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Official Journal of the Ministerial Association of Seventh-day Adventists VOLUME XXXV JUNE, 1962 No. 6 Editor IN THIS ISSUE ROY ALLAN ANDERSON EDITORIAL Associate Editor Thoughts on Bible Emphasis Year ___. H. W. Lowe 7 ANDREW C. FEARING ARTICLES Managing Editor "I Believe in Jesus Christ Born of the Virgin" HARRY W. LOWE W. M. Smith 3 "Be Still, and Know That I Am God" ........ W. B. Ochs 9 Assistant Editors Knowing Our Bible ___ __...........__._ H. M. Tippett 11 E. EARL CLEVELAND Resurrection or Immortality? ......._.._.._ E. W. H. Vick 13 WALTER SCHUBERT Analysis of Adventist Health Emphasis (Concluded) T. R. Flaiz 15 Copy Editor A Ministerial Training Center With a Future J. INA WHITE R. A. Anderson 19 Great Words of the Bible No. 11 The Mercy Seat Hilasterion (e) _._______________ W. T. Hyde 21 Consulting Editors The Bible in the Young African Churches REUBEN R. FIGUHR, WALTER R. BEACH, E. H. Robertson 24 EDWARD HEPPENSTALL, LOUISE C. KLEUSER, W. B. OCHS, R. HAMMILL REGULAR FEATURES HEALTH EVANGELISM Art Editor New Frontiers in Medical Evangelism E. J. Folkenberg 27 T. K. MARTIN MUSIC IN WORSHIP Hymns of the Church ....________ J. F. Coltheart 31 Circulation Manager RESEARCH WALTER SCHUBERT The Office and Ministry of the Angel Gabriel E. EARL CLEVELAND, Assistant D. E. Mansell 34 SHEPHERDESS Candles in the Night No. 7 ____.__._ L. C. Kleuscr 37 Contributors Overseas BOOKS FOR YOUR LIBRARY .___..._________..... 41 GEORGE BURNSIDE Australia NEWS _.-..__________________..___...______._______ 44 ERWIN BERNER Central Europe PULPIT POINTERS FOR PREACHERS _______ 48 J. R, SPANGLER Far East H. J. WESTPHAL Inter-America WAYNE E. OLSON Middle East OUR COVER ODD JORDAL Northern Europe ENOCH OLIVEIRA South America On a windswept hill not far from my boyhood home, there S. G. MAXWELL Southern Africa stood an old windmill, and many©s the time I climbed that J. F. ASHLOCK Southern Asia hill and stood there with a thrill. The arms were huge and G. CUPERTINO Southern Europe their movements slow as they moved the circle round, and oft I peeked in through the door where the miller©s grain was ground. The wind would howl, the slats would rattle, and the wheels for grease did squeak; but how I marveled Editorial Office: 6840 Eastern Avenue, NW. at that mill as round and round it would creak! Washington, D.C. Now the old miller is gone, the mill stands deserted, its wheels locked forever. We pump our water and grind our Printed and published monthly for the Min isterial Association of Seventh-day Adventists meal by means that are much more clever; but that flower- by the Review and Herald Publishing Associa hung house with its graceful mill, was "a thing of joy forever." tion, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. $4.00 a Its noise was music, its pace was soothing, the whole a scene year; 40c a copy. Prices slightly higher in without strife. I think that white mill on that sun-crowned Canada. Add 25c for yearly subscriptions to countries requiring extra postage. Second- hill has put something into my life. class postage paid at Washington, D.C. Anonymous THE MINISTRY "I Believe in Jesus Christ. Born of the Virgin© DR. WILBUR M. SMITH [Dr. Wilbur M. Smith is one of the leading bibliographers of this generation. He is professor of English Bible at Fuller who deny the supernatural aspects of our Theological Seminary, editor of "Peloubet©s Select Notes," Lord©s life, and even by many who claim to author of many valuable books, and is a regular contributor to the Moody Monthly. EDS.] be thorough-going Christians, but who re fuse to accept this particular teaching of T MUST never be forgotten that the the New Testament scriptures. It is essen I entire Christian Church, from its very tial that we give some careful attention to beginning, has declared its faith in the the main- criticisms brought against this, doctrine of the Virgin Birth of the Lord. important doctrine Luke, who says he examined many docu That It Is a Biological Impossibility ments in the writing of his own Gospel, would seem to imply that this doctrine Some years ago a great deal was heard was already the faith of the Church even about the "impossibility" of such a thing as when he wrote, for he says that the things Christ being born of the Virgin Mary in any he writes are, "those matters which have other way than by natural generation, it been fulfilled among us," or, as the margin being claimed that such a birth was contrary more accurately has it, "those matters which to all biological law. The idea of an egg cell have been fully established among us." developing without fertilization by a male Belief in the Virgin Birth "appeared in element or sperm cell is called partheno the earliest form of the Roman creed, which genesis. For some decades, parthenogene is placed by Kattenbusch as early as the sis was considered a biological impossibility, year 100, and cannot be much later, the but today it is recognized as frequently words being ©He was born of the Holy happening, both in some plants and in some Ghost from the Virgin Mary.© This cor animals. In fact, the 14th Edition of the responds with the fact that we find it part Encyclopaedia Britannica gives two full of the regular Church tradition from the columns to this very subject. And the article beginning of the second century. So Igna- begins, not by arguing that such is possible,, tius writing to the Ephesians (Chapters 18- but by stating that such a law actually pre 19), said ©For our God, Jesus the Christ, was vails in nature. "A drone bee develops from conceived in the womb by Mary, according an unfertilized egg, thus having a mother, to a dispensation, of the seed of David but the queen, but no father.... In three classes also of the Holy Ghost.© " 1 . of animals, there is a frequent exhibition of parthenogenesis namely in rotifers, Objections to the Virgin Birth crustaceans, and insects. Among insects, it There are a number of objections to the occurs in many gall flies and saw flies. Virgin Birth continually raised by those Among plants, the development of an egg cell without fertilization is seen in chara * Taken from WILBUR M. SMITH, The Supernaturalness of crinita, one of the water stoneworts, rep Christ, W. A. Wilde & Co., 313 Clarendon Street, Boston 16. Used by permission of the author. resented in Northern Europe by female JUNE,1962 plants only. Parthenogenesis is the rule in that the prophecy might seem to be ful the dandelion, and also occurs in some hank filled. The answer to this is a simple one: weeds." a No critic of the Virgin Birth to there was absolutely no expectation, among day would dare speak of the "biological the Jewish people of Christ©s day, or among impossibility" of such an event. We dismiss any of the Rabbinical teachers preceding this particular criticism without further dis the advent of Christ, that the Messiah would cussion. be (by miraculous conception) born of a Virgin. There is not one single sentence, in The Theory of Supposed Contradictions any contemporary Jewish writings, that Others attempt to invalidate the New would indicate that the Messiah would be Testament evidence for the Virgin Birth by born as Matthew and Luke indicate He insisting that there are contradictions be was born. In fact, the prophecy of Isaiah tween Matthew©s and Luke©s account. But, 7:14 seems to have been either lost sight of, as Professor Orr has well said, "It seems or was not understood by the Jewish people, much more remarkable that there are agree until it was actually fulfilled in Christ©s ments, for if we study them carefully, they Virgin Birth, and then it was recalled. The prove to be more numerous than one would, simple facts of the case make it impossible at first, believe." Professor Orr then pro that Matthew and Luke should ever have ceeds to give a list of twelve points, "which built up such a remarkable story around lie really on the surface of the narratives, a verse like this, which was not being dis yet give very nearly the gist of the whole cussed with these implications during the story. (1) Jesus was born in the last days time of Christ©s advent on earth. of Herod. (2) He was conceived by the Holy Ghost. (3) His mother was a Virgin. The So-Called "Argument From Silence" (4) She was betrothed to Joseph. (5) One of the most important arguments Joseph was of the house and lineage of continually brought against the doctrine David. (6) Jesus was born at Bethlehem. of the Virgin Birth is the so-called "silence" (7) By divine direction He was called Jesus. of the Gospels of Mark and John, and the (8) He was declared to be a Saviour. (9) Epistles of St. Paul, concerning this funda Joseph knew beforehand of Mary©s condi mental teaching of Matthew and Luke. tion and its cause. (10) Nevertheless he took This has been replied to again and again, Mary to wife, and assumed full paternal and we believe in a very convincing way, responsibilities for her child; was from the but the words of Professor Headlam on first in loco parentis to Jesus. (11) The this point are so unusually fine and con Annunciation and birth were attended by clusive, that we take the liberty of quoting revelations and visions.

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