BY ROY ADAMS
hile I was visiting
some of the historic homes in Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace)
several years ago, the tour guide said something utterly incredible. The folks
in Shakespeare's time, she said, took few baths. As the winter approached, they
battened down, keeping on the same clothes till spring. Then it was bath time--all
from the same bathtub and in the same water, however large the family. The master
of the house was first, then other members of the family, then down to the lowest
servant.
It seems to me
that the message of the gospel as Adventists understand it would have had something
to say to situations like that. And yet I've sensed the absence of an emphasis
on hygiene among us as a people. Since joining the church, I've heard a zillion
talks on health-related topics. Yet it beats me to remember a single one about
hygiene. But for an international church like ours, this is an area eminently
deserving of attention.
Here are a few
down-to-earth infractions I've seen among fellow Adventists:
On many occasions I've observed folks who believe and practice our health
message use toilets without washing their hands afterward. (When that happens,
I always think: Mine could be the first hand they shake upon emerging, mine
the first sandwich they fix.)
Some folks come
from work, from shopping, from wherever, and proceed directly to the kitchen
sink to wash their hands. I've even seen people brush their teeth there, a place
for dishes and cutlery.
I've been a
guest at Sabbath potlucks or in-home Sabbath dinners, and have watched swarms
of houseflies freely sample the vegetarian cuisine lying open on the table.
And all too frequently, as the guest, I've been the one called upon to take
the first helping (from the top!). And speaking about potlucks, some Adventists
come with items that had been aging in their Frigidaire for weeks. One lady
said she uses potlucks as opportunities to clean out her refrigerator.
I watched a
brother sitting in Sabbath school one morning absentmindedly picking his nose
and wiping his fingers on the sole of his shoes.
I can hear someone
saying: "Brother Adams done stop preaching and gone to meddling!"
But there's Bible behind me. As Israel camped out in the desert they were to
be a clean people, with an eye to good hygiene. There were regulations about
infectious diseases (Lev. 13, 14); about bodily discharges, spitting, and hand-washing
(Lev. 15); about the disposal of human waste (Deut. 23:12-14); etc. And in many
of these regulations, apart from the purely ceremonial aspect, we see a commingling
of health, hygiene, and aesthetics. The portrait of God that emerges is one
of order, purity, and cleanliness. As John Wesley used to say, "Cleanliness
is, indeed, next to godliness."
And Ellen G. White
has much to say on the theme.1 Here's the gist: "Order and cleanliness,"
she says, "is the law of heaven."2 Children very early should be taught
to make cleanliness "second nature."3 "Believers should be taught
that even though they may be poor, they need not be unclean or untidy in their
persons or in their homes," that "a neglect of cleanliness will induce
disease."4
So hygiene is
important. It includes taking daily baths or showers, if at all possible; washing
hands frequently; keeping our kitchens clean; covering our sneeze in public.
It has to do with the way we wash the dishes; the state of the towel we use
to dry them; the way we handle food that others must eat; etc., etc. In other
words, it involves living in such a way that others can feel safe shaking hands
with us, eating at our table, and living in close proximity to us.
"Roy,"
I said to myself as I worked on this editorial, "what are you letting yourself
in for? Readers are going to clobber you!" Well, call it a death wish if
you like; I had to meddle. My hope is that the time will come when expositions
like this will be considered a normal part of our emphasis on what General conference
leaders call quality of life.
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1 See Index to the Writings of E. G. White, under "hygiene"
or "cleanliness."
2 The Adventist Home, p. 254.
3 Child Guidance, pp. 106, 107.
4 The Adventist Home, pp. 21, 22.
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Roy Adams is an assistant editor of the Adventist Review.
