An Appealing Appeal
[Re: "An Appeal to the Family," June 2015] I could not agree more. Over the years there have been many instances where I have not agreed with the way things have gone. If asked I may give my take on it from my biblical and Spirit of Prophecy study, but that is the end of it. I go to church to worship God and praise and thank Him for all He has given and continues to give to us. Do not let perceived wrongs and injustices keep you from eternal life with Christ. Satan works the hardest within the church. The wheat and the tares grow together until the end. Don't let controversies harden your heart so that you lose your eternal life. Do not let Satan win your soul.
Cindy Olson
An Appeal to the Whole Family
Yes, let’s “appeal to the family,” a family made up of many cultures, having many voices and concerns that give rise to those voices. Like [Dan Jackson], it “pains me greatly” that some of those voices have been emboldened and at times disrespectful. And yet I feel their sense of urgency and do not question their love for God and His family. It is very hard to be quiet when the [North American Division] seems complicit in filtering out the voices that would provide a balanced approach to the unprecedented issues that now face our family. “If we believe that Jesus Christ is the head of our church, then we need to let Him lead.” I couldn’t agree more. And I am certain that all of those seemingly discordant voices would stand fully with you on that premise. And yes, we will continue to have differing opinions and debates over doctrine and church décor, that is what families do, yes, even the most healthy families. That is how they become strong. My concern is that the parental leadership of this family is not providing broad enough platform upon which to base their position. Perhaps the question that we should ask is, what is it about the many voices that gives us need for concern? Is it their volume or intensity? Are they mean-spirited — all of them? Is it where they come from? Is it because they beg us to look clearly at Scripture? Are we so frustrated with the questions that should arise from listening to these voices that we resign ourselves to simply going along with what is going to happen anyway because it takes too much energy, prayer and study to decipher and commit to the truth?
Theresa Tacconelli, Bremerton, Wash.
What About Those Tares?
Our June issue of the Gleaner arrived today, and since he is recovering from surgery, I let my husband read it first. Since Ken Crawford was once our pastor, he read his article “What About the Tares?” first, and then handed the Gleaner to me and said, “You must read this. It is so well written.” I did read it, and we could not agree more. When are we going to stop criticizing folks, looking for anything about them or their teachings that might be wrong? In [some] cases, folks are so worried about the end times and how we will make it through that they can’t seem to think on all that God has done for us and how wonderful it will be to spend eternity with Him. I think Satan is delighted that we seem to be focused on all the wrong things, so we do not have time to focus on the Word of God, talking to Him in prayer and loving others as He would have us love. Pastor Ken, we are so glad “You Said It” so well. We thank you.
Anna May Waters, College Place, Wash.
You Missed the Point
We look forward to reading the Gleaner every month when it comes. Your staff does a great job. However, when the last Gleaner came out, I eagerly looked for the article I had submitted about our Anchor Point Church building project ["Church Drops Anchor in Stanfield," May 2015] and our request for prayer for God's provision for this project's continuation and completion. It was disheartening to me to see that the very heart and purpose of the article had been edited out — the request for prayer. We do earnestly ask that Northwest members please pray for this building project.
Claudia Flaiz, Hermiston, Ore.
Looking Beyond Rhetoric
I read with considerable interest Seth Pierce’s “Proving Ourselves Wrong” in the June Gleaner. But I didn’t understand all of it. For instance, I’m not sure what it means to “didacticize Christianity.” I did gather that Pastor Pierce doesn’t feel good about the way the church does evangelism these days (and I don’t either), but I didn’t find any specifics in his piece advocating more effective methods. He says the church needs to “demonstrate Christianity’s true power by being in Christ while being in the world.” Well, fine. But how do we do this? The author doesn’t say. Perhaps the editors could invite him to write a sequel piece providing specific examples of how he’s living out these words in his own ministry and with what success. That would be really helpful to those of us looking for methods beyond rhetoric.
Mike Jones, Gresham, Ore.
