The Health Care Debate-What say you?

As a Christian who loves the Word, what should our stand be on Health Care for the Nation?  Not a political stand but a Biblical reason for it or against it, is what I am asking.  What say you?

Leadership integrity

What are your expectations of the leaders of the church? What assumptions do you have about Adventist Administrators? How can church leaders be more authentic and relevant toward members in the body of Christ? On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate the church leaders that you personally know in terms of  being passionately interested in people? One=not at all, and ten=enthusiastically rabid.

In His Service,

Roscoe J Howard III

Contextualizing without compromising

Our church must keep up with fast-paced developments in communication opportunities. We are living in a constantly changing market, and we intend to change with our culture in order to reach as many people with as many methods as possible.

The diversity of our church and the larger community demand that we use every means available to reach the many complex mindsets we interact with. This will be increasingly more important as people see the church not being relevant to the contemporary world. We do this, of course, without sacrificing the integrity of our Seventh-day Adventist mission or its message.

Appropriately adapting to cultural shifts and opportunities is thoroughly biblical. It’s how Paul the apostle/evangelist successfully transplanted a religion with roots in Palestinian Judaism into Greco-Roman culture. Here’s how he describes his modus operandi:

“I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23, The Message).

The outcome? In the span of one generation, the Christian church expanded throughout the Roman Empire. The lesson for us today in this information age: Technology can drive our mission as we leverage this tool for the sake of the gospel.

Bottom line: Seventh-day Adventists must contextualize with our culture to take advantage of every new opportunity it affords—while never compromising biblical doctrines or principles.

High tech for high touch

Adventists have always thrived on the cutting edge of communication technology. Our Millerite pioneers in the 1840s developed audio/visual presentations, inspired by Habakkuk 2:3, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it” (NKJ). Prophetic charts illustrated the spoken word, fascinating audiences and convincing them of truth.

As Seventh-day Adventists organized into a denomination and spread west into Mid-America, use of communication technology expanded with the church. The scattered flock kept in touch with pamphlets and journals that also evangelized fellow homesteaders. Next came books. Soon we developed a formidable publishing enterprise that became the envy of other denominations.

Advances in technology, unfailingly embraced by nineteenth-century pioneers, met some resistance in Adventism’s second century as institutionalism set in. When radio broadcasting became popular, H.M.S. Richards was warned against using “worldly” methods for communicating sacred truth. Despite such suspicions, Elder Richards pressed forward with the “Voice of Prophecy,” to the salvation of untold thousands.

When TV took to the airwaves, some Adventists were terrified about going the way of Hollywood in producing telecasts. But once again, visionary members realized that effective communication is always contextualized for culture. Along came “Faith for Today” and later, “It Is Written.” Next was satellite evangelism, which again encountered initial skepticism before proving its worth in the 1990s.

Now we have the Internet. After initially falling behind in the use of this incredible communication tool, the North American Division (NAD) made bold and visionary advances. Once again we are the envy of other denominations, through Adventist Church Connect. Today every local congregation has its own free website, provided by the NAD through AdventSource—headquartered here in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Some churches in Mid-America are doing marvelous things with their websites, such as Denver First (www.denverfirstsda.org). Other congregations have yet to awake to the potential (or even the existence!) of their local website. Some members fear that going digital will detract from the warmth of Christian witness. But “high tech” and “high touch” are not incompatible!

Internet technology can communicate the wonders of your congregation to the community. A good church website blossoms with life and love in action. Photos and videos highlight recent happenings and upcoming events. Members young and old working together in selfless service for the Savior—and having fun in the process—provides a powerful testimony to those who insist on checking you out online before visiting in person. And that’s nearly everyone these days.

We at the Mid-America Union office want to set an example for local churches and conferences. Our redesigned website is both functional and artistic, simple yet comprehensive. Visit us and see what you think: www.midamericaadventist.org. You’ll find Adventist news from around Mid-America and the world. You can access the Adventist Channel, Hope TV, view assorted videos, listen and download sermons from leading pastors in Mid-America, and view Outlook magazine in flash format.

One of the most exciting features of our new website is blogging—sharing informal thoughts about anything that matters to the individual commentator. We have blogs from beloved and respected Mid-America Adventists such as Dr. David Smith, president of Union College; Dr. Steve Bascom, Iowa physician and member of our Union Executive Committee; Claudio Consuegra, family life and departmental director of Minnesota; and Nancy Buxton, women’s ministries coordinator. We have commentary from dynamic young adults Chris and Candice McConnell (who redesigned our website), Amy Prindle (managing editor of Outlook), and Seth Pierce (pastor/author/family man). Other interesting and innovative bloggers include pastors Buffy Halvorsen, Jeff Wines, Dr. Michael Campbell and Chanda Nunes. Young mom Janell Brasuell is doing a blog for other mothers. You’ll find Outlook Editor Martin Weber there, too.As your leader, I am doing this blog as well.

Other blogs still in development involve men’s ministries, retirees, educators and Mid-America Adventist healthcare. Two of our bloggers soon to come are Elaine Hagele, Mid-America’s vice president for finance, who has many deep insights to share; also Pastor Kymone Hinds to interact with our youth.

Nothing like what I’m describing is currently being done anywhere that I’m aware of. Some of these blogs will have postings every day, inviting your interaction. Others will post weekly. Read more about it as you turn the page.

My prayer and commitment is that we will continue to use every avenue of communication to spread the good news of selfless service for the Savior until every member’s way of life in Mid-America reflects this motto.

Roscoe J. Howard III

President, Mid-America Union of Seventh-day Adventists