Be real, be open
Opinions
Back in the olden days before I became a teacher here at SWAU, I was co-editor of a magazine called ParentTalk. My partner and I, in the process of setting up the magazine, decided that rather than talking about what parents should be doing (which they were already hearing from numerous sources), we wanted to address where parents already were, and help them with real-life issues that they faced daily.
One example of how the magazine helped was the video review section that listed a variety of PG and PG-13 videos that had recently come into the market. Rather than passing judgment and telling parents their family should or shouldn’t see a particular video, we simply listed what the video was about, whether kids would want to watch it, rating, sex/nudity if any, drugs/alcohol if any, violence/scariness, profanity and mature themes. We then left it up to the reader to decide if the video was appropriate for their family.
We recognized that Adventist parents were already renting these videos. We saw our job as simply providing them with information that would help them make intelligent choices.
This approach of enlightenment without judgment carried over into other areas of the magazine, and was acknowledgement that, even though Adventist Christians had many beliefs in common, the exercise of those beliefs often varied greatly within our culture.
Most of the readers were excited and appreciative of what we were doing. Unfortunately, there were also some that thought we were doing the work of the Devil. "I’ll pray for you," we heard more than once, to which we replied, "Thanks. We need all the prayers we can get."
Adventist circles—even here in Keene—are not completely homogeneous. Despite what I believe, I can’t assume that the person sitting next to me in the pew on Sabbath believes exactly the same thing. Statistics tell us that half the Seventh-day Adventist Church is vegetarian, while half eats meat. There are as many divorces within Adventist circles as without. And yes, many Adventists—even here in Keene—watch videos in their homes. Some even see movies in the theater.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have standards, in our churches, in our schools, and in our homes. Those standards are important to help us not only live more healthfully, but live in greater accord with each other—especially in a setting like a college campus. But we should never forget that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23) so we should be reluctant to pass judgment on another, simply because they aren’t living up to our ideal. And if this is so, why are we so afraid of being ourselves in front of our fellow believers?
God is the only one Who has the right to pass judgment. And I am very, very grateful that His grace is sufficient for my salvation. For I have made many mistakes—and will continue to do so.
It may seem odd for me to post this kind of opinion piece in the Southwesterner. But I do so in the firm belief—and the hope—that by being open and honest with each other we can address some of the real issues that confront each of us. We’re all sinners, and we all need God’s grace to survive. Loving each other enough to be frank with each other will just make our time on earth a little more bearable.