Our mission for the cities of the world is to bring the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His saving power to every individual in the great metropolitan centers. Total Evangelism is to be our key to urban ministry. I believe the pattern has been set by our Saviour Himself in Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Our work in the urban setting is to be patterned after Christ's work in a realistic sense. We are to combine both the spiritual and the physical methods of evangelizing the cities in a program of Total Evangelism.
The Lord has marked out the way in which His people are to carry forward a work of physical healing, combined with the teaching of the word. Sanitariums are to be established, and with these institutions are to be connected workers who will carry forward genuine medical missionary work. Thus a guarding influence is thrown around those who come to the sanitariums for treatment.
This is the provision the Lord has made whereby gospel medical missionary work is to be done for many souls. These institutions are to be established out of the cities, and in them educational work is to be intelligently carried forward. —Medical Ministry, p. 14.
Since I am immersed in urban evangelism in the largest city in the United States, I will use New York as' a representative model for the following urban evangelism framework. Total evangelistic work in New York City is to take on a significant meaning in terms of world wide impact. It is to be "a symbol of the work the Lord desires to see done in the world" (Evangelism, p. 385).
Spirit of Prophecy counsels
Let us briefly examine some of the Spirit of Prophecy's recommendations regarding Total Evangelism for urban religious work.
Evangelistic work, opening the Scriptures to others, warning men and women of what is coming upon the world, is to occupy more and still more of the time of God's servants. —Ibid., p. 17 (1906).
To start medical missionary work in New York will be the best thing that you can do. ... In New York there are many who are ripe for the harvest. ... In our large cities the medical missionary work must go hand in hand with the gospel ministry. It will open doors for the entrance of truth.—Ibid., p. 387 (1901).
The ministry to the physical and the spiritual are to blend, leading the afflicted ones to trust in the power of the heavenly Physician.—Medical Ministry, p. 248.
Further investigation indicates the following counsel: We need the best workers in New York City (Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 37). We are to have evangelists who will forcefully preach the third angel's message (Evangelism, p. 38). We are to have companies of workers to work with evangelists to prepare for and help reap the harvest (Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 109). Our workers are to go two by two to the doors of the city (Evangelism, p. 437). City missions are to be established where Bible workers, evangelists, and literature evangelists work (Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 37). Medical missions are to be established in every city (Medical Ministry, p. 322). Vegetarian restaurants, health-food stores, and medical treatment centers are to be established in the city (ibid., p. 306).
The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that outpost facilities are to be established around the cities from which the cities are to be worked. We are told that we need an outpost facility near New York City:
We need a sanitarium and a school in the vicinity of New York City, and the longer the delay in the securing of these, the more difficult it will become. It would be well to secure a place as a home for our mission workers outside the city. . . . Such a home would be a welcome retreat for our workers, where they may be away from the bustle and confusion of the city. . . .
Let men of sound judgment be appointed, not to publish abroad their intentions, but to search for such properties in the rural districts, in easy access to the cities, suitable for small training schools for workers, and where facilities may also be provided for treating the sick and weary souls who know not the truth. Look for such places just out from the large cities, where suitable buildings may be secured, either as a gift from the owners, or purchased at a reasonable price by the gifts of our people. Do not erect buildings in the noisy cities. —Ibid., pp. 308, 309.
Rural outposts
Thus from investigation of these statements, it appears that the cities of the world should be worked from out post centers in the country where workers live and come into the city to labor in house-to-house evangelism, local church evangelism, public evangelism, literature evangelism, and in medical missions and vegetarian restaurants.
God seems to be indicating to us that our church mission to the great urban centers is to bring Christ to people in the city, allow the power of the Holy Spirit to convert them, and then help them to get oat of the city.
The trades unions and confederacies of the world are a snare. Keep out of them, and away from them, brethren. Have nothing to do with them. Because of these unions and confederacies, it will soon be very difficult for our institutions to carry on their work in the cities. My warning is: Keep out of the cities. Build no sanitariums in the cities. Educate our people to get out of the cities into the country, where they can obtain a small piece of land, and make a home for themselves and their children. . . .
Our restaurants must be in the cities; for otherwise the workers in these restaurants could not reach the people and teach them the principles of right living. And for the present we shall have to occupy meeting houses in cities. But erelong there will be such strife and confusion in the cities, that those who wish to leave them will not be able. We must be preparing for these issues. This is the light that is given me.—Selected Messages, book 2, p. 142.
We should be warning all those in the cities who can, to get out of the city while they are still able to do so, for the Lord has indicated that the time will soon come when those who wish to leave the cities will not be able to do so.
More and more, as time advances, our people will have to leave the cities. For years we have been instructed that our brethren and sisters, and especially families with children, should plan to leave the cities as the way opens before them to do so. Many will have to labor earnestly to help open the way. But until it is possible for them to leave, so long as they remain, they should be most active in doing missionary work, however limited their sphere of influence may be. —Country Living, p. 25.
Indeed, it seems that God's plan for working the cities from outposts is to be more and more important as we near the end of time.
More and more, as wickedness increases in the great cities, we shall have to work them from outpost centers. This is the way Enoch labored in the days before the flood, when wickedness was rife in every populous community, and when violence was in the land. —Review and Herald, Sept. 27, 1906.
Some have asked, "If we are to work in the cities, should we not live in the cities?" The contemporary anthropological and sociological stance says, "If you wish to reach the city people you must eat, sleep, live, and breathe the city and neighborhood in order to identify with the people." Such a position appeals to human logic, but seemingly does not harmonize with God's counsel. Some may say that "the rural life ideal" that prevails in the church is not unique to Adventists, but was taken over from others by church pioneers and has be come the cultural hand baggage that still constitutes much of the church's value system, and that we need to shed or modify that concept.
Central issues
If so, then the real issue is not necessarily the method of evangelizing urban areas but a question of whether the Spirit of Prophecy is literally correct for con temporary society in its assertions, and if not, what is the nature of its inspiration? This approach could be termed demythologizing Ellen G. White. The topic of the Spirit of Prophecy's authenticity and inspired veracity is a complete subject in itself. This article is based upon a literal acceptance of the Spirit of Prophecy as fully applicable for the highly complex and sophisticated world of the latter twentieth century.
Consider the following quotations in light of the assertions made thus far:
The cities are to be worked from out posts. Said the messenger of God, "Shall not the cities be warned? Yes; not by God's people living in them, but by their visiting them, to warn them of what is coming upon the earth." . . .
Repeatedly the Lord has instructed us that we are to work the cities from outpost centers. In these cities we are to have houses of worship, as memorials for God, but institutions for the publication of our literature, for the healing of the sick, and for the training of workers, are to be established outside the cities. Especially is it important that our youth be shielded from the temptations of city life. . . .
"Out of the cities; out of the cities!" —this is the message the Lord has been giving me. The earthquake will come; the floods will come; and we are not to establish our selves in the wicked cities; where the enemy is served in every way, and where God is so often forgotten. The Lord desires that we shall have clear spiritual eyesight. We must be quick to discern the peril that would attend the establishment of institutions in these wicked cities. We must make wise plans to warn the cities, and at the same time live where we can shield our children and ourselves from the contaminating and demoralizing influences so prevalent in these places." —Country Living, pp. 30-32.
These quotations are very pointed and explicit, but, some ask, how do we reconcile them with a statement such as:
We see the great need of missionary work to carry the truth not only to foreign countries, but to those who are near us. Close around us are cities and towns in which no efforts are made to save souls. Why should not families who know the present truth settle in these cities and villages, to set up there the standard of Christ, working in humility, not in their own way, but in God's way, to bring the light before those who have no knowledge of it? —Christian Service, p. 180. (Italics supplied.)
Without careful study the following quotation would seem to contradict the previous one:
As far as possible, our institutions should be located away from the cities. We must have workers for these institutions, and if they are located in the city, that means that families of our people must settle near them. But it is not God's will that His people shall settle in the cities, where there is constant turmoil and confusion.—Country Living, p. 30. (Italics supplied.)
A very possible answer could be that one must examine all the material of the Spirit of Prophecy to determine the general principle. I believe careful investigation shows that the principle is to live outside the city and to go into the city to work. Therefore one statement does not negate a voluminous mountain of mate rial that points to living in the country—not in the city. Ellen White may well have meant to settle just on the outskirts of these cities as she indicated in other counsel (see Evangelism, p. 402). The statement regarding settling in cities and villages was written in 1891. The following quotations both from before 1891 and after that date indicate that her outpost country concepts remained the same.
Many parents remove from their country homes to the city, regarding it as a more desirable or profitable location. But by making this change they expose their children to many and great temptations. . . . How much better had the parents remained with their families in the country, where the influences are most favorable for physical and mental strength. —Review and Herald, Sept. 13, 1881.
When iniquity abounds in a nation, there is always to be heard some voice giving warning and instruction, as the voice of Lot was heard in Sodom. Yet Lot could have preserved his family from many evils had he not made his home in this wicked, polluted city. All that Lot and his family did in Sodom could have been done by them, even if they had lived in a place some distance away from the city. Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city polluted with every kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom. —Evangelism, p. 78 (1903).
It will be a great advantage to have our buildings in retired locations so far as possible. The healthfulness of the surroundings should be fully considered. Locations should be selected a little out from the noisy cities. Those who labor in the large cities need special advantages, that they may not be called to sacrifice life or health unnecessarily. —Medical Ministry, p. 309 (1909).
In 1899 Ellen White resoundingly stated God's position in the plainest terms possible: "As God's commandment-keeping people, we must leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work in the cities but not dwell in them." —Evangelism, pp. 77, 78. (Italics sup plied.)
No change
The cities today seem to be no better morally or spiritually than they were in Ellen White's time. If anyone disagrees, let them work and walk in the streets of New York City as my colleagues and I do. Then the decadency of urban life will become a reality.
The best time to evangelize the cities is in the past. We face incredible challenges and problems, but I fully believe God's urban plans will ultimately succeed. These plans have never been given a full opportunity to succeed. S. N. Haskell and others attempted to carry these plans out in New York City at the turn of the century, but the work soon faded. To a certain extent the church has accepted the "into the country" counsel, and yet has not carried out the second phase of going back into the city to work. It is time to try the entire plan outlined by the Spirit of Prophecy. It needs to be given a chance to succeed. In specific references to New York City, Ellen White said:
Think you that if I had said that New York would be destroyed by a tidal wave, I should have urged the purchase of property only sixty miles away from this city, as a sanitarium site, and a place from which New York could be worked? —Ibid., p. 388.
I have seen representations of several locations in high altitudes, that should be secured for sanitarium purposes. Your description of the property forty-eight miles from New York City seems to correspond to these representations. In such places the air is bracing, and induces deep breathing, which is very beneficial. —Letter 136, 1909.
Could it be that the outpost facility that would provide a home for urban evangelistic workers, a sanitarium re treat center, and a training school for urban evangelism is not an outdated concept? It appears that the Lord has given the specific counsel regarding medical missionary work in order to establish a Total Evangelism program that is founded on a self-sustaining economic base— "God's Spirit-filled business." Medical missionary work is not to make vast amounts of money but is to sustain evangelistic efforts and personnel within the large cities operating from rural bases and small urban centers.
We know that Christ carries a heavy burden for the cities of the world. Luke 19:41, 42, shows Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. I feel this is symbolic of His weeping for the millions of people living in the congested centers of the world.
Some may question, "Is there a different method to be used in New York City than has been discussed? Have the methods been changed? Are they out dated?" In view of these questions, consider the words written by Ellen White in 1910 in Medical Ministry, page 304:
There is no change in the messages that God has sent in the past. The work in the cities is the essential work for this time. When the cities are worked as God would have them, the result will be the setting in operation of a mighty movement such as we have not yet witnessed. (Italics supplied.)
Since time is so short before Christ's second coming, let's give God's plan, as outlined in the Spirit of Prophecy, a final chance to succeed. God fully deserves our complete faith in Him and His methods so that the "mighty movement" can begin!
