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A Subtle Attack
on Our Children
In this issue:
- 18 Churches in One Conference Turn Down GraceLink Curriculum
- Walla Walla Professor Weighs
in on GraceLink
- Letter To A 7-Year Old Boy
- GraceLink Designer Writes
the ""Other Side""
- More Churches Reject GraceLink
The GraceLink curriculum is
published by one of our SDA publishing houses. There are a
growing number of churches that have decidedly chosen not
to use the GraceLink materials because they do not represent
the kind of spiritual food that we should give to our children.
Included in this transmission is a letter from another church
that has decided they do not believe the GraceLink curriculum
is fit for their precious children.
Further this edition of the
Hartland E-Magazine also includes a list of alternative materials
that are available for churches to use instead of GraceLink.
Please feel free to use any
of the material present in our transmissions to build your
own case for using alternatives in your local church. The
documentation is overwhelming, but we hope very useful. Remember
that none of them were actually written by anyone connected
with Hartland. Some things mentioned in this as well as previous
transmissions, are of less consequence than other things.
When combined together, the composite picture emerges that
clearly leaves much to be desired. Both the important and
the less important issues are posted in this series so that
you will have a resource upon which to draw in addressing
this curriculum in your own churches. We apologize if there
is some amount of overlap, but with the sheer level of concern
and the wide variety of letters and materials from so many
concerned parents, it seemed the best way to share it would
be to simply publish at least the most significant letters
in their entirety. We realize that we have only published
some of the concerns that have been expressed, but we hope
that it will cover the issues adequately.
Again, our loyalty to God''s
truth and to the SDA church will not let us remain silent.
You are free to share this unedited with any SDA. But more
importantly, please write the General Conference Sabbath School
department with your concerns. They need to hear from you.
If you have already written, please send us a copy. [Our further
comments in brackets].
STILL NOT LISTENING -- 18 Churches
Refuse GraceLink
[The following is a genuine
email letter that we received from a person who has had to
deal with the commercial aspect of GraceLink curriculum. We
can assure you that we do not make up these letters…… (Just
in case that happens to be in anyone''s mind).]
From: Name withheld……
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 9:03 AM
To: hartland@hartland.edu
Subject: Re: GraceLink Disgrace - All Parts
Dear friends:
I am the Curriculum Consultant
for the _________ [Adventist] Book Center in ________ and
have just been introduced to some of your e-mail material
regarding the GraceLink Material.
Ever since the Junior/Teen
Power Point program was introduced I have tried to get the
General Conference and NAD Children's Ministries Depts. to
listen to what the membership is saying about GraceLink. No
one is listening!
I saw the Power Point materials
for the first time at the Chicago Convention where it was
being introduced for the first time to most of us. At the
time I, along with many other ABC representatives, told them
what we expected to hear from our constituents regarding our
first glance look at the material. We were also not impressed
with the suggested activities.
The standard answer at that
meeting for any concerns expressed was "Oh, the children will
love these materials"!
My unpopular reply was, "Yes,
the children may love it, but they are not the ones that pay
for it!!!" How true that has proved to be!
Currently about 18 of our churches
in the conference have changed over to some of the alternative
materials that are available. I am certain that only when
great amounts of money stand to be lost will the full attention
of those in control of this material begin to listen to the
concerns being expressed. It is so sad.
I spent about a third of my
life in the mission field (as a child of missionary parents
& later as a married adult missionary) and I never thought
that the day would come that I would see the children's Bible
lessons trivialized to the extent that they are in the new
GraceLink program! How happy I am that my four children were
not exposed to this. It is now my grandchildren that I am
concerned about.
I think the church underestimated
how basically conservative most of our SDA families are when
it comes to the materials presented to their children.
Please put me on your mailing
list to receive any and all information regarding this subject.
Many thanks.
May God bless you,
Name withheld.
[Here is a Conference where
18 churches are refusing to use GraceLink and are buying alternatives.
Think of it! 18 Churches in just one conference. May their
tribe increase! 18 churches in one conference does not represent
small, isolated, ignorant, backwater, uneducated, redneck
churches, as some would like to suggest (of course in more
sophisticated language). Maybe there really are parents with
genuine concerns that should be heard, don''t you think? Maybe
if more of that kind of thing happens, the GraceLink leaders
and publishers will get the bright idea that it is time to
get off of their platitudes, and pat answers and change the
materials. Thank God there are some alternatives!!]
[Next is a letter that was
read to the leaders of GraceLink and representatives of a
local conference during deliberations concerning GraceLink.
Eyewitnesses have reported to us that GraceLink leaders said
nothing at all when this letter was read, and a conference
leader brushed it aside by saying that he had letters of the
opposite persuasion in his file. He did not produce them.
Notice the date of this heart warming testimony was February
2001, more than a year ago. Since that time, only cosmetic
changes have been made to the GraceLink curriculum, and the
heart anguish of concerned parents and teachers has never
been relieved.]
Letter to Sabbath School Committee
To
whom it May Concern, 2-2001
As you meet together today
to discuss the Sabbath School situation, I was hoping that
you would allow a few moments to listen to a short testimony
from someone who came from ""the world"" and found ""the truth.""
Without going into all the
details, it took five years for me to accept this message
and be baptized. One of the most significant, in fact- key
factors in even getting my interest was the Sabbath school
classes. The sweet songs, the beautiful pictures, the animals,
the Bible stories, etc., all were so refreshing to me. As
I said before, I did not grow up Adventist, in fact, I was
in the world as much as anyone could be in the world and had
no desire to be part of this ""funny religion."" It was in
these Sabbath school classes where the truths of the Bible
first came out. They were not first my children''s first impressions.
They were mine. I learned my Bible stories and the beautiful
truths about my Jesus right there in Sabbath school and I
learned to love the truth right in those classes right along
side my little ones.
It was very hard for my husband
and me to stand alone against our family and friends and my
beloved Catholic traditions. Words cannot express the intense
agonies that my little family has experienced over the years
as a result of becoming Adventist. But through all the ups
and downs, I can still say I have never regretted finding
the truth. I have never had a problem saying to people. ""We
have the best children''s programs I have ever seen anywhere!""
I have always been very proud of this.
Today, almost ten years later,
we are facing what could possibly be, in my opinion, to be
a very huge breakdown in witnessing potential by using worldly
standards and untruths in our Sabbath school classes. What
caught my eyes and attention over ten years ago was the simple,
refreshing beauty of the plain truth. I don''t think I realized
how tired I was of the world back then until I was presented
with the beautiful truth. I believe that this is what the
Lord intended.
Today we can turn on the Sky
Angel satellite programming and get rock --n--roll Bible cartoons,
dancing frogs and leaping lizards and even super hero like
characters to ""draw"" children to Jesus----supposedly. Then
I turn on 3ABN- to Janice''s attic. Simple, pure, truthful
and educational and even entertaining without the hype. Different
from the rest----but the BEST of all.
As you listen to the concerns
brought to you today, I beg of you----please do not dismiss
everything you hear as negative and critical or fanatical,
for these are all terms all of our church forefathers were
labeled right down through the ages. But with humility, please
listen to those committed church family members who have dedicated
their whole lives and services to bringing the truths of Jesus
Christ to our children and the whole world through our beautiful
message. It all began for me in a Sabbath school class. Simple,
pure, truthful. The best.
Thank you for your time. I''ll
be praying for you all.
In Jesus name, Name withheld
Another Church rejects GraceLink.
[The first letter in this section
is from the Pacific Press attempting to get a local Sabbath
School to subscribe to publications that it is not presently
using. It is not a Spanish church, so the Spanish items listed
would not be relevant to the issue at hand. The response from
the recipient immediately follows.]
Name and address withheld.
Dear Sabbath School Leader,
In this time of crisis, are
all the members getting the maximum benefit from their Sabbath
School classes? Does everyone have the tools needed to study
lesson in their own way, at their own level?
Jesus told us, ""Search
the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life……""
John 5: 39. In these difficult last days, we all need
to be grounded in the Scriptures. How important it is for
us as a church to provide all our members with the right Sabbath
School materials so that they can study the truths of the
Bible for themselves.
According to our files, you
are not receiving the following items from the list of basic
resources available from Pacific Press. These are items that
most churches find indispensable for a successful, vibrant,
growing Sabbath School.
Collegiate Quarterly
Collegiate Teacher Quarterly
Our Little Friend
Spanish Adult Quarterly
Spanish Teachers Quarterly
Spanish EG White Quarterly
Spanish Large Print Quarterly
Spn Gente Joven -- AY Program
Spanish Celebration
Spanish Collegiate Quarterly
We ask that you and your fellow
leaders prayerfully review this list and the enclosed information.
Then use the convenient order form to order your additional
Sabbath School needs.
Sincerely,
Warren Riter
Pacific Press Publishing Association
[The following is the response
from the recipient of the above letter]
Dear Pacific Press/ Warren
Riter,
I read your letter on Christmas
day. I feel a need to reply with both gratitude for your concern
and with an explanation for our lack of ordering.
I could not agree with you
more that in this time of crisis, all the members need to
be getting the maximum benefit from their S.S. classes. You
went on to say that Jesus told us to ""Search the scriptures:
for in them ye think ye have eternal life……"" John 5: 39.
You stated that ""in these difficult last days, we all need
to be grounded in the Scriptures."" Again, I agree heartily.
Back in the early ''90''s comic
style drawings began appearing regularly in the Primary
Treasure and Little
Friend. Some of the stories seemed to be fabrications.
My oldest son wrote to Mrs. Sox in 1994. I have enclosed her
self-explanatory reply. As a parent, I was shocked with her
line of reasoning set forth to a child. To justify the use
of cartoon figures in our church papers, because "" you would
have to look very hard to find anything about cartoons in
the Bible……"" is so lame. To imply to a child that Jesus would
use cartoons to meet people in ways they understood, sickened
me. Mrs. Sox renamed the comic pictures, ""fun pictures""
and tells a child that Mrs. White or God won''t have ""much
of a problem"" with cartoons, renamed ""fun pictures."" Mrs.
Sox goes on to say that she is sorry my child doesn''t like
some of the pictures and stories as set forth in the Primary
Treasure, but there are lots of other pictures for him
to look at.
Aileen Sox''s letter was written
nearly eight years ago. Some of our local churches have continued
to struggle with the contents of lesson quarterlies and children''s
papers. Recently, in January 2000, Gracelink was born! (The
creation of Noelene Johnson and Pat Habada and Bailey Gillespie)
This new product has succeeded in creating two years filled
with stress, distress, turmoil, tension and heartache in many
S.S. Depts. throughout N. America. Heretofore, if we did not
like the Treasure
or Little Friend,
we could throw them away and just use the quarterlies
for the lesson. Now the option has been removed and all are
being led to train up their children from infancy, to view
the Bible as a comic book.
One individual from our local
congregation drove 10-12 hours to Silver Springs to meet with
Noelene Johnson regarding Gracelink. When this person finished
explaining our local church and conference situation of turmoil,
Noelene asked him why he was telling her all this. He explained
that he was talking to her because she was head of N. America''s
children''s ministries. Noelene told him he needed to talk
to the world leader. She then wrote the name of the world
children''s leader on a slip of paper and sent him on his
way.
I have written and phoned in
my concerns to every department and office that I have been
directed to. Pat Habada has been my main contact, though I
have personally with both Noelene and Pat in Feb. 2001. At
our four hour meeting in Feb., Pat promoted the new Primary
quarterly, the one you have shown on your flyer. It shows
Elijah ascending to heaven. I politely asked if Noelene could
pick out which lessons she had authored within that particular
quarterly. She could not remember. I asked her if she could
recall if she had authored lesson # 7, about Korah, Dathan
and Abihu. She could not remember that either. I then asked
if it was true that Korah, Dathan, and Abihu had rebelled
against Moses. There was silence. I pointed out that Abihu
had died earlier in the wilderness with his brother Nadab
for being drunk, and that Abiram was the rebellious one. I
asked how these types of blatant errors, in art and script
persistently and consistently got past authors, editors, the
Biblical Research Institute and the presses. I got no answer.
When I pleaded for alternate material for those of us who
could not use this material for God''s precious lamb''s, I
was told that the GC had signed an 8 year contract with the
presses, stating that there would not be a change for at least
8 years, in order for the presses to recoup their printing
investments. If churches wanted alternate material, they would
have to find it on their own. The denomination was not going
to provide anything other than Gracelink.
God promises to bless those
who follow His ways and means. I plead you to read Counsels
to Editors and Writers by Mrs. White. May God speak to your
heart as you direct the affairs at the Pacific Press. May
you not be like Aileen Sox, who places her opinions above
the Bible and the counsel of the Spirit of Prophecy. God longs
to bless His people, but He cannot bless those who disobey
Him and turn His Word into an apparent fictitious magazine,
that is inaccurate in story line and art.
I read, with delight, the article
the NAD Review, about Nathan Greene. He paints the most beautiful
realistic religious pictures. The articles told of some of
the profound affects Greene''s pictures have had on peoples''
lives. Why don''t we understand that pictures paint a thousand
words, and children are more affected by pictures than adults.
Instead of giving children the best quality in art, we have
fed them chaff and worthless, distorted comics for years.
What a price we will pay as we see our youth turn away from
religion as a worthless fable. But why not? They have seen,
since infancy, their Lord and Savior, as well as every other
Bible character, portrayed by our church leaders, as only
""make believe.""
In conclusion, I want to say
that we would like to order from you, but our entreaties for
higher quality materials have been ignored. As a result, we
are ordering much of our S.S. material for the children and
youth from other sources. May God help you to be wise.
Sincerely,
Name withheld
[Following is a letter from
an editor to a 7 year old boy who raised questions concerning
changes that were taking place in the church papers printed
for his age group. His letter has been lost. But its contents
are apparent to some degree by the response of the editor.
The point in publishing this letter is to clarify that changes
to the children''s curriculum have been subtly in the works
for a long, long time. Notice the way the author treats Ellen
White, by essentially brushing her counsel aside in the name
of fun. There should have been protests like this seven year
old boy''s, by the hundreds, even back then. But since changes
are subtle, and if you are not in touch with what is happening
in the children''s Sabbath schools, you wouldn''t have thought
that our beloved church would try to dumb down, and pervert
the lessons of truth to our children, would you? Now that
it has gotten so blatant, finally there are those willing
to stand up to it and turn from it for better fodder for their
Sabbath Schools.]
February 27, 1994
Dear Sheldon:
What a lot of serious questions
you have! I hope I have some good answers for you.
The Shoebox Kids are not real
children, but their stories are written to help Primary kids
understand what they can learn about life today from their
Sabbath School lesson. You might think of the stories as parables
like Jesus told -- true to life, but not necessarily true
in every detail all the time.
You will have to look very
hard to find anything about cartoons in the Bible, Sheldon.
And I don''t believe Ellen White was talking about fun pictures
like the ones with Shoebox Kids in what she wrote about cartoons.
I have looked very hard at what she says and I don''t think
she or God have much of a problem with fun pictures. When
Jesus lived here on earth, He met people where they were.
That means that He talked to them in ways they understood
and about things they knew about.
Kids today know a lot about
cartoons. I really believe if Jesus lived on earth today,
He would use cartoons if He believed they would help kids
know more about Him. He has given me the job of deciding about
the pictures in PRIMARY TREASURE. After I pray about the pictures,
I choose the one''s I think kids today will understand the
best. That''s why the fun, cartoon looking pictures are in
PRIMARY TREASURE. I am sorry if you don''t like them, but
there are lots of other kinds of pictures for you to enjoy.
I believe Jesus would think
the same about birthday parties and school fairs today as
He could think about cartoons. He would use those things to
help people get to know Him if those were the kinds of things
they were used to and understood.
Sometimes it is hard for us
to understand this about Jesus. We like things to be right
all the time or wrong all the time. But what makes something
wrong or right for us may not make it right or wrong for someone
else. I hope you will be able to take what helps you from
PRIMARY TREASURE and just say ""Mrs. Sox put this in here
to help someone else who I don''t know about"" about the stories
and pictures you don''t agree with.
Both the Thor and Tina stories
are all true. The author is a friend of mine. She loves all
animals and has raised many different ones. She also wrote
the stories about Julius that will be in a book very soon.
I have another continued story about a raccoon that she wrote.
Mary Duplex has told the people
who make books at the Pacific Press that those stories are
true. As far as I know, books like Toby''s
Big Truck Adventure and Detective
Zack and the Secret of Noah''s Flood are true too.
I hope this helps you.
Love, Aileen Andres Sox
Editor -- OUR LITTLE FRIEND
/ PRIMARY TREASURE
[This letter reflects the value-genesis
ideas that we can each chose what is right for us, but never
should we criticize others for choosing something different.
Choosing what is right, is what some churches are doing by
using alternative materials, but silence concerning the corruption
of the word of God is another matter. The interesting thing
about this letter is that whereas back in 1994 an actual choice
might have been available within the material itself, according
to the author of this letter. That is no longer true today.
And this is the trouble with the liberal agenda. Start with
a little bit of cartooning, move later to a lot. Of course
even back in 1994 cartoons were just as wrong as they are
today for Sabbath School classes, and should never have been
published in the lessons back then. The poor children that
had to pick and choose could not help but look at the cartoons
in the process. The faulty logic used to excuse the cartoons
back then is self-evident.]
Junior Earliteen GraceLink
Designer Writes the ""Other Side""
From: Emily Harding [mailto:emharding@compuserve.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 12:55 PM
To: hartland@hartland.edu
Subject: Response to GraceLink Disgrace
This is just my personal comments,
not an official stand of the NAD or the
Sabbath School Department.
I have been forwarded the mailings
on Gracelink that you have sent out.
There were just a few comments
I would like to make, nothing aggressive, just the other side
of the story. I am Emily Harding and was the designer on the
Junior/Earliteen quarterlies. I understand the complaints
have been heard and much effort has gone into changing things
to make the lessons more accurate and less offensive. (Believe
me, NONE of it was ever meant to be offensive.) Most of the
artwork that was mentioned as a problem was by the artist
that was let go and his art was then redone by Lars Justinen.
So I do hope that most of those complaints have been taken
care of. Since it does take about a year for the reprints
and the redistribution, those changes are probably only now
becoming apparent.
Having been in on the art direction
side of things, I can say that much prayer and study of the
Bible and the writings of Ellen White were central to our
meetings. The Bible was always open on the table and we constantly
referred to it. Often the stories were edited even at that
late stage to more closely reflect what the Bible said.
Also, as an artist I would
like to say that in Adventist circles, the word "cartoon"
is often used as an ugly word. I agree that the human form,
created by God, should not be made grotesque in Bible Stories.
And Justinen did a good job of not doing that. But just because
it is not a photographic representation does not mean it is
treating the Bible flippantly. To be completely accurate one
must use a photograph. An artist representation of a story
does not cause the story to be a fairy tale. (The boy with
the pigs cover was simply showing the concept of leaving behind
the pigs, which represented his old life, and returning to
his father who eagerly awaited him. Just trying to show a
concept, compression of time, etc. Not trying to lead the
children astray.)
It is a shame that your mailings
only seem to reflect the critics of the program and none of
the positives. Two stories I have heard recently were from
a Sabbath School teacher in Florida who said that she used
to have a hard time getting the kids to take the Sabbath School
quarterlies home before the new ones came out and now she
keeps running out. And a coworker of mine told me just today
that since these new quarterlies have come out, her daughters
are so excited about going to Sabbath School that they come
and wake her up early Sabbath morning and tell her to hurry
so they won't be late. And during the week they are excited
to do the activities listed in their quarterlies. And even
I have seen in my church that the children are bringing their
quarterlies every Sabbath and using them much more than before.
To hear how the children are getting excited about their Bible
lesson in ways they haven't always shown before, is so encouraging.
It has been interesting to
see through the course of Adventist publishing how things
have changed a bit with the times, leaving behind tradition,
pushing the envelope and making people step out of their comfort
zones. And yet some of those very things that caused an uproar
were later used as the benchmark for the new things being
done. Did you know that Harry Anderson's artwork caused much
controversy when it was first introduced to Adventists? Particularly
where he placed Jesus in contemporary settings, such as the
one where he is shown with the children in the garden. Critics
complained that Jesus had never sat in a garden with children
like that. Even his use of colors were a subject of complaint.
Now people ask that artwork be done more in the style of Harry
Anderson. That is kind of interesting to think about.
I know nothing will ever please
every one. I just hope that people understand that those producing
these quarterlies are not trying to lead the tender minds
away from Christ. But always to Christ. It is not a subtle
attack against your children. As I said earlier, so much prayer
and Bible study was central to the development of these materials.
I know. I was there. And I know that every effort is being
made to make the materials the best they can be. The concerns
that have been voiced were heard. But there are many positive
stories out there too concerning the Gracelink Curriculum.
Will you post my letter?
Emily
Our Response
Dear Emily: Thank you for your
"non-aggressive" response. It was good of you to take the
time to write. We take your comments as sincere, and our response
is of the same nature.
We appreciate that there has
been an effort to correct blatantly erroneous text, and to
address some of the concerns about the artwork. We have acknowledged
that, as you may know, in at least one of the transmissions
that we sent out. We would agree with you that artwork doesn''t
have to be a photograph in order to be legitimate, but the
artwork should be realistic. Exaggerated body parts, for example
creates a superficial comic impression, which conveys to children,
who are very concrete in their thinking, that the message
in the story is like other comics they read --- not really
real, just another fairy tale. Even the revised edition still
has the comic style, though maybe not as exaggerated, which
to those who want their children to understand their Bible
as telling real stories, is still not satisfactory. Also,
the artwork glorifies faddishness such as ponytails on grown
men, Bible heros, etc. We can appreciate that it takes time
for changes to filter into print. However, the materials that
have been released to replace the earlier materials have not
resolved the KEY problem of comic style art, and a truncated
gospel.
Your comment about Harry Anderson's
work is very interesting. While there may have been conflict
over his artwork, we would have to say that his realistic
art does not conflict with the inspired counsel in the Spirit
of Prophecy as far as we can tell. In other words, just because
there is conflict over something, doesn''t mean that it is
wrong. It is not human opinion that matters. What matters
is what God says. We use a principle here at Hartland that
may not be as obvious to some. We are prepared to support
innovation (and in fact, we have over the years in a number
of situations), WHEN it does not conflict with the WORD of
God. It is hard to imagine, if your committee studied the
Spirit of Prophecy concerning art, how they missed the counsel
concerning this type of artwork. A number of the relevant
counsels from the Spirit of Prophecy are placed at the end
of our response for easy reference, to save you the time of
looking them up again (We don''t mean to be redundant or too
lengthy). Note the first one mentioned especially. You can
imagine how sincere parents who do study their Spirit of Prophecy
books, and shared these statements in their letters, would
feel about a committee that says they study their Spirit of
Prophecy in regard to their work, but produce such things
as the GraceLink curriculum that plainly does not follow the
counsel, not just in one point, but in many (both specific
and general). The GraceLink leadership lost a lot of credibility
as you can probably understand. Those sincere members who
are concerned about the spiritual diet that their children
are receiving in the Sabbath School would quite possibly take
the view that the committees that put together the GraceLink
material or at least approved it, were not really concerned
about what the Spirit of Prophecy actually said.
You mentioned that the first
artists were let go. Is it true that they were let go after
the concerns were raised? If so, what happened? Why was the
material allowed to see the light of day in the first place?
Who is overseeing the editing, and what principles are being
used to choose what the children see when they read their
lessons? It can't be that they were following the Spirit of
Prophecy counsel that you mentioned was part of their study.
We know that there will be
plenty of kids that will like them, and find them interesting
and catch their attention. But is that the criteria for deciding
what spiritual food to give them. Kids generally are not a
gauge of what is in their best interests anyway. They like
cartoons on TV and they like comic books, but does that make
comic Sabbath School lessons suitable for them to read? They
like chocolate, but that doesn''t mean that it is any more
than junk food. How much more important is the spiritual food
our children receive throughout the week? Do we use them as
a guide to what is in their best interests? Respectfully Emily,
we find it hard to follow your reasoning.
We also know that there will
also be those teachers and parents who will think the material
is great stuff. But again, is that the criteria the committee
uses for deciding what is best for the churches and their
Sabbath Schools? It seems to us that God knew that there would
be a tendency among God's people in the last days to lower
the standard, and bring in superficial comics, false teachings,
etc., and therefore He sent us a prophet with guidance and
counsel so that we wouldn''t fall into the same trap into
which Israel fell, by compromise with the heathen. Or so that
we would not do spiritually to our churches what Nadab and
Abihu did, by offering strange fire on the alter of our Sabbath
Schools.
One final point, some of the
letters we published, and as you will see from the next two
parts of "GraceLink Disgrace," there are much deeper concerns
than the artwork. One writer in a previously released part,
expressed very cogently their concern for some of the activities
as not being fit for Sabbath School, including one in which
there is subtle encouragement to break the Sabbath, among
other things. Also, the theological bias and incomplete presentation
of the gospel have been serious concerns. You may wish to
go back and review the concerns mentioned here, but also please
review the next two editions of GraceLink Disgrace when they
are released.
We are considering a 7th release
of "GraceLink Disgrace" with follow up material since the
beginning of this series. We would be willing to publish your
letter, but as always, we would probably include many of our
own comments.
We do appreciate your sincerity
and concern for fairness. We hope that this response will
not seem unfair to you, though it no doubt represents views
quite different from yours. Again thank you for taking the
time to write, and may God bless you in your work. Maybe you
can be an influence to meaningfully address the deeper and
more basic issues and philosophy of the children's Sabbath
School curriculum. We appeal to you to do what you can to
bring them back to harmony with God's counsel in the Spirit
of Prophecy, and the SDA message.
Sincerely,
Hal Mayer
E-Magazine Coordinator
Addendum
Spirit of Prophecy Comments
Section.
On two counts, the GraceLink
disgrace doesn''t harmonize with God's counsel found in the
first statement below as it reads: 1. The comic style, 2.
Fewer in number. Other matters of disharmony are addressed
in the further statements below.
Specific statements relating
to pictures.
""I am troubled in regard to
the use of pictures in our publications. Some of our papers
seem bent on using them in season and out of season. And some
of the cuts used are very inferior, and poorly illustrate
the subjects represented. I hope our publications will not
come to resemble a comic almanac. I would not altogether condemn
the use of pictures, but let fewer be used, and only such
as are good illustrations of the subject…… If you choose to
have a few pictures and good ones, I do not object. Let illustrations
be choice rather than numerous.""--Letter 28a, 1897. Counsels
to Writers and Editors, p. 172.
""Pictures to represent Bible
scenes must be no cheap designs. True science of all kinds
is distinction and power. He who by painstaking effort ascends
step by step the ladder of human progress, must fix his eyes
on the One above the ladder. The knowledge which God imparts
is not of a character to belittle our ideas of sacred things.
The glory of God must be kept before the mind's eye, not the
cheap, earthly representations that imprint in the memory
scenes which give a false conception of Christ and heavenly
things. A proper illustration of Bible scenes requires talent
of a superior quality. With these cheap, common productions,
the sacred lessons of the Bible disdain comparison. . . God
forbid that we should please the devil by lowering the standard
of eternal truth by using illustrations that men, women, and
children will make sport of.""--Manuscript 23, 1896. Counsels
to Writers and Editors, p. 167.
""Should we not make investigation
in regard to the matter of illustrating our books largely?
Would not the mind have clearer, more perfect ideas of angels,
of Christ, of all spiritual things, if no pictures were made
to represent heavenly things? Many of the pictures made are
grossly false as far as truth is concerned. Do not pictures
so far removed from the truth give voice to falsehoods? We
want to be true in all our representations of Jesus Christ.""--Letter
145, 1899
General comments relating to
broader principles:
""Let the editors of all our
papers seek to attract the attention of their readers to the
Book of books, and to those books and periodicals which present
the word of God in its true bearing. As the Holy Spirit controls
the writers for our papers, more of God''s word and less of
man''s ideas will be presented... To those who make the word
of God their study, some will say, You are too narrow in your
ideas. You would have us separate so completely from the world
that we can do it no good. This is a mistake. The evil feared
will not be realized: but God would have his people distinguished
from the world in all things, or they will become confused,
as were the disciples who turned back and walked no more with
Christ."" (CW 122)
In directly addressing those
""who occupy the editorial chair"" Mrs. White writes: ""The
words of Moses possess deep meaning. ""Nadab and Abihu, the
sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire
therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire
before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And there went
out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before
the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the
Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come
nigh to Me, and before all the people I will be glorified.""
Lev. 10:1-3. This has a lesson for all who are handling the
matter that goes forth from our publishing institutions. Sacred
things are not to be mingled with the common. The papers that
have so wide a circulation should contain more precious instruction
than appears in the ordinary publications of the day. ""What
is the chaff to the wheat?" Jer. 23:28. We want pure wheat,
thoroughly winnowed. (CW 90.1)
""Jesus has said, ''Search
the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:
and they are they which testify of Me.'' do not encourage
a superficial manner of investigating the truth. Make every
point of truth clear and distinct to the minds of the children.""
""The Bible lessons which are
taught in our schools are of far greater consequence than
many now discern. These children will have to meet in the
near future the heresies and fables that abound in the Christian
world. Instruct the youth with simplicity but with great thoroughness.
Our work must stand the test of the judgment. The youth in
this age must be fitted by the grace of Christ to meet and
overcome evils, which have been introduced into society……
The supporters of error and of unscriptural doctrines are
numerous. The world at large is leading them to forget God
and to despise his claims. The law of God is trampled beneath
unholy feet. Every youth is responsible to God for His opportunities,
and for the precious light shining upon him from the scriptures""----Counsels
on Sabbath School Work, p. 36
Statements concerning amusements
in Sabbath School:
""The Sabbath School is not
a place of entertainment, to amuse and divert the children,
although, rightly conducted, it can be all of this: but it
is a place where children and youth are educated, where the
Bible is opened to the understanding, line upon line, precept
upon precept, here a little and there a little. It is a place
where the light of truth is to be imparted."" Counsels on
Sabbath School Work p. 99
""Let there be no frivolous
or superficial interpretations of the Scriptures, but let
each be prepared to go to the bottom of the subject presented""
--Counsels on Sabbath School Work p. 182
General statement concerning
theological bent of modern religion (which of course we would
want to avoid):
""Love is dwelt upon as the
chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism,
making little distinction between good and evil. God''s justice,
His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His Holy Law,
are all kept out of sight.""--The Great Controversy, p. 558
From the ""Ultimate Bulletin
Board""
Walla Walla Professor Weighs
in on GraceLink
[The following is text from
a post on the Ultimate Bulletin Board, by Don Riley a professor
at Walla Walla College. It might be of interest to some to
see that it isn't just parents and Sabbath School teachers
that find GraceLink out of step with inspiration. Note that
in the response, Kathy Beagles, editor of PowerPoints Bible
study curriculum, primarily appeals to church authority, not
the Bible as the basis of publishing the disgraceful GraceLink
Curriculum. Incidentally, the consulting editor, who Kathy
Beagles says has reviewed each lesson and even comments on
them and suggests changes is Angel M. Rodriguez. Why is the
BRI not strongly opposed to the cartoons? Why isn't the BRI
concerned about the theological imbalances and omissions?]
| Author |
Topic: Questions and
Observations |
| Don |
  posted
10-20-2001 04:42 AM ET (US) "TYPE=PICT;ALT=ClickHeretoSeetheProfileforDon"  "TYPE=PICT;ALT=ClickHeretoEmailDon" 
I
posted this in the other forum, as I was not sure
if the moderators are the same, or the level of discussion
will be the same, if this is a duplicate, I apologize.
After
reviewing some materials and reading the gracelink
site, I have the following questions:
1)
Concerning the artwork, http://gracelink.net/faqs5.html
states: ""It's OK for the drawings to be cartoony…….""
Who
told Patricia Habada this statement?
2)
Going on we find: ""Says renowned author Donna Habenicht,
"I see the GraceLink drawings as symbolic. I look
at them to get a feel for the emotions that the Bible
characters might have felt. I don't expect that kind
of art to literally represent the story."
While
a ""renowned author"" might feel this way, I am quite
sure that my children will not. The images my children
will see will be used to visualize the story, what
I would hope would be the correct story, but now I
must assume that they will be visualizing fictitious
(non-representative) stories. The note below discusses
content and the approval of such by the BRI. Were
these non-representative ""cartoony"" images approved
by the BRI?
3)
Concerning the use of the curriculum materials, I
read on http://gracelink.net/faqs1.html, under #6,
""You can trust GraceLink to give the Adventist view
of history and Bible teaching because all lessons
have been approved by someone in the department of
Biblical Research, which is known for being doctrinally
conservative.""
I
am guessing the reference is to the Biblical Research
Institute, as such, who is the ""someone"" that approves
each lessons? Are the approvals informal, or formal?
Did the BRI provide written evidence supporting the
content of each lesson? Are these lessons only ""approved""
or was the BRI asked to review the content and provide
any form of guidance?
4)
While I was encouraged with most of the statements
about the goals and philosophy of the new approach,
I am wondering if we are not somehow fulfilling the
""books of a new order"" prophesy (SM1, 204).
I
will share two examples that show the trouble of not
only using ""cartoony"" images to misrepresent the
story, but also using terminology (or the lack thereof)
that misrepresents the truth, as we know it in Adventism.
a)
In Vol. 67, (First Quarter 2001), Juniors/Teen, p.
50 I find: "If we can't be separated from God's love,
and grace is working things out, and God is on our
side, then, NO MATTER WHAT, JESUS IS ALWAYS THERE
FOR US." Emphasis in original.
If
all we were going to talk about is grace, then I would
not have a problem with this, however, SDAs know that
a time is coming, very soon in fact if the ""final
movements will be rapid ones"" when probation will
be closed, the day of mercy will be ended. Where if
anywhere is probation closing discussed in the curriculum
of GraceLINK? Did the BRI approve of leaving out this
portion of SDA truth?
b)
In Vol. 67, (Second Quarter 2001), p. 22-23, it states:
""God keeps His promises, His gifts of grace to us.""
Again,
if all we were going to talk about is grace, then
I would not have a problem with this, however, SDAs
know that Gods promises are conditional:
""God
would in no wise excuse sin in a people who had been
enlightened, even if he had, in the days of their
faithfulness and purity, loved them, and given them
especial promises. These promises and blessings were
always upon conditions of obedience upon their part.""
EGW, Redemption, pg. 40.
Are
the conditional promises and blessings, based on our
obedience discussed in GraceLINK? Did the BRI approve
of leaving out this portion of SDA truth?
5)
Referring back to http://gracelink.net/faqs1.html,
#9, concerning the NIV.
a)
One of the reasons for using the NIV was: "" encourage
the memorization of Scripture"" and have everyone
use the same version. Yet my children, and many others
use the version most frequently found in the Spirit
of Prophesy, the Authorized KJV. This switch, by necessity,
will cause confusion for many years to come, as children
already knowing the KJV must now switch to the NIV
as they progress in SS classes. To suggest anything
else yields an undesirable outcome: ""A church that
replaces these lessons with some other materials takes
on an enormous responsibility."" (From #6 in FAQ quoted
above).
b)
Another reason is stated that the ""NIV is easier
to read and understand than the KJV or NKJV."" What
research supports this statement? Other research indicates
the exact opposite! As a result of this NIV enforcement
at the junior levels of church are we going to see
GC recommendations for all churches to adopt the NIV
for adult worship, for after all, we want to minimize
confusion?
c)
Concerning the errors in the NIV, the FAQ (#10) states:
""However, taken as a whole, the NIV is usually quite
accurate."" What do you mean by ""usually?"" Also,
are you assuming, that taken as ""parts"" it is quite
error filled? The NIV has errors, why not just say
it? You are quick to show a KJV error, why not show
an NIV one?
d)
The statement is also made that ""60 percent of the
parents of today's children favor the NIV."" Where
does this market research estimate come from? Are
these parents of SDA children?
e)
As an aside…… I can only think with discouragement,
at how my own Adventist University where I teach discourages
students who use the KJV by lowering their grade when
the KJV is used, instead of other newer versions.
I know of a specific student who preferred to use
the version from which he had large portions of scripture
memorized, but was consistently penalized for doing
so in his religion classes.
6)
I hope you do not dismiss these comments as simply
the work of the devil (as already alluded to in http://gracelink.net/faqs1.html,
#11 ""…… whom the enemy is using to criticize and
complain.""
I
just wanted to ask some simple questions and state
some apparent observations.
Thanks,
Don
Riley
riledo@wwc.edu
Associate Professor
Walla Walla College.
|
| KathyB
|
 posted
10-23-2001 12:20 PM ET (US) "TYPE=PICT;ALT=ClickHeretoSeetheProfileforKathyB" "TYPE=PICT;ALT=ClickHeretoEmailKathyB"
Dear
Don:
Below are a few comments relating to your post of
Sabbath, October 20. Although not numbered, they follow
in the general order of your comments and questions.
A design task force, made up of administrative representatives
from the General Conference, the North American Division,
and the publishing houses met regularly to create
and approve the art and design concepts for the curriculum.
Their work was then approved, often with change, by
the Sabbath School and/or Children's ministries directors
from every world division.
The entire scope and sequence of this curriculum was
discussed, adapted, and voted by the Sabbath School
and Personal Ministries Departmental Advisory (which
meets soon after each General Conference session and
includes all world divisions), and then the Sabbath
School Publications Board (which is chaired by a General
Conference vice-president and includes representatives
from various fields, including the White Estate and
the Biblical Research Institute). Each and every manuscript
(before artwork) in its entirety is sent to Biblical
Research Institute (officially) and is read and commented
on, at times with suggestions for changes of wording,
and/or focus of particular points. The person in the
Biblical Research Institute who has, up to now, read
the manuscripts, is listed in the front of the publications
as a consulting editor.
A study of the junior level of GraceLink, in its entirety,
would show that there is discussion, not only of grace
and promises, but of our need to respond and accept
those. Grace is always there, however, because it
is only through grace that we can obey the promises.
However, it is always left to our choice whether or
not to separate ourselves, willfully, from God's grace.
"In every command or injunction that God gives there
is a promise, the most positive, underlying the command.
God has made provision that we may become like unto
Him, and He will accomplish this for all who do not
interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace"
(Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p. 76).
The above quotation is included in a powerpoint presentation
on grace that will soon be made available on the GraceLink
website. Also, two new editions of PowerPoints are
currently being prepared that cover all 27 fundamental
beliefs, plus. The scope, sequence, and objectives
of those lessons have already been reviewed and edited
by Biblical Research Institute and voted by the Sabbath
School Publications Board.
And finally, regarding Bible versions: Again, the
NIV was voted to be used in this curriculum by the
representatives from all the world fields. While it
can be problematic for those already familiar with
much of God's word in the literary-style KJV English,
that English can be problematic for those coming to
Bible study from an unchurched background and from
other language groups. More technical discussion of
Bible versions is now available in the resource section
of the GraceLink website.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Beagles, Editor
PowerPoints Bible study curriculum
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[The
above concern is not posted by an uneducated, ""narrow minded,""
""old fashioned,"" ""out-of-touch old man."" This is a professor
at Walla Walla College. You don''t get to be a professor at
Walla Walla College without something between your ears. Why
would the GraceLink leaders characterize those with concerns
as uneducated, when even college professors have significant
concerns (doctrinal and practical) about the materials. And
again, why doesn''t the BRI take more notice of what the Bible
and Spirit of Prophecy actually teach. And why isn't the BRI
concerned about the ""mysteriously"" missing doctrines and
the cartoon style illustrations, and for that matter the other
relevant statements in the Spirit of Prophecy (provided in
earlier issues of GraceLink Disgrace), and counsel the GC
Sabbath School department to change the material, or withdraw
their approval. Is the BRI just there to approve and give
some kind of legitimacy to what other departments of the church
are publishing no matter how outlandish and impoverished they
are? If Angel Rodriquez is actually reviewing the materials
as Ms. Beagles declares, why are they published the way they
are? And just one more question, why unchurch the churched
children by using unchurched methods in an effort to reach
the unchurched children? Unchurched children can appreciate
legitimate uncorrupted Bible stories very easily. Shouldn''t
any health minded Sabbath School teacher be able to see that
the few unchurched children who may attend our Sabbath Schools
in English speaking countries where GraceLink is likely to
be used, should be relieved of their candy and snacks which
makes them hyperactive and unable to concentrate for just
a little while, so that they can get the strait truth? Of
course the same could apply to hyperactive churched children
too.]
Yet
Another Church in the West
Refuses
to Use GraceLink
Dear
MS Johnson:
I
am not from a fanatical group who wants to sell papers. I
am a father who doesn't let his children watch junk programs
on TV or buy comic books. I am a lay evangelist and bring
many souls to the SDA church. I am so grateful that the leadership
of my mainstream SDA church chose against purchasing your
children's curriculum and began producing their own. I am
grateful also that many churches in the area are doing the
same thing. I don't buy Veggitales for the same reason we
don't use GraceLink materials: Scriptural inaccuracies, comic
format that does not elevate the thoughts of the viewer/reader.
I feel that the material you force upon us denigrates the
gospel. I am so very grateful that the gospel is spreading
like fire in the stubble in 3d world countries; the countries
who love the simple gospel and have no use for the entertainment
based materials used by the church in the US. I am thankful
that Jesus is coming soon and put an end to all of this. What
a pity that you have caused so much disunity and controversy.
I am putting you on my prayer list. I hope that you will once
again see the true beauty of the gospel "once delivered to
the saints".
Sincerely,
Name
Withheld
Yet
Another Church……
March
1, 2002
Dear
friends,
Last
night our _______ SDA Church board made a final decision whether
we would use the GraceLink materials--after much discussion
and earnest prayer at various levels over the past 6 months.
It was voted (by a margin of something like 9:1) that we use
alternate materials approved by the Board instead of the GraceLink
materials. It appears that the board will easily approve of
My Bible Says (for CR), My Bible First (for K & P), and
Young Disciple for Jr. & ET. The Lord certainly gets the
praise for the outcome, for it is better than I expected.
I
might say that it was helpful (but perhaps not essential)
to have the letter from the ________ Conf. (OK'ing their churches
to use alternative materials) and the letter from Pat Habada
assuring ______ that she could use YD in her SS curriculum
if her church board approved it.
It
was expressed by some that the church board ought to write
a letter communicating its decision and the reasons for it
to the GC SS dept. I don't know whether/when that letter will
materialize, but I am sure that some members (including myself)
will write our own letters.
Let
us continue to uphold each other in prayer as we seek to do
what we can to resist the tide of compromise in God's church.
Sincerely,
Name
Withheld
And
Another Church……
Email
to: Hartland@hartland.edu
From:
Name withheld
Date:
March 7, 2002
Subject:
DisgraceLink
I
have printed off part 4 of the GraceLink papers, and I am
giving it to one of our Sabbath School teachers. She is already
dissatisfied with the lessons. She is not ordering any more
lessons from the ABC. I don't know what she is going to do,
but she is knowledgeable and reliable, so I am sure it will
be good. It seems that the leadership have become arrogant
if you question them on anything, she has talked to Mrs. Johnsson,
but with no satisfaction……
Name
withheld
And
another……
March
7, 2002
From:
Name withheld
To:
Hartland@hartland.edu
Subject:
GraceLink Disgrace
Hi
there, the material you have provided convinced the church
here to cancel GraceLink. The Pastor says there are 3 Gospels
in the Church and he objects to this GraceLink material because
the people are Legalists. I do not understand his reasoning
but at least they are not using the cartoon material any longer.
I was very worried about my grandchildren. My daughter had
taught her own bible stories to the children before the decision
was made by the pastor and Sabbath school council.
The
pastor teaches Sequeira, we were all saved at the cross. As
a matter of fact all 5 churches around us have that message,
as I mentioned before we need the spring convocation (at Hartland)
very badly to give us a spiritual boost…….
In
Christian Love,
Name
withheld, PA
[This
concludes our seven part series entitle GraceLink Disgrace.
If you would like previous editions of the Hartland E-Magazine
or other important series, please ask. To obtain a copy of
alternative
materials that you may use in your local Sabbath School,
please ask and we will send you a very helpful list. We hope
this will be helpful to all who hunger for material that is
faithful to Adventism's true message, and that will lead the
children to a true relationship with Christ.
For a free copy of
Entertainment
Syndrome, by Colin and Russell Standish, email your
postal address to Hartland@Hartland.edu.
About the book: Never in our history has there been such a
systematic attempt to destroy the minds of a generation. Perceptive
Christians recognize that entertainment is the key to the
final efforts of Satan to destroy the witness of the faithful.
It may be the single most dangerous element in the disruption
of productive lives in modern society. There is hardly a woe
in the world that cannot be directly connected to entertainment.
Entertainment
Syndrome explores how this large increase in entertainment
impacts the physical, emotional, social, intellectual &
spiritual life of the human race. In graphic detail, the authors
portray what can be the outcome of even the simplest forms
of what many might consider to be ""innocent"" entertainment.
The book includes suggestions for alternative activities.
For those interested
in our printed Hartland Ministry Report sent by regular mail
six times per year, email your request and postal address
to Hartland@hartland.edu.
The Hartland Ministry Report brings news and progress of God's
work at Hartland. At present this offer is only available
to North American Addresses. You may also view the Hartland
Ministry Report on line at www.hartland.edu.]
If
you wish to unsubscribe, type ""unsubscribe"" in the subject
line of a blank email.
|
Last updated :
April 24, 2002
