FINANCIAL TIPS
I really appreciated Edward Reid's guest editorial, "Hot Tips for Financial Security" (August, 2003). Certainly God has blessed Adventists in the past. My favorite sentence is, "God will provide" (Gen. 22:8). He always has.

When we give our hearts and lives to Christ, we are not guaranteed to be blessed or live well financially; it only comes from common sense and experience. Yes, we should make plans, but we must be flexible. God can and will bless.

A good website that goes beyond Brother Reid's editorial to explain what to do when faced with financial trouble is www.fix-debt.com.

In the United States 1.6 millions families are credit challenged, and I suspect many Adventist families are affected. Mrs. White also has given tremendous counsel about how to manage our finances. It would be great for those with talents in financial affairs to give sound advice to those who are struggling financially, one on one. There is no shame to be poor or financially challenged; the good Lord said that trials produce patience.

Michel Kordas
West Bend, Wisconsin

ADVENTISTS AND ADDICTION
Praise the Lord, the church is taking the first step towards recovery!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was when I saw the cover of the Adventist Review, "Adventists and Addiction" (undated special issue). Reading the articles was an answer to prayer.

I have traveled that road of trying to help a loved ones choose not to participate in their addiction; and yes, they were Seventh-day Adventists. Besides being alone and frightened, you are pulled down to the point of being sick yourself. I found the strength, hope, and courage I needed to get through this ordeal at Al-Anon meetings. At church I was told I needed to pray more and just surrender it to God, which is much easier said than done. In Al-Anon I saw the surrendering in process and witnessed the challenges overcome by those in attendance because they admitted there was a problem they couldn't handle themselves.

Yes, we serve a loving and forgiving God, who stands beside us through this trial. But it is through admitting that these issues exist within our families and the church, and admitting our powerlessness over them that we can all begin to recover from the devastation of addictions, whatever they may be.

Thank you for putting together this special issue. I pray that everyone will read it, in its entirety, with an open mind.

Diane Jacobson


I anxiously looked forward to the special issue "Adventists and Addiction" and eagerly read it when it arrived yesterday. A good job was done in pointing out the problem of addiction. I hope this is just part one on the treatment of this subject. Part two could detail how to overcome sin addiction.

Surely the church has something more to say on this subject than to point to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Sexaholics Anonymous, etc. Can not the spiritual therapy be outlined in detail? What about behavioral change techniques? What about the medical and dietary aspects for cure?

Why is it the cocaine addict is not so strongly addicted in his older years of life? Does righteousness develop with senility?

Obesity is a great medical problem today. No one seems to have the answer. Can not the church say something to help? Dietary principles certainly can be listed to help in this matter.

Health authorities using the best known techniques of the world failed in their teenage smoking cessation program. Cannot the church help? Has God left His church helpless? Do not the avenues of the soul have anything to do with addiction? Should they not be discussed in detail to help prevent these addictions to start with?

What about TV, music, reading material, modest dress, etc.? What about our associates, recreation, etc.? I am anxiously awaiting the part two of this special issue for a discussion in helping us all to be overcomers in regard to this addiction to sin. Surely the Lord expects us to overcome. Would He not clue us in as to how this is to be accomplished?

John A. Scharffenberg, M.D., M.P.H.


The cover of the special edition regarding Adventists and Addictions reminded me of Horus (Greek: Harpocrates), the son of Osiris in the Egyptian pantheon. He is sometimes represented, seated on a Lotus-flower, with his finger on his lips, as the god of (hush) silence.

Since we are examining ourselves, let's really be honest! Adventists have a number of addictions they do not want to talk about. These range from too much 3ABN to the Angel-dust in the Adventist Review and even ministerial co-dependency at the local level.

For a denomination that was historically known for studying the Bible, maybe what it needs is to get back to the Bible and demand real, Bible-based messages from the pulpit. Let's tell them Jesus wants His church back and He wants it to be a working church! My Bible tells me wages are paid when the job is completed, but the benefits of ministry are available to all and are to be experienced at all times.

Say, did I really see a pledge card? Too bad it was just about alcohol and tobacco.

Lindsey Greene
Boulder, Colorado


I have never written back to the Review but the special edition is a must for all Seventh-day Adventists to read.

Please make this special edition available for sale at Adventist Book Centers.

Please place the pledge card in the hands of the pastors so they can do likewise to the church members. Leaders first, others follow.

Please encourage the pastors and leaders to make the church user friendly.

Please print a sample bible study guide AA style and provide information about how others can get them.

Please keep the church reminded weekly how they can relate to those who have had past, present, and future addictions.

I was on the road to a few addictions and have a brother who hit the bottom, big time. We both were raised Seventh-day Adventist. I work for Listen Community Crusade Against Drugs for the past 20 years. My brother is currently out of the church.

The only way I have been able to overcome the problem is directly with God's help, and telling thousands of kids and adults that there is a better way to live . . . drug free.

As I tell others of how God has helped me overcome my prior problem, it has helped reinforce my desire to be drug and alcohol free. I would recommend that any Seventh-day Adventist who has had a prior problem and has been blessed to be set free, to work for God to help stem this plague.

Bruce Atchison
Area Director in NEPA
Listen Community Crusade Against Drugs

GOLDSTEIN, PRO AND CON
My solid support for the statement made by Clifford Goldstein in his column, "Seventh-day Darwinians" (July 24, 2003), in which he said, "For those among us who have already decided [on the issue of Evolution versus Creation]--despite the Bible and Ellen White --on evolution, there are plenty of other churches for you. . . . And to those teaching in our schools who believe in evolution and yet take a paycheck from the seventh-day Adventist church, I say: If you honestly reject a literal six-day creation in favor of theistic macroevolution, fine, now turn that honesty into integrity and go somewhere where you won't have to cloak your views under the anfractuosities of language."

As a conference administrator in the days of the issues raised by Desmond Ford, it was causing great disruption in our churches and among our pastors. So we called all our workers together, invited qualified speakers from Walla Walla College and Andrews University. We spent a week going over all the issues, gave each pastor ample time in a one-on-one setting with the staff as needed or requested.

At the end of the week I spoke to the pastors: "I believe the Bible when it says, 'Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel' (1 Cor. 9:14), but my position also is that they who live off the gospel will be expected to preach it, and no other doctrine." I took some flack for that position but I still feel that same way and I would hope pastors and teachers would have the integrity to do as Clifford Goldstein proposed.

I would further hope that all would "stay by the ship." We need them; but we must have their total commitment, too.

Jack Harris


I generally enjoy Clifford Goldstein's columns--especially when he shares his personal testimony, so I was disappointed by his polemic on "Adventist Darwinians." The timing suggests it was intended as a shot across the bow of the upcoming "Faith and Science Conference" in Glacier View, the ongoing three year dialog between scientists and theologians in the church.

Given Goldstein's counsel to stick to the Bible, I am surprised that he has "no respect" for those within the church who are seeking to reconcile science, including evolution, if that is where evidence leads, and faith. These, too, are brothers and sisters in Christ, and respect is called for (see Paul's respect for James and Jewish law despite his theological disagreements). Members' and students' questions about scientific data won't be resolved by scientists leaving the church.

As for Goldstein's argument that millions of Adventists agree with him, Adventists have never considered majority opinion to be a convincing argument for the truthfulness of an idea, or they'd worship on Sunday. And if, as he insists, "we will never make room for anything other than a literal six-day creation for life here," then we must toss the biblical record, for it only mentions creation of life on three days; days one, two, and four were for light and inanimate objects. Goldstein will reply, of course, that it was just a figure of speech and wasn't meant to be taken literally. Maybe Genesis 1 wasn't either. At least, let's leave scientists and theologians with enough room to discuss these matters.

Robert Johnston
Lake Jackson, Texas

YOU GOTTA LOVE IT
The Adventist Review article about summer camps, "Camp Ugottaluvit" (July 24, 2003) arrived just as we are packing for a two-week vacation to Berrien Springs, Michigan, to visit my parents. Included in this trip is our second Mini-Family Camp up at Camp Au Sable.

This issue brought back many memories of my summer camp days, both at Laurel Lake Camp in Pennsylvania (where I practically did the "Absalom hanging in the tree" trying to stop my horse) and at Camp Au Sable when we moved to Berrien Springs when I was in the fifth grade.

The memories at Camp Au Sable are too numerous to recount here, but I'll always remember the variety of activities, the campfires, the evening programs, the friendships, the long bus rides, but most of all, the staff, especially the various counselors.

If there was ever a place to have a spiritual revival, summer camp was the place. Starting your day with morning worship by the lake and capping off a full day of fun and educational activities with a special campfire program, all out in God's great nature, made one feel so close to heaven.

The staff and these experiences made such of an impression on this shy Filipino kid that eventually, I became a counselor (summer of '84) after my freshman year at Andrews University, during the tenure of Lester Rilea as camp director. Next to my student missionary experience in Japan, being a counselor was one of the best experiences of my life. It's amazing how I still run across campers who remember me as a counselor after all these years!

If someone had told me back then that one of these kids would someday be my brother-in-law, I would never have believed it. But Camp Au Sable alumnus, Corey Knowlton, is now my brother-in-law.

As we prepare to fly to Michigan in a couple of days, Summer, my 6 year-old daughter, is eager to show her cousin, Joshua Knowlton (Uncle Corey's oldest son), what Camp Au Sable is like.

Who would believe that summer camp would have such an impact on our lives? "Ugottaluvit!" Ugottago!

Ernie Medina, Jr.
Loma Linda, California

BLOSSOMS IN THE DESERT
In reference to Beatrice S. Neall's devotional, "Your Desert Will Bloom" (July 24, 2003), Ellen White wrote: "John the Baptist did not understand the nature of Christ's kingdom. He expected Jesus to take the throne of David . . . . He had declared to the people . . . the mountains and the hills must be brought low, the crooked made straight, and the rough places plain . . . . he looked for the Lord to reveal Himself as a God that answereth by fire" (The Desire of Ages, p. 215).

Likewise we also believe in a destruction that will befall the wicked, but about the wonders that God will perform on behalf of the righteous we have little understanding. The display of His destructive power mixed with the rejoicing and blooming of nature is a contradiction to our thinking, so we give them symbolic application.

John the Baptist believed it was time for Christ to appear, just as we do, but the full application of these Isaiah prophecies is yet to come [Isa.35:1-10; 40:3-5; 55:12-13].

The almighty power of the creator God is able to move mountains, make deserts bloom, and much more in the final demonstration of His awesome power in witness to both humanity and angels. We've all seen the artists' impressions of Christ appearing over the destroyed cities of earth to receive the righteous; maybe Christ should be seen appearing over the blooming desert.

John Rothery

GOOD SAMARITANS?
In, "When the Good Samaritan Is Not Enough," July 17, 2003), Nathan Brown is right on target saying that our help to others must be more than random and should address systemic problems that inflict misery on people.

We ought to be personal Samaritans continually, in our own ways, and sometimes not in others. For instance, I am the antonym of "mechanically inclined"-that is, a "wretched wrench." So if I tried to be a Samaritan to someone with a broken car, it would cost him or her three times as much to fix it after I got through with it.

However, we can all help with our time, funds, and ideas. For example, despite our aversion to anything "political," we Adventists have a moral, indeed a biblical duty to expose the unreasonable economic and social policies that keep millions of people around the world poor, dependent on the government for generations, diseased, even starving to death. Helping eliminate the causes of harm is much better than coming around benevolently with a box of band aids after the harm has been done.

Let us be ubiquitous Samaritans.

Hector Hammerly

FOR SCOTLAND
What a lovely surprise to see Roundelwood on the cover of the Adventist Review (July 10, 2003). I quickly scanned through the issue to find Martin Bell's article, "Shelves for Scotland," outlining the various health programs offered in this beautiful spot of the world. Having had the privilege of mingling with some of the clients and hearing their remarks about what they were experiencing and learning, I can assure you that this health-improvement spa is truly proving to be a blessing to those who come.

If any readers of the Review would like to help Roundelwood in a tangible way, they may do so through The Thistle Foundation, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They may find us through TAGnet or by writing: The Thistle Foundation, Inc., 3515 Burton Avenue, Mountain View, AR 72560.

SURPRISING STATISTICS
In regards to Charles Sandefur's article, "Perception Meets Reality" (July, 2003), I found the statistics quite surprising. I'm sure I've seen them before, but I must not have been paying attention. Only eight percent of Adventists live in North America?! Compared to 34 percent in Africa? Can this be right?

This is certainly a wake-up call to North Americans who are obviously not witnessing enough in their own neighborhoods and communities. As an Adventist in North America I have to admit this is embarrassing! If North America's membership percentage gets any smaller Africa's going to start sending missionaries to convert us!

Dustin R. Jones
Loma Linda, California