One Church the War Has Helped

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 9, 1915

“One Church the War Has Helped”

THE work of this denomination is attracting attention, as is shown in a short article published in the Christian Advocate of November 4, under the heading “One Church the War Has Helped:” —

There are 125,844 Seventh-day Adventists, and the net gain last year was almost ten per cent, an accelerated increase which is no doubt partly attributable to the partial success of those evangelists who are reading the morning paper with one eye on the book of Daniel. The contributions for foreign missions are reported as averaging six dollars per member, and the work is carried on in eighty-seven countries by 5,313 evangelists. It is a pity that we are obliged to add that, according to authentic information from several mission fields, one of the accepted methods of Adventism is to follow in the wake of missionaries of other denominations, and disseminate its peculiar views among those who have been shown the errors of heathenism.

We would not deny that our message is for all, not only for the heathen, but also for any who hold unscriptural doctrines; but that proselytism is the accepted method of Adventists, though a charge often made by those whose doctrines will not stand the test of the Bible, is not altogether in accord with the facts. We do not have at hand any general statistics in this matter, but the statement of Elder R. F. Cottrell, when presenting at the biennial council of the General Conference Committee (Nov. 5–21, 1915) his report of the Central China Mission, is of interest. We quote from Secretary Spicer’s first report of the council (published in the REVIEW of November 25):

When Elder Cottrell stated that the believers in Central China were about 1,000 in number, the question was asked as to the percentage coming directly to us from heathenism. He answered: “In Honan, 80 per cent; in Hunan, 83 per cent; in Hupeh, 50 per cent.”