In this issue we are honoring the College of Medical Evangelists. Half a century has slipped into eternity since this wonderful institution was founded. And what a contribution it has made! In the growth of the Advent Movement we have had many marvelous evidences of providential guidance, but none more remarkable than those that led to the establishment of this unique medical college. Only eternity will reveal the full results.
When the apostle Paul spoke of Luke as an associate evangelist, he did not call him an assistant, or a helper, but "the beloved physician." Luke must have been wonderfully kind and sympathetic to have inspired that title. He was a doctor, but he was more. While busily engaged in soul-winning work he was also the historian of the early church. He recorded how those first evangelistic teams swept through the great centers of paganism, heralding the good news of the kingdom of God. Their enemies declared they had turned the world upside down. And they had, because their message unfolded a new way of life. They not only taught wonderful things but they backed up their teaching by practical living.
In the apostolic pattern there is the clearest and most wholesome cooperation between the preacher and the doctor. Medical missionary work was a vital part of the apostles' program, as it must be of ours. Today as we survey the great centers of population that make up our world, infinitely larger and more complex than those apostolic preachers ever knew, we can thank God that we have, not one physician, but hundreds and hundreds of dedicated doctors associating with our preachers and teachers. If we were to use Pauline language, we would speak not of "the beloved physician" but of "the beloved institution of physicians"—the training center of most of our medical missionaries. From the College of Medical Evangelists dedicated men and women are serving and sacrificing at the very ends of the earth. They could be at home enjoying the comforts of a lucrative practice. But instead they are bringing health and healing to scores of thousands who so desperately need the skilled and gentle touch of these beloved workers. Physicians, nurses, dentists, dietitians, physiotherapists, and technicians are all playing a vital part in the heralding of the everlasting gospel. Jesus said, "Preach the word" and "heal the sick." And in these commands is the divine pattern of service. His work embraced preaching, teaching, and healing with the result that "great multitudes followed."
Sensing the need of highly skilled and well-trained workers to meet the demand of these closing days of earth's history, the Lord gave clear instruction concerning the establishment of Loma Linda. The pioneers, guided by these inspired counsels of His Spirit, laid the foundation stones of this great institution in the spirit of devotion and prayer. Their assets were small, but their vision was clear and their faith large.
Now, half a century later, what do we see? Not a few scattered classrooms with half a dozen earnest students, but a modem, well-equipped institution able to take its place among the leading institutions of its kind, not only in this country but in the world. Looking back over the years, we see progress in every line, but the greatest cause for rejoicing is that during these years of growth those high standards that have made the College of Medical Evangelists unique among institutions of its kind are being emphasized today as clearly as they were fifty years ago. To all who have had a part in building and guiding this center of learning, we say, "Thank you and may God reward you." To those who in this last, most desperate hour of history have been called to the leadership of this noble work, we say, "God bless you and keep your vision clear." And may this "beloved institution of physicians" continue to be as a city set upon a hill, that the light of healing and truth may beam far into the night of ignorance and suffering. And may there continue to pour forth from its classrooms an increasing number of dedicated medical evangelists to add to the great contribution already being made to the finishing of God's work in this generation.
R. A. A.
