Thank you all for the very-well-put-together issue in June (late partly because of our cross-border postal service, but also my slow reading!).
I happen to be a collector of quotes. It’s an odd hobby, but I do it because there are so many times I just can’t craft my words to express an idea in just the right way. So I am in awe of those whom God gave that talent to and love to borrow from them. As I read through magazines or other literature, I mark the pages with quoteworthy sections for my collection.
As I read the June issue, I found I was marking almost every page! Thank you to all the writers, especially Costin Jordache, Randy Fishell, Andy Nash, William Johnsson, and Wilona Karimabadi, for blessing all of us with your special gift of writing.
In that vein I’d like to contribute a small quote that seems to align with the theme of the June issue and how our church reaches out to the world as we move forward in the twenty-first century: “It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of effective ministry” (Ellen G. White,
Education [Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1903], p. 269).
Karen Lee
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
“Adventists just don’t dialogue!” My Muslim friend, who has frequent contact with Adventists, was expressing her frustration to me. In getting out our message, we have often had a monologue with the world. However, when I read that “the Savior mingled” (Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing [Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905], p. 143), I hear a dialogue.
I appreciate Jon Paulien’s concept of “double exegesis” (“The Long View of Things,” June 2017). While we have done quite well with the first exegesis (God’s Word), we have not much emphasized the second exegesis (understanding the cultures and religions around us). We will hasten the Lord’s coming to the extent that we engage these cultures and religions.
Erin Stone
West Hills, California
Thank you so much for the editorial “Greatest Common Denomination” (July 2017). What an eye-opener; what food for thought! The way things are going in 2017, that is exactly what is needed. We have to wake up. This is not a rerun; this is for real. Let’s stop “playing church” and get serious. So many of us are just “going through the motions.” Don’t we all realize Jesus is coming soon? Yes, get on the phone, e-mail, text, and, I might add, send a card. God bless each of you.
Mary Ann Thomas Jimenez
Via e-mail
Last Sabbath I taught an adult Sabbath School class. The last paragraph of Stephen Chavez’s piece, “Putting ‘Christ’ Into ‘Christianity’ ” (July 2017), summarizes Paul’s message to the Galatians. It’s worth repeating: “We’d like to think that living like Jesus is easy: you just read the Gospels and live accordingly. But living the principles of the kingdom cost Jesus His life. And in the two millennia since Jesus lived on earth, countless martyrs have risked their lives to live like Jesus. These martyrs were often persecuted by other Christians, people who thought they were being faithful to God.”
Andy Hanson
Chico, California
I read one of my all-time favorite magazines—Adventist Review, which I have done for nearly 80 years. It had a lot to say about sports. I hope someone in the Review office will prepare for publication what Ellen White had to say about competitive sports. I also wonder if Adventist women engaged in sports wear modest clothing.
Donald Casebolt
College Place, Washington
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