It was exciting to read Sandra Blackmer’s cover article “‘ The Tent’ Event” (Oct. 9, 2014), and see what our children and youth can do when we disciple them to witness boldly for the Lord. Training and preparing them to lead out in evangelism, giving Bible studies, and sharing the gospel, if done intentionally, will provide great opportunities to involve more young people in living an active Christian life.
Attending church every Sabbath is not sufficient to build faith; it also takes the faith community to do its part. When the church supports, trains, and puts their trust in children and young people, even in attempting a big task such as doing evangelistic outreach, a sense of belonging and ownership takes place in these young hearts. They are part of the church in faith and in mission.
Yes, tomorrow’s preachers, teachers, and leaders begin with today’s children and youth!
—Linda Mei Lin Koh
Silver Spring, Maryland
I just have to comment on the cover story “‘The Tent’ Event”: When is the last time any of us have been tempted to stop and visit a revival meeting set in a tent? While I admire the time and effort it took to plan, organize, and execute an evangelistic outreach planned by and for youth, I hate to see it devoted to such an outmoded means of communication.
Adventists have a long and rich history in tent meetings, but that history ended for most of us more than a generation ago. Why do we persist in using methods that no longer work, or if they do yield so few results that we would have been better off saving our money.
Communication is changing faster than we can imagine. And the problem with Adventists is that we continue using methods that have long since gone out of style. For a while it was satellite evangelism, but that day has come and gone. It’s time to update our repertoire.
—Robin Metaxas
Chicago, Illinois
I am writing to express my disappointment in the recent Week of Prayer edition of the Adventist Review (Sept. 25, 2014). The presenters do not reflect the fact that we are a global church.
The two fastest growing segments of our church are in South America and Africa, but no representatives from these regions were selected to write for this publication. In addition, there were no living women. The writers do not reflect our global mission, and I was very unhappy to see such a limited representation of the world church: all men, and mostly white men.
I trust you will reconsider options in the future and try to better represent the world church. We should be more inclusive in the twenty-first century.
—Edith C. Fraser
Regarding “Loma Linda University Unveils Record $1.2 Billion Expansion” (Aug. 14, 2014):
The announcement of a $1.2 billion expansion at Loma Linda University Health is nothing to be proud of, for it goes directly contrary to the Spirit of Prophecy: “The light has been given me that, instead of devoting our energies to the upbuilding of a few mammoth medical institutions, we should establish many smaller ones” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 60).
“We plead for sanitariums, not expensive mammoth sanitariums, but homelike institutions in pleasant places. Never, never build mammoth institutions. Let these institutions be small, and let there be more of them” (Medical Ministry, p. 323).
“The sick are to be reached, not by massive buildings, but by the establishment of many small sanitariums, which are to be as lights shining in a dark pNewcastle, Wyolace” (Counsels on Health, p. 211).
This decision is an embarrassment to the remnant people for its blatant disregard of inspired counsel, and should be immediately rescinded and repented of.
—Leonard Lang
Newcastle, Wyoming
Regarding Clifford Goldstein’s article “Another (False) Argument Against a Six-Day Creation” (July 24, 2014): The Bible I use is the American Bible Society King James Version dated 1984. In Genesis 1:5, the wording is: “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.”
What got my attention is this is the first translation (and I’ve read many) that has the word “Day” capitalized, as well as the word “Night.”
Like many, I have puzzled over the reference to day and night in day one, yet not until day four is there a reference to the sun and moon. Some time ago in my spiritual growth I’ve learned there are many things I may not understand while here on earth, and even in heaven there may be things God chooses not to explain to us.
Goldstein’s articles are very much appreciated. Also appreciated are your discreet and timely references to your ethnic roots. After all, from where did Christianity come?
—Mike Katz
A recent Adventist Review had comments about Hymns and Tunes, one of the earliest Adventist songbooks. It reminded me of something that may be of interest to you.
My Grandfather, Henry Elmer Simkin, was working for the publishing house in Battle Creek when my father was born in 1898. He was working there when Hymns and Tunes was first published, and kept the original press proofs of the book.
After he retired he attended the Forest Lake Academy Church. He decided that those proofs should be in the archives at the publishing house. He sent them to the Review and Herald. One day soon after, while he was at church, news came that his house was on fire. At that time he thought of those proofs and was glad he had sent them.
When I think about my grandfather and the publishing work, I also think of my father, Lloyd Warren Simkin, and the work he did at Southern Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a Linotype operator and produced the printing of the all of the Watchman magazines for four years. Watchman was later changed to These Times and then to Signs of the Times when the publishing house in Nashville was closed.
—Irene Frase
Bessemer Michigan
