REFLECTING ON THE CHURCH
The cover story, "Reflections on the World Church" (July, 2003) by Charles C. Sandefur, was a masterpiece that should be made available to the entire world church family. I find Sandfur's portrait of the Adventist Church to be informative, uplifting, inspiring, and reaffirming. What a God-given privilege it is to belong to such a diverse, yet united, growing, spiritual family. Thanks for making this extraordinary coverage of our beloved church available in print.

George W. Brown
Avon Park, Florida


It would increase your subscription base if you had more articles like "Reflections on the World Church." While this was written as a devotional meant to convey information, it contained the potential for a powerful, thought-provoking series of articles on diversity and unity within the church. The article raises issues without clear-cut official positions. We are still a dynamic church that can be led by the Spirit as we seek to keep up with the Lord.

What a wonderful admission of reality.

Dick Tibbits, vice president
Florida Hospital
Orlando, Florida


Charles Sandefur's article was outstanding. I will be an Adventist for 50 years in 2006, and I also see things somewhat differently than our newer members.

Elaine Longacre

OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Kudos to Gordon Bietz for an insightful look at the act of prayer and its relevance in life ("Why Do We Pray?" July, 2003). He appropriately points out that certain aspects of prayer, and why we should pray, are beyond the scope of our understanding; but that they key element of its power and necessity lies in an honest, sincere, and loving relationship with God. It is this relational aspect that stands out so profoundly as to why prayer is essential in our daily Christian walk.

Bietz' presentation of the dilemma posed by unanswered prayer--as viewed by human eyes--is a clear and concise explanation that we should pray because we love God for who He is and because He has asked us to, in spite of not knowing the outcome. This goes beyond faith into a realm of pure, unconditional love for our Creator. Our obedience hinges not on asking, "What will this do for me?" but rather, "Whom do I believe God to be?" It compels one to grapple with the arguments of who God really is, and what His character is really like. After all, isn't this at the heart of the great controversy, and why we believe what we believe?

Bietz shows that prayer is not merely a symbiotic relationship with the Creator, but an inherent belief within the individual that God is truly a God of love, and that by praying, we reciprocate in this love.

Milind Borge
Silver Spring, Maryland

WITNESSING ON THE JOB
The article, "Cross Purposes" (June 26, 2003), was informative and thought-provoking. As a voice teacher at a music school, I have had many occasions to counsel and pray with many of my students. Often I have forgone a lesson and used the time instead to allow students, whom I sensed to be troubled, to talk about what bothered them and then pray with them. When I offered to make the lesson up they demurred and indicated that just talking was well worth the expense.

Too often we feel that witnessing on the job is taboo. But when we let God bring others to us and allow Him to use us to minister to their needs in a meaningful way, we open the door to further forms of witnessing that can lead someone into a relationship with Christ. We need to remember: first the cup of water then the Bread of life.

T. Mason
Huntsville, Alabama

STILL SHINING
I enjoyed Amanda Sauder's review of Lena Nozizwe's career ("Shine On," June 19, 2003). In the 1980's and 90's I was part of the Faith For Today team that produced Lifestyle Magazine. Lena was co-host with Dan Matthews for several years. I'm sure there are many areas of Lena's career that you had to pass over mentioning. However, this part of her life, I believe, was integral in the pursuit of her personal goals and dreams; it allowed her to hone her craft.

Unless there is something negative about her time as co-host of Lifestyle Magazine that I'm unaware of, I thought I should at least mention this for future reference.

George Swanson

EQUAL TIME
I so appreciated the printing of another side of an issue in Bonnie Dwyer's essay, "Current Concerns of a 'Liberal' Adventist" (June, 2003). I have a dream for our church where we go back to our heritage and remember that our roots were firmly planted in research, study, and in healthy, supportive discussions.

The 27 beliefs would not be who we are so much, but where a majority of our members are in their understanding at this time. Who we are would be a living, vibrant, tolerant, growing group of people around the world who believe in honest, healthy discussions that bring about growth and learning, with Christ and His ideals as our center. This message would be something we could share around the world and maybe, just maybe, stop Adventists from killing other Adventists and teach us all how to care about each other.

To learn how to care and be tolerant of those who do not think as we do takes Christ's love, a community, honesty, trust in all that is said and done, and much work and education. I think Spectrum can help be a part of this community of Adventists; and that we are very fortunate to have Bonnie, someone the church can communicate with and thereby reach a group of members that at times may feel left out. In turn, that group of members will give back to the church in ways that will strengthen its community.

Again, thanks; and thanks for the many other good articles I have enjoyed reading over the last few years as well.

Ellen Brodersen


Commendations to the editorial staff at Adventist Review for the piece, "Current Concerns of a 'Liberal' Adventist." It was refreshing to see such candor in the official journal of Adventism. It was equally refreshing to see the author of this article identified as "Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum, the journal of the Association of Adventist Forums."

It would be encouraging to see more of such opinions expressed, especially if such could be the convictions of males within denominational leadership positions. Certainly it is time to look objectively at the gross incongruity within Adventism between the gender ratio of denominational membership and similar ratios represented in decision-making committees and conferences. To ignore such will reinforce the convictions evident among many younger Seventh-day Adventists, i.e., the church just isn't relevant to twenty-first century realities.

It would also be refreshing to learn more about gender composition in conference executive committees and other governing/decision-making boards. Maybe a series of articles would be timely in showing how the gender inequity in leadership is being addressed.

Keep up the good work, and keep up your courage in candidly reporting on contemporary issues in Adventism.

Jim Kaatz, Ed.D.
President, San Diego Chapter
Association of Adventist Forums

FAMILY FRIENDLY FOR ALL
I am 18. I thought the title, "Creating a Family-friendly Church" (June, 2003), was a little misleading. I read the article to see if I could get any ideas to help the youth program in my own church. I was disappointed. The article focused only on families with children younger than 13 years of age. What about families with teenagers?

The only mention of children at any other age was the following: "Children from 5 to 13 have a 32 percent probability of accepting Jesus; ages 14 to 18, only 4 percent; 19 and older, 6 percent. . . . If childhood is evangelism's window of opportunity, should we not be more intentional about allocating budgets and evangelism efforts where they will be most productive, rather than to an audience that is six to eight times less open?"

The last sentence really aggravated me. Why do you think teenagers and people in their early twenties are less likely to be interested in church? Many churches have good programs for children, but then forget them when they hit their teenage years. The reason the probability of accepting Christ is so much lower for children older than 13 is because they get lost in the cracks. There aren't many programs for teenagers.

The teenage years are when children are stepping out and deciding things for themselves. Many test to see if the things they learned in Cradle Roll and Primary Sabbath School are useful now. It's a very important growing time.

A church should nurture and guide its teenagers; it's the time when many people who have grown up in the church, leave it. Teenagers have a lot of energy and can be wonderful workers for Christ, if they are cared about and encouraged to get involved with church activities. This doesn't happen often.

The article was wonderful for families with smaller children, but was seriously lacking for families with older children.

Michelle Weikum

CHRISTIANS AND WAR
According to Angel Manuel Rodriguez (www.adventistreview.org/2003-1515/story4.html), "We should . . . acknowledge that there is no such thing as a just war. Only God, who is all-powerful and all-loving, can define and actually bring about a war that results in permanent peace." No permanent peace will be granted until Jesus returns, agreed.

But in the midst of Iraqi war protesters around the world, and a United States president forced to maintain national security, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's passive yet undeniable frown upon the "just war" cause seems to set the church in the protesters' camp. Taking that side on this critical issue not only draws jeers from the patriotic families, whose sons and daughters are shedding blood for our sakes, but furthermore--in the eyes of many other Christian prophecy scholars--the Adventist stance may also steer the church into compliance with the imminent policies of a (false) peace broker, the antichrist.

I conscientiously agree that as Christians, we must discourage enmity among people and serve as an example of Christ's love toward all. But the Scripture also rightly declares, "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Prov. 13:24) The "nations" are like children who go about trashing their father's home in reckless abandon, all the time convinced in the wicked imaginations of their hearts that their Father has left the house and won't find out?

Isn't our Father, the Lord God Almighty, aware and concerned about what's going on? Would a father not put the eldest son, the one with the most sense, in charge, and give him authority to reprimand the younger ones who misbehave? Our president, George W. Bush, a born-again Christian, has led us into war against a rogue nation. Shall we not praise God for a deliverance like this?

Mr. Rodriguez further advocates that Adventists should sit out the war. By branding all wars as equally evil, he brands all pre-emptive anti-terrorist attacks as evil, too. Yet Paul calls us to righteously judge the works of our rulers. "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same" (Rom. 13:3).

The Seventh-day Adventist Church claims to formally judge no member who is sent to war: "The extent of the involvement of the individual church member in war is a matter between him or her and God."

Which is it? Are there just wars or not? Rodriguez' column appears to be a reflection of the church's own lukewarm approach to this issue. He calls all wars evil and unjustifiable, but then he looks for principles that justify war and "parameters that will help make war less inhuman." He says there is no justifiable case for war under heaven, then he tries to defend the poor, confused souls who have to cope with its inevitability.

Hereby does the Lord call every pastor to choose a side and stick to it, lest our people be rent asunder because our sacrifice is found displeasing by the Lord: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15, 16).

José Martín Rosario