The Salvation of Sam Mckee
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December 18, 1997 Cutting Edge The Salvation of Sam McKee Fix Us, Jesus, Fix Us The Mother of All Humiliations Candles in the Wind Season’s Greetings BRINGING YOU THE REVIEW: Standing, left to right: Bill Tymeson (designer), Myrna Tetz, Alan Forquer (design assistant), Chitra Barnabas, Carlos Medley, Jean Sequeira, William Johnsson, Ella Rydzewski, Bill Knott, Mary Maxon, and Stephanie Kaping (desktop production). Kneeling, left to right: Andy Nash, Steve Chavez, Roy Adams. PRINGER D. S OEL J BY HOTO P 2 (1698) ADVENTIST REVIEW, DECEMBER 18, 1997 LETTERS COVER STORY 8 The Salvation of Sam McKee Using God’s Name A beautiful girlfriend—what more opinion to prevent future wars, but it could a guy want? The question put to Deirdre Martin failed. Public opinion can turn so BY SAM MCKEE about people using God’s name irrever- quickly, and the press sometimes can ently (see The X-Change, Oct. 16) “spin” news cleverly to make sin look ARTICLES reminded me of an experience I had tame. while employed in a prison facility. 12 Fix Us, Jesus, Fix Us Two inmates were standing at the infir- —Marland Hansen, M.D. A cry for relevance—straight from the heart. mary door using profanity. I tried going MARIPOSA, CALIFORNIA BY ROSALIE VAN PUTTEN to different areas to shut it out, but wasn’t able to do so. Finally I walked 16 The Mother of All over to the men and said gently, “Do Illegal Lefts and Liberty Humiliations you know Jesus? I do, and I don’t like Regarding Clifford Goldstein’s “Illegal For anyone whose face has to hear His name used like that.” Lefts and Liberty” (Oct. 23), virtually ever flushed . They apologized profusely and left all of us have experienced that lack of BY R. LYNN AND HELEN E. SAULS the area. I feel that the Holy Spirit led sensitivity to secular law (traffic, tax, 24 Simple Pictures Are Best me to witness in that situation. In fact, civil, etc.), and when we get away with So how do you spend your time? unknown to me at the time, another breaking the law, we brag about it. BY RANDY FISHELL inmate observed the scene and came It is our mind-set that is of concern. to me the next day to request that I We are glib in promoting Christ’s DEPARTMENTS help him know Jesus as a friend. What instruction of giving unto God what is 3 Letters a mission field! God’s, but fail in giving unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. And we attribute this 7 Give & Take —Wayne R. Vail selectivity to liberty. Herein is the 15 Book Mark VIA E-MAIL basis of our confusion: the difference 20 World News & Perspectives between rights and privileges, between liberty and tolerance. 23 The X-Change Generation X Many years ago a very astute ele- 27 Statement of Ownership Many thanks for Michael Neil mentary school teacher explained lib- 28 Sandra Doran: Dialogues Jackson’s “Talkin’ ’Bout My Gen- erty in this succinct way. When eration,” in the October 16 Cutting Robinson Crusoe was marooned on an 29 Children’s Corner Edge Edition. This article was very island, he had the liberty to throw 30 Reflections refreshing, very accurate, most rocks in any direction. When Friday insightful, and greatly needed. May arrived, Crusoe lost his liberty of EDITORIALS we have more of the same in the throwing rocks, but he had the privi- 5 Candles in the Wind future. lege of throwing rocks in any direction except Friday’s. So it is with us today. 6 On Willow Creek —John Loor Our true liberties are few, but fortu- HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA nately our privileges are many. NEXT WEEK —Reuben A. Baybars 1997—A Look Back OX The Court of Public Opinion OAK HARBOR, WASHINGTON What happened in our world church— C and our world. OHN Stephen Chavez’s news commentary J (“The Court of Public Opinion,” Oct. BY 16) really struck a chord with us. Right PHOTO after World War I the League of VER O Nations attempted to use world public C ADVENTIST REVIEW, DECEMBER 18, 1997 (1699) 3 “Behold, I come quickly . .” Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ through stories of His matchless love, news of His present workings, help for knowing Him better, and hope in His soon return. The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), published since 1849, is the general paper of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and is printed 40 times a year each Thursday except the first Thursday of each month by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association. Periodicals postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Copyright © 1997, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Publishing Board: Robert S. Folkenberg, chair; Phil Follett, vice- chair; Lowell Cooper; William G. Johnsson; A. C. McClure; Dorothy Watts; Ted N. C. Wilson; Martin Ytreberg; Robert Nixon, legal advisor Executive Publisher and Editor William G. Johnsson Associate Editors Roy Adams, Bill Knott Managing Editor Myrna Tetz News Editor Carlos Medley Assistant Editors Stephen Chavez, Andy Nash Editorial Assistant Ella Rydzewski Administrative Secretary Chitra Barnabas Editorial Secretaries Mary Maxson, Jean Sequeira Art Director Bill Kirstein Designer Bill Tymeson Design Assistant Alan Forquer Desktop Production Stephanie Kaping Ad Sales Melynie Tooley Subscriber Services Steve Hanson Marketing Coordinator Ray Tetz Consulting Editors: Robert S. Folkenberg, Matthew Bediako, Phil Follett, Robert J. Kloosterhuis, A. C. McClure, Jan Paulsen, Leo Ranzolin, R. F. Rawson, Calvin B. Rock, G. Ralph Thompson Special Contributors: Bryan Ball, P. D. Chun, L. T. Daniel, Ulrich Frikart, Lee Huff, Israel Leito, Ruy H. Nagel, L. D. Raelly, Ron Watts, Bertil Wiklander To Writers: We welcome unsolicited manuscripts. (Please query before submitting long articles.) Include address, telephone number, and Social Security number, where available. Address all editorial correspondence to 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600. Editorial office fax number: (301) 680-6638. E-mail: Internet: [email protected] CompuServe network: 74617,15 Subscriptions: US$38.97 for 40 issues, US$50.97 for 52 issues. Add $10.20 postage for addresses outside North America. To order, send your name, address, and payment to your local Adventist Book Center or Adventist Review Subscription Desk, Box 1119, Hagerstown, MD 21741. Single copy, US$2.50. Prices subject to change without notice. Subscription queries and changes of address: Call l-800-456-3991, 301-791-7000, ext. 2439. or E-mail [email protected]. Postmaster: Send address changes to Adventist Review, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Scriptures credited to ICB are quoted from the International Children’s Bible, New Century Version, copy- right © 1983, 1986, 1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by permission. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Bible texts credited to RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 174, No. 51 4 (1700) ADVENTIST REVIEW, DECEMBER 18, 1997 EDITORIAL Candles in the Wind ROY ADAMS “For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will That one fact is the thing that grabs me still as I look back enlighten my darkness” (Ps. 18:28). on that painful morning the end of August. And as I reflect upon the stark reality of our sheer and utter helplessness in e’d returned from Edinburgh (my wife and the face of death, the dim light of an ancient manger comes I) late Saturday night, to mind. That mysterious birth 2,000 years and it was already past ago would plunge the gates of hell into midnight before we hit panic and retreat. That holy Child would the sack. Any other time forever break the recurring death cycle that MODIFIED Wwe should have been sleeping in Sunday has bedeviled us 6,000 years and more. Y morning. But it was the last day of our That’s what Christmas candles mean to me. ALL IGIT London vacation; no time to squander in Real candles now—not the electric sub- /D ISC “lay activities.” stitutes that stand their ground through D As we rolled out of bed that August morn- storms and tempests. Fragile candles, flick- HOTO ing, however, we as yet had no idea of the ering in the wind—that’s what we are. © P tragic developments that had taken place dur- Candles shining with borrowed light from HOTO ing the night while we slept. Bed-and-break- the original flame that blazed over P fast owner Mrs. Doris Masters would soon drop the bombshell. Bethlehem as the angels sang, sparks from that shining star “She’s dead,” said Masters, her face solemn with the that guided sages to the doorsteps of the newborn King. ghastly news as we entered the dining room. Diana’s tragic death describes the precarious tentative- “Who’s dead?” I asked anxiously, bracing myself. ness of our lives, as Elton John sang so poignantly at her “Princess Diana,” she said, pointing to the BBC report funeral, his words a perfect fit for a life so bright, so fickle, so she’d been watching. “Killed in a car crash in Paris.” vulnerable—much like ours, a candle in the wind. My hands went up and rested on my head, my mind reel- As we celebrate this Christmas, we look back on a passing ing from the shock and incongruity of it all.