I would like to thank Jill Morikone for her spiritually insightful column “The Need to Be Understood” (January 2021). Sometimes an overly strong demand for justice drives us to ruminate on hurts and offenses. The question “Why do you care what others think of you?” is the challenge before us and, if properly answered, can be truly liberating!
Lourdes Morales Gudmundsson
Riverside, California
What an outstanding edition of the December Adventist Review for the climax of one of the most difficult years in history! I appreciate this special addition: “A Testament to the Power of Music We Sing,” by Bill Knott. E. G. White said that “music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that which is pure, noble, and elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion and gratitude to God.” Let us pray that in the new year our churches will sponsor this kind of music and that someday we will be able to sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” like the angels, as Lael Caesar portrayed in his article!
Leo Ranzolin, Sr.
Estero, Florida
What a delightful issue on music. It served as a good prelude to Christmas, although ours arrived on December 31, 2020. “Our Priceless Instruments” is worth reading again.
Ken Albertsen
You are not alone in receiving your December Review after the Christmas holidays. We prepare each magazine well in advance so that our readers receive their magazine by the first of each month. Challenges within the United States mail system as a result of the pandemic have wreaked havoc with the magazine arrival times. We do appreciate your listening to the concert we provided even though Christmas had passed, and hope others do the same. Celebrating Jesus’ birth and His gift of salvation is something to be appreciated all year long!—Editors.
Lael Caesar’s celebration of angelic messengers in your December issue was excruciatingly lovely in its reminder of where Christianity begins.Caesar’s unique baroque style coupled with a Trinidadian cadence was altogether appropriate to his subject. Is it not time for another breakthrough from the “realms of glory” to announce the coming King? I am looking for the words to describe how much I enjoyed reading this piece but fail—except to say thank you!
Ernest J. Stevenson
Pastor, retired
A severe warning by Jimmy Phillips in the December 2020 Adventist Review to what the King will say to “those on His left,” and the remarkable story of the man in jail awaiting execution for his crime who then was set free. How many others can we relate to who are in the prison of sin waiting to be set free? We can, with involvement, help them meet the Judge, who can do just that (Matt. 25:36). One dared to do just that for me.
Robert Rouillard
Lakewood, Washington
As an additional comment to the article, the majority of hospitals in the United States require that a chaplain be certified clergy, endorsed by a specific church. With the passage of time, standards are being developed related to the provision of pastoral care. As part of this process, JCAHO* standards for pastoral care will require that all hospital chaplains be clergy who have completed an approved Master of Divinity program. The specified degree in the article does not meet those educational standards. The following website will inform you as to the current standards for the accreditation of pastoral-care departments. AdventHealth University must, in preparing their degree program, plan for future employment requirements. It is not fair to their students to enroll them in an educational program that has little to no value for future employment.
Gregory Matthews
*Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
There were leaders who were swayed by requests that our church change its direction and begin to right wrongs. There have been many members who believe that the church corporately must take a stand that asks, Which side are you on? The fact is that the singular 1965 statement draws attention to the terrible entropy that exists throughout our church. We all need to affirm that God’s church is composed of God-loving people who likewise love and nurture every other human being God created.
Milton Hare
We welcome your letters, noting, as always, that inclusion of a letter in this section does not imply that the ideas expressed are endorsed by either the editors of the Adventist Review or the General Conference. Short, specific, timely letters have the best chance at being published (please include your complete address and phone number—even with e-mail messages). Letters will be edited for space and clarity only. Send correspondence to Letters to the Editor, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; Internet: [email protected].
