p. 1 | Our Educational and Literature Work

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 28, 1916

Our Educational and Literature Work

By George Ide Butler

G. I. BUTLER

Education

After the great disappointment of 1844 the advent believers felt that the coming of Christ must be very near. They believed that they were in the “waiting time.” (See parable of ten virgins in Matt. 25: 1-13.) And knowing full well how unpopular they had become, they shrank from sending their children to the schools where they would be made fun of and ridiculed. They realized that the majority felt great opposition to the ideas of Adventists, and they feared the effects upon their children spiritually. For these reasons many ceased to send their children to school. The whole question of what they ought to do about educating their children was a great perplexity.

The public schools are of great value to our population generally; yet there are some features in them which are not conducive to Christian life. As the message progressed year after year, and our numbers greatly increased, it became evident that steps must be taken to provide educational advantages and facilities for the young people of our denomination. In Battle Creek, Mich., which was the center of our work, and the home of our largest church, a school was provided. Prof. G. H. Bell, a teacher of experience and ability, had come to the Health Institute for treatment, and had become a believer in the message. About this time Prof. Sidney Brownsberger was graduated from the University of Michigan. He had recently accepted the truth. Providence seemed to be providing us with men qualified to teach in a high school or college. So our people, represented by our General Conference, decided to erect a college in Battle Creek.

Elder S. N. Haskell and the writer, at that time strangers to each other, one from New England, the other from Iowa, were elected members of the General Conference Committee, which at that time consisted of three persons. Elder Haskell and I were young and full of zeal, and to us the responsibility of raising the funds to build this college was given. Well does the writer remember this effort. We strongly appealed to our people in behalf of our college, and they responded nobly. Our numbers at that time were fewer than five thousand, to the best of my remembrance. We raised in money and pledges more than $50,000. The college was built, and our splendid system of education was begun.

In our efforts to impress our people with the importance of Christian education, we were greatly aided by the light given through repeated visions to the servant of the Lord, elucidating this whole subject of education. We doubt if this undertaking could have been made a success without the Testimonies.

How greatly all true and loyal Seventh-day Adventists rejoice that Christian education has received so much attention and has accomplished such a grand work among us. The larger number of our ministers today are such as the result of this educational movement. We firmly believe that there is no system of education in our world that equals or compares with the system among us of combining education with the teachings of the blessed Scriptures.

Of course we do not claim that so far as mere literature or knowledge of the sciences is concerned our schools excel or even equal the great educational institutions of the world. But the result of the training in those schools is the production of many skeptics and infidels. Many of the ministers trained in such schools are tinctured with unbelief. How great a portion of them believe the Bible to be the Word of God? How many of them believe in the Biblical account of creation? Evolution and higher criticism, so called, have largely permeated the mass of the clergy graduated from these institutions. We have no desire for such results. The Holy Bible is made paramount in the teaching of the schools of this denomination. Our young people are made acquainted with the blessed Book. Our students come forth believing in it.

What a contrast this feature is to the results in worldly schools, or even in the denominational schools of the popular churches. But the moment we admit the Bible to be the Word of God, as our people believe it to be, why should it not have this prominence? Is not the Word of God more important than the words of man? The religious atmosphere of our schools is a feature of the very greatest importance. Because of this feature our young people are saved to the cause of God. The skeptical influences permeating many schools breed unbelief and infidelity. We as a people all know that the light from heaven which has come to us through the Spirit of prophecy has been the salvation of our schools so far as their religious influences are concerned. What a great blessing this has been to us!