Editorial Postscripts

EVANGELIZE!—If your membership is stagnating—evangelize. If your church is plagued by factions—evangelize. If your Sab­bath school attendance is down—evangelize. If your prayer meeting interest is at low ebb—evan­gelize. If Adventists are unknown in your com­munity, and the public unfriendly--evangelize. If you are having a struggle to raise your Ingather­ing—evangelize. If your operating funds are meager—evangelize. Evangelism is the cure for a multitude of ills. Those who have tried it tes­tify that it works. It often proves to be the salva­tion of the church and the individual. If your church is not evangelistic, it is retrograding, shrinking, and dourting trouble. Put the restless, latent talents of your church membership to work for souls. Harness your musicians. Enlist your youth. Draft upon those with any special train­ing or capability. Again we say, Evangelize!

PROTESTERS!—When an individual is constrained rather frequently to protest his loyalty and adherence to the Spitit of prophecy—health reform, or to some other fundamental—he cannot rightfully complain if he creates a sus­picion that there is some reason for such necessity. Whether he senses it or not, he thereby lays him­self open to the suspicion that the position he holds is perhaps different from that held by his brethren. They cannot be censured if they remark to themselves, "Methinks thou dost protest too much," and wonder why this constant protestation is necessary. If we are loyal and fundamentally sound, do not our conversations, our sermons, our writings, and our attitudes attest it without further announcement ? Were anyone constantly to protest that he is an honest man, many would wonder why that assertion seemed necessary. Our actions and attitudes outweigh our words.

WRECKERS!—Some critics complain that they do not receive enough denominational at­tention. The simple fact is that we are too busy about our Father's business to be diverted. We have an urgent work to do. We live in emergency times and conditions, and cannot afford to turn aside to gratify their inordinate craving for atten­tion. Every hour spent with captious quibblers de­prives us of that much priceless time for teaching saving truth to inquiring souls. A world wreck is on, and we are busy with the lifeboats, trying to rescue as many as possible of the perishing. Critic, how about trying a hand at saving souls instead of seeking to scuttle, or at least hamper, the lifeboats? That would be a revolutionary change, but it would be worth while. It would change you from a negative to a positive force. How tragic is the lot of those misguided malcontents whose goal in life is to overturn lifeboats, to undermine faith in the character, competence, and sincerity of the rescuers, and to hamper the rescue work com­missioned of God for this story hour. Yours is an awful responsibility in trying to pull away per­sons clinging to the gunwales or climbing into the lifeboats, back into the churning sea ; yea, more, to inveigle them out of their appointed places in the lifeboats. Tragic will be the fate of such subver­sives, for they are accountable unto God for every opposing word and act. God pity the soul wrecker!

AVERAGE!—We should not depreci­ate the average worker. By the law of averages there will be but relatively few exceptional workers —brilliant scholars, powerful speakers, extraor­dinary writers, or unusual administrators. There are few ten-talent men and women. Most of us fall within the plodder type, with five talents or two. Many men can do successful work in a more constricted field, who become misfits, lost and out of place, if put into too large or complicated a situation. Many are successful in a moderate-sized town, who would be unsuccessful in a great city.. Not many, comparatively, can be made over. Let us appreciate, encourage, and use the man with average ability. He fills a vital place, for most places and most people are average. He comprises the backbone of our structure. What would happen if all men were stars of the first magnitude, content only in unusual situations? What would we do for the smaller places? How would we reach the average community? Thank God for the earnest, faithful, average worker!

PROTECTIONISM!—There is a well-intentioned but nonetheless fallacious concept held by some, that only an inner few are capable of understanding the full facts of perplexing features of intricate problems—that the rank and file of our workers and people would become confused by them and be incapable of reaching sound and true conclusions. Therefore certain difficult and perplexing matters had better not be discussed or made available. This journal dissents most ear­nestly from that mistaken philosophy. Give our workers the full facts in their setting. Given a fair field, with no favors or impediments, all will be well. Our workers have a great deal of innate good sense and fundamental understanding. Once they have the full facts they will form sound conclusions. No protectionist hand is needed to steady the ark of truth, as was attempted by Uzzah of old, lest it topple when shaken by the oxen. Let us credit others with the same good judgment, intelligence, and loyalty we claim for ourselves.

The full truth has nothing to fear.                      

L. E. F.