And to top it off, we don't give Jesus any gifts: we give them to each other, often spending too much time and money doing so.

How does any of this honor Christ? I would expect Adventists, who have done deeper and heavier thinking about biblical topics than many others, to suggest that one way to avoid the headaches of Christmas is to skip it altogether. Couldn't we spread our kindness, generosity, worship of the Lord over the whole year?

It's time people were told that saying "no" to Christmas is a valid option.

Jeanne Danielson


As we approach another Christmas season we are again subject to all the traditional paraphernalia the world has put into it. I wonder if we Seventh-day Adventists are guilty of overstepping the line a bit, too, as we participate with them in all these traditional customs, especially the ones that have pagan origins.

The Bible doesn't give the date of Christ's birth for good reason. God didn't want to draw our attention away from the Sabbath and confuse us with another day of worship. Or perhaps because some would regard it above the Sabbath as another holy day, while others might celebrate it as a fun day.

I wholeheartedly agree that we should acknowledge Christ's birth, but celebrating it with non-Christian traditions and rituals does not put more emphasis on Christ's birth, nor does it glorify God. It rather adds to self-gratification, especially when we give gifts to each other and leave Christ out.

Those who wish to celebrate can celebrate New Year's and bring in all the traditional customs they choose. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).

Victor J. Buettner
Clintonville, Wisconsin


COMFORT IN DISTRESS
Thank you for the article, "For This Cause" (Dec. 9, 2004). A lot of us need to be reminded every once in a while that the devil is behind every assault we feel, every bit of trouble we experience. While we may not blame God, we can somehow feel that "I'm at fault." It helps to remember that no matter what, God is with us in our troubles.

Name Withheld


JUGGLING REVERENCE AND RELEVANCE
The report about the conference on the community and Adventists by Jonathan Gallagher ("GC Promotes Adventists in the Community," Nov. 18, 2004, pp. 18, 19), coupled with the excellent article about how to juggle reverence and relevance without dropping the ball by Jennifer Jill Schwirzer ("'In,' Not 'Of,'"), was a breath of fresh air.

Top speakers at the conference highlighted the significance of our temperance principles in public influence and in personal victories over habits of intemperance--tobacco and alcohol.

Isn't it time to "pick up the ball"--the temperance message and organization, an approach God's messenger, Ellen G. White, said was to be out front in all Seventh-day Adventist churches and personal outreach--and revive the witness of purity and holiness to meet the increasing intemperance of the end time?

Mrs. White noted, "As we near the close of time we must rise higher and still higher upon the question of health reform and Christian temperance, presenting it in a more positive and decided manner. We must strive continually to educate the people, not only by our words, but by our practice. Precept and practice combined have a telling influence" (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 112).

Ernest H. J. Steed
DeBary, Florida


WHAT'S YOUR DEFINITION OF "ELITE?"
In his editorial, "Elites Need Not Apply" (Nov. 18, 2004), Bill Knott is very blunt in his defense of lay members in the pulpit. He gives the impression that the shortage of pastors is only a problem (or blessing, according to him) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But many denominations are suffering a shortage of pastors, and the problem is growing worldwide.

Knott calls people "snobs" if they dare expect a professional pastor in the pulpit. I have no problem if the person in the pulpit is a layperson; as an elder, I've spent a few Sabbath mornings there myself.

What I have a problem with is people who don't speak loudly or clearly enough to be understood; or don't know when to stop talking. If I'm a snob, so be it, but I expect a degree of professionalism in the worship service. Platform participants who perform duties such as the prayer of commitment, Scripture reading, or calling for the offering should be able to do it without mumbling or mispronouncing a lot of words.

The Sabbath morning worship service is like no other. I dress and act properly out of respect for my Lord. I expect no less from the people conducting the service.

Dale W. Merrifield, Sr.
Garden City, Michigan


I read with great astonishment how Bill Knott feels that our local congregation of 37 members is filled with "snobs" and "elitists" simply because we desire to have a pastor as frequently as one Sabbath a month.

It's fine for those who worship in Adventist enclaves (metropolitan Washington, D.C., Collegedale, Berrien Springs, Orlando, etc.) to sit back and theorize about how grand life must be without a pastor. I would be interested to find out if they know what it's like to go week after week after week, until the weeks turn into months, begging and pleading for someone--anyone--to get up in the pulpit on Sabbath morning and preach.

I currently worship in a congregation with an average attendance of 15-20. Membership on the books is 37. I realize it's hard for those attending churches with attendance of hundreds and memberships of thousands to comprehend, but at times it becomes a huge burden on the same two or three members to be asked to provide an inspiring worship thought week after week.

Why is it labeled "snobbery" and "elitism" to ask for the same thing our denomination provides to larger churches? Some of them have five or more pastors! Why did Mr. Knott feel he could overlook calling these churches "greedy" and "selfish" for failing to have some of their thousands of members preach occasionally, so that some of those multiple pastors could be assigned to--or at least shared with--tiny churches that have no pastor at all?

Do you recall the children's Sabbath School song "I have two dollies and you have none; I'll share my dolly with you"? Perhaps Mr. Knott never learned that song, and neither have leaders of our church who make decisions about pastoral resource allocations.

Maybe it's time for our clergy to think about why they entered the ministry in the first place. Was it so they could have a big church with fancy windows and lots of offerings? Or was it so they could actually minister to people? If the honest answer is "ministry," then why is it harder to find a pastor willing to take on small churches in the United States than it is to find pastors willing to walk many miles to church in foreign countries?

There is something very, very wrong with our priority system when it comes to pastoral responsibilities and assignments in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States. We are careful not to call people "racist" or "bigots" because that might harm their mental state. But apparently there's no problem calling a local congregation "snobs" and "elitists" because they are begging for the same spiritual nourishment given to others in their same country, their same state. Perhaps if a little more thought and investigation went into why these small churches ask for pastors, there would be a lot less name-calling in our church's official publication.

Kelly Bishop
Bolton Landing, New York


SPOTLIGHT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING
I am deeply touched and edified by the article about human trafficking and prostitution ("Adventist Church Joins Coalition Against Worldwide Human Trafficking," Dec. 16, 2004). Thank you.

DePaul Genska


COVER STORY EVOKES MEMORIES
The cover story, "Door-to-Door for God," (Aug. 2004), regarding selling religious literature house to house was most interesting.

My late husband, C. LeRoy Burke, sold Seventh-day Adventist books from farm to farm throughout Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada to help pay his tuition to Broadview College, from which he graduated in 1922 as president of his class. He completed high school and college in seven years, and left school with $400 in his pocket, even after helping many younger students with their tuition.

He had no transportation but walked every step of the way. He sometimes slept in a field or by a stream, where he washed his clothes and bathed. He had many fascinating experiences that I have written in his memoir, for I kept notes regarding his travels that he told me during our 30 years of marriage.

He joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 23 years of age, baptized in the West Denver Swedish Church, where his mother never ceased praying that her youngest son would give his heart to Christ. He was the youngest of nine; six boys, three girls.

When he delivered his orders, he borrowed a horse and buggy, for he had none of his own. With a marvelous bass-baritone voice, he sang for several evangelists while traveling throughout the country during the summer. During the school year he lived in the boiler room, where he was in charge of the heating system for the school. He couldn't afford a dormitory room.

He outlived his parents and all of his siblings, living three days beyond his ninetieth birthday. His history was written for the Glendale Sanitarium, where he was credit manager for 25 years.

Mrs. C. L. Burke
Edmonds, Washington


REVIEWING THE REVIEW
I love the Adventist Review. It is a challenge for me to refrain from writing weekly regarding articles that are of great interest and blessing to me. I surely speak for many others.

Carlos Medley's editorial, "Wasted Crumbs or Discarded Treasures?" (Sept. 23, 2004), encouraged readers to gather outdated and used Sabbath school quarterlies and other printed material for shipment to mission fields. Having been involved in this project for some time, I know the reward of hearing from grateful recipients. Using "bag mail" greatly reduces the cost of mailing large quantities of reading material, still, the costs mount up. Those of us who prepare these "treasures" for shipment are energized if others help with the handling and postage.

Pleasant memories came to mind when I read Ed Christian's column, "Hymns Without Music" (Nov. 18, 2004). Shortly after their marriage, our son and daughter-in-law, Ted and Donna, decided to read hymns for their bedtime devotions. I can picture the hymnal on their rustic hand-made bed stand in their 1og home. Our son and wife were blessed as they read. What a precious way to go to sleep with the words of blind hymn writer, Fanny Crosby's hymn, "Take the World But Give Me Jesus." Christian's column and the memory of Ted and Donna's evening worship inspire me to consider doing the same for our bedtime devotion in 2005.

In their "Ask the Doctors" column, Drs. Handysides and Landless share some excellent thoughts for "Surviving the Holidays" (Nov. 25, 2004). A reader asked for advice regarding exercise during the winter months. I am indebted to a young man who shared this thought with me: Because our bodies are God's temple, physical exercise is as much a part of our personal devotion as spiritual exercise. Though my preference for physical exercise is hiking outdoors, inclement weather and long winter nights make an exercise video a daily blessing. My heart benefits from both my spiritual and physical exercise.

Velma Beavon
Dayton, Montana