SEPTEMBER 2008Volume 120 No. 6

FEATURES

A Passion�For�Souls� 5by Glenn D. Black

DEPARTMENTS The�Editor’s�View 2The�President’s�Page 3Letters�To�The�Editor 4The�World�To�Win 4Faculty�Forum 6Called�Unto�Holiness 8News�From�The�Hilltop 10Revivalist�Family 10Dear�Phil 14World�Pulse 15Media�Minute 15Alumni�News 16Revivalist�Pulpit 17We�Believe 21Thoughts�For�The�Quiet�Hour 23

EDITORLarry D. Smith

STAFFKevin Moser, art director, managing editor

Brandon Hilligoss, graphic designer

Jon Plank, graphic designer, webmaster

Mandy Buckland, interim production manager

God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate (ISSN 0745-0788) is published nine times ayear for $10.00 per year ($28.00, Canada; $45.00, foreign countries) by theRevivalist Press of God’s Bible School, College and Missionary Training Home,1810 Young Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Periodical postage paid atCincinnati, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send addresschanges to God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate, 1810 Young Street,Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate, the official organ of God’s Bible School, is amagazine founded by Martin Wells Knapp in July of 1888. We seek to proclaimthe good news of salvation; to stir a revival spirit among Christians; to stimulateChristian growth and responsible Christian living; to present the happenings andinterests of God’s Bible School.

Please obtain permission before reprinting any articles from God’s Revivalist andBible Advocate. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcomed, but not returned.

God’s Bible School and College seeks to glorify God and to serve His Church byproviding higher education centered in Holy Scripture and shaped by Wesleyanconviction, thus preparing faithful servants to proclaim Jesus Christ and spreadscriptural holiness throughout the world.

God’s Bible School and College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race,color, national or ethnic origin, or against otherwise qualified handicapped per-sons in its admission of students or employment of its faculty and staff.

Contact us by telephone at (513) 721-7944 (Revivalist Press, ext. 296); by faxat (513) 721-1357; by email at revivalist@gbs.edu or gbs4u@gbs.edu. Visitus online at www.gbs.edu or www.godsrevivalist.com.

COVER PHOTO ©2008 Jupiter Images

CONTENTS

LARRY D. SMITH

“Preserving our holiness heritage”? Your editor beginsthis two-part discussion on how to do it.

BEES IN AMBER

Did you ever see a bee in amber? Amber is atranslucent fossil resin that originated as a sticky,yellowish-brown liquid secreted by ancient trees.

Now, though, it has become so hard that it is often shapedand polished into ornamental objects. Each of these hasits own appeal, but it is even more valuable when it con-tains a perfectly preserved bee that meandered into thegoo thousands of years ago and never left. Michael Engle,a museum assistant, actually uses the word “enthralling”when he describes such a specimen. “It sits there in all itscolor and glory in a way that a dinosaur cannot,” heexplains. “The only difference from a live specimen is thatit’s not moving.”

But that difference is basic—the difference betweenlife and death! Exquisite in perfect detail, the bee is dis-played like Snow White sleeping in her crystal coffin; butunlike Snow White, the bee shall never be awakened bya handsome prince. So lifelike, yet so lifeless! It is no won-der that we are fascinated by such a marvel. Nineteencenturies ago, Marcus Martialis wrote, “The bee isenclosed and shines preserved in amber, so that it seemsenshrined in its own nectar.”

Yes, so lifelike, yet so lifeless! But this is the problemthat often plagues us preservationists. To pass on the trea-sures of our past is noble, even necessary. That’s whywe’re ready to join the great crusade, whether it’s to sparea Victorian mansion from demolition or a spiritual legacyfrom dilution. But at the same time, we must understandthe danger and confront it. For our efforts to preserve mayalso become instruments to distort—even to (p22)➡

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

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theeditor’s

view

America is blessed with lots of churches. Some sitastride prominent street corners proudly display-ing their architectural glory, while others are

tucked away indiscreetly between a used-shoe store anda day-old bakery in a weary strip mall on the side oftown where blight and crime prevail. Some have one-word names like “Grace.” Others have names so longand so full of biblical and ecclesiastical jargon that youcan’t say the full name without stopping to breathe.Some look like a church, while others look like a ware-house. However, it is not the architecture they display orthe appellation they wear that concerns me. I often

wonder how many of these places of worship are legitimate New Testament churches?Is there a way to know if a church is really a New Testament church? Can one gauge when a church has gone

too far on one hand or not far enough on the other to be considered an authentic Christian church? Can a churchcease to be a church, even though it opens every Sunday and is filled to capacity?

The New Testament doesn’t provide a definition of the local Church. The Greek word for church simply meansthe “called-out ones.” So how can one determine what actually qualifies an organization or an assembly of believ-ers as a New Testament church? The simple answer is that one has to go to the New Testament and look for the bib-lical characteristics of a local church and arrive at a definition based on them.

This process, of course, has been done many times. The Protestant reformers did so in the early 1500’s and saidthat a local church has two essential characteristics. First, it is where the Word of God is proclaimed; and second, itis where the sacraments are correctly taught and administered. This definition is a start, but it is seriously incomplete.Its focus is totally inward and ignores the most central mission of the church—making disciples. Any definition of thechurch must include not only what the church is, but also what the church does. The New Testament gives sevencritical elements that should make up any definition of a local church.

The local church is essential (Matthew 16:18). The local church is God’s only divinely sanctioned institution toreach the world for Christ. Thus, it is an indispensible, vital institution that cannot be replaced by anything else. Toignore or drop out of church, for whatever reason, is to oppose God’s ordained means of making disciples andmaturing the saints so that His Church might be built.

The local church is an assembly or gathering of disciples (I Thess. 1:1, Acts 14:27, Heb. 10:25). The churchis people. One person does not qualify as a church. It is a gathering of people who are professing believers inJesus Christ.

The local church is under leadership. Spiritual leadership is vital to spiritual health. The references are sim-ply too numerous to list that insist upon properly structured and ordained leadership within the church. Largeportions of what the Apostle Paul wrote are instructions as to how to establish the leadership roles of elder anddeacon in the local churches. No local church was ever to be a democracy or a consensus meeting. It was to beled by a group of men who met the spiritual, moral, and social qualifications outlined in the New (p9)➡

SEPTEMBER 2008

03

thepresident’s

page

IS YOUR CHURCH REALLY A CHURCH?

by Michael R. Avery, President

TO�THE�EDITOR�

MISSIONS�REPORTS

Each month we publish brief “field reports” from missionar-ies around the world. Missionaries are invited to send us theirnewsletters and other information about their activities. GBSgraduates are especially urged to respond, but we also wish to in-clude others who uphold our vision and our commitment.

EGYPT. “A four-year-old Muslim boy was brought tochurch after the service. The child had fallen fromthe rafters in the house. Now his legs no longerworked. After receiving medicine in the hospital,the boy’s hands, too, stopped functioning. At thehospital the mother and her children had heard thatJesus can heal. So the mother and the grandfathercarried the boy, Hosam, to Pastor Yohanna. He toldthem he could not heal, but that Jesus could. Themother, grandfather, and Hosam said they believedin Jesus whose name is in the Qur’an as Isa. Thepastor prayed. One week later they returned to seethe pastor, and Hosam was walking normally. Afterone day his hands had begun to work; after threedays the legs were normal. Others heard thestory…. Pastor has given each of these families tractsand tapes because they asked. Now please pray forthem as God leads you.” —Leroy Adams withYohanna Gherghis, Missionary Herald (EFM)

HONDURAS. “Please pray for the Comayague,Honduras, radio station. Pray for the ministry andthose who organize the young people operating it.Pray that God will supply the new equipment need-ed for upgrading and for adding new stations.”(Brady Duren, HIM) —Ropeholders

MONGOLIA. “Earlier this year we gathered togeth-er the 29 Mongolian children and had anotherrecording session of them singing hymns andChristian songs. With Brother Elon Morley directingthe children, they’ve learned how to sing in harmo-ny, and not only does it sound wonderful, but thechildren themselves thoroughly enjoy singing. Eachday, excepting Sunday morning, we have eveningand morning devotions with the children. (p19)➡

Letters should be addressed to the Editorial Office, 1810 YoungStreet, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, or emailed to revivalist@gbs.edu.Letters reprinted here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of theeditor of God’s Revivalist nor those of the administration of God’sBible School. Names and locations of writers will be withheld at theirspecific request or at the discretion of the editor. We reserve the rightto edit and condense.

A CHRISTIAN WEDDING

I have read and reread your article [“What Is aChristian Wedding?”] in the May edition of theRevivalist. I grew up in the “conservative holinesschurch” and have striven ever since to find someGod-oriented “balance.” I see your checklist as I seelots of things from my past, controlling and manipula-tive. I have watched so many of my generation movein the opposite way of godliness simply because ofthe pressure brought to bear by folks from yourschool of thought. We need to work out our ownsalvation with fear and trembling, as Paul said, notjust buy into a dress code. I believe that when wearrive at the pearly gates we’ll see all kinds of peoplethere, not just those who have subscribed to yourdress code that you refer to as “holiness.”

NAME WITHHELD

MODESTY IN ATTIRE

Thank you for printing the article on marriage[by Dr. Albert Mohler, summer Revivalist]. Anothercompliment for Dr. Mohler. His wife believes inmodesty and that Christian women should reflectthe heart of holiness in their attire. There are peo-ple in the denomination in which I hold member-ship who would call that legalistic.

RUTH WOODSEmail

ON STREETS OF GOLD

For decades you have cheered me as a “signalcorps” in sanctified expression and experience ofheaven-bound warriors. Saintly J. Wesley Adcockinspired me on our first meeting, and he evange-lized in southern Illinois when I was only in juniorhigh. At a revival my parents first met as (p21)➡

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SEPTEMBER 2008

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©2008 Jupiter Images

“If sinners will be damned, at leastlet them leap over our bodies.And if they will perish, let them

perish with our arms about theirknees, imploring them to stay.”

So wrote the great preacherand pastor C.H. Spurgeon in 1861.He continues, “If hel l must befilled, at least let it be filled in theteeth of our exertions; and let not

one go there unwarned and un-prayed for.”

O for a passion for souls!Abraham had a passion for souls

and pleaded for two God-defying, de-struction-deserving cities. Moses had apassion for souls and was willing forGod to blot him out. Elijah had a pas-sion for souls, and with heart and lipsaflame he called an apostate nation

back to God. Isaiah had a passion forsouls, and with preaching that had init the thunder and lightnings of Sinaiand the fore-gleams of Calvary, rockedgreat thrones with terror. John Wesleyhad a passion for souls and traveled inexcess of 250,000 miles on horseback,delivering 40,000 sermons, calling anation to God. David Livingstone hada passion for souls, and he (p7)➡

bbyy tthhee RReevv.. GGlleennnn DD.. BBllaacckk

We preach loud and clear the

gospel message at church,

but we rarely whisper it

to our neighbor…

For 108 years, GBS has beenmarked by its open door to

needy students. Many alumnitestify to receiving their educationon the Hilltop as work students.Today that tradition continues. Anumber of students receive aidthrough the student workprogram, institutionalscholarships or other assistance.The annual student phone-a-thonis an effort to raise the moneyneeded to fund these programs.

We hope to reach over 10,000friends during the three weeks ofoutreach while raising $150,000for the financial needs of theschool. We also wish to thank ourdonors for their faithful support.This goal can only beaccomplished with your help.

When a student calls, pleaseconsider a donation for this vitalprogram!

2008 Goal — $150,000

GOD’S BIBLE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE • OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT •REV. JACK HOOKER, VICE-PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT • 1810YOUNG STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202 • (513) 721-7944 EXT.1222 • FAX: (513) 721-3971 • E-MAIL: ADVANCEMENT@GBS.EDU

DEAR REV. HOOKER: RATHER THAN WAIT FOR A PHONE CALL, I

WOULD LIKE TO PLEDGE MY FINANCIAL SUPPORT NOW!

❒ ENCLOSED IS A ONE-TIME GIFT OF $……………

❒ BY GOD’S HELP, I WILL SEND $……………PER MONTH

FOR………MONTHS (FOR A TOTAL OF $……………)

❒ PLEASE SEND ME INFORMATION ABOUT MATCHED GIFTS.

❒ PLEASE SEND ME INFORMATION ABOUT TRUSTS AND BEQUESTS.

NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TELEPHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ADDRESS .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

September 15–19

September 22–26

September 29–October 3

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOC

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07SEPTEMBER 2008

➡ (p5) opened in dark Africa thehighway now marked by the tomb-stones of martyred missionaries.

Do you have a passion for souls?A genuine passion for lost souls is

the glaring need of our churches andpastors. We have bought buses andvans. We have appointed commit-tees and reorganized our churches.We buy books authored by churchgrowth experts and expect to cureour lack of numerical growth. Wepractically worship our attendanceboards. We change pastors anddream of a surge in attendance. Allof this, and often to no avail.

We must have a passion for souls!We must venture out of our per-

sonal circle of comfort and intoanother person’s life. We must breakout of the four walls of our padded-

pew churches and engage in spiritu-al warfare, one-on-one, with thethirsty, throbbing throngs driftingtowards eternal separation fromGod. Any Christianity that is not rub-bing shoulders with dying sinners isnot the New Testament idea of whatfull salvation does for and through anindividual truly cleansed and filledwith the Holy Spirit.

The crime of the church is thenon-delivery of the gospel to ourneighbor, our friend, our relative. Wepreach loud and clear the gospelmessage at church, but we rarelywhisper it to our neighbor. We testifyin church of the enjoyment of livingfor Christ, but we procrastinate intaking the “witness stand” in front ofour friends. We sing and voice thepraises of God (and ought to) in our

church services, but we so often failto communicate the grace of God tothose who do not attend our church.

A dying church is a group of saintswho are strolling like sleepwalkersthrough the present ages. Thesebenumbed souls are drop-outs, notdisciples. They are singing to them-selves, praying among themselves, and“measuring themselves by themselves,and comparing themselves amongthemselves…” (II Cor. 10:12).

O, for a passion for souls! Foryou…and me…and our churches.

The Rev. Glenn D. Black, former editorof God’s Revivalist, lives in Lexington,Kentucky, and is Superintendent of theKentucky District of The Wesleyan Church.This article is reprinted by permission of theKentucky Wesleyan Messenger.

Now Available!2 NEW MUSIC RECORDINGS ON CD

ORDER ONLINE AT www.gbs.edu

OR CALL 513.721.7944 EXT. 1221$15

A PASSION FOR SOULS continued

EEAACCHH

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

08

It is sometimes said that Christ’s new command-ment “Love one another” is the eleventh com-mandment. In the same way we have the twelfth

in Paul’s mandatory precept, “Be filled with theSpirit: (Eph. 5:18). It is an error to teach that this isonly an elective experience—a privilege and not aduty. We note that the passive voice of the verb “befilled” implies that we cannot fill ourselves but thatthe Spirit is present like the atmosphere and ready in-stantly to fill every vacuum. It is ours to create a vac-uum by an unreserved self-surrender to Christ as bothSaviour and Lord.

This implies strong faith. In truth, faith is man’sonly capacity to receive God, for faith is the door bywhich He comes to us. Man, a spirit, is an image ofGod the Spirit. The creature is made for the occu-pancy of God the Spirit. The creature is made for theoccupancy of the Creator, and a believer finds hishighest joy only when, as a temple, he is “the habita-tion of God through the Spirit.”

It is quite evident that purity is a prerequisite tothis indwelling fullness of the Spirit. This is the divineorder: first cleansed, then filled. All filling presup-poses emptying. It is true that the baptism of theSpirit brings a full endowment for service. But a care-ful examination reveals the fact of the Spirit’s revela-tion of an inward bias to moral evil and also theseeker’s full consent to its cleansing by the purifyingfire of the Spirit before He takes up His abode within.This consent is a part of his all-embracing self-surren-der to Christ, the Great Physician, whose healingpower is preparatory to the full endowment with theHoly Spirit.

We note that the command “Be filled with theSpirit” is in the present tense, implying a vital fullness,a constant appropriation, and a perpetual reception, aceaseless drinking and ceaseless thirst. Hence the

paradox of Charles Wesley’s lines: “Insatiate to thisspring I fly; / I drink, and yet am ever dry.” This thirstis for more of the same kind, not for anything differ-ent, like the thirst of a perfectly healthy baby. “But thewater that I shall give him shall be in him a well ofwater springing up into everlasting life.”

Whenever the Spirit is deliberately received inthe fullness of His offices and the permanence of Hisindwel l ing , men of power are raised up, andanointed women go forth to successful labor in theharvest fields of the world. Many a professed Christ-ian would become mighty in advancing the kingdomof Christ if he were thus filled with the gift bestowedat Pentecost.

They would know the same marvellous change ex-perienced by the first apostles, which Dr. John Morganexplains: “The apostles were good men before thebaptism of Pentecost. But how dull of apprehensionwere they though they listened to the instructions, notmerely of an earthly prophet, but of Him who wasfrom heaven and spoke the words of God. How littlethey saw the glory or felt the power of the truth theyheard! Yet they knew more, believed more, lovedmore than the rest of mankind.

“But when the Holy Spirit fell on them, they re-ceived a glorious transformation! It was as if noon-dayhad burst upon them. As with tongues of fire theyspoke forth the wonders which they until now had notknown. God had passed before them and proclaimedHis name, shown them His glory. The Spirit had takenthe all-glorious beams that blaze from the face ofChrist and had carried them deep into their hearts.”

The Rev. Daniel Steele, D.D. was a devout and scholarly Methodistclergyman and writer very prominent in the early holiness movement.Abridged by the editor, this selection is taken from Steele’s TheGospel of the Comforter.

In this space we use writers both past and present to discuss various aspects of Christian holiness.

THE FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT

by Dr. Daniel Steele

SEPTEMBER 2008

09

• Lifetime Income • Tax Savings • Tax-Free Income • Capital Gains Savings • Special Blessing

The GBS Charitable Gift Annuity Program provides an opportunity tomake a significant gift while still retaining lifetime income. Forindividuals our annuity rates are:

Age 60: 5.5% Age 70: 6.1% Age 80: 7.6% Age 90: 10.6%

For a no-obligation gift annuity proposal, please fill in the followinginformation and mail to: God's Bible School, Jack Hooker, VicePresident for Advancement, 1810 Young St., Cincinnati, OH 45202(513) 721-7944, jhooker@gbs.edu

Name Date of Birth

Address

City State Zip Phone

Amount considering $

PRESIDENT

Rev. Jack Hooker (BRE 1974) married the former Jane Theroff, also an alumna. He pastored for 27 years, was the Floridachapter alumni president for eight years and served on the GBS board of trustees for five years. He returned to hisalma mater in 2001 as vice president for advancement. Jack is currently pastoring the Franklin Bible MethodistChurch, Franklin, Ohio. Both his daughters are GBS graduates. His older daughter, Janna, is an instructor in theTeacher Education Division of the college.

Rev. Steve Mills* (BRE 1984) married Karen Foster (BA Music 1985). They have six children. Brandon and Ryan gradu-ated from GBS in 2006. Phillip is a senior and Bethany is a sophomore, both currently attending GBS. The twoother children are at home. Steve and Karen live in Goshen, OH, and attend the Christian Nation Church.

2ND VICE PRESIDENT

Rev. Steve Gresham (BA 1997) attended GBS from 1991–1997 and graduated with a BA in Ministerial Studies in1997. He has pastored from 1997 until present. His churches include Charleston, WV, Milton, KY, and present-ly the Bible Methodist Church in Auburn, OH. He is married to the former Melissa Shuman. The Greshams havethree children.

Jeremy Leach (AA 2004) married the former Emilie Charlton who attended GBS in 2002. Jeremy graduated from GBSin 2004. Jeremy attended the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and graduated in 2005 with a BachelorsDegree in Mortuary Science. He is currently Funeral Director at TP White and Sons Funeral Home in Cincinnati.The Leaches reside in Northern Kentucky and are active in ministry at the Kenwood Bible Methodist Church.

2ND MEMBER AT LARGE

Jessica (Stroup) Hartkopf (BA 2007) graduated from GBS in 2007 with a BA in Teacher Education. She is married toDavid Hartkopf, a GBS graduate. Jessica is teaching kindergarten at Liberty Bible Academy. The Hartkopfs residein Cincinnati and attend the Franklin Bible Methodist Church.

Michael Schaub (BA 2004) married the former Linda Nicodemus, who also graduated from GBS with a BA in FamilyCounseling. Michael and Linda have two children, Michaela Marie and Rachel Elizabeth. Michael is a Staff Sergeantin the United States Army. He served a tour of duty in Iraq. He is presently serving as Operations Officer on base.They attend the Burlington, KY, Bible Methodist Church.

*Incumbent

Vote for ONE person to fill each of the AlumniCouncil offices. Spouses may use a single ballot.

PPRREESSIIDDEENNTTRev. Jack Hooker ■■ ■■

Rev. Steve Mills ■■ ■■

22NNDD VVIICCEE PPRREESSIIDDEENNTTRev. Steve Gresham ■■ ■■

Jeremy Leach ■■ ■■

22NNDD MMEEMMBBEERR AATT LLAARRGGEEJessica (Stroup) Hartkopf ■■ ■■

Michael Schaub ■■ ■■

Name(s):__________________________________

Address:_________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Signature(s):_______________________________

Date:_____________________________________

Clip and mail ballot (to be received no laterthan Oct. 10) to: God’s Bible School, ATTN: Advancement Office, 1810 Young St.,Cincinnati, OH 45202

✃➡(p3) Testament. The problem inmost struggling churches today canbe traced to a lack of leadership.

The local church is an organi-zation (I Cor. 14:40). The church isan organism but it is also an organi-zation. Organization is necessaryfor the church to function effective-ly. Too much organization can stifle,but too little can breed confusionand result in a failure to have una-nimity of direction and purpose.

The local church has a mis-sion (Matt. 28:19–20). Christ’sGreat Commission is the mission ofthe church. The success of anycongregation must be measured byits obedience to this Great Com-mission. John Wesley understoodthis and told his preachers, “Wehave nothing to do but save souls.”I believe it is both fair and neces-sary to ask the question, “Can achurch be a church if it (p19)➡

10GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

On these pages, wefeature items about GBSalumni, vital statistics,significant eventsscheduled throughoutthe “Revivalist family,”and brief news notesfrom across the holinessmovement. An item forinclusion in the“Revivalist Family”must be submittedwithin four months ofthe event which itreports and should beaddressed to theEditorial Office, 1810Young Street,Cincinnati, Ohio 45202;or revivalist@gbs.edu.

MARK CRAVENS PROMOTED TOASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Rev. Mark Cravens, who hasserved three years in the GBSDivision of Ministerial Education,has been promoted to the rank ofassistant professor. “Mark is a pas-sionate and effective communica-tor,” according to his division chair,Dr. Allan P. Brown. “He is well likedand appreciated by his students aswell as his fellow faculty membersand has received excellent annualperformance reviews.”

Cravens completed hisMaster of Arts in Religion atCincinnati Bible Seminary inMay of 2007. His teachingexperience includes twoyears at Union Bible College,and two years of part-time

teaching at GBS while com-pleting his master’s degree. In

May he completed one year asa full-time instructor.

He has also been GBS campuspastor since the fall of 2005. Hisprofessional experience includesover 16 years of pastoring, fouryears as conference president of

the Heartland Conference, BibleMethodist Connection, and threeyears as president of HolinessHeritage Youth Camp. He has alsoserved on numerous committees atboth the conference and generalchurch level for the BibleMethodist Connection. He hastraveled widely in the evangelisticfield, holding revivals and campmeetings both in the United Statesand abroad.

NEW STAFF AND FACULTYASSIGNMENTS FOR 2008–2009

GBS is pleased to announce thefollowing new employee assignmentsfor the current school year:

Melissa Gresham,Elementary Teacher.She will be teaching acombined class of firstand second grade,replacing Janna

Hooker, who is moving to the col-

OBITUARIES

Ward Robert Becker, 96, ofMenominee, Michigan, died May 17,2008, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At age 17he accepted the Lord as his personalSaviour and was a member of theWesleyan Methodist Church in Wyanet,Illinois. He attended God’s Bible School,graduating from high school in 1933.While he was at GBS, he was part of theSouthern Sacred Singers Quartet. At theCommunity Covenant Church,Menominee, of which he was a member,he served in the choir and on the board oftrustees. He enjoyed gardening and con-sidered himself a hobby woodworker.

On June 1, 1935, he was married tothe former Mildred Shrode in Cincinnati,Ohio. She preceded him in death in

2001. Mr. Becker is survived by onedaughter, Ruth Anne Becker; five nieces;and one nephew. Officiating at funeralservices were Rev. Tom Lach and Rev.Mark Johnson. Burial was in RiversideCemetery, Menominee.

Frances J. (Copelin) Engell passedaway April 1, 2008, following a busy andfruitful life. She attended God’s BibleSchool and College from 1937 to May1942. She also worked at the school,beginning as a secretary in the GeneralOffice. When she left, she was a supervi-sor with about five students working underher. She was a talented and dedicated ser-vant of the Lord, the church, her family,and her neighbors. She taught Sundayschool classes, promoted world missions,and contributed greatly to the music pro-grams of the church, as well as assisted in

11SEPTEMBER 2008

the ministry of her husband Norman H. Engell (GBS’42), Blairsville, Pennsylvania, who writes, “She wentwith me regularly when I made house and hospital pas-toral calls…. She was a devoted mother and a faithfulwife, far exceeding my greatest dreams.” Mrs. Engellwas the mother of three children, all active in thechurch and working in educational and nursing fields.

The Rev. Robert D. Earley, 73, of Salem, Ohio, andIndiana, Pennsylvania, died June 16. He was a 1969

graduate of Salem Bible College.Throughout his career in ministry, heserved pastorates in South Carolina,Tennessee, Ohio, and Virginia. He alsoserved as an interim pastor and as memberof the governing board of All-Tribes Mission.

From 1990–1992 he was dean of students at God’sBible School and College. More recently, Rev. Earleytraveled through the United States as an evangelist. OnFebruary 27, 1992, he was preceded in death by his firstwife, the Rev. Elizabeth (Betty Jane) (Sadler) Earley.

Survivors include his wife Marian J. (Dishong)Buterbaugh Earley, whom he married November 25,1994; four stepchildren, Tawnya, Todd, Tracie, andTiffany; his sister Barbara; and ten step-grandchildren.Funeral services were held at Salem AlleghenyWesleyan Church, Rev. William M. Cope and Dr.Robert E. England, officiating, with burial in WhiteCemetery, Rushford, New York.

Ruth L. (Awman) Tillis, died June 6, 2008, atPomeroy, Ohio. Converted at Clinton Camp in

Pennsylvania, after her freshman year incollege, she transferred to God’s BibleSchool and College, where she graduatedin 1956 and again in 1957 with bachelordegrees in theology and the arts, bothyears as valedictorian.

To congregations in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania,Georgia, and West Virginia, she served as pastor’s wife,a role which often included being the church pianist.She also helped establish a crisis-pregnancy ➡

lege department, and Amy Morris,who has accepted a teaching posi-tion in the Cayman Islands. Melissahas taught two years at MountainState Christian School in WestVirginia. Her husband Steve, also aGBS alumnus, is pastor at theAuburn Bible Methodist Church.They have three children, two ofwhom will be attending AldersgateChristian Academy.

Monica Williams,Elementary Teacher.She will be teaching acombined class of fifthand sixth grade, replac-ing Danielle Reynolds,

who is entering nursing school, andJenny Fikes, who has moved to theeighth grade to replace HeidiHolmes, who was recently marriedand moved to Missouri. Monica hasa degree in elementary educationfrom Miami University and hasserved as a missionary-educator inBelize. She has a daughter attendingcollege at GBS.

Kirk Marshall,High School Teacher.A graduate of HobeSound Bible Collegewho also attended GBS(2001–2002), Kirk will

teach high-school English, physicaleducation, and Bible. After his grad-uation in 2006 with a BA inSecondary English, Kirk taught sev-enth grade for two years at HobeSound Christian Academy. He isreplacing Justin Singleton, who willteach in the college department.

Helen (Leigh)Reiff, High SchoolTeacher. In addition toteaching Spanish class-es, she will be assistingin the ACA office. After

graduation from GBS in 1970,Helen spent many years on variousmission fields before returning toher alma mater to teach from 1981to 1989. Since 1989 she hasworked at Hobe Sound BibleCollege and for FEA Ministries,

where she and her husband, Dr.Glen Reiff, served as missionary-educators until 2008. Helenreplaces Arlette Makcen, who isentering nursing school.

Janna Hooker,College Instructor. Shewill be teaching in theTeacher EducationDivision and will serveas the program coordi-

nator for the elementary educationtrack. In addition to a BA from GBS(2001), Janna received an MA inTeaching from Mt. Vernon NazareneUniversity. For the last seven years,she has taught in the AldersgateChristian Academy.

Aaron Profitt, Di-rector of InstitutionalResearch. Assistant VicePresident for AcademicAffairs and Chair of theGeneral Studies Divi-

sion, he will relinquish most of histeaching responsibilities in order toassume the position of Director ➡

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

12

NEWS FROM THE HILLTOP continued

➡ of Institutional Research andalso to begin his PhD program in Ed-ucational Studies at the University ofCincinnati. To make this possible,Justin Singleton will be moving fromhigh-school English to teach in thecollege department.

Justin Singleton,College Instructor. Asnoted above, he willteach college Englishclasses. After receivinghis BA degree from

GBS in 2007, he taught one year inthe high school department.

Steve Buckland,Admissions/StudentOne Stop. Steve, aGBS alumnus, hasserved several monthsas Financial Aid Direc-

tor, replacing Lisa Profitt, who hadstepped aside to rear her son. Hehas now added Admissions/StudentOne Stop to his portfolio of respon-sibilities. Joel Hood had filled thelatter position until his acceptanceto the Cincinnati Police Academy.

Mandy Buckland,Executive Assistant.Mandy, who has beenfunctioning for severalmonths in thePresident’s Office, will

be replacing Brenda Herring as theExecutive Assistant to the President.Mandy is a 2003 GBS graduate (BAin Music Education). After gradua-tion, she worked for GBS as thereceptionist and as office managerof the Music Division. Brenda plansto end her employment with GBS atthe beginning of October to be astay-at-home mother.

George Gardeiand Steve Harms,InformationTechnology Staff.Both have degrees incomputer science,George from FranklinPierce College (NH)and Steve fromHoughton College(NY). They joinJonathan Bartolomeo,

Coordinator for InformationTechnology, who has been on staffsince 2002. Additionally, BrentMiles serves as a volunteer consul-tant and has both a BS and MS incomputer science. The IT Teamhandles computers, phones, net-work infrastructure, and somemedia-related projects. SteveHarms will also teach occasionalcomputer classes for both the highschool and the college.

Lisa (Burton)Robison, OfficeAdministrator. Shewill serve as officeadministrator for theDivision of Music,

replacing Jessica Smith, who isbeginning a graduate degree inmusic education at MiamiUniversity. The fact that Lisa gradu-ated valedictorian of the GBS classof 2002 in the Music Division posi-tions her well to fulfill the duties ofthis new position. More recently,she has been teaching at LibertyBible Academy, Cincinnati.

continued

➡ center; published several articles,as well as a poem on the cover ofGod’s Revivalist; taught at GBS and atPennview, a Christian day school;and served as a missionary-teacheron the Texas-Mexico border and asmissionary to Eritrea in east Africa.

Funeral services were held at theDanville, Ohio, Bible MethodistChurch, Rev. Roger Hatfield, officiat-ing, assisted by Rev. Richard Woodand Rev. William Tillis, with burial atCentenary Cemetery in West Virginia.

NOTICES

God’s Bible School’s Divisionof Music is excited to announce

that this year’s Christmas programwill be set during the Victorian erain the late 1800’s. We will beneeding to costume around 100people in Victorian dress. If any ofyou in the Revivalist Family has anyof the following items lying aroundin your attic or garage that you

would be willing to donate, wewould be very grateful. We will alsobe needing help with sewing cos-tumes. If you can help us, pleasecontact the Division of Music at(513) 721-7944, extension 6211.We will be grateful for anything thatyou can contribute. Items Neededfor Men: (1) silky fabric for ties; (2)vests; full suits (vests and suits can beold and out of style); Items Neededfor Women: (1) long flared skirts; (2)high-neck, long-sleeve blouses; (3)capes; (4) laces, ribbons, elastic, andsilk or ribbon flowers; (5) fabric (fiveyards for skirts, three yards forcapes); (6) white fabric and netting(can be old white sheets).

SEPTEMBER 2008

13

Korin Reiner,AdministrativeAssistant. A 2007 grad-uate of God’s BibleSchool and College,she will serve as the

Administrative Assistant for theDepartment of Advancement. Sinceher college graduation, Korin hasbeen teaching at Emanuel WesleyanAcademy, Gratz, Pennsylvania.

FACULTY ASSESSMENT CLIMAXES2007–2008 ACADEMIC YEAR by Dr. Ken Farmer, Vice President forAcademic Affairs

Several years ago GBS placed atthe end of the academic calendar aweek dedicated to assessment, andthis has now become a highlight of theschool year. In addition to a few cam-pus-wide events like the Strategic PlanUpdate, there is an extensive scheduleof meetings for the college faculty. Thisyear, Richard Miles held a sessionspecifically for staff entitled “Makingthe Assessment Process Your Friend.”

In years to come, bothgeneral staff as well as thefaculty of AldersgateChristian Academy willbecome more involved inthis process.

However, AssessmentWeek remains a valuabletime for faculty to reflecton the past year, examineassessment results, anddetermine action plansfor the coming year. Thisyear there were a number of fine pre-sentations, including the results of stu-dent focus groups, the use of peergroups in instruction, using rubrics tograde writing, and using formative as-sessment techniques. The faculty de-veloped two new rubrics that can beused to track cross-curricular con-cerns. There were six discussion ses-sions where divisions were asked toshare information on certain topics,such as “effective use of the division’sretention/recruitment funds.”

Everybody looks forward to thedivision presentations given on the

final day. These highlight what assess-ments had resulted in change withinthe division and how this was accom-plished, and then conclude with ac-tion items the division has identifiedfor academic year 2008–09. All pre-sentations are rated by all faculty, andawards are given. In first place thisyear was General Studies (AaronProfitt), and second place, MinisterialEducation (Philip Brown).

The overall rating for Assess-ment Week has slowly climbedfrom 4.18 (5-point scale) in 2006 to4.40 this year.

On Friday, September 26, PhilCollingsworth with his wife, Kim(Keaton), and their four children,along with Rex Bullock and RichardBeckham, will be appearing in con-cert at the Nazarene CommunityCenter in the St. Louis area. This isa reunion of the mid-’80’s campmeetings when Richard and Rexsang and preached, and Phil, a 1986graduate of GBS, was in college,singing and playing the trumpet. Afree-will offering to benefit BethelChristian Academy will be taken. Formore information, please contactMark Carmody, 101 GlenwoodDrive, Glen Carbon, Illinois 62034.Phone (618) 610-1100.

HITHER AND THITHER

Dr. Jo Anne Lyon(GBS HS ’58) is thefirst woman to serveas GeneralSuperintendent of TheWesleyan Church.

Elected at this June’s GeneralConference, Rev. Lyon is founderand CEO of World HopeInternational, the compassionateministries partner of The WesleyanChurch and has been affiliated withthe denomination since WHI’sfounding 12 years ago. In acceptingher new assignment, Dr. Lyon chal-lenged the church to go places it

never has gone before. “I believe theLord is positioning The WesleyanChurch to have a voice in the 21stcentury like never before,” she said.Dr. Lyon graduated from the highschool of God’s Bible School in1958. Her husband the Rev. WayneLyon is also a GBS alumnus.

CO

URT

ESY

OF

WES

LEYA

N L

IFE

Dear Stacie,I was recently challenged to

rethink my understanding of thispassage, and your question moti-vated me to do the research Ineeded to do. There are severalquestions associated with this verse.(1) what do “bind” and “loose”refer to?; (2) does binding/loosinghere on earth cause binding/loosingin heaven?; (3) how does this verserelate to its context?; and (4) whohas this authority?

First, in Jesus’ day rabbis usedthe terms “bind” and “loose” todescribe their actions when theyforbad (bound) or permitted(loosed) something. A rabbi whoforbad his disciples to do some-thing had “bound” them. If youreplace the words “bind” and“loose” with “forbid” and “permit,”the verse means the same thing.

Second, the answer to thequestion, “Does binding or loos-ing here on earth cause bindingor loosing in heaven?” It depends,in part, on how you translate theverse. The majority of Greekscholars appear to be convincedthat Jesus’ statement should readas follows, “Whatsoever ye shallbind on earth shall have beenbound in heaven: and whatsoeverye shall loose on earth shall have

been loosed in heaven.” If this isthe correct translation, as I thinkit is, then the verse means thatthe disciples were to permit orforbid on earth what had alreadybeen revealed by God as permit-ted or forbidden.

Third, the verses just before v.18 (vv.15–17) are dealing with theprocess of confronting a brotherwho has sinned against you. Inverse 17 Jesus said that if a personwill not repent of his sin, even afterbeing brought before the church, heis to be regarded as a sinner and nolonger treated as a brother in Christ(cf. John 20:23). This action wouldinvolve forbidding the person toparticipate in the Lord’s Supper aswell as forbidding members of thechurch from treating the person asthough he were a Christian (2Thess. 3:14–15). When the churchleadership takes this step, it is doingwhat Jesus called “binding.”Although such an event would besad, the church is simply enforcingwhat God has already revealed: nounrepentant person is a part of thebody of Christ. Verses 19–20 indi-cate that such “binding” or excom-munication should be accompaniedby corporate prayer, and theypromise that Christ is present in aspecial way when church leaders

are exercising his authority in disci-plining an unrepentant person.

Lastly, “who has this authority?”Jesus made this same statement toPeter in Matt. 16:19, but here he isaddressing all his disciples. Sincethe context envisions the churchexercising this authority, I assumethat it is the church leadership, incooperation with the church mem-bership, that has the authority toforbid what God has forbidden andto permit what God has permitted.

Blessings,Philip

THE LAST DAYS?

What are your thoughts on CalThomas’ analysis of BarakObama? It sounds real bad tome. Are we living in the last days?—Clara

Dear Clara,According to the Hebrew

writer (1:2), God spoke to usthrough Jesus in the “last days.”Pentecost also took place in “thelast days” (Acts 2:17). According to1 John 2:18, John was writing in“the last hour.” Since he wrote theletter of 1 John somewhere around90–100 A.D, we’ve been in the“last hour” for about 1900 years.

The language of “last days” and“last hour” in Scripture, therefore,does not designate a special set ofdays just prior to Jesus’ secondcoming. Rather, it denotes theentire span of time from Jesus’ firstcoming until His second coming.How long that is we don’t know.But we are to be ready at all timesfor Jesus’ return.

Blessings,Philip

Dr. A. Philip Brown II is a member of thefaculty in the Division of MinisterialEducation at God’s Bible School and College.

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

14

WHATSOEVER YOU BIND ON EARTH

What does this verse mean: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever yeshall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shallloose on earth shall be loosed in heaven?” (Matthew 18:18). —Stacie

CHURCH OF ENGLANDAPPROVES WOMEN BISHOPS

After extended debate, theGeneral Synod of the Church ofEngland made history July 7 byvoting to approve the appoint-ment of women as bishops. Thiscame 16 years after the samegoverning body of the Estab-lished Church voted to approvethe ordination of women as min-isters. In both cases there havebeen contentious and sometimesbitter exchanges between liber-als who endorse women in min-istry and traditionalists, many ofwhom do not. Particularly stress-ing to tradit ional is ts was theSynod’s refusal to establish firmprotect ions for those who inconscience cannot acceptwomen in episcopal office. Theyhave confirmed their intention tocont inue opposi t ion to themove, and some are consideringwithdrawal from the Church ofEngland. Liberals opposed estab-lishing any structures of accom-modation for conservatives, as-serting that to do so would be toinstitutionalize discriminationagainst women in the church.

PRESBYTERIANS NOTE MAJORLOSS IN MEMBERSHIP

According to a report appear-ing on the websi te of theLouisvil le, Kentucky, Courier-

Journal, “the Presbyterian Church(USA) suffered its worst annualmembership decline in decadeslast year. The denomination lost57,572 members in 2007 andhas 2,209,546 active and con-firmed members, a drop of 2.6percent compared to 2006.”

Controversy throughout thedenomination has been exacer-bated by the vote of the 218thGeneral Assembly, meeting inSan Jose, California, in June toadopt a proposal that wouldallow for the ordination of prac-ticing gays and lesbians. Conser-vatives vowed to continue thebattle to restore biblical author-ity to the church.

CALIFORNIA LEGALIZES “GAY MARRIAGE”

California has legalized “gaymarriage.” By virtue of the May15 decision of the Cali forniaSupreme Court, county clerksthroughout the most heavily pop-ulated state in the union are issu-ing marriage licenses to homosex-ual couples. Conservatives op-pose the move and plan to forcea vote on the issue in a state-wideelection. Catholic bishops have is-sued a statement which said,“The church cannot approve ofredefining marriage, which has aunique place in God’s creation,joining a man and a woman in acommitted relationship.”

SEPTEMBER 2008

15

Resources for the Christian Family

Compiled by Robbie and Rachel England,this feature is provided as a service toour readers. The opinions presented hereare those of the individuals making therecommendations and do not necessarilyreflect an endorsement by God’s BibleSchool or the Revivalist Press.

Pastoral ResourcesBeyond the First VisitGary McIntoshFor pastors, greeters, ushers, or anyoneconcerned that their church be as effectivein welcoming visitors as possible. Thishelpful resource contains many practicalideas for making churches more welcom-ing and comfortable for those who may benervous about their first time attending.www.parsonage.orgFree audio CDs and weekly newsletterby Focus on the Family’s ministry“Pastor to Pastor.” This website alsocontains many articles and resources formany issues faced by pastors and theirfamilies. —Darrell Stetler II

Leadership ResourceSurviving Toxic Leaders: How to Work forFlawed People in Churches, Schools, andChristian Organizationsby Kenneth O. Gangel A Christian response to (or extensionfrom) Jean Lipman-Blumen’s The Allureof Toxic Leaders, Gangel’s book exploresvarious kinds of toxic leaders that canexist in ministries. Useful not only forthose struggling with such a situation—and this seems Gangel’s primary audi-ence—but also for those seeking to avoidtoxicity in their own leadership or min-istry involvement. —Aaron Profitt

To submit your recommendations for theMedia Minute, please send titles, authors,and a sentence or two about each book torobnrach@paonline.com.

“The Church has many critics but norivals.”—Charles Spurgeon

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

16

coordinated by Rev. Jack Hooker,GBS Vice President for Advancement

’86 ALUMNUS ATTENDS GLOBALSECURITY ROUND TABLE

Dr. Patrick O. Anyalewechi writes:“On March 16–March 21, 2008, I wasat Pembroke College, Oxford Univer-sity, London, England, to present apaper at the Oxford Round Table by

invitation. Theconference fo-cused on globalsecurity, and thetitle of my paperwas ‘Untanglingthe ComplexNature of Terror-ism; Beyond

Definitions, Politics and Engaging inPractices that Foster Changes.’ Therewere 24 other presenters, representing34 universities and colleges drawnfrom Australia, Austria, Canada, India,Poland, Portugal, Sweden; and 23 ofthese were from the U.S.A. My paperand those of the other presenters werewell received. It was a time well spent.Beyond presenting and chairing oneof the sessions, it was a wonderfullearning experience. For I stayed rightopposite the famous Christ Church, acollege of Oxford University whereJohn and Charles Wesley received theeducation that laid the foundation fortheir illustrious ministry which hashad tremendous and profound im-pact and influence among manyEvangelical and Holiness movements.Oxford University has produced over

60 percent of British Prime Ministersand majority of world leaders aroundthe globe.”

Dr. Patrick O. Anyalewechi is anAssociate Professor of Psychology atWilberforce University, where hehas taught for 15 years. He is alsoan Ordained Elder in the Church ofthe Nazarene and serves as anAssociate Minister at Clifton Ave.Church of the Nazarene, Cincinnati,Ohio. He is a 1986 GBS Alumnus.

BALES CELEBRATE 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Rev. and Mrs. Fred Bales wereunited in marriage on July 3, 1958, inPortsmouth, Ohio. The love knot wasa strong one, because they have nowbeen married 50 years. Rev. Bales wasa high school student at GBS from1955 to 1959, but because of illnesswas not able to graduate. After 45years he returned to GBS and gradu-ated from the high school departmentin 2005. The Bales traveled for 25

years as evangelists and have been inministry for 50 years. They have threechildren. Mark has been pastor at theMinford, Ohio, Church of the

Nazarene for the past 10 years. Theirdaughter Nancy, their son-in-law RayMcGinnis, and their son Mark makeup the Good News Trio, and theyhave sung together for over 30 years.Their daughter Joy Jones and her twosons Derec and Ryann are also evan-gelistic singers. The Bales have sevengrandchildren and will soon have twogreat-grandchildren. The Bales residein Friendship, Ohio. A celebration oftheir anniversary was held on June 28,2008, in Minford, Ohio.

NAOMI FULLER RECOUNTS GBSFAMILY CONNECTIONS

Naomi R. (Fuller)Branch (HS ’59)writes, “My mother,Mary Grace (Mered-ith) Fuller, received aBible School CourseDiploma from GBSin 1932. She also re-

ceived a Bible School Course HonorDiploma in 1933. My father, HaroldLeroy Fuller, attended GBS in 1933. Iattended GBS for one year, my se-nior year in high school, and gradu-ated in 1959. I am now living inMoberly, MO. I have four children,Paul, Rachel, Cheryl, and Esther. Ihave eleven grandchildren. I am re-tired from working in the nursingfield as an LPN for twenty-five years.For the last two years I have workedin tax-preparation part-time. I amthankful for the power of God’sgrace that changed my life twenty-four years ago, and I am kept by Hisgrace. I am continually working togrow in grace, mercy, and love ofGod. By grace I am saved throughfaith and that not of myself; it is thegift of God.”

As part of continuous efforts to serve our past and current studentsbetter, GBS is conducting an alumni survey. All past college studentsare invited to participate.

To complete the survey, please point your Internet browser tohttp://www.gbs.edu/alumnisurvey. The survey ends October 31.

Your alma mater thanks you!

HO

W T

O H

AVE

APE

RSO

NAL

REV

IVAL

By D

r. Al

lan

P. B

row

n, C

hair

GBS

Div

isio

n of

Min

iste

rial

Edu

catio

n

Scri

ptur

e:Is

aiah

6:1

–8

Are

you

inte

rest

ed in

hav

ing

a pe

rson

al re

viva

l? Is

aiah

’s v

ision

pro

vide

san

ins

pire

d pa

radi

gm,

stre

ssin

g w

hat

is ne

eded

: (1

) a

fresh

rev

elat

ion

ofG

od’s

hol

ines

s, (2

) the

will

ingn

ess t

o ad

mit

wha

teve

r God

show

s us,

and

(3)

a th

orou

gh c

lean

sing

of o

ur h

earts

. C

onte

xt f

or I

saia

h’s

visio

n w

as “

the

year

Kin

g U

zzia

h di

ed,”

740

B.C

.As

syria

und

er K

ing

Tigl

ath-

Pile

ser

III h

ad r

isen

to w

orld

dom

inan

ce,

and

Isra

el la

y di

rect

ly in

its

path

way

of c

onqu

est.

If ev

er th

ere

was

a n

eed

for a

godl

y ki

ng, i

t was

now

.W

hy d

id G

od w

ait u

ntil

this

mom

ent t

o gi

ve Is

aiah

a v

ision

of H

is ho

li-ne

ss?

Cou

ld it

be

that

the

mat

eria

l ble

ssin

gs Is

rael

had

enj

oyed

und

er t

he52

-yea

r rei

gn o

f god

ly U

zzia

h ha

d so

meh

ow p

reve

nted

Isai

ah fr

om s

ensin

ghi

s ow

n sp

iritu

al n

eed?

Cou

ld it

be

that

one

of t

he s

over

eign

pur

pose

s fo

ral

low

ing

sorr

ow a

nd lo

ss in

our

live

s is

to s

hake

us

out o

f com

plac

ency

and

awak

en u

s to

spi

ritua

l nee

ds?

Isai

ah e

xper

ienc

ed a

per

sona

l rev

ival

as

hehu

mbl

y re

spon

ded

to h

is vi

sion

of G

od’s

hol

ines

s.

I. W

hat

Isai

ah S

aw (

6:1–

4)

Com

men

ting

on t

his

visi

on,

the

Apo

stle

Joh

n te

lls u

s th

at I

saia

h sa

wth

e Ki

ng o

f G

lory

, th

e Lo

rd J

esus

Chr

ist

Him

self,

upo

n H

is h

eave

nly

thro

ne

(John

12

:41)

. A

ttend

ing

Him

w

ere

six-

win

ged

bein

gs

calle

dse

raph

im.

From

the

des

crip

tion

of t

heir

win

gs,

one

pair

cove

ring

thei

rey

es, o

ne p

air

cove

ring

thei

r fe

et, a

nd th

e th

ird p

air

enab

ling

mob

ility

, it

seem

s th

at t

he s

erap

him

wer

e ex

pres

sing

rev

eren

tial a

we

and

godl

y fe

aras

the

y ex

clai

med

, “H

oly,

hol

y, h

oly,

is

the

LORD

of

host

s: t

he w

hole

eart

h is

full

of h

is g

lory

” (6

:3).

14

my

mou

th,

and

said

, Lo

, th

is ha

th t

ouch

ed t

hy l

ips;

and

thi

ne i

niqu

ity i

sta

ken

away

, and

thy

sin p

urge

d.”

Afte

r Is

aiah

had

con

fess

ed h

is s

piri

tual

nee

d, G

od m

edia

ted

his

clea

nsin

g th

roug

h on

e of

the

ser

aphs

and

a l

ive

coal

of

fire

from

the

heav

enly

alta

r. Se

lf-ce

nter

edne

ss, i

dent

ified

and

des

crib

ed b

y th

e te

rms

“ini

quity

” (c

rook

edne

ss)

and

“sin

” (m

issi

ng t

he m

ark

that

God

set

s),

isre

cogn

ized

, co

nfes

sed

and

clea

nsed

. It

is i

nter

estin

g th

at t

he P

salm

ist

Dav

id u

sed

thes

e sa

me

term

s to

des

crib

e th

e na

ture

of

inhe

rite

dde

prav

ity.

He

wro

te,

“Beh

old,

I w

as s

hape

n in

ini

quity

; an

d in

sin

did

my

mot

her

conc

eive

me”

(Ps

a. 5

1:5)

. N

eith

er t

he P

salm

ist

nor

Isai

ahw

ere

talk

ing

abou

t th

e de

liber

ate

prac

tice

of w

illfu

l si

n. R

athe

r, th

eybo

th w

ere

spea

king

of

the

cond

ition

of

hear

t th

at d

rive

s us

to

seek

our

own

way

. A

nd i

t w

as t

his

inw

ard

self-

cent

ered

ness

tha

t w

as c

lean

sed

from

Isa

iah’

s he

art.

IV.

Wha

t Is

aiah

Hea

rd (

6:8a

) Th

en I

hear

d th

e vo

ice

of t

he L

ord,

say

ing,

‘W

hom

sha

ll I s

end,

and

who

will

go

for

Us?

’”A

fter

his

clea

nsin

g ex

peri

ence

, Isa

iah

was

abl

e to

hea

r th

e vo

ice

ofG

od.

The

verb

“sa

ying

” (a

n ac

tive

part

icip

le)

seem

s to

im

ply

that

God

had

been

spe

akin

g al

l alo

ng, b

ut Is

aiah

cou

ld n

ot h

ear H

im. T

he im

ped-

imen

ts o

f he

arin

g w

ere

now

rem

oved

.

V. H

ow I

saia

h R

espo

nded

. (6

:8b)

“T

hen

said

I, H

ere

am I;

sen

d m

e.”

With

sel

f-ce

nter

edne

ss c

lean

sed

and

a re

new

ed a

bilit

y to

hea

r th

e vo

ice

of G

od,

Isai

ah q

uick

ly c

onse

-cr

ated

him

self

to t

he L

ord

and

was

giv

en h

is n

ew c

omm

issi

on.

Con

clus

ion

Do

you

desi

re to

hav

e a

pers

onal

rev

ival

? A

re y

ou a

ble

to h

ear

God

spea

king

to

you?

Why

not

ask

God

to

give

you

a f

resh

visi

on o

f H

is h

olin

ess?

Ask

him

to

show

you

the

thi

ngs

that

hin

der

your

wal

k w

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20:24, 26).Further, G

od expected his people to demonstrate their holy

behavior by faithfully obeying all His com

mands (Lev. 20:7, 8).

When Isaiah saw

God’s holiness, he thought his end had com

e. BecauseG

od’s holiness was like a consum

ing fire to sin, it was an O

ld Testament con-

viction that no one could see God and live (Exod. 33:20). Although he did

not see the LORD

face-to-face, Isaiah did see the throne and the train of His

robe, as well as the seraphim

. As he heard God’s holy character being

praised, he became aw

are that he was a m

an of “unclean lips. His holiness

did not measure up to the standard G

od had set for His people.

What Isaiah m

eant by his confession of “unclean lips” is largely depen-dent upon the answ

er to two questions: (1) W

hat was Isaiah’s spiritual con-

dition at the time of his vision? (2) W

hy did Isaiah wait until chapter six to

tell us about it?Isaiah 1:1 inform

s us that Isaiah ministered “in the days of U

zziah,Jotham

, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah,” w

hereas Isaiah 6:1 tells us thatIsaiah did not have his vision of G

od until after Uzziah died. To m

inister “inthe days of U

zziah” indicates he was engaged in prophetic activity before

Uzziah died. Therefore his vision could not be the record of his call into

prophetic ministry. It seem

s logical to conclude that the first five chaptersof Isaiah contain the essence of his prophetic m

inistry prior to his vision.If this is true, w

e can confidently assert that Isaiah understood the neces-sity of being born again, for he preached a clear doctrine of repentance fromsin. H

e declared in chapter one, “Wash you, m

ake you clean; put away the

evil of your doings from before m

ine eyes; cease to do evil…. C

ome now

, andlet us reason together, saith the LO

RD: though your sins be as scarlet, they

shall be as white as snow

; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as

wool” (Isa. 1:16, 18).

It seems, therefore, that Isaiah’s vision is neither his call to prophetic

ministry nor his initial conversion. Rather, it is the record of G

od showing

Isaiah his need for a deeper and more thorough cleansing beyond that of

forgiveness and the new birth. The source of our w

ords is our heart (“Out

of the heart the mouth speaks” M

ark 7:20–21). Consequently, w

hen Isaiahconfesses he is a m

an of “unclean lips,” he is evidently seeing for the firsttim

e the true motivation that lies behind all spiritual uncleanness: the

desire and drive to have one’s own w

ay. As Isaiah later explains, the reasonw

e all like sheep have gone astray is because each of us turns to his own

way (53:6). Although a child of G

od, Isaiah saw and confessed his self-cen-

tered condition of heart.

III. What Isaiah Experienced (6:6–7)

“Then flew one of the seraphim

unto me, having a live coal in his hand,

which he had taken w

ith the tongs from off the altar:

And he laid it upon

It has been noted by many com

mentators that the focus of the seraphic

worship w

as not on God’s sovereignty, H

is righteousness, His m

ercy or evenH

is love. Rather, the holiness of God occupied their attention. The three-

fold repetition, “holy, holy, holy,” expresses the truth that God is holy in the

superlative degree—H

is holiness is incomparably aw

esome.

When Scripture speaks of G

od’s holiness, it is speaking of His separate-

ness due to the unique excellence of His being, character, and attributes. H

eis the quintessence of all that is pure, good, righteous, w

ise and powerful. In

all that God is and does H

e “is glorious in holiness” (Exod. 15:11)—sepa-

rate, incomparable, and uniquely excellent. The phrase, “the w

hole earth isfilled w

ith His glory,” suggests that all the earth reflects that excellence.

By contrast, a pagan god in the ancient Near-Eastern w

orld could beholy w

ithout being glorious—that is, w

ithout being uniquely excellent.There w

ere, in fact, many gods believed by their w

orshippers to beholy—

separated from ordinary hum

anity by their power and w

isdom—

but they were degenerate in their character and therefore not uniquely

excellent. God’s holiness is com

pletely different. His unique excellence

and incomparability set him

apart from all other gods. For exam

ple, He

is incomparable in know

ledge, power, goodness, and m

oral purity, sepa-rating from

all else. Just as G

od is separated and uniquely excellent in the character thatconstitutes H

is holiness, Isaiah realized that God w

ants His people, w

hobear the im

age of God, to be uniquely excellent in their character as w

ell.A holy G

od requires a holy people (Lev. 11:44, 45).O

ur holiness begins at the new birth. W

e are positionally made holy by

virtue of being separated from sin to G

od as His possession through our

union with C

hrist. But He w

ants our positional holiness to be expressed inpersonal holiness by our behavior. W

e are to become like H

im in our char-

acter and conduct. This requires the removal and cleansing of anything in

our lives that would hinder us from

being completely holy.

II. What Isaiah Said (6:5)

“Then said I, Woe is m

e! for I am undone; because I am

a man of unclean

lips, and I dwell in the m

idst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have

seen the King, the LORD

of hosts.”W

hen Isaiah saw G

od’s exalted positionas King and heard the seraphic exclam

ations of His holiness, he realized

anew that G

od had the sovereign right to set the standard for holy behavior.O

ne of the primary requirem

ents for holy behavior is separation fromall that G

od declares sinful or defiling. He taught this concept of holiness

to Israel when H

e said, “I am the LO

RD your G

od, which have separated

you from other people…

. Ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LO

RD am

holy,and have separated you from

other people, that ye should be mine” (Lev.

23

➡(p9) fails to obey the central command to make and ma-ture disciples?”

The local church has clearly defined functions (Acts2:42–47). There are five general functions of the church.They are listed in Acts chapter two as teaching, fellowship,worship, evangelism and service. Much can be said by wayof defining these functions, but what is most important forthe moment is that these functions are understood to bethe timeless, unchanging, non-negotiable work of thechurch. It is clear a first-century church couldn’t pick andchoose the functions it would observe or ignore. Neithercan a 21st-century church do so if it truly wants to be aNew Testament church.

Yet far too many churches become what are called “nichechurches.” They claim to be all about “worship,” or theyboast of being a “preaching church.” Some are known fortheir children’s ministries or for a strong counseling program.Some tout the fact that they are a “family-oriented church,”while others loudly affirm that they are there to “defend andpreserve their heritage.” Even though churches will by thenature of their staffing have certain strengths, they are allcalled to every one of the functions of a New Testamentchurch and are commanded to “make disciples,” not to“make niches.”

A church that narrows its ministry to one area is achurch that invites the question, “Are you a true church?”No matter what the reason might be, no church can affordto compromise the God-given absolutes that are to be a partof every church’s ministry. No church can afford to negoti-ate away the fulfilling of the Great Commission through itsbiblical functions, no matter how noble or needed theirother work may be.

The local church exists to glorify God (Rom. 15:6, I Cor.6:20; 10:31). We glorify God as a church in the same waythat Jesus glorified Him while on earth. He glorified theFather by living his life in submissive, loving obedience to theFather’s will (John 17:1–8). The church also glorifies God as itfulfills its God-given mission through its God-ordained func-tions. To do less is to be less than a New Testament church!

Many will read this article and wave it off with a simple“Ho Hum!” They believe they have the right to “do church”any way they want! They have breathed the air of radical indi-vidualism that permeates Western culture for so long that theyare convinced that their view is as good as all other views—even the Bible’s! They are right on at least in one thing—theycan do church any way they choose. But they are wrong inthinking that can be a church in any way they choose.

The New Testament tells us what a local Christian churchis and does. Admittedly, it is a rather broad definition thatallows for considerable variation in form and method; but itis also a very plain definition that uncompromisinglyembraces certain functions. If those functions are absent,then your church is not a church in the New Testament sense,even if it has the tallest steeple in town!

SEPTEMBER 2008

19

➡(p4) They take turns in selecting and read-ing the scripture, as well as in having theirchance to be the song leader by picking outthe songs to be sung, and then being incharge of the singing.” —John E. Knight FarEast Mission Report, Email

PHILIPPINES. “Almost exactly a year ago, aswe spoke at Eastlake Community Church inVirginia and presented the story of how theLord has been bringing souls to salvation inAbatan, Ifugau, a man spoke up and said thathe would like to build the needed house ofworship. He kept his word; and after atremendous amount of sacrifice and commit-ment on the part of the church members aswell—including giving generously of theirmeans and carrying every bag of concrete,cement block, bucket full of sand and gravel,piece of lumber, steel bar, etc., down a verysteep 45-minute trail—the project is com-pleted. David Yucaddi managed the projectfaithfully; and Pastora Madaline’s faith, hardwork (she did a lot of the carrying herself!),prayers, and encouragement saw it to com-pletion.” —Tim Keep, Email

UKRAINE. “It is imperative that we offer ourstudents [at Wesley Bible College] the bestideas from authors who share the concernfor integrity of Scripture, the offer of full sal-vation for all those who believe, and thepractical reality of a holy life. To address thisconcern, we have begun working to investi-gate and translate good Christian books. Wehave been led to begin this work with IBelieve: Fundamentals of the Christian Faith,published by Revivalist Press, God’s BibleSchool. We are privileged to have AlonaHandzyuk, a 2007 graduate of GBS and aUkrainian citizen, working on this project.Alona has completed the translation [intoRussian] and is now proofreading her work.We will have a few other people read thetranslation and then read the book.” —TimBoyd, Newsletter

ZIMBABWE. “Glen Gault (HIM) requestsmuch prayer for Zimbabwe. The political sit-uation is very bad, and Chinese soldiers arealready patrolling the streets. Please prayalso for Hope Christian Academy that Godwill supply the faculty and staff neededthere.” —Ropeholders

MISSIONS�REPORTS continued THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE continued

October 19-21 Sunday Evening through Tuesday noon

Don Richardson Guest SpeakerRenowned missiologist and author ofPeace Child, Eternity in Their Hearts,and Secrets of the Koran

For more information, contact Dr. DanGlick, Chair, Division of InterculturalStudies and World Missions, atdglick@gbs.edu

EEmmpphhaassiiss oonntthhee IIssllaammiiccWWoorrlldd aannddrreeaacchhiinnggMMuusslliimmss ffoorr CChhrriisstt

OCTOBER 21–23

TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY NOON

HIGHER GROUND CONFERENCE CENTERWest Harrison, Indiana

COST FOR THE CONFERENCE:■ For Aldersgate Forum Members: $50.

Contact pbrown@gbs.edu for membership information

■ For Non-Members: $250■ Cost covers room, board, and materials

TITLES OF PLENARY PAPERS TO BE PRESENTED: 1. Historical Survey of Positions on Divorce and

Remarriage through John Wesley2. Historical Survey of Positions on Divorce and

Remarriage from Wesley to the Present within theWesleyan Tradition

3. Mistakes to Avoid when Discussing Divorce andRemarriage

4. Dealing with the Divorced and Remarried: ChurchMembership, Church Leadership, and Learning toWork within your Tradition

We continue our series of brief statements reasserting basic truths founda-tional to Wesleyan theological conviction.

XXI. PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION

“C hanged from glory into glory, ‘til in heaven we take our place, ‘til wecast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise.”Without doubt Charles Wesley based these lines on 2 Corinthians 3:18:

“But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, arechanged into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of theLord.” This describes the work of sanctification, which in general refers tothe soul’s moral transformation that begins in regeneration and continues inboth crisis and process until the glorification of our bodies. Sanctification iseverything God does in us to make us holy—to make us like Christ.

This process of sanctification—in contrast to crisis—is called progres-sive sanctification, which is the gradual transformation of our characterinto the likeness of Christ. Progressive sanctification is to be distinguishedfrom initial sanctification, the soul’s renewal in regeneration; and entiresanctification, which cleanses it from inherited depravity. Initial sanctifica-tion and entire sanctification are instantaneous events. Progressive sancti-fication has its beginnings in regeneration and continues even after one isentirely sanctified.

But how can someone progress in holiness after he is entirely sancti-fied? Doesn’t the word “entire” imply that one is as holy as he can be? Toanswer we must make a distinction between purity and godliness, the twoaspects of holiness. When God entirely sanctifies someone, filling him withlove, He cleanses him from inherited depravity so that sin no longer con-taminates any part of his being. So in regards to purity, one is “entirely”sanctified. In regards to godliness, or Christlike character, there is still roomto grow. An entirely sanctified person is not as Christlike as he ever couldbe. But the “second definite work” may still be called “entire,” since onebecomes completely free of depravity and remains cleansed of all sin ashe walks “in the light,” as Christ is “in the light.”

Some might overemphasize the process and forget the importance ofthe instantaneous works that we must receive by faith. Others mightoveremphasize the two “crises” of conversion and entire sanctification tothe neglect of progressive sanctification. But a balance must be keptbetween the two. Sanctification means to be made holy, and God intendsto make us holy by both crisis and process, as part of the dynamic holylove relationship that we establish with God when we repent and trustChrist for salvation. —Mark Bird

LETTERS�continued

➡(p4) Dad sang high tenor in theGBS “Morning Star” Quartet. We’veno worldly wealth, but isn’t it won-derful to walk on streets of gold?

MAURICE HAROLD HOWE

APPRECIATION FOR GOD’S REVIVALIST

I commend you for your faithful-ness in contending “for the faith oncehanded down to the saints.” Your arti-cles on holiness and [other subjects] aregreatly appreciated. The editorials andPresident Avery’s articles are alwaystimely and true to the scriptures.

DANIEL THOMASIndianapolis, Indiana

Thanks to all at GBS who haveany part in your magazine. It is anexcellent publication which can behighly recommended for its biblicalcontent, scholarly context, attractiveappearance, faithfulness to the truthof the Gospel, and [consistency] withthe holiness standards for which itwas founded and continues to be agracious witness.

PASTOR ROBERT S. TURTON IIIHightstown, New Jersey

I don’t want to miss a copy. Iappreciate the “Editor’s View” byLarry Smith and the “President’sPage” by Dr. Michael Avery. Also thetimely instruction by Drs. Phillip andAllan Brown. In fact, the whole peri-odical is read and appreciated fromcover-to-cover.

WAYNE R. OSBORNE

We have enjoyed the magazinefor years, and it certainly is a holi-ness magazine.

BOB PORTERSublimity, Oregon

I enjoy the entire magazine,though I enjoy “The Editor’s View”and “The President’s Page” in a spe-cial manner. Keep up the excellentwork. He alone is worthy!

JIM BREWER

SEPTEMBER 2008

21

GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE

22

EDITORIAL continued

➡(p2) destroy. We may salvage the outer form, to besure, but often as a shell without substance—a drearymonument to the vanished life that once gave itvibrancy and meaning.

Patched and propped, a shattered tower may stillrise above a ruined church. Coffined and embalmed, ashriveled mummy may still appear so “lifelike” that youcan see a hair protruding from its chin. But, alas, thechurch hasn’t echoed hymns for seven centuries, andthe mummy hasn’t breathed for thirty-five. Granted, thisis preservation of a sort—the best that we can do forshattered towers and shriveled mummies.

It’s devastating, though, when it comes to “pre-serving our holiness heritage,” a subject now increas-ingly discussed among us. Without doubt, this shouldconcern us all. For our heritage is our birth certifi-cate—so basic to our identity and our mission that itdefines who we really are. To lose this would be tolose our reason even to exist as a distinct movementwithin the universal Church. For this reason, we mustcherish what has been so graciously given us, guard itfrom loss, and transmit it to our children.

But if we preserve it like a bee in amber, we willhave nothing left but a curious relic displayed in themuseum of lost religious causes where we may pauseoccasionally to pay our melancholy tribute. Ourtragedy will be immeasurable, for in trying to savewhat is precious to us we really will have lost it.

This is why Wes Tracy, former editor of The Heraldof Holiness, uses a colorful metaphor to warn that ourheritage must be a signpost—not a hitching post! Forthat heritage is not given to tie us rigidly to what ismerely sentimental, peripheral, or obscure, but topoint us faithfully to what is over-arching, foundation-al, and enduring. Let us joyfully follow that signpost,then, beseeching God who so richly equipped ourforebears for their mission to do the same for us whosemission is the same and who would follow Him in thesame “good way” that they pursued.

If we are sincere, He will help us save our trea-sure—provided, however, that we take three essentialsteps with courage and determination:

I. WE MUST RECONSIDER

To preserve our heritage, we must know what itreally is. This demands careful inventory—an invento-ry that shall utterly dazzle us by our riches. For they arepriceless—the magnificent patrimony delivered to usby (1) all the loving saints who in every part of the HolyChurch have pursued the “Jesus life” with persistenceand with grace; (2) our Methodist ancestors whosepiety and courage transformed their world and stillprovide us a winsome pattern of earnest Christianity;(3) the 19th-century holiness movement launched pri-

marily by Wesleyan forces to “make ChristianityChristian” and to free America from the curse ofsaloon, slavery, and sin; and (4) the ConservativeHoliness Movement which a half-century ago ralliedaround the IHC to maintain the fervent spiritual lifewhich was under siege in the broader movement.

Many of us regard the CHM as the immediate reli-gious subculture in which we live out our lives inChrist. But we are constantly reinforced by manydevout men and women still within the “mainline”holiness denominations, and in the case of theRevivalist, at least, by a remnant of faithful Methodistswho support our objectives.

In any case, we share a holiness heritage that isnot narrow or provincial, though sometimes we haveseemed to make it so. At such times, our attempts atpreservation become little more than nostalgicappeals to antique curiosities, tribal chest-thumpingin praise of our own importance, and misguidedattempts to make a few favorite “distinctives” thecentral focus of our movement. In this way the mag-nificent gives way to the mundane and the timeless tothe temporary.

Much of our problem is that we often confuseprinciples with prudentials. Principles are set forth inScripture and are of binding, universal obligation;while prudentials are established by the Church—either officially or by common practice—which, forthat time, regards them as legitimate applications ofthe principles, or at least agreeable to those principles.

Principles which underlie our Wesleyan/holinessheritage include such commitments as unquestionedscriptural authority; classical orthodox theology; iden-tity with the one holy and apostolic church; warm-hearted evangelical experience; love perfected insanctifying grace; careful, disciplined living; structuredspiritual formation, fidelity to the means of grace; andresponsible witness both in public and in private—allof which converge in holiness of heart and life, whichfor us Methodists will always be the “central idea ofChristianity.” These are bedrock essentials, and with-out them we shall have no heritage at all. Though wemay neglect them, these principles never change.

But our prudentials often do. Granted, some ofthese are so basic to our DNA that to give them upwould be to alter the character of our movement.John Wesley, for example, believed that the pruden-tials of early Methodism were so necessary to guard itsprinciples that to lose the first would be also to losethe second. His immediate followers should have lis-tened to his caution, as should we. For throughout ourhistory, foolish men have often imperiled our treasureby their brutal assault against the walls which ourfounders raised to contain them.

SEPTEMBER 2008

23

GUARDED

by Sonja Vernon

“For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if youseek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then youwill discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge ofGod…Discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you.”Proverbs 2:4–5,11 NASB

Overwhelmed, inadequate, afraid—do these sound familiar? Recently as Iwas doing battle with this trio of emotions, I remembered the promise I

had read a few days prior. “Discretion will guard you, understanding will watchover you.” Over and over Proverbs speaks about the search for wisdom andunderstanding. We are called to seek them as priceless treasures and, havingacquired them, never let them go. True wisdom, I learned from Dr. AllanBrown, is viewing life from God’s perspective, and Proverbs reiterates this truththroughout its pages. I realized, as I meditated on the scripture, that if I am con-sistently and seriously studying God’s Word to learn His perspective, He promis-es to give me the discernment, understanding, and discretion that I need to liveaccordingly. Living by His principles shields me from the heartache brought onby selfish or hasty decisions and actions. I am freed from the heavy load of self-sufficiency. I am guarded by the wisdom of my Heavenly Father. Peace comes asI release my fears and insecurities to a gracious and all-wise God and allow Hisperspective to change mine. The “living and active” Word of God (Heb. 4:12)refocuses my heart and restores my joy, and it can do the same for you.

Sonja Vernon is Dean of Women at God’s Bible School and College.

Having said this, we must addthat we have had many other pru-dentials less significant to our com-mon life which have come andgone throughout our history. For in-stance, weekly class meetings, quar-terly love feasts, and Friday fast dayswere once practiced universallyamong us, as was the appointmentof circuit-riding ministers assisted by“exhorters” and “local preachers.”In certain places—and sometimesalmost everywhere—we proscribedthe use of choirs and instrumentalmusic (at least, limiting the latter toan organ), and the wearing ofcorsets and feathered hats. More re-cent prudentials have included thedisapproval of building “fellowshiphalls,” holding dinners in a churchbasement or showing “religiousmovies” in the sanctuary above.

For better or for worse, thesehave all largely disappeared—andin certain cases, it may have beenfor worse. On the other hand, in-novations such as camp meetings,Sunday schools, and youth campshave been adopted. So long asthey enrich spiritual life among us,strengthen our ministry and wit-ness, and affirm the non-nego-tiable principles which underlieour existence, they are valuableand useful. But still they are pru-dentials, not foundational to “holi-ness of heart and life,” which asWesley said, is the “essence” ofwho we are as Methodists.

So always we must vigorouslyguard our principles; but from time-to-time we must carefully reap-praise our prudentials to determinewhich of them remain valid, rele-vant, and authoritative. By follow-ing the signpost which is our her-itage, anchored in deep attachmentto the scripture, committed to sanc-tified common sense, and guidedby the Spirit’s wisdom, we shall beable, first, to distinguish betweenwhat is timeless and what is tempo-rary; and, then, in the case of thelatter, to decide what should bekept or what should be discontin-

ued. Otherwise, we shall forget the“big picture” that should inspire andentrance us, fixated on those tinyvignettes that will only trivialize ourhistory, jeopardize our present, andminimize our future. This wouldmean that our holiness heritage

would suffer the same fate as thosebees preserved in amber.

This is Part One of your editor’s dis-cussion of “preserving our holiness her-itage.” Part Two, the concluding section,will appear in an upcoming issue.

October 10–11Honoring the high school and college classes of 1958 and 1983

FRIDAY12:00 Alumni Council Luncheon

4:00 Alumni Choir Practice (all former choir members welcome)5:00 Supper7:00 Homecoming Concert8:30 Dessert Reception / Homefest

SATURDAY9:00 Alumni Brunch and Fellowship

10:00 Reunion and Reflection, Honoring Graduates of 1958 and 1983 (held in Dining Hall); Annual Alumni Elections

11:30 Meet the Administration and Faculty, Campus and City Tours, Open Dorms1:00 Alumni vs. Students Basketball and Volleyball

You’re a part of the familyand it’s time to come home!