Refocusing the adventist health message

Ellen White and other founders of the Adventist Church had an interest in temperance and health from the beginning.

In fact, Mrs. White had her first vision on health in 1848, in which she was shown that "not only was tobacco harmful, but also that tea and coffee were injurious." However, not until June 6, 1863, at Otsego, Michigan, did she have her first major "health vision." This was less than three weeks after the adoption of the first constitution of the General Conference and the election of its first officers. The focus of this vision was personal preventive medicine and health improvement, and the interventions recommended were lifestyle in nature. By 1866 The Health Reformer appeared, and the Western Health Reform Institute was opened at Battle Creek, Michigan, the forerunner of the much larger Medical and Surgical Sanitarium, opened in 1878 under the direction of the talented young Dr. John H. Kellogg.

Today, the church has a global net work of high-quality hospitals and clinics, and a real emphasis on personal health outreach endeavors, such as healthful cooking classes, stop-smoking plans, and health-screening vans. In addition, scientific studies of Adventist health beliefs and practices have brought respect for Adventist health in circles where other aspects of Adventism are often considered unattractive. Our research studies have played an important part in demonstrating to the scientific community that a proper diet, particularly a vegetarian diet, and the lifestyle we have always believed is healthy does indeed promote good health. Our views on diet and health are no longer considered mere pronouncements of a nineteenth-century visionary. In fact, logical interfaces between religion and health continue and are increasingly recognized among non- Adventist scholars. ¹

Religion and health: the connection

Perhaps the most obvious connection between religion and health follows from the concept of a Creator-God. God's amazing creative fashioning of the human organism, with its profound biochemical, physiological, psychological, social, and moral components deserves the most fastidious care. Intelligently embracing the creation concept may also lead to the adoption of a vegetarian diet not only out of respect for the life of animals, but also in consideration of a more prudent use of earth's resources.

Second, the Biblical concept that God is a God of love leads to an under standing that He cares for the health of His creatures, providing guidance in promoting good health and extended productive life. Such guidance is found in the Bible. But Adventists also affirm additional revelation in the arena of healthful living in the work of Ellen White. These additional insights are particularly well suited to preventing the diseases that are part of an affluent culture. A lifestyle that includes a heavy meat diet and little exercise was perhaps not as great a problem in biblical times, but today the extremity of these practices in wealthy societies calls for greater attention to lifestyle issues and their relationship to faith.

Third, is healthful living a part of the salvation process? Paul's argument that our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit first of all presupposes healthy moral behavior, but it also implies that the gospel calls for preserving the body temple in good physical condition. Is it possible that the way we eat, the number of hours we sleep, and how we exercise can affect our thinking and our spiritual perception?

Supporting a health ministry

Adventism's emphasis on personal health is going through troubled times. Our original health message was a mix of healing for those already ill and of an emphasis on "right" living to prevent disease in the first place. Today, the emphasis seems to be on medical institutions and modern healing, with little attempt to support personal disease prevention. True, our traditional emphasis on healthful living has not been abandoned altogether, but with reduced corporate emphasis and support, how long can our health message be sustained? Are we as involved as we could and should be in community health outreach and promotion? How long has it been since you heard or preached a sermon on the importance of personal health? In the North American Division, very few unions or local conferences continue to maintain health secretaries who could provide effective leadership in health education. Are the "glory days" of Adventist personal health practice behind us?

Church administrators have many priorities and pressures. For this reason they may not see health ministry as a matter of urgent importance. In some cases, thoughtful Adventist groups emphasizing personal health are looked upon as ultraconservative, with ideas that run contrary to good sense, modern medical knowledge, and even the Spirit of Prophecy.

Our theologians also do not seem to give priority to health as a bona fide part of our belief system. Although most are personally committed to a healthy lifestyle, health as a tenet of the faith often seems to be somewhat of an embarrassment, sometimes passed off as a quirk of our past. Consequently, the theology of health is poorly developed. Along with this, there is the stigma of legalism attached to those Adventists who want to practice and propagate an effective health message.

Contemporary goals for Adventist health emphasis

Has our model of health promotion within and without the church been less successful than we expected? As far as disease prevention is concerned, studies of the positive effects of Adventist health lifestyle indicate striking success.² We have also had impressive results in employing our health message as an "entering wedge" in evangelism. A concerned member can make a significant physical and spiritual impact on needy, interested people through a thoughtful application of health principles. Yet to be most successful, this preventive care needs to be given in the context of love and compassion, without any hidden agenda.

Some evangelists focus on the is sues of faith, supplementing their presentations with health materials. Many in the audience attend because of their interest in the religious theme, but the non-threatening health supplement may often be seen as a welcome bonus, even if it means some difficult changes. Such presentations of health topics can enhance the long-term commitment of converts to the church.

One crucial motivation for continuing a strong health ministry is often overlooked: the nurture of existing members. If the health message has value, it must be preserved in the existing church body. This will not happen without a serious commitment of corporate and local church interest and resources. Programs directed toward existing church members should be of high quality so as to benefit both the local church members and through their ministry, the community.

While acknowledging and respecting the Spirit of Prophecy, materials presented to the church and community need to be up-to-date and reflect the current state of health knowledge. Members are less likely to feel that they have "heard it all before" if care is taken to enliven and contemporize the topic with current information. Even so, repetition of basic materials at suitable intervals is valuable as a means of reinforcement. Health education now is a scholarly discipline, and efforts that do not conform to certain standards of both information and presentation will reflect badly on the church.

Without the motivational link be tween health and faith, most non- Adventists have serious difficulty making a transition to healthful living. This is so despite the profusion of scientific evidence and informative educational materials. This is also a present danger for long-time Adventists. If the Adventist health emphasis loses its connection with the issues of biblical faith and suffers from a lost or further reduced visibility in the Adventist Church, and if support from church leadership for the health message be comes even less evident, why would Adventists not experience the same difficulties as others in effectively modifying and maintaining their health habits?

Thus there is a critical need for us to continually incorporate healthful living as an integral part of our religious faith and practice. Along with the emphasis of the Spirit of Prophecy, this linkage can be supported from both the Old and New Testaments, and also by the health experience of generations of Adventists. There is also limited but growing evidence that faith in God contributes to better relations with others and with oneself, and it thereby may lead to better health.

Conclusion

The critical concern is that we fully embrace and not lose sight of the fact that the redemptive process of the gospel includes the whole person: body, mind, and soul. Does faith in God con tribute to better relations with others and with oneself, therefore increasing the possibility of better health? Of course it does.

On the basis of revealed principles and scientific evidence, Adventism's health emphasis of many decades has been a real force for good in its work in the local and global community. Our "health message" will indeed guide us to better health, so honoring God. But we should not use such "lifestyle works" as a litmus test of spirituality, or as a basis for criticism of our fellow believers (see Romans 14). Beyond good health, healthy living may be valued as one other discipline to help us along the spiritual pathway.