GC, Inspiration, etc.

Parliamentary Procedure

An interview with Garry Hodgkin, (AT July/Aug), leaves some interesting and instructive impressions. The foremost is that one delegate to the General Conference who is committed, concerned and courageous can make an astounding difference.

The second is that knowledge is power. If Elder Hodgkin had not known the applicable parliamentary procedure, he would have been at loss to know how to proceed.

The third is that paltry attendance by delegates can be crucial. At Friday morning's business session where were those whose cause was defeated?

Rolland Ruf
Collegedale, Tennessee

What are the qualifications for a delegate to the General Conference session? I fail to understand how Samuele Pipim, who has lived in the U.S. many years and is employed by the Michigan Conference, could be a delegate from the African/Indian Ocean Division.

M.C. Jackson
Longview, Washington
 

Editor's Note: We understand that Dr. Koranteng-Pipim has served as a consultant to the Division through the years he has been in the U.S.

The Sociology Thing

Once again, we try to solve a huge multifaceted problem with one little simple answer. Several miles down the road, when we are starved for oxygen and pull our heads out of the sand, we wonder why our problems haven't gone away.

The writer in "It's the Sociology Thing, Stupid!" (AT July/August) has picked up on one little factor of the myriad of factors that contribute to the loss of young people in the church in droves. Sociology, while an interesting minute part of the problem, is not the problem. This kind of reasoning only gives Adventists another excuse to do nothing in reaching out to a group of people who are vital to the growth and development of any organization.

True, many young people are leaving the church, but if you want to do something to stop the trend instead of dwelling in gross self-denial, take a few of these suggestions to your church boards:

Young educated (single or not) Adventists like to have intellectually stimulating discussions. We are tired of being force-fed "truth" without an opportunity to exam it, prove it and assimilate it. We are tired of hearing "you are too critical of the church" or "you are too educated so you can't accept truth." If we cannot discuss "truth" why come?

Young Adventists would like to participate in the services without overbearing "elder" intervention. Let us participate in the services by singing the songs that appeal to us, the verses that touch us in the ways that are interesting to us. Stop "intervening" in our Sabbath school classes. Implementing these suggestions might very well cause massive heart attacks across the congregations but the alternative is what you are looking at-empty pews.

Love one another. Adventists take way too much pride in their shallow, overly sugary brand of "friendliness." We can get friendliness at the grocery store. A lot of young professionals leave family and friends back home several states away and no one really cares about them in their new churches. Most of the time no one notices, let alone misses them, when they are gone. Who do these people turn to when they are hurt, depressed, homesick? A lot of these young people are looking for fellowship, companionship, love and acceptance. If you can't find it at church why come?

Sociology? Not!

Nnena Achilefu
St. Louis, Missouri

Casebook or Codebook

Thank you for "Casebook and Codebook: Alden Thompson speaks to Forum retreat on inspiration" (AT July/August, 2000). I agree with Thompson that in studying the Scriptures, rather than simply applying what is written ("codebook thinking") one should strive to accurately interpret the principles behind the words ("casebook thinking").

It is unfortunate that the members of the Adventist Theological Society were referred to as "codebook readers." I am not a member, but I do subscribe to their periodical Perspective Digest. In my opinion, their relatively traditional, conservative position on such subjects as the ordination of women to the ministry is not based upon codebook thinking, but upon matters of hermeneutics and exegesis.

Keith Gilberrtson

Give Us the Facts

Thank you for keeping us informed of the facts regarding our church's progress and problems. We need an instrument that is not directly supervised by elected church officials. For obvious reasons, there are matters which leaders may wish to hold back, sometimes justifiably, and possibly because of a certain bias. This was the case with the ordination issue, and when I mentioned to Dr. Johnsson that I felt that he had been biased in the Review's coverage of women's ordination, he seemed to be quite displeased. I had suggested that perhaps the stated net gain in membership between 1990, the date when ordination was first defeated, and 1995, the second time around, was less than 500 members. His response was the listing of several figures, showing considerable numbers of baptisms, but he did not mention the heavy losses of the same time period.

I sent him a copy of the Pacific Union Recorder article, which clearly stated the net gain as 400, plus, members for 1990-1995, clearly showing an unacceptable rate of progress, hence, Dr. Johnsson's displeasure. He has not responded to this latest data.

I would like to suggest that you do as the Recorder did; examine and publish the net gains in our church, and in other areas where bias or other reasons could exist, publish the facts, that we may be informed and react according to conscience.

Earl G. Meyer
Oakhurst, California
 

Editor's Note: Firm figures on church membership and net growth are hard to come by. Official figures in the denomination's Yearbook, available on the Internet, give net growth figures totaling over 75,000 for the North American Division between those years.