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Letters

Likes new formatI likeyour new format, beginningwith

the J anuary, 1986, issue.Rabbi J . S.Schapiro, Long Island, New Y ork.Received your "new" MINISTRY yesterday. The new table-of-contents frontpage is catchy and handy, and I do likethe layout.Thereare some things I miss now: likethe "sermon-in-a-picture" front coversthat spoke powerfully, whether or notthe magazine was ever opened; like thecleric typestyle capitals thatstarted eacharticle; and especially the fine-quality

paper, printing, and high-resolutionphotos.As always, the article content issuperb. As with God's Word, no matterwhat the wrappings, I expect to findedification, and do.H. Haskell Williams, Lakeland, Florida.Science and creationMay I first of all express my appreciation forMINISTRY, whichhas come to mefor a long time.

Way back inmy history, as far back asI can remember, I have been told thatGod made everything out of nothing,and for a great number of years I havebeen almost irritated enough to respondto this ipse dixit, but until today I haverefrained from doing so. What finallybrought me to act is thisstatement froman otherwise splendid article, "HowScience Discovered Creation" (J anuary,1986), to wit, "Conservative Biblestudents have, of course, believed insuch an ex nihilo creation all along ..."(italics mine). God did not bring aboutall thingsoutofnihilo. He informs us that"the worlds were framed by the word ofGod, so that things whichare seen werenot madeof things whichdo appear."In John 1:14 it is written that "theWordwas madeflesh" theWord is alsoinvisible.

To besure, it must have beendifficult

for people, down through the ages, tounderstand that something could bemade out of thatwhich is invisible, butthat day is now long gone. We havelearned that energy is invisible. Godmade all things out of energy eternallyexistent in Him. Something cannotcome out of nothing.Henry C. John-sen, Indianapolis, Indiana.But from what did He make the energy? Exnihilo creation is generally understood tomean that God was not dependent onanything outside of Himself. Eds.

These articles were extremely interesting, andwhile I do notunderstand themystery of a universe made visiblebecause it is underobservation, yet I wasfascinated by the idea, and the wholemystery ofCreation. Pleaseprintmoreofsuch articles.And while I am writing, I want tothank you for sending MINISTRY to me. Ideeply appreciate it.ReverendThomas F. King, Wichita, Kansas.Sent meditation

I was so impressed by William Loveless' article on Christian meditation(J anuary issue) that I sent copies to oursix grownchildren.Also, before I finished themagazine, Ifound one bit of often-repeated chauvinism, about Sarah laughing at God'spromise, in your editorial "Martha andthe Beast," which was otherwise excellent. The fact is, Abrahamalso laughedat the promise (Gen. 17:17).HelenWessel, La Mesa, California.But not after he had spent an afternoonconversing with the Lord, which was thepoint of the illustration. Eds.Children replyAs a "PK," I enjoyed reading BettyGibb's article "Children of the Parsonage" (J anuary, 1986).The article touched on many of theissues associated with this lifestyle.

Regarding the issueof moving away fromfriends, I'd like to add that constanmoving also makes it more difficult toremainclose to theextended family. Ourfamily became almost an island untoitself, separated from other branches bythousands of miles. I very much missedgrowing up with cousins (as my peersdid) and getting to know aunts, uncles,and grandparents. However, on theother hand, such moving habits alsofostered a closer relationship within thenuclear family than I regularly see inother families.I agree with many of the othersentimentsexpressed andwould say thatthe bottom line is that it was excitingand a privilege to grow up that way.Loga Michelle Odom, Newark, NewJersey.Fair, fat, and 40

I enjoyed your comments, although itseems to me that 40 is a bit early to bereferring to theaging process!Y oumay be interested in theencloseditem I wrote on reaching theage of 90. Imay be thinking about aging in anothertenyearsthough, who knows, thenextphasemay begin most anytime. I haven'theslightestfear ofdeath, though I don'tlook forward to thepain of dying.RoyS. Smyres, Ithaca, NewY ork.More on abortion

I have just read K evin Paulson's letterin the J anuary, 1986, issue of MINISTRY.To argue for abortion because the Bibledoesn'tspecificallycondemn it (his idea)would be like arguing against the morallaw, or theTrinity, or against theuse otheword sacrament, or against using theword omniscient or omnipresent todescribe God simply because we don'tfind those specific words in theBible.The fact is that in several places theScriptures refer to unborn persons asthough theyweresomethingofconsider-(Continued on page 30)

If you're receivingMINISTRY bimonthly without having paid for asubscription, it's nota mistake. Since 1928, MINISTRY has beenpublished foSeventh-dayAdventistministers, butwebelieve thetime has come for clergy everywhere to experience a resurgenceof faith in the authorityoScripture and in thegreat truths that reveal thegospel ofour salvation by grace, throughfaithalone in JesusChrist. We want to sharewithyouour aspirations and faith in a way that we trust will provide inspiration and help to you too. We hope you will accept this journal as ououtstretchedhand to you. Look over our shoulders, take what you want and find helpful, and discard what you cannot use. Bimonthly gifsubscriptions are available to all licensed and/or ordained clergy; requests should be on church letterhead.MINISTRY/MAY/1986

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First Glance

When thePhilippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, "What must I doto be saved?" he raised the most important question in the world,next to which all others pale into insignificance. Our first threearticles are all related to the great theme of righteousness by faith.Carlyle B. Haynes relates his experience of preaching the gospel forfifteen years as anunconvertedman. He tells whatchanged himandthen describes the meaning of righteousness by faith. MorrisVenden's takeoff on Martin Luther presents 95 new theses onrighteousness by faith. Wesolicit your comments on this, the mostimportant subject in Scripture. E. Randall Binns treats us to anoverview of the Mosaic sanctuary, whose raison d'etre was to showtheway of salvation.

"TheCall to Motherhood" will be just in time to give you ideas foryour Mother's Day sermon. And while you're on the subject ofmothers, you will want to read a mother's story of how she and herfamily liveononemodest salary. See "Living onOneWage."

Our health article presents evidence that might displease someand twinge the conscience of others. Dr. Bosley presents the latestresearch that shows theharmful effect of even moderate amounts ofalcohol.The editorials share common themes. One deals with whetherthere is a place in the church for a loyal opposition, while theotherexamines Christians' propensity for spending more time fightingeachother than their common enemy.Wereally enjoy hearingfrom our readers; we read every letter andtry to respond to all of them. Those that disagree with us are oftenhelpful, sometimes causing us to re-think, re-shape, and re-form. Soplease keep the letters flowing.

VVwW-dA'v

EDITOR.J . Robert SpanglerEXECUTIVE EDITOR.J . David NewmanASSISTANT EDITORS:David C. JarnesKenneth R. WadeEDITORIAL ASSOCIATE ANDFIELD REPRESENTATIVE:Rex D. EdwardsCONTRIBUTING EDITORS.Robert H. BrownP. Gerard DamsteegtRaoul DederenLawrence T. GeratyRoland R. HegstadMarie SpanglerLeo R. Van DolsonCONSULTING EDITORS:C. E. BradfordStoy ProctorRichard LesherKenneth J . MittliederN. C. WilsonSPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS:Floyd BreseeCarlos AeschlimannEDITORIAL SECRETARIESElla RydzewskiMary Louise McDowellART DIRECTOR:Byron SteeleDESIGN AND LAYOUT:Mark O'ConnorG. W. BuschMARKETING:TomKapustaADVERTISING SALES:Jeff BlumenbergSUBSCRIBER SERVICES:Larry BurtnettINTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS:Africa-Indian Ocean, John W. FowlerEastern Africa, Harry A. CartwrightEuro-Africa, Johannes MagerFar East, James H. ZacharyInter-America, Salim JapasNorth America, William C. Scales, J r.Trans-Europe, Mark FinleySouth America, Amasias JustinianoSouth Pacific, A.D.C. CurrieSouthern Asia, Saudagar ChandMINISTRY, the international journalof the Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial Association 1986, is publishedbimonthly by the General Conferenceof Seventh-day Adventists and printedby the Review and Herald PublishingAssociation, 55 West Oak RidgeDrive, Hagerstown, MD 21740,U.S.A. Subscriptions: US$19.95 a yearin U.S., US$22.95 a year elsewhere.Single copy: US$2.00. Member Associated Church Press.Send address changes to MINISTRY ,55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, Maryland 21740.Editorial Office: 6840 Eastern AvenueNW., Washington, D.C. 20012.Stamped, self-addressed envelopeshould accompany unsolicited manuscripts.VOLUME 59 NUMBER 5

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CarlyleB. Haynes

Righteousnessin Christmy experience

here are times whenthe relating of personal experiencemay be helpful, andpart of the timeallotted to thismorning's service Idesire to use in giving just a bit ofpersonal experience.I have been a believer in our church's

message forabout aquarterofacentury. Istarted out to preach it nearly twenty-one years ago, andI havebeenpreachingit without a break ever since. My workhas been the public presentation of theteachingsof themessage in various citiesof theEast and theSouth. I accepted themessage with a very earnest, ferventsincerity. I believed in it, as I do now,with all my heart, and I gave to it all theenergiesofmy life. I studied for anumberofyears whatseemed to me to be thebestmethodofpresentationwithconvincingspeech. In my ministry I was able, by thehelp of God, to convince people of thetruthof thegreat message that I believe.And many of them were persuaded tounite with our churches and join us inthis movement.In those years of activity and ofpreaching themessage hereand there, Ifelt that themost important thing I couldlearn would be how to make convincingpresentation of the message of God. Istudied, therefore, notonly to familiarizemyself with all the teachings of theprophecies and the great doctrines, butalso to learn how to meet objections,4 MINISTRY/MAY/1986

"Preacher as I was,and had been forfifteen years, I waslostcompletely lost,"wrote this successfulevangelist sixty yearsago.

Carlyle B. Haynes retired in 1 955 after fiftyyears as a minister, administrator, andevangelist. This message was first presentedat a General Conference Ministerial Association meeting in 1926. See the accompanying box for biographical information.

how to answer questions, and how toremove from the minds of others anything that would hinder them fromaccepting this message as thetruth.During thoseyears of ministry, at leastduring theearlier part, my standing withGod never concerned me very much.Therewere times when I would think ofit, but not in any seriousness or for anylength of time. I believed, when Ithoughtof it at all, that everything mustbe all rightbetween Godandme becauseI was engaged in His serviceI wasdoing His work, I was preaching Hismessageandbringingpeople to believe itand accept it. Those were years of greatactivity, and the activity itself crowdedoutofmy mindany conscious senseofmyown personal need. I found that I had adegree of convincing speech and anearnestness of presentation that persuaded men to believe what they weretold. It seemed to me that God acceptedme and that my hope of eternal life wasbased on absolute assurance. I waspreaching the second coming of Christto others; I thoroughlyexpected to meetChrist inpeacewhenHe came.Some eight or ten years ago I becameconcernedregarding my own experiencein Christ. I found that explaining theprophecies of Daniel, the 1260 days, the2300 days, the truth of the Sabbath,signs of Christ's coming, and thepreachingof theunconscious state of thedeadhadnothing in itat least, thewayI was doing itthat could enable me toconquer my own rebellious will or bring

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95 thesesonrighteousnessbyfaith

(apologies toMartin L uther)Preface

In these final hours of earth'shistory "one interest will prevail, one subjectwill swallow up every otherChristour righteousness." SonsandDaughtersofGod, p. 259.To help fulfill this statement wepresent these thesesonChrist and righteousness by faith. Our author, MorrisVenden, pastor atSouthwesternAdventistCollege in Keene, Texas, presents thesenotas thelastwordbutas adiscussion stimulator. Inparticular wewould appreciateyour editing any or all of these theses. Whenyou respond,pleasechange or add supporting scriptural references if needed. If asignificantnumber of changes areoffered andacceptedwewill reprint the list in the future. So pleasewrite, act, react, submitting your viewswhether in letter orarticle form. Wewant to hear fromyou.No. 1: A Christian doeswhat is rightbecausehe is aChristian,never in order tobeone (John 15:5).No. 2: Righteousness equals Jesus. We have no righteousnessapart fromJesus (Rom. 1:16, 17).No. 3: The only way to seek righteousness is to seek Jesus.(Rom. 4:4, 5).No. 4: Christianity andsalvationarebasednoton whatyou dobut onwhomyouknow (Rom. 3:28).No. 5: Doing rightbynotdoingwrong isnotdoingright. Beinggood by notbeing bad is not being good (Matt. 23:27,28).No. 6: Righteousness will make you moral, but morality willnot makeyou righteous (Matt. 5:20).No. 7: Our good works are not what cause us to be saved.Our bad works are not what cause us to be lost(Rom. 3:20).No. 8: Everyone is bom sinful (or self-centered) becauseeveryone is born separated from God (Ps. 58:3).No. 9: God does nothold us accountable for being bom sinful(Eze. 18:20; John 1:9).No. 10: We sin because we are sinful; we are not sinful becausewesin (Rom. 7:14-20).No. 11: Sin (living apart from God) results in sins (doingwrong things) (1 John 3:6).No. 12: Whoever lives lifeapart fromGod is living in sin (John16:8, 9).No. 13: Thebest definition for faith is trust. Faith is dependinguponAnother (Matt. 15:21-28).8 MINISTRY/MAY/1986

No. 14: KnowingGodresults in trusting God. If youdon'tknowHim, you won't trust Him; if you don't trust Him, youdon'tknow Him (2Tim. 1:12).No. 15: Faith is afruit of theSpirit, not afruit oftheperson. It isnotsomething wework onor work up (Gal. 5:22).No. 16: Positive thinking does not produce genuine faith, butfaithwill produce positive thinking (Rom. 10:17).No. 17: Surrender is giving up on ourselves, not giving up oursins. Giving up our sins is the result of giving up onourselves andseekingGod (Rom. 10:3, 4).No. 18: Working togive up our sins can keep us from giving uponourselves (Rom. 9:31, 32).No. 19: No one can crucify or bring himself to surrender.Someoneelsehas to do thatforus (Gal. 2:20).No. 20: We arecontrolledbyGodor Satan. Theonlycontrol wehave is to choosewho isgoingto control us (Rom. 6:16).No. 21: Thesurrender ofthewill is thesurrenderof thepowerofchoice, butweuse our power of choice to surrender it.We give up our power of choice toward behavior; wekeep our power of choice toward relationship (Phil.2:13; Rom. 6:11).No. 22: Theonlydeliberateeffort in livingthe Christian life is inseeking Godspontaneous effort toward other thingswill result (J ohn 15:5; Phil. 4:13).No. 23: Growing Christians experience on-again, off-againsurrendersometimes they depend on God andsometimes they depend on themselves (Luke 9:54;Matt. 16:16, 17, 22, 23).

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No. 24: Conversion is thework ofthe Holy Spirit thatproducesa change of attitude toward God and creates a newcapacity forknowing God (John 3:3-8).No. 25: Conversion leads to achanged life (Eze. 36:26, 27).No. 26: Conversion (as well as repentance) is a continuingexperience, not once only (Luke 9:23).No. 27: Repentance is sorrow forsin and turningaway fromsins.Repentance is a gift; therefore, sorrow for sin andturning away from sins is a gift (Acts 5:31).No. 28: We do not change our lives in order to come to Christ;wecometo Him just asweare, and Hechanges our lives(John 6:37).No. 29: God gives us repentance before He gives forgiveness(Acts 3:19).No. 30: Worldly sorrow is being sorry we broke a law and gotcaught. Godly sorrow isbeingsorry webrokeaheart andhurt our best Friend (2 Cor. 7:10).No. 31: Theonlyknown sin that can't be forgiven is theone forwhichwedon't repent and ask forgiveness (1 John 1:9).No. 32: Forgiveness isnogoodforthesinner unless it is accepted

by thesinner (Ps.86:5).No. 33: God's forgiveness is not limited, but our acceptance ofHis forgiveness canbe (Matt. 18:21, 22).No. 34: Thosewho are forgiven muchwill love much; thosewho lovemuch will obey much (Luke 7:41-43; John14:15).No. 35: Forgiveness is free, but it is notcheap; it cost the lifeofGod's dear Son (J ohn 3:16).No. 36: Godforgivessinners, notsins, buttheBible callsthistheforgiveness of sins. Jesus died because sins could not beforgiven (Isa. 53:5-6, 8).No. 37: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures

(1 Cor. 15:3).No. 38: The cross made it possible for God to be just and toforgive anyone (Rom. 3:23-26).No. 39: Thedeath ofChrist was necessary in order for us to beforgiven (John 3:14, 15).No. 40: We can add nothing to what Jesus did at the cross, butGod can add plenty (Heb. 7:25; 9:11, 12).No. 41: Stayingwith Jesus is just as importantascomingto Him(John 15:4).No. 42: Assurance of salvation continues through thepersonal daily relationship withJesus (1 John 5:11,12).No. 43: Christians shouldknow that they havethe assurance ofsalvation today (J ohn6:47).No. 44: The Bible teaches "once saved, always saved," aslong as you keep saved (Matt. 24:12, 13).No. 45: Peace does not come from victory; victory comes frompeace (John 8:11).No. 46: Onereasonwekeep sinning is becausewedon'tbelieveweareforgiven. Assurance leads to victory, uncertaintyleads to defeat (1 John 3:2, 3).No. 47: Righteousness by faith is an experience, not simply atheory (Phil. 3:9, 10).No. 48: Thedevotional lifeoftheChristian is notoptional. The

relationship with God is theentirebasis of the ongoingChristian life (John 17:3).

No. 49: If wedon'ttake time for theBibleandprayer, wewill diespiritually (John 6:53).No. 50: Just becauseyou read the Bible and pray doesn't meanyou'll havearelationship withGod, butyouwon't if youdon't (John 5:39, 40).No. 51: The primary purpose ofprayer is not to get answersbutfor communicationto know Jesus (Rev. 3:20).No. 52: The primary purpose of Bible study is not to getinformation but for communicationto know Jesus(Rev. 3:20).No. 53: Until we learn to seek Jesus for His sake, notours, thingsoftenget worsewhen wepray (Job).No. 54: Anyone who gets discouraged with his relationshipbecause ofhis behavior is a legalist (Rom. 7:14-24).No. 55: True obedience is a gift from Godthe robe is free!(Matt. 22:11-14).No. 56: Real obedience comes from the inside out not theoutside in (Matt. 23:25, 26).No. 57: Genuineobedience isnatural andspontaneous; itcomesonly through the faith relationship with Christ (John

14:15).No. 58: One who is depending on God for power doesn'thave to try hard to obey; hewould have to try hardnot to obey (1 John 3:6).No. 59: Obediencethat sonlyexternal is falseobedience(Matt.5:20).No. 60: Whenweknow God as it is our privilege to know Him,our lifewill bealifeofcontinual obedience (1 J ohn2:3).No. 61: Anyone who tries to live the Christian life apart fromChrist is not a Christian; he is a legalist (whetherconservativeor liberal) (Gal. 3:1-3).No. 62: There is no power for genuine obedience in the law.

Mount Sinai is ineffective without Mount Calvary(Rom. 8:3).No. 63: Christ is theendof the law forrighteousness, but nottheend of the law (Rom. 10:4).No. 64: Good works done apart from Christ are bad works(Matt. 7:22, 23).No. 65: Thepurposeofgoodworks is notto save usbut to bringglory to God (Matt. 5:16).No. 66: When it comes to genuine faith and works, you can'thave one without the other (J ames 2:17, 18, 26).No. 67: Faith grows in quantity not in quality; growth is intheconstancy of dependenceupon God (Luke 17:5,

6).No. 68: Youdon't grow by trying to grow (Matt. 6:27).No. 69: Christians grow stronger by realizing their weakness.When we are weak, then we are strong (2 Cor. 12:9,10).No. 70: We can do all things through Christwho strengthensus, but without Him we can do nothing (Phil 4:13;John 15:5).No. 71: Satan hasnopower to cause those who depend on Godto sin, but those who depend on themselves are easilydefeated (2 Cor. 10:4,5).No. 72: Theabidingdaily relationship withGod leads to abiding

surrender or moment-by-moment dependence on Him(John 15:2).MINISTRY/MAY/1986 9

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No. 73: Looking to self is always the point of separation fromGod and breaks the moment-by-moment dependenceonHim (Matt. 14:28-30).No. 74: God will never separate from us, but we can choose toseparate fromGod (Rom. 8:35, 38, 39).No. 75: Thereason Godwants us to witness is primarily forourgood (Matt. 11:29).No. 76: The desire to share comes naturally for the genuineChristian (although methods may vary) (2Cor. 4:13).No. 77: Thehappiestperson in theworld is theonewhose life ismost involved in serving others. The most miserableperson is the onewhose life is most involved in servingself (Mark 8:35).No. 78: Christian service in the spiritual life corresponds toexercise in thephysical life (Acts 3:6-9).No. 79: The "gospel of the kingdom" is the good news ofrighteousnessby faith (Matt. 6:33).No. 80: Thereal issue in temptation is whether to live a lifeapart from Christ (John 16:8, 9).No. 81: Temptations become sins when we consent to them inour minds (Matt. 5:21,22, 28).No. 82: Jesus wastemptedtodo right, but inHisownpower, andso are we (Matt. 4:2, 3).No. 83: The Lord knows how to deliver the godly, not theungodly, out of temptations (2Peter 2:9).No. 84: Temptations are overcome not at the time of thetemptations, but alwaysbefore (Heb. 4:16).

No. 85: Victory isnotsomethingweachieve; it is somethingwereceive (1 Cor. 15:57).No. 86: In the Christianwarfareweareactive toward thefightoffaithandpassivetoward thefightofsins (Eph. 6:10-18).No. 87: Real victory is getting thevictory ovemyingtoget thevictory (2Chron. 20:15, 17).No. 88: Perfection of character is not our work; it is God's work

in us (Heb. 13:20, 21).No. 89: Perfection can be a dangerous topic if it focuses ourattention on ourselves and our own works (Gal. 3:3).No. 90: Jesuswas likeAdambefore theFall in thatHe hadasinless natureHe was not born separated fromGod. Jesus was like Adamafter theFall in physicalstrength, mental power, and moral worth (Luke1:35; Heb. 2:17, 18).No. 91: Jesus had no advantage over us in overcomingtemptations (Heb. 4:15).No. 92: Jesusovercame temptations in thesameway thatwecanovercomeby the power above Him rather than the

power fromwithin Him (John 14:10).No. 93: Jesusfoundsin repulsive. Solongaswe aredependingonGod, wealso find sin repulsive (Heb. 1:8, 9).No. 94: We can neverbe asJesus was, butwecando asJesusdidQohn 14:12).No. 95: The problem of sin is a broken relationship betweenman and Godthe goal of salvation is to restore therelationship betweenGod and man (Rev. 19:7-9).

These theses, along with a twenty-lesson Bible study set, will be available from Pacific Press PublishingAssociation, Nampa, Idaho, later this year.

Righteousness inChristFrompage 7out from him, and bring him at last toHimselffor this was the gospel instituted. All this God doesin Christ.Condition of receiving salvationJesus bids us, "Believe ... in me,""L earn of me," "Come unto me,""Follow me," "Abide in me." Personalacceptance of Him as apersonal Saviouris the condition of salvation, and theonly condition. Surrender to Him,repentance toward Him, confession toHim, acceptance of Him, believingHim, faith in Him, following Him,learningof Him, trusting Him, knowingHim, abiding in Him, resting in Himthese are the indications and blessedprivileges of Christian experience.To be a Christian, then, is to enterinto relationship with a Persona Person who loves you, cherishes your

friendship, deals tenderly and gentlywith you; who guides you in the way ofrighteousness and obedience, teachesyou the truth; who has strength for allyour needs and supplies it to you; whowalkswithyou as a friend andcommuneswith you; who shares His owneternal lifewith you; who comforts you in trouble,solvesall your problems andperplexities,meets every crisis of life with you; whostands by your side always, smooths yourpillow in sickness, goes down into thedark valley of death with you, and withwhom you are safe. K nowing Him as afriend and a Saviour, you feel assured inleavingall thefuture in His hands, just asyou commit all thepresent to Him.Imparting His own life to you, He willfulfill all His commandments in you.Y ours will be a commandment-keepinglifebecause it is His life. Therewill beno

failure in obedience, because He is ourobedience. Trusting Him, relying onHim, abandoning ourselves to Him,giving ourselves clear away to Him, wewill be brought into full harmony withevery requirementofGodbecause of Hislife in us.Preaching ChristThis is the glorious message to betaken to all theworld in this generation.Christ only, Christ crucified, Christrisen, Christ ascended, Christ interceding, Christ coming again, Christ theonly Saviour from sin, Christ our righteousness, Christ our obedience, Christour coming king. Let us not cease "toteach and preach Jesus Christ""thechiefest among ten thousand," and theOne "altogether lovely" (Acts5:42; S. ofSol. 5:10, 16).

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E. Randa11 Binns

TheM osaicsanctuaryo subject in theBibleis of greater religiousand psychologicalsignificance for usthan that of thesanctuary; yet noneis less known orunderstood by theaverageChristian, norless commented on and explained at thepresent time by the clergy. Those whothink that only the New Testament isvital for Christian doctrine have relegatedboththewildernesstabernacleandJ erusalem's Temple (with all things"J ewish") to the limbo of OldTestamentideas that have little relevance. Never

theless, it is no exaggeration to say thatno biblical theme throws more light onthe subjects of the God-image, on theunconscious in general, on man's wholemental andspiritual structure, andonhispresent functioning and final destinythan that of thesanctuary.Some indication of the importance ofthesanctuary is thespacedevotedto it inthe Scriptures. The description of theportable tabernacle sanctuary and itsservices occupies an enormous portionofthe Pentateuch. Later, many chaptersaredevoted to the erectionof Solomon'sTemple and the inauguration of itsservices, and Ezra describes the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babyloniancaptivity. Some years before the returnof the J ews from Babylon the prophetEzekiel was given a vision of the greattemple that was never set up as a literalbuilding; a vision concerning whoseinterpretation there is still much disagreement. The Epistle to the Hebrewsdraws theattention of Christian readersvery forcibly to the subject of the basicfeatures of the sanctuary. And finally,theBook of Revelation refers frequently

Through thesanctuary God soughtto communicateHislove and grace tomankind. Thedevotional lessons thisauthor has discoveredin God's instructionstoM oses can help youunderstand the gospelaccording to thesanctuary.

E. Randall Binns, a retired collegeprofessorliving in England, is author of the bookArchaeology of theMind, from which thisarticle is excerpted. See Shop Talkfor specialprice onbook.

to a temple in heaven that is of vitalimportance to all who are alive to theunfolding of thedrama of redemption inits closing stages.God's dwelling placeFor the building of the tabernacle,Moses was instructed to command thepeople not only to bring an offering, butto bring it willingly. This would involve atotal, ready, andjoyful acceptanceof thewill of God. They were to bring goodlyportions of all the best treasures heapedupon them by the Egyptians at theirdeparture, including gold, silver, costlymaterials dyed in the richest colors,animals' skins, oil, sweet spices, andprecious stones; and they themselves wereto make thesanctuary, "that I may dwellamong them" (seeEx. 25:1-8). Itwasthedearest wish of all the trueworshipers ofY ahweh tohaveHim dwell among them;yet they knew only too well from theexperience of Sinai that their mortalflesh and sinful, finite minds could notendure His immediate presence. This isreferred to forty years later by Moses(Deut. 18:15-19) in thewords "theLordthyGodwill raiseupunto theeaProphetfrom the midst of thee, of thy brethren,like unto me; untohimyeshall hearken;according to all thatthoudesiredst oftheLord thy God in Horeb in the day of theassembly, saying, Let me not hear againthevoiceof theLord my God, neither letme see this great fire any more, that I dienot. And the Lord said unto mt, Theyhave well spoken that which they havespoken. I will raise them up a Prophetfrom among their brethren, like untothee, and will put my words in hismouth; andheshall speak unto themallthat I shall command him. And it shallcome to pass, that whosoever will not

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hearken unto my words which he shallspeak in my name, I will require it ofhim."Moses and the Israelites rightlyunderstood these words to refer to aparticularly outstanding Prophet; infact, wemay be sure thatMoses believedthat thiswas to betheMessiah Himself,thepromised Redeemer, thevery SonofGod, who would veil Himself in humanflesh in order to dwell among His peoplewithout endangering their lives by thepresence of His unveiled divinity. It isevident therefore from this text, when itis considered in conjunction with Exodus 25:8, that the tabernaclewas meantto be a symbolic representation of thenature of the Messiah, pointing forwardto His actual manifestation on earth asthe longed-for God-manthe Saviour.With this most commentators agree.The apostle John sums up the wholematter in the simple but most illuminating words: "the Word was made flesh,and dwelt [Gr. tabernacled] among us"(John 1:14).Among the many writers on thesanctuary question, I especially appreciate Alfred Edersheim1 and FrederickWhitfield. 2 They agree on most of theessential points and supplement oneanother to a remarkable degree. It isalmost superfluous to add that theirworks also contain much that I cannotaccept in thelightoffurther thoughtandresearch.ThestructureThe wilderness tabernacle was a simple structure thirty cubits long by tencubitswide (approximately fifty-two feetby seventeen feet, if the Egyptian cubitof 20.6 inches was used), and ten cubitshigh. It was made of shittim wood,generally recognized to be theacaciaagnarled and knotted wood of a veryenduring nature. The upright boardsplaced side by side rested in heavy silversockets, and were overlaid with gold.They formed the north, south, and westwalls of the sanctuary. The eastern endserved as theentrance, andwas coveredonly by a veil. Theceilingwas formed ofa veil of "fine twined linen, and blue,andpurple, and scarlet: with cherubimsof cunning work [or "the work of anembroiderer," margin]" (Ex. 26:1). Thisveil consisted of ten curtains, twenty-eight cubits in lengthand four in width,coupledtogether intwo setsoffive; it wasspread over the entire structure exceptthe front, covering thewestern end and12 MINISTRY/MAY/1986

the two sides, but not quite to theground. Evidently this was to keep itfrom being soiled by bad weather. Overthe tabernacle were laid three othercoverings, or "tents," thirty cubits inlength, which therefore hung downlower than the linen veil. The first ofthesewas ofgoat hair, thesecond of ramskins dyed red, andthe thirdof badger orsealskin, which gave durable protectionfrom the elements. At the doorway ofthe tent were hangings of the samematerials as the inner veil, but withoutthecherubim (verses 36, 37). Theyweresupported on five pillars of shittimwoodoverlaid withgold, andhooked togetherwith gold; but these pillars rested insockets of brass.It is in connection with the description of the coupling together of thecurtains of finetwined linenthatcoveredthewhole sanctuary and held it togetherthat we come upon the arresting statement: "And it shall be one tabernacle"(verse 6). Moses and his people werethus given tounderstandthat this tentofmeeting was a single unit, not a mereagglomeration of disconnected items.This was all the more important as thefirstspecificationsdetailedbytheLord toMoses referred to thearticlesof furniturethat were to be placed within thetabernacle, beginningwiththearkofthetestimony. Not until theouter structurewas erectedcould these things beboundtogether as a living whole.Within the sanctuary there were twoapartments: the first, called the holyplace, was twenty cubits long, thusrunning two thirds of the total length;thesecond, namedtheMost Holy Place,ortheHoliestofAll, was tencubits long,and therefore formed a perfect square.The two apartments were separated by amost exquisite veil resembling thatwhichcovered thewhole sanctuary, "ofblue, and purple, and scarlet, and finetwined linen of cunning work: withcherubims shall it be made . . . and thevail shall divide unto you between theholy placeandthemostholy" (verses 31,33).In theholy place, close to the curtainon the right, which was the north side,stood the table of shewbread; this tablealso was made of shittimwood overlaidwithgold. Opposite it on the south sidestood the golden candlestick, or moreproperly, the seven-branched lamp-stand, made of pure gold. In thecenter,just in frontof thedividing veil, was thegolden altar of incense, which, like the

"The tabernacle wasmeant to beasymbolicrepresentation of thenatureof theM essiah, pointingforward."

table to the right, was made of woodcovered over with gold. This altar wasalso a perfect square, measuring a cubiteach way, and two cubits in height(chap. 30:1, 2). The innersanctuary wasoccupied by the greatest treasure of all,thearkofthetestimony, an oblong chestof shittim wood overlaid within andwithout with gold, measuring two and ahalfcubits in lengthbyone andahalf inbreadth andheight. The lid of this chestformed what was called the mercy seat,made of pure gold and fitting the top ofthe chest exactly. From the two ends ofthis mercy seat extended two cherubim,beaten out of the same gold: "even of[margin, "of the matter of] the mercyseat shall ye make the cherubims. . . .And the cherubims shall stretch forththeir wings on high, covering themercyseat with their wings, and their facesshall look one to another; toward themercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. ... And in the ark thou shaltput the testimony that I shall give thee.And there I will meet with thee, and Iwill commune with thee from above themercy seat, from between the twocherubims whichareupontheark of thetestimony, of all things which I will givethee in commandmentuntothe-childrenof Israel" (chap. 25:19-22).

The psalmist tells us: "In his templedoth every one speak of his glory" (Ps.

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29:9); the marginal translation reads:"Every whit of it uttereth his glory." InPsalm 77:13 it is written: "Thy way, OGod, is in thesanctuary."What, then, isthe glory of God, and what is His way?His chief glory is the perfection of Hischaracter, of His very nature, for He islightand loveandbeauty andeverythingthat the soul of man can ever long for;the unapproachable light in which Hedwells is but thevisible effulgenceof Hisbeing. It was therefore by the shininglight of the Shekinah that He made Hispresence known above the mercy seat;this was referred to as the "glory of theLord" thatfilled thetabernacleassoon asit was set up (Ex. 40:34). Everything inthe sanctuary, however, according toDavid, also utteredHis glory, so thatweare justified in agreeing with all thosecommentators who see in thetabernaclea spatial structure representing thenatureof Christ.So far we have dealt only with thestatic aspectsthe outer structure andthe furnishings, and we will now pauseby theway to examine briefly what theserepresented.Christ in thesanctuaryAs God-man, Christ's nature wasdual, uniting thehuman and thedivine.The gnarled wood of the desert fitlyrepresents that human nature that ourSaviour came to share with us andwithout which He could not have beenthe perfect "captain of [our] salvation"nor a High Priest "touched with thefeeling of our infirmities" (Heb. 2:10;4:15). Gold, on the other hand, is thechief biblical symbol of the divinenature. In Revelation 21:18 we are toldthat the Holy City, New Jerusalem, is"pure gold, like unto clear glass," forthereevery inhabitantwill havebecomea partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter1:4). J obalso knew thistruth, forhesaid:"When he hath tried me, I shall comeforthas gold" (Job 23:10). AndMalachiadds his testimony that the "messengerofthe covenant. . . . shall purify thesonsof Levi, and purge them as gold andsilver, that they may offer unto theLordan offering in righteousness" (Mal.3:1-3). By carefully noting the materialof which each article was made, we canlearn many a lesson ofgreat significance.We find thewoodwiththegold coveringused for the upright structure of thewalls, as well as for the table ofshewbread, thealtar of incense, and theark of the testimony. But themercy seat

with its cherubim, as well as the seven-branched lampstand, were of pure gold.Might this indicatethat both in Christ'sphysical nature (the outer structure) andin mental and spiritual potentialities,the divine element was not only linkedwith thehuman, buthadtheascendancyover it? This would not be to say thatChristhadan unfair advantage over us."I can of mine own self do nothing,"He said (J ohn 5:30). The divine powerby whichHe lived andspokeandworkedwas thesame as thatwhichHe has madeavailable to all of His followers, thepower of the indwelling Father: "TheFather thatdwelleth in me, hedoeth theworks" (chap. 14:10).The "testimony" that was placedwithintheark was thetwo tables of stoneon which were inscribed the Ten Commandments, "written with the finger ofGod" (Ex. 31:18; 32:16; 34:1). This lawis theepitomeofGod'swill, thestandardofHis justiceandrighteousness; it is thusenshrinedwithin theinmost sanctuary ofChrist's nature, being one aspect of theindwellingFather. Above it is themercyseat of pure gold, representingthatotherglorious aspect of the Father's characterHis forgiving love and grace thatled Him to give His beloved Son to savethe repentant sinner. Truly we see herethat "mercy and truth are met together;righteousness andpeace havekissedeachother" (Ps. 85:10). It was by Christ'sperfect obedience to His Father's commandments, His complete submissioneven unto death, that He not onlyobtainedmercy for His flock butalso hadthefullness of the indwelling light of theFather so that He Himself was revealedas "the light of theworld" (John8:12).Thetableofshewbreadonwhichwereplaced each Sabbath day twelve freshloaves of breadone for each tribe ofIsrael displayed the coming Redeemeras the spiritual bread of His people; ateaching that Christ clearly affirmed inHis ownwords: "For thebread of God ishe which cometh down from heaven,and giveth life unto theworld. ... I amthe bread of life: he that cometh to meshall neverhunger; andhethatbelievethon me shall never thirst" (chap. 6:33,35).The lampstand clearly representsChrist as the light of theworld, burningbrightly by means of theolive oil, whichis the constant biblical symbol of theHoly Spirit. In John 8:12 we find therecord of Christ's claim: "I am the lightof the world: he that followeth me shall

The divine power bywhich He lived andspoke and workedwas the same as thatwhich He has madeavailable to all of Hisfollowers.

not walk in darkness, but shall have thelight of life." In the sanctuary, the highpriest and his attendant priests wereanointed with oil. Luke records thatChrist applied to Himself the prophecyof Isaiah 61:1: "TheSpirit of the Lord isupon me, because he hath anointed meto preach the gospel to the poor" (Luke4:18); and Peter makes the symbolismeven clearer in his words to Cornelius:"How God anointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Ghost and with power"(Acts 10:38). The reason for the lamp-stand being of pure gold will emergelater.The golden altar of incense was theplace of prayer, of communionwithHimwho dwelt above themercy seat. Revelation5:8 tellsus thatthe"golden vials fullof odours" (margin, "incense") are "theprayers of saints," and David prays: "Letmy prayer be set forth before thee asincense; and the lifting up ofmy hands astheevening sacrifice" (Ps. 141:2). Moseswas instructed to place this altar beforetheveil, that is, in thefirst apartment, inthe very center of the space directly infrontoftheveil; butHebrews tells us thatit was the "Holiest of all" that "had thegolden censer" (Heb. 9:3, 4) by whichPaul means thealtarof incense. There isa beautiful lesson in this apparentcontradiction, for the purpose of thisaltar was the burning of incense with

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The sacrificial deathof Christ, though theclimax of His life, wasthe foundation stone,the very first step inthe way ofredemption, the fulland complete price ofthe atonement forsins.

holy fire taken from thealtar of sacrificein the court, in order that the fragrantsmoke of the incense might rise andpenetrate both through and over theseparating veil into the very presence ofGod. Thus thealtarwas the instrument,the means to an end, and stood beforethe veil; the purpose was the thingproduced, the expression of the soul incommunion with God, and this reachedwithin the veil. The earthly high priestspent a large portion of his time, if helived up to his name, in interceding forhimself and his people at this altar, buthe was particularly enjoined to burnincense on it at the time of themorningand evening sacrifices, directly afterdressing and lighting the lamps of thegolden lampstand. It was to be "aperpetual incense before the Lordthroughoutyour generations" (Ex. 30:7,8). From the word perpetual we mayconclude that it burnt continually, fromone relighting to the next. Thus thecongregation without would join in the

morning and evening worship at statedtimes, but those with spiritual insightdoubtless joined in spirit with the highpriest in praying as theywent about theirdaily businessjust as Paul bids us to"pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).Soon theduty of trimmingthe lampsandburning the incense came to be sharedwith the ordinary priests. These laterbecame very numerous, and weredivided into twenty-four orders, orcourses (1 Chronicles 24); thus we readin the first chapter of Luke concerningZacharias, the fatherofJohn theBaptist,that "while he executed the priest'soffice before God in the order of hiscourse, ... his lot was to burn incensewhen he went into the temple of theLord. And the whole multitude of thepeople were praying without at the timeof incense" (Luke 1:8-10).The highpriestThemention of thehigh priest bringsus to the dynamic element within thetabernacleandto thediscussionofGod'sway. The whole tabernacle sprang intolife only with the inauguration of thesacrificial services, all of which werecarried out by the priesthood under thesupervision of the high priest. Everysacrifice was a prefiguration of theSaviour's gift of His own life in thesinner's stead, and a memorial of theprimeval promiseof aRedeemer. Thusamerciful Creator, foreseeing that Hispeople would fall into sin through theweaknessof theirfallennature, providedfor them, immediately after He proclaimed His law from Sinai, a detailedand complete object lesson by whichthey might learn all theessential aspectsof the gospel. This was God's way,embodied in thevery life and death andresurrection of His incarnateSonto sucha degree that Christ could rightly say: "Iam the way, the truth, and the life: nomancomethunto theFather, butby me"(John 14:6).Thesacrificial deathofChrist, thoughtheclimax of His life, was thefoundationstone, the very first step in the way ofredemption, the full and complete priceof the atonement for sin. The altar ofsacrifice where thepriests carried out allthe animal sacrifices typifying Christ'soffering of His life, was significantlyplaced outside the tabernacle, in thecourt that surrounded it. The principlebrought to view here is that the worshiper is neither fit nor able to enter intothepresence of theLord unlesshe is first

cleansed by accepting the vicarioussacrifice of the Saviour, through repentance, confession and faith. Before thepromulgation of the law from MountSinai, the Lord had called the wholenation of Israel into a close relationshipwith Himself, a covenant or agreementby which they were to be His "peculiartreasure . . . above all people" and "akingdomof priests, andanholy nation"(Ex. 19:5, 6). This is exactly the samerelationship as that of the Christianchurch, to whom Peter wrote: "But yeare a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiarpeople; that ye should shew forth thepraises ofhimwho hathcalled you out ofdarkness into his marvellous light"(1 Peter 2:9). It is therefore clear thatboth IsraelitesandChristianswere to seethemselves, in their spiritual lives andactivities, mirrored in the persons andservice of the priests as they cooperatedwith their great High Priest.The burning of the sacrificial animalshadowed forth the removal of the guiltand penalty of sin, a cleansing of thepenitent soul that was later representedin the Christian church by baptism, acomplete washing away of and death tosin (Rom. 6:4). The altar stood in adirect linebetweenthedoor of thecourtand the entrance to the tabernacle. Alittle nearer to the tabernacle, in thesame line, stood thebrazen laver, a largeround receptacle filled with water, atwhich the priests were directed to washtheir hands and feet after dealing withthe sacrifices and before entering thesacred tent. This was a clear symbol ofthe washing away of the defilement ofsins committed after the first greatcleansing, and it is to this rite that ourLord evidently alluded when washingHis disciples' feet: "He that is washedneedethnot save to wash his feet, but isclean every whit" (John 13:10). Butwhilethepriests washed theirown feet atthe brazen laver, our Saviour made itclear that it was He and He alone whocould in reality wash His followers cleanof sin committed since baptism, for asthe physical cleansing lay in the water,so the spiritual cleansing could only bederived from Him who is Himself theWater of Life.

1 Alfred Edersheim, The Tempk: Its Ministryand Services (Grand Rapids: William B. EerdmansPub. Co. ,1954).2 Frederick Whitfield, The Tabernacle, Priest'hood and Offerings of Israel (Welwyn Garden City:JamesNisbetandCo., 1884).

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SamueleBacchiocchi

Thecallto motherhoodI t is often said that"behind every greatman there is a greatwoman." This sayingapplies both to thevital role wives playin thesuccessoftheirhusbandsand tothe inestimablemoldinginfluence mothers exert on their children's future lives. W. R. Wallaceexpressed truth eloquently in the words"The hand that rocks the cradle is thehand that rules the world."It is noteworthy that in thehistory ofthekings of Israel andJ udah, thename of

each king's mother is mentioned, presumably to the shame of those motherswhose childrenbecame evil kings and tothe praise of those whose sons becamegood kings.It is equally significant that Scripturegives us the mothers' names of greatspiritual leaders such as Moses, Samuel,Jesus, John the Baptist, and Timothy,undoubtedly because their mothersmade significant contributions to thesuccess of their ministry.While Michelangelo worked withhammer and chisel to sculpt an imaginary Moses out of marble, Jochebedworked withdevotion, love, and faith tomold the characterofherson. We can bequite certain that it was J ochebed's earlyinfluence thatenabledMoses later in lifeto choose "rather to share ill-treatmentwiththepeople of Godthantoenjoy thefleeting pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25).*There are three significant aspects ofthe call to motherhood: (1) a sacredcalling, (2) an endangered calling, and(3) an indispensable calling.To be a mother is not merely abiological and social function; it is

In our increasinglyegalitarian society aremothers losing theirunique role? There arestill importantdistinctions betweenthe sexes. M othering isaprofession.

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., is professor ofchurch history and theology at AndrewsUniversity, Berrien Springs, Michigan.

primarily a sacred calling because itstems not from a human appointmentora church ordination. There has beenconsiderable discussion on whether ornot women should be ordained to thepriesthood. No one, however, has everraised the issue of whether womenshould be called or ordained to motherhood. A woman's sacred calling tomotherhood arises from two uniquepowers that God has granted to everymother: thefirst is biological; thesecondis spiritual or moral.Biologically, God has endowed everywoman with the marvelous and in asense miraculous capacity to conceiveandnourishhuman life in her womb. Nomatter how hard a man may try, nonecanever duplicate childbirth.In the ancientworld men were mystified by what they thought was a magicalpower invested in women, whichresulted in worshiping female goddesses such as Isis, Cyvel, Diana, Venus.To a Christian, the woman's biologicalcapacity to conceive and bear children isnot a mysterious magical power, but aspecial divine endowment. It is a sacredendowment thatenablesevery womantoimitate thegreat Creatorof the universein bringingnew creatures into existence.Since life is a sacred gift from God, amother who brings a new life into thisworld is fulfilling a most sacred calling.Spiritually, God has endowed everywoman who becomes a mother withtheunique power to mold her children'scharacter for time and eternity. Practically all of us have first learned aboutlove, honesty, integrity, and faith inGod throughour mothers. Thepowerfulmolding influence that God has grantedmothers staggers our imagination. "Next

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to God," Ellen White rightly writes,"the mother's power for good is thestrongest known on earth." TheAdventist Home, p. 240. The sameauthor notes that a mother "has in herpower the molding of her children'scharacters, thattheymay befitted for thehigher, immortal life. An angel couldnot ask for ahigher mission; for indoingthis work she is doing service forGod."Ibid., p. 231.An endangered callingThe call to motherhood is beingendangered today by many subversiveforces. More andmoremothers, whetherout of choice or out of necessity, areabdicating some of their motherlyresponsibilities by placing their preschool children in the care of others.This trend should concern all of us whobelievethatnooneelsecansubstitute fora natural mother in molding thecharacter of her children. Several significantfactors areencouraging this trend. Threeof themdeserve special mention.Ungrateful husbands. Onemajor factorendangering the call to motherhood isperhaps the lack of appreciation on thepart of many husbands for the vitalministry theirwives areperforming. Oneof the most difficult things for a motherto accept is not the misbehavior of herchildren or the "low pay" for her homework; rather, it is the ungratefulness ofher husband. For her to hear, at theendof a taxing day spent heeding the manyneeds of home and children, her disgruntledhusbandcomplaining as thoughshe had done nothing during the day ismost disheartening."Could the veil be withdrawn andfather and mother see as God sees thework of theday, andsee how His infiniteeye compares the work of one with thatof theother, they would be astonished atthe heavenly revelation. The fatherwould view his labor in a more modestlight, while the mother would havenewcourage and energy to pursue her laborwith wisdom, perseverance, andpatience."Ibid., p. 233.Mother's Day affords a welcomedopportunityto those of uswho arefathersto resolve to become more appreciativeand supportive for the vital ministry ourwives are performing daily in thehome,rearing our children in the nurture andadmonition of the Lord. A mother whofeels highly appreciated by her husbandwill be less inclined to seek self-fulfillment in professional employment out

side her home.Economic necessity. A second majorfactor is the economic necessity of theirfamilies. A fine Christian motherrecently told me, "I wish I could stayhome to look after my three children,but there is no way we can stretch myhusband's salary to pay for the churchschool fees of the two older ones, themortgage, car repairs, medical bills, andall the other bills."This mother, like countless others,has to leave her children for severalhours every day in the care of somebodyelse, not out of choice but out ofnecessity. The problem is even greaterfor those mothers who are single parentsand thus are sometimes obliged to leavetheir children for even longer hoursduring theday in order tomeetnecessaryfinancial obligations.Under these circumstances no mothercanbeexpected tobetheperfect motherwho is able to meet the spiritual,emotional, and physical needs of herchildren. Such mothers, however,deserve not our condemnation but ourcommendation for their heroic efforts tobeboth theproviders and the trainers oftheir children. God understands theirburdens and anguish, and we mustlikewise show our compassion and support.Professional Satisfaction. A third andmore serious factor endangering the calltomotherhood is thesearch forasenseofprofessional accomplishment that somemothers fail to experience while performing themany household chores andattending to their children.It is obviously more glamorous andprestigious for a woman to display herprofessional skills in a hospital, school,office, orbusinessplace, rather than in ahome where nobody seems to notice heraccomplishments. The home, after all,does not offer such professional satisfactions as promotions, pay raises, and therespect and admiration of peers.But there remains the question Is itright for preschool children to have topay the price of parental neglect so thatmothers can experience the sense ofprofessional satisfaction? The answer tothis question is dependent largely uponone's priorities.The mother who sees the satisfactionofher personal ambitions as the first andultimategoal of her life will not hesitatetosacrifice thewell-being ofherchildrento achieve such a goal. On the otherhand, the Christian mother who views

God has endowedevery woman whobecomes a motherwith the uniquepower to mold herchildren's characterfor time and eternity.

the molding of her children's charactersas a sacred calling will make the rightdecision.Could it be that the three factorsmentioned above are reflected in theever-increasing rates of juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, high school drop-outs, teenage pregnancies, et cetera?These painful and prevailing problemstell us that one of the greatest needs ofour society today is theneed of full-timemothers.An indispensable callingTo appreciate how indispensable thecalling to motherhood is, let us brieflyreflect on the unique capacity of aChristian mother tocommunicateto herchildren three vital qualities: faith andlove, self-worth, and moral values.Sinceno one else can love achild likea mother, God has especially endowedthem to communicate faith and love totheir children. These two qualities gohand in handbecause we can have faithonly in theonewe love and wecan trulylove only the one in whom we havefaith.In Scripture God reveals the depth ofHis love for us by comparing it to that ofa mother for a sucking child: " 'Can awoman forgethersucking child, thatsheshould have no compassiononthesonofher womb?' Even these may forget, yet Iwill not forget you" (Isa. 49:15).Mother love is so deep that it choosesto ignore any physical imperfection thechild may have. I vividly rememberwhen I first saw my wife in the hospitalholding our first child, Loretta. Sheproudly showed me the baby, and asked

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me, "Isn't she beautiful?" "Well," Ireplied, "what about her flat nose?"Frankly, to me she looked as thoughsomebody hadflattenedouthernose in aboxing match. "Don't worry about it,"she told me. "Her nose is going to befine." She was right. In her love for herchild my wife chose to look beyond anesthetic imperfection. The fact that amother can love the fruit of her womblike no one else enables her to communicate love andfaith toherchildren likenoone else can.In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul writes to youngTimothy: "I am remindedof your sincerefaith, a faith that dwelt first in yourgrandmother Lois and your motherEunice and now, I am sure, dwells inyou." This text contains the completebiography of two great women of theNew Testament. Their fame is derivednot from having established a DorcasSociety or some kind of Christianwomen's organization, but from havingtransmitted to their son and grandson asense of faith and commitment to God.We can rightly assume that it musthave been quite difficult for motherEunice and grandmother Lois to trainTimothy in the fear of theLord since hisfather was a Greek (Acts 16:1), that is,an unbelieving Gentile. A mother withan unbelieving husband can tell besthow difficult it is to impart religiousvalues to thechildren. It is possible thatTimothy's father died during Timothy'sinfancy, since no more mention is madeof him. In that case, Eunice, like youngwidows today, had to work outside herhome to earn a living. This may explainwhy his grandmother played a conspicuous part in his religious training.Eunice and Lois seem to step right outof thepagesofScripture to emphasize thevital truth stated in Proverbs 22:6:"Train up a child in the way he shouldgo, andwhen he is old hewill not departfrom it."Theheart of mother and grandmothermust have been heavy when they badeGoodbye to theirbelovedTimothyashejoined Paul and Silas in their missionoutreach. But what comfort must havebeen theirs when they realized they hadpassed on to Timothy a living experience, making him a most valuableworker for Paul and for God.A second vital virtue that mother isuniquely equipped to communicate toher children is faith in themselves, or asense of self-worth. In my teachingcareer I have often had pupils without

motivation and almost resigned to failure. In many cases I have found that thisproblem is traceableto a low self-esteem,resulting from a sense of rejection byparents and friends.A Christian mother is uniquelyequipped to instill in her children notonly faith in God but also faith inthemselves, because she sees in herchildrennot only what they are but alsowhat they canbecome by God's grace.It is my personal conviction that,generally speaking, mothers are betterequipped than fathers to instill self-confidence and self-worth in their children.This has been true in my personal life. Ivividly recall how my father reactedwhen I failed to pass the fifth-gradegovernmentexam, whichat that time inItaly qualified a student to enter theacademic school. He said that my failureto pass indicated to him that I shouldforget about pursuing academic studiesand enter a vocational school instead.Fortunately, Motherdid not share thesame view. Her motherly instinct toldher that if I weregiven anotherchance, Iwould succeed. At the cost of tremendous personal sacrifice, Motherenrolledme in a private school that prepared meduring the next three years to take theeighth-grade government exam, which Ipassed. Truly I would haveneverbecomea minister and a teacher were it not formy mother's vision that saw in me whatothers failed to see and instilled in me asense of self-worth and of mission.Many who have been blessed by aChristianmother can testify that had itnot been for a mother's love and faith inus, we would have never attained to ourpresent goals. It behooves all of us onMother's Day to thank such mothers forthe many blessings that through themhave flowed into our lives.A third vital virtue that mother isuniquely equipped to communicate toher children is moral values. The perceptionof what is right or wrong, whichwe call conscience, is first communicated to the impressionable minds ofchildrenby mother. During thecourseofeach day many situations arise whenmother has the opportunity to teach thedifference between obedience and disobedience, right and wrong. The moralvalues that mother communicates to herchild will often spell the differencebetween a future moral or immoral life.Samuel's mother, Hannah, offers afitting example of the lasting impact forgood that a believing mother can make

on the future life of her child. Shebelieved that God was the creator ofchildren. When God granted her thechild she had fervently prayed for, shedetermined to make his training asupreme priority. Shegave to Samuel allthe love, faith, and moral values thatonly a believingmother cangive.While Samuel was little it is doubtfulthat Hannah ever left him with others.Whenher husband invited her to go upwith him to Shiloh for the annual trip tothe tabernacle, therecord says: "Hannahdid not go up, for she said to herhusband, 'A s soon as the child isweaned, I will bring him, that he mayappear in the presence of the Lord, andabide there forever' " (1 Sam. 1:22). Inthatdecision aloneHannahrevealed thetremendous importance she attached toher sacred calling to mother her child.Because ofher devotion, Hannahhas seta stirring example of the powerfulinfluence a good mother has on herchildren.When Hannah took Samuel to thetabernacle, she was painfully aware ofthe corrupt environment. Though Eli,the priest, was a good man himself, hissons "lay with thewomen who served atthe entrance to the tent of meeting"(chap. 2:22). Y et Hannah left Samuel atthe tabernacle without great fear. Sheknew that the God who had given herthe child and who had given her thewisdom and strength to communicate tohim love, faith, and moral values wasthe God who would protecther child inthe midst of a corrupt environment.Hannah expresses her confidence inGod's protection in the triumphantprayer she offered before leaving thetabernacle. This prayer has been calledthe forerunnerofMary'sMagnificat. Shesays, for example: "He [God] will guardthe feet of his faithful ones" (chap. 2:9).What a reassuring promise to all of usparents who are called to send ourchildren to schools or to work in placeswhere the environment is less than ideal!It is comforting to know that after we asparents havedone our best, God will dothe rest in protecting the feet of ourchildren, helping them to live in accordance with the moral values we haveimparted to them.TheKeeper of theSpringsThe late Peter Marshall, former chaplain in theUnited States Senate, tells apoignant story.Once upon a time, a certain town

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culture is a tremendous education initself.)Three months after we were marriedwe headed for Australia, where I hadgrown upandwhere J im had arranged tobeemployed as a minister on thebasis ofan independent transferwhich essentially meant that we paid our owntransportation, worked for thewagepaidto Australianpastors, and didn't get thefurlough privileges granted to interdivi-sion workers. We arrived in Australiabroke.We were nearly overwhelmed whenwe discovered theprice of furniture. Butwhen we saw a rustic design of livingroom and diningroom furniturethat weliked, wedecided to invest ina few toolsand build it ourselves. It cost us about$800 to buy the tools and materials tobuild thesame design wehadseen in thestore for $3,300. What it lacked incraftsmanship it made up for in thedegree of pleasure it brought us. Andafter nearly five years' use, we sold it for$1,200.Since early in our marriage, J im and Ihave subscribed to thebelief that it costsmoney to make money. Thus, while theprice tag on the rustic furniture mighthave said $3,300, we in fact would havehad to earnconsiderably more than thattobe able to pay that much. For starters,the governmentwould have come in forits cut, and there would have been titheand offerings. So to actually have had$3,300 in hand, we might have had toearn $5,000.Of course, minimizing income has itstax advantages, too. Since ministers intheUnited States can deduct parsonageinterest payments twiceonce as parsonage allowance, and then again asinterestour living on one income hasmeant thatwe have been in the zero taxbracket. We also have opted out ofSocial Security. But havingdoneso, wehave to bemore careful about being surethat we are making adequate provisionfor retirement. (Jim carries sufficientterm life insurance and accident insurance to care for the boys and me shouldsomethinghappen to him.)Shortly after we arrived in Australia,weseriously looked into thepossibility ofmy going to work outside the home.What we found was not encouraging.The added income would have put usinto a considerably higher tax bracket,we would have had to buy a second car,and I would havehad to invest in amoreelaborate wardrobe. By the time tithe

and offerings were taken out, we wouldhave had in handonly about 40cents forevery dollar earned. (Hadwehad to payfor child care, the picture would havelooked even more grim.) Even thoughthe additional money would have beennice, it would have cost us dearly in lostprivileges andopportunities. I would nothavebeenable to drop everything andgoon a trip with Jim. Nor could I havespentamonthat summer camp withhimeach year. And I wouldn't have beenable to pursue the things that reallyinterestedme.More in or lessoutEssentially, thereare two ways to carefor a problem of inadequate incomeearn more money or diminish the needformoney. During our marriage, wehaveoptedfor the latter. As a result, we havenever owned a new car, never dressedextravagantly or shopped at the mostexpensive stores, and have not gone outtoeat very often, andneveratexpensiverestaurants. But we have always hadreliable transportation, been adequatelyclothed, andhad lots of fun!One thing we have learned to do isprovide as many of our own services aspossible. For example, J im isnotparticularly mechanical, but whenever possible, hecares for maintenanceand repairshimself. Whena car we owned neededavalve job, he asked a few questions of amechanic friend, tore the head off, hadthe valves ground, and then put theengine back together. Two or threetimes along the way he had to askquestions to make sure he was doing itcorrectly. Butby thetimehewasdonehehad learned a lot.One service we don't need is creditcard payments. We do use a credit cardoccasionally, but always pay off thebalance before any interest accrues. Onthe one occasion when we did makecreditcard payments, theannual interestwas under $50.When we came back to the UnitedStates from Australia five years ago, wefound the cost of buying a house in theWashington, D.C., area to be prohibitive. Wehadspentalmost all our savingsontransportation, andhouses simply didnot exist in the price range we couldafford. We talked to real estate agents,explaining that the only way we couldpurchase a home was if it were owner-financedandso in needof repair that theprice was greatly reduced. We ended upbuying a large detachedgarage in a good

Since early in ourmarriage, J im and Ihave subscribed tothe belief that it costsmoney to makemoney.

neighborhoodand three years andmany hours of hard work later, we hadconverted it into a roomy and comfortable two-bedroom house on half an acreof land. The final product is worthconsiderably more than what weinvested in it.Whilebuilding thehouse andmakingthe furniture took timeand certainlycreated some inconvenience for usitalso provided a nice time of familytogetherness, and it let us work on acommon project. When we worked onthe house, the boys were small and thejobs they didweremenial. But they hadagreat sense of accomplishment for having carried their share of the load. Theylike living in thehouse that "we" built.For heat we burn wood, which weusually get for freeby going to where newhouses arebeingbuilt and trees arebeingbulldozed out. It takes time to cut andsplit our fuel, but that too provides anopportunity for family togetherness andexercise.Many of us today are being robbed ofthe sense of satisfaction that can bederived from doing things for ourselves.Instead of going out with the family andplanting wheat, cultivating it, harvesting it, grinding it into flour, baking itintobread, thensittingdown to relish it,wesay Goodbye to thefamily, go off andwork at jobs thatmay or may notbringussatisfaction, then rush home with amass-produced loaf bought with themoney we have earned. True, bread isbread. But there is a certain spiritualelement that no longer is there. This isnot a call to return to subsistence living,

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Adventist clergy salariesThe Seventh-day Adventist Church has accepted thecommission given by Jesus Christ to His disciples toproclaim thegospel to all theworld. Thechurchemploysmany agencies to accomplish its spiritual task, but all ofits several organizations (conferences, schools, medicalinstitutions, food factories, publishing houses, radio andtelevision ministries, AdventistBook Centers, et cetera)have one central objectivethe salvation of man.Because of this, every denominational employee has aresponsibility to participate in themission of thechurch."To provide a basis for the remuneration of variousclasses of workers, a denominational remuneration scalehas been adopted. The philosophy of this remunerationscale is predicated upon the fact that a spirit of sacrificeanddedicationshould mark God's workers irrespective oftheposition they hold or thedepartment they represent.Thework of thechurch, including every denominationalorganization, is a mission to which lives are dedicatedrather than a business or commercial venture. Thechurch remuneration scale does not always compensateits dedicated workers in monetary units commensuratewith their talents, accomplishments, and contributions,

but does provide workers with a modest living income,which gives recognition of responsibilities borne, preparation undertaken, professional attainment, previousexperience, andyearsof service.""Philosophy," Remuneration Scale (North American Division of the GeneralConference of Seventh-day Adventists, effective J an. 1,1985), p. 1.So reads part of the philosophy for remuneration ofAdventistworkers. Basically anAdventistpastor receivesthesame salary whether hepastors a five-thousand-member church or a small three-church district. His salary isbased on three factors: (a) preparation, education, anddedication; (b) previous experience and achievement;(c) years of service. In North America there are fiveremunerationcategories basedon thecost of living in thearea where the employee works. The categories rangefrom $1,290 to $1,450per month. Each minister's salaryis formulated as a percentage of one of these categories.An ordained minister will receive a minimum of 130percent to a maximum of 150 percent of one of thesecategories.For example, letus select Washington, D.C., which isin category C, with a basic factor of $1,370 per month.

After approximately six years of service with seminarytraining a pastor's salary will normally have increasedincrementally to 150 percent, which is $2,055. Congregation size isnotconsidered in computingsalary. A pastorwith achurchof two thousandmembers receives thesamesalary as the pastor of two churches with a hundredmembers each.In additionto thebasic salary theminister receives fouradditional benefits: (1) health-careassistance; (2) tuition

assistance for dependent children; (3) auto insurancehelp; (4) automobile mileage allowance. Health-careassistance is 90percentof hospitalization up to ten timestheremunerationcategory he is in and 100 percent abovethat. In addition, hereceives 75 percent of all physician,dental, optical, and drug costs. Tuition assistance is 30percent for nondormitory students and 60 percent fordormitory students. Automobile mileage varies greatlybut is based on 16 cents a mile. Thus if his conferenceallows a maximum of two thousand miles per month, hecan receive $320 extra for automobileexpense.In 1983 the average salary for clergy in eleven of the

largest U.S. denominations was $20,790.' In the sameyear the Adventist pastor's salary in category C rangedfrom $19,968 to $23,040, And in addition, he receivessubstantial help with medical, education, and automobile expenses.The average paycheck for all types of workers in theUnited States in 1983 was $17,544. So clergy are paidabove the national norm. In Adventist circles where payvaries little from region to region itobviously pays to livein some states more thanothers. There is great variationfrom state to state. The average wage for all types ofworkers in South Dakota was $13,188 and in NorthCarolina $14,676, while in the District of Columbia itwas $23,842. Thirty-seven states averaged below thenational average of $17,544. 2Leonie's husband, J im Coffin, is assistant editor of theAdventist Review and receives $2,082 at152 percentplus $48 flat travel allowance, whichmakes atotal of $2,130. He also receives the medical andeducational allowance. J . David Newman1 The Christian Century, February 8, 1984, p. 105.2 U.S. NewsandWorldReport, Feb. 18, 1985, p. 12.

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From theEditors

Does the church needa loyal opposition?I

n Britain the minority party is known asher majesty's loyalopposition. Tooppose does notnecessarily mean to bedisloyal. Democraticgovernment needs more than one partyas acheckontheparty in power. Is thereaplace in thechurchtoday for apositive,loyal opposition? In religious circles,those who oppose are usually viewedwith suspicion and often with hostility.If theiroppositionbecomes too vigorous,they may be demoted or excommunicated. Now it is true that the wrongmotivation liesbehind theoppositionofmanythey are out to destroy ratherthanhelpbutare all thisway? Does the

churchtooneedchecks andbalances?No one likes to be criticized. There issomething inhumannaturethat likes tobe right, that wants to be seen as beingright. Thisseems especially true of thosein positions ofpower, and church leadershave given us no reason to believe theyareexempt from this desire.But God commanded some of Hisservants: "Sonofman, I havemade youawatchmanfor thehouse of Israel; so heartheword I speak and give themwarningfrom me" (Eze. 3:17, N.I.V.). "Cryaloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like atrumpet, and shew my people theirtransgression, and the house of J acobtheir sins" (Isa. 58:1).Because power tends to corrupt, andabsolute power tends to corrupt absolutely, even in spiritual realms, Godhasoftencalled individuals to serveasa loyalopposition. This has not been a popularposition. Probably mostwhohaveservedwere as reluctant as Jonah (Jonah 1:3)and Jeremiah were (Jer. 1:6). Many ofthe loyal opposition were ignored, andtheir warnings went unheeded. Othersendured worse treatment. Traditionsays22 MINISTRY/MAY/1986

that Isaiah was put in a hollow tree andsawed in two. Jeremiah was cast into aquagmire (chap. 38:6). Zechariah wasstoned to death by order of the king(2 Chron. 24:20, 21). Micaiah wasimprisoned and given only bread andwater because he dared to disagree withhis ruler (1 Kings 22:26, 27). Elijah wasthreatened with death by the queen(chap. 19:2). John the Baptist wasbeheaded(Matt. 14:8-11). Others"werestoned; they were sawed in two; theywere put to death by the sword. Theywent about in sheepskins andgoat skins,destitute, persecuted and mistreated"(Heb. 11:37, N.I.V.).Some, like the prophets, seemed tomake a career out of loyal opposition;others are recorded as opposing onlyonceor twice. Paul found it necessary torebuke Peter publicly (Gal. 2:11).Accompanied by eighty fellow priests,Azariah the high priest confrontedUzziah theking as he was about to offerincense on the altar in the Temple(2 Chron. 26:17, 18). When Sauldecreed the death of his son Jonathan,his courageous soldiers refused to obeyhim (1 Sam. 14:45). Perhaps the mostvivid example of loyal oppositionoccurred when Peter replied to thehighpriest who had just forbidden him topreach, "Wemust obey God rather thanmen!" (Acts 5:29, N.I.V.).These individuals opposed notbecause they were traitors but becausethey were patriots. When laws, rules,policies, and actions went against theprinciples of the kingdom of heaven,they spoke upand spoke out. They oftenserved as the nation's conscience, warning the people of the consequences oftheir actions. Along with messages ofreproof came messages of encouragement.

When people listened to these individuals and followed their counsel,

remarkable things happened. Nathanled David to repent of his great sinagainst Uriah (2 Sam. 12:13). Thenorthern kingdom returned 200,000women and children to their homes inJudah on theadviceof theprophet Oded(2 Chron. 28:8-14). HuldahencouragedJ osiah in his reforms (2 Kings 22:14-20).Samuel, who was both priest andprophet, led out in the reformation inIsrael that climaxed in thegreat victoryat Mizpah (1 Sam. 7:5-13). Daniel wasused by God to bring about the conversion of thegreatestmonarchof his time,Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:27, 37). She-maiah reproved King Rehoboam, whohumbled himself and was saved fromdestruction (2Chron. 12:5-8). Peterandhis fellow disciples helped convert thousands to Christ.TheBible makes it clear that there is aplace for reproof and correction: "Thosewho sin are to be rebuked publicly, sothat the others may take warning"(1 Tim. 5:20, N.I.V.); "These, then, arethe things you should teach. Encourageand rebukewithall authority. Do not letanyone despise you" (Titus 2:15,N.I.V.); "Like an earring of gold or anornament of fine gold is a wise man'srebuke to a listening ear" (Prov. 25:12,N.I.V.).

Rather than fearing opposition, weshould welcome it! When there is noreproof it could be that apostasy isrampant. Because of Israel's great wickedness "the word of the Lord was rare"(1 Sam. 3:1, N.I.V.). Could it be thatloyal opposition is sent by God to warnand prepare us for His coming, but likethe leaders andpeopleofoldweareblindand do not consider themas messengersfrom theLord? Is it possible that we arein danger of suffering the same fate asJ ehoiakim, who wantonly cut up andburned the messages of Jeremiah (Jer.36:23)?

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considerable character. After the accident, thoughhis bodyhealedphysically,it became apparent that Phineas Gage,the well-respected foreman, was nolonger the man his crew had known.6In the words of his physician, Dr. J .M. Harlow, "the equilibrium, or balance, so to speak, between his intellectual faculties and animal propensitiesseems to have been destroyed. He isfitful, irreverent, indulging at times inthe grossest profanity (which was notpreviously his custom), manifesting littledeferenceforhis fellows, impatientofrestraint or advicewhen it conflicts withhis desires, at times . . . obstinate, yetcapricious and vacillating, devisingmany plans of future operation, whichare no sooner arranged than they areabandoned in turn for others appearingmore feasible. A child inhis intellectualcapacity and manifestations, he has theanimal passions of a strong man. Previous to his injury, though untrained in theschools, he possessed a well-balancedmind, andwas looked upon by thosewhoknew him as a shrewd, smart businessman, very energetic and persistentin executing all hisplans ofoperation. Inthis regard his mind was radicallychanged, so decidedly that his friendsandacquaintances said hewas 'no longerGage.' " 7

This case history shows how impor

tant thefrontal lobes are to one's moraljudgment. Insome respects, andfar moresubtly, alcohol affects moral judgmentjust as surely as the tamping rod affectedPhineas Gage's character. Y et, unreasonable though it may be, some peoplebelieve that alcohol is beneficial tohealth. Over thepast half decade muchpublicity has been given to a number ofresearch studies suggesting that theregular ingestion of small amounts ofalcohol may actually reduce the risk ofcoronary heart disease. This assumptionwas a result of the finding that moderatedrinking increases the level of the goodcholesterol, called high-density lipopro-tein, or HDL. There are two differentkinds of HDL. These are referred to asHDL2 and HDL3. Most of the earlystudies on alcohol and heart diseasesimply placed both types of HDLs into asingle group. 8 HDL2, or good cholesterol, correlates specifically with adecrease incoronary heartdisease.Stanford researchers have found,however, that social drinking raisesHDL3, not HDL2. HDL3 has no protective effects against coronary heartdisease. 9 In a follow-up study, the resultswere somewhat equivocal in that bothHDL2 and HDL3 were increased. 10 Sothe effect of alcohol on heart disease isstill in question. Even if alcohol wereshown to reduceheartdisease, however,

most authorities recognize that the riskfrom alcohol is greater than any benefitobtained." This is especially true considering the recent evidence that smallamounts of alcohol have detrimentaleffects on brain function even when aperson is in theso-called sober state.A standard drink contains about .48ounces of pure alcohol. Thus, one shot(or jigger) of whiskey, four ounces ofwine, a twelve-ounce can of beer, andthree ounces of sherry all contain thesame amountof alcohol (see table).Diminishedabstract thinkingSome now believe that the use ofalcohol and the effects on the drinkermay be a continuum. 12 This theorysuggests that small amounts do causesome damage and that large amountsaccelerate therate ofdamage. Inanearlystudy of the effects of social drinkingonbrain function, a consistent relationshipexisted between the quantity of alcoholconsumed per occasion and poor testscores. Abilities to perform abstractthinking, to adapt, and to form conceptswere decreased as theamount of alcoholconsumed increased.In a 1982 American J ournal of PublicHealtharticle, E. S. Parkerandassociatesreported the findings of a study conducted in Detroit on 1,024 male andfemale social drinkers. Evaluationof the

In 1848 an explosiondrovea3-foot-long iron rod through Phineas P. Gage'shead. Thoughhe miraculously survived the accident,the resultant brain damage changed his personality. (Reproduced from American Journal ofMedical Science 39 [1850]: 13.)MINISTRY/MAY/1986 25

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Research has foundan impairment ofmoral discernmentwith an intake ofonly one to twoounces of alcohol.

drinking habits revealed that the mendrank an average of twelve times permonth with an intake of two drinks(about one ounce of alcohol) per occasion. Research analysis of the data fromthis group after neuropsychological testsfound that an average alcohol intake of1.3 ounces per occasion (about two andone-half drinks) is sufficient to causediminished brain function on tests tomeasure memory and abstract think-ing- 13

In addition, in bothmen and womenwho drank at least once per week,abstract thinking ability decreased asalcohol intake increased. It is importantto note that all testing in this study wasconducted onsober individuals who hadnot drunk for at least twenty-four hoursprior to testing. HParker and colleagues in the Detroitstudy and in aCaliforniastudy were also

able tocalculatethatthe increase ofonlyonedrinkper drinkingoccasion causedadecrease inabstract orhigh-order thinking performance in the sober stateequivalent to the addition of 2.4 yearsand 3.7 years to the individual's age,respectively. 15And the consumption of alcoholcoupled with aging has an additiveeffect. Drs. M. K. J ones andE. S. Parkerand their respectivecolleagues were ableto show that alcohol causes greaterneuropsychological deficits with greateruse and that this effect becomes stillgreater with the increasing age of thesubject. 16 Showing similar impairmentsin relation to alcohol use, Dr. R.Hannoncommentedthat it is impressivethatboth male and female subjects whoare young and bright and who have adrinking history of only a few yearsshould show these effects of decreasedhigh-order thinking in thesober state. 17Although alcoholics, by definitionconsume more than fifty liters of purealcohol peryear andsome asmuchas 130liters, findings of decreased performanceonmental ability tests are found in lightsocial drinkers consuming as littleas fourliters per year, 18 a finding also supportedby others. 19 This is roughly equivalent toone thirdof anounce of alcohol per day(eight ounces of beer, three ounces ofwine, or two thirds of a jigger ofwhiskey). As alcohol consumptionincreases to the heavy social drinkinglevel, the ability to recall events andinformation is also impaired. 20Brain shrinkageIn Australia Dr. L. A. Gala andassociates have for many years studied

theeffects of alcoholismonthebrainanditsability to function. 21 Todeterminethepoint at which alcohol consumptionbegins brain damage, Cala examinedheavy drinkers, using CAT scans, andfound brain shrinkage already in progress. 22 Using the same CAT scan procedure, she then examined a group ofindividuals considered to be moderate tolight drinkers. Of thirty-nine drinkerstested, thirty were found to have somebrainshrinkage, with frontal lobes bearingthefirst signs. 23Thus far theresultsofthese studies indicatethattheamount ofalcohol intake tocausebrainshrinkage isless than two ounces, or approximatelyfour drinks. Research has also found animpairment of moral discernment withan intake of only one to two ounces ofalcohol. 24It must be remembered that brainshrinkage and brain function impairment occur at an alcohol-intake level ofa light social drinker who may neverhave been intoxicated. "It was found,"said one researcher, "that the progression in thedegreeofcerebral atrophyin the social drinkers follows the sametrend line as does that in the patientswith alcoholism, but that the degree ofatrophy was greater in the lattergroup." 25 In addition, after studyingliver enzyme tests to determine theoccurrence of liver damage, Cala concluded that it becomes apparent thatwith alcoholicbeverage use, braindamage occurs before clinical tests can showliver damage. 26 These findings are ofprofound significance; theabnormalitiesin these subjects are not gross intellectual impairments, but subtle impairments in high-order thinking. The

Alcoholic Beverage Volume of a Standard Drink* Amount of Pure AlcoholPer Standard Drink

BEERWINEWHISKEY

12oz.,or360ml.4oz., or 120ml.1.25 oz., or 40ml.

1/2 oz., or 15 ml.1/2 oz., or 15 ml.1/2 oz., or 15 ml.

A standard drink in Australia and England is somewhat smaller and contains approximately 11 milliliters of purealcohol per drink.

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changes are so insidious that they canbelikened to those of aging. This higherorder of thinking separates us from therest of the animal kingdom. Man wascreated in the image of God, with theability to think, to discern, and to makeindividual decisions.The decision-making and moralvalues centers of the human characterreside in the frontal lobes of the brain.Interestingly, thecells of thispart of thebrain are among the smallest, and theyappear to be the most sensitive todamage from alcohol. Anything thataffects this area of the brain will alsoaffect moral judgment as well as theindividual's willpower.There is also some good news fordrinkers from this research. In theirattempts to understand the effects ofalcohol on thebrain, researchers studiedeleven social drinkers who were willingto abstain from alcohol for six monthsorlonger. 27 Though the brain does notreplace dead cells, in ten of the elevensubjects in this study, not only did brainatrophy stop, but there was actually apartial reversal of the process. Thealcohol-affected frontal lobes of thebrain can be likened to a shriveled armcoming out of a cast. Cells that havebeen neardeathor reduced in sizemay berestored to their full capacity with thetermination of alcohol use, much as anarmreturns to itsformer strength andsizewith thereturnof movement anduse.These researchers found that thedensityofboth thegray matterand whitematter of the brain increased towardnormal, though there was not fullrecovery, with the cessation of alcoholuse. If with today's technology of CATscans we are able to detect these subtleadverse effects of small quantities ofalcohol, what will the technology oftomorrow reveal?Because the consumptionofalcohol isso widespread, and in light of recentresearch, many authorities are trying todetermine if there is a safe level ofconsumption. So far research seems toindi