the march - may 1999 sabbath · the bible sabbath association (visa and mastercard accepted). the...

PROMOTING THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH AND COOPERATION AMONG SABBATH-KEEPERS

BSAThe Bible Sabbath AssociationReview: Sabbath Under Crossfire • God’s Infinite Love • Interview with Pastor Lester •Keeping the Sabbath and Keeping Your Job • The Sabbath and Military Service

www.biblesabbath.org

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2 The Sabbath Sentinel March-May 1999

The Sabbath SentinelMarch-May 1999 Volume 51, No. 2, Issue No. 476

FEATURES

4 Review: The Sabbath Under CrossfireCan your Sabbath beliefs survive attack?

8 Paganism Surviving in ChristianityReprint of Abram H. Lewis book available.

9 God’s Infinite Love

11 Keeping the Sabbath & Keeping YourJob

13 The Sabbath and Military ServiceIs Sabbath-keeping compatible withserving in the military?

15 Regarding working on the Sabbath: Ifyou can train an ox, why can’t you trainpeople?

16 Why So Many Divisions In TheChurches Of God?

19 Wearing the GreenSt. Patrick of Ireland was one of us!

20 Adversaries of the Sabbath

DEPARTMENTS

3 BSA President’s Letter; Editorial7 Sabbath Organization Profile - Interview

with Pastor Lester C. Heilman, Jr.20 Calendar of Events21 Letters to the Editor23 Classified Ads24 Youth: Summer Camp

For a FREE Subscription in the U.S. and Canada, call(888) 687-5191, or visit our website athttp://www.biblesabbath.org

The Sabbath Sentinel is published bi-monthly by TheBible Sabbath Association, 3316 Alberta Drive,Gillette, WY 82718. Copyright 1999, by The BibleSabbath Association. Printed in the U.S.A. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in any form without writtenpermission is prohibited. Non-profit bulk rate postagepaid at Gillette, WY 82717.

Interim Editor : Richard Nickels, [email protected]’s Board of Directors for 1996-1999:President: Richard Nickels, [email protected] Presidents: Richard Wiedenheft, John Conrod,Norman EdwardsTreasurer: Bryan Burrell, [email protected] Secretary: Archie CraigDirectors At Large: Dr. Allen Babcock, CalvinBurrell, June Narber Harrison, Eugene Lincoln, BradPate, Lee Roy Stucker

Subscriptions: Call (888) 687-5191 or (307) 686-5191,or write to: The Bible Sabbath Association, 3316Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718, or contact us at theoffice nearest you (see international addresses below).The Sabbath Sentinel is sent free of charge to all whorequest it. Your subscription is provided by thevoluntary contributions of the membership of The BibleSabbath Association.

Donations are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible in the United States. Those who choose tovoluntarily support this international work to promotethe Sabbath and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom ofGod are welcomed as contributors.

Annual Membership Contribution : Regular Member-ship $25; Family Membership $30. All membershipsinclude an annual subscription to The Sabbath Sentinel.Make all checks, drafts and money orders payable toThe Bible Sabbath Association (VISA and MasterCardaccepted).

The Bible Sabbath Association is dedicated topromote the seventh day Sabbath. As a non-sectarianassociation for Sabbath-observing Christians, BSAaccepts members who acknowledge Jesus Christ(Yahshua the Messiah) as their Savior, believe theBible to be the Word of Eternal, and uphold the seventhday Sabbath. BSA takes no official position on othertheological issues, and publishes The Sabbath Sentinelas a forum to promote understanding and share items ofinterest to Sabbath observing groups and individuals.

Opinions expressed in The Sabbath Sentinel are thoseof the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsof the Editorial Staff or of The Bible SabbathAssociation.

BSA Worldwide Web Site: www.biblesabbath.org

Correspondence and Manuscript submissions:Address all inquires to: Richard C. Nickels, TheSabbath Sentinel, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY82718. Phone: (307) 686-5191, E-mail: [email protected].

International addresses:Australia: Bible Sabbath Associates, Jim & LynCarnochan, 7 Sunnyridge Road, Arcadia NSW 2159, E-mail: [email protected]

Address changes: POSTMASTER — send change ofaddress to The Sabbath Sentinel, 3116 Alberta Drive,Gillette, WY 82718 USA.

March-May 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel 3

president’s letter…

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ars Harrison has resigned as TSS Editor.We wish to thank Lars for the excellentwork he has done. You may also see his

fine work in putting past issues of the magazineon the Internet at the BSA website,www.biblesabbath.org.

The Bible Sabbath Association needs a neweditor as soon as possible. Are you interested inpromoting Sabbatarian co-operation and the chal-lenging work of gathering articles, page layout,and meeting printing deadlines? One of the most

difficult tasks is obtaining good quality articles.Although the pay is currently nothing, the rewardsof helping others more than compensates for thehard work. I have greatly enjoyed putting thismagazine together, but other responsibilities makethis endeavor more than I can handle.

If you would like to become the BSA editor,or assist in editorial tasks, please contact me at(307) 686-5191 or E-mail [email protected] for your willingness to help!

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r. Samuele Bacchiocchi, Professor ofChurch History and Theology at Seventh-day Adventist Andrews University, is a

controversial figure. Besides being the mostnoted Sabbatarian of our time, he drawscontroversy wherever he goes, even inSabbatarian circles. At a “Friends of theSabbath,” seminar in Bend, Oregon, a couple ofyears ago, a Seventh-day Adventist loudly pro-claimed, “Dr. Bacchiocchi does not represent theSeventh-day Adventist Church.” Dr. Sam saysthat he is banned as a speaker at some SDAcolleges and churches. This is probably due to hisuncompromising stance against women’s ordina-tion, and his support for the observance of theannual Biblical Holy Days.

Has there been over kill or too much focus onBacchiocchi? Do leaders often get too muchcoverage, and smaller, less known Sabbath-keepers not enough recognition? Actually, TSShas given little coverage to this champion of theSabbath. We should cover both the small and bigactivities of interest to Sabbath-keepers.

The seventh day Sabbath is under attack, evenwithin Sabbatarian churches. When in Australiato attend the 1996 “Friends of the Sabbath”seminar in Sydney, a sincere SDA told me of aconcerted movement within the Seventh-dayAdventist Church to get rid of the Sabbath, like

what has happened in the Worldwide Church ofGod. Dale Ratzlaff, former SDA, has attacked theSabbath in his book, Sabbath in Crisis. JosephTkach, Jr., current head of the Worldwide Churchof God, has jettisoned Sabbath-keeping in thatorganization, although assembling on the Sabbathin that Church is still practiced by many. Tkachhas close friends in the Church of God, SeventhDay, who may have the same agenda.

If you do not like Sam Bacchiocchi because ofhis sometimes high pressure book salesmanship,or dislike him for some other reason, pleasereconsider your blasé attitude towards him.Forget the man, and listen to the message of hisnew book, Sabbath Under Crossfire. How yourespond to his message could well spell thedifference between your abject capitulation to thefrontal attack on the Sabbath, or your gloriousvictory in the Messiah, the Master of the Sabbath.Sabbath Under Crossfire is a monumental book.We in The Bible Sabbath Association are verypleased to highly recommend this excellentresource. If you know someone who has given upthe Sabbath, give them a copy of this book, andperhaps the Almighty will use it to revive andrekindle their love for the true Sabbath day. TheSabbath Under Crossfire is available for asuggested donation of $12.50 from The BibleSabbath Association. TSS

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book review…

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This book is sorely needed by every Sabbath-keeper!

BY RICHARD C. NICKELS

t’s out, it’s awesome, and youneed it! Dr. Samuele Bacchi-occhi’s newest book, TheSabbath Under Crossfire: A

Biblical Analysis of Recent Sab-bath/Sunday Developments, ad-dresses critical issues especiallyimportant to current and formerSabbatarians. If there is any bookthat you read this year, don’t put itoff, read this one.

In July, 1998, Pope John PaulII issued a lengthy Pastoral Letter,Dies Domini, which appeals toChristians to observe Sunday as thefulfillment of the Sabbath, and callsfor civil legislation to facilitateSunday observance. In a breakwith traditional Catholic teaching,which until now, has admitted thatSunday-keeping came from Churchtradition rather than Scripturalmandate, the Pope attempts toprovide Biblical support forSunday-keeping. The need torespond to the Pope’s “new”theology was one reason whyBacchiocchi decided to write hisnew book.

Earlier in 1998, former SDADale Ratzlaff, author of the book,Sabbath in Crisis (1990), appearedon radio station KJSL in St. Louis,Missouri. He savagely attacked theSabbath. His book had earlier beenused by Joseph Tkach of theWorldwide Church of God tooverthrow the validity of Sabbath-keeping. My friend, Neil Gardnerof Florissant, Missouri, respondedto the radio station with lettersanswering Ratzlaff’s points, askingfor equal time to present anaffirmation for the seventh day

Sabbath. Gardner asked me to joinwith him in defense of the Sabbath.It became apparent to me thatsomeone like myself would be nomatch for the polished rhetoric ofRatzlaff. I suggested that we try toget Dr. Bacchiocchi to debateRatzlaff, which he graciouslyagreed to do. The one-hour debatewas held on June 15, 1998, andcontinued for many weeks over the

Internet. Eventually, Ratzlaffbacked off from further discussion.Ratzlaff’s anti-Sabbath attackswere a second motivation forBacchiocchi’s new book.

Dr. Sam had promised his wifeAnna that he would take a year offfrom writing books to spend moretime with her and attend tohousehold chores. Because of theurgency of the Pope’s Letter andRatzlaff’s frontal assault on theSabbath, Dr. B. felt he had to breakhis promise. I am sorry, Sam, forhelping you to break your promise,but I trust the result will benefitmany, as indeed it has and will.Incidentally, when I met her in1995, in San Antonio, I asked AnnaBacchiocchi if she has trouble

getting in a word edgewise with herconstantly talking husband Sam.She assured me that in their privatelives, she does get to say her piece!

The Pope challenges Christiansto respect Sunday, not merely as aChurch institution, but as a divine

command, the “full expression” ofthe Sabbath. This is in starkcontrast to the so-called “NewCovenant,” and related “Dispensa-tional” teaching (adopted byRatzlaff and Tkach) whichemphasizes the radical discontin-uity between Sabbath and Sunday.Dispensationalists hold that theSabbath is a Mosaic, Old Covenant,institution that terminated at thecross. Bacchiocchi shows thatSunday is not the Sabbath, as thePope now maintains, because thetwo days differ in authority,meaning, and experience. Sundayis so lacking in authority that itneeds the Pope to call for civillegislation to foster its observance.In most European countries,Sunday Laws have been in effectfor many years, yet Sunday Churchattendance is less than 10% of theChristian population. In Italy, 95%of Catholics go to church only threetimes in their lives, when they are“hatched, matched, and dis-patched.” Sunday laws fail toencourage the practice of Sunday-keeping.

In Chapter 2 of his book,Sabbath Under Crossfire, Bacchi-occhi explores in depth thequestion: “Is the Sabbath creation-al or ceremonial?” In spite ofGenesis 2 and Mark 2:27-28,

many professing Christians, includ-ing Ratzlaff and Tkach, believe thatthe Sabbath is not a creationordinance given to mankind, but aMosaic ordinance given to theIsraelites together with the TenCommandments.

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The Pope attempts to provide Biblicalsupport for Sunday-keeping.

Sunday laws fail to encourage thepractice of Sunday-keeping.


Bacchiocchi carefully reviewsthe Biblical evidence, and usesnon-Sabbatarian commentators inthis (and other portions of hisbook), to lend authoritative supportthat the Sabbath is a creationordinance for all mankind.

In Chapter 3, Bacchiocchilooks at the “Old and NewCovenants,” referring to JosephTkach’s view of the distinctionbetween the two covenants as themodel for his discussion. Dr. Samshows that salvation by gracethrough faith is the central theme ofboth the old and new covenants.Saving faith is never alone, becauseit is always accompanied by lovingobedience, Galatians 5:6. TheDecalogue is not merely a list often laws, but primarily tenprinciples of love. There is nodichotomy between law and love,because one cannot exist withoutthe other. Bacchiocchi shows thatPaul’s use of sabbatismos in

Hebrews 4:9, supports literalSabbath-keeping, answering Ratz-laff’s five reasons against literalSabbath-keeping. Rather than theLevitical priesthood and animalsacrifices which were “abolished”(Hebrews 10:9), “obsolete” and“ready to vanish away” (Hebrews8:13), Paul explicitly teaches that“Sabbath-keeping has been leftbehind for the people of God”(literal rendering of Hebrews 4:9).

Lutherans, as well as Ratzlaffand Tkach believe that Christfulfilled the Sabbath commandmentby terminating its observancealtogether, and replacing it with anexistential experience of salvation-rest available to believers everyday. For others, such as Catholicsand Calvinists, Christ fulfilled andterminated only the ceremonialaspect of the Sabbath command-ment, the observance of the seventh

day, but that the moral aspect ofthe Sabbath commandment re-mains. They believe that the prin-ciple of observing one day in sevenwas not abrogated by Christ, buttransferred to the observance of thefirst day of the week, Sunday. Inexploring the topic of “the Saviorand the Sabbath,” Dr. B. demon-strates the fallacy of both of theseviews. The healing miracles ofJesus on the Sabbath show theexpansion, not the termination, ofthe Sabbath, and reveal theredemptive nature of true Sabbath-keeping. Just as God “is workinguntil now” (John 5:17, literaltranslation), we too must work toextend the Sabbath rest and peaceto others, John 9:4. “This meansthat for believers today,” Bacchi-occhi states, “the Sabbath is the dayto celebrate not only God’s creationby resting, but also Christ’sredemption by acting mercifullytoward others,” page 173.

Next, Bacchiocchi presents athorough discussion of “Paul andthe Law,” and “Paul and theSabbath.” How can one reconcilethe seemingly contradictory state-ments of the Apostle Paul about theLaw? Five major passages areexamined, which are frequentlyquoted to support the idea thatChrist has done away with the Law,and consequently the Law is nolonger the norm of Christianconduct: Romans 6:14, “not underthe law”; II Corinthians 3:1-18,the letter and the spirit; Galatians3:15-25, faith and law; Colossians2:14, what was nailed to the cross?and Romans 10:4, “Christ is theend of the law.” Bacchiocchi’sconclusion is that when Paul speaksof the Law in the context ofsalvation (justification, rightstanding before God), he affirmsthat Law-keeping is of no avail

(Romans 3:20). On the otherhand, when Paul speaks of the Lawin the context of Christian conduct(sanctification, right living beforeGod), he upholds the value andvalidity of God’s Law (Romans7:12, 13:8-10; I Corinthians7:19). This is the most valuableportion of Sabbath UnderCrossfire.

In my opinion, the teaching ofthe Worldwide Church of Godthroughout its history has beenrather weak regarding God’s Lawand the New Covenant. This short-coming opened the door for Dr.Ernest L. Martin, former Chairmanof the Department of Theology ofAmbassador College, to lead over10,000 members out of the Churchin 1974, most of whom abandonedthe Sabbath entirely. Martin pavedthe way for the Systematic Theo-logy Project in the late 1970s,which was the theological under-pinning for Joseph Tkach, Senior,and Junior. In a letter dated April,1995, Dr. Ernest Martin (rightfullyin my opinion) claims credit formany of the doctrines the World-wide now says are “new truths.”Martin claims he has been pro-claiming many of these “newtruths” for over twenty years!Martin’s so-called “New Cov-enant” and anti-Sabbath teachingsare well in line with those ofRatzlaff and Tkach. Many of thesenior ministers today were taughtby Martin when they went toAmbassador. Is it any wonder whyso many have rolled over andplayed dead, when it comes to aBiblical understanding of God’sLaw and the New Covenant?Tkach’s current teachings aremerely Martinism, Act II.

In Sabbath Under Crossfire,Bacchiocchi states, “Contrary towhat many people believe, the OldTestament does not view the Lawas a means of gaining acceptancewith God through obedience, but asa way of responding to God’sgracious redemption and of bindingIsrael to God . . . . Salvation hasalways been a divine gift of graceand not a human achievement,”pages 186-187. There is no suchthing as Old Testament legalism;the Pharisees developed thisaberrant concept between the

The Old Testament does not view the Lawas a means of gaining acceptance withGod through obedience, but as a way ofresponding to God’s gracious redemption.. . . Salvation has always been a divine giftof grace and not a human achievement.


Testaments. “Paul rejects thePharisaic understanding of the Lawas a means of salvation and affirmsthe Old Testament view of the Lawas a revelation of God’s will forhuman conduct,” p. 189. ErnestMartin, and some ex-WCG min-isters today, makes Paul into a law-breaking antinomian. But the Truthis that our new life in Christenables us to keep the Law, not asan external code (in the letter), butas a loving response to God (in thespirit).

Prior to reading this section ofSabbath Under Crossfire, I did nothave a well-grounded understand-ing of the place of Law in Christianlife. The plain, easy-to-understandterminology of Bacchiocchi, andhis Biblical exegesis, is extraordin-ary. Do you know someone whohas left the Church, maybe manyyears ago, and has given up theSabbath and most all the otherdistinctive teachings we hold dear?Perhaps they would consider re-examining the issue of the Sabbath,God’s Law, and Pauline theology.Sabbath Under Crossfire could bethe best book on this subject everwritten, and would make an idealgift to help someone regain theirspiritual footing. Don’t forgetyourself. Maybe you, like me, didnot really dig into the teaching ofLaw by Paul like Bacchiocchi doesin his excellent book.

Finally, in Chapter 7, SamBacchiocchi shows that manySunday-keepers are re-examiningand rediscovering the validity ofthe Sabbath. The Sabbath is not anhour in worship services, buttwenty-four hours of holy timespent with God, a divine vacationfrom the turmoil and stress of dailylife. While some Sunday-keepersare more zealously keeping Sun-day, the fact remains that Sunday isnot the Sabbath. You cannot keepcold water hot! As Ratzlaff and theWorldwide Church of God areabandoning the Sabbath, the excit-ing news is that other Christians arerediscovering the seventh daySabbath, observing the literal day,

and learning more of its spiritualmeaning.

Bishop Steven Sanchez and theWesley Synod of sixty-eight Meth-odist congregations in NorthAmerica have recently becomeSabbath-keepers, claiming thatJohn Wesley originally kept theSabbath and dietary laws. Theyobserve the Sabbath from Fridaysunset till sunset Saturday, haveSaturday Church services, andabstain from work on the Sabbath.What great news!

Most Messianic Jews, whoaccepted the Messiah throughProtestant efforts and were thusoriginally Sunday-keepers, havenow become seventh day Sabbatar-ians. Sabbatarian Mennonites suchas Daniel Leichty, are renewing theAnabaptist heritage of AndreasFischer and Oswald Glait byreturning to the Sabbath. The True

Jesus Church, founded in 1917 inChina (which may have descendedfrom earlier Nineteenth CenturyChinese Sabbatarians) today has amillion members in China and79,000 in the free world. Theirbasic tenet states, “The Sabbathday, the seventh day of the week(Saturday), is a holy day, blessedand sanctified by God. It is to beobserved under the Lord’s grace forthe commemoration of God’screation and redemption, and withthe hope of eternal rest.”

What is it going to be for you?Are you going to throw away theSabbath like Martin, Ratzlaff, andTkach? Are you going to observethe Sabbath in a legalistic, hard-hearted way, thinking that by sodoing, you gain favor with God andearn salvation? This concept turnsthe Sabbath into a burden for yourchildren so that they will likelyreject it when they become adults.Or instead, will you, even as a

Sabbath-keeper perhaps for manyyears, rediscover the joy of theSabbath, “a gift waiting to beunwrapped”? Will you allow Godto enrich your life with a largermeasure of His divine presence,peace, and rest that the Sabbathaffords? And, most importantly, asBacchiocchi concludes, will youDO SOMETHING to spread theSabbath delight to others? Willyou share your faith with others?Dr. Sam implores us to ridourselves of spiritual lethargy:“Many more can receive the gift ofthe Sabbath if those of us whoexperience weekly the blessings ofthis divine gift will share withothers the benefits this day bringsto our lives,” page 283.

Dr. Sam, now that you havehelped me and others to becomemore thoroughly grounded in NewCovenant Law, take some time off

with Anna and get those householdchores done!

Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi’sbook, Sabbath Under Crossfire,retails for $15 per copy. His othertwo classic Sabbath books are:From Sabbath to Sunday andDivine Rest for Human Res-tlessness. It is a pity that perhapsBacchiocchi’s BEST book, DivineRest for Human Restlessness, hasreceived so little publicity. Atheological study of the philosophyand meaning of the Sabbath, DivineRest helps us understand thespiritual meaning of the Sabbath,and how to keep it holy.

You may order any one ofthese three excellent Sabbath booksfor $12.50 postpaid from The BibleSabbath Association, 3316Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY82718. Or, you may order any two,or all three, for $11 each from thesame. TSS

The Sabbath is a gift waiting to be unwrapped! Will you share this gift with others?

Many Sunday-keepers are re-examiningand rediscovering the validity of theSabbath!


Sabbath organization profile…

An Interview with Pastor Lester C. Heilman, Jr.

BY ROBERT SUMNER

This is an interview with a pastor who has been called to more of the truths of the scripture these last two years,especially regarding an understanding of the Seventh Day Sabbath and God’s Festival Days.

Sumner: Pastor Les, Pleaseshare some of your background.How did God call you and whathave you been doing since then?

Heilman: I started out as asalesman, and was very good at it,and I thought it was my life. Thenin 1979, I had a heart attack. Thisgot my attention that God, Himselfwas dealing in my life. While lyingin that hospital, I called upon Godand asked, “OK, Lord, What doyou want me to do with my life?”It was there I received a callingfrom the Lord, and was moved togo into the ministry.

In 1980, I went to seminary atThe Evangelical School of Theo-logy in Myerstown, PA. Whilethere, part of my training was aninternship at a church they gaveme to preach at in Wormleysburg.We started with only 12 remainingmembers. The first week, I didwhat I was used to in sales, going

up and down the streets, knockingon doors. It was June then, and Imet a lot of children, sharing withthem and some of their familiesand inviting them to services.When my first Sunday servicecame, 12 children came, whichsurprised the old timers. My wife,Helen, started working with them,while I was busy with the normalpastoral duties. Soon the churchgrew to 75 members. With thissuccess, I was transferred toanother church nearby in Enola,PA. The Lord blessed us, andagain we were blessed with manymembers.

However, after about 18months, some local politics got

involved and I was fired due to adisagreement with a prominentmember’s idea over a buildingprogram. We learned a lot oflessons there. This firing tookplace on Xmas Eve, as we had tofind a new building to celebratethat holiday. When the news gotaround to the members of thechurch, many of them becameupset and left. They encouragedme to start a new church to beginbuilding again. We launched out infaith. We ran newspaper ads,talked with people, and word gotaround. We started out with 45-50folks at The Cornerstone Evangel-ical Free Church, which grew toover 150 members. I remainedthere as pastor until 1998.

Sumner: When did you learnabout the Seventh Day Sabbath?

Heilman: While at the Corner-stone Church, we rented ourfacilities to a Sabbath-observing,

Messianic Jewish Congregation.They shared over the years aboutthe Sabbath, the Holy Days, andmany other Jewish traditions. Thispeaked the interest of many of us,and we started studying. However,the rabbi/pastor of the Messianicgroup was not really motivated, orconvicted, about the Sabbath. Itwas merely a tradition to them.This was not meaningful to me, soI had remembered about an oldfriend from seminary days, JacobMyers, of The Assemblies ofYahweh. After getting in touchwith him, fellowshipping andstudying God’s Word with him, Iwas convicted that the Seventh

Day Sabbath was the correct day toworship the Lord of Creation.

I began hungering for moreknowledge, understanding and fel-lowship with other Sabbath-keeping Christians. So I startedlooking around the Internet,searching in phone directories, andasking around town. I located inthe yellow pages of the phonebook a number for the HarrisburgChurch of God, 7th Day, as well asanother Sabbath group. I contactedthese pastors and met with themand accepted their invitation toattend services. This was in 1997,and I’ve been going ever since.However, for awhile I was stillpastoring the Cornerstone Churchon Sundays, even sharing withthem about the Sabbath, especiallyon a Friday night Shabbat Servicethere at Cornerstone. After a fewmonths, once again local politicsand adversity set in, and in aclosed meeting away from thechurch members, I was fired. Godused this to get me off of the fence,and devote myself to the Sabbathtotally. It’s been a harder journeyfor my wife, but the Lord ishelping her along too.

Sumner: How has the trans-ition from Sunday First Dayservices to the seventh day Sab-bath worship been for you?

Heilman: It’s been a radicalchange! I was a Sunday keeperfor 65 years, starting out in theLutheran Church as a young boy.My wife has had a harder timeadjusting because of missing allher close friends, and differenceswith our children and other familymembers.

Since I was fired at Corner-stone, I also lost my livelihood thatwe counted on. My wife became illand had to quit work too; so it’sbeen real tough on us financially,and we are learning to lean on the

I began hungering for more knowledge,understanding and fellowship with otherSabbath-keeping Christians.


Lord, and now all the new brethrenwe’ve come to know.

Our schedules and outlookshave changed too. Instead of just acouple of services per week for afew hours, we now can learn toappreciate and look forward to afull 24-hour day of fellowship,family togetherness, and draw-ing close to God as never before.It’s now a day of celebration andlearning. For example, we haverented a borough hall, and haveFriday night/Sabbath fellowship

open to the community. There areold friends from the CornerstoneChurch, folks from other Sundaychurches, and a good number ofSabbath-keepers. Wow! What away to start the Sabbath! We thenfellowship at services Sabbathmorning with the local churchwhich is affiliated with TheGeneral Conference of The Churchof God, Seventh Day — Harris-burg Church of God, Seventh Day.

Our relationships with ourchildren and families have beenstrained, but it nowis no longer a majorissue as we areworking it out, andthe Lord is giving ussome peace. One ofthe biggest things islearning and growingin the word of God, and acceptingnew truths being revealed to us.As we learn to be obedient tothem, we are being delivered fromold ideas, traditions of men, paganideas, and many deceptions fromthe enemy!

Sumner: What are your plansfor the future? Where do you thinkthe Lord is leading you?

Heilman: Right now we arejust in a waiting pattern. We planto continue to share with theFriday night LITTLE FLOCKFELLOWSHIP, as it is nowknown, and also to continue topray and fellowship with believers,studying, learning and growing. Istill serve in some communitypastoring programs; officiate atfunerals, weddings, and other

activities, and I will preach any-time I get the chance to.

I love to preach! I love to shareGod’s Word! This is what I’vebeen trained and called to do, andwill continue to do so as long asthe Lord permits. I share in ourSabbath Fellowship as well. Iwould love to be a full-time pastorat a Sabbath church somewhere,someday! My wife and I are opento any opportunities, so anyone iswelcome to contact us andinterview us.

Sumner: What final thoughtswould you like to share with TSSreaders?

Heilman: My heart goes out tomany because they have beendeceived. I want to be part ofsharing The Good News that ourLord and Savior has come and isalive today! I want to share theGood News about the SabbathDay, even though it’s against thetraditions and the grains of society.I’d like to share it with as manypeople as possible

I’ve started writing and print-ing leaflets and tracts to share;contacting others, am on theInternet, and am witnessing toeveryone that I can. If anyonewishes to contact me by telephone,my number is (717) 761-0406. Myemail is [email protected]

Our web page can be viewedat www.igateway.com/Lff.htm

Sumner: To the readers ofTSS. This is the end of myinterview. I hope it has encouragedyou, and strengthened your walkwith the Lord. Pastor Les, as wecall him, is a very loving anddevoted follower of God. His wifeHelen is a dear sweet sister in theLord. We have known them fortwo years now and count it aprivilege to fellowship with them.____________________________Robert Sumner is a Sabbath-keeping Christian residing in Har-risburg, PA. He can be contacted at(717) 652-9348, or faxed at (717)651-0884. TSS

Paganism Surviving inChristianity

Our friend David Hill ofQueensland, Australia, continuesto re-publish additional books bythe great Seventh Day Baptistwriter, Dr. Abram Herbert Lewis.With David’s help, the latest Lewisbook to be offered by the BSA isthe 1892 work, Paganism Surviv-ing in Christianity, 135-pagephotocopy, $8.50 donation.

Lewis had a keen interest inreturning exclusively to BiblicalChristianity. Part of this taskinvolves ridding ourselves ofpagan trappings, which infiltratedthe early Church.

As shocking as it sounds,Lewis shows that pagan methodsof interpreting the Scriptures arestill prevalent today. Lewisexamines pagan water worship inAsia, Greece, Northern Europe,and Mexico, and how this wastransferred to professing Christian-ity. He explores the effect of sunworship, Gnostic antinomianism,Sunday observance, the pagancross, Christmas, Easter, Penance,Lent, the State religion, and manyother pagan ideas and practices onthe Church.

A.H. Lewis presents thesehelpful insights in a thorough, yetclear, easy-to-understand manner.He concludes, “When the last stainof paganism is removed, the worldwill see a Christianity which willbe primarily a life of purity,through love for God and truth andmen, rather than a creed . . . . TheSabbath, as God’s day, free fromburdensome formalism, and filledwith good works and spiritualculture will be restored; and thisrecognition of it as God’s ever-recurring representative in humanlife will do much to bring in thatuniversal Sabbathism towardswhich God is patiently leading Histruth-loving children.” TSS

Would you like to write anarticle profiling a Sabbathgroup? Please E-mail us [email protected]

I would love to be a full-time pastor at aSabbath church somewhere, someday!


Our religion is not rooted in what we cando for God, rather, it all rests on whatGod has already done for us.

God’s Infinite LoveBY JOHN SHIRN

ne Sabbath morning an old-time preacher began to reada passage from the Old

Testament in his old worn Biblethat had since been repaired. Thepreacher was unaware that someglue had seeped between twopages where he was reading andhad stuck them together. He startedto read: “When men began tomultiply upon the earth, anddaughters were born unto them, thesons of heaven saw how beautifulthe daughters of men were and sothey took for their wives as manyas were . . .” and here the preacherturned the stuck pages andcontinued: “300 cubits long, 50cubits wide, 30 cubits high, madeof gopher wood and covered withpitch.” After his initial shock, thestill puzzled preacher recoveredenough to say: “I must admit thatthe passage I read is somewhatunfamiliar to me, but I see itaffirms a more familiar passagethat says that we are fearfully andwonderfully made” (Psalm139:14).

Made For Heavenly Love

So wonderfully are we madethat each of us is a unique object ofGod’s infinite love. God not onlygives us the amazing gift of life.He gives us the gift of His undyinginfinite love as the source of ourlife’s fulfillment in everything Hehas and does for us. Our religion isnot rooted in what we can do forGod, rather, it all rests on whatGod has already done for us. Thisis what charity is all about. He isthe original giver. He gave us an

undying, unmatchable gift. This isthe good news of our Christianfaith. This is why Jesus was bornin a smelly little barn. This is why

Jesus was raised in a humblecarpenter’s home. This is whyJesus went from village to villagepreaching and teaching and heal-ing, and rejecting the hypocrisy ofthe Pharisees, and proclaiming theeminence (lofty, greatness), theimmanence (reality, inherence),and permanence of the Kingdomof God.

This is why Jesus endured thebloody horror of His beating andHis crucifixion. This is why Jesuscame out of the tomb saying:“Peace be with you” (John 20:19).This is why Jesus breathed thevery Spirit of God into the worldthrough His first disciples, thefoundation of His SpiritualChurch. Jesus lived, died, and roseagain to make all things new in thepurifying fire of God’s incredibleundying love. Jesus’ mission wasto show us the way to uncon-ditional surrender of the self to Hisundying love of God.

His Love A Perpetual Gift

2 Corinthians 5:14 tells usthat: “. . . the love of Christ con-straineth us (hold together with acompelling force) because we thusjudge, that if one died for all, thenwere all dead:” And now verse 17:“Therefore if any man be in Christ,he is a new creature: old things arepassed away: behold, all things arebecome new.” Past sins are gone— forget them. The reality ofGod’s unlimited love is ours toaccept . . . not earn . . . it is God’sgift that He offers and He neverwithdraws it. It is steadfast, it isconstant and it is eternal. We can’t

turn it off, we can’t stop God fromloving us, we can’t weaken it, wecan’t undermine it and we can’tcommand it to go away. And it

doesn’t matter who we are orwhere we are or what we are. Godloves us, even though we are not aswe should be.

1 Corinthians 1:26 says: “Be-cause the foolishness of God iswiser than men; and the weaknessof God is stronger then men.” Nowthis does not mean that God isfoolish or weak. It means incomparison to men who think thatthey are wise and can notunderstand God’s reasoning andways. No, we are not as we shouldbe when God calls us, but Godcalls the foolish ones of the worldto confound the wise. God calls theweak ones of the world to con-found the mighty. He calls the baseand the despised to confound thosewho are not . . . to bring to nothingthose who are . . . that no fleshshould glory in His presence”(verses 27-29).

But of those who are in ChristJesus, God has made into themwisdom, righteousness, sanctifica-tion, and redemption that accord-ing as it is written, “He whoglories let him glory in the Lord”(1 Corinthians 1:31). The stagger-ing truth is that God does not lovethe world or mankind in somevague or abstract way. God lovesyou, the real you, as you are rightnow, and with a love the depth ofwhich we cannot penetrate withour mortal minds. From the crossJesus has said to you and to methat God would rather die than bewithout you. Can you grasp that?Yet, that is the message of thecross — God would rather die thanbe without you. Romans 5:8 says:“. . . God commendeth His lovetoward us, in that, while we wereyet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Can You Accept the Gift?

The question that confronts usbefore all others is not: “Are you atthis moment as pure as the ApostleJohn or as sinful as Mary Magda-lene?” Rather, the question is:“Are you ready to accept the gift

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This undying love of God’s is tre-mendous and infinite toward you and me,but you block the blessing from God themore you rebel, the more you stray fromHim, the more you try to run your ownlife your way.

of God’s undying love to thecenter of your being? To act onit?” To bet your life on it? Are youwilling to accept this reality as thenecessary point of departure foryour journey toward fulfillmentand sonship in God’s Kingdom?

Several years ago, ArnoldPalmer, the great golfer playedsome golf matches in SaudiArabia. His playing greatlyimpressed the King of SaudiArabia and before Palmer left thecountry the King told him hewould like to present him with aspecial gift. “What can I offeryou?” The King asked. Palmerexpressed his gratitude for theoffer but said he had enjoyed thevisit very much and that a specialgift was not necessary. The Kinginsisted and Palmer finally said:“Alright, you can give me a golfclub; that would be a really niceremembrance of your hospitality.”The next day — the story goes —a messenger appeared at Palmer’shotel and handed him a deed to a300-acre golf club! Some one hassaid that the moral of this story is,“In the presence of the King, don’task for small gifts.” There is no sinso great as to cause God to offeryou anything less than the greatestgift imaginable — which is son-ship in His Family, unless youfully and completely reject Himpermanently. To reject Himpermanently is blasphemy againstthe Holy Spirit and cannot beforgiven. Mark 3:29 states that:“But he that shall blasphemeagainst the Holy Ghost (Spirit)hath never forgiveness, but is indanger of eternal damnation.”

There is no rebellion so wildthat would cause Him to give upon you. There is no depression sodeep that can prevent Him fromcontinuing to take the initiativewith you. He tells us throughIsaiah 1:18: “Come now, and letus reason together . . . though yoursins be as scarlet, they shall be aswhite as snow; though they be redlike crimson, they shall be aswool.” No matter how bad thingsgo for you — no matter howdepraved you may have been —God does not give up on you.Again, He tells us in Revelation3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door,

and knock; if any man hear myvoice, and open the door I willcome in to him, and will sup withhim, and he with Me.” Notice thatyou have to do something. Youhave to open the door. You have toaccept Him. You have to let Himin, let Him control your life, youcannot do it as well as He can.

None Need Perish

Notice the parable of the lostsheep in Matthew 18:11-14. Hiswill is that none should perish eventhough one had been lost — Hewill find and save every one. Godis not talking about woolly animalshere; He is talking about peoplewho stray from His teachings;those who are temporarily disil-lusioned. He will find them andrestore them into His fold — butthey must be willing to obey andnot be self-willed. This concept isrepeated in 2 Peter 3:9, where weare told that, “The Lord is notslack concerning His promise, assome count slackness; (here againwe must distinguish betweenman’s thinking and God’s thinking— they are not the same) but islong suffering (we are not alwaysas longsuffering as He is) to us-ward, not willing that any shouldperish, but that all should come to

repentance.” Note the condition—you have to do something — youmust come to repentance, or inother words —come to reality andaccept Him. He forgives all sins(Matthew 6:14-15, and 18:21-22).

This is the tremendous lovethat God has toward us. Godcontinues to move steadfastly andoperates in a thousand ways inyour life. Ways that you do notexpect. He is that still, small voiceguiding you in moments of despairand indecision. His ministering

angels surround you and keep youfrom being seduced by Satan inmoments of fear and temptation.He persists and persists andpersists in this way because of Histremendous love for you and Hisburning desire to bring you tofulfillment as a human being, asHis son or daughter, eternally.Whether you like it or not, nomatter how far off you have gone,God is going to continue in retriev-ing you — His child — the workof His hands, unless you openlyand knowingly rebel and deny Himfor your own self-willed pleasures.As we stated above, this attitude isunforgivable.

The Good Life Now And Then

God continues to work withyou in spite of yourself in manycases for the purpose of bringingyou fulfillment, pleasure, and joyin this life — now — as well aseternal life in His Kingdom.Notice what He wishes for usthrough Apostle John. He wants usto prosper and be in health (3 John1-4). While this salutation is fromJohn to Gaius, it is also indicativeof God’s will for us, as we havenoted in above scriptures. Godrejoices when a brother or sistertestifies of the truth and walks in

the truth, and He has no greater joythan to hear that His children walkin the truth.

This undying love of God’s isinfinite toward you and me, butyou block the blessing from Godthe more you rebel, the more youstray from Him, the more you tryto run your own life your way. Thecloser you walk with God the morethat channel for fulfillment — thatchannel for blessings, the more

Continued on page 20


Practical Advice to Sabbath-Keepers . . .

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BY DR. DANIEL BOTKIN

’d like to keep the Sabbath,but I can’t — I have towork on Saturdays.”

Wrong. You may think so, butyou are mistaken. No one whobelieves in keeping the Sabbathhas to work on Saturdays, at leastnot in America. No one is pointinga gun at the heads of AmericanChristians and Jews and forcingthem to work on Saturdays. Amer-icans who work on the Sabbath doso by their own choice, not be-cause they have to.

There were many Sabbath-keeping Christians in CommunistRussia who were ordered by theiroppressive government to work onSaturdays. Many of these Christ-ians chose to obey God rather thanman, and they lost a lot more thansome crummy job. They sufferedimprisonment, exile, and torturefor refusing to break God’s holySabbath. When we stand withthese faithful saints before theLord on Judgment Day, will any ofus have the gall to say, “Well,Lord, I wanted to keep theSabbath, but I couldn’t — I had towork on Saturdays”?

How does a disciple of theMessiah go about getting everySabbath off from his job? First ofall, you do not go in and ask youremployer if you can have Satur-days off. You are not there tomake a request; you are there toinform. You inform your employ-er (politely and respectfully, ofcourse) that you will not beavailable to work from Fridaysunset to Saturday sunset. Youremployer may respond in anumber of ways:• “I’ll see what we can do to

accommodate you, but in themeantime you’ll have to keepworking Saturdays.”

• “We can give you Saturdays

off, but you’ll have to work fora few hours on Friday nights.”

• “We’ll do our best to accom-modate you, but we may haveto occasionally ask you to comein on a Saturday if we’re shortof help.”None of these responses is

acceptable. Pharaoh tried threetimes to persuade Moses andAaron to compromise the Lord’sdemands. (See Exodus 8:25-29,10:8-11.) Moses and Aaron stead-fastly refused to accept Pharaoh’soffer of a compromise solution,and we must likewise refuse toaccept an employer’s offer of acompromise.

What if your employer refusesto accommodate you? Onesolution is to look for a differentjob. However, that may not benecessary. If this particular job isimportant to you, you may want toinform your employer of his legalobligation to accommodate em-ployees’ religious practices. Thisshould be done in a polite, respect-ful manner, not in an obnoxious orthreatening way.

Many people do not realize thatfederal law requires employers toaccommodate employees whoneed time off for religious reasons,“unless the employer demonstratesthat accommodation would resultin undue hardship on the conductof its business.” You, the employ-ee, do not have to prove thevalidity of your case. It is theemployer who must try to provethat letting you keep the Sabbathwould cause undue hardship to hisbusiness. The burden of proof is onthe employer, not on the employee.

Federal law considers thefollowing solutions to be “reason-able accommodation” whichwould not cause undue hardship toan employer’s business:

• Securing a substitute worker(even if the employer has tosecure the substitute).

• Flexible scheduling (flexiblearrival and departure times;floating or optional holidays;flexible work breaks; use oflunch time in exchange forearly departure; staggered workhours; permitting an employeeto make up time lost due to theobservance of religious prac-tices).

• Lateral transfer and change ofjob assignment.The employer “must offer the

alternative which least disadvan-tages the individual [i.e., theemployee] with respect to his orher employment opportunities.The employer can also be requiredto bear the extra costs of accom-modating the employee, unless theEqual Employment OpportunityCommission determines that it is“more than a de minimus cost.”

Sometimes an employer isafraid to give an employee everySaturday off for fear that otheremployees will see this andlikewise demand every Saturday(or Sunday) off for religiousreasons. However, according tofederal law, this is not proof ofundue hardship: “A mere assump-tion that many more people, withthe same religious practices as theperson being accommodated, mayalso need accommodation is notevidence of undue hardship.”

The above legal informationcan be found in Title VII of theCivil Rights Act of 1964, asamended [section 701(j), 703 and717] and in Part XII EqualEmployment Opportunity Com-mission Guidelines on Discrimina-tion Because of Religion. Thesesame laws apply to labor organiza-tions as well as to employers. The

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laws pertain not only to scheduling(though this is the most frequentaccommodation needed), but alsoto other religious practices such asa man’s right to wear a beardbecause of his religious convic-tions.

The employer’s legal obligationto accommodate “pertains toprospective employees as well ascurrent employees.” This meansthat employers conducting a jobinterview must be very carefulwhen asking about the need forreligious accommodation: “TheCommission will infer that theneed for an accommodation dis-criminatorily influenced a decisionto reject an applicant when: (i)prior to an offer of employment theemployer makes an inquiry into anapplicant’s availability withouthaving a business necessity just-ification; and (ii) after the em-ployer has determined the appli-cant’s need for an accommodation,the employer rejects a qualifiedapplicant. The burden is then onthe employer to demonstrate thatfactors other than the need for anaccommodation were the reasonfor rejecting the qualifiedapplicant, or that a reasonableaccommodation without unduehardship was not possible.”

I do not wish to bore readerswith a lot of legal jargon, butSabbath-keepers need to know thatemployees have legal rights toreasonable accommodations, andthat some employees take theiremployers to court to enforce theserights. Even as I was writing thisarticle, a story appeared in the11/27/98 Jewish Press about aSeventh-day Adventist whoseemployer tried to refuse toaccommodate her: “Lisette Balint,a resident of Carson City, Nevada,was offered a position in the city’ssheriff’s department, [and] thedepartment refused to excuse herfrom working on the Sabbath”(“U.S. Court Defends ReligiousRights,” p. 62).

Sometimes the employer winsthe case, of course, because some-times it truly would cause unduehardship for the employer to ac-commodate the employee. Whenundue hardship is not an issue,though, the law is on our side.

Most employers are reasonablepeople and are intelligent enoughto know that it would be wiser forthem to accommodate your needthan it would be to refuse you.Many employers will actuallyrespect you for taking a firm, butpolite, stand for what you believe.If they are smart, they will knowthat a person with strong convic-tions is likely to be a reliable,honest worker with some integrity.They will want to find a way toaccommodate you. Some em-ployers are not so kind andunderstanding, and will simply tellyou, “No, you have to work onSaturdays.” If that is the case, thenyou must pray and ask the Lord toshow you what He would have youto do. Would the Lord have youtake your employer to court, orwould the Lord have you look fora different job? (You don’t need topray about whether or not the Lordwould have you keep working onthe Sabbath; He’s already told youin the Ten Commandments not todo that!)

Fighting for your legal rights incourt is one issue, but there is alsothe issue of maintaining a goodtestimony as a disciple of theMessiah. Some questions youmight want to consider:• Do I really want to work for an

employer who lets me have theSabbath off only because hewas forced to do so by thecourt?

• Will going to court result inresentment and/or jealousy inmy workplace, and do I want towork in such an atmosphere?

• Is this job really worth fightingfor?

• Is it possible that letting mehave every Sabbath off reallywould cause undue hardship formy employer’s business?

• Even if the court rules in myfavor, would there still be somehardship (though not “undue”),and would it be right to let myemployer bear this inconven-ience?Keeping your job should really

be your third priority in this arena.Keeping the Sabbath and keepingyour testimony should be the firstpriorities. If you can do this andalso keep your job, that’s great.

Personally, I would not feelcomfortable forcing my employerto pay extra costs in order toaccommodate me, even though thelaw can require the employer tobear these minimal costs. For thesake of my testimony as a discipleof the Lord, I would prefer to notexercise this legal right, and wouldpay for the extra costs myself,unless my employer voluntarilyand cheerfully insisted on bearingthe cost. I would also be reluctantto demand my legal right to “thealternative which least disadvan-tages the individual with respect tohis or her employment opportun-ities.” If an employer were willingto accommodate me, I would wantto find the solution which leastdisadvantages both of us. If myemployer is willing to bear someminor inconvenience in order toaccommodate me, then I should bewilling to bear some minor incon-venience to keep the Sabbath.

Every situation is unique andhas many factors to consider. Thisis why it is important to praybefore deciding whether or not totake your employer to court if herefuses to let you have the Sabbathoff. If you do lose your job for thesake of obeying the Lord, the Lordwill honor your sacrifice. He maynot provide another job immedi-ately, but He has promised to meetyour physical needs if you “seekfirst the kingdom of God” (Matt-hew 6:33).

In closing, always rememberthat you are not called to be a slaveto your job. Although you are totreat your employer with honorand respect, your employer is notyour Owner and Master. If you area disciple of the Son of God, thenHe is your real Owner and Master.You are called to be a servant inHis Kingdom. You are not calledto be a slave to the world system.So don’t let your employer oranyone else tell you that you haveto work on the Sabbath. TSS

— written by Dr. DanielBotkin, who publishes a bimonthlypublication, Gates of Eden. For asample issue, write to PO Box2257, East Peoria, IL 61611-0257.


I am happy that I was able to serve m ycountr y in a non-destructive wa y.

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BY RICHARD C. NICKELS

he Sabbath-keeping Churchof God has a long traditionof non-participation in war.

Both the Church of God (7th Day),and most descendants from theWorldwide Church of God areopposed to military service. Someof these groups have anti-participation-in-war statements intheir statements of belief. WhileSeventh-day Adventists do nothave a statement on carnal warfarein their official doctrinal statement,SDA’s, when inducted into themilitary, generally become non-combatants.

Anabaptists in Europe, whobecame prominent in the 1500s,generally opposed taking part inwarfare. While not all Anabaptistswere Sabbath-keepers, some were.My ancestors became followers ofa prominent Sunday Anabaptistnamed Menno Simons, founder ofthe Mennonites. Because theywould not participate in Prussianwars, my German Mennoniteancestors, known as the “vonNickel” clan, gave up their owner-ship of the largest nickel mine inEastern Europe, and settled in thesouth Russian area of the Ukraine,at the invitation of Russian Em-press Catherine the Great. JohnKiesz, the late noted evangelist ofthe Church of God, Seventh Day,also is descended from these

Germans in Russia. They event-ually migrated further east, reach-ing Tashkent, in Asiatic Russia. Inabout the 1870s, seeking to avoidmandatory military service in theRussian army, my father’s an-cestors migrated to the Dakotas inNorth America. Others went toParaguay, in South America.

Those who refuse to kill andmaim other human beings in

warfare often face contempt, ridi-cule, and persecution. In spite ofardent persuasion from publicofficials, my grandfather in NorthDakota refused to buy War Bondsduring World War I. Buyingbonds was supposed to be volun-tary. He did not want to supportPresident Woodrow Wilson’s warin Europe. As a result of grand-pa’s refusal, the local sheriff cameto Cornelius Nickel’s farm andconfiscated a cow on behalf of theUnited States war effort.

In 1969, as a young collegegraduate and twenty-one year oldconvert to the Sabbath-keepingChurch of God, I faced a hostiledraft board shortly after I wasbaptized. The government haddeclared me “1A,” which meansthat I was subject to being draftedand sent to the Vietnam War. Iperformed a diligent study of theBible teachings on war, writing alengthy paper to my draft board, inorder to convince them that I was asincere conscientious objector towar. One of the members of theDraft Board reviewing my casewas Professor of Religion at thecollege I had been attending. Iremember his pointed questions,and sneering ridicule of my beliefs.I got a little practice in case I everhave to appear before a GrandInquisition. Rather than allow me

to engage in public or internationalservice in the Peace Corps as workin lieu of military service, theDraft Board decided that I musttake the lowliest job available:janitor at Goodwill Industries inPortland, Oregon. So, for twoyears of alternate service, knownas the “1-W” program, thevaledictorian, of both his highschool and college graduating

classes, mopped floors and cleanedtoilets. It was a good, characterbuilding experience. I could havefled to Canada to live withrelatives there, but I am happy thatI was able to serve my country in anon-destructive way. While someof my contemporaries who went toVietnam came back in pine boxes,crippled with injuries, or druggedout of their minds, I worked withhandicapped people and learnedmany helpful lessons.

My personal experiences arenot unique. Sabbath-keeping andnon-participation in warfare seemto go hand in hand. The Walden-ses huddled in the valleys of theAlps underwent military attack andpersecutions time and again. Theywere never aggressive, and only inextreme circumstances would de-fend themselves.

Conscientious ObjectorsDuring the Civil War

During the American CivilWar, many Adventists and Churchof God Sabbatarians refused toparticipate in the war.

One clear indication of thebeliefs of the Hope of Israel (nameof the Church of God paper, thepredecessor of today’s BibleAdvocate) supporters generallywas their conscientious objectionto participation in the Civil War.

It appears that some Adventgroups attempted to buy exemptionfrom the draft for their malemembers. Eli Wilsey of theHartford, Michigan, “Church ofChrist” spent at least four monthsin prison “for refusing to fight withcarnal weapons.” Frequent newsarticles on the progress andstaggering costs of the war werepublished, with the exhortation tothe brethren to have nothing to dowith the “war, revenge andmurder.”

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Due to the Church of God petition, a lawwas enacted exempting non-combatantsfrom bearing arms.

One news report was thatbrother William Cronk of Cascowas drafted and passed exam-ination, “but was declared exemptfrom field service on account ofhis religious principles. He is inthe government service in thehospital.”

N. Wallen and R.C. Hortonreported in a letter dated January16, 1865, from South Haven,Michigan, that the brethren ofHartford and Casco were going totry and raise $300.00 to clear allthe brethren who may be drafted.

The April 23, 1865 issuecontained a quote from theHarbinger expressing sorrow atthe death of President Lincoln,thanking God that Lincoln madelaws to deliver Christians fromparticipating in war.

John L. Staunton, a one-timepresident of the Michigan Confer-ence, enlisted in the Union army.The Waverly church disfellow-shipped him, maintaining that onlynon-resisters could be in theirchurch.

H.E. Carver of Iowa was con-scientiously opposed to Christiansfighting with carnal weapons, thatis, in warfare. He believed that thechurch should adopt the sameposition and urged that the ques-tion be discussed in the columns ofthe Advent Review. This occurredat the outbreak of the Civil War,shortly before the foundation ofthe Seventh-day Adventist denom-ination.

The Whites stated at a councilin Lisbon, Iowa that the subjectshould not be discussed. They feltthat appearing to be unpatrioticcould be dangerous. James White

wrote in the Review that to engagein war would be a violation of twoof God’s commandments, but incase of being drafted, thegovernment would be responsiblefor an individual’s violation ofGod’s commandments. Somethinghad to be said on this delicatesubject, but Mrs. White never did

pronounce a vision concerningconscientious objection.

The Iowa Church of Godbrethren were firmly convincedthat it was wrong for Christians toengage in warfare. During theinitial phase of the Civil War,Elders B.F. Snook and J.H.Waggoner prepared a petition tothe Iowa State government, askingtheir church be exempted as non-combatants. The petition wascirculated among the brethren forsignatures, and sent to the statecapital. Battle Creek did notsanction this effort, terming it“fanaticism.” Due to the Churchof God petition, a law was enactedexempting non-combatants frombearing arms. Carver termed thenon-action of the Battle CreekSeventh-day Adventists as“cowardly.” This is only oneexample of some of the contro-versy generated by the subject ofthe military among Sabbatarians.

However, Uriah Smith report-ed that the Seventh-day AdventistGeneral Conference did indirectlyexempt Seventh-Day Adventistsby petitioning the government toexempt them through an alreadyexisting law.

Conscientious Objection Today

Jesus said in John 18:36, “Mykingdom is not of this world: if mykingdom were of this world, thenwould my servants fight, that Ishould not be delivered to theJews: but now is my kingdom notfrom hence.” The Savior’s ser-vants are not to engage in carnalwarfare. There are many script-ures supporting the view that

participating in war is contrary toNew Testament beliefs. I suggestthat you read the article, “MilitaryService and War,” written byHerbert W. Armstrong, availableon the Worldwide Web athttp://web.ukonline.co.uk/rt.taylor/armyservice.htm.

Besides presenting a problemwith the sixth commandment,“Thou shalt not kill,” militaryservice presents insurmountableproblems with keeping the BibleSabbath. As Ron Dart writes in hisarticle, “Capital Punishment, AChristian Dilemma,” there is littledifference between a slave and aman drafted into the military.Soldiers eat and sleep when andwhere they are told. They workand fight when and where they aretold. They are not free to quit andgo home. If a civilian Sabbath-keeper refuses to work on God’sweekly Holy Day, he may lose hisjob; a soldier under the samecircumstances may be courtmartialed and jailed. Sabbath-keeping, versus military serviceand war, are totally opposed toeach other.

Doctrinal StatementsOn Military Service

Article 15 of the Statement ofBeliefs of the Church of God,Seventh Day, headquartered inDenver, Colorado, states: “Partici-pation in Warfare . Jesus Christour Lord taught us to love andforgive our enemies, and to workfor the peace and salvation of allpeoples. Wars among nations andviolence between persons are notGod’s perfect will, but result fromgreed, lust for power, selfishness,and other sinful motives. Christiansshould renounce such carnality andthe weapons of human strife, andshould not participate in militarycombat through the armed forces.Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-38;Romans 12:17-21; John 18:36;Matthew 26:51, 52; 2 Corinthians10:3, 4; James 4:1.”

The United Church of God, anInternational Association, withhome office near Cincinnati, Ohio,says this in their statement ofbeliefs:

“We believe that Christians areforbidden by the commandments ofGod from taking human life,directly or indirectly, and that beari-ng arms is contrary to this funda-mental belief. Therefore, we believethat Christians should not volun-tarily become engaged in militaryservice. If they are involuntarily


We believe that Christians should not voluntarily becomeengaged in military service. — United Church of God belief.

engaged in military service, webelieve they should refuseconscientiously to bear arms and, tothe extent possible, to refuse tocome under military authority.”

Down through history, Sab-bath-keepers have often beenpersecuted and attacked by papalarmies. They have had to flee toavoid massacre, and have had todefend themselves only under

extreme, provocative, circum-stances. In the Twentieth Century,purposeless wars have slaughteredmillions. If there is any lesson to belearned from this bloody history, itis that war is “hell,” and that a Biblebeliever should shun such evilpractices. We look forward to thecoming of the Savior. His returnwill initiate the ONLY “war to endall wars.” Sabbath-keeping and

military service appear to be total-ly incompatible. This is a verycritical issue. The Sixth Com-mandment is as important as theFourth Commandment. Our wea-pons are spiritual, not carnal.

If any of our readers havecomments or stories to relate onthe subject of military service,please write to the editor. TSS

humor . . .

Regarding working on the Sabbath:If you can train an ox, why can’t you train people?

It was 1948 when Gulag Irkutsk, a Christian believer in Siberia, received a 25-year sentence. After refusing towork on Sabbath, he was ordered to stand in a three-by four-foot cell for 10 days with only water for nourishment.For a year Irkutsk went through the same routine, in confinement for 10 days and out for four days.

After a year a general came to inspect the prison camp, and foundIrkutsk in solitary confinement. When the general inquired about hisconfinement, Irkutsk explained about the Sabbath. “I am a believer inGod,” Irkutsk said. “A sign of my loyalty to Him is to rest on the Sabbath.However, I am prepared to work twice as much the day before in order tohave the Sabbath off.”

Irkutsk was ordered to carry enough water for the 1,000 prisoners —filling the reservoir by transporting well water. Prison officials providedIrkutsk with an ox, and for 10 years they followed the same routine ofworking twice as fast the day before and resting on Sabbath.

Later Irkutsk was released for his outstanding work record, but the oxremained and assisted another prisoner as he transported water. When thefirst Sabbath came, that ox lay quietly chewing his cud. Nothing wouldmove the beast — neither shouting, pulling, threatening, or beating. EverySabbath the same drama happened. Finally the exasperated jailer told theprisoner, “You will never change the ox’s behavior. The Sabbath-keeper

has made the ox into a Sabbath-keeper. And Sabbath-keepers are very, very stubborn!”— John K. McGhee

Note: any resemblance of the ox to real people today is purely coincidental! TSS

DIRECTORY OF SABBATH-OBSERVING GROUPS UPDATE

One of the most important ways the BSA serves to promote co-operation among Sabbath-keepers and helps new Sabbath-keepers is publication of the book, Directory of Sabbath-observing Groups . The last update was 1996, and it is time to prepare and issue a new release,as well as an Internet version. If you are interested in chairing the Directory Committee, orserving with others on this project, please contact Richard Nickels at the BSA immediately.

Please send updated information about your group for inclusion in the next Directory .Thanks for your help!


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BY ROBERT SUMNER

It is a problemeveryone talksabout, but few

do anythingabout it.

Are you a causeof division?

Or instead,are youa cause

for peace?

Throughout the past 25 years, Ihave personally witnessed manydivisions in the Churches of God.Some “seemed” to be beneficial,but most have been more harmfulto the “Body of Christ” and to thelives of many brethren, than theyhave been edifying.

But, is this anything new? Ofcourse NOT! The Apostle Pauladdressed this same issue, and mayI say, very harshly. I must examinemy own motives sometimes andask myself; “If I lived in the daysof the Apostle Paul, and belongedto one of the Churches of God,would I have been part of ‘thedivisions’?”

Notice the admonition to theChurch of God, at Corinth. “Now Ibeseech you brethren, by the Nameof our Lord, Jesus Christ; that youall speak the same thing, and thatthere be no divisions among youbut that you be perfectly joinedtogether in the same mind andjudgement. It has been de-clared . . . that there are CON-TENTIONS among you. One ofyou says, ‘I am of Paul; and I ofApollos; and I of Cephas; and I ofChrist’. Is Christ divided? wasPaul crucified for you? or wereyou baptized in the name of Paul?he that glories let him glory in theLord!” (I Cor. 1:10-31).

“And I brethren, could notspeak unto you as spiritual, but asunto carnal, even as unto babes inChrist . . . for you are yet carnal.For, whereas there is among youENVYING, STRIFE, AND DIVI-SIONS. ARE YOU NOT CARN-AL AND WALK AS MEN? Whois Paul? And who is Apollos, butministers by whom you believed,even as the Lord gave to everyman! I have planted, Apolloswatered, but God that gives the in-crease! Now he that plants, and hethat waters are ONE; and everyman shall receive his own reward

according to his own labor. Forwe are LABORERS TOGETHERWITH GOD, you are GOD’SHUSBANDRY, you are God’sbuilding . . . for (any) other found-ation can no man lay that is laid(already), which is Jesus Christ!(I Cor. 3:1-11).

Remember that the CorinthianChurch had many more “outward”gifts of the Spirit than thatrecorded of any of the otherchurches (I Cor. chapter 12). TheApostle Paul however declaredthem “carnal,” NOT “spiritual”!Why? DIVISIONS, ENVYINGS,STRIFE, AND CONTENTIONS!

How many in the Churches ofGod today does this fit? Dare anyof us “examine ourselves whetherwe be in the Faith”? (II Cor.13:5); or among the “divisions”?Do we have an attitude of “Ibelong to this Church of God”?Or, “Our church holds onto this(pet) doctrine”? Or, “I will supportand follow this minister of God,”“this church denomination,” “thisorganization” NO MATTERWHAT! Aren’t we saying whatthe Corinthians said before, “I amof Paul” (a particular church ordenomination); “I am of Apollos”(a particular speaker); “I am ofCephas/Peter” (a particular mini-ster), or “I am of Christ” (aparticular doctrine/teaching/truth)?

Are there ministers and churchleaders who bicker and fight?Whose ego or pride gets hurt, or inthe way, and they must go out andtry to “out-do”/”out-church” oneanother? Who among us claim tobe the one God has chosen, and noone else? What did our Savior sayabout this subject? “You know thatthe princes of this world [Gentiles]exercise great authority over them.But, IT SHALL NOT BE SOAMONG YOU! Whosoever willbe great among you, let him beyour minister (Greek = servant),


and whosoever will be chiefamong you, let him be yourservant (Greek = bond slave,servant)! (Matt. 20:25-27). Mini-sters are but trusted, provenservants, not governing masterswho lord it over God’s people!(See I Peter 5:1-10). They areoverseers, not taskmasters; gifts tothe Body of Christ, not takers!WHY? To build organizations,works, or denominations (espec-ially for themselves)? NO! “AndHe (Christ, THE HEAD OF HISCHURCH, NOT ANY MAN)gave some apostles; some pro-phets; some evangelists; somepastors and teachers (notice Hegave some, not many) for theperfecting of the saints; for thework of the ministry; FOR THEEDIFYING OF THE BODY OFCHRIST. TILL WE ALL COMEINTO THE UNITY OF THEFAITH OF THE KNOWLEDGEOF THE SON OF GOD; unto aperfect man, unto the measure ofthe stature of the fulness of Christ”(Eph. 4:11-13). Not some man’sfulness, but Christ’s, “SPEAKINGTHE TRUTH IN LOVE, maygrow up into Him in all things;WHICH IS THE HEAD, EVENCHRIST” (Eph. 4: 15).

Compare this, brethren, withthe church or congregation youfellowship with. Does the leader-ship meet these criteria? If not,they need to be addressed properlyaccording to Scripture. Ministersof God, do you meet thesequalifications? If not, there needsto be a change in your ministry.Remember, CHRIST IS THEHEAD OF HIS CHURCH — NOTMAN! Not any organization!Christ is the foundation of thechurch — not any doctrine! notany “truth”! not even any com-mandment keeping!

Remember that we are allbrethren, workers “laborers to-gether with God together, “labor-ers together with God”! God is thepotter and we are the clay. Christ isthe vine, we are the branches. Allglory belongs to Him alone!

How did the Apostle Paulrespond? “For I determined not toknow anything among you saveJesus Christ and Him crucified”!(I Cor. 2:2). If our speech, teach-

ings, sermons, doctrines, beliefs,actions, or whatever else, DO NOTREVOLVE AROUND THISMOST CRUCIAL CORE FOUN-DATION — WE HAVE GONEASTRAY! Does this mean, not toteach doctrines? The Sabbath?Truth? Scripture? God forbid. Ofcourse not! IT MEANS THEYALL MUST BE CHRIST CENT-ERED! Is it wrong to havedifferent church groups or denom-inations? Not necessarily. Remem-ber, all the churches of the NewTestament were independentassemblies — yet all workedtogether to share God’s love; toshare Christ and Him crucified; toprovide fellowship; to evangelize;to provide for physical needs oftheir community and the Christiancommunities at large; and tocontinually build up the body ofChrist.

In I Cor. 12:4-6, we find thereare different administrations, aswell as different gifts, all by thesame Spirit of God! All were partof the body of Christ! Yes, thereare different parts of the body,with different functions.

However, they are still one infaith, one in spirit, one in goals,one in purpose, and one bodyworking together!

Compare I Cor. 12 and Eph.4). Even the Apostle Paul haddifferences of opinions on how to“do the work”/“administration,”yet still it was working towards thesame goals, and “extending theright hand of fellowship.” The footcan’t tell the arm, I don’t wantyou, and still function as part ofthe same body. If the big toe isstubbed or hurt, the whole bodysuffers. We are connected togetherand should work TOGETHER INCHRIST!

How is the Church differentfrom secular, worldly organiza-tions? If you cannot answer thatquestion, then something isobviously wrong. Famous relig-ious figures are “busted” for wrongdoings and immoral acts. Is thisdifferent from the world? Howdoes this reflect on God’s Church,the Body of Christ? Scripture tellsus, “by this shall all men know youare my disciples if YOU HAVELOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER”

(John 13:34-35)! All of us whohave separated from variousdenominations or organizations— how are we known? By ourdifferences? Are we pridefulabout our differences, or reasonswe left? Do we lift up doctrines,spiritual gifts, sacred names,leaders, ministers, “The Work,”“The Truth,” or our way of doingthings? Or rather, are we knownby the fruit of God’s Love in ourlives and in our churches, and inour dealings with other brethrenfrom other churches? Do we havethe same kind of love our Lorddisplayed while He was here onearth? What fruits are we display-ing — carnal, or of the Spirit?(Gal. 5:13-26)

Where are all the BridgeBuilders”? The “Peacemakers”(Matt. 5:9)? The “Repairers of theBreach” (Isa. 58:12)? The “Pureand Undefiled before God” (James1:26-27; Matt. 25:36-46)? The“Ambassadors for Christ,” and“The ministers of Reconciliation”(II Cor. 5:17-21)? If we are partof the ministry/work of Christ asmany of us claim — why aren’tthere more who are “anointed topreach the gospel to the poor; healthe brokenhearted; to preachdeliverance to the captives; andrecovery of sight to the blind; toset at liberty them that are bruised,and to preach the acceptable yearof the Lord” (Luke 4:17-19)? Arewe about our Heavenly Father’sbusiness, or our own? Are webuilding our own little empires, orthe Kingdom of God? Are wefellowshipping and working to-gether as “fellowlaborers withGod,” or separating ourselves to do“The Work,” that only “we” cando? Are we the only ones, or, arewe part of the Body of Christ withHim at the head? “BEHOLDHOW GOOD AND PLEASANTIT IS FOR BRETHREN TODWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY”(Psalm 133:1-3).

We constantly hear of churchsplits; groups breaking up; andnew independent fellowships andindividuals starting out. Frankly,much of this is sad to see. It’s evensadder to have experienced someof this personally. Brethren, youhave fellowshipped with for years,


turning their backs on one another.WHY? Are the children of God,the real enemies? God forbid!Who is the accuser of the brethren?The thief, destroyer? Well, ofcourse it is Satan, the devil! Whyaren’t we fighting him instead ofour brethren? Why do we bangour heads against the wall, hurtingourselves? Jesus asked this of Saul,who became Paul, on the road toDamascus, “Why do you kickagainst the pricks?” We shouldjoin in the battle to fight ourcommon enemy, not ourselves.Satan knows how to divide andconquer.

When was the last time youwere encouraged to hear aboutbrethren getting together and heal-ing their differences? Comingtogether in harmony, mutualrespect, and humility of spirit?Why don’t we hear more of this?Why don’t more brethren sharegood things, and good news suchas in “The Journal” and “TheSabbath Sentinel”? I like hearinggood reports, and not so muchnegative all the time. Informationthat builds and edifies, and doesnot tear down. How about you?

Would you like to hear a goodreport? I have one to share. In thecentral Pennsylvania area, severalhundred brethren left a majordenomination in 1974. Manyreasons were given, includingadministrative, theological, andpersonal. Soon there were splits offsplits, etc. About fourteen yearsago, the remaining larger groupbroke up in half. One halfremained with a certain organiza-tion; while the other operated foryears as an independent group.Individually, God was dealing withtheir spiritual growth. The inde-pendent group finally maturedenough to see the need of a largeraffiliation and doing work for thekingdom of God; so they joinedwith an old, large denomination inthe 7th day churches. Meanwhilethe former group who had stayedwith another organization haddifficulties, and became more orless independent also. God ledthem to a maturity that helpedthem see they needed to be part ofa bigger affiliation. During the

years of separation, the Lord wasworking with these split groupsbecause members of each groupattended the same functions andfellowshipped socially. Finally theLord led the leadership of bothgroups to meet with each other;and it was decided to join backtogether after all those years. Inthe last three years the Lord hasworked marvelously, by thehealing of personal hurts, changingattitudes and clearing up any othermajor differences.

Some of the important mattersto consider are these: 1. We servethe same Lord, why not worktogether? 2. Doctrinal differencesare minor. Learn to allow others adifferent viewpoint. 3. We all growat different levels in grace andknowledge, so allow for this withmercy and love. 4. Work out yoursalvation with fear and trembling.5. Support one another, even whenwe sin and fall short. 6. Teach theWord of God. 7. Preach the gospel— the good news. 8. Allow forfreedom of expressions as long asit edifies. 9. Let God be God, notus. 10. Don’t condemn one an-other. 11. If some believe theFestivals of Leviticus 23 aremandatory, and others do not,don’t bicker and fight — learnfrom one another. Allow fordifferences, as this does not takeaway your salvation. There aremany others but ALWAYS BEHUMBLE AND PUT CHRISTFIRST in everything you do! Therestored congregation is nowgrowing spiritually and in numbersas well. Praise God for His mercy!His grace and love! Praise Yah-weh!

Why isn’t cooperation such asthis being duplicated acrossAmerica, and other countries?Why aren’t more brethren workingtogether? You don’t have to attendthe same services to work together,or to fellowship together. Youshould be on the same team, withthe same goals and purposes. Ifwe keep our minds open, and ahumble attitude — perhaps we willlearn something from anotherbrother or sister in the Lord. If wemaintain this concept of “we onlyhave the truth,” or “we only have

God’s special anointing,” or “ourleader is the special one called ofGod”; then we are missing the truecalling of God! We must beministers of the conciliation andreconciliation of God, ambassadorsfor Christ — not just servingourselves, or our organizations!

“I beseech you thereforebrethren, by the mercies of Godthat you present your bodies aliving sacrifice, holy, acceptableunto God; which is your reason-able service. And be not conform-ed to this world, but be youtransformed by the renewing ofyour mind, that you may provewhat is that good, and acceptable,and perfect will of God,” Rom.12:1-2!

“If there be any consolation inChrist; if any comfort of love, ifany fellowship of the Spirit, if anybowels of mercies, fulfill you myjoy that you be likeminded, havingthe same love, being of oneaccord; of one mind let nothing bedone through strife or vainglory,but in lowliness of mind let eachesteem the other better thanthemselves. Look not every manon his own things, but every manon the things of others. Let thismind be in you which was also inChrist Jesus . . . and that everytongue should confess that JesusChrist is Lord to the glory of thefather . . . for it is God whichworks in you both to will and to doof His good pleasure . . . do allthings without murmurings anddisputings that you may beblameless and harmless, the sonsof God without rebuke; in themidst of a crooked and perversenation among whom you shine aslights to the world, holding forththe word of life . . . (Phil. 2:1-16).

Are we lights? Do we expressGod’s love? Are we Ambassadorsfor Christ? Ministers of Reconcil-iation? Bridgebuilders? Prayerwarriors? Repairers of the breach?Peacemakers? Meek? Humble? IsChrist central to everything we do?Let’s glorify God together. Let’shave the same mind as Christ.Let’s love one another. By thisshall all men know we are Hisdisciples! TSS


Green is the color of the Irish; green isalso the color of the Sabbath.

“I keep the seventh day Sabbath, just likePatrick of Ireland did!”

Wearing the GreenBY RICHARD C. NICKELS

March 17 is commonlycelebrated as St. Patrick’s Day,who, according to Roman Catho-lics, is the patron saint of Ireland,the Emerald Island. Thus, greenhas come to be associated with St.Patrick. When I was a child, un-less I wore something green on St.Patrick’s Day, I was likely to getmyself pinched. Many adults usethe occasion to engage in revelingand drinking, green beer andwhiskey being the acceptedmanner to celebrate Irish history.

The Truth of history is notwell known. Patrick was not Irish,but a Scottish missionary toIreland. He was not a Sundaykeeping Roman Catholic Trini-tarian, but a Sabbath-keeper op-posed to the Trinity concept.Seventh Day Baptists have longbeen aware of the facts concerningPatrick. The book, Seventh DayBaptists in Europe and America(1910), reports that the ChristianChurch in Ireland was foundedsoon after the death of Christ bydisciples of the Asian Churches.Columba’s establishment of aSabbath-keeping community in theisland of Iona was the result ofPatrick’s teaching. Celtic Irelandwas unattached to Rome until atleast 1155. Some Irish Sabbath-keepers remained until thenineteenth century.

According the Seventh-dayAdventist historian Leslie Har-dinge, in his book The CelticChurch in Britain, Patrick (ca.387-463) evangelized Ireland,founding over 300 churches andbaptizing over 120,000 converts.However, Christianity existed in

Ireland long before Patrick’s time.Many Celtic believers in Irelandwere Arians (anti-Trinitarian).They kept the Sabbath fromsundown to sundown. They wereknown to be Quartodecimans, ob-

servers of the annual ChristianPassover once a year, on thefourteenth day of the first month in

the spring. They eschewed un-clean meats. Their ministry had tobe recognized, even by outsiders,to be honest and above reproach,and celibacy was not practiceduntil later times. Celtic servicesincluded a recitation of the Deca-logue.

Wherever Patrick went, he leftan old Celtic law book, Liber exLege Moisi (Book of the Law ofMoses), along with other books ofthe Gospel. The Liber begins withthe Decalogue, and continues withselections from the Torah. CitingExodus 23:1-19, Part 4 of theLiber emphasizes that the Sabbathis to be kept, along with threeannual feasts. Part 5 notes thataccording to Exodus 31:13, theSabbath is a sign of God’s people.Patrick practiced laying on ofhands after baptism for the receiptof the Holy Spirit. While “St.Patrick” is revered as a RomanCatholic saint, his writings appearto place him squarely in theSabbath-keeping Messianic tradi-tion. St. Patrick was one of us!

The Celtic Church in Britain,265 pages, is available from theBSA for $9.00. This is one of themost interesting books you willever read. It is appropriate that thebook’s cover is green. Green isthe color of the Irish; green is also

the color of the Sabbath. Greeninvokes feelings of abundant cropsand peace, which the Sabbath daypictures and exemplifies. Historic-ally, Irish Celtic Sabbath-keepershave played a major role in the

preservation of the practice ofSabbath-keeping in continentalEurope and beyond. Celtic Irish

missionaries evangelized Europeduring the Dark Ages.

So, the next time someoneasks you on St. Patrick’s Day ifyou are wearing green, tell them,“Yes! I keep the seventh daySabbath, just like Patrick of Irelanddid!” Let us continue to wear thegreen.

NOTE: Chris Barr of the LittleChildren of Jesus Christ, a Sabba-tarian group in Pocahontas, Ark-ansas, showed me a copy of an adhis Church placed in their localnewspaper. This ad brought atremendous response to thegroup’s web site.

St. Patrick’s “DAY” — Comejoin with us to worship JESUS asdid the Irish Patrick of old on thiscoming Sabbath, the Seventh Day,commonly called “Saturday.”Like other Christian Irishmen ofhis time, Patrick was a Sabbath-keeper, kept Passover and thedietary laws of Moses, andstressed keeping the Law of God.

TSS


God’s Infinite LoveContinued from page 10

that channel for peace and the good things of life canbe opened up to you. Matthew 6:31-34 tells us that ifwe seek His Kingdom first in our lives (let Him takecharge of our lives, live it His way), He will provideall that we need. He invented us and He knows betterhow we can please Him and thereby succeed in life.How clearly King David understood this as he wrote inhis 139th Psalm. Let us read it all now. Davidunderstood how involved and concerned thisincredible God is with you personally.

Will You Comply And Accept The Gift?

Do you believe that God can and will perform thisgreat love to you?

Read Luke 1:26-45 and be convinced. Noticeverse 45 in particular:

“And blessed is she that believed: for there shallbe a performance of those things, which were told herfrom the Lord.” What if she had not believed? What ifno one believed? We would have no Savior. We wouldhave no guidance from the Creator and Sustainer. Thispassage shows complete belief that God is able toperform that which He promised. Notice how im-portant it is to believe and do His bidding and notdoubt, to care and not deny. What He promises He willdo, and He promised us life everlasting in HisKingdom if we would but believe in Him and His SonJesus. To believe in Them is to obey Them, to keepTheir Commandments, to study Their teachings and tofollow Them, to love Their ways of love, to want to bea brother or sister of Jesus and a son or daughter of theAlmighty God. God designed the human family as atraining ground to be in His perfect family in HisKingdom. Will you comply and be there? (Romans8:13-18). TSS

Calendar of EventsMay 21-23, 1999Cassopolis, MI — PROCLAIMING THE SABBATHMORE FULLY CONFERENCE, at Camp WagnerCampground (revised location).

SPEAKERS: ABBOTT, Merwin, Lecturer;DAVIDSON, Dr. Richard, Chairman, Old TestamentDept., Andrews University; DAVIS, Dr. Sidney,Lecturer; DOUKHAN, Dr. Jacques, Institute of JewishStudies, Editor “Shabbat Shalom”; FINE, J. Allen,Evangelist, Director “New Sounds of Inspiration”;GARR, Dr. John, President, “Restoration Foundation”Editor, “Restore”; LANE, Oscar, Evangelist, Last“Day Revival Ministries”; MALKMUS, Dr. George,Founder, “Back to the Garden Health Ministry,” MER-RITT, Dr. John, Founder “Friends of the Sabbath”;WASHINGTON, Richard, Pastor, Lake Region

Conference; WELLINGTON, Dr. Albert, Founder,“Project Gamaliel”, Editor, “Crossroads.”

E-mail: [email protected], phone 847-253-0538. Register to: Sabbath Conference, P.O. Box32, Arlington Heights, IL 60006-0032.

A writer of the nineteenth century fitly predicted,“at the commencement of the time of trouble, we werefilled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth andPROCLAIMED THE SABBATH MORE FULLY!”

Sydney Davis will be promoting the Sabbath andthe BSA at this conference. Don’t miss it!

July 2-10, 1999Meridian, ID — Campmeeting of the General Councilof the Churches of God (7th Day).

July 5-10, 1999Tulsa, OK — General Conference Convention of theChurch of God (Seventh Day). Held at the AdamsMark Hotel in Tulsa.

Adversaries of the Sabbath

The strongest foes of Messianic believers havebeen those once in our ranks who have becometurncoats. From Judas Iscariot to today, our deadliestenemies have often been our former friends and guides(see Psalm 55).

Consider these recent Sabbath adversaries:• Pastor John Cowell, after thirteen years of

promoting the Sabbath in England, abandoned it. Hisbook, The Snare Broken, written in 1677, causedconsiderable disturbances among SabbatarianChurches in England. As Don Sanford, Seventh DayBaptist historian writes, “When a person rejects theSabbath after having spend years championing it, theeffect can be devastating,” A Choosing People: TheHistory of Seventh Day Baptists, page 48.

• D.M. Canright left the Seventh-Day Advent-ists in the 1880s, and wrote against them and theSabbath in his 1889 book, Seventh-day AdventismRenounced.

• Dr. Ernest Martin, Chairman of the Depart-ment of Theology at Herbert Armstrong’s AmbassadorCollege, left the Worldwide Church of God in 1974,drawing ten thousand or more members with him toabandon the Sabbath. His theological concepts formedthe basis for Joseph Tkach’s doctrinal rejection of theSabbath in the mid-1990s.

• Dale Ratzlaff, following the lead of his earlierAustralian mentor Robert Brinsmead, left the SDAChurch and continues to conduct a ministry aimed atcombating what he terms are “the errors of legalismand false religion.” His 1989 book, Sabbath in Crisis,was used by Tkach to argue for the abolition of theSabbath in the Worldwide Church of God.

The arguments presented by these men shouldneither be avoided, nor feared, by Sabbath-keepers.Does your Sabbath conviction stand up undercrossfire? TSS


letters to the editor…

I just read your article “Is Sabbath-KeepingRequired for Salvation?” in the July/Aug issue ofthe Sabbath Sentinel. l understand your statementsin regard to Calvin Burrell’s and Whaid Rose’sstand on Sabbath-keeping, but I am confused as tohow you think Donald Ward’s belief that“Sabbath-keeping is essential for one to bekeeping the commandments of God” is “missingthe point,” and “wasting precious time.” Incomparison to your own statement that — it is arequirement for your own salvation — and “theyshould be out there promoting the Sabbath” — itwould seem that his stand agrees with your own.Paragraph #6 seems really confusing. Can youplease explain what your point was on DonaldWard’s view? I thank you very much in advance.

Pat MinicaSutherland Springs, Texas

Please review Dr. Donald Ward’s presenta-tion of this topic, on tape C332, available from theBSA for a $2.50 donation. My point is that Godjudges people based on what they know, what Hehas revealed to them. Luke 12:47-48 says, “Andthat servant, which knew his lord’s will, andprepared not himself, neither did according to hiswill, shall be beaten with many stripes. But hethat knew not, and did commit things worthy ofstripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For untowhomsoever much is given, of him shall be muchrequired: and to whom men have committedmuch, of him they will ask the more.”

There are many fine professing Christianswho are faithfully following what they know to betrue. But at this time, God has not yet revealed tothem the Sabbath of delight. We should not wasteour time disparaging and judging them. We areresponsible for obeying the Truth that theAlmighty has revealed to us, with His help. And,they are responsible for that portion of God’sTruth they understand. They may ultimatelysuffer for the Truth that they do not understand,but remember that it is God’s responsibility toopen their minds to more of His Truth, althoughwe can, and should, be instruments in His hand tohelp others.

One does not effectively promote the Sabbathto non-Sabbath-keepers by telling them thatSabbath-keeping is required for their salvation.That turns them off to the Truth. We should teachthe joy of the Sabbath, the Biblical mandate for usto observe the Sabbath. Once the Holy Spiritconvicts them and they step out on faith and begin

keeping the Sabbath, then Sabbath-keeping doesbecome a requirement for their salvation, as it isfor mine. For a Sabbath-keeper to cease keepingthe Sabbath is like a dog returning to his ownvomit, a serious offence against the Eternal,II Peter 2:21-22. I believe that Dr. Ward and Iagree very closely on this issue.

I am not delighted with the idea of going to ablack and white format, especially for the cover.It is the cover that inspires people to pick up amagazine, so regardless of the content fewerpeople will pick it up and open it if it is notattractive. Those will never know the contents.

One thought on the contents! I am happy withthe articles that are being printed. They are,however, elementary and basic. They are the typeof articles new people should be reading, they dovery little for people who are mature in the faith,since we already know these things.

What I would like to suggest is that weexplore ways to get the magazine into the handsof the public without it being a financial strain onthe budget.

God can use this magazine as a vehicle to callnew people who will not have a certain “corporateslant” to the teachings they learn. They will getthe views of different Sabbath-keeping authors,and have opportunity to settle where God leadsthem without being pressured by any certaincorporate church organization.

What I am suggesting is this, (and I will be thefirst to volunteer), two ideas: (1) Send out a letterto all BSA members and ask for volunteers tosponsor, (that is to pay for), a gift subscription,(not a membership), each month of 1999 as aprimary goal. For example, make a list ofbusinesses such as your barbershop, hair salon,dentist, doctor, library, etc, at their businessaddress. Select places that have a waiting room.Having a copy of TSS on display in a waitingroom is a sure way to get it into the hands of newpeople.

(2) For those who would prefer to not sponsora subscription, give them opportunity to purchasea supply of magazines each time a new editioncomes out. You could offer them in lots of twentyfive or fifty, and they could decide how manythey wanted to order, and thy would assume theresponsibility of giving them away to individualsof placing them in waiting rooms etc.

I am sure that once this is begun it will not belong until you begin receiving mail from new


people, and we will all have the satisfaction ofknowing that we are sharing in and workingtogether as associated brethren, spreading thegospel without interference from a domineeringcorporate hierarchy.

Everyone who participates in this will be avolunteer, and it is a legitimate first titheexpenditure. Everyone will pay in advance forwhat they are ordering, so there will be nosurprise expenditures. If people can beencouraged to set a goal as to how manymagazines they will be ordering of each issue, andwrite it in to you, you will be able to keep a prettygood handle on it.

I am setting my goal to sponsor one giftsubscription per month for all of 1999.

I hope you will like this idea and that you willmake this opportunity available to all who maywish to participate in it or something else perhapsthat you may think of to get more people involvedin God’s work. I know a lot of people are sittingon their tithes nowadays not knowing what to dowith them, and not trusting any of the organ-izational hierarchies to use them properly. Thiswould give them something to do with some oftheir tithes and they will have some control overhow they are used, not to mention the thrill of the“hands on experience” of doing something viable.

God bless all of you for your work and yourefforts over the years, you have hung in there anddone a good job. It may be that God will beginusing us all in more dynamic ways as we learn toyield more to His will and search for ways to doHis work.

Darl E. ArbogastKennesaw, Georgia

Great idea!It costs much more to print the magazine with

a color cover. We came to see that this is not anefficient use of our Master’s money. With thisissue, we are retaining glossy paper, yet still withblack and white format, in order to reduce costs.

Each issue of TSS should have articles formature and new believers. We encourage othersto contribute articles of all kinds.

We encourage BSA members and supportersto send gift subscriptions to others, including

waiting rooms and other public places. A giftsubscription would be about $10. We will sendbulk copies of past issues of the magazine for adonation for postage. Figure about $2.50 for fiveissues, $5.00 for twenty issues, $10.00 for fiftyissues.

Dear Friends,I am very excited that you have decided to

make The Sabbath Sentinel a free magazine tofurther spread the truth of the Sabbath. Here is acontribution to help with this effort. I am sureGod will bless your effort.

Faith MatweyGaithersburg, MD

Rest is important on SabbathNot straying too far from the main subject,

The Sabbath Sentinel should be about theSabbath, nature of work, nature of rest, regularfeature. Enjoyable Sabbaths I have had. How Ikeep the Sabbath, practical ideas, instead ofextraneous subjects, explore new territory onSabbath. Three ways of resting the seventh time inExodus 23 day, month, year. There is a fourthway, which is more important, and most everyone does: take a bath . . . . How does someonespend an evening (after bathing)? By restful,enjoyment, or watching stupid TV?

Regan CastevensSparta, NC

Sharing TSS With Friends

I am enclosing our mailing list . . . in hopesthat you can send free subscriptions to everyonethat is not already on your list (contributionenclosed).

I am also praying for the success of your newproject.

Thank you very much for this opportunity tohelp reach more people about the Sabbath. Ireally get a lot out of your publications.

Charlotte KincaidRound Rock, TX

It is lot’s of work but very satisfying to be ableto help others.

The Sabbath Sentinel values our readers’ views. Address correspondence to Richard C.Nickels, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718, 307-686-5191; or e-mail [email protected]. Letters should include the author’s name, title, company oraffiliation, address, and optional e-mail address. The Sabbath Sentinel reserves theright to edit letters for clarity and space.


classified ads . . .

Signs of the Times

Signs of the Times, publish-ed by Seventh-day Adventistssince 1874, is in its 126th year.The April, 1999, issue containsstories about “Jesus v. Sanhed-rin — Why Jesus ‘Lost’ HisTrial,” “5 Ways to Restore Yourspiritual Passion,” “Why DidJesus Have to Die?” and otherinteresting articles. Subscrip-tions to this 32-page monthlymagazine, $18.95 (US), $21.95(other countries). You mayobtain a free sample copy forfifty-five cents postage (US).Write: Signs of the Times, POBox 5353, Nampa, ID 83653,or call (US) 800-545-2449.

Should Sabbath-Keepers Eatin Restaurants on the

Sabbath?

“Should Christians eat inrestaurants on the Sabbath?”Some Sabbath-keepers wouldanswer, “no!” while other Sab-batarians believe that there is noproblem with eating out on theSabbath. Randy Rondeau of theWinnipeg Church of God, haswritten a thought-provokingarticle, “Should Christians Fre-quent Restaurants on the Sab-bath?” 15 pages, $1.50 dona-tion, available from The BibleSabbath Association, 3316Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY82718.

Even if you firmly believein one or the other position, youwill find Randy’s article in-structive.

Gift Subscriptions to TSS

Share the joy of the Sabbathwith a friend! Send us names ofothers who would like toreceive our magazine. Adonation of $10 per gift sub-scription is appreciated.

FREE — 1999 Calendarof the Lord

According to the Gospel ofChrist for the New Testament

generations, all nations, to knowand/or do; Luke 4:18-19. His

calendar is finished, containingall heavenly events from theOld Testament (Seventh Day

Sabbath) to the New Testament,beginning on March 19. Write

to:

Church of God (NewTestament),

At Large45-020B Malulani StreetKaneohe, HI 96744 USA

Classified ads (20% discount forsecond time, 30% thereafter) areavailable at the rate of $1.00 perword (including each word andeach group of numbers in theaddress — telephone numberscount as one word) for each issuein which the ad is published.Display ads are available at $150per quarter page for each issue thead is published. Where possibleyour camera-ready copy will beutilized, or we will design yourdisplay ad for you. Send copy forall ads and payment to The BibleSabbath Association, 3316 AlbertaDrive, Gillette, WY 82718.

Ad copy without payment willnot be accepted for publication.Deadline is two months prior topublication (i.e. if you want yourad to appear in the March/Aprilissue we must receive it beforeJanuary). BSA reserves the right toreject or edit any ad copy. Pub-lication does not necessarily implyendorsement by The Bible SabbathAssociation or The SabbathSentinel.

1HZ� RU 7UXH"There is an amazing ignor-

ance of Scripture among many,and a consequent want of . . .solid religion. In no other waycan I account for the ease withwhich people are, like children,“tossed to and fro, and carriedabout by every wind ofdoctrine,” Eph. 4:14.

Thousands will crowd tohear a new voice and a newdoctrine without considering . . .whether what they hear is true.There is an incessant cravingafter any teaching which issensational, and exciting, androusing to the feelings. There isan UNhealthy appetite for a sortof . . . hysterical Christianity. . . . Inability to distinguishdifferences in doctrine isspreading far and wide . . . .Crowds and crying, and high-flown singing, and an incessantrousing for the emotions, are theonly things which many carefor. . . . The tendency of modernthought is . . . to condemn noopinion, everything is true,everybody is likely to be saved,and nobody is to be lost! — J.C.Ryle.

Support BSA andBecome a

Member Today!Regular Membership

$25; Family $30BSA, 3316 Alberta Drive,Gillette, WY 82718 USA

Toll Free: 1-888-687-5191


Summer Campaily fellowships, nightly tuck-ins,lifetime friendships and most of all, funactivities. Sounds like a parent's

dream? It is. And it's found at the summerChurch camp I go to, sponsored by theUnited Church of God, AIA.

This year, there are six UCG summercamps in the USA, for teenagers from theages 10-18. I have only had the chance toexperience one camp, Camp McKenzie, inOregon. There, I have made the best friendsa person could ever ask for. As a faithfulCamp McKenzie camper, I am open to white-water rafting, over-night hiking, meeting newcampers, and taking a bite of camp food andactually swallowing.

I am a teenager growing up in today'ssociety, and I can honestly say that there arevery few things that teenagers can do todayfor the Church. Taking advantage of summercamp is a great thing that a teenager like mecan do, and it teaches me many things. Andone of the best things is that your parents aremiles away from you, so if you don't cleanyour bunk, there is no one there to nag you toclean up. But, from experience, if you havethe messiest bunk, you get a beautifulbouquet of broccoli and have to eat it in frontof the whole camp. Yuck!

Each day we start with a breakfast and aBible study. Then each cabin has its own

schedule of activities, such as, archery,riflery, swimming safety, dance class, ropescourse, basketball, volleyball, astronomy, andeven etiquette classes. At the end of camp,there is a special dinner and a dance.

Summer camp is the best thing for ateenager today. It gives you a chance tohang out with people just like you, and havelots of fun doing it. There is nothing thatpleases God more than His people havingfun. And that's what Church camp is allabout. — By Mandie Nickels____________________________________Mandie Nickels is a 14-year old Sabbath-keeper in Wyoming. You may contact her [email protected].

For more information about UCG summeryouth camps, open to Sabbath-keepers ingeneral: www.ucg.org/youthcamp/camp.html,or write: United Church of God, P.O. Box541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027.

Another youth camp is the Living YouthCamp, in the Upper Peninsula of Michiganfrom July 27 to August 9, 1999. Activities willinclude flag football, volleyball, fishing,dancing, canoeing, obstacle course andmuch more. Write: Living Youth Camp, 2200Cherokee Strip, Blue Springs, MO 64015,phone 816 228-2035, E-mail: [email protected].

Please send additional camp informationto the BSA for the next issue!

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The Sabbath Sentinel(USPS 474-580) (ISSN 1082-0833)A Bi-monthly Publication ofThe Bible Sabbath AssociationHC 60 Box 8, Fairview, OK 73737 USAAddress Service Requested

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