The fact that we cannot earn our salvation has made us passive, although following is nothing passive at all. We concentrate on things we do not...no work on Sabbath, no alcohol, no cigarettes, not this and not that.

May be our faith is still too much something about knowing facts and details, nothing that changes your life. Real Christian faith is much more than just some more or different information about the world. So we get angry when this information turns out to be slightly wrong, but we get much less angry about injustice.

But how can we change, what can change us in a way that we easily and routinely act as Jesus would have acted. What can turn us in the kind of person who easily and routinely makes the Christ-like decision?

With the increased publicity on obesity and its costs, both in health and in $$, this would be a perfect time for Adventists to offer classes in healthful eating with more receptivity. If the "health message is to be the right arm" this seems the most appropriate time.

What does activist mean? All Christians are to obey their masters and their governments, whether good or bad. I'm not even sure that a Christian should protest or demand anything from the government.

LOL, Pagophilus

Marianne Faust wrote: I hope you don't mean that.....!!!

I mean exactly that. Have you read 1 Peter lately? passages like these in chapter 2: 13

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

or

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

Honestly, What If... we just sincerely cared about the person as a person and didn't always have allterior motive behind it. Christianity's evangelism has become P.R. & Marketing for the church. Christ cared for the individual as a humanbeing then as a result of his divinity meeting humanity people of their own free will surrendered to God.

Yes, one of the church's proudest moments was following your advice in Germany during the 1930s/40s.

@Elaine: Quote: "With the increased publicity on obesity and its costs, both in health and in $$, this would be a perfect time for Adventists to offer classes in healthful eating with more receptivity. If the "health message is to be the right arm" this seems the most appropriate time"

I agree with what you have stated above. I'm puzzled though, in that I have read scores of posts by you and other Spectrumites who have demeaned the SDA health message as being legalism and all based on what EGW dreamed about?! The strange irony is that we are at a time when the SDA health message needs to be shared by our churches more than ever before because of the HUGE health problems that are afflicting millions of Americans. Have you changed your position and now believe that the SDA health message is indeed inspired by God?

To eat correctly and take good care of our health does not need any "special revelation" or even plagiarism.

Just utilizing our God-given brains, following common sense, and learning from people who study those issues will give us enough knowledge to do the right thing.

For those that are totally in the dark about this issue, may be just listening to Michele Obama will do it!!! She is already pretty good at it.

I'm not suggesting rolling over and playing dead, and neither is Horatio, as he indicated. Actually doing something is far better than calling for change. Go and feed the poor and help the orphan. By all means petition your government to do what is right, but today's activists are largely a passive bunch. There are a lot of words and a lot of shouting and not much doing. (And not much spreading of the gospel either.)

Ah, si?.
Ahora un cristiano, verdadero o falso, es un activista. Pensaba que un cristiano era un misionero. Y que lo del activismo, se lo dejábamos a los partidos políticos, movimientos sociales con consignas reaccionarias, fascistas y de pensamiento único. Tan bajo hemos caido que ya no destinguimos entre el camino trazado por Jesús, que hemos elegido la autopista encabezada por gente intoxicada por ideas, intereses y pensamiento rebosante de filosofía marxista. Un cristiano no es, no debería ser nunca, un activista, sino un misionero. Preocuparse y ocuparse por los ancianos, enfermos, niños desvalidos y las mujeres ultrajadas por el simple hecho de ser mujer. Un cristiano, verdadero o falso, (por sus frutos los conoceréis) tiene una misión. No una actividad. La misión de compartir y predicar, voluntariamente, el gozo, el ejemplo, la palabra y la solidaridad con los demás por haber conocido el Evangelio Eterno de Cristo. Lo demás, lo digo humildemente y con tristeza, es marear la perdíz, perder el tiempo averiguando el sexo de los ángeles. Tal vez un dia oigamos: Apartaos de mi, nunca os conocí. Porque si dejamos de ser MISIONEROS, para convertirnos en activistas, dejaremos de ser una cosa y la contraria. Es decir, nada...