The four outstanding divisions of this movement are: (I) The evangelistic; (2) the educational; (3) the publishing; (4) the medical. There are other important departments and lines of work, but they all find their place in these larger divisions.
I. Evangelism.—The work of the minister is the preaching of the Word—making known the gospel in the proclamation of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. The purity, welfare, and spiritual life of the church depend upon the character of the preaching of the Word to the church. The great epochs in the life of the church of Christ, the great revivals, have been doctrinal. It is the doctrines of the third angel's message that have made this advent movement.
2. Education.—Early in our history as an organized movement, the Lord, through the Spirit of prophecy, gave light to this people on Christian education. It was God's purpose to place a spiritual educational mold upon the children and the youth of this movement in the establishment of our denominational schools, where our young people would be separated from the influences of a worldly training. The principles of Christian education, so fully unfolded through the Spirit of prophecy, have made the educational work of this people distinctive. From the doors of our schools, men and women established and grounded in present truth have gone out to our churches everywhere, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. These men are the leaders in all branches of our work around the world. The importance and value of our schools in connection with our world work, in preparing a people to meet the Lord, cannot be measured nor perhaps fully understood.
3. —Before there were any organizations, churches, or conferences, in the very early years of the movement, the Lord through His messenger gave light and counsel in regard to the publishing of a message-filled literature that was to be scattered as the leaves of autumn. From the very first beginning—the "carpetbag edition" of Present Truth—to the present chain of publishing houses and printing plants girdling the earth, God has had a watchcare over and has wonderfully blessed the production and circulation of truth-filled literature.
4. Medical Work.—It was in 1863 in the home of E. Hilliard, at Otsego, Michigan, that God gave His messenger a vision in which was revealed to her the work of health reform that has made this people distinguished. The crux of that light and counsel was the treatment of the sick and suffering by a drugless method in the use of nature's own remedies—water, light, fresh air, diet, exercise, and rest.
This method called for the establishment of an institution for the treatment of the sick, which was started in 1866 in a private dwelling house in Battle Creek, Michigan, and was known as the Western Health Reform Institute. This quickly grew into the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Incidentally, that word "sanitarium" is a distinctive word belonging to Seventh-day Adventists. It was coined to designate our own health institution. "Sanitarium" stands for health reform in the drugless method of treating the sick and maintaining health.
Our sanitariums became training centers. Nurses' training schools were established, in which during the years many hundreds of our young people have received training. Then came the medical college for the training of our own physicians and surgeons. This has grown to be a mighty factor in our health work.
Such is our heritage. Truly, God has committed to this people most wonderful and precious light and truth. The whole system in all its various phases and aspects constitutes what we are pleased to call "the message," or "the movement."
During the years, and especially in the last decade or two, the enemy of the truth of God has made a mighty onslaught in his endeavors to nullify and destroy, as far as possible, the message and work that we are carrying on in all the world. We are facing grave dangers from many different angles. We are in danger of following the same trends that other great religious movements have followed. What a pity if the third angel's message should fade as the Reformation faded, or should lose strength as have other great religious awakenings since the Reformation.
There are some dangerous trends that threaten our work in its various phases today. Passing over the dangers that threaten the evangelistic, educational, and publishing work, let us notice the tendency to drift in our health work.
There is very grave danger that the leaders of our denominational health work, our doctors and nurses, will swing away from God's blueprint for the treatment of the sick and the maintaining of the health of those who are not sick. For many years this people was sanitarium-minded. Our physicians were sanitarium-minded. That meant the treatment of the sick principally by use of hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, massage, diet, and the use of the other remedial agencies of nature. The drugless method was strongly emphasized. But the old school of sanitarium physicians is passing. The sanitarium vision is fading.
Our young physicians, who naturally will put the mold on our health work around the world, seem to be hospital-minded instead of sanitarium-minded. And hospital treatment today is very largely drug medication. Hydrotherapy is fading out. Many of our physicians know but little about its use. Our health reform message is in jeopardy. There is a drift among us that leads away from the blueprint.
O how necessary that we cherish in our hearts a deep, fervent love for the truth and constantly have in our hearts that abiding presence of our Saviour that will keep us moment by moment, day by day, from the power of evil, steadfast and true in this phase of the message.
