MAKING PROSELYTES

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 27, 1901

MAKING PROSELYTES.

It is almost always charged upon Seventh-day Adventists that the chief object of their “missionary work” consists of “making proselytes from other denominations.” To “proselyte” is defined to mean, “to cause to become converted to some religion, opinion, or system.” What is our business, then, but to proselyte? For how can sinners be brought to Christ, or those who sit in darkness be brought to the light, whether they be in one degree of darkness or another, without being proselyted? To proselyting in its objectionable sense, that is, to bring men to our way of thinking, without respect to their good, but simply to increase our numbers, or gratify our pride, we do not plead guilty. But we do believe that we have learned truths from the word of God, and discovered light in its pages in advance of what is taught by other religious bodies, and we wish others to share with us in this. If we did not think so, the consistent course for us to pursue would be to cast our lot with those whom we thought to be farthest advanced in these respects, and stop there.

Believing, then, that we have advanced truth, what shall we do with it? Give it to those only who are down in low grades of daily life and error? They of course need it, and should (and so far as in our power shall) have it. But all who are destitute of any advanced light, lack just so much of what they might enjoy. All need it, and would be better for having it; for the truth makes free; and it is “in truth,” as well as “in spirit,” that we are to worship the Father. John 4:24. We, therefore, purpose to give what we believe to be the truth to saint and sinner alike. The fact that a man is already a professed Christian is no bar to our giving him any truth which we possess and he does not; and if he is in truth a Christian, he will be thankful for it.

Carrying out their idea a little further, our critics add: “If they can succeed in unsettling some good Christian on the Sabbath question, they rejoice over it.” Ah, gentlemen, you state what is exactly the opposite of the truth. It is not to unsettle any one that we seek, but to settle all who are unsettled. “No question is settled till it is settled right.” No one can be truly settled on the Sabbath question, till he is rightly settled on the right Sabbath; and the only Sabbath upon which one can be firmly settled is the Sabbath which alone is brought to view in the Bible, the true Sabbath, the sanctified rest day of the Lord Jehovah.

The main thing is for people to obey the truth. Now, if those in other denominations can receive and live out the truth, and still retain their denominational affiliations, let them do so. But they cannot do it. Their people will not allow them to do it. And this is just the trouble; the different denominations will not permit their members to receive new truth and still remain in their fellowship. In this they are unjust to their members, illiberal in spirit, and bigoted in their action.

Every true Christian desires all the light and truth there is to be had, from whatever source it may come. This is to him more than creeds or church fellowship; and if those with whom he has been associated will neither receive the light themselves nor allow him to receive it and enjoy it in peace, in their company, it is a law of nature as well as of religion that he should seek some people with whom he can enjoy it, as it is his privilege to do.