A Magazine for Clergy I September 1982 How Seriously Should We
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^^••MHMV 1M ^•^•••^M ^•^•^•^ ^M^^^^H ^MI^MMI I^M^M*^ ^^B^^^^^^^ MI^M^Mi ^i^M^W^ A Magazine for Clergy I September 1982 How Seriously Should We Take Marriage? Letters Letters this month are a typical mix of readers© reactions praise, accusation, condemnation, appreciation, agreement, disagreement, even a threat Whatever the response, we enjoy hearing from you! Room for differing interpretations continue the good work.—Lawrence Con 3:14, 15.—John Dablemont, Church of I have particularly admired the cogent ger, Jr., Gospel Tabernacle, West Vir God, Louisiana. articles exposing the erroneous exegesis of ginia. Costs for printing and postage are increas modern dispensationalism. However, I ing, but at the present time, complimentary have great difficulty with your exegesis of Doesn©t need three! bimonthly subscriptions to MINISTRY are still the books of Daniel and the Revelation of I enjoy MINISTRY very much; however, I available to those ckrgy who request them. See St. John. Of course, there is room in the don't need three copies! I recently moved the announcement on this page. Editors. universal church for different interpreta to a two-church charge and found myself tions of Holy Writ as long as we maintain with three subscriptions—one to each of Christian greetings. the atoning work of our Lord and Saviour my new churches plus the old one, which I Christian greetings from England! I as the only hope of our salvation.—Peter had changed to my new address. Please want to say how much I appreciate your Katt, Texas. remove the attached mailing labels, and I excellent magazine. I have had no contact will keep the one that is sent directly to whatsoever with the Seventh-day Advent- "Christ or Antichrist: the Mysterious me. ist Church and have always viewed such Gap in Daniel 9" (May, 1982) was very Although I don't agree with all you say churches with great suspicion. Howevet, refreshing. I have understood these things (or even read it all), you do well with your after having read the past few editions of for a long while. Tell the author to publication. Keep it coming.—A. Ronald MINISTRY, I have been abundantly blessed, Helgerson, United Methodist Church, helped, and encouraged. Thank you.— Wisconsin. John E. Partington, Pentecostal Church, An outstretched hand Other readers may be inadvertently receiv England. If you are receiving MINISTRY ing more than one copy of the magazine. If so, bimonthly without having paid for a please send the label from the magazine you So smug! subscription, it is not a mistake. wish deleted and mark it ckarly to be removed. You folks strain out the proverbial gnat We believe the time has come for We will be able to clean up our mailing list, and swallow the camel with your picky clergy everywhere to experience a and you won©t have your mailbox so clut Biblical literalism. You're so smug about resurgence of faith in the authority tered.—Editors. issues like homosexuality. But in the real of Scripture and in the great truths world, issues aren't always so black and that reveal the gospel of our salva Names still keep coming white. Sometimes the New Testament tion by grace, through faith alone in I have been the recipient of your spirit of love and justice is not really served Jesus Christ. Since 1928 MINISTRY generosity for some time. Your gesture is by narrow prdof-texting. Even the devil has been designed to meet the needs much appreciated. Certainly extending can quote Scripture. I never read MINISTRY; of Seventh-day Adventisc ministers. your outreach in this way builds under please cancel my subscription.—Dan However, we believe that we have standing of our common ministry in Jesus Schiefeling, New York. much in common with the entire Christ. Each issue has at least one article of So you see, not everyone is ecstatic about religious community and want to special interest to me. Thank you for MINISTRY. In fact, some will go to great lengths share with you our aspirations and including me.—Charles W. Muir, United to avoid it, as tfie following letter demon faith in a way that we trust will Presbyterian Church, Washington. strates. It isn©t actually necessary to turn your provide inspiration and help for you lawyers loose on us; on days we©re feeling too. I was given a copy of MINISTRY by a fellow good, we©ll take your name off the list if you We hope you will accept this clergyman and thought it was most help justsay "Please"! Our only question is: What journal as our outstretched hand to ful. Please enroll me on your list. Thank is a church called "Grace" doing with you. Look over our shoulders, take you.—Donald A. White, Reformed lawyers? Editors. what you want and find helpful, and Church, Iowa. discard what you cannot use. Stop it, or else! Bimonthly gift subscriptions are I have shared MINISTRY with two of my Recently we received a copy of your available to all licensed and/or fellow pastors, and they would like to publication MINISTRY. We are not in ordained clergy. Each request should receive it. Their addresses are enclosed. I agreement with the theology represented be on your church letterhead (if would like to thank you also for the in your magazine. We do not want your possible) and include name, address, Professional Growth Seminar held in magazine coming into our offices, and we denominational affiliation and posi Shreveport, Louisiana. I found it profit do not want it posted in our box at the post tion. Clergy outside the U.S. and able. Should another be held in my area, I office. This subscription must be deleted Canada please remit $2.00 postage. will try to attend. Many of your views I from your subscription file or we will You may receive MINISTRY every hold myself, although I feel Christ is my consider taking action through the offices month (the alternate issues as well as Sabbath. And the church name? Well, I of our lawyers. If you have any questions, the bimonthly ones) for only $16.95 find the Church of God the only New contact us at the address on this letter per year._ Testament name that will fit Ephesians head.—Pastor, Grace Brethren Church. MINISTRY/SEPTEMBER/1982 EDITOR———————————————————— ]. Robert Spangler EXECUTIVE EDITOR B. Russell Holt ASSOCIATE EDITORS Warren H. Johns W. B. Quigiey Shirley Welch CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: A Magazine for Clergy/September 1982/Volume 55/Number 9 Robert H. Brown P. Gerard Damsteegt Raoul Dederen Lawrence T. Geraty Roland R. Hegstad How Seriously Should We Take Marriage?/4. John B. Arnold Kurtz Leo R. Van Dolson Youngberg and Luis del Pozo. Even among Christians, CONSULTING EDITORS: "until death do us part" often means "until the judge do R. A. Anderson us part." Have Christians begun to perceive marriage as C. E. Bradford do non-Christians—as simply a social contract to be Mervyn Hardinge, M.D. Richard Lesher dissolved at will? Enoch Oliveira N. C. Wilson A Report to the President of the United States/7. In SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS: April, Neal C. Wilson, president of the General Confer Donald Crane ence of Seventh-day Adventists, met with President Arturo Schmidt Paul Smith COVER: LUIS RAMIREZ Ronald Reagan and representatives of various churches at EDITORIAL SECRETARY: a special White House luncheon where this report of the Dorothy Montgomery Adventist Church's involvement in humanitarian con ART DIRECTOR: cerns was presented to Mr. Reagan. Byron Steele DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Reform or Redemption: Must the Church Helcio Deslandes Choose?/10. Enoch Oliveira examines how the Advent CIRCULATION MANAGER: ist Church views the Christian's responsibility to both his Robert Smith God and his fellow man. ASSOCIATE CIRCULATION MANAGER: Tom Kapusta The One Thousand Years of Revelation 20/12. Hans INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS: K. LaRondelle. Africa-Indian Ocean, N. C. (Ted) Wilson What Jesus Said About a Pre-Advent Judgment/14. Australasia, A. N. Duffy From the parable of the wedding garment, Morris L. Eastern Africa, Harry A. Cartwright Euro-Africa, Johannes Mager Venden draws important implications for the concept of Far East, James H. Zachary judgment. Inter-America, Carlos Aeschlimann North America, William C. Scales, It Is Written/17. Editor J. R. Spangler recently inter Jr., Samuel Meyers Northern Europe, David E. Lawson viewed George Vandeman, speaker of the well-known It South America, Daniel Belvedere Is Written telecast. Southern Asia, John Wilmott Trans-Africa, D. W. B. Chalale God©s Perpetual Gift to Man/21. Gerhard F. Hasel. As one of the twin institutions given at Creation, the Sabbath continues to have significance and meaning for MINISTRY (ISSN 0026-5314), modem man. the international journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial Association © 1982, Wanted: More Heart Attacks/24. Ron Watts. is published monthly by the General Conference of Seventh-day Remember Southview!/25. B. Russell Holt. An unusual Adventists and printed monthly church in Nebraska teaches pastors a valuable lesson. by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, 6856 Eastern Avenue Esther and History—2/26. William H. Shea. NW., Washington, D.C. 20012, U.S.A. Subscription price, US$16.95 a year; single You Can Be Ann Landers Too!/28. Penny Estes copy price, US$1.50. Wheeler. For each subscription going to a foreign country or Canada, add US$3.45 postage. Prices subject to change without notice. MINISTRY is a member of the Associated Church Press and is indexed in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index. 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