FOR some time it was felt that we needed a new method of approach in presenting the Advent message in the northern cities of our division.
Our president, Pastor Eva, conceived the rather daring plan of my going from city to city conducting full-scale campaigns with the aid of interpreters. I say daring, because this is not a mission field where such necessities are looked upon as normal, but includes such centers of sophistication as Stockholm---one of the proudest cities of the world. How would the plan work? Would people sit through many weeks of "interruption"? Could we get every point of the message across satisfactorily?
Advertising
Conferences here are fairly small, so in order not to create financial difficulties, advertising is kept to a minimum. Posted invitations, an opening handbill (limited in distribution by the comparatively few avail able members), and an opening advertisement in the newspapers is all we use. But through the years I have become convinced that this is sufficient if the subject is well chosen for its general appeal.
About twenty-five years ago in Australia I originated the Bible Lands method of presenting the opening prophecies using the title "Dead Men Do Tell Tales." The title served well in New Zealand, Australia, and England but we thought it would be useless in Scandinavia or Poland where, lacking the English background of the pirate days, the opposite expression, "Dead men tell no tales" is unknown. Nevertheless, adaptations have been made and the prophecies of Daniel 2 and others have been opened up to large and appreciative audiences. Here in Helsinki we opened with 8,000 people despite the fact that it was---23 C.
Type of People
What kind of people do we face in this part of the world? As far as religious background is concerned, the question can be answered simply---solid Lutheran. Throughout Scandinavia the population is 98 per cent Lutheran, varying from the very conservative that one would expect in the locked-away mountain district of Bergen, Norway (where recently we have had a wonderful campaign), through the modern of Stockholm to the "primitive," fer vent faith of Finland. It comes as quite a surprise to learn that there are more Adventists in these countries than Catholics in fact in all Sweden there are only about 2,000 Catholics and most are migrants. Pentecostalism takes care of the more emotional elements who need a little more effervescence than Lutheranism provides--- and the religious spectrum is about as simple as that.
Style of Presentation
Of course, we have had to make a few adjustments in preaching; this is only to be expected. But in many cases I believe that as evangelists we fool ourselves when we look for vast differences among the peoples of the world. I believe, as my dear friend George Burnside in Australia often says, "People are about the same everywhere." The Bible has demonstrated that it has universal appeal. Naturally, ethnic and cultural backgrounds have to be taken into consideration. Here in these lands the people do not have such a close connection with the Greco-Roman world that people with English-American backgrounds share. There is very little Latin borrowing or imagery in the languages and this can present more difficulties than one would suppose. Then, too, the comparative scarcity of available literature has to be taken into consideration. Even our own denominational literature is much reduced in variety.
We like to begin by laying down a firm platform of faith in the Bible and then we establish faith in the Christ of the Bible and lead to conversion. We talk about the compromise with the truth that was effected by old Babylon and show how modern Babylon followed in the same path, and how God is calling for a restoration to take place.
Here on the Continent I feel that people like to identify truth with Europe and not so much with some Anglo-American background. The 2300-day prophecy is, therefore, shown as the prophecy their own forefathers loved to study in these lands. Daniel's four beasts and the interpretation, all carved in stone on a German Rathaus, are pictured to illustrate the universal appeal that these subjects had. The Reformation and the Thirty Years' War all contribute their points as we lead people from the known to the unknown.
Along with many slides, we use charts and blackboard and much handout material---sheets of notes for a make-up book, the sheets being read right through with the audience following. When it comes to blackboard work, I always write the points in Swedish or Norwegian or Finnish or whatever the language may be. This makes a friendly point, for very few foreigners in these parts take the trouble to learn any words of the language. The audience always shows great appreciation for this effort and many remarks are passed. The ten points of Revelation 14 are not so easy to memorize when just one word "worldwide" looks like this: mailmanlaajuinen (Finnish).
Bible Seminar
Of course, we make all our reaping work center around the Bible seminar where the people gather for Sabbath morning meetings from the fifth week of the campaign. After about four such Sabbath mornings they are moved to the church. At the present time in Helsinki we have 530 attending the Sabbath morning seminar. How many from a seminar are usually baptized? It depends a great deal on the experience of the team. In Australia, where we usually had the help of men who had been with campaigns or had had experience, a seminar of 185 on one occasion yielded 143; another seminar of 123 brought 100 baptisms.
Response
These wonderful people respond just as in other lands, although they are definitely more reserved at first. The Swedish people are outgoing but the Finnish people are quieter and more serious-minded. Some thing humorous that provokes a smile in other places, falls dead in these lands. But then, after a certain stage is reached, a change comes over them and a warmth becomes evident. Smiles and gifts and bunches of flowers appear (in these countries a man can receive flowers), and an appreciation is evident that has to be seen to be believed.
Just a night or two ago we had our big call forward for prayer at the eighth mid week meeting and the whole audience of 1,200 (two sessions) came forward and knelt at the front and in the aisles. Even though the call had to go through an interpreter the response was the same as in other lands.
Problems
In evangelism there are always problems, but they are there to be overcome. I am sure more of our men could engage in evangelism if they refused to allow the devil to tell them that it can't be done. Not the least of our problems, of course, has to do with translation, and although I have had some good men, I long to be unfettered and able to express myself in flowing English rather than in short, jerky, colorless sentences. All printed and duplicated material has to be patiently translated too, and this calls for many hours of effort.
The climate adds its difficulties, with men trying to visit when it is 20 C. and roads are icy. Plodding through snow for months on end gets a little tiresome. When the sun sets in winter a little after midday on Friday, it can be seen that plenty of work problems will be in evidence.
The seasonal interruptions, too, are bad for evangelism. Christmas and Easter make far bigger breaks than in England, America, or Australia. People stream from the cities to the old family homes in the country and life is disrupted for more than a month. Then after Easter, many thousands live away in their second home, or holiday stuga, right through the summer months, commuting long distances to their jobs. Many live one hundred kilometers away from the city. This aspect of life here (especially in Sweden) has to be seen to be believed. It, of course, means that an autumn campaign must be mainly over by Christmas, and a January campaign must be completely finished by early May, for those who don't go to live in stugas begin to fill the many planes that take them to the Spanish islands.
Hopes and Plans
We have many hopes and plans. Every worker in these lands is in our planning and every young worker is our future hope. We see a day coming when public evangelism will face a great upsurge and we are busy training men to that end. Right at this time our sixteen men con ducting efforts in Sweden are enjoying the best success they have ever had. They have changed their approach and some of them now begun to use public halls rather than churches.
The president of the North Swedish Conference, Eric Sunnermo, writes: "When we remember that we in Sweden used to start off with twenty or thirty listeners at our meetings, we rejoice that God is now giving us hundreds and even thousands." R. Engdahl, currently holding a thousand people in his midweek meeting and more on Sunday, says: "I am especially thankful for the privilege of standing before thousands witnessing to the reliability of the Bible, and uplifting Christ." R. Kvinge (Norway) tells of a good harvest in Bergen. Gosta Wiklander, president of the South Sweden Conference, writes: "It is really burning a fire of evangelism here in the south."
We have been commissioned to preach the gospel, and, brethren, that should be our primary task. We should not excuse ourselves because of apparent difficulties. As I think of my brethren who so bravely carry on in lands such as India, the Middle East, and the Far East, I know that they face greater difficulties than ever we do here in the frozen north, and I thank God for the pleasant pastures He has given us here. Perhaps there are others of us who should "gird up the loins" of evangelism and give the devil a mighty blow as we hasten the return of Jesus.
