance. The same is true for us.
4. We must recognize that sometimes
the enemy is us. We can all think of
toxic Adventist congregations or ministries
that we frankly wouldn’t recommend
to anyone. Rather than urge
members (or former members) to endlessly
“stick it out” in bad-apple Adventist
churches, we should encourage
them to find a healthier Adventist
church—or plant a new one full of grace
and truth in fresh airspace. New organisms
grow faster anyway.
We must also recognize—and so
must former Adventists—that every
faith community has toxic elements
that poorly represent the wider group.
The Baptist Church deals with deluded
members who scream “God hates you”
at soldiers and gays. Even when functioning
normally, every faith community
has its strengths and weaknesses.
One former Adventist described her
children’s experience in their new
denomination: “I found the strict rules,
severe guilt, and the concept of burning
forever in hell a terrifying concept to
foist upon children.” Truly every
church, like every church member, at
some point cries out: “Who will rescue
me from this body that is subject to
death? Thanks be to God, who delivers
me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
(Rom. 7:24, 25).
5. We should at least honor the integrity
of those who have left. Right or
wrong, it takes courage to leave what
you’ve always known. Even as we grieve
the departure of those who used to
worship with us, we should honor their
integrity—especially when compared to
Adventist thought leaders and members
who reject the authority of Scripture,
stay in the church, and try to force it
into their own image. This type of member
does much greater damage to the
kingdom of heaven than former Adventists
who retain a high view of Scripture
and are seekers for truth.
Where They Agree/
Where They Disagree
Former Adventists’ levels of agreement with Adventist doctrines
(from highest to lowest):
The life, death, and resurrection of Christ (71.58 percent support all of
the doctrine; 28.42 percent support part or none of the doctrine)
The Trinity (71.05 all; 28.95 part or none)
The Lord’s Supper (65.79 all; 34.21 part or none)
Creation (64.74 all; 35.26 part or none)
Second coming of Christ (60.53 all; 39.47 part or none)
The experience of salvation (56.84 all; 43.16 part or none)
Baptism (57.89 all; 42.11 part or none)
New earth (55.79 all; 44.21 part or none)
Unity in the body of Christ (55.79 all; 44.21 part or none)
Marriage and the family (55.26 all; 44.74 part or none)
Death and resurrection (55.26 all; 44.74 part or none)
Spiritual gifts and ministries (52.11 all; 47.89 part or none)
Stewardship (50.00 all; 50.00 part or none)
Christian behavior (48.95 all; 51.05 part or none)
The law of God (47.89 all; 52.11 part or none)
The Sabbath (45.79 all; 54.21 part or none)
Millennium and the end of sin (44.74 all; 55.26 part or none)
The great controversy (44.74 all; 55.26 part or none)
Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary (40.53 all; 59.47 part or none)
The church (36.84 all; 63.26 part or none)
The gift of prophecy (36.32 all; 63.68 part or none)
The remnant and its mission (28.95 all; 71.05 part or none)
In the Adventist Church’s earliest
days, there was no creed but Scripture;
the only litmus test was the final
authority of the Word of God. It should
be no different today—as long as someone
continues to prayerfully plumb the
depths of Scripture, there should be
room for them in this church. As one
returned Adventist put it: “I had to
study my way out of the Adventist
Church before I could study my way
back into it.” We should not feel threatened
by such journeys.
Perhaps the former members who
pose the most confusion are those who
now seem to find their identity in being
“former Adventists”—not unlike
divorced persons forever identifying
themselves as someone’s former
spouse. Ironically, publications and
Web sites centered on being “former
Adventists” have grown wearisome
even to other former Adventists. “It’s
like they’ve just moved their chairs to
the other side of the table,” said a former
member.
The message that seems to emanate
from these groups is that Adventists
can’t possibly know the assurance in
Christ that they do. This is a bold assertion
to make about anyone. Even as
Adventists have been guilty of misjudging
others, former Adventists should be
careful about doing the same toward
the people they used to worship with.
Members who have left would do much
better to keep their focus on Christ and
their new Christian communities and
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (245) 21

avoid the inherently negative spirit of
former Adventist groups.
Is It Join Hands or
Sing Songs?
At the close of the survey, respondents
were asked: “Would you try the
Adventist Church again?” Forty-six percent
said they would.
These 46 percent are more than a figure.
They’re moms and dads who
squeezed into tiny cradle rolls chairs
next to us. They’re old roommates who
still show up at alumni weekend. They’re
boomer men and women who battle lingering
frustration about the way they
were raised and still aren’t sure who the
“real” Adventists are. They’re good, sensitive
people who hated worrying about
the time of trouble but who aren’t too
wild about eternal hellfire, either.
They’re Christians who, deep in their
hearts, are fine with most Adventist
doctrine, with most Adventist culture,
with most Adventist people—but who
simply wish for an Adventist Church in
which Scripture is authoritative and
Jesus Christ reigns above all.
They’re also the people who can help
get us there. We would be blessed to
have them back. n
1
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, “Adventists’ Back-to-Basics Faith
Is Fastest-Growing U.S. Church,” USA Today, Mar. 17, 2011.
2
Ellen Goodman, “Shopping for Religion,” Boston
Globe, Feb. 29, 2008, p. A15.
3
For a more in-depth discussion of New Testament
Sabbath references, see Andy Nash, “Unrest Over a
Rest Day,” Adventist Review, Feb. 9, 2012.
4
“Christians must not judaize by resting on the
Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring
the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians.
But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let
them be anathema from Christ” (Canon XXIX, Council
of Laodicea, A.D. 364).
5
In Why the Jews Rejected Jesus (New York: Random
House, 2005) Jewish author David Klinghoffer writes:
“No authentic Messiah would inspire a religion that
ended up calling upon the Jews to reject the manifest
meaning of Sinai” (p. 215).
Publishing).
Andy Nash is a journalism and
religion professor at Southern
Adventist University. His new
book is called The Haystacks
Church (Review and Herald
22 (246) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Back to Basics
Rock Solid
Last month was bizarre! The pope resigned. A meteorite struck
Russia, injuring about 1,500 people. The world-famous South African “Blade Runner,” Oscar Pistorius, was
arrested for murder. Things are looking pretty shaky. The world needs a rock on which to lean.
The human family has always been fascinated with rocks. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets Ellen White
painted a poignant picture of the one Moses struck in the wilderness (Num. 20:8-11). Popular legends circulated
among the rabbis of Paul’s day. They told elaborate, almost grotesque, stories about it; some suggesting
that the rock was round, like a beehive, and rolled along the desert behind the people, stopping
where they halted in their journey so that they never thirsted again. Some said the smitten rock was a
divine act unique to their society and sufficient to assure salvation for their people.
Paul detected the development of a similar attitude regarding Christianity among the believers in
Corinth and addressed it in his first letter to them. He made a daring challenge to such erroneous
concepts and underscored the danger that closely resembled the errors of Israel.
He wrote, “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors
were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into
Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual
drink; for they drank from a spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did”
(1 Cor. 10:1-6).
Paul used the experience and privileges of ancient Israel to emphasize that they were all under a
cloud of salvation. They followed their human leader with such dedication that Paul described them
as those who were “baptized [immersed] into Moses” when they passed through the divided waters
of the Red Sea. They also ate the same spiritual food, a kind of communion, or Lord’s Supper; and drank
the refreshing water that flowed from the smitten rock to quench their thirst, water being a symbol of
the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
But they failed to realize that the Rock was Christ. Not a likeness of Him, but Christ Himself. To Paul,
that Rock was not simply something familiar and common, but something more intimate and tender:
Christ our Righteousness. Yet many of those who witnessed the miracle of the smitten rock in the wilderness
failed to see this. They fell by the wayside. They suffered the ultimate punishment for sin: not making
it to the Promised Land.
The same can be true of us if we do not accept Christ as a person with whom we develop an intimate
relationship that is driven by faith. When we lack the power of a vivid imagination, we too can doubt His
promises and make the same mistake as ancient Israel. We can forget that it is Christ, and Christ alone, who
girds us with mysterious strength to meet the challenges of life. It is Christ who supplies all our needs and
inspires new hope every moment of every day. It is Christ who is ever-present, and from whom nothing can
separate us (Rom. 8:37-39). He is our rock and our salvation.
God has given our generation a greater opportunity than was afforded the Israelites: Christ has been
revealed in Jesus, the one who was smitten for us, and by whose stripes we are healed (Isa. 53:1-6). Christ
lives in His believers. From His gracious lips come invitations beckoning us to know Him more intimately,
trust Him more completely, and enter into the joy of His fellowship more consistently.
Those invitations dare us to count on Him, lean on His strength, and bask in the light of His truth. Then
we too shall drink and keep on drinking of that spiritual rock. Unlike early Israel, we know that Rock is Jesus
Christ, who offers salvation to all who believe (John 1:12).
Hyveth
Williams
Hyveth Williams is a homiletics professor at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (247) 23

Adventist Life
One
(happy)Meal
With a Pie on the Side
Trusting
God for
our daily
“bread”
BY LEONORA SPENCER
In July 2005 the rain came down, the
wind blew, and suddenly and unexpectedly
I was without a doubt displaced.
(Displaced sounds more
palatable than homeless.) Abruptly,
my car became my “new” home. I could
not believe it! Life as I knew it had
changed. What at first seemed to be an
easy resolve, overnight became a relentless
nightmare. It was hard to accept that
my insurance company, which happily
received my payments annually, had
become my worst enemy,
Living out of my car was interesting,
to say the least. Many nights I fell asleep
in my back seat with a hammer for protection
and a flashlight to see what I
needed to hit—all the while asking,
“God, where are You?” and pleading,
“Please help me.”
Throughout my life I’ve experienced
some very exigent situations; yet no
matter what happened, I could always
find enough faith and Scripture to see
my way through. This time, however, the
events were unprecedented.
Broadening Perspectives
This sudden new life as a reluctant
vagabond resulted in my questioning
everything and everyone, including God.
Before then I had presumed that if I
were ever in dire need, I would be able
to turn to obvious resources. Not so. I
did, however, uncover a group of choristers
singing similar tunes of “I’m praying
for you.” I came to abhor those
words. I didn’t want anyone to shoo me
away with “I’m praying for you.”
Instead I needed someone to stop and
simply pray with me, or perhaps ask,
“What can I do to help?”
During that time I found it difficult to
pray for myself. My faith also was
derailed by those who, like Job’s comforters,
suggested that my “predicament”
was the result of some secret sin
or that God was trying to teach me a lesson.
Out of sheer frustration, if not
anger, I countered with such comments
as: “Since we’re all sinners bound to
experience adversity, what will happen
when it’s your turn?” Perhaps, I pon-
24 (248) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

dered, my “lesson” might be an opportunity
for others to show compassion or to help in
some way. Obviously, though, their words
and actions indicated that my situation
involved only me.
Until the Storm Passes
I was born to a country
girl who once witnessed a
person get struck by lightning.
She therefore taught
her children and grandchildren
an unwavering
code of conduct during a
storm: “Be still until the
storm passes!”
Until the storm passes—
that is what my state of
affairs had become: a
storm, a really bad storm.
So I did what I had been
taught; I became very still. In the silence I
came to understand that life is not ultimately
about the “storms” or the losses.
Instead, it’s about learning to trust God.
We need to “be still” and to submit our
I needed
someone
to pray
with me, or
perhaps
ask, “What
can I do to
help?”
lives completely to Him.
When I finally totally surrendered my
life to God, He impressed these words
upon my heart: “Lord, teach us to pray”
(Luke 11:1) and “Give us today our daily
bread” (Matt. 6:11). As I meditated on
these Bible verses, I realized that in
spite of my circumstances
and regardless of all of my
questions, the Holy Spirit
had given me the words I
needed to begin to talk to
God again. And so I began:
“Give us today our daily
bread.”
This scripture illuminated
my path and allowed me to see
the “bread”: gas in my car;
clean clothes to wear; a sample
pair of hose; stamps found;
food court samples; a kind
representative for my lender, who gave me
a few months of reprieve; a call from a caring
friend; a “buy-one, get-one-free” sale;
friends who opened their homes to me; a
free oil change; and on and on and on. Day
by day, whatever I needed, God provided!
Thankful in All
Circumstances
I truly am thankful for my time of
homelessness. It was a two-and-a-halfyear
journey that I’ll never forget. It
taught me to consider, catch sight of,
and, above all, appreciate my “daily
bread”—and to trust God more fully
than I ever had before.
In the end I lost my two-year battle
with the insurance company. When I
received the news, I distracted myself by
cleaning out my car. And wouldn’t you
know it, I found what I needed for that
day: enough change for one (happy)
meal with a pie on the side!
God’s Word is sure! Thank You, Lord,
for our daily bread. n
Leonora Spencer is a writer
residing in Georgia.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (249) 25

Biblical Studies
in the
Wilderness
the Epidemic
BY GERALD A. KLINGBEIL
This is the second installment of a series of articles focusing upon the book of Numbers—a
must-read for those waiting to enter the Promised Land. 1 —Editor’s note.
Not again!” Young Michal turned around to see who had uttered these
words so passionately. She had been busy since early morning. It was
Friday and tomorrow it would not be there. It was whitish and sweet
like cake with honey. Michal loved it—but then she had not known
much else. When it had first been found around the camp somebody
had wondered “manna”?—“what is it?”—and that had become its name. Michal liked manna,
and mother had become quite the expert in preparing it in different ways. At times she would
grind it into some type of flour; on other days she would boil it in a pot or bake it into a cake.
Nobody had seen manna grow—every morning it was just there, like the few dew drops on the
forlorn grass shoots.
“I am sick and tired of this sweet, soft nothing,” Michal heard the female voice speak again.
“I wish I could eat something else.” “Oh, do you remember the wonderful fish dish with onions
and garlic that your aunt used to make for us?” another voice said wistfully. “Yes, and those
melons—weren’t they just delicious? Egypt, well, those were the good ol’ days.”
There was silence as people bent down and picked up more manna for the Sabbath. Michal
searched to link the voices to faces—but was unable to do so. She loved manna and sneaked a
handful of the sweet stuff into her mouth. It tasted like—well—more. Yes, it was sweet, and yes,
it had a unique texture. But when Michal closed her eyes while eating, she could smell and taste
a different land, with green pastures and soft winds rippling through the treetops. She thought
she could hear the noise of lazy waves lapping on a shore—it just sounded like freedom. 2
Not Again!
Complaining seems to be part and
parcel of human nature. “Not again!” my
Hebrew students would exclaim when I
reminded them of their weekly quiz.
“Not again!” we shout when we wrestle
with the “why.” Not again! is us—you
and I—shaking our heads (and at times
our fists) at God.
Not again! became a trademark of
Israel’s wilderness experience. Numbers
recounts numerous occasions
someone complained about something.
In Numbers 11:1 the people complain—
about something. Scripture is not clear,
but in response God sends fire that consumes
some on the outskirts of the
camp. In typical fashion Israel cries out
to Moses, who in turn intercedes before
the Lord on their behalf, and the fire
subsides (verse 2). Only one verse into
chapter 11 the mixed multitude (or
“rabble,” as verse 4 states) decide that
they have had it with manna—and crave
the culinary riches of Egypt: Who will
give us meat—and fish, and cucumbers, and
melons, and leeks, and onions, and garlic?
(cf. verse 5).
The list could go on and on. A people
in the wilderness, unhappy about food,
water, leadership, God’s direction,
and—ultimately—the future. A people
who had heard the voice from the mountain,
who had marched through the
waters, who had seen God’s mighty
acts—and yet this all didn’t seem to
matter when it came to the nitty-gritty of
26 (250) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

daily life. Their God seemed to be far
removed. Their trust was underdeveloped.
Their commitment was vacillating.
Somehow that sounds familiar. We too
struggle with the reality of God in the
nitty-gritty of daily life. We too are quick
to shout and scream—and murmur—
when we feel that life is not fair. We too,
at times, raise our fists toward heaven
and shout “Why?” completely forgetting
that God sheds more tears about our
pain than we can ever produce.
The book of Numbers has a very
unique structure, pivoting around the
two generations of Israel—old and new.
Interestingly, a quick scan of the first 10
chapters of Numbers results in many
references to faithful compliance: God
tells Moses (and, by extension, Israel) to
count all the men aged 20 and above—
check (1:54). God organizes their living
space and the camp arrangement—check
(2:34). When God wants a census of the
Levites, Moses and the people comply
(3:16). The firstborns are to be numbered
and redeemed—check (3:42).
When the Levites need to be formally
ordained for their special ministry,
Moses and the people follow through
(8:20). Every time there is a fulfillment
formula that sounds something like
this: “And X did Y according to the word
of the Lord.” God speaks—Moses and
the people comply. What else is needed?
It works—don’t fix it.
And yet, isn’t there more to this life
with God? The master-slave mentality
still seems to shine through here. Obedience,
yes, but is there not another
important element that should characterize
the human-divine relationship?
Beginning in Numbers 11 the facade
begins to crack. Instead of obedience (or
at least compliance) we find complaints,
suspicion, and even open rebellion.
Everybody is affected. It starts with the
mixed multitude and catches on with
the people, affecting even Moses as he
complains to God about his lot of leading
a wayward people. Miriam and
Their God
seemed to be far
removed. Their
trust was
underdeveloped.
Their
commitment was
vacillating.
Aaron weigh in and criticize not only
Moses’ leadership but also his marriage
and tribal loyalty. When the going gets
tough, when the time gets longer, erstwhile
obedient Israel suddenly becomes
suspicious, complaining, and doubleguessing
Israel.
X-ray of a Complaint
An example of the anatomy of murmurings
can be found in Numbers 12.
The chapter follows a veritable collection
of complaints described in Numbers
11. It seems that murmurings tend
to multiply—the spirit behind them is
contagious. You remember the colds or
flus that affect the entire family during
winter—somehow they always catch on!
In Numbers 12 the first two verses
teach a significant lesson: The purported
reason of the complaint may not always be its
true cause. The Hebrew text in verse 1 tells
us that Miriam and Aaron talked against
Moses because of his Cushite wife. Twice
the ethnic origin of Zipporah is mentioned,
which is another way of pushing
our nose into the problem: A Cushite, a
foreigner, an outsider—“can you imagine
that?” However, while Moses’ marriage
(and questions of influence) may
have been an issue, the real complaint
goes much deeper: “God does not only
speak through Moses—He has also spoken
through us.” The core issue of Aaron’s
and Miriam’s murmurings did not
involve some abstract theological point
of contention concerning revelation.
Miriam and Aaron felt cut out—they
wanted to belong to the inside circle.
Verse 2 closes with the ominous: “And
the Lord heard this,” reminding us that
there is a heavenly dimension to our complaints
and murmurings—especially when
they happen inside the church.
God’s response to this complaint is
quick and decisive. After Aaron, Miriam,
and Moses have gathered at the
entrance of the tabernacle, the Lord
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (251) 27

comes down in a pillar of cloud.
This is a crucial moment affecting
divine leadership and communication—thus
God’s swift response.
Apparently Aaron and Miriam had not
been part of the 70 elders that God had
empowered to share Moses’ leadership
duties in Numbers 11:16-25. Perhaps
they were jealous of Moses’ privileged
standing with God. Perhaps they had
gotten used to being the top dogs and
now felt unappreciated. The Bible is not
entirely clear as to the true reason for
their murmurings. However, Scripture
is unequivocally clear about God’s
response. “Why then were you not
afraid to speak against my servant
Moses?” (Num. 12:8).
Here is another valuable lesson from
Numbers 12: When we murmur and mumble
against other people (or God), we forget
who we really are and what our position in
life is. We are not the center of the universe.
We are frail human beings with
large egos, often lacking sound judgment
and a true recognition of our
place in life.
Leprosy
Can you imagine the shock on everybody’s
face as the cloud lifted? Miriam
was covered with whitish patches on
her skin: leprosy. Everybody stepped
back—aghast. Leprosy meant isolation.
Leprosy meant no access to God
through the sanctuary. 3 Leprosy meant
dying every day while everyone watched
from afar. Aaron pleads for his sister—
and Moses (the object of their murmurings)
prays to the Lord. This is not a
nicely formulated prayer spoken in
well-measured cadences. It is a shout of
anguish, a cry that reverberates down
through the ages. “Please heal her.” The
Hebrew text employs the same word
used to describe Moses’ intercession
during the earlier murmuring attack
noted in Numbers (11:1). It had already
appeared in similar contexts in Exodus
15:25 and 17:4 when Moses cried to God
to provide water for the people. I like
this valuable lesson from Numbers: Our
murmurings cause pain (both for ourselves
and for others). God heard Moses’
anguished cry—and restored Miriam.
The Domino Effect
Epidemics are not very selective. In
the fourteenth century the Black Death
raced through Europe and decimated
the population of an entire continent by
an estimated 50 percent.
The spirit of murmurings and complaints
is similar to an epidemic. Within
a worldwide church it multiplies
quickly (unfortunately the relative anonymity
of the information age often
makes the “infection” rate more rapid).
While we may complain about one
thing, the real issue at stake is often not
mentioned and represents a hidden
agenda. In our murmurings and railings
against God (or anybody else) we
We are frail
human beings
with large
egos, often
lacking sound
judgment
and a true
recognition of
our place
in life.
often forget who we really are—clay,
fragile earthen vessels, a race in rebellion.
Ultimately, our murmurings
always cause pain. We hurt people. We
wound ourselves, and we cause pain to
the One who gave Himself so that we
would be able to choose life.
Yet, there is another type of domino
effect. 4 It moves more quietly and may
not always be clearly visible—yet it is as
powerful as the epidemics (past and
present) that ravage entire continents.
Sixty-three years ago, somewhere in a
neighborhood of post-World War II
Cape Town, South Africa, an overworked
and worn-out woman, pregnant with
her sixth child, lay in bed, sick and worried.
A devout Catholic and married to a
hardworking husband who was not
really interested in religion, with a
house full of hungry and lively children,
she felt very discouraged.
An Adventist neighbor had put her
name down for prayer at an evangelistic
meeting that was underway in town.
The evangelist, a native of England, in
turn visited the family and offered to
pray. His soft-spoken prayers reminded
Eileen of God’s unending love. A Bible
study ensued, marked by many visits
and shared scripture and a husband
who slowly began to discover this God
of Scripture. Following many months of
Bible studies Eileen and Albert decided
to be baptized and began a lifelong
journey of spiritual growth. A visit and
loving prayer changed the course for an
entire family touching many generations—my
wife’s extended family—for
Eileen and Albert were my wife’s grandparents.
Both of them have passed to
their rest—they await the coming of
Jesus somewhere in a cemetery in Cape
Town. Yet, their decision changed not
only their lives, but also my wife’s
and—ultimately—my life.
Stemming the tide of negative sentiments
takes courage. Speaking out
when the majority roars for blood
requires pluck. Numbers teaches us
that we can avoid this epidemic of negativity
and murmurings. We are called to
stick to the Master and walk humbly
before God. We are invited to consciously
decide to be the positive influence
in the midst of a sea of negativity
and criticism (remember Caleb and
Joshua!). It’s not an easy task—but it’s
God’s way: one kind act, one encouraging
word, one gentle hug that generates
another kind act and more encouraging
words and many gentle hugs—and ultimately
beats the epidemic. n
1
See Gerald A. Klingbeil, “In the Wilderness: Of Tassels,
Wanderings, and the Promised Land,” Adventist
Review, May 10, 2012, pp. 20-22.
2
This fictional narrative is based on Numbers 11.
3
That’s most likely also the reason Aaron was not
struck by leprosy—it would have made the priestly
service impossible.
4
Gerald A. Klingbeil, “The Domino Effect,” Adventist
Review, Apr. 26, 2012, p. 6.
Gerald A. Klingbeil is an
associate editor of the
Adventist Review who has seen
the antidote against the
epidemic at work in his own life.
28 (252) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Bookmark
Life Is Good: The
Best Is Yet to Come
William G. Johnsson, Review and Herald
Publishing Association, Hagerstown,
Maryland, 96 pages, $8.99, softcover.
Reviewed by Stephen Chavez, coordinating
editor, Adventist Review.
The question many people are asking
about religion today is not Is it the
truth? but Is it relevant?
An increasing number are
deciding that religion is
not wrong or misguided—
it’s just irrelevant.
William Johnsson, former
editor of Adventist
Review, has produced a
book that in fewer than
100 pages doesn’t argue
the existence of God; it
merely explains how some
of the simplest life experiences point
inexorably to the reality of a loving, personal,
divine Being.
In a personal, nonthreatening, nonjudgmental
way, Johnsson explains his
convictions about life and
the hereafter. He acknowledges
that after looking at
the same evidence, people
may come away with different
conclusions. In fact,
the first half of the book
examines the claims of
some of society’s greatest
skeptics. But he concludes:
“We live in perpetual trust
that Someone bigger than
we are has drawn us to Him.”
For anyone who’s struggled with
doubt, or those who know someone
who has, this book is an invaluable,
thought-provoking resource. n
At Rest
BIEBER, F. W. “Bill”—b. Apr. 13, 1916;
d. Oct. 29, 2012, College Place, Wash. He
served as a religion teacher at Oshawa
Missionary College and as MV and educational
superintendent of the British
Columbia, Wisconsin, and Northern
Union conferences. He also served as
principal of Wisconsin Academy and
president of the South Dakota and
Idaho conferences. He was predeceased
by his wife, Viola; and one son, Billie
Bruce. He is survived by one daughter,
Sherene Bieber.
FRAME, Robert R.—b. Nov. 23, 1915,
New South Wales, Australia; d. Nov. 5,
2012, Hendersonville, N.C. He served in
the treasury office of the South Pacific
Division, then as secretary-treasurer
and later as president of the Papua New
Guinea Mission. He served as assistant
treasurer, secretary, and president of
the South Pacific Division, associate secretary
of the General Conference, and
president of the Adventist Media Center.
He is survived by his wife, Peggy;
one son, Peter; one daughter, Judy; and
two granddaughters.
LELAND, John H.—b. Mar. 1, 1924,
San Diego, Calif.; d. July 30, 2012,
Ooltewah, Tenn. He served as a medical
recruiting officer for the Kentucky-
Tennessee Conference and as a practicing
physician in Crestwood, Kentucky.
He also served in prison ministry at the
Kentucky State Penitentiary. He is survived
by his wife, Floreen; two sons,
James and John; three daughters, Joleen
Horine, Jennifer Huck, and Anne
Blanchard; 10 grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren.
MARTIN, Chester L.—b. Sept. 5, 1918;
d. Oct. 28, 2012, Port Charlotte, Fla. He
worked in printing for Washington
Adventist University and the Review
and Herald Publishing Association. He
is survived by his wife, Camilla; one
daughter, Sharon F. Dickson-Kadel;
three grandchildren; and six
great-grandchildren.
MARTZ, Dowell Edward—b. Sept. 29,
1923, Livonia, Mo.; d. Feb. 9, 2012,
Bakersfield, Calif. He served as a physics
professor at Pacific Union College. He is
survived by his wife, Mabel; two sons,
Martin and Marc; and two daughters,
Merri and Marjorie Emerson.
MILLER, Henry R.—b. Feb. 15, 1930,
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; d. May 18, 2012, Mesa,
Ariz. He served as a teacher in Easton
Elementary School in Pennsylvania and
Thunderbird Elementary School in
Arizona. He is survived by his wife,
Anna; one son, Hugh R.; and one
step-grandson.
MOORES, Robert M.—b. Aug. 4, 1944,
Oshawa, Ont.; d. Dec. 14, 2012, Halifax,
N.S. He served as secretary-treasurer of
the East African Union and Maritime
Conference; as treasurer of the China
Island Union Mission and Trans-
European and Northern Asia-Pacific
divisions. He also served as an auditor
for the West and East Indonesia unions
and the Far Eastern Division. He is survived
by his wife, Eileen; three daughters,
Heather Harrington, Holly
Bruestle, and Merrilee Moores; one
brother, Clarence; one sister, Glenda
Madgwick; and three grandchildren.
PATCHEN, Glenn A.—b. June 26,
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; d. Nov. 5, 2012,
Wenatchee, Wash. He served as an
obstetrician/gynecologist. He is survived
by his wife, Valerie; two sons, Greg
and Garth; one daughter, Genelle Pepple;
one brother, Gary; one sister, Gloria
Kupferman; and seven grandchildren.
RICHARDS, Sibyl P.—b. Apr. 24, 1923,
Mobile, Ala.; d. June 11, 2012, Westfield,
Ind. She served as a teacher at Battle
Creek Academy and as girls’ dean at
Wisconsin Academy. She is survived by
one daughter, Mary Ann Smith; and
three grandchildren.
SHANK, E. Ruth—b. Nov. 7, 1932,
Clayton, Ohio; d. Apr. 18, 2012, Sebring,
Fla. She served as a parish nurse for
Florida Hospital Heartland in Avon Park
and Sebring. She is survived by four
sons, John, Joe, Eirek Heintz, and Donald
Trembly; and one daughter, Disa
Gibbons.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (253) 29

Journeys With Jesus
Jill
Morikone
A Selfless 6-Year-Old
It was a typical day at school. I was halfway through my morning’s
work of teaching piano—halfway through listening to scales, finger exercises, hymns, and gospel songs,
reading chord charts, and teaching improvisation. Some students had practiced hard, and some hadn’t.
Some kids were incredibly gifted, and some made up for that lack by diligence and perseverance. The
morning had gone well—nothing earth-shattering, just the normal routine of daily life.
I stepped out of the music room into the hallway to find my next student, little knowing that my
morning was about to change.
The teacher had just dismissed her multigrade class for recess, and I paused to watch the
exodus. Children ran down the hallway, eager to get to the gym for playtime. Their voices rose
as they laughed and argued, as kids everywhere do. I smiled as little girls joined hands to play
jump rope, while the boys started shooting baskets in a corner. What a joy to have freedom
from classes for a moment. Doesn’t every child love recess? (Doesn’t every teacher love
recess?)
As I turned to enter the classroom, the moment happened. Just as I reached for the
door handle, the door opened suddenly, and I found myself looking down at a very
cute little guy. Navy-blue pants and a light-blue polo. A short, almost buzzed, cut of blond
hair. He was our only first grader this year.
“Good morning, James.* How are you?” My question came out almost automatically. Rhetorically.
I smiled at him and turned to enter the classroom.
His response stopped me in my tracks. “Hi, Miss Jill. How is your day going today?”
Had I just heard right? Had a little boy—a first grader—actually asked about my day? I let go of the
handle and allowed the door to shut behind me. We were alone in the hallway. Oh, there was
lots of commotion, but we were somehow shut in—he and I—in this moment of time. I
stooped down and looked into his brown eyes. “Thanks for asking, James! My day is going
very well—especially now. How about you?”
The moment had almost passed for him. He was already reaching into his locker for his
midmorning snack. “Oh, it’s going really good.” He pulled out his lunch box.
Still blown away by his interest in others, by his unselfishness, I tried again. “And what’s
made your day so good, James?”
He grinned as he munched on some crackers, crumbs on his fingers and around his mouth.
“That’s easy. I have food right here to eat, and I have two good friends.”
Food and friends. That’s a pretty good combination, I thought as he ran off to play. But in reality he had much
more than that. Oh, he had a good home, good parents and siblings; but somehow I sensed that wasn’t all.
His was an unselfish heart. A caring heart. A heart that thought of others even though he was only 6 years
old.
As I entered the music room with my next student, the day seemed different. Brighter somehow. All
through the rest of the morning I pondered the sermon I had seen—lived out through the life of a child.
What was God, through this experience, calling me to do? Was He asking me to “get out of myself”? Yes.
Would my worldview change if I lived each day speaking an encouraging word, seeking to lift up my sister
or brother, searching for ways to bless others? Absolutely.
Wasn’t this our gospel commission: Go, therefore, and teach and love others; preach and show Jesus;
baptize and live His life (see Matt. 28:19, 20)?
It’s a calling He’s placed on my heart. What about yours? n
* not his real name
Jill Morikone is a music teacher, a church pianist, and a host on the 3ABN Today cooking segments.
30 (254) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013

Reflections
The Beauty of Scars
I have worried too much in my life, even about little things such as
scars. As ridiculously vain as it may sound, the imperfections of scars annoyed me, for they told the secrets
of my less-than-graceful moments.
At the end of my sophomore year of college I shattered my patella while horseback riding. The orthopedist
offered me a choice: surgery or take my chances with casting. The former choice, he added, would leave a
visible scar. I found myself in the casting room moments later. Why? Because scars scared me. That changed
one day when my perspective shifted through the words of a dear friend.
Kimi was one of my roommates in an apartment of four during a mission service year in Pohnpei, a
Micronesian island in the Pacific. After a day of teaching, the four of us could often be found discussing life.
On this particular day I was selfishly lamenting over yet another scar when Kimi nonchalantly said, “Scars
just mean you lived.” I don’t think I ever told her how much those words meant, how they changed my view.
But it was true. Scars have a way of telling a small piece of our life story. The scar holds a memory, an adventure,
a risk, and a point in time. To live greatly, scars are often required.
However, scars run deeper than mere discolorations or raised, jagged lines on the surface of your skin.
Emotional scars cannot be hidden. The face speaks volumes from stone-cold eyes to a single tear to a grimace
to a furrowed brow to disengagement, etc. And sadly, our world is
full of such scars.
While I have learned to take Kimi’s advice and accept my external
scars, I find myself reserved in other venues of life. I’m honored to hear
others candidly express their stories, yet I often limit what I share.
While grateful that life has been kind to spare me from the jading of
emotional scars, I continuously find myself putting up walls. Perhaps
it’s my personality, or perhaps my old fear of scars overshadows things.
I build walls because walls prevent scarring.
Walls also prevent you from living fully.
There are survival scars. When I consider the cancer survivor, the
multitrauma survivor, the prisoner of war, the mother saving her child,
I see their scars as badges of honor. They have conquered their scars and
emerged stronger than before. I find myself admiring their characters,
and the scars suddenly look beautiful.
When I ponder what it means to live a truly great life of valor, of
honor, of compassion, and of altruism, I think of Christ. Then it struck
me. Christ’s perfection allowed His hands to be pierced and scarred by nails in order to save us, to erase our
filthy scars eternally. His scars removed ours. Now, His scars remain in representation of the gift. I picture
Christ’s hands in my mind, and I’ve decided His hands hold the most beautiful scars our world has ever
seen. I keep thinking that I should not let the beautiful scars be without cause. Perhaps I should give more.
Perhaps I should risk more. Perhaps I should stop letting walls prevent me from living an authentic life of
purpose.
Kimi was right. Scars mean you lived. I understand now what I could not before: scars hold true beauty.
And I need to wholeheartedly clasp Christ’s scarred hands in thanks. n
Stacey Cunningham writes from Loma Linda, California.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (255) 31