College and University...2 Dialogue 13:3 2001 Regional Representatives Africa-Indian Ocean Division:...

Life:A chemical dilemma?Listening to sadnessHow reliableis the Bible?Data andinterpretation:Knowing the differenceMy escape from theworld of the occult3

Volume 13Number

Published in

English

French

Portuguese

Spanish

2 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Regional RepresentativesAfrica-Indian Ocean Division: Japheth L. Agboka. Address: 22

Boite Postale 1764, Abidjan 22, Cote d’Ivoire. E-mail:[email protected]

Eastern Africa Division: Hudson E. Kibuuka. Address: H.G. 100,Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe. E-mail: [email protected]

Euro-Africa Division: Roberto Badenas. Address: P.O. Box 219,3000 Bern 32, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected]

Euro-Asia Division: Heriberto Muller. Address: KrasnoyarskayaStreet 3, Golianovo, 107589 Moscow, Russian Federation. E-mail:[email protected]

Inter-American Division: Carlos Archbold and BernardoRodríguez. Address: P.O. Box 140760, Miami,FL 33114-0760, U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected]& [email protected]

North American Division: Don Hevener and Richard Stenbakken.Address: 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600,U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected] & [email protected]

Northern Asia-Pacific Division: David S. F. Wong. Address:Koyang IIsan, P.O. Box 43, 783 Janghang-Dong, Ilsan-Gu,Koyang City, Kyonggi-do 411-600, Republic of Korea.E-mail: [email protected]

South American Division: Roberto de Azevedo andJosé M. B. Silva. Address: Caixa Postal 02-2600, 70279-970Brasilia, DF, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]

South Pacific Division: Gilbert Cangy and Nemani Tausere.Address: Locked Bag 2014, Wahroonga, N.S.W. 2076, Australia.E-mail: [email protected] &[email protected]

Southern Africa Union: Jongimpi Papu. Address: P.O. Box 468,Bloemfontein 9300, Free State, South Africa.E-mail: [email protected]

Southern Asia Division: Justus Devadas. Address: P.O. Box 2,HCF Hosur, Tamil Nadu 635110, India. E-mail: [email protected]

Southern Asia-Pacific Division: Oliver Koh. Address: P.O. Box040, Silang, Cavite, 4118 Philippines. E-mail: [email protected]

Trans-European Division: Paul Tompkins and Orville Woolford.Address: 119 St. Peter’s Street, St. Albans, Herts., AL1 3EYEngland. E-mail: [email protected] &[email protected]

College and UniversityDialogue,TM an international journalof faith, thought, and action, ispublished three times a year in fourparallel editions (English, French,Portuguese, and Spanish) by theCommittee on Adventist Ministry toCollege and University Students(AMiCUS ) of the GeneralConference of Seventh-dayAdventists: 12501 Old ColumbiaPike; Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600;U.S.A.

VOLUME 13, NUMBER 3.Copyright © 2001 by the AMiCUSCommittee. All rights reserved.

DIALOGUE affirms the fundamentalbeliefs of the Seventh-day AdventistChurch and supports its mission.The views published in this journal,however, are the independentthoughts of the authors.

Editorial BoardEditor-in-chief: Humberto M. RasiEditor: John M. FowlerAssociate Editors: Alfredo García-Marenko, Richard StenbakkenManaging Editor: Julieta RasiSenior Consultants: James Cress,

George ReidCopy Editor: Beverly RumbleEditorial Secretary: Esther RodríguezInternational Editions: Julieta RasiInternational Copy Editors: Corinne Hauchecorne and Louise Geiser (French) César Luís Pagani (Portuguese) Julieta Rasi (Spanish)Editorial Correspondence:

12501 Old Columbia Pike;Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600;U.S.A.

Telephone: (301) 680-5060Fax: (301) 622-9627E-mail: 74617.464@

compuserve.com [email protected]

AMiCUS CommitteeChairman: Leo RanzolinVice Chairmen: Baraka G. Muganda,

Humberto M. Rasi, RichardStenbakken

Secretary: Julieta RasiMembers: John M. Fowler, Jonathan

Gallagher, Alfredo García-Marenko, Clifford Goldstein,Bettina Krause, KathleenKuntaraf, Vernon B. Parmenter,Gerhard Pfandl, Virginia L. Smith,Gary B. Swanson

CIRCULATION INQUIRES shouldbe addressed to the RegionalRepresentative located in the areawhere the reader resides. See namesand addresses at the left.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. $12 per year(three issues, airmail). See couponon page 19 for details.

Dialogue has receivedcorrespondence fromreaders in 113 countriesaround the world.

Essays

5 Life: A chemical dilemma?Why scientific materialism is inadequate as a

worldview.

— Clifford Goldstein

9 Listening to sadnessRethinking chronic depression

in the light of God’s grace.

— Siroj Sorajjakool

12 How reliable is the Bible?Human theories may come and go, but “the word

of our God shall stand for ever.”

— Alberto R. Timm

15 Data and interpretation:Knowing the differenceMultiple, alternative interpretations of data are not

only possible but probable.

— Elaine Kennedy

Editorial3 September 11, 2001

and three other days— John M. Fowler

3 Letters

Profiles20 Gwendolyn Winston Foster

— Vikki Montgomery22 Michael Comberiate

— Kimberly Luste Maran

Logos24 Caleb’s finest hour

— Roy Gane

Book Review Essay26 Demolishing the icons of evolution

— Earl Aagaard

Viewpoint28 Ethics for scientists:

A call for stewardship— Katrina A. Bramstedt

Books30 Jewelry in the Bible (Rodríguez)

— Eloy Wade30 La perfección cristiana (Zurcher)

— Edgar J. Escobar Suárez31 Lutherans & Adventists

in Conversation— Rolf J. Poehler

31 Secrets of Daniel: Wisdom and Dreamsof a Jewish Prince in Exile (Doukhan)— Winfried Vogel

Action Report33 Maranhão Mission in Brazil

holds three seminarsfor university students— Otimar Gonçalves

33 East Tanzania Field universitystudents hold a retreat atDar-es-Salaam— Christopher Mwasinga

First Person34 Free at last!

— Joe Jerus

Insert Interchange

Contents

3Dialogue 13:3 2001

A unique featureI have been acquainted with Dialogue

since I was a first-year student at a pub-lic college. We received the journal asmembers of the local AMiCUS club andwere encouraged to learn that other Ad-ventist students were also faithful tohonor the seventh-day Sabbath by nottaking classes or examinations on thatday. Our club was very active in the lo-cal churches, participating in youth pro-grams, visiting patients in the hospital,and singing for members of the univer-sity faculty in their homes. Now, as aregistered nurse at an Adventist hospi-tal, I continue reading the journal. Aunique feature of Dialogue is the possi-bility of exchanging communicationwith the authors of the essays and theindividuals interviewed. I congratulateyou for such a brilliant idea.

Marqueza BulahanMindanao Sanitarium &HospitalIligan City, PHILIPPINES

The 10-40 Windowchallenge

The challenge of reaching the mil-lions of people living in the 10-40 Win-dow (12:2) made a deep impression onme. I was not aware that 40 percent ofthe world’s population has not heardthe good news of Jesus Christ and Hissalvation. The article has helped me topray more intelligently for initiativesdesigned to bring the gospel to thoselarge areas of the world.

Ileana CobasHavana, CUBA

Arguments andencouragement

I enjoyed reading Dialogue whilestudying theology at an Adventist col-lege. However, I lost contact with thejournal after beginning my law studiesat Universidade Federal da Paraiba. To-gether with other Adventist university

September 11, 2001and three other days

eptember 11, 2001. “A day that changed the world,” screamed headlines around the globe. So it was. So it will be when history turns the blood of that day into a chronicle of evil. Never again would we be the same. When thatwhich was good—a creation of the finest of human intelligence—was used to plowdown the twin towers of New York City, turning out of steel and glass an inferno forthousands of innocent men and women, and shaping an image of fear, and uncer-tainty around the world, evil in its distilled form wrote across the skies the prophet-ic message thundered centuries ago: “The heart is deceitful above all things, anddesperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).

To know it, we must go back to another day that changed the world. Infinitelyworse in depth and scope, it was the day that brought the cosmic conflict betweengood and evil into this infant earth. Knowing what happened that day provides theChristian a deeper understanding of the nature of evil in times such as this whenterror leaves us numb, stripping our innocence and challenging our compassion.

That day changed the perfect home of our first parents. Eden was not only themost beautiful place in all creation; it was also a towering symbol of God’s lovewhere the Creator communed with His creatures on a face-to-face basis. But evil,total and focused, took the guile of a serpent, winged its way into the perfection ofGod’s creation, and crashed into the innocence of Adam and Eve. It snapped thedirect link the Creator had with the humans, and hijacked the world into a diaboliccourse of sheer wickedness, manifest in a thousand ways through the corridors ofhistory. Chaos, murder, hatred, divisions between humans, personal and corporatesuffering have become the lot of the sojourners of this world.

The cry from Eden is a simple message: God is not responsible for evil in thisworld. He loves the lonely, wipes the tears, cares for the widow and the orphan,comforts the bereaved, shares the grief. Who, then, is responsible for this publicterror and the private agony? Jesus gave us a brief answer: “‘An enemy has donethis’” (Matthew 13:28, RSV). The enemy who is engaged in a mortal combat with allthat is good and righteous, the enemy that hijacked this earth in the Garden ofEden, the enemy that is still at work, casting doubt on the goodness and love ofGod. The enemy that sought to destroy the Son of God on Golgotha’s cross.

And that was the second great day that changed the world. Satan sought to plowdown the Son of God. The tower of the cross was to link heaven and earth, and Satanthought he had succeeded in his mission, when the Son cried out “‘My God, my God,why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46, NIV). But God did not forsake. Theanswer to Satan’s terror and defilement came on Easter day when the Son arose intriumph over death and sin, and could offer to all redemption and reconciliation.

Yet a third day is soon to come—the day that will once for all eradicate from theuniverse all trace of evil. The answer to evil over the skies of New York and evil inthe human heart and human habitation will soon come when Jesus shall descendfrom the skies, and the mighty voice of God will say, “‘It is done!’”(Revelation 21:6,RSV). Done with tears. Done with terror. Done with evil. Done with death.

To that day of hope we must cling on to, even as we traverse in these days ofhopelessness. Seize that hope, share that hope, and live that hope. Maranatha!

—John M. Fowler, Editor

S

Letters


Write to us!We welcome your comments, reac-tions and questions, but limit your let-ters to 200 words. Write to DialogueLetters: 12501 Old Columbia Pike; Sil-ver Spring, MD 20904; U.S.A. You canalso use fax: (301) 622-9627, or E-mail: [email protected] selected for publication maybe edited for clarity or space.

students, I face the daily challenge ofideologies and philosophies that arecontrary to our biblical convictions. Weneed to have access to the intellectualarguments for our faith and to the spiri-tual encouragement that Dialogue pro-vides. How can we get the journal?

Gianne Gomes FerreiraPernambuco, BRAZIL

The editors respond:We are pleased to send a copy of Dia-

logue to keep you connected to our journal.To receive future issues, you should contactthe youth ministries or the education directorof your union, who are responsible for thefree distribution of Dialogue among Adven-tist students attending public universities intheir territory. A second option is to write toour regional representatives, listed on page2, who will tell you how to begin receivingthe journal again. If those contacts fail tobring results, you may subscribe to Dialogueusing the coupon found in each issue. MayGod bless you in your studies and strengthenyour trust in Him.

Enriched intellectuallyand spiritually

As the only Adventist student in myschool, at times I find myself strugglingwith feelings of loneliness. However, Di-alogue is a welcome friend that keeps mein touch with many thoughtful Adven-tists in other parts of the world. Each is-

sue of the journal enriches me intellec-tually and spiritually. Thank you!

Andrea de Stael LadislasVaureal, FRANCE

Russian stamp portraysAdventist church

Readers who enjoyed the article onstamps featuring Adventist subjects inDialogue 13:2 will be interested to knowthat in July 2001 the Russian Postal Ser-vice issued a stamp portraying the Sev-enth-day Adventist church building inRyazan, Russia. The Adventist stamp ispart of a 14-stamp series depicting plac-es of worship of several recognized reli-gions in Russia. In addition to the Chris-tian churches depicted (Armenian Or-thodox, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran,Pentecostal, Russian Orthodox, and Sev-enth-day Adventist), the series includereligious buildings representing theBuddhist, Jewish, and Muslim faiths.

The Russian Postal Service issued340,000 copies of the series, with a val-ue of 2.50 rubles (approximatelyUS$0.11 cents) per stamp.

The initiative for producing the seriescame from the office of religious affairsof President V. V. Putin, to coincide witha program of religious activities heldduring the summer of 2001 in Moscow’sRussian Exhibition Center.

The Ryazan church was built underthe sponsorship of the Adventist televi-

sion program Faith for Today and it wascompleted in 1996. Its attractive designis typical of Protestant churches in Rus-sia. Much of the labor was done by localRussian Adventists and volunteers fromabroad. The design above the churchbuilding depicts the cross, the three an-gels of Revelation 14, and the Adventistlogo.

This is the first time in Russian histo-ry that the Seventh-day AdventistChurch has been featured on a stamp. Itrecognizes the constructive role that ourmembers play in society through agri-culture, communication, education,health, publishing, and religious pro-grams.

Valerie IvanovMoscow, [email protected]

I’ve gotto memorizethe threecommandmentsby nextSabbath.

I belong to a church thatbelieves in adapting itsstandards to thechanging valuesof our society.

What happenedto the otherseven?

Pontius’ Puddle

© J

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Kau

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Letters

5Dialogue 13:3 2001

A leafless tree, a country road, and two homeless men vying for existence. It’s night, and everything’sshrouded in the bottom of the earth’sshadow. That’s all it takes, the bottom ofthe shadow—and the world goes halfdark.

Vladimir and Estragon wait for amysterious figure whose promise tocome prods them toward life.

“His name is Godot?” asks Estragon.“I think so,” answers Vladimir.As Vladimir and Estragon stand,

suckled by the dehydrated hope thatGodot will come, a procession of hu-man suffering stomps past them. Bored,not so much by all the pain but by life’suselessness, they seek diversion in doinggood, such as lifting a blind man whohas stumbled to the ground.

“Come, let us get to work!” saysVladimir. “In an instant all will vanishand we’ll be alone once more, in themidst of nothingness!” But as Vladimirreaches, he falls and can’t get up. De-spite more promises that Godot willcome, they lean toward death again—this time planning to hang themselves.But having no rope, Estragon takes offthe cord that holds up his pants, whichcollapse around his ankles. Testing thecord’s strength, they pull; it breaks andboth men almost fall. They decide tofind a better rope, and try again…later.

“We’ll hang ourselves tomorrow,”says Vladimir. “Unless Godot comes.”

“And if he comes?” asks Estragon.“We’ll be saved.”Godot never comes—which means

they’re never saved. Of course, theywere never meant to be—which is why,from its first performance at Paris’

Théâtre de Babylone in 1953, SamuelBeckett’s drama Waiting for Godot1 al-ways ends with these two atrophiedsouls stranded in an existence they hatebut can’t escape. Nor are they even surethey should try because they had thepromise that Godot will come. ThatGodot never does hardly matters; whatmatters is the promise that he will.

Beckett’s drama is the most cruelanti-Christian polemic since Voltaire’sacid invectives in the18th century. It’shard to imagine any serious Christianswho believe in the Second Coming notseeing themselves caricatured, to somedegree, in Vladimir and Estragon’s pa-thetic attempt to balance their fears anddoubts about human suffering with aloving and all-powerful God who haspromised to come, to make it all right—but hasn’t.

Beckett’s tragicomedy in two acts,however, didn’t mock just the promise,but life without the promise, the prom-ise of something beyond the earth.What’s worse? A false hope, or no hopeat all?

However unkind to the Second Com-ing, Waiting for Godot was worse to thesecularist; it ruthlessly brutalized lifethat exists only to keep itself alive. Asthe drama mimicked and mimed theobtuse mimicry of life lived without fi-nal purpose, Beckett asks the questionthat has dominated the post-Christianworld: “How does one live a life that hasno meaning?”

Life is too complicated, too full oftraps and unexpected tricks to be lived,in and of itself. When people have noclue as to the purpose of their existence,when they can frame only diluted hy-

Life: A chemical dilemma?

by Clifford Goldstein

Why scientific materialism is

inadequate as a worldview.


potheses about their origins, when allthey can do is speculate on what deathbrings—then it’s a wonder that humanscan live at all.

The predicament“We can neither,” wrote Francisco

Jose Moreno, “rid ourselves of the cer-tainty of death nor achieve an under-standing of life.”2 How incredible thatsomething so basic, so fundamental aslife can’t even justify, much less explain,its own existence. We just, one day, areborn; eventually we become aware ofourselves—pain, fear, hunger often be-ing our first sensations of self-conscious-ness.

We’re given something none of ussought after, planned for, or acquiescedin; we’re not sure what it is, what itmeans, or even why we have it; its mostreal and immediate givens—pain, sor-row, loss, fear—remain absurdly inexpli-cable. Nevertheless, we cling to it eventhough we lose it anyway.

Is this all there is to human life?Waiting for Godot divided reality into

two spheres. The first one is mechanis-tic, atheistic, and secular. Here truthsexist only as mathematical equations;they are amoral. The second is spiritual.It transcends a single-tiered reality andproclaims that truth doesn’t originate increation but in the Creator. In the first,human is the means, the ends, and allin all. In the second, God is. In the first,humanity is the subject of truth, in thesecond it’s the object—and a vast gulfexists between the two.

If the mechanistic option is true,then our responses in the long run don’treally matter; the end’s the same for allof us, regardless of who we are or whatwe think, believe, or do. If the second istrue, our responses have eternal conse-quences. If the first is true, we’ll neverknow; in the second, we have hope ofabsolutes.

Between these two centers of gravity,a black fog looms. The option of a com-promise, of a balance between them at

“the end of history” doesn’t (ultimately)and can’t (logically) exist. It’s either oneor the other, but not both. Neitherview’s philosophic architecture is sotightly woven, so perfectly packagedthat even their most faithful adherentscan’t trip over the loose ends. No matterhow tightly fused one may be to his orher beliefs, they are still only beliefs—subjective encounters with phenomena,mere opinions always tainted by whatwas woven in the genes at conceptionor by what’s frothing in the belly at theparticular moment of thought. Belief,ultimately, has no bearing upon thetruth or the falsity of its object. No mat-ter how fervent, belief can’t make thefalse true or the true false. What’s falsenever existed, even when we passionate-ly believe that it did; what’s true, in con-trast, remains even after we long sincestopped believing in it.

Where are we?With his five unenviable characters

on a barren stage, Samuel Beckett dra-matized the West’s most immediate di-lemma: God is dead, so where does thatleave those made in His image? ForBeckett, they’re left between two hardfetters: one, Christ hasn’t come as Hepromised; two, we are in a sad lot be-cause He hasn’t. Between these cruelfates, humanity is manacled in a bondthat offers no escape. How could it,when the knot itself is made of all reali-ty, when it’s woven of the only optionspossible, and when it’s tied together byirreducible logic?

“Nothing to be done,” mutters Es-tragon because there’s nothing to do.Frankly, nothing can be done—not in agodless universe where our most inflexi-ble and uncompromising enemy ac-cepts no surrender and takes no prison-ers but snipes and shells until every cellwall crumbles and all within drains outand decays. Death is a foe impossible forus to hunt out and destroy because it’smade of what we are. In a naturalistic,single-tiered universe, life and death are

but different mixes of the same stew.The living are just a pubescent versionof the dead.

The pre-Socratic Protagoras said,“Concerning the gods, whether they ex-ist or not I do not know because of thedifficulty of the topic and the shortnessof human life.”3 From then, through thematerialistic presuppositions of modernscience, a naturalistic worldview hashad a long (in terms of time) but thin(in terms of adherents) history. But onlyin the past 100 years or so has secular-ism tilted the whole edifice of Westernthought, with scientific and intellectualleaders preaching it with the fervor ofcrusaders. Conceived in the debris ofthe 17th century Cromwellian Revolu-tion, birthed in arable Enlightenmentideals, nurtured by the goddess of rea-son and unwittingly encouraged by so-called intellectual and open-mindedChristians, secularism came of age inthe 20th century. Now it’s so infusedinto Western culture we’d have to climbout of our eyes in order to see what ithas done to our minds. Never before hasthere been such a widespread, institu-tionalized, and intellectually fertilemovement to explain creation, and allits predicates (life, death, morals, law,purpose, love)—without a Creator.

After all, why bother with the texts ofthe dead when there’s the science of theliving? What can Jeremiah, Isaiah, andPaul possibly say to those raised onNewton, Einstein, and Heisenberg?Didn’t the Principia vitiate the Apoca-lypse? Who needs the Lord moving overthe “face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2)when Darwin did the same on theH.M.S. Beagle?

Wrapped in airtight numbers, ex-pressed by scientists, and explained bywell-woven theories, the secular world-view has commanded an aura of objec-tivity, of validation that’s (at least fornow) beyond the reach of religiousfaith. Special relativity has enjoyedproofs that the death and resurrectionof Christ haven’t.

7Dialogue 13:3 2001

Despite the apparent triumph of sci-entific rationalism, its victory has neverbeen tethered to anything except itselfand its own dogmatic presuppositions.The fit, in fact, is not as tight as hasbeen taught, and the longer it shroudsthe world, the more threadbare the cov-er becomes until reality is burstingthrough the seams. Sure, the worldflashes across our senses as material;sure, rational thinking solves puzzlesand helps jets fly; sure, science has dis-sected the atom and constructed thespace shuttle. Yet these facts don’t provethat materialism, rationalism, and sci-ence contain the potential, or even thetools, to explain all reality any morethan classical physics alone explainsFrance’s 1998 World Cup victory.

Equations inadequately define a real-ity riotous with passion, effusive withthought, and spry with creativity. Whatalgorithm can explain the passion ofHamlet, what formula the cooing of adove, what law the foreboding of VanGogh’s Wheatfield With Crows? Are thesymphonies of Beethoven and the lyricsof Shelley nothing more than themanuscripts upon which they are writ-ten? Theories and formulas, principlesand laws don’t make stars shine, robinsfly, or mothers feed their young anymore than carving the symbols E=MC2

on a piece of refined uranium will makean atomic explosion.

Squandering away the essentialHowever great the scientific achieve-

ments of the past few hundred years,something essential and intrinsicallyhuman has been squandered along theway. Isaac Newton declared, “O God! Ithink thy thoughts after thee!” AndStephen Hawking, occupying the samechair at Cambridge as did Newton, says,“The human race is just a chemicalscum on a moderate-sized planet, orbit-ing around a very average star in theouter suburb of one among hundreds ofbillion of galaxies.”4 Between the two,there is a whole dimension, unable to fit

in test tubes or conform to formulas.Heaven, instead of being the throne ofthe cosmos, has been shattered, thepieces parceled out and fragmented intonothing but fickle myths scattered inthe human imagination. And the Godwho once reigned in that heaven, now,instead, has disappeared, twice removedfrom that throne (created by the crea-tures He had once created).

Thus the divine has been contortedand demoted in order to fit the framethat for the past hundred years has out-lined the boundaries of all reality. In ad-dition, whole aspects of human exist-ence have been painfully crammed byscientific rationalism into containersthat can no more hold them than a fish-net can restrain whirlpools. Ethics andlove, hate and hope transcend not justthe Periodic Table of Elements but all112 other facets of reality the Table rep-resents. Scientific formula—no matterhow finely tuned and balanced—can’tfully explain heroism, art, fear, generos-ity, altruism, hate, hope, and passion.

A worldview that limits its world,and its view, only to rationalism, mate-rialism, and scientific atheism misses allthat’s beyond them—which is so muchof us, of what we are, of what we hopefor, of what we aspire to, of love andworship, of life and death. Chemicalscum doesn’t mull over loftier worlds,envision eternity, write Les Misérables, orevoke the sublime. Formulas and chem-icals are part of life, of course. But arethey all of it? Never. To think that theyare is to surrender onself to the lowestpossible denominator, to settle for thecheapest option when others, morehopeful, rich, and promising exist.

Moral responsibilityIn fact, in a purely materialistic, chem-

ical, and mechanical world, how can hu-mans ever be responsible for their ac-tions? If physical laws alone control us,we’re like the wind or combustion. Anysociety based on purely materialisticpremises would have to let its murder-

ers, child-molesters, thieves, rapists—infact, all offenders—go free because we’remachines, and who can ascribe moralculpability to a gizmo? It would be likeputting an AK-47 on trial for murder. Nosociety, even those glossed with secular-ism, allows for such moral inculpability,except among the criminally insane.Thus, what society says, implicitly atleast, is that if scientific materialismwere true, we’d all have to be lunatics.Every culture rejects hard-core material-ism, believing instead that we’re moral-ly responsible beings not manipulatedby deterministic physical forces beyondour control.

We’re activated, obviously, by some-thing more than what we immediatelyperceive—even if we don’t know what—but only that it’s there and real, andwithout it we’re not alive, or free, orhuman. Immanuel Kant argued that themere act of reason itself surpasses na-ture, transcends emotions, trumps urg-es, and upstages instincts. How couldwe even think transcendent thoughts ifthere were not something about us be-yond nature, something greater thanthe sum of our chemicals, somethingmore to our minds than pulsating meat?Isn’t there some principle out there stat-ing that effects can’t be greater thantheir causes?

What science cannot tell us, said phi-losopher Bertrand Russell, mankind can-not know. Really? Then we can’t knowlove, hate, mercy, good, evil, happiness,transcendence or faith. But because wedo know them, a worldview like scien-tific materialism, which says we can’t isobviously inadequate.

The incomplete vision“An uneasy sense nonetheless pre-

vails,” wrote mathematician David Ber-linski, “—it has long prevailed—that thevision of a purely physical or materialuniverse is somehow incomplete; it can-not encompass the familiar but inescap-able facts of ordinary life.”5

Science and materialism can’t even


Dialoguefor you, free!

If you are a Seventh-day Adventiststudent attending a non-Adventist col-lege or university, the Church has aplan that will allow you to receive Dia-logue free while you remain a student.(Those who are no longer students cansubscribe to Dialogue, using the cou-pon on page 19.) Contact the directorof the Education Department or theYouth Department in your Union andrequest that you be placed in their dis-tribution network for the journal. In-clude your full name, address, collegeor university you are attending, the de-gree you are pursuing, and the nameof the local church of which you are amember. You may also write to our re-gional representatives at the addressprovided on page 2, with a copy ofyour letter sent to the Union directorslisted above. If these communicationsfail to produce results, contact us viae-mail: [email protected]

justify themselves, or their own exist-ence, much less explain everythingelse’s. Austrian mathematician KurtGödel showed that no system ofthought, even scientific, can be legiti-mized by anything within the system it-self. You have to step outside the systemto view it from a different and broaderperspective in order to appraise it. Oth-erwise, how does one judge x, when xitself is the very criterion used to do thejudging? How can humans objectivelystudy the act of thinking, when theyhave only the act of thinking to do it?

For years reason has reigned as epis-temological king of the West, the solecriteria for judging truth. Yet what hasbeen the criteria for judging reason?Reason itself! But to judge reason by rea-son is like defining a word by using theword itself in the definition. It’s a tau-

tology, and tautologies prove nothing.How fascinating, then, that reason it-self—the foundation of thought, partic-ularly, of modern thought—can’t reallybe validated any more than the state-ment, “The house is red because thehouse is red.”

The problem for scientism and mate-rialism is, How can one step outside asystem, into a wider frame of reference,when the system itself purports to en-compass all reality? What happenswhen we reach the edge of the universe?What’s beyond it? If there were a widerframe of reference to judge it from (Godperhaps?), then the system itself wouldnot be all-encompassing, as scientificmaterialism often claims to be.

“In short,” wrote scientist TimothyFerris, “there is not and will never be acomplete and comprehensive scientificaccount of the universe that can beproved valid.”6 In other words, even sci-ence and materialism will always haveto be taken on…faith?

What? The inherent limits of scienceitself require faith? But isn’t faith, thenotion of belief in something unprov-able, outside the purview of science,whose whole purpose is to prove thingsempirically? Isn’t the concept of faith aleftover from a distant, mythic pre-ra-tionalistic, pre-scientific age?

Because it is based on materialism,science implies (at least hypothetically)that everything should be accessible toexperiment and empirical validation.Ideally, there shouldn’t be room forfaith in a scientific universe, yet the verynature of that universe demands it. What aparadox! Within the materialistic andscientific worldview, then, there reignsthe potential for something beyond it,something outside of it, something thatexplains why love is more than endo-crine function, why ethics is more thanchemical synthesis, and why beauty ismore than mathematical proportions…something, perhaps, divine?

Clifford Goldstein, a prolific author, is

Attention,AdventistProfessionalsIf you hold a master’s degree or itsequivalent in any field, we encourageyou to join the Adventist Professionals’Network (APN). Sponsored by the Ad-ventist Church, this global electronicregistry assists participant institutionsand agencies in locating consultantswith expertise, volunteers for short mis-sion assignments, and candiates for po-sitions in teaching, administration, orresearch. Enter your professional infor-mation directly in the APN website:

http://apn.adventist.org

Encourage other qualified Adventistprofessionals to register!

the editor of the adult Sabbath SchoolStudy Guide at the General Conference ofSeventh-day Adventists. His mailing ad-dress: 12501 Old Columbia Pike; SilverSpring, Maryland 20904; U.S.A. E-mail:[email protected]

Notes and references1. Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot (New

York: Grove Press, 1954).2. Francisco Jose Moreno, Between Faith and

Reason (New York: Harper Books, 1977),p. 7.

3. Quoted in From Thales to Plato, edited byT. V. Smith (Chicago: Phoenix Books,1956), p. 60.

4. Quoted in David Deutsch, The Fabric ofReality (New York: Penguin Books, 1997),pp. 177, 178.

5. David Berlinski, The Advent of theAlgorithm (New York: Harcourt Books,2000), pp. 249, 250.

6. Timothy Ferris, Coming of Age in the MilkyWay (New York: Doubleday, 1988), p. 384.

9Dialogue 13:3 2001

Listening to sadness

by Siroj Sorajjakool

Rethinking chronic depression

in the light of God’s grace

W ithin herself, Nina feels cheat- ed. She cannot quite figure out who she is, and why she is. Theworld outside seems dark, lonely, andoppressive. She writes of herself: “Whenyou are in it there is no more empathy,no intellect, no imagination, no com-passion, no humanity, no hope. It isn’tpossible to roll over in bed because thecapacity to plan and execute the re-quired steps is too difficult to master,and the physical skills needed are toohard to complete.… Depression stealsaway whoever you were, prevents youfrom seeing who you might someday be,and replaces your life with a black hole.”1

For every Nina, there are hundredsmore lost in the world of depression.

Depression can be devastating. Iknow it. I have been there.

Too often we rush to quickly cure de-pression. We live in a quick-fix societyof pills and surgical procedures with lit-tle tolerance for pain or desire to learnfrom it. But before we deal with depres-sion, I want to underscore two factors.

First, we must make a clear distinc-tion between chronic depression andsituational depression. The former is anatural tendency to feel negative; thelater is located in a particular situa-tion—when the situation is resolved,depression disappears. This article dealswith the first kind. Second, I do sub-scribe to the concurrent use of medica-tions and other forms of therapy. I amalso in favor of using spiritual tools toaddress feelings of negativity.

Depression: the factsOne out of four individuals in the

United States is likely to experience atleast one episode of depression in his orher lifetime. Out of this group, only aquarter will receive appropriate diagno-sis, and of these, only a quarter will re-ceive appropriate treatment. The risk ofdepression for people who were born inthe past 30 years is 10 times higher thanthose who were born 70 years ago.2

The severity of this illness is reflectedby its persistence. A study by psycholo-gists Gayle Belsher and Charles Costelloshows that approximately 50 percent ofthose treated will experience relapsewithin two years of successful treat-ment.3 Ian Gotlib and Constance Ham-men state: “Only recently have we cometo understand that for many sufferers ofmajor depression the disorder is recur-rent, if not chronic.”4

Studies have also shown that treatedclients, even though they improved,were still more depressed at the end oftherapy than non-depressed controlsubjects. The functioning level of de-pressed persons who received treatmentwas within one standard deviation low-er than that of the general population,while those who did not receive treat-ment were functioning at two standarddeviations below norm.5 Even aftertreatment, many continue to experiencesymptoms of depression in a less-in-tense form. For them, the struggle willbe continuous. This has significant im-plications for the development of spiri-tuality because it promotes positive feel-ings as opposed to negativity that de-stroys meaning. Since meaning-makingis the function of theology, meaning-lessness runs against its very core.

10 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Depression: the problemOne of the most damaging features

of chronic depression is that individualsbecome trapped in a cycle of negativity.Karp writes, “Depression is a uniquecase since the most critical assaults onself come from within. . . . In the midstof an episode of depression individualsfeel a self-hatred far greater than couldpossibly be expressed by others towardthem.” 6 These “critical assaults on self”emerge concurrently with the desire tocorrect oneself. This process begins withsetting goals and striving toward them.What depressed individuals are notaware of is that negativity negates.7

They try to correct themselves whileblaming themselves at the same time.The more they strive, the farther theyare from where they want to be. Theyare trapped within the cycle of depres-sion.

In my experience at a counselingcenter and in a psychiatric facility, andof working with church members, Ihave observed this common cycleamong depressed individuals. They tryand try and get really tired of fighting. Itis a cycle from which they don’t seem tobe able to escape. They’re really sick ofthemselves, and don’t want to fight anymore. Depressed individuals are fightingsomething illogical where rationalityhas no control over emotion. “Whenthe thought is triggered and the emo-tion stirred, the cycle spirals downward.People who are in this state often say, ‘Iknow it is illogical, but I just can’t stopit.’ They are caught in a cycle that doesnot seem to end. The trying keeps oneven when the body experiences ex-treme fatigue. The deep wish is oftenexpressed as ‘Please stop this spin andlet me rest for a while.’ Yet one cannothelp but keep on trying in an ocean ofirrationality, wishing that perhaps justone more effort may lead to liberationfrom the vicious cycle. But the wish be-comes a deeper pain. The yoke getsheavier. The downward spiral hits a newmomentum.”8

The mechanism of negativityWhat causes this cycle of self-blame

and despair? In the late 1970s, TomPyszczynski and Jeff Greenberg in theirresearch noticed a relationship betweendepression and self-awareness. This ob-servation resulted in numerous studiesand experiments. They found that de-pressed individuals are highly self-fo-cused, with a tendency to be self-ab-sorbed. They are usually more self-fo-cused after failure than after success.Pyszczynski and Greenberg asked: Whyare these individuals so highly self-fo-cused, and why do they focus more onthemselves after failure than after suc-cess? They write: “Essentially, we viewdepression as the consequence of perse-verated efforts to regain a lost objectwhen it is impossible to do so. This per-severation is believed to occur when anindividual has lost a primary basis ofself-worth and does not have sufficientalternative sources from which to deriveself-worth. The resulting self-regulatoryperseveration is posited to entail achronically high level of self-focuswhich produces a spiral of escalatingnegative affect, self-blame and dispar-agement, and motivational deficits thatultimately result in a negative self-im-age and depressive self-focusing stylewhich perpetuate the depressed state.”9

A similar research by Paula Ray Pi-etromonaco revealed that the self-struc-ture of people with depression tends tobe less conceptually complex and is or-ganized more around affect and less interms of other aspects of the self.10 Thisis significant because the self-structurethat organizes itself around negative af-fect while disregarding other aspects ofthe self will only lead to greater intensi-fication of the negative experience. “De-pressive self-schema intensifies one’snegative affect, which, in turn, drawsattention onto the self. Increased self-awareness leads to self-evaluation andmotivates one to try to reduce the dis-crepancy. This is where negation takesplace, and the cycle is perpetuated.”11

Every attempt at correcting oneself isaccompanied by this depressive self-schema. One finds oneself focusing onlyon one’s failures. The mind remembersonly negatives while attributing positiveoutcomes to external factors. The widerthe gap gets, the more one becomesconscious of failure to meet the goals.“The intensified negative affect, self-blame, self-evaluation, and disruptionof successful, competent behavior inother domains pushes the recently de-stabilized self-concept toward negativi-ty.”12 Intensified negative affect, in turn,leads to greater awareness of discrepan-cy, which leads to more trying, and sothe cycle continues. The depressive self-schema negates every attempt to closethe gap. The harder one tries, the worseone feels about oneself.

How can depressed individuals exitthis cycle of self-criticism? I believeChristianity offers a tool for depressedindividuals to use in coping with thenegating power of depression.

Exiting the cycle:a theological reflection

Causes of depression may be varied.We may be born with a tendency to-ward depression or experience traumat-ic events that sink us into despair. How-ever it develops, when individuals areexposed to prolonged stress and do notreceive appropriate treatment, they facethe increased likelihood of future de-pressive episodes.

Negative affect also causes a percep-tion of unworthiness: “I’m not goodenough. I’m undeserving.” In social re-lations this may express itself in the ideaof not belonging, of having to earn theright to belong. Depressed individuals,therefore, tend to confuse self-con-sciousness, which is chemically based,with social relations and social accep-tance.

In my struggle with depression, Ifound myself trying to run away frommyself. The sense of discomfort plus theconstant negative affect that filtered my

11Dialogue 13:3 2001

interpretation and assessment of theworld around me enticed me to aban-don myself in the pursuit of another selfthat I thought would create a greatersense of comfort. The discomfort led meto try to be other than who I really was.This turned into a complex spiritualquest, leading to a sense of spiritual dis-tress.

I learned that the dark side of me fol-lowed me like a shadow. The only wayto hide from it was to be in the dark.Depressed individuals keep moving to-ward the “ought,” not realizing that themechanism of negativity keeps pushingthem farther behind. “The harder thestruggle, the tighter the grip.” Depres-sion is a symptom of a depleted self. To“run away from” is to further depletethe self. This is often the case with indi-viduals with chronic depression.

This “running away from” is theolog-ically unsound. Instead, the depressedshould run to the cross of Christ. Thereis no better resting place than at thefoot of the cross. The cross is an invita-tion to come as we are. Striving for the“ought” tempts us to minimize thepower of the cross to embrace us. It sug-gests that the redemptive event is notcomplete, and we need to help God saveus. The Bible is clear on this point, how-ever. We cannot run away from our-selves. Through the cross God says todepressed individuals, “Stay—stay righthere. You do not have to go anywhereelse. I am coming to you.” Our restingplace is not found in attempting to bewhat we think we ought to be. Grace iswhere we find rest, and grace comes tous.

To exit the cycle of depression weneed to learn to be present in it, remainthere, and learn to sit in the dark despairand listen. God has given each of us aninner healing process that utilizes painas a natural part of human develop-ment. This healing is not necessarily“curing depression” or “getting rid ofthe depressive symptoms,” but a call to

rest and let this inner driving force to-ward wholeness do its work. As we lis-ten, our understanding of who we arewill deepen and this will enhance theprocess of self-differentiation. In thisworld where we struggle and fight,God’s grace invites us to listen so wemay find a resting place.

Finally, two practical suggestions.First, if you are struggling with negativi-ty on a day-to-day basis, don’t try to fix it.Depressed individuals want to fix de-pression. By not fighting so hard, youcan reduce its power to control your life.

Second, remain in God’s presence. De-pressed individuals need to learn to seethemselves as they really are, notthrough the negative lens of depression.We are invited to rest in God. We maynot always feel good, but we can alwaysbe at home there. It is important tolearn that we can remain in the pres-ence of God even in the midst of nega-tive feelings and thoughts.

Born in Thailand, Siroj Sorajjakool(Ph.D., Claremont School of Theology)teaches religion at Loma Linda University.His mailing address: School of Religion;Loma Linda, California 92350; U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected]

Notes and references1. David Karp, Speaking of Sadness:

Depression, Disconnection, and the Meaningsof Illness (New York: Oxford UniversityPress, 1996), p. 24.

2. Martin E. P. Seligman, “Why is There SoMuch Depression Today? The Waxing ofthe Individual and the Waning of theCommon,” Contemporary PsychologicalApproaches to Depression: Theory, Research,and Treatment, edited by Rick E. Ingram(New York: Plenum Press, 1990), p. 5.

3. Gayle Belsher and Charles G. Costello,“Relapse After Recovery from UnipolarDepression: A Critical Review,”Psychological Bulletin 104 (1988)1: 84-96;see also Gerald L. Klerman and Myrna M.Weissman, “Course, Morbidity, and Costsof Depression,” Archives of GeneralPsychiatry 49 (1992): 831-834.

4. Ian H. Gotlib and Constance L. Hammen,Psychological Aspects of Depression: Towarda Cognitive-Interpersonal Integration (NewYork: John Wiley and Sons, 1992), p. 1.

5. Leslie A. Robinson, Jeffrey S. Berman, andRobert A. Neimeyer, “Psychotherapy forthe Treatment of Depression: AComprehensive Review of ControlledOutcome Research,” Psychological Bulletin108 (1990)1:40.

6. Karp, p. 47.7. Aaron T. Beck, Depression: Causes and

Treatments (Philadelphia: University ofPennsylvania Press, 1972), pp. 17-23.

8. Siroj Sorajjakool, “Wu Wei (Non-Trying) inPastoral Care of Persons with Depression:Coping With Negativity,” Ph.D.Dissertation, Claremont School ofTheology, 1999, p. 5.

9. Tom Pyszczynski and Jeff Greenberg,Hanging On and Letting Go: Understandingthe Onset, Progression, and Remission ofDepression (New York: Springer-Verlag,1992), pp. 8, 9.

10. Paula Ray Pietromonaco, “The Nature ofthe Self-Structure in Depression,” Ph.D.Dissertation, University of Michigan,1983, abstract in Dissertation AbstractsInternational 44 (1983) 10B:3243.

11. Sorajjakool, p. 111.12. Pyszczynski and Greenberg, p. 107.

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12 Dialogue 13:3 2001

hristianity derives its authority from the Word of God. Christ and His apostles regarded the Scrip-tures as a revelation of God, with anundergirding unity among its variousteachings (see Matthew 5:17-20; Luke24:27, 44, 45-48; John 5:39). Manychurch fathers and the great Protestantreformers of the 16th century upheld theunity and reliability of the Scriptures.

However, under the strong influenceof historical criticism of the 18th centu-ry Enlightenment, a considerable num-ber of theologians and Christians con-sider that the Bible is a mere product ofancient cultures in which it was con-ceived. Consequently, the Bible is nolonger seen as consistent and harmoni-ous in its various teachings, but ratheras a collection from different sourceswith internal contradictions. An addi-tional blow to the authority and theunity of the Scripture came in the sec-ond half of the 20th century throughthe onslaught of postmodernism. Thenew trend is to emphasize not the actu-al meaning of Scripture, but the variousmeanings attributed to it by its readers.

Seventh-day Adventists, by contrast,have continued to emphasize the unity,authority, and reliability of the Scrip-tures. In order to maintain such a con-viction, however, one has to find honestanswers to the following four questions:Upon what basis can we speak of agree-ment within the Scriptures? How do wedeal with some major problem areas inwhich that agreement is not always evi-dent? How did the miracle of inspirationsafeguard the unity of the Word of God?And, finally, what is the role of the HolySpirit in helping us recognize that unity?

Internal agreement in theScriptures

In this area, we need to address atleast two foundational issues. First, therelationship between the Word of Godand the contemporary cultures in whichthat Word was originally delivered. Inthe Scriptures one can easily perceive aconstant dialogue between universalprinciples and specific applications ofthose principles within a particular cul-tural setting. Such a perception cannotbe considered as cultural conditioningsthat distort the underlying unity of theWord of God, but precisely the opposite:universal principles that transcend anyspecific culture.

For example, the Bible shows severalinstances in which God tolerated somekind of human departure from His orig-inal plans, as in the cases of polygamy(see Genesis 16:1-15; 29:15-30:24; etc.)and divorce (see Matthew 19:3-12; Mark10:2-12). There are other cases in whichearly Christians were counseled to re-spect some specific cultural elements, asin regard to women wearing a veil whilepraying or prophesying (1 Corinthians11:2-16), and remaining silent in thechurch (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35). Butthe overall tenor of the Scriptures is thatits religion is to transcend and trans-form its environment.

G. Ernest Wright explains that “theOld Testament bears eloquent witness tothe fact that Canaanite religion was themost dangerous and disintegrative fac-tor which the faith of Israel had to face”(see Deuteronomy 7:1-6).1 Floyd V. Fil-son adds that, in the first century A.D.,the Jews and later the Judaizers “sensedthe fact that the Gospel was a different

How reliable is the Bible?

by Alberto R. Timm

Human theories may come and

go, but “the word of our God

shall stand for ever.”

C


thing from the religious messages whichthey had known” and that “it wasbreaking the limits of current Judaism”(see Matthew 5:20).2

The second issue that has to be ad-dressed by those interested in under-standing the unity of the Scriptures isthe methodological perspective fromwhich one looks into the Scriptures.From the self-testimony of the Scrip-tures, one can see that the Bible ismuch closer to the Eastern world, witha more systemic and integrative view ofreality, than to the Western, with amore analytical and compartmental-ized perspective. This is an importanthint to be taken into consideration inthe process of defining our method-ological approach to the Scriptures.

If one starts looking inductively for dis-crepancies within the Scriptures, one willend up “finding differences rather thanagreement and unity.” But, on the otherhand, if one starts looking deductively,one might end up discovering an under-lying unity binding together variousparts of the Scripture.3 Many apparentinconsistencies might be harmonized bymoving from the broad thematic frame-works of the Scriptures into their smallerdetails, rather than by starting with thosedetails without understanding the basicframeworks to which they belong.

Problem areasThere are, however, some major areas

of alleged internal “inconsistencies” ofthe Bible that people often use to under-mine the concept of biblical unity. Con-sider briefly five such areas and see howthese problems might be solved.

Tensions between the Old and the NewTestaments. Some people speak of sever-al dichotomous tensions between theOld and the New Testaments by refer-ring to such topics as God’s justice ver-sus His love, and obedience to the lawversus salvation by grace. Those ten-sions can be solved if we recognize clear-ly the typological relationship betweenboth Testaments, and if we acknowledge

that justice and love, and law and graceare concepts developed throughoutboth Testaments.

Imprecatory Psalms. Some see the im-precatory psalms, with their prayers ofvengeance and curse for the wicked (seePsalms 35; 58; 69; 109; 137; etc.), as di-rectly opposed to the lovely prayers ofChrist and Stephen in favor of their ene-mies (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). In tryingto solve this problem, we should notforget that the New Testament quotesthe imprecatory psalms as inspired andauthoritative, and that in the Old Testa-ment the enemies of God’s covenantpeople were considered as enemies ofGod Himself. It seems, therefore, quiteevident that those psalms have to be un-derstood within the theological frame-work of theocracy of the Old Testament.

Synoptic problem. Probably no otherarea has posed so much controversywith regard to the unity of God’s Wordthan the so-called synoptic problem. Wewill never be able to fully explain howthe first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark,and Luke) were written, what has reallybeen their indebtedness to one another,and how to harmonize some minor dis-crepancies in parallel accounts. RobertK. McIver states in The Four Faces of Jesusthat “there is no reason to suppose thatthe data brought out by a careful inves-tigation of the synoptic problem pro-vides any basis for doubting the basichistoricity of the events reported by theGospels. In fact, it probably does quitethe opposite. Rather, it is evidence oftheir reliability.”4

Paul and James on justification. Anoth-er problem area that has not alwaysbeen clearly understood by some peopleis the classic tension between Paul’sstatement that “a person is justified byfaith apart from works prescribed by thelaw” (Romans 3:28, NRSV) and James’swords that “a person is justified byworks and not by faith alone” (James2:24, NRSV). But this tension can besolved if one keeps in mind that whilePaul is responding to the legalistic use of

the “works of the law” as a means to besaved (Romans 3:20, RSV; cf. 3:31; 7:12),James is criticizing the antinomian pro-fession of a “dead” faith as fruitless asthe uncommitted faith of the demons(James 2:17, 19).

Factual errors. There are those whodeny the underlying unity of the Word ofGod because it allegedly contains a largeamount of so-called “factual errors.”Many of those alleged “errors” are notactual errors but only misunderstandingsof the real issues involved. An example ofthis is the way Edwin R. Thiele has dem-onstrated that many of the alleged gapsand discrepancies in biblical chronologyof the kings of Israel and Judah could bewell synchronized.5 At the same time, wehave to realize that we cannot solve allthe difficulties of the Scriptures.6

Despite the existence of some inaccu-racies in minor details, sufficient evi-dence exists to show that those inaccu-racies do not distort the basic conceptconveyed by the text in which they ap-pear, and they do not break the underly-ing unity of the Word of God.

Yet, some may ask: Why did God al-low these problems to remain in theScriptures? Could He not have straight-ened some of them out so that our un-derstanding would be much easier?These are not easy questions to answer,but I believe there are some importantreasons why God did not take care ofthese problem areas.

We have to realize that God has en-trusted His message to human beings—”earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7,KJV)—and they in turn communicated itin their imperfect language. Besides this,the Word of God was intended to serve asa “light” for the path (Psalm 119:105) ofall human beings of all ages and of allplaces. As the spiritual “bread” (Matthew4:4) that testifies of “the living breadwhich came down from heaven” (John6:51, KJV), the Bible had to speak to bothrich and poor, learned and unlearned, inthe context in which they lived.

If the Bible was a “monotonously uni-

14 Dialogue 13:3 2001

form” book, people would read it once ortwice and then put it aside as we do withold newspapers. But the Bible has a deepand “rich and colorful diversity of har-monious testimonies of rare and distinctbeauty” that makes it so attractive.7 Al-though its basic message is perfectly un-derstandable even for common people,the Bible has such a depth of thoughtthat all those scholars and simple peo-ple who studied it throughout the ageshave not been able to exhaust its mean-ing and solve all its difficulties.

The miracle of inspirationBut how did the miracle of inspiration

safeguard the unity of the Word of God?Up to what extent can we expect agree-ment within the Scriptures? Should weassume, as some people do, that the Bibleis trustworthy only in matters of salva-tion? Can we isolate the chronological, his-torical, and scientific portions of Scripturefrom its overall salvific purpose?

As I argued in another article, the Bi-ble claims for itself that it is wholistic innature, forming an indivisible unity(Matthew 4:4; Revelation 22:18, 19) andpointing to salvation as its objective(John 20:31; 1 Corinthians 10:11). Fur-thermore, Scripture portrays “salvation”as a broad historical reality, related to allother biblical themes. And it is preciselythis overall thematic interrelationshipthat makes it almost impossible forsomeone to speak of the Bible in dichot-omous terms as being reliable in sometopics and not in others.

“Because the primary purpose of theBible is to build up faith for salvation(John 20:31), its historical, biographical,and scientific sections often provideonly the specific information needed toachieve this goal (John 20:30; 21:25). Inspite of its selectiveness in some areas ofhuman knowledge, it does not meanthat the Scriptures are untrustworthy inthose areas. ‘All Scripture is given by in-spiration of God’ (2 Timothy 3:16) andour understanding of inspiration shouldalways uphold this wholistic, all-en-

compassing scope.”8

Without subscribing to Calvinisticinerrancy, we have enough reasons tobelieve that the Bible is both infalliblein its salvific purpose and trustworthyin its whole thematic interrelationship.According to T. H. Jemison, in theScriptures “there is unity in its theme—Jesus Christ, His cross and His crown.There is complete harmony of teach-ing—the doctrines of the Old Testa-ment and those of the New are thesame. There is unity of development—asteady progression from the creation tothe Fall and on to the redemption andthe final restoration. There is unity inthe co-ordination of the prophecies.”9

Role of the Holy SpiritThe underlying unity of the Word of

God was brought about by the directrole of the Holy Spirit in the productionof the Scriptures. Paul says in 2 Timothy3:16 (NRSV) that “all Scripture is in-spired by God.” Peter adds that “noprophecy of Scripture is of any privateinterpretation, for prophecy never cameby the will of man, but holy men of Godspoke as they were moved by the HolySpirit” (2 Peter 1:20, 21, NKJV).

Since it was the Holy Spirit who generat-ed the unity of the Word of God, only Hecan enlighten our minds so that we mightperceive the unity that undergirds the Bible.Christ promised His disciples that the HolySpirit would come to guide them “into allthe truth” (John 16:13, NRSV). Paul ex-plains that “the Holy Spirit teaches, com-paring spiritual things with spiritual” (1Corinthians 2:13, NKJV).

ConclusionToday, unfortunately, many Chris-

tians have lost their confidence in theScriptures, and are rereading it from theperspective of their own traditions (tra-ditionalists), reason (rationalists), per-sonal experience (existentialists), evenmodern culture (culturalists). Tired ofthe dryness of such human ideologies,many others are looking for a safer

ground on which to anchor their faith.But if our anchor is grounded in the

Word itself, believing its testimony thatit is not a result of human invention,but a divine gift to humanity to revealGod and His redeeming love, we havenothing to fear or lose. The Holy Spiritwho generated the origin, unity, andauthority of the Word can also enlight-en our minds to recognize it as such. Hu-man theories may come and go (see Eph-esians 4:14), but “the word of our Godwill stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8, NRSV).

Alberto R. Timm (Ph.D., Andrews Uni-versity) teaches historical theology at BrazilUniversity Center - Engenheiro Coelho Cam-pus, and directs the Brazilian Ellen G.White Research Center. His address: CaixaPostal 11; Engenheiro Coelho, SP 13.165-970; Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]

Notes and references1. Ernest Wright, The Old Testament Against

Its Environment (Chicago: Henry Regnery,1950), p. 13.

2. Floyd V. Filson, The New Testament AgainstIts Environment (London: SCM Press,1950), p. 96.

3. Ekkehardt Mueller, “The Revelation,Inspiration, and Authority of Scripture,”Ministry (April 2000) pp. 22, 23.

4. Robert K. McIver, The Four Faces of Jesus:Four Gospel Writers, Four UniquePerspectives, Four Personal Encounters, OneComplete Picture (Nampa, Idaho: PacificPress Publ. Assn., 2000), p. 220.

5. See Siegfried H. Horn, “From BishopUssher to Edwin R. Thiele,” AndrewsUniversity Seminary Studies 18 (Spring1980):37-49; Edwin R. Thiele, “TheChronology of the Hebrew Kings,”Adventist Review (May 17, 1984), pp. 3-5.

6. See Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers(Washington, D.C.: Review and HeraldPubl. Assn., 1948), p. 312.

7. Seventh-day Adventists Believe: A BiblicalExposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines(Washington, D.C.: Ministerial Associationof the General Conference of Seventh-dayAdventists, 1988), p. 14.

8. Alberto R. Timm, “UnderstandingInspiration: The Symphonic andWholistic Nature of Scripture,” Ministry(August 1999), p. 14.

9. T. H. Jemison, Christian Beliefs:Fundamental Biblical Teachings for Seventh-day Adventist College Classes (MountainView, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,1959), p. 17.


onsider the following statements. Statement 1: A is a human being.

B is a gorilla. Between and A andB are many similarities, but A has manysuperior attributes when compared withB.

Statement 2: The similarities showthat both A and B had a common origin.The superiorities suggest that A evolvedfrom B over millions of years.

Statement 3: The similarities showthat both A and B had a common ori-gin: the creator God. The superior at-tributes of A show that God chose tocreate human beings in His own image,and this was not the case with the cre-ation of animals.

Statement 1 is data—observable, know-able, and open to experience. Statements2 and 3 are interpretations of the facts,one by an evolutionist and the other by acreationist.

This simple illustration reveals thatknowledge or information can be divid-ed into two separate concepts: data andinterpretation. Since data is subject toalternative interpretations, students andresearchers must carefully distinguishbetween the information that consti-tutes the collected data and the “infor-mation” derived from the data that ispresented as evidence in support of ahypothesis. Scientists endeavor to be asobjective as is possible in this regard,but several factors (biases) influence theselection and interpretation of the data.

The distinction between data and in-terpretation is no less important in thescience classroom than it is in the sci-ence laboratory. The greatest difficultywith the process of separating data frominterpretation lies within the context of

textbook assignments. Textbooks are theprime sources of information in anyclassroom; however, in the science class-room the information that is provided isoften more interpretation than data.Students need early training with re-spect to identification of data in exer-cises using textbooks. The developmentof such exercises will require additionaleffort on the part of teachers, but shouldyield more analysis on the part of the stu-dents and less explanation on the part ofthe teacher as the class progresses.

Knowing the differenceWhat is data? What is the difference

between data and interpretation? Dataconsist of measurements and observa-tions used as a basis for reasoning, dis-cussion, or calculation.1 Observable dataare usually regarded as unalterable facts,but may or may not be true. As technol-ogy and science progress, “facts” will bediscarded, modified, or replaced withnew data. For example, measurementsmay form a basis for identification, i.e.,an interpretation, of an object or phe-nomenon. Fossils of extinct organismsare often identified, based on measure-ments of various structures on the bodyparts that have been preserved. The ac-curacy and precision of the measure-ments make correct identification diffi-cult because with many of the extinctshelly fauna scientists do not knowwhether or not large organisms thathave similar structure to small organ-isms represent different species, gender,or developmental stage. The actualidentifications or calculations are notdata; they are interpretations. Much ofthe controversy that exists in the scien-

Data and interpretation:Knowing the differenceby Elaine Kennedy C

Multiple, alternative

interpretations of data are not

only possible but probable.

16 Dialogue 13:3 2001

tific literature is generated by a rather sig-nificant problem: interpretations drawnfrom limited databases. This point needsto be emphasized in every unit that isstudied in any science classroom.

The complexity of data andinterpretations

As an illustration of the complex in-terplay between data and interpreta-tions, consider two steps involved in theprocess of merely identifying rocks andminerals.

Step 1. Interpretations of light propertiesof minerals. Light properties of mineralsare described from the microscopic ex-amination of a very thin slice of rock(commonly referred to as a “thin sec-tion”). Polarized light (light waves thatvibrate in only one particular plane) isused to conduct a series of tests on thelight properties of each mineral in thethin section. The tests provide a visualdatabase of light-transmission patterns.Mineralogists use these patterns to de-termine the mineral composition of thesample. The identification of the miner-als is an interpretation based on thelight property data.

Step 2. Determination of rock type. Byexamining the contact of one mineralwith another and measuring how muchof each mineral is present, the rocktype can be determined. A geologistwho identifies the rock considers themineral identifications “data” eventhough the rock identification is actual-ly an interpretation of an interpreta-tion. (The mineralogical “data” were de-termined originally from the light prop-erty data.) The point is that the scope ofwhat constitutes data is actually quitenarrow.

Just how valid is identification? Iden-tifications can be made using compari-sons with standards. For example, threethin sections may have the same miner-al composition but the mineral contactsmay be very different. If the mineralgrains are interlocking, the rock is an ig-neous rock. If the mineral grains are al-

tered, distorted, elongated, and aligned,it is a metamorphic rock. The same miner-als cemented together form sedimentaryrock. When terms and procedures arewell defined, identification is fairly easyand relatively reliable.

Since data is limited to what we canmeasure or directly observe, teachersneed to foster their students’ ability tointerpret the data so that they can de-velop reliable conclusions. An interpre-tation is an explanation, a means of pre-senting information in understandableterms. Interpretations are limited by theavailability of data and by the bias ofthe observer.

Multiple levels of interpretationSeveral levels of interpretations exist.

For example, the name, oolite, not onlyidentifies a particular rock type but alsoimplies an entire history of environ-mental requirements and depositionalconditions for its formation. How can aname acquire that much interpretativeinformation?

1. A thin section made of round, bea-dlike particles all cemented togeth-er must first be identified with re-spect to its mineralization. There-fore, the first level of interpretationis to identify the mineral composi-tion of the little beads. For the pur-poses of this illustration, we willidentify them as particles of calci-um carbonate.

2. The identification of the structureof the round, bead-filled rock isbased on recognition of a centralobject that may be a piece of someother kind of rock or perhaps a bitof shell material around which thecalcium carbonate has precipitated.This structural information cou-pled with the roundness of the par-ticles identifies the beads as oolites.At this point, one might think thatthe exercise is finished and theidentification is as simple andstraightforward as the mineralidentifications. However, a third

level of interpretation is introducedto explain how the oolites wereformed.

3. The third level relies on observa-tions in modern environments. Ge-ologists know that oolites are typi-cally formed near a shore by the ag-itation of warm, shallow, saline wa-ters.

4. Researchers apply this knowledgeto oolitic rocks found on a moun-tainside. In other words, geologiststake what they know about themodern setting and interpret theancient setting accordingly. Theyassume that the oolites on themountain formed at that site some-time in the past in the same waythat oolites form in the ocean orthe Great Salt Lake in Utah. Thatinterpretation implies that oolitesdo not form in any other way. Thereasoning seems quite logical andthe conclusion seems obvious;however, this association may notbe true. The exercise is not over. This setof interpretations is now added toother data with multiple interpre-tations to bring us to the final de-scription of a particular rock expo-sure. This process is duplicated atother exposures or outcrops of rockover a broader region to develop amodel.

5. Geologists use other rock types andadditional data to develop modelsto describe geologic events inEarth’s history. For example, ce-mented quartz grains are calledsandstones. Patterns in sandstonemay be due to a process known ascross-bedding. Typically, cross-bedsare formed as currents (wind and/or water) deposit sand and silt onthe lee slope of dunes. By integrat-ing a broad range of data and inter-pretations (the minerals, rocks, oo-lites, and cross-bedding) geologistscan now develop that fifth level ofinterpretation: modeling. Models


provide scientists with a general-ized framework for developing pre-dictions and assessing events thatmay have occurred in the past.2

Thus the distinct difference betweendata and interpretation must be utilizedwhen evaluating research. Data are actu-al measurements and observations. In-terpretations try to identify or explainwhat is measured and observed. The va-lidity of an interpretation is based onhow well the interpretation accommo-dates the available data. Interpretationsmay change as the database changes.This interplay between data and inter-pretations is what make science so suc-cessful and progressive.

Bias during data acquisitionScientists are aware that they are sub-

ject to error and misconception. Hencethey try to maintain an attitude of objec-tivity in research.3 This commitment toobjectivity has created a sort of auraaround scientists and, unfortunately, sci-ence has developed a popular image of“infallibility.” People often prefer to be-lieve that scientists are objective anddeal with absolutes. Some even thinkthat when a scientist draws a conclu-sion, all competing theories have beenrefuted and questions have been re-solved. Thus a false sense of security inscience develops. Some scientists do lit-tle to dispel this image. To complicatematters, the scientific community hasadopted the position that any research-er having a religious bias is nonscientif-ic; therefore, by definition, creation-sci-ence cannot be true science. Such an at-titude fails to recognize its own bias.4

Here are some biases that influencescience—some technical, some subtleand unconscious factors.

1. Sampling constraints. The first prob-lem in gathering data is samplingbias. Every scientist has some pre-conceived ideas about the researchthat influences the selection ofdata. Random sampling helps min-imize problems,5 but even then

Can you find the data?

What is believed to be the richest de-posit of early Ice Age fossils ever foundin North America has been partly uncov-ered in a quarry near Apollo Beach, Fla.It is expected that the deposit will ulti-mately yield as many as 60 species.

However, only after the deposit hasbeen fully excavated, and the specimensassembled and prepared for study, will itbe possible to assess the full significanceof the find, researchers say.

Those fossils found to date rangefrom Ice Age elephants (mammoths andmastodons) to long necked camels andwhat appears to be a new species of lla-ma. There are bones from large birds re-sembling the California condor, the An-dean vulture, and a big extinct turkeyvulture.

Although the site is now near theedge of Tampa Bay, Dr. S. David Webbof the Florida State Museum in Gaines-ville suspects, from the typical habitat ofsuch birds, that the animals were all liv-ing far inland. The sea may have been“pretty far out in the Gulf,” he said in atelephone interview on Monday.

Webb, a recognized authority on Ice

The article below is typical of the science news published in newspapers around theworld. It contains a lot of information but not all of it is scientific data. Circle or underlinethe data as you read through the “news” and then check your answers on page 18. Whatcan you conclude from just the data?

Age animals, said the specimens allseemed to be of the primitive types thatlived from 1.5 million to 1.9 millionyears ago.

The find was made by Frank Garcia,an amateur paleontologist, regarded byWebb as “one of our best in Florida.”Last fall, Garcia found a few tantalizingspecimens in the pit, from which sea-shells were being excavated for road sur-facing. This encouraged him to digdeeper and, between two thick shell de-posits, he found a highly concentratedbone deposit two feet thick.

The bones appear jumbled and disar-ticulated, rather than as intact skeletonslying where the animal died. Such depos-its in Alaska have been attributed to wateraction that swept many animal remainsinto a single streambed. Webb believesthe deposits should provide much infor-mation on faunal exchanges betweenNorth and South America soon after theIsthmus of Panama rose from the sea andprovided a bridge between the continents.

Species found in the pit seem to dis-play links to animals that evolved onboth continents.

Rich Fossil Deposit FoundThe New York Times, March 27, 1984. (Reprinted by permission.)

there are choices made that favor aparticular hypothesis.

2. Systematic errors. A scientist mayhave a “blind spot”: a failure to rec-ognize data. For example, it is com-mon for a paleontologist who spe-cializes in fossil snails to collect awider variety of gastropods than

anyone else on the mountainside.However, that same individual willhave fewer clams and corals thanother fossil collectors. These otherfossils can have a significant im-pact on the interpretation of thatsite, but the bias of the researchereliminates that input.

18 Dialogue 13:3 2001

ple sometimes get discouraged becausescientific interpretations are changingconstantly, so they don’t know what tobelieve. However, that is the nature ofscience; that is how it advances. Onceone truly grasps this aspect of science,one is reluctant to base theological be-liefs on specific data or scientific con-cepts. Fourth, while science may be use-ful and provide relevant information, itshould not dictate anyone’s theology. Ifscience is allowed to dictate theology,then every time scientific interpretationschange, theology must be altered, wheth-er that alteration is consistent with one’sbelief system and experiences or not. Atthe same time, theology should not dic-tate anyone’s science. Concepts such as“fixity of species,” based on personal the-ology held by many in the 17th and 18thcenturies,10 and “flat earth” theory aresome of the ideas that contributed toconflict between science and theology.The Bible can supply legitimate workinghypotheses and constraints for science.In fact, Scripture as an informationsource suggests avenues of investigationthat would not be considered by mostnon-Christian persons. Such researchshould acknowledge any scriptural biasthat may be present and all the datamust be fairly evaluated.

ConclusionsScientists are fairly confident that

they know what they are doing. Howev-er, especially in the area of origins, sci-ence alone cannot assess the completedatabase because the scientific approachdoes not consider the possibility of su-pernatural involvement in nature andin the history of our Earth. Most scien-tists believe there are irreconcilable con-flicts between science and Scripture.11

For example, Ayala states, “To claim thatthe statements of Genesis are scientifictruth is to deny all the evidence.”12 Theevidence does not prove either a long orshort history for life. The evidence avail-able provides very limited information.

Besides the problems involvedwith obtaining data, the processingof data can introduce systematictechnical bias.6 An unrecognizedfaulty procedure or an incorrectlyapplied mathematical formula orstatistical analysis in the processingof data introduces a systematic er-ror or bias into the results.

3. Technological constraints. Scientistsnow have the ability to incorporatelarge quantities of data and inter-pretations into computer-generat-ed models through analyses involv-ing pattern recognition. However,gigantic databases do not necessari-ly mean that models adequately re-flect complex systems and process-es. The development of simplifiedmodels with computer-generatedsystems produces technologicalbias because the simplified parame-ters place limits on the applicationof the model to real systems.7

4. Quality of data. Analysis of data in-troduces bias due to the qualitativeor subjective interpretations thatare included. For example, in theanalysis of potassium-argon data,the quantity of potassium and ar-gon can be measured very accurate-ly and precisely. However, it is diffi-cult to know just what that datameans, and the conclusions rela-tive to age depend heavily on nu-merous assumptions and problems

that arise within the context of themethodology.8 Current technologydoes not measure the age of therock directly, thus the conclusionsare biased. Descriptive data areeven more problematic.

5. Financial constraints. Scientific meth-od requires rigorous testing beforeany theory can be accepted. How-ever, time and monetary con-straints limit the crucial testingprocess. New data are incorporatedinto current theory because it iseasier to get material published if itis generally accepted by the scien-tific community. The funding pro-cess has an incredible influence onresearch today.9 No papers pub-lished, no money for research. It’sthat simple. The rigorous testingproposed by the scientific methodis not cost-effective; so ideas andconcepts are rushed into print andcited in subsequent publications.Monetary pressures are increasingthe technical bias by limiting theexperimental process. Studentsshould be aware that researchfunding has significant controlover published research.

Implications for scienceand religion

When it comes to the interface be-tween science and religion, severalpoints need to be noted. First, not alldata are accurately measured, and some-times it is difficult to differentiate be-tween data and interpretation. Certain-ly, multiple, alternative interpretationsof any database are not only possiblebut probable. Interpreting data can bevery complex; however, the simplestscenario is usually preferred to the morecomplex one in the development of the-ories. Second, bias is present in any in-terpretation because all scientific inter-pretations are at least partly subjective.Third, we need to understand the natureof science and how scientists work. Peo-

Answers to page 17

The scientific data included in thenews item are: (1) In a quarry nearApollo Beach, Florida, (2) disarticulat-ed fossil bones were found, (3) someof which belonged to large birds. (4)The fossil bones were located betweentwo shell deposits (5) that were twofeet thick.


The data are not the primary problem inreconciling science and Scripture. It isthe interpretation of the data that pre-sents conflicts. It has also been said,“Not only is the present the key to thepast, but the present is the key to thefuture.”13 Both the historical accounts ofa worldwide Flood and the propheticaccounts of Christ’s second advent pro-claim the falsity of that concept.14

For Christians, the Bible provides asource of information that suggeststhere is a better way to approach sci-ence. From this perspective, some har-mony between science and Scripturemay be recognized. In fact, Christiansexpect harmony because they recognizeGod as the Creator of nature and its sci-entific “laws.”

Elaine Kennedy (Ph.D., University ofSouthern California) is a geologist and aresearch scientist at the Geoscience Re-search Institute. Her mailing address:11060 Campus Street; Loma Linda, Cali-fornia, 92350; U.S.A.

E-mail: [email protected] may also consult the Institute’s

web site: www.grisda.org

Notes and references1. Webster’s College Dictionary, 1991.2. Andrew D. Miall, Principles of Sedimentary

Basin Analysis (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1984), p. 3.

3. Francisco Ayala, Robert McCormickAdams, Mary-Dell Chilton, Gerald Holton,Kumar Patel, Frank Press, Michael Ruse,and Philip Sharp, On Being a Scientist(Washington, D.C.: National Academy ofSciences Press, 1989), p. 1.

4. Del Ratzsch, The Battle of Beginnings: WhyNeither Side Is Winning the Creation–Evolution Debate (Downers Grove, Illinois:InterVarsity Press, 1996), pp. 158-179. Seealso Philip E. Johnson, Darwin on Trial(Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsityPress, 1991), pp. 6-12.

5. Ayala et al, p. 5.6. Ibid p. 5, 6.

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The letter should be addressed to: Dia-logue Editor-in-chief; 12501 Old ColumbiaPike; Silver Spring, Maryland 20904; U.S.A.

7. Ibid, p. 6.8. C M. R. Fowler, the Solid Earth: An

Introduction to Global Geophysics(Cambridge University Press, 1998), p.192.

9 Francisco J. Ayala and Bert Black, “Scienceand the Courts,” American Scientist 81(1998): 230-239.

10. J. Browne, The Secular Ark (New Haven,Conn.: Yale University Press, 1983), pp.21-23.

11. Colin Norman, “Nobelists Unite Against‘Creation Science,’” Science 233 (1986):935.

12. Ibid, p. 935.13. Alan Baharlou, 1978. Personal

communication that echoes sentiment ofJames Hutton in 1788, “The results,therefore, of our present inquiry is, thatwe find no vestige of a beginning—noprospect of an end” (from Transactions ofthe Royal Society of Edinburgh).

14. 2 Peter 3:3-10.

20 Dialogue 13:3 2001

GwendolynWinston FosterDialogue with Philadelphia’s Health and Fitness Czar

hiladelphia, Pennsylvania, native Gwendolyn Winston Foster has been a health educator for most of her life. She considered becoming a physician like her brothers, but decided that she would rather prevent disease thantreat it. While raising her three young children, she moved to Loma Linda, Cali-fornia, where she earned a Master of Science in Public Health degree from LomaLinda University. She continues to serve on its board.

When in 1978 the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventistselected Foster to serve as its Health Ministries director, she set a precedent bybecoming the only full-time person in that position in the North American Divi-sion. Always willing to innovate, she developed Fitness for Life, a lifestyle recon-ditioning program that eventually became the basis for an annual two-weeklive-in program on the conference campus in Pine Forge, Pennsylvania. Peoplecame from all over the United States to participate in “Fitness Camp,” whereshe demonstrated dramatic results in helping people overcome chronic lifestylediseases.

For five years Foster hosted a “Fitness for Life” call-in talk show that wasbroadcast on Philadelphia radio station WHAT. She also served as health editorof Message, an Adventist journal targeted to African-Americans. In addition,she developed a Lifestyle Certification program for lay people that was eventu-ally adopted by the North American Division.

In February 2000, Mayor John Street of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, anAdventist and lifelong friend of Foster’s, established the Office of Health andFitness and appointed Foster the Health Czar. She oversees the health initiative“Fun, Fit & Free” that has transformed the city, which had formerly beendubbed the “Fattest City in the United States” by a national health magazine.People from all over the world have come to Philadelphia to see how Foster op-erates, and she has begun sharing her program model with other cities.

In addition to her passion for health, Foster loves music. She served for manyyears as music director for the Allegheny East Conference and has directed sev-eral outstanding choirs. Her production of Handel’s Messiah at her church,Ebenezer Seventh-day Adventist in Philadelphia, is a favorite among music lov-ers on the Eastern seaboard.

P they do is so entrenched in traditionand policy that we couldn’t do anythingexciting. As Health Czar, I’m account-able to the mayor, but I can work out-side the box. Someone said, “You andthe mayor are alike; both of you are un-orthodox.” I said, “That’s right, we are.”

■ You have worked for the church most ofyour life, you came into this secular environ-ment, and you’re a friend of the mayor.What was it like making the transition?

Scary. I had always worked in what Inow say is the “safe” environment ofthe church. I had thought then thatthere were no challenges like the onesthere. Now I feel that God was prepar-ing me for these even greater challeng-es.

■ What particular challenges did you face?I wasn’t prepared for the political

challenges. It’s a whole different con-text: a dog-eat-dog world. Being a friendof the mayor—when he introduced mehe said, “She’s like my sister”— doesn’thelp in the political world. In fact, it al-most hurts, because people are just wait-ing for an opportunity to see if you get aspecial break. We’ve decided that won’thappen. We have an understanding thatthere will be no special perks. If I getsomething, it will be because I earnedit—not because I got any special favors.

■ How do you prepare yourself for the chal-lenges?

I usually get up at 4:30, but thismorning I got up even earlier, at 3:45. Ihave to spend a solid two hours everymorning with the Lord. Part of thattime is spent walking in the park near

it.” I said to myself, “It will be three orfour years before that happens,” so I al-most forgot about it. Of course, he men-tioned it again when he got elected. Theposition, Health Czar, developed becauseat first we discussed working within theDepartment of Health, but we thoughtbetter of that because it’s almost impos-sible to change their structure. What

■ How did your position, Health and FitnessCzar, come about?

In 1996, when John Street was presi-dent of the Philadelphia City Council,he said to me, “If I should run for may-or, I’d like you to do some health thingsin the city.” I said, “Yeah, right,” be-cause I always saw myself retiring fromthe conference. He said, “Think about

Profiles


our home. The more challenges I face,the more time I have to spend with theLord. If I miss a day, that’s when it’sscary. I say every day, “Lord, it’s going tobe amazing today how You do things.How are You going to work this out?”It’s an adventure, but I have to spendthe time with Him so I can know Hisplan. I’m not smart enough. I certainlydon’t have the political savvy. Peoplecome to me and ask, “Where did youlearn your politics?” I don’t have poli-tics; I just listen to the Lord. That’s liter-ally how I operate every day.

■ What’s another challenge?We have zero dollars. We started this

office with no dollars, zero, zippo, zilch.I had to raise the money for salaries tobring in my staff.

■ How did you raise the money?I identified corporate partners. We

meet every first Friday of the month,and we talk about how we want to fleshout our program. Of course I had a basicidea, having done it at the conferencefor 23 years, but I still make our partnersan integral part of how the dollars cometo the table. We don’t have anythingleft over, but we go do exciting things sopeople will think we have big budgets.

■ How big is your staff?We have two secretaries; the city pro-

vided one and the other wanted to joinour staff. I hired Kemba Esmond (for-merly of the Review and Herald Publish-ing Association, Hagerstown, Mary-land), as my administrative assistant,and Melchior Monk (formerly of PineForge Academy, Pine Forge, Pennsylva-nia) as my liaison from this office; theirsalaries were raised by a local pharma-ceutical company.

■ Is all of your staff Adventist?No, but they are Christians. Every-

body knows that I am a Seventh-day Ad-ventist. Hardly any article written aboutme neglects to mention it. I always

bring it up. Reporters ask, “Where didyou get your ideas?” I didn’t make upthe eight natural remedies, so I have totell them my background.

■ How does your staff relate to your Sab-bath observance?

You should hear the secretaries talk-ing to people on the telephone whensomeone asks if I would lead out in aparade or a marathon on Sabbath. Theysay, ”Oh, that’s the Sabbath. Mrs. Fosterdoesn’t accept those kinds of engage-ments on Sabbath.” I let them go withit. If a church or hope to do those threetimes a year. In August, we had a pro-gram at a hospital auditorium for sevenweeks, two nights a week. People didn’tthink it would work, but out of the 70people who came, 67 finished, and 31never missed a night. That shows youhow desperate people are. We planthose four times a year. We also have a30-minute television show on TimeWarner Cable that airs 7:30 a.m. andp.m., seven days a week. We also haveevents for the public. “Dine Out onHealthy Street” happens once a month,so local restaurants can show off theirefforts at making healthy menus avail-able. That’s the one time I get to see themayor because our schedules are sobusy. We just held our second annualFun, Fit & Free Festival where the mayorand I led hundreds of Philadelphians ona three-mile walk from City Hall to thewaterfront at Penn’s landing. Alongwith the Philadelphia 76ers basketballteam co-owner Pat Croce, we created“76 Tons of Fun,” a weight-loss programfor the whole city.

■ How do you share your faith in the secularenvironment in which you work and live?

I don’t have to preach. The principlesI teach point to a Creator. Most peopleagree that an intelligent being had tocome up with these principles. Every-one who goes through the programs isin more of a situation to hear the Cre-ator. They ask, “What else have you got?

We want to study the Bible with you.”We meet Muslims and others, but mostreligious values and principles are thesame. I have no problem sharing myfaith. I love it!

■ What advice would you give young peoplestarting their careers in a secular environ-ment?

You can witness in any arena. Thebest way is being out in the environ-ment and living it. People are tired ofhearing sermons; they want to seethem. Every one has a circle of influ-ence. You may have no idea that peopleare watching you.

■ Tell me some of your success stories.A school nurse was going to have her

leg amputated, but she needed to haveit done before going back to school inSeptember. She heard about our pro-gram and joined it. Of course, her diabe-tes was under control, her insulin dos-age had been cut in half, and she got tokeep her leg. I received a letter from acity worker who attended the seven-week program. He told me he lost eightpounds, and his waist measurementcame down from 46 inches to 43 inches.He ended his letter by saying, “Thankyou for your program. Thank you to ourmayor for hiring a health czar.” Men’sFitness magazine, which had designatedPhiladelphia as the fattest city in theU.S. in 2000, came back, walked with us,gave us this big plaque, and congratulat-ed us for creating an awareness ofhealth—the likes of which had neverbeen created in the United States oraround the world.

Interview by Vikki Montgomery.

Vikki Montgomery is the associateeditor of Liberty magazine. E-mail:[email protected]

For information on the health programspromoted by the city of Philadelphia, checkits web site: www.phila.gov [email protected]

22 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Michael A. ComberiateDialogue with an Adventist rocket scientist

ichael A. Comberiate, a systems manager for the National Aeronau- tics and Space Administration (NASA), in Greenbelt, Maryland, has worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center since 1969. He holds amaster’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland. As anengineer, he has designed electronics for numerous satellite projects. Some ofthose missions have reached the moon and beyond. Since 1984, Comberiate hasalso initiated more than 50 special projects (http://coolspace.gsfc.nasa.gov), in-volving interagency cooperation to produce quick response results with very lim-ited resources. On the recommendation of the National Science Foundation, theU.S. Geological Survey named a glacier after him for one of his contributions tothe modern exploration of Antarctica and other remote regions.

Internationally respected as a leader with innovative ideas, he is well knownfor his unique hi-tech educational outreach program called, “You Be the Scien-tist,” sponsored by NASA’s EOS Aqua Project. His work with the greater aca-demic community since 1995 has created a practical means of economically dis-tributing sophisticated data products throughout the United States with thetools and techniques they need to process the data and fit into their ongoingcurricular activities.

Comberiate’s others interests include house building and martial arts. Hehas taught martial arts since 1968 and holds a 5th degree black belt. Perform-ing in national championships and house building were both responsible for de-veloping in him a strong “can do” spirit. He is also quite a traveler, having beenaround the world 17 times, including to the South Pole seven times and to theNorth Pole three times.

Comberiate was born into a line of Catholics, dating back at least as far asthe first millennium. Never satisfied with minimal explanations for his faith,he questioned everything and eventually found that the Bible had more answersin it than most Christians realize. Applying his engineering and scientific back-ground to understanding this ancient text, he has been able to unravel somelong-standing mysteries in a logical way that a rocket scientist could accept.

Comberiate is married to Karla, an occupational therapist and home-school-ing mother. They have two sons and live in one of the houses they built outsideof Washington, D.C. If you want to send a postcard to them from anywhere inthe world, just address it: NASA Mike, 20777 USA.

M ■ What inspired you to pursue a career atNASA, and how long have you workedthere?

The space race was on while I was inelementary school, and the place to gowhen I graduated from the University ofMaryland in the 1960s was NASA. I havenow worked in NASA for more than 32years.

■ You grew up Catholic. How did you learnabout the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

I was one of those Catholics who re-ally questioned what they believed. Iwould ask about these mysteries—threepersons in one God, eternal hell, life af-ter death, and so on. I never got any re-ally good answers. As I was still looking,I caught some TV shows that talkedabout the Seventh-day Sabbath and theBook of Revelation. I got interested in it,and one day my wife gave me a pam-phlet from the Seventh-day AdventistChurch, which I knew almost nothingabout. They were giving a RevelationSeminar in the area, so I went. The peo-ple giving the talk came to my houseand we ended up playing golf together.We started studying these issues for acouple years. I went to church withthem at the Spencerville Seventh-dayAdventist Church, in Maryland, andthen got into Bible class with them. Ididn’t think they could answer all thesequestions I had any better than the nextperson, but they did answer them differ-ently and they used the Bible literally,which was a first for me. So I stayedwith it until I could get answers. I at-tended church regularly from 1988 andwas baptized in September 1994.

Profiles


■ What was it that really convinced you tobecome an Adventist?

The mysteries as they make sense tome now fit perfectly into Adventist the-ology. Their understanding of the stateof the dead, the definition of hell, andthe seventh-day Sabbath–fit perfectlyinto a Big Picture view that all madesense, so that attracted me to the Ad-ventist Church.

You can use certain texts to provewhat you want. Another person can usethe same texts to prove the opposite.One has got to be wrong, but how doyou figure it out? The only way to everget through it is to get the big picture.Most churches have stopped with hugevoids in their understanding. Their ver-sion of the puzzle is still full of majorholes. As long as you have mysteries,you have room for interpretations. Sci-ence is very similar: As long as you don’tknow the answers, you can have anoth-er theory. As long as you don’t know theanswers, you can start another religion.And you can all say, “We believe the Bi-ble, even though we only understand 10percent of it. So 90 percent of our pic-ture is holes.” But then they’ll cover itby saying, “But you’re supposed to havefaith!” And that’s an insult to a personwho’s really scientific. Faith in what?The holes?

I think we Adventists have more ofthe puzzle filled in, and we should usethat to defend our interpretations of theBible, because if you don’t know thetruth, you’ll believe a lie.

■ What currently inspires you to continue inyour field?

At NASA, I had the ability to make apositive difference. We’re on the cuttingedge of the technology explosion that’scharacteristic of our age. And it’s chang-ing the way we do things.

■ Tell us about your online book How aRocket Scientist Can Trust God.

Generally you think of a rocket scien-tist as someone who’s really logical,

somebody who’s into mathematics—and the things of the world—and notinterested in any kind of emotional orpassionate belief system. A rocket scien-tist is more into practical applicationsand things you can reproduce than heor she is into just feeling good.

How is it then that a rocket scientistcould end up as one of those peoplewith passionate religious beliefs? Mostpeople look at religion as “the opium ofthe people.” You’ve got a system of be-liefs that make you feel good, but whatGod is looking for is a relationship.

So how can a rocket scientist trustGod? Because you can have a relation-ship with Him. You can learn to talk toHim. It doesn’t make any differencewhether you have any math back-ground or not—if you have a relation-ship with God, that is what’s important.

Another important thing is that thebelief system makes sense. A rocket sci-entist can trust God if their concept ofGod makes a lot of sense in view of theobservable evidence. If I said to an athe-ist: “What kind of God you don’t be-lieve in?” we’d find that atheists believein God also. They just don’t believe in apersonal God. In other words, they gen-erally believe that there’s a First Cause,that had no cause, but their question iswhether that First Cause is personal. Sowhen you say to me: “You’re a rocketscientist, and you don’t believe in God,right? You believe in ‘big bangs’ and allthat, but you don’t believe in a Godthat’s got a plan for us here on planetEarth?” I say: “No, I do. I believe in aGod who can think at least as well as Ican, which to me means that God is per-sonal.”

■ Did your conversion cause you to recon-sider your professional aspirations?

No. My conversion was a slow pro-cess, developing over time. I’ve alwaysthought of myself as a seeker of thetruth. I’m looking with all my heart forthe answers. So where I was at the time,and where I am now, is not that impor-

tant as long as I’m still looking. I nowtalk to God about whatever it is I’m do-ing, whereas in the past I didn’t identifythat as an important thing to do. NowI’ve found that there’s this relationshipwith God that depends on communica-tion, and I spend more time trying tobring that into whatever is happening.When I’m good, bad, happy, or sad, Italk to God.

■ Have you been successful in your faith andyour work?

For me, “success” is to live life to thefullest and to know that God is sharingit with me because of the close relation-ship we have had through it all. I expectto continue this relationship into forev-er. The only difference in heaven will bethat there is no grief, no disease, and nowaiting in lines.

■ What advice would you give to studentsstruggling to marry their scientific knowl-edge with their Adventist faith?

I can see how Adventist theology ac-tually makes logical sense and fits boththe Bible and the observable facts. Youcan, too, if you think about it logically.My advice is to find the model of howall the mysteries of your belief system fitinto a consistent big picture, whichmakes sense in terms of the observableevidence.

I explain this big picture, as I understandit, on my website [www.nasamike.com].You can begin from there and completethe puzzle by seeking answers with allyour heart. You must use the scientificmethod to collect the facts, but thenyou must make an emotional decisionon how to respond to what you under-stand to be truth.

Interview byKimberly Luste Maran

Kimberly Luste Maran is an assistanteditor of the Adventist Review:www.adventistreview.org

24 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Caleb’s finest hourby Roy Gane

B orn a slave, with a name that means “dog.”

“Hey there, slave boy, what’s yourname?”

“My name is Caleb, sir.”“Dog...huh, that’s appropriate.”But God set Caleb and his people

free. Most Israelites never quite under-stood what freedom was all about. Theythought it was milk and honey insteadof fleshpots and onions. They thoughtthe man with the magic stick was sup-posed to lead them comfortably to thePromised Land in no time at all. Butwhen they saw obstacles looming onthe horizon, the food and water runout, or the man with the stick disappearup a mountain for a few weeks, theirfreedom became chaos, their taste budsremembered those fleshpots, and theylusted for slavery because that’s whatthey were—still slaves at heart.

Caleb was different. He knew thatfreedom was to serve a new, divine Mas-ter. Others looked around and com-plained to Moses, but Caleb looked upto the radiant pillar of cloud and praisedthe God who had set him free.

Sooner or later, the difference be-tween Caleb’s attitude and that of hispeople was sure to result in a head-oncollision. It happened at Kadesh-barnea,in the wilderness of Paran, when he re-turned from spying out the land ofCanaan with eleven other chieftains.The spies were unanimous in affirmingthat the land did indeed flow with milkand honey, and to prove it they broughtsome sweet fruit, including a gargantu-an cluster of grapes.

But 10 of the spies accentuated thenegative: strong people, fortified towns,

giants. Hearts melted and the PromisedLand suddenly seemed unpromising.Losing their pre-Christian experience,the Israelites grumbled: “‘It is becausethe Lord hates us that he has brought usout of the land of Egypt, to hand us overto the Amorites to destroy us’” (Deuter-onomy 1:27).* Perfect fear casts out love(contrast 1 John 4:18).

Moses tried to reassure the people,but the clamor of complaining onlycrescendoed. Then a man stepped for-ward and cried out, Has! which is He-brew for what it sounds like: “Hush!” Itwas Caleb of Judah. He was not a pol-ished motivational speaker, but hisnext words should be the motto andmission statement of anyone who de-sires to enter the Lord’s rest in the bet-ter land that He has promised. Caleburged, “‘Let us go up at once and occu-py it, for we are well able to overcomeit’” (Numbers 13:30).

Unrealistic?“We are well able.” Unrealistic?!

Caleb knew what the fortifications andgiants were like because, unlike most ofthe people, he had seen them. His peo-ple lacked the personnel, resources, in-frastructure, and budget to overcomethe obstacles. But when Caleb said, “Weare well able,” he included the Lord inthe word “We” because God was withHis people.

So why didn’t Joshua, another spy,also make a speech? He agreed withCaleb. But he had been Moses’ assistant.Everyone knew he had vested interests.People who wouldn’t listen to Mosescertainly wouldn’t heed Joshua. ButCaleb didn’t have this special connec-

tion. He could have easily sided withthe other 10 spies. After all, weren’t theythe majority?

It was theocracy, not majority, thatruled Caleb’s heart. Democracy could bea good thing, but not even a landslidevote could budge Caleb’s dogged deter-mination to follow the Lord. Perhaps forone brief, shining moment Caleb’s cour-age kindled a spark of hope. But it wasquickly quenched when the oral majori-ty took over the podium and began tofilibuster. Determined to depress, theybadmouthed the land they had earlierpraised, saying that it “devours its in-habitants.” They exaggerated, likeningthemselves to grasshoppers in the pres-ence of the inhabitants of Canaan, andthey claimed to have seen Nefilim, de-scendants of the renowned giants wholived before the Flood. Canaan was a ju-rassic park, inhabited by humansauruses.

All that night the Israelites wateredthe wilderness of Paran with their tears,and in the morning they rose up to rebelagainst their leaders, Moses and Aaron.Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes andpleaded with the people, but got nothingfor their trouble except threats: “Thewhole congregation threatened to stonethem” (Numbers 14:10).

So God served the entire adult gener-ation of Israelites a sentence that fittedtheir crime: They would not enterCanaan, and they would die in the wil-derness. Except Caleb and Joshua. TheLord singled out loyal Caleb for specialmention: “‘But my servant Caleb, be-cause he has a different spirit and hasfollowed me wholeheartedly, I willbring into the land into which he went,and his descendants shall possess it’”

Logos


(Numbers 14:24).After mourning again, the people

arose the next morning, ready to go:“‘Here we are. We will go up to theplace that the Lord has promised, forwe have sinned’” (vs. 40). This was con-fession without repentance. Previouslyunwilling to go where God led, nowthey wanted to go where he was nolonger leading. Against Moses’ warn-ing, they “presumed to go up to theheights of the hill country” (vs. 44) andgot themselves chased all over southernPalestine.

Lagging behind, rushing ahead,barking up the wrong tree. My home,which we’re starting to call the Land ofCanine, has two dogs like that. Whenwe go for a walk, it’s not natural forShadow and Prince to “heel.” Theywant to strain at the ends of their leash-es in order to be the lead dog, and theyare easily distracted by a potentialsnack of road kill or a deliciously dis-gusting aroma. To get some control,Connie, my wife, took Shadow to obe-dience lessons. And although he andConnie have had some serious dis-agreements, he is learning to stay withus when we walk. It takes time.

It took time for the Israelites to learnto stay with the Lord. He trained themby leading them all over the wilderness,away from distractions.

Hounding the giants outForty years didn’t make Caleb stron-

ger physically. Neither did they dimin-ish his trust in God. When it finallycame time to take the land, 85-year-oldCaleb requested the worst possibleneighborhood: Hebron, where themost gigantic giants were. As an exam-ple to the Israelites, to prove the truthof what he had said at Kadesh-barnea,Caleb volunteered for the greatest chal-lenge and hounded those giants out oftown (Judges 1:20). Because he was fol-lowing the Lord, giants were his naturalprey.

Caleb settled down on his inherit-

ance. But we hear of him one moretime. He had a daughter named Ach-sah, and he wanted her to marry a realman. So, as in some fairy tales, he ad-vertised that he would give her to aman who accomplished a heroic deed.In this case, the deed was to take thecity of Kiryat-sepher, which means,“Book Town.” Othniel won the prizeand married Achsah, to whom Calebgave a piece of land.

Now Achsah was grateful for theland, but to thrive on it her familywould need water for irrigation. So sheurged Othniel to request a field withsprings of water on it. But Othniel wasreticent to ask any more from his pow-erful father-in-law. We can hear Achsahsaying, “Go on, Othniel, he’s a niceman. You conquered a city, but you’reafraid to talk to my father?” Achsahended up asking Caleb herself, and hegenerously gave her two sets of springs(Joshua 15:19; Judges 1:15).

Caleb’s finest hourSo what was Caleb’s finest hour? Per-

haps his speech at Kadesh-barnea,when he stood up to the entire Israelitecongregation? Or maybe his choice ofchallenging the Hebron giants? I wouldsuggest another possibility: Caleb’s fin-est “hour” was the 40 years in the wil-derness. This was truly a heroic wait. Ifanyone had a right to complain, it wasCaleb. Because of the mistakes of oth-ers, he was deprived of 40 years of lifein the Promised Land, where he couldenjoy milk and honey while sitting un-der his vine or his fig tree. He didn’tneed all those years of extra training.He was ready to go. But rather thanrushing off to conquer Canaan by him-self, he stayed with the Lord and Hisfaulty people.

We learn from the later story of Oth-niel that Caleb was not idle in the wil-derness. He helped educate the nextgeneration to do as he did: to whole-heartedly follow the Lord, to expectgreat things, and to be assured that God

would provide for His own, just asCaleb provided for his daughter. Thatnext generation did enter the PromisedLand, and at a time of crisis Othnielbecame the first of the judges, who ledIsrael to deliverance.

Many of us study or work in aca-demia, Book-Town. There have been in-tellectual battles in the past, and therewill be bigger ones in the future. Butright now we are in the position ofCaleb during the 40 years. We areteaching or learning how to whole-heartedly follow the Lord all the way,in spite of fortifications, giants, andtribulations, to the place where “‘theLamb…will be their shepherd, and hewill guide them to springs of the waterof life, and God will wipe away everytear from their eyes’” (Revelation 7:17).

In the book Early Writings, at a stra-tegic point just before describing herfirst vision (p. 14), Ellen White wrote:“I have tried to bring back a good re-port and a few grapes from the heaven-ly Canaan, for which many wouldstone me, as the congregation badestone Caleb and Joshua for their report.(Num. 14:10.) But I declare to you, mybrethren and sisters in the Lord, it is agoodly land, and we are well able to goup and possess it.”

Roy Gane (Ph.D., University of Califor-nia, Berkeley) teaches Biblical Hebrew andAncient Near Eastern Languages at the Sev-enth-day Adventist Theological Seminary,Andrews University. His mailing address:Andrews University; Berrien Springs, Michi-gan 49104; U.S.A.

* All Scripture passages are quoted from theNew Revised Standard Version.

26 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Icons ofEvolution:Science orMyth?by Jonathan Wells(Washington, D.C.:Regnery Publishing,Inc., 2000; 338 pp.;hardbound).

as the universe designed? Or did it come about spontaneous- ly by natural means? Christianshave known the answer for centuries—from Paul’s short exposition in Romans1:20 to William Paley’s Natural Theology.The design so evident in the naturalworld points directly to an intelligentBeing, who planned and then createdthe universe and everything in it.

Charles Darwin’s work changed thiscertainty; gradually his antipathy toanything smacking of the supernaturaltook over the scientific enterprise. To-day’s scientific view was expressed byGeorge Gaylord Simpson in 1949: “Al-though many details remain to beworked out, it is already evident that allthe objective phenomena of the historyof life can be explained by purely…materialistic factors....Man is the resultof a purposeless and natural process thatdid not have him in mind “ (italics added).

Today, “science” is widely seen as be-ing ruled by evidence that can besensed: It uses measurements, quantita-tive analysis, statistical testing, etc.Since scientists seem convinced by Dar-win—life is the outgrowth of matter,acted upon by natural law and chance

events plus selection. One naturally as-sumes that there is lots of evidence tosupport what is, superficially, an absurdproposition. Indeed, high school andcollege biology textbooks provide whatinitially appears to be the convincingevidence we expect.

Jonathan Wells’ new book says weare being deceived.

Wells is a theologian (Ph.D.,Yale Uni-versity) and a molecular and develop-mental biologist (Ph.D., University ofCalifornia, Berkeley). He has taught bi-ology at California State University,Hayward, and conducted post-doctoralresearch at Berkeley. He says he enteredU.C. Berkeley convinced that all livingorganisms descended from a single com-mon ancestor, but discovered duringgraduate study data in conflict with thisfundamental Darwinian claim. This dis-covery was the genesis of his book, Iconsof Evolution. In Wells’ own words, “Anicon is an image whose significancegoes far beyond that of a mere picture. Itis a symbol, and also an object of rever-ence.” His book unmasks 10 of the ma-jor “icons” of Evolution—the “top 10”evidences used to support Darwin’s the-ory.

Haeckel’s embryological chartSince Wells was studying develop-

mental biology, it’s only fitting that thefirst of the “icons” he began to ques-tion was the embryological chart pro-duced by Ernst Haeckel in the 1800s—achart still being used in many biologytextbooks. Haeckel taught that earlyvertebrate embryos were all very simi-lar, because during their development,

each embryo (in the egg or in thewomb) passed through the same stagesof evolution between the original sin-gle-celled organism and its currentform. Haeckel’s famous chart makes itlook very much as if early embryos arestrikingly similar, becoming more andmore different as they grow older. How-ever, during his study of vertebrate em-bryos, Wells learned that Haeckel’sdrawings are a classic case of twistingthe evidence. In his chart, Haeckel usedonly those species whose embryos fithis theory. Not satisfied with this, heportrayed embryos varying in size from1 to 10 millimeters as exactly the samesize. Worse yet, he actually falsifiedsome of the drawings, removing partsfrom some embryos and adding parts toothers—all to make it appear that theevidence supported his theory. Finally,he left out the earliest stages of eachembryo altogether, because in thesestages the embryos are not similar atall, flatly contradicting his proposition.

Perhaps the most shocking thingabout the story of Haeckel and his em-bryo chart is that the scientific commu-nity has long known about the fakery!Some of his own scientific colleaguescriticized Haeckel in print, even charg-ing him with fraud. His cheating wasnot forgotten, either, as the forgerieshave been periodically re-exposed inthe professional literature throughoutthe 20th century. Nevertheless, Haeck-el’s embryos, in one form or another,are still appearing in biology textbooksas evidence for the common ancestry ofall vertebrates. Raven and Johnson’s Bi-ology, published in 1999, tells collegestudents “the evolutionary history of

Demolishing theicons of evolutionby Earl Aagaard

W

Book Review Essay


an organism can be seen to unfold dur-ing its development, with the embryoexhibiting characteristics of the embry-os of its ancestors.” How can this be, ina community dedicated to followingthe evidence wherever it leads? Wellstells the entire story in his book, con-vincingly dismantling this piece of thefoundational evidence for the Darwini-an story of evolutionary development.

The peppered mothThe British peppered moth is Icon

No. 2 demolished by Wells. It has beenone of the most widely used stories intextbooks, and its loss is devastating be-cause no other case known to biologycomes close to its persuasive power.Briefly, when Darwin wrote The Originof Species, he suffered from a lack of“real-world” examples of natural selec-tion. All that he could offer was theroughly analogous situation of “artifi-cial selection,” the method used bybreeders of dogs, horses, pigeons, etc.to produce the many varieties of thesedomestic and farm animals that are souseful in society. However, there aredifficulties with artificial selection as anexample of how natural selectionworks. Artificial selection requires apre-existing intelligence to direct thebreeding; to hold the end-point inmind, to select variations that bring theanimal closer to the “target” at whichthe breeder is aiming. In nature, ac-cording to the Darwinists, there is nointelligence, no target, and no plan-ning, making the analogy problematicin the extreme. Furthermore, breedershave found that every species has an“envelope of variability” around it;there is a limit to what can be achievedby selection and breeding. We canbreed dogs as big as wolfhounds and assmall as chihuahuas, but never as big ashorses or as small as mice. As the size(or other) limit is approached, fertilitydecreases until no viable offspring re-sult. There is no evidence that this lim-itation can be avoided in wild popula-

tions. This precludes the radical differ-entiation that Darwinism demands.

Thus, the excitement within the sci-entific community over Biston betularia,the peppered moth. The classic storygoes like this: Before the Industrial Rev-olution and the extensive burning ofcoal, England was largely unpolluted.In the parks and woods lived the pep-pered moth, with generally light wings,“peppered” with many dark flecks. Thiscolor pattern camouflaged the moth asit slept on the trunks of lichen-coveredtrees. Old insect collections reveal thatthere were also a few truly dark mothsin the population, but these mothsstood out against the light-colored li-chens, and their survival rate was neverhigh. However, as coal dust blanketedthe countryside surrounding the indus-trial cities of England, the lichens died,and the darkened tree-trunks no longerprotected the light-colored moths.Their numbers began to decrease, evenas the dark moths, now well-camou-flaged while they slept, began a popula-tion explosion. Finally, in pollutedwoodlands, the ratio of dark to lightmoths was reversed. The pepperedmoth was apparently a vindication ofDarwin’s theory about evolution occur-ring by means of natural selection.

Except…except that in the early1980s, it was discovered that the storyhad a fatal flaw. The moths don’t natu-rally roost on tree-trunks. The photo-graphs in all the textbooks werestaged—using either dead moths gluedto their perch, or live moths, stunnedby daylight, being carefully placed onthe spot where they would be photo-graphed! Furthermore, in some areasunpolluted by soot, moths becamedarker about the same time. It turns outthat scientists don’t really know whypeppered moths changed color, yet 20years later, some biology textbookswere still printing the photographs andtelling the Darwinist story—a story thatthe scientific community knew to befalse.

More iconsThere are eight more icons in the

book, ranging from the Miller-Urey ex-periments on the origin of life, throughthe “pentadactyl (or five-fingered) limb”appearing in all vertebrates, to the“branching tree” pattern of horse fossils,to Archaeopteryx, which may be the an-cestor of all birds or simply an ancientbird with teeth, depending on whomyou ask. We learn the history of each ofthese, plus of Darwin’s finches, the“Tree of Life,” four-winged fruit flies,and the “ultimate icon” of human evo-lution from primitive ape-like crea-tures. Wells carefully describes eachcase, and then compares it to publishedscientific evidence, making it crystalclear that every single one of them, inone way or another, misrepresents thetruth in order to convince the publicthat Darwinism is true.

Icons of Evolution has been attackedin the scientific press, although mostreviewers concede that Wells is at leastpartially correct in his assessment ofthe “icons” and their use. The usual ap-proach is to call Wells a “creationist,”or bring up his membership in the Uni-fication Church, as if ad hominem at-tacks somehow solve the empiricalproblems his book elucidates. Wells’writing is engaging and accessible, andanyone who has had a biology coursein high school should be able to followthe arguments. Every Christian with aninterest in origins and in the cultural“war” between theism and materialismshould read this book. It gives us a funda-mentally encouraging message—that theDarwinist conventional wisdom is notscientifically supported nearly so strong-ly as the scientific community wishes usto believe. The proof is here—in the dubi-ous use of the “Icons of Evolution.”

Earl Aagaard (Ph.D., Colorado StateUniversity) teaches biology at Pacific UnionCollege. His address: 1 Angwin Avenue,Angwin, California 94508, U.S.A. E-mail:[email protected]

28 Dialogue 13:3 2001

iotechnology is a rapidly expand- ing field in medicine. Star Trek concepts such as body scans andtumor targeted light therapy are nowstandard clinical practice. Implants areavailable to treat a range of cardiac,neurological, and orthopedic condi-tions. Synthetic1 and cross-species re-placement organs2 are on the horizon.While a scientist’s intent may be benef-icent clinical technology, the steps be-tween the research and developmentbench and the patient’s bedside are nu-merous and complex. Technologiesthat might seem ethically appropriateconceptually require ethical discoursethroughout each stage of development.Even after the technology hits the mar-ketplace, the ethical responsibility doesnot end. From a Christian perspective,ethical stewardship of our God-giventalents and the technologies that arisefrom them are essential to the growthof science, to fostering trust in science,and to maximizing beneficence amidthe clinical applications of science.

A key concept in any research under-taking is trust. Society at large is un-skilled in matters of research and sci-ence, and because of this, they put theirtrust in scientists to handle matters.They recognize scientists as expertswith unique training and skills thatthey themselves do not have. Lackingthis training and skill, they are in a vul-nerable position. Society looks to scien-tists to tackle the hard clinical ques-tions and hopefully to solve them.Thus said, scientists have a great re-sponsibility to the people who put their

Ethics for scientists:A call for stewardshipWhile practicing any profession, our best ethical mirror is

that provided by Christ.

by Katrina A. Bramstedt

B trust in them, especially because manyof the people who rely on science arethe most vulnerable—the sick.

Intellectual honestyHow does this responsibility take

shape? Clearly, intellectual honesty iscritical to valid scientific research. Un-intentional mistakes are different mat-ters from those of outright misconductsuch as falsification and plagiarism.Not only is data falsification (makingup data or experiments, changing data)a violation of society’s trust in science,it also results in the misuse of scarce re-source funding and invalidates futurestudies that sprout from the project inquestion. Additionally, research of thisnature has the effect of delaying theprogress of science that could be bene-ficial to patients because it can reduceor eliminate opportunities for fundingand collegiality with other scientists.Fraudulent science can also harm pa-tients by occluding potentially negativedata.

Plagiarism can appear in manyforms, but its most prominent manifes-tation is the taking of another’s work asone’s own. Not only is this dishonest, italso disrespects the diligence and skillthat a colleague has invested in theconcept or product. While the two par-ties may be thousands of miles awayand unknown to each other, the partiesare nonetheless colleagues due to thenature of science as a profession. Eventhe presence of a power differential in arelationship such as teacher-studentand employer-employee does not usurp

the ethical responsibility to give creditwhen credit is due. Further, such a re-sponsible attitude fosters collegial rela-tions and the growth of science as sci-entists trust one another enough toshare and learn from one another.

Often, in the course of a researchproject, relationships form that couldpotentially harm the credibility of thescientists or their project. These rela-tionships commonly take the form offinancial gain, such as project-relatedstock ownership or direct paymentfrom the corporate study sponsor.These can be termed a conflict of inter-est because they could impair the re-searcher’s objectivity during the courseof the project. As government researchfunding shrinks and academic-industryrelationships steadily increase, issues ofthis nature must be explored for theirramifications for science as a professionand on the patients the technologiesintend to serve. Even if conflicts of in-terest such as financial ties cannot beavoided, at a minimum they should bedisclosed to one’s fellow scientists andsociety (during article publication, forexample) in an effort to promote open-ness and objectivity about the generat-ed data. While dualities of interest mayexist, our priorities must be in ethicalalignment.

Use of animalsAlthough this is not the forum to de-

bate the ethical permissibility of theuse of animals in scientific research, itis clear that few if any technologiesreach human use without first requir-

Viewpoint


ing animal testing. Knowing this, thewelfare of laboratory animals must bekept in mind. Amid our Christian dutyof dominion over animals (Genesis 9:2;Daniel 2:38) this could well includematters of nutrition, hydration, hous-ing, and veterinary care throughout thecourse of laboratory experimentation.Studies should be designed such thatthey use the minimum number of ani-mals to provide scientific and statisticalvalidity. Studies should consider theuse of non-animal models when appro-priate (e.g., computer simulations), andthey should be designed in a way thatminimizes pain and suffering for theanimals. All studies should be approvedby an institutional animal welfare com-mittee under the supervision of a li-censed veterinarian. As with any studythat becomes futile, it should be haltedor discontinued in an effort of ethicalstewardship of resources (financial andotherwise).3

Human applicationThe ultimate goal of much of scien-

tific research is direct human applica-tion, and thus human clinical trials arestandard practice. A common miscon-ception held by many clinical trial vol-unteers is that they believe study par-ticipation will benefit them personally.4

This belief is especially a risk for sub-jects who lack medical insurance andfor whom clinical trial enrollment istheir only source of “health care.” It isalso a risk for patients who have “triedeverything” and consider a clinical trialtheir “only hope.” When enrolling pa-tients in clinical trials, scientists have amoral duty to clearly inform them thatclinical research is performed to collectdata for the benefit of future patientsand that any benefit immediatelygained by the research participant is analtruistic bonus.

It is inappropriate for a scientist toportray his or her study in a fashionthat might generate false hopes for theparticipants. Selection of people for tri-

al participation should be carried outunder strict guidelines from an institu-tional review board, using approvedprotocols that respect the participant’ssafety and welfare. Potential partici-pants should be given ample informa-tion about the study design and its risksin a manner in which they can compre-hend, and they should be allowed tofreely volunteer for the study withoutcoercion. Both physical and psycholog-ical harms should be minimized andparticipants should be allowed to with-draw from a research study at any time.Privacy and confidentiality should bemaintained, and genetic studies shouldincorporate additional safeguards as ap-propriate, including genetic counsel-ing. Research subjects, whether humanor animal, should not be used as ameans to an end. As God’s creation,they are ends in themselves and shouldbe provided with available protectionsand treated with respect.

MentoringA crucial tool to facilitating the ethi-

cal responsibilities that I have men-tioned is mentoring. Both young and“seasoned” scientists, can benefit fromskillful mentoring by experienced col-leagues. This mentoring should takethe form of both technical advice andmoral guidance. In addition to provid-ing direction through direct verbal orwritten instruction, good mentors alsoteach by example. Being able to “walkthe talk” speaks volumes to one’s stu-dents and fellow scientists and helpstrain them to be good mentors to oth-ers. Good mentoring is also a witness tosociety that scientists are genuinelyconcerned about the integrity of theirprofession.

While practicing any profession, ourbest ethical mirror is that provided byChrist. Science is imperfect and falliblebecause scientists are imperfect and fal-lible. While we may seek knowledge,we are not all-knowing and we may tar-ry in areas that some would argue are

ethically inappropriate (e.g., certainmethods of assisted reproduction, ge-netic manipulation, life-extension re-search, etc.). Because the Bible is notprescriptive in these “high-tech” areas,Christian scientists should seek counselfrom God through prayer. Our Creatorhas given us, His stewards, talents andtools to facilitate the growth of scienceand the health of patients, yet these tal-ents and tools aren’t without the re-sponsibility of ethical use. Both theprocess and the products of using ourtalents hold the ethical responsibilitiesof respecting those around us, protect-ing them from harm, and maximizingthe benefits our research efforts canprovide.

Katrina A. Bramstedt (Ph.D., MonashUniversity) is a clinical associate at LomaLinda University Center for Christian Bioet-hics. Her mailing address: Loma Linda,California 92350; U.S.A. E-mail address:[email protected]

Notes and references1. R. D. Dowling, S. W. Etoch, K. Stevens, et

al. “Initial Experience with the AbioCorImplantable replacement Heart at theUniversity of Louisville,” ASAIO Journal46 (2000):579-581.

2. K. A. Bramstedt, “Ethics and the ClinicalUtility of Animal Organs,” Trends inBiotechnology 17 (1999):428-429.

3. Animal Welfare Act, United States CodeTitle 7, Sections 2131-2156.

4. H. K. Beecher, “Ethics and ClinicalResearch,” New England Journal ofMedicine 274 (1996):1354-1360.

30 Dialogue 13:3 2001

D

La perfección cristianaby Jean Zurcher (Madrid: Editorial Safeliz,1999; 174 pp., softbound).

Reviewed by Edgar J. Escobar Suárez.

oes Christian perfection mean total victory over sin, and the eradication of our sinful nature? Does perfection de-mand that our corrupt and sinful nature be completely de-stroyed—not simply neutralized? Does perfection mean sin-lessness here and now?

These and related questions are disturbing to many Sev-enth-day Adventists. Jean Zurcher’s revised edition of a workthat originally appeared in French in 1993 answers these andother questions from a biblical perspective. The answers arenot only satisfactory, but also build a hermeneutical paradigmon the study of a vital topic in Christian theology.

Zurcher is a theologian with his heart rooted in the Bible andhis service grounded in the mission of the church. His approachto the topic takes on different, but well integrated, cues: that ofa pastor, a missionary, a teacher, and a theologian. He ap-proaches the study within a wholistic, biblical context. Hedigs deep in the Old and New Testaments, studying key wordsin their original language, and placing each passage in its im-mediate and larger contexts. He searches for unity and har-mony, allowing the Bible to be its own interpreter, and differ-ent portions of the Word to explain each other.

Throughout the development, organization, and presenta-tion of the topic, the author uses biblical texts as the groundfor his conclusions. These conclusions are concisely and clear-ly expressed through studies of Bible characters, such asNoah, David, Asa, John, and Paul. The doctrine of perfection,after all, is a practical one, touching lives as they are lived out.

The book also presents sub-topics about God’s perfection,Jesus’ invitation to perfection, and divine instruments thathelp in perfection. One section of the book deals with perfec-tion of Christian character from Ellen G. White’s perspective.

Zurcher’s marshaling of all this research leads to one con-clusion: Perfection is the work of God’s grace in us, as Heabides in us through the Holy Spirit. The issue is not one ofsinlessness, but one of abiding continually in God’s grace,claiming His promises, and obeying His Word. Perfection isnot so much a destination as a direction—moving toward thehome God has prepared for us, while all the time holding onto Him by the hand of faith. Without holding on to Jesus,there is no perfection possible.

Jewelry in the Bible,by Ángel M. Rodríguez (Silver Spring,Maryland: General Conference MinisterialAssociation, 1999; 125 pp.; paperback).

Reviewed by Eloy Wade.

A mong Seventh-day Adventists, the use of jewelry is a deli- cate subject. From the definition of jewelry to the parableof the prodigal son who is welcomed home with a ring, Ad-ventists love to debate the issue of whether or not one shouldwear jewelry. (Have you ever heard the argument: An orna-ment that touches the skin is jewelry; one that adorns a dressis not?)

Traditionally, the Adventist Church has asserted that theuse of jewelry is prohibited in the Scriptures, and is inappro-priate for a Christian. But in recent times, diverse voices haveobjected to that stance, alleging that the Bible not only doesnot condemn the use of jewelry but that it promotes it. Thatis the origin of the present study.

After explaining his purpose in writing the book, definingwhat is meant by jewelry, indicating how the discussion isorganized, and establishing the foundation of Christiannorms, the author discusses recent tendencies in the use ofjewelry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The book divides itself into two parts. The first one dealswith references to jewelry in the Old and New Testaments,discussing usage, attitudes, and evaluating the relevant pas-sages. The second one develops an exegesis of pertinent pas-sages in the New Testament, including 1 Peter 3:1-6, 1 Timo-thy 2:9, 10, and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. The second part is a re-flection and evaluation of the foundations of the Adventistpractice on jewelry. The book concludes with the implicationsof the subject for the church today. The study has three shortappendixes, providing official statements of the church andEllen G. White stand on the subject.

The author is well organized and logically persuasive in thepresentation of his material. The research and exegesis thathas gone into this work deserve to be taken seriously. Thebook is not necessarily everything you always wanted toknow about jewelry, but it clarifies issues in the light of whatthe Bible says on the topic and what the Christian conductand lifestyle ought to be.

Eloy Wade (Ph.D., Andrews University) teaches theology at the Univer-

sity of Montemorelos, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Books


Lutherans & Adventists inConversation: Report andPapers Presented, 1994-1998(Silver Spring, Maryland: GeneralConference of Seventh-day Adventists;Geneva: The Lutheran World Federation,2000; 319 pp.; hardcover).

Reviewed by Rolf J. Poehler.

From 1994 to 1998, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Lutheran World Federation were engaged in bilateralconversations. The Federation represents 57 million mem-bers, more than 95 percent of Lutherans around the world.These theological conversations were to achieve better mutualunderstanding, remove unjust prejudices, and explore areasof (dis)agreement. The results are in the final report.

The report also contains 18 scholarly papers presented dur-ing the consultations, making up the bulk of the book. Thelanguage, style, quality, and approach of these papers differconsiderably, some being more substantial and scholarly thanothers. They help the reader to better understand areas ofconvergence/divergence relating to doctrinal views of bothfaith communions on Scripture, salvation, church, and escha-tology.

The outcome of the conversations is significant in at leastthree ways. First, the Lutheran acceptance of Adventists as “afree church and a Christian world communion,”rather than asect, as was common in the past. Second, both sides havecalled upon their respective constituencies to present the oth-er side “truthfully and unpolemically” and to recognize its“basic Christian commitment.” For Adventists this implies amore positive appreciation of “other Christian churches” anda deliberate, non-exclusive “remnant” concept. Third, bothsides have called for increased “inter-church relations” and“conscientious co-operation,” which includes joint prayer, Bi-ble study, and witness, as well as pastoral gatherings and theo-logical consultations.

While “each faith communion will continue to maintainits identity and convictions” as well as its “distinctive empha-ses,” significant theological convergences are manifest. Areas

Dr. Zurcher’s book is a worthy contribution to Christiantheology, in that it clarifies the issues surrounding the doc-trine of perfection, and challenges us to experience the joy ofGod’s grace.

Edgar J. Escobar Suárez (Ed.D., Andrews University) is thechairperson of the Department of Theology, Antillean AdventistUniversity, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

of doctrinal agreement include the primacy of Christ, the au-thority of the Scriptures, salvation as a free gift of grace, andthe belief in a final judgment.

However, important doctrinal and hermeneutical differ-ences remain, particularly with regard to apocalyptic prophe-cy. While Adventists support foundational Lutheran views,they are also Adventist Christians, encompassing in their un-derstanding of the “eternal gospel” distinctive teachings onthe commandments/Sabbath, sanctuary/judgment, prophe-cy/final events, and ethics/lifestyle. On the other hand, whilesharing in the advent hope, Lutherans focus on the specificLutheran understanding of the gospel (justification by faith,Christian freedom, the sacraments). Lutherans study the Bibleby employing the gospel as a critical hermeneutical key andin the light of the historical-critical method. Adventists gener-ally take Scripture as a whole and as it reads.

Some Adventists may wish that more had been achieved inthese conversations, although Adventist representatives Hei-nz and LaRondelle go beyond traditional/popular views andPaulien is strong on dialogical bridge-building.

Adventists who may fear that doctrines may have beencompromised, fundamental beliefs watered down, distinctiveteachings betrayed, may relax. Nothing like this has hap-pened. To the contrary, traditional views are affirmed. But tosuccessfully communicate them, Adventists must learn to lis-ten seriously, dialogue genuinely, and profit from the experi-ences/insights of others.

The report should prove useful to both Lutherans and Ad-ventists who want to understand each other better.

Rolf J. Poehler (Th.D., Andrews University) teaches Systematic Theol-

ogy at Friedensau University, Germany. E-mail: Rolf.Poehler@ThH-

Friedensau.de

Secrets of Daniel:Wisdom and Dreamsof a Jewish Prince in Exileby Jacques B. Doukhan (Hagerstown,Maryland: Review and Herald Publ. Assn.,2000; 191 pp.; paperback).

Reviewed by Winfried Vogel.

Based on his 1993 French publication on Daniel, the current book provides English readers Doukhan’s deep under-standing of the prophecies of Daniel. The author’s Jewish her-itage, his two doctorate degrees in Hebrew literature and inOld Testament interpretation, his teaching experience in Eu-rope, Africa and the United States, and his skill in digging

32 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Learn English–Plusthis Summer in the U.S.A.!

Learn English–Plusthis Summer in the U.S.A.!

Six weeks of English languageinstruction plus Adventist Historyand American cultural study tours.

June 24—August 1, 2002

20 hours of English instruction per week.

The English Language Instituteat Atlantic Union College

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Telephone: 978-368-24441-800-282-2030 (in the U.S.A.)

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www.atlanticuc.edu

deeply in Scripture (see his first work on Daniel, Daniel: TheVision of the End, 1987) eminently qualifies him to make thisfine contribution to the understanding of Daniel.

Currently professor of Hebrew Old Testament exegesisand Jewish studies at Andrews University, the author pro-vides a scholarly running commentary on much of the bibli-cal text. At the same time, he is down to earth in his style ofwriting and provides a reader-friendly work. Just look atsome of the chapter headings: “The Giant and the Moun-tain” (chap. 2) “Lions Under a Charm” (chap. 6), or “Requi-em for a Messiah” (chap. 9). Even as he provides exegeticaldepths, he reaches out to a wider readership with fresh in-sights that makes Daniel relevant to Christian scholarshipand life. He makes us aware of linguistic associations, such asthe one between Daniel 1 and Genesis 1, thus heighteningour awareness of the conflict between the Creator and theimpostor, which throws new light on the theology of Daniel.

Doukhan is a scholar with a pastor’s heart. He takes timeto explain many Hebrew and Aramaic words and obscure al-

lusions, while providing deeper understanding of the textand its relationship to God’s revelation in the biblical canonas a whole. His theological conclusions are based on the dataof the biblical text. For example, he shows that the associa-tion of the ram and goat in Daniel 8 is a clear indication ofDay of Atonement language, preparing the reader for the cli-max in verse 14.

Secrets of Daniel is a welcome contribution to the Adven-tist understanding of apocalyptic prophecy. Anyone wholikes to be surprised even by well-known Scripture passageswill not only thoroughly enjoy reading this book but alsogain a spiritual blessing.

Winfried Vogel (Th.D., Andrews University) is the president of Seminar

Schloss Bogenhofen. His address: Bogenhofen 1, A-4963 St. Peter, Austria.

E-mail: [email protected]


Maranhão Missionin Brazil holdsthree seminars foruniversity students

outh Ministries and the Associa- tion of Adventist University Stu- dents of the Maranhão Mission, inBrazil, sponsored in 2000 the thirdround of seminars for Adventist univer-sity students. The seminars theme,“The Science of Salvation,” was drawnfrom Ellen White’s statement: “Let thescience of salvation be the burden ofevery sermon, the theme of every song.Let it be poured forth in every supplica-tion” (Evangelism, p. 185).

The first seminar took place in May inthe auditorium of Maranhão State Uni-versity, Caxias Campus, and broughtmore than 200 attendants, with the par-ticipation of pastor Rainier Sales.

The second seminar was held in Oc-tober also at Maranhão State Universi-ty, Imperatriz, for the university stu-dents of Southern Maranhão. Dr. Zenil-da Botti Fernandez, from the FederalUniversity of Para, spoke to 120 atten-dants about spiritual knowledge as the

core understanding that Christiansmust have in order to resist material-ism, hedonism, and other misguidedapproaches to life.

The third seminar was held in thesame month, at the Adventist Second-ary School in the city of São Luís, with100 students. The featured speaker wasDr. Fadel Basile, who leads the Scienceand Religion Group in Belem. Lecturesand discussions covered topics such ascosmology, the origin of life, the creationof human beings, and the Flood—all ap-proached from a biblical perspective.

The seminars achieved their mainobjectives: (1) to highlight the spiritualand moral values conveyed in the Bi-ble; (2) to study how biblical Christian-ity and science, properly understood,can be harmonized; (3) to show thechurch’s love and support for Adventistuniversity students; (4) to encouragethe students’ role as Christ’s ambassa-dors on the university campus; (5) toelect the leadership of the Associationof Adventist University Students of Ma-ranhão and plan its future activities.

—Otimar Gonçalves

Director of Youth Ministries, MaranhãoMission, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]

Y dventist college and university students from all over the East Tanza-

nia Field converged in Dar-es-Sa-laam to hold their annual retreat, April12-16, 2001. The meeting was held un-der the theme “Hastening His SecondComing” and included inspiring mes-sages by Bernard Mambwe, president ofthe field, Mika Musa, guest speaker, andChristopher Mwashinga, Jr., youth andcampus ministries director.

Participants presented reports oncampus evangelism, discussed paperspertaining to their student life, and pro-vided uplifting singing. During the lastevening of the retreat, they displayedtheir artistic gifts in a talent night pro-gram, to the glory of God.

The students of the East TanzaniaField welcome contacts with other Ad-ventist student associations and pray forthe academic success and faithful wit-ness of their members around theworld.

—Christopher Mwashinga, Jr.

Director, Youth and Campus Ministry, Tan-zania. E-mail: [email protected]

A

East Tanzania Fielduniversity studentshold a retreat atDar-es-Salaam

Students’ retreat in Tanzania.Adventist university students meet in Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil.

Action Report

34 Dialogue 13:3 2001

Free at last!My escape from the world of the occultby Joe Jerus

he night was cool. A gentle breeze reminded me that fall would end soon. I had lived in this housesince my birth, 17 years earlier. I knewits every nook and corner. My bed wasfamiliar. Nothing fancy, nothing new,but this night would change my life for-ever. For some weeks now, an innerglow had accompanied me everywhere Iwent. This glow came from my recentdiscovery of Jesus and the Advent hope.As a newly baptized Seventh-day Adven-tist, I was enjoying every moment ofthis journey of faith. Bible studies,prayer, reading of devotional literature,and a new life in the Spirit had broughta peace of mind that I had not experi-enced before.

But this night in 1961 was to be sodifferent. I had just finished readingabout the dangers of modern-day spiri-tualism in God Speaks to Modern Man, athen-popular Adventist book. I went tobed with mixed emotions: faith in aGod who loves and cares for His chil-dren, and fear that we live in a worldwhere Satan carries on a real battleagainst those who love God. As I lay onthe bed, stories of my grandmother whohad died eight years before I was bornflashed through my mind. Stories thatmy mother told me. My grandmother,so I learned, had extraordinary gifts. Shecould speak with the dead and foretellthe fortunes and misfortunes of many.She had psychic powers and served as aminister of a spiritualistic church.

As a boy, I paid little attention tothese stories. But now, with my new re-lationship with Jesus and my under-standing of the battle that Satan wagesin the world, I was distraught. The

awareness that I was living in the samehouse where my grandmother, a prac-ticing spiritualist medium, lived, sent achill down my spine. Would the evilspirits thwart my newfound joy? Iprayed, turned off the light, and went tosleep. But not for long. In the middle ofthe night I woke up in a cold sweat. Iheard some whirring sounds. I felt as ifsomeone was physically assaulting me. Icouldn’t move or speak. Was this adream? Perhaps a nightmare? No, myphysical feelings of being semiconsciouswere real. My mind was alert, and Iknew I had to rely not on my strength,but on the power of the Holy Spirit.With all the inner strength I could gath-er, I repeated in my mind some of thegreat Scripture promises and calledupon my God to deliver me from thisattack. Suddenly, the attack ceased and Iexperienced peace, knowing that Godhad protected me.

That night’s battle assembled manypieces of the puzzle for me, and I beganto see the reality of the warfare betweenChrist and Satan. As long as I did notknow the Lord and His saving faith, noevil spirit bothered me. I had not paidmuch attention to the stories about mygrandmother or even the involvementof my mother in the spirit world. Mymother, too, was an occult practitionerwho spoke of seeing “ghosts” and “spir-its.” She said she studied “divine sci-ence” and had premonitions about thedeath of certain people she knew in oursmall town. Often she was right. Sheclaimed that a spiritualist healer hadcured her of ulcers and gallstones. Mysister, 10 years my senior, was supposedto have been healed of lockjaw in her

childhood by a spirit medium. Mymother loved to use the ouija boardwith her spiritualist friends. She spokeof some of her relatives who also con-sulted with spirit mediums.

I had dismissed all these as supersti-tions. As I entered my teenage years, Iwanted to understand the truth aboutGod revealed in the Scriptures. I wantedto know God personally. I knew manyBible stories that I learned as a child inthe Methodist church in our little townin northern Illinois. But I really did notknow God. One day, I watched BillyGraham on TV explain the meaning ofcoming to Christ. I confessed my sinsand made a commitment to God, butstill I did not know what it meant to livea Christian life. I had many questionsabout God, Jesus, salvation, and life.

Through a set of unusual circum-stances, I enrolled in the Voice of Proph-ecy Bible correspondence course. I was15 then, and soon began studying theBible with a local Adventist pastor, Gor-don Shumate. He cleared up the cob-webs in my thinking regarding the Trin-ity, Christ’s divinity, the Second Com-ing, and salvation by grace. In the fall of1961, as a senior in high school, I wasbaptized an Adventist.

***Satan’s assault continued as I ma-

tured in Christ.However, the mid 1960s were an un-

usual time in the United States. Easternmysticism and occult practices invadedAmerican intellectual, social, and spiri-tual life as never before. Thousands ofyoung people began experimentingwith drugs and cultic practices andstarted rejecting Christian values. Med-

T

First Person


itation and mantras became the fash-ion of the young. My sister came un-der the influence of this cultural shiftthrough what seemed like a simplegame—the ouija board. Through thisshe communicated with our dead“relatives.” The ouija has the Englishalphabet and the numbers zerothrough nine, with “yes,” “no,” and“goodbye” printed in large black let-ters. It comes with a plastic pointerwith soft felt tips, which at times ismoved by the spirits to letters andnumbers that spell out messages.

Christmas 1967, I visited my sister.As soon as I arrived at her home, shewanted me to see the ouija board per-form. I told her I would be willing if Icould ask it the first question. As mysister and her daughter began to playwith the board, our “deceased rela-tives” began to speak through it. I im-mediately told the spirits to stop andsaid, “In the name of the Lord JesusChrist, who are you?” I expected theboard to spell out the word “devils,”but instead it boldly wrote “Lucifer.” Iasked how many angels had fallen,and the board replied one-third. Iasked other questions to expose itstrue identity to my sister. Its answersagreed with the biblical portrait of Sa-tan and his demons.

The spirits working through theboard became very angry with me.They threatened my life. The pointerupon which the fingers of my sisterand niece were placed came off of theboard and began to poke at my stom-ach with force. I asked the spirits toquote John 8:12, where Jesus said, “Iam the light of the world...” but theyadamantly refused. I placed a Bibleupon the board. They quickly pushedit off and began to swear profusely. Ithought my exposure of them couldhelp my sister become interested inthe Bible. Instead, she said I was pro-jecting my thoughts onto the board.In retrospect, I wish I had never triedthat experiement. But the Lord pro-

tected me from my immature adven-ture.

***The experience of that frightful night

of 1961 repeated itself often as I enteredcollege. Two or three times a week thebattle would be waged in the middle ofthe night with a fierceness that left meweak. Even through my early years ofmarried life with Nancy, the struggle con-tinued. I dreaded going to sleep. Often Ileft the lights on for fear the spirits wouldreturn.

Finally, relief came in 1975, when Idiscovered a new book on spiritual war-fare, The Adversary, by Mark Bubeck. Thebook offered biblical as well as practicalguidance. It was written for those whohad participated in the occult or grewup in homes involved in spiritism andfelt threatened by demonic oppression.The book suggested “spiritual warfarepraying” by claiming full authority ofJesus. Here is an example of one suchprayer:

“Dear Lord and heavenly Father, Ienter by faith into the full power andauthority of my Lord’s resurrection. Idesire to walk in the newness of lifewhich is mine through my Lord’s resur-rection… I bring the mighty truth of myLord’s victory over the grave against allof Satan’s workings against your willand plan for my life. The enemy is de-feated in my life because I am unitedwith the Lord Jesus Christ in the victoryof His resurrection.”

Nancy and I began to pray suchprayers, saturated with Scripture. Wewere not repeating just words, but in-tentionally and prayerfully experienc-ing the power of the risen Lord. He isour victory, and we were claiming thatvictory as our own. As a result, I beganto feel a new sense of freedom. I was nolonger fearful of what the enemy coulddo to me. I now could go to motelsalone and enjoy normal sleep withoutany attacks and without leaving thelights on. This didn’t mean the war wasover. The Christian soldier must con-

stantly guard heart and mind and bealert to the twisted strategies of ourcommon enemy, the devil.

***My victory remains total because of

the abiding presence of my Saviour inme. I have walked away from the worldof the occult because of the love of myLord. For the past 27 years, in peace andthankfulness, I have been able to minis-ter for my Lord as a campus chaplain,sharing my hope with hundreds ofyoung people.

What did I learn from my struggles?Is there something you can learn frommy experience? Here it is:

1. Remember the struggle with Satan isreal. Satan is at war with the saints ofGod. The closer you are to God, themore He is desirous of getting you onhis side. Spiritual warfare is real, and weneed to be watchful (Ephesians 6:12-14).

2. Do not indulge in any of Satan’s spir-itistic activities even for fun. Be it the ouijaboard or cult music or mystical medita-tion, keep as far away from them as pos-sible. Occult tools are dangerous (Isaiah8:19).

3. Be totally committed in your Chris-tian experience. Make your Christianityreal. Know your Bible. Pray. Claim thevictory of Christ in all that you do, andlet God be your constant companion.Put on the armor of Christian warfarethat Paul describes in Ephesians 6:12-14. Without identifying with the victoryof Christ, we have no hope of victory.

Joe Jerus, an ordained Seventh-day Ad-ventist minister, has been directly involvedin public campus ministry in California formore than 30 years. His e-mail address:[email protected]

37Dialogue 13:3 2001 Insert A

Expand YourFriendshipNetwork

dventist college/university students and professionals, readers of Dia- logue, interested in exchanging cor-respondence with colleagues in other partsof the world.

AAfrifa Akwasi: 23; male; single; study-

ing wildlife management; interests: soc-cer, music, and watching movies; corre-spondence in English. Address: Universityfor Dev. Studies; Faculty of Agriculture,Hall A, Room 21; Tamale; GHANA.

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Fabricio Franck: 19; male; single;studying electro-mechanics; interests:music, computers, and other cultures;correspondence in Spanish or English.Address: Gaspar Doncel 1395; Catamarca;ARGENTINA.

Merle S. Gabinete: 31; female; single;

completed a degree in business adminis-tration, now working at a bank; interests:flower gardening, drawing, religious mu-sic, and reading; correspondence in En-glish. Address: c/o Rural Bank of Narra,Inc.; Narra, Palawan 5303; PHILIPPINES.

Katherine Giraldo V.: 22; female; sin-gle; studying computer science; interests:aerobics and reading; correspondence inSpanish. Address: Calle 102, No. 13-54,Almacén Juvenil; Turbo, Antioquia; CO-LOMBIA.

Joel González Ferreira: 26; male; sin-gle; studying chemical engineering atUniversidad Autónoma de Santo Domin-go; interests: research, making newfriends, reading, and swimming; corre-spondence in Spanish or English. Ad-dress: Calle José Feliú #82, Viet-Nam; LosMinas; DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

Elizabeth C. Guillén M.: 19; female;single; pursuing a degree in basic educa-tion at Universidad Peruana Unión; in-terests: music, camping, and makingnew friends; correspondence in Spanish.Address: Av. Haya de la Torre 537, LaPerla - Callao; Lima; PERU. E-mail:[email protected]

Edwell Gumbo: 23; male; single; study-ing industrial metallurgy at BulawayoPolytechnic College; hobbies: chess,sports, reading, and Christian music; cor-respondence in English. Address: 4473Mkoba 17; Gweru; ZIMBABWE. E-mail:[email protected]

Lea A. Hermosura: 19; female; single;studying toward a degree in accounting atWestern Institute of Technology; hobbies:singing, strumming the guitar, hiking,and collecting stamps; correspondence inEnglish. Address: Brgy, Yawyawan; Lem-ery, Iloilo; 5043 PHILIPPINES.

Lucila Hernández M.: 27; female; sin-gle; completed a degree and teaches nutri-tion; interests: religious activities, poetry,music, and teaching in rural communi-ties; correspondence in Spanish. Address:Universidad Adventista de Navojoa; Apar-tado Postal #134; Navojoa, Sonora; MEXI-CO 85800.

Portik Istvan: 24; male; single; study-ing theology at Adventist Institute inBudapest; interests: Bible study, health,foreign languages, and nature; correspon-dence in Romanian, English, German, or

Interchange

38 Dialogue 13:3 2001Insert B

Hungarian. Address: Str. Maciesului nr.32; Reghin 4225, Jud. Mures; ROMANIA.E-mail: [email protected]

Olabiwonnu A. Julius: 26; male; single;studying at Petroleum Training Institute;interests: reading and travel; correspon-dence in English. Address: PetroleumTraining Institute; P.M.B. 20, Effurun;Warri, Delta State; NIGERIA.

Cynthia Kandiah: 29; female; single;working as a nurse; interests: reading reli-gious books, travel, and drawing; corre-spondence in English. Address: 52 H.,Block 5, Asbhy Flats; 30450 Ipah, Perak;MALAYSIA.

Saw Myat Koh: 21; male; single; study-ing at Technical College; interests: swim-ming, table tennis, and reading; corre-spondence in English. Address: No. 5.cCourt House Rd., Mayangone Dr.; Maw-lamyine City; MYANMAR.

Boakye Vincent Kwame: 21; male; sin-gle; studying social sciences at KwameUniversity of Science and Technology; in-terests: active sports, reading, and travel;correspondence in English or German.Address: Ideas Community Services; P.O.Box A.A. 18; Agona, Ashanti; GHANA.

Charity A. de Leon: 22; female; single;completed a degree in physical therapy;hobbies: playing the piano, sports, col-lecting stamps and currency from differ-ent countries; correspondence in English.Address: c/o Tropimo B. de Leon; WesternMindanao Conference; P.O. Box 2389;Gango, Ozamiz City; 7200 PHILIPPINES.

Devaughn Luke: 34; female; single;pursuing a degree in accounting; hobbies:Bible studies, travel, camping, and gospelmusic; correspondence in English. Ad-dress: 7, Nabaclis Villa; East Coast Demer-ara; GUYANA.

Christina Lumpihoi: 31; female; single;working as a nurse and pursuing a nurs-ing degree; interests: travel, camping, mu-sic, and collecting stamps; correspon-dence in English. Address: 465 BurmahRoad; 10350 Penang; MALAYSIA. E-mail:[email protected]

Helen S. Macawili: 21; female; single;completed a degree in education with amajor in English; interests: music,books, collecting stamps, and travel;correspondence in English. Address:Blk. 2, Lot 3, Phhc Subdivision; 6500

Tacloban City; PHILIPPINES. E-mail:[email protected]

Gulielmo E. Martínez: 25; male; single;pursuing a degree in systems engineering;interests: sports, travel, camping, and ex-changing postcards; correspondence inSpanish. Address: Col. Lamatepec, ZonaC, Pasaje C #3; Santa Ana; EL SALVADOR.E-mail: [email protected]

Belen S. Mejia: 27; female; single; pur-suing a degree in agriculture, major inplant protection; interests: reading the Bi-ble, religious music, travel, and collectingpostcards and insects; correspondence inEnglish. Address: Department of Plant Pro-tection; Visayas State College of Agricul-ture; Baybay, Leyte 6521-A PHILIPPINES.E-mail: [email protected]

Julissa Susana Mejía: 25; female; sin-gle; studying medicine; interests: reading,Christian music, and making new friends;correspondence in Spanish. Address:Calle Respaldo Duarte; Edificio 15, No. 2,Los Alcarrizos; Santo Domingo; DOMINI-CAN REPUBLIC.

Cleusa Mendes: 31; female; single; anurse; interests: health, medicinal plants,travel, and Christian music; correspon-dence in Portuguese, English, or Spanish.Address: Jorge Street, 60, Jd. Lilah; SãoPaulo, SP; 05885-300 BRAZIL. E-mail:[email protected]

Andrew L. Miller: 30; male; single;teaching at a public school; hobbies: read-ing, Bible study, gardening, and table ten-nis; correspondence in English. Address:School Road, Westbury Road; St. Michael;BARBADOS.

Hollmann Morales: 20; male; single;studying medicine; interests: reading andlistening to Christian music; correspon-dence in Spanish. Address: Texaco 3 1/2al Este; Estelí; NICARAGUA. E-mail:[email protected]

Mischeck Mzumara: 25; male; single;studying English and history at MzuzuUniversity; hobbies: drama, reading, mu-sic, and learning about other cultures;correspondence in English. Address:Mzuzu University; Private Bag 1; Luwin-ga, Mzuzu 2; MALAWI.

Yanelis Núñez Alarcón: 23; female;single; pursuing a degree in theology atSeminario Adventista de Cuba; interests:poetry, reading, collecting postcards, and

making new friends; correspondence inSpanish or English. Address: Calle EloyGonzáles # 27 A, entre Lora y Avenida Ce-menterio; Reparto México, Las Tunas;75100 CUBA.

Prince Nana Yaw Ocran: 26; male; sin-gle; pursuing a diploma in accounting; in-terests: listening to Christian music, sing-ing, reading, and making new friends;correspondence in English. Addresss:Awudome Estate S.D.A. Church; Box20112; Accra - Central; GHANA.

Ochien Odhiambo: 23; male; single;pursuing a degree in biology; hobbies:reading, sports, and making new friends;correspondence in English. Address: De-partment of Applied Science; MombasaPolytechnic; P.O. Box 90420; Mombasa;KENYA.

Michael C. Onwugbonu: 22; male; sin-gle; studying mechanical engineering atRivers State University of Science andTechnology; hobbies: reading, playing in-door games, soccer, and Bible study; cor-respondence in English. Address: No. 8Martins Street; Road 24 Extension, AgipEstate, Mile 4; Port Harcourt, Rivers State;NIGERIA.

Lia Ortega D.: 47; female; teachesSpanish as a foreign language; interests:sharing my faith, church activities, travel,and making new friends; correspondencein Spanish or Swedish. Address: Hospital-sgatan 24 A; 602 24 Norrkoping; SWE-DEN. E-mail: [email protected]

Yanina Paola Ovejero: 19; female; sin-gle; studying nursing at Instituto Agusti-na Bermejo; interests: music, travel, andmaking new friends; correspondence inSpanish or English. Address: Martín Fierro6332, entre Marqués de Aguado y Schu-man; Moreno, Buenos Aires; ARGENTI-NA.

Isaac Owusu: male; single; studying to-ward a degree in social science at Univer-sity of Cape Coast; interests: travel andmusic; correspondence in English. Ad-dress: Box U.C. 168; University Post Of-fice; Cape Coast; GHANA.

Gabriela Palade: 33; female; single; aneconomist; interests: nature, books, andsports; correspondence in Romanian orFrench. Address: Str. Sh. Buzoianu 15, Bl.PA 1, SC. II, Ap. 25; TG. Bujor - 6265; RO-MANIA.

39Dialogue 13:3 2001 Insert C

Jacob Hayford Pappoe: 21; male; sin-gle; studying accounting at Valley ViewUniversity; interests: hiking, singing, andreading; correspondence in English. Ad-dress: P.O. Box KB; Korle-bu, Accra; GHA-NA.

Leonardo Pedro: 27; male; single; teach-es computer science at Instituto Medio In-dustrial in Bengela, Angola; interests: soc-cer, Christian music, and preaching; cor-respondence in Portuguese or Spanish.E-mail: [email protected]

Aracely de la Peña B.: 26; female;single; completing a degree in account-ing; interests: reading, poetry, andyouth activities; correspondence inSpanish. Address: Av. Chihuahua 405;Anahuac, Chihuahua; 31600 MEXICO.E-mail: [email protected]

Nansukusa Penny: 20; female; single;pursuing a degree in education; hobbies:reading, gospel music, photography, andcamping; correspondence in English. Ad-dress: Mbale Central S.D.A. Church; P.O.Box 122; Mbale; UGANDA.

Santa Martha Perdomo: 34; female;divorced; working as a nurse; interests:sharing my faith, travel, and health top-ics; correspondence in Spanish or English.Address: 146 E, 13 St.; Hialeah; Florida33010; U.S.A.

Andreane Uberti Pereira: 20; female;single; pursuing a degree in pedagogy atCentro Universitario Adventista, Campus2; interests: collecting postcards andlearning about other countries; corre-spondence in Portuguese or Spanish. Ad-dress: Caixa Postal 11; Engenheiro Coel-ho, S.P.;13165-970 BRAZIL. E-mail:[email protected]

Janitha Kalum Perera: 25; male; sin-gle; working in advertising; hobbies: trav-el, hiking, photography, and collectingstamps, coins, and leaves; correspon-dence in English or Sinhala. Address: #815, Batagama North Ja; Ela; SRI LANKA.E-mail: [email protected]

Pilar Elisa Pérez: 34; female; single;completed a degree in early childhood ed-ucation; interests: reading, travel, music,and swimming; correspondence in Span-ish. Address: Calle Pío XII, No. 35, Escal-era A, 1o., 3a.; 25003; Lérida; SPAIN.

Daisy Ribeiro: 34; female; married,with two children; working at an Adven-

tist school in Brazil; interests: education,outdoor activities, crafts, and helpingothers; correspondence in Portuguese orEnglish. E-mail: [email protected]

Hanna Roca: female, single; completedstudies in medicine in Bolivia; interests:provide medical help to people in need,camping, and travel; correspondence inSpanish, Portuguese, or English. E-mail:[email protected]

Marta Guedes Rodovalho: 32; female;single; teaches arts at an Adventistschool; interests: new friends, good mu-sic, arts and crafts, and helping others;correspondence in Portuguese or Spanish.Address: Av. Frederico Tibery, 598, BairroTibery; Uberlandia, MG; 38406-075 BRA-ZIL.

Angelica V. Rodriguez: 26; female; sin-gle; completed a degree in graphic design;interests: photography, poetry, and learn-ing about other countries; correspon-dence in Spanish. Address: Block 2840,Depto. 42; Romilio Concha, Villa Exótica;Calama, II Región; CHILE.

Cecilia Rojas Navarro: 33; female; di-vorced; a dentist; correspondence inSpanish. Address: Calle Ciego de Avila#252 entre Soto y 5ta.; Ciego de Avila;65400 CUBA.

Gladiel Reyes del Rosario: 19; male;single; studying systems engineering; in-terests: poetry, playing the piano, andsinging; correspondence in Spanish. Ad-dress: Los Reyes Calle 4, Casa #7; PuertoPlata; DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. E-mail:[email protected]

Bineeta Sahay: 37; female; divorced;graduated from Fulton College, nowworking as quality controller in a foodfactory; interests: nature, cooking, cre-ative activities, and making new friends;correspondence in English. Address: P.O.Box 3818; Lautoka; FIJI ISLANDS.

Jean Fernetta Samuel: 23; female; sin-gle; pursuing a degree in dental surgery;interests; music, cooking, helping others,and collecting poems; correspondence inEnglish. Address: Snow Hostel; ChristianMedical College; Ludhiana, Punjab;141008 INDIA. E-mail: [email protected]

Aleksandar Santrac: 28; male; mar-ried; teaching theology at AdventistTheological Seminary and pursuing a doc-toral degree at Belgrade University; inter-

ests: astronomy and cosmology, philoso-phy, history, and helping the poor; corre-spondence in Serbian or English. Address:Bore Markovica 11; 11030 Belgrade; YU-GOSLAVIA. E-mail: [email protected]

Amanda van der Schyff: 21; female;single; studying to become a teacher; in-terests: music, children, poetry, and work-ing for God; correspondence in English.Address: P.O. Box 9800; Rustenburg; 0300SOUTH AFRICA.

Diana G. Serbezowa: 38; female; sin-gle; teaching at a secondary school; hob-bies: classical and religious music, sharingmy faith, exchanging postcards, and col-lecting Bibles in other languages; corre-spondence in Bulgarian or English. Ad-dress: 21, Ivan Alexander St.; Sliven; 8800BULGARIA.

Charles T. Sexvornu: 22; male; single;pursuing a degree in agriculture at Uni-versity of Cape Coast; interests: soccer,travel, and listening to music; correspon-dence in English. Address: c/o Mr. E. T.Sexvornu; Airways Catering Ltd.; P.O. Box9460; K.I.A., Accra; GHANA.

Roberta Marinho da Silva: 25; female;single; pursuing a graduate degree in psy-copedagogy at Universidade Gama Filho;interests: learning about other countries,cultures, and languages; correspondencein Portuguese or Spanish. Address: RuaTangará, 435, Casa 2, Bonsucesso; Rio deJaneiro, RJ; 21050-520 BRAZIL.

Denise Muñiz Da Silva: 22; female; sin-gle; originally from Brazil, studying En-glish and Spanish at a language school;interests: music, collecting postcards,learning about other cultures; correspon-dence in Portuguese or Spanish. Address:Apartado de Correos 4542; 30.008 Mur-cia; SPAIN. E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Zuleide Silva: 25; female; single; com-pleted a degree in accounting in Brazil;interests: reading, learning about othercountries, and friendship; correspon-dence in Portuguese or English. E-mail:[email protected]

Dayane Figueiredo Silveira: female;single; studying urban architecture atUniversidade do Sul de Santa Catarina;correspondence in Portuguese. Address:Rua Duarte Schutel 61, Apto. 704 centro;Florianopolis, S.C.; BRAZIL. E-mail:

40 Dialogue 13:3 2001Insert D

If you are an Adventist college/universitystudent or professional and wish to belisted here, send us your name and post-al address, indicating your age, sex, mar-ital status, current field of studies or de-gree obtained, college/university you areattending or from which you graduated,hobbies or interests, and language(s)in which you would like to correspond.Provide also your e-mail address. Sendyour letter to Dialogue Interchange:12501 Old Columbia Pike; SilverSpring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. Pleasetype or print clearly. You can also usee-mail: [email protected] will list only those who provide allthe information requested above. Thejournal cannot assume responsibility forthe accuracy of the information submit-ted or for the content of the correspon-dence that may ensue.

[email protected] K. Singh: 31; female; single;

pursuing a doctoral degree in education;hobbies: visiting and studying anythingthat is mysterious such as ancient palacesand monuments, and natural phenome-na; correspondence in English. Address:S.D.A. Junior High School; Court Road,Tadikhan Chawk; Moradabad, UttarPradesh; INDIA 244001.

Lionel Tamme: 22; male; single; study-ing engineering at University of PapuaNew Guinea; interests: studying the Bible,sports, outdoor activities, and cooking;correspondence in English. Address: P.O.Box 1180; Waigani, NCD 131; PAPUANEW GUINEA.

Daniel Takwa: 28; male; single; agraduate student in business adminis-tration at the University of Manitoba;interests: learning Spanish, making newfriends, travel, and soccer; correspon-dence in English, French, or Spanish.Address: 24-461 Kennedy St.; Winnipeg,Manitoba; R3B 2N4 CANADA. E-mail:[email protected]

Jeanne Tavae: 31; female; married;youth ministries director in the AdventistMission; interests: exchanging ideas,learning about other cultures, and mak-ing new friends; correspondence inFrench. Address: B.P. 95; Papeete; Tahiti;FRENCH POLYNESIA.

Virginia da Silva Tavares: 32; fe-male; single; completed a degree inexecutive secretarial science; interests:travel, sports, work with Adventistyouth, and singing; correspondence inPortuguese, English, or Spanish. Ad-dress: Rua Afonso Sertao 26, 2o. Andar -Ribeira; Salvador, Bahia; BRAZIL. E-mail:[email protected]

Arlene Theolade: 32; female; single;born in French Guyana; completed a de-gree in history at Université Paris VIII; in-terests: religious literature, gymnastics,travel, and learning about other cultures;correspondence in French or English. Ad-dress: 3 Square de la Franche Comté;93800 Epinay sur Seine; FRANCE.

Roselaine Thermil: 21; female; single;studying business administration at Ad-ventist University of Haiti; interests: na-ture, music, computing, and youth activi-ties; correspondence in French or English.

Address: Bizoton 61 (Etimo) #1, Carre-four; Port-au-Prince; HAITI. E-mail:[email protected]

May Toledanes: 28; female; single;working as an accountant; interests: hik-ing, mountaineering, Christian music,and cooking; correspondence in English.Address: Linmarr Apartelle; Lakandula St.,Agdao; 8000 Davao City; PHILIPPINES. E-mail: [email protected]

Osano Marques da Trinidade: 23;male; single; studying library science;interests: travel, making new friends,and helping others to meet Jesus; corre-spondence in Portuguese or Spanish.Address: R. Joaquim Cortes, 192 - Cen-tro; Vitoria, ES; 29015-550 BRAZIL.E-mail: [email protected]

Jezel C. Ugmad: 25; female; single;completed a degree in secretarial adminis-tration; interests: outdoor activities, reli-gious music, and sharing the good newsof salvation; correspondence in English.Address: 7215 Digson Bonifacio; MisamisOccidental; PHILIPPINES.

Jonalyn Valdez: 21; female; single; pur-suing a degree in psychology; hobbies:singing, reading, and cross-stitching; cor-respondence in English. Address: BaguioSeventh-day Adventist Church; #46Bokawkan Road; 2600 Baguio City; PHIL-IPPINES.

Leticia Vázquez: 31; female; single;pursuing a degree in psychology at Uni-versidad España; interests: psychology,Christian instrumental music, travel,and making new friends; correspon-dence in Spanish, English, Italian, orPortuguese. Address: Flamingos No.222, Frac. Silvestre Revueltas; Durango,Durango; 34150 MEXICO. E-mail:[email protected]

Luis Sergio Vázquez: 23; male; single;pursuing a degree in physical educationand sports; interests: camping, mountain-eering, travel, and cars; correspondencein Spanish or English. Address: Flamingos222, Fracc. Silvestre Revueltas; C.P. 34150;Durango, Durango; MEXICO. E-mail:[email protected]

Raquel Villeda O.: 19; female; single;studying law at Universidad de San Car-los; interests: music, poetry, reading, andcamping; correspondence in Spanish. Ad-dress: 1a. Calle 3-88, Zona 1; Jalapa; GUA-

TEMALA. E-mail: [email protected] Vera Sansaricq: 25; female; sin-

gle; specialized in economics, studyingcomputing; interests: poetry, exchangingpostcards, Christian literature, and music;correspondence in Spanish. Address:Calle A #17, entre Honorato Castillo yMarcial Gómez; Ciego de Avila 1; 65100CUBA.

Neil Eldon Wellington: 34; male; sin-gle; a teacher of geography; hobbies: read-ing, gospel music, and playing games;correspondence in English. Address: 63Nabacalis Villa; East Coast Demerara;GUYANA.

Anthony K. Wemakor: 24; male; sin-gle; pursuing a degree in health science;interests: watching football, listening tomusic, and reading novels; correspon-dence in English. Address: School of Med-icine and Health Sciences; University forDevelopment Studies; P.O. Box TL 977;Tamale; GHANA.

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