There are two and a half times as many clergy of other denominations receiving Ministry as there are Seventh-day Adventists. To be more specific, according to recent figures there are over 47,000 clergy of other denominations who receive Ministry, to just under 19,000 Adventist pastors and elders.
By now most of our Seventh-day Adventist readers know about Roland Hegstad, Robert Spangler, and Floyd Bresee's visionary "Pastors Reaching Every Active Clergy Home" (PREACH). The heart of this initiative sends Ministry magazine every odd-numbered month to as many non-Seventh-day Adventist clergy as desire it. Since its beginnings almost 30 years ago, this outreach has done a great deal of good.
Because of PREACH, Ministry has consistently been an influence in the lives of thousands of clergy who would other wise hardly know anything of much substance about Seventh-day Adventists. It has helped to provide them with a positive, informed understanding of our Church, while it has enriched their ministry and been instrumental in bringing some into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
It is important to know that giving other clergy a consistent chance to "read over the Adventist shoulder," has through the years inevitably created a substantial core of loyal clerical friends who now feel that Ministry is their magazine.
Because of these loyalties Ministry receives an ever-increasing number of manuscripts and article queries from clergy who naturally want their work published in the magazine. With more than twice as many non-Adventist as Adventist clergy receiving the journal, it is not surprising that we receive a large and ever-increasing number of pro posed articles from our non-Adventist readers.
All of this, however, presents us with a challenge. Here's an excerpt from a letter I received recently: "Lately I have noticed that our magazine ... has more writers from other denominations. It is certainly reflecting a more ecumenical approach.... Is this what our Adventist organization wants? . . . Does our Church want to be seen within the melting pot of the brotherhood of churches with no particular message and uniqueness?"
At Ministry, we are by all means determined to maintain a true Seventh-day Adventist distinctiveness. At the same time, we do not wish to discourage these friends of ours who wish to be a part of the Ministry writing venture and whom we would like to have fully with us in faith and commitment.
With all this in mind, we intentionally limit ourselves to two non-Adventist authors per PREACH issue of Ministry. This means that out of the 90 to 100 articles we publish each year, there are 12 to 14 written by non-Adventist clergy. In the light of the increasing number of fine manuscripts we receive from these ministers, in the future we may edge this number up to three per PREACH issue, as we have done once or twice during the last few months.
We do not believe doing this promotes "ecumenism." To encourage ecumenism as Seventh-day Adventists understand it and even as it is commonly understood in the general Christian world today, is simply not our motivation. Ecumenism, among other things, is the philosophy or practice that searches for ways to unite all faiths, confining them within the bounds of one super-administrated system of lowest-common-denominator unanimity.
In the light of biblical prophecy, Seventh-day Adventists know that the ecumenical path will lead to an oppressive, monolithic church (the fully fledged Babylon) ultimately controlled by the dictatorship of anti-christ. The danger in such alliances is clearly identified. Avoiding these realities is certainly a part of our concern in the publication of Ministry and in the way we implement PREACH.
In virtually every quarter of our Church we read and quote the work of persons who are not Seventh-day Adventist. Mrs. White clearly read broadly and in her works, published by the Church, extensively used the writing of the authors she admired—Cumming, D'Aubigne, Edersheim, Farrar, March, Wylie, and many others.
The issue is, of course, to do this responsibly, adaptively, discriminatingly, and faithfully. While we sincerely want to be cooperative and friendly in our relationships with other Christian people, that does not imply a desire for any kind of doctrinal and organizational unity.
With all these things in mind, George Knight's thought-provoking cover article is presented this month: "Another Look at Babylon: Cooperating With Other Christians?" When it comes to the matter of properly relating to other Christian people and organizations, it is important that we search out the will of God and the actual ways of our Lord as they are exposed to us in the Bible. Along with this, the objective historical material presented in this month's lead article presents us with the challenge to freshly and faithfully consider these important, far-reaching issues.
