International Journal for Clergy March Reconciling faith and reason RICHARD RICE/10 To ordain or not RUSSELL STAPLES/14 The small church advantage B. RUSSELL HOLT/18 Ministering through the gift of writing ELEANOR P. ANDERSON/21 Alcohol and the pregnant woman ELIZABETH STERNDALE/25 Religio Communism J. R. SPANGLER/4 Letters/2 • Editorials/23 • Health and Religion/25 • Computer Corner/27 • Biblio File/28 • ShopTalk/31 Letters Computers for my education (considerably less than to "Does the Church Need a Loyal I really appreciated the article "Com some of my friends borrowed). This loan Opposition?" (May 1986). I am in a puters: What You Need to Know" is now being paid along with one that my parish that has great potential for growth (November 1986). Include more articles wife had taken out while she was in but also has a very vocal opposition. I of this type, won't you please, for us college. We owe money to some family need to know if they are out to help me or beginners?—Ronald R. Neall, Upatoi, members, we are making payments on a destroy me. Please send me that follow- Georgia. car, we've had major repairs on our other up editorial ("Identifying the Loyal car, and my wife has had some expensive Opposition," July 1986) and include me • Thanks again for the article on com medical tests. on your bimonthly subscription list.— puters.—Ted Struntz, Lincoln, I want to say that we are not Name withheld. Nebraska. compulsive users of the plastic card. Almost a year has gone by and we More prayers haven't used it at all. All in all, we have a Here is an addition to that thoughtful Not guilty debt of about $20,000. I don't know if prayer ("Books That Have Enriched My I found the article by Cathy McBride, that is an inordinate amount, relatively Devotional Life," November 1986)— "When Guilt Is Not From God" speaking, but I do know that trying to since it is designed to portray life as it (November 1986), stimulating and liquidate it while living on a pastor's really is: The fragmented body of the helpful. Thank you for regularly sending salary is very discouraging. Only a small aborted baby awaiting incineration with me MINISTRY.—Fred R. Manthey, Jr., problem can throw us into a major the clinic's garbage.—David F. Wilbur, Ph.D., Dunmore, Pennsylvania. financial crisis. What ideas do you St. Nicholas Congregation, Dacada, readers have for quickly getting out of Wisconsin. Hit target debt? We disagree in some areas, but the By the way, I really enjoy MINISTRY Drop MINISTRY article "Commitment Versus Career," magazine. Our conference sends it to us. Through my own studies and the by Rex D. Edwards (November 1986), It is the only magazine we receive, since teachings of my denomination, I believe was on target. Thank you!—Michael R. we can't afford a subscription to anything that the Seventh-day Adventist is a Proctor, Juneau, Alaska. else.—Name withheld. non-Christian cult. With that in mind I feel your literature has no place in our church. Please Getting out of debt on one salary? No nit-picking remove our church from your mailing I read an article on how a pastor and I have been receiving copies gratis and list.—L. Devon Aaron, Lincolnton, his family can make ends meet on one want you to know that I appreciate the Georgia. salary (May 1986). My wife and I have obvious devotion of your writers and the always known that this is the best way to professional skills they bring to their Anabaptists helpful live. We really want my wife to be at task. Keep up the good work, and don't 1 am not a Seventh-day Adventist, but home with our two children, ages 2 and let the nit-picking of the "always right" am one of those pastors who receive your 4- I would like to press the question a fringe get to you. I'm referring specifi magazine, MINISTRY, as a gift. I find little further and ask not just how a cally to the Marietta, Georgia, letter many interesting articles in it, and want family can live on a pastor's salary but writer (November 1986) whose com to thank you for your kindness. how a family can get out of debt while ments were inexcusable but not unex In your July, September, and living on a pastor's salary. Our lifestyle is pected. You Adventists do good work. November issues you ran a series of what I consider rather simple, and as I Keep it up.—Reed Holmes, Retired articles on the Anabaptists, and since I look at our finances and expenses I see Clergyman, Jonesport, Maine. am teaching a church history class for how we could comfortably live on a thirteen weeks on Sunday nights, I am pastor's salary if we were out of debt. Telling loyal opposition sharing these articles with the dozen or We've just finished our experience at I would very much appreciate getting so in the class.—E. C. Schumacher, the seminary, where we took out a loan the issue that had the follow-up editorial Pastor, Salina, Kansas. If you're receiving MINISTRY bimonthly without having paid for a subscription, it's not a mistake. Since 1928, MINISTRY has been published for Seventh-day Adventist ministers, but we believe the time has come for clergy everywhere to experience a resurgence of faith in the authority of Scripture and in the great truths that reveal the gospel of our salvation by grace, through faith alone in Jesus Christ. We want to share with you our aspirations and faith in a way that we trust will provide inspiration and help to you too. We hope you will accept this journal as our outstretched hand to you. Look over our shoulders, take what you want and find helpful, and discard what you cannot use. Bimonthly gift subscriptions are available to all licensed and/or ordained clergy; requests should be on church letterhead. MINISTRY/MARCH/1987 MINISTRY is the international jour First Glance nal of the Seventh-day Adventist Min isterial Association. ASSOCIATION SECRETARY: Floyd Bresee EDITOR: J. Robert Spangler EXECUTIVE EDITOR: J. David Newman ASSISTANT EDITORS: David C. Jarnes In 1984 Bob and Marie Spangler visited the Soviet Union and Kenneth R. Wade brought us a report covering church-state relations and the status of SEMINAR DIRECTOR: churches—particularly the Adventist Church—in that country. Rex D. Edwards Last year Bob and Marie made a return visit and included Poland and CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Czechoslovakia on their itinerary. This issue contains a full report of Carlos Aeschlimann Raoul Dederen their recent trip. Ariel Roth Marie Spangler Can believers think? Can thinkers believe? In an article that will Gary Swanson challenge your thinking, Richard Rice untangles the knotty N. C. Wilson relationship of faith and reason. CONSULTING EDITORS: Galen Bosley C. E. Bradford Continuing our discussion on the ordination of women, Russell Ellen Bresee Staples looks at the question from the perspective of the social P. Gerard Damsteegt Roland R. Hegstad sciences. His background and training enable him to make a unique Frank Holbrook contribution. He grew up and began his ministry on the African Kenneth J. Mittleider Richard Tibbits continent, and has expertise in both theology and anthropology. Leo R. Van Dolson Noting that most pastors will spend their entire ministry in small EDITORIAL SECRETARIES: Ella Rydzewski churches, former MINISTRY editor Russell Holt writes that that's not Mary Louise McDowell necessarily bad news, and lists six advantages small churches have ART DIRECTOR: over larger ones. If you are ministering in a small church, you can Byron Steele make the most of your ministry there by using these advantages. DESIGNER: G. W. Busch Eleanor Anderson encourages pastors' spouses who want to add to MARKETING: their income to try writing. Their special experiences give them Tom Kapusta insights on topics that are in demand. ADVERTISING SALES: Jeff Blumenberg And don't miss our article on alcohol and the pregnant woman. SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Elizabeth Sterndale writes about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the major Larry Burtnett preventable cause of retardation. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS: Africa-Indian Ocean, John W. Fowler Eastern Africa, Harry A. Cartwright Euro-Africa, Johannes Mager Far East, James H. Zachary Inter-America, Salim Japas North America, William C. Scales, Jr. Trans-Europe, Mark Finley South America, Amasias Justiniano South Pacific, A.D.C. Currie Southern Asia, Saudagar Chand MINISTRY, (ISSN 0026-5314), the interna tional journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial Association © 1987, is published monthly by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and printed by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740, U.S.A. Subscriptions: US$19.95 for 12 issues in U.S., US$22.95 for 12 issues elsewhere. Single copy: US$2.00. Member Associated Church Press. Second-class post age paid at Hagerstown, Maryland. This publication is available in microfilm from University Microfilms International. Call toll-free 800-521-3044. Or mail inquiry to: University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Postmaster: Send address changes to MIN ISTRY, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hager stown, Maryland 21740. Editorial Office: 6840 Eastern Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. 20012. Stamped, self-addressed envelope should accompany unsolicited manuscripts. COVER PHOTO BY MEYLAN C. THORESEN VOLUME 60 NUMBER 3 MINISTRY/MARCH/1987 Religion and Communism J. R. Spangler early three years ago Do Christians suffer in Communist my wife and I visited bloc countries? the Soviet Union at Everywhere I report on visits to the joint invitation Communist countries, people ask about of the Soviet govern religious persecution.