Chapter 18

David Lin

Cleanse the camp of this moral corruption, if it takes the highest men in the highest position. God will not be trifled with. Fornication is in our ranks. I know it, for it has been shown me to be strengthening and extending its pollution. Testimonies to Ministers, 427

THESE words were written about a century ago when moral standards were higher than today. Even 40 years ago, the Pacific Union College Bulletin specified the length of skirts to be worn by co-eds, and the chaperon system was in practice. But today these standards are "old fashioned," and new problems, such as alcoholism, homosexuality, and finding homes for illegitimate children, have become pressing problems within our denomination. Add to this the appearance of official "Achans" in the camp, and we see that the call for a cleansing is timely indeed.

Could it be true that "the Lord will not do good, nor do evil"? Zephaniah 1:12. Why doesn't He do something about this situation? Are we all waiting for Him to do something? What if He does something really drastic, such as call for another big fire or two? Judging by the magnitude of our problems, a big fire or two will not begin to faze us. It seems that even a loss of 40 million dollars will not hurt us much. We are so rich and increased in goods. Then what can the Lord do?

The Lord can do many surprising things. Let us look over some of His doings in China. First, in the Chinese religious world in general. The political changes following the establishment of New China have really plowed up the field in a constructive way.

1. The Catholic Church in China has received a complete overhauling. The big cathedral in Wuhu, Anhui, was ransacked and the public was treated to an exhibit of hundreds of dead babies found in a lime pit--the carcasses of our little orphans starved to death because the kindhearted nuns didn't want so many. The citizens in Shanghai had their eyes opened in another exhibit of Catholic counterrevolutionary activities. Heaps of firearms and radio communication equipment ferreted out of the cellars of several cathedrals in that city were enough to equip a formidable commando force for an armed assault when and if the Vatican so ordered. Photos of prison cells and secret chambers in the cathedrals remind us of the words, "[Rome] is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated." The Great Controversy, 581. Today a rejuvenated Chinese Catholic church has severed ties with the Vatican and repudiated papal primacy. That is indeed something new under the sun.

2. The Protestant churches in general have also undergone healthy shakeup. One indigenous but reactionary group--the "Little Flock"--had for years before the liberation followed the leadership of a man who under government investigation was proved to be a fornicator. His followers had given him liberal offerings--some in the form of gold bullion--which he shamelessly lavished on his mistress--a professional prostitute. Among the items appearing in his exhibition was reel of movie film he shot of his mistress in the nude.

3. Another "religious" crook--a popular evangelist--was also exposed by the authorities. He had claimed the gift of healing and performed miracles in public by opening the eyes of the blind and restoring the hearing of the deaf, all in a bedlam of shouting and praising. He also had a way of seducing the young women who came to him for counsel and prayer.

These three examples suffice to show that God can use governmental agencies to bring about certain religious reforms. If the Chinese Communist Party had not come to power, we may be sure that the lime pits under the cathedrals would continue to receive more famished babies, their armories would be stocked with more guns, and many "pious" swindlers and fornicators would still be free to prey upon the public. Today Chinese Christians are thankful for a more decent social environment, and that the government has helped the religious organizations to rid us of many evils which we could hardly eradicate by ourselves.

Now comes our most relevant question: "What changes have occurred in the Chinese Adventist church?" We have space here for only a few examples which may serve to show what can also happen in other parts of the world. Since one of our most pressing problems today has to do with "Achans" in our camp, we shall begin with a review of their doings in the China Division up to 1951. Compared to our total membership of only 21,000 in that year, we had an extraordinary number of Achans. Why? Because there was an abundance of "American gold" (Chinese name for United States dollars).

It is almost unbelievable that such a small membership could form the constituency of a whole Division organization with its ramification of departments, committees and associations. It was the most top-heavy organization we had in the world. Below the Division were nine (9) union missions divided into 24 local missions, every one of them staffed by directors, treasurers, secretaries, stenographers, teachers, preachers, Bible women, colporteurs, and so on. Then we had 13 sanitariums and clinics, one big publishing establishment, one junior college and a number of academies and church schools in operation. When one tallies up all the hired personnel in the various missions and institutions, who made up part of the 21,000 members, it can be seen that the actual lay membership comprised a fraction of the total. It can also be seen that such a small membership could not be expected to support such an organization with its tithes and offerings. The fact is that whereas in the United States church organization began from the bottom up, in mission lands it develops from the top down. The China Division started out using mission appropriations from the United States, and continued to depend on this source of income right through its development from 1902 to 1950.

The writer was secretary of the Division from January 1950 through October 1951, the most tumultuous period in its history. Just before this time, China went through a baptism of blood and fire in two sanguinary wars--the war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the war of liberation which followed the defeat of Japan. In those trying years the Division maintained some form of organization, and mission appropriations continued to keep it "fed" in one way or another. But because of circumstances, a regular auditing system was not practicable, and that contributed to the development of dishonest treasurers. In some places the treasurer was bookkeeper and cashier in one, while in other places bookkeeper and cashier worked hand-in-glove to embezzle mission funds.

In December of 1950, after foreign missionaries had vacated, mission funds were frozen due to the Korean conflict, and I was sent to a union mission to settle matters. The workers in a local mission in that union accused the director of embezzling mission funds in collusion with the treasurer, and also of violating the seventh commandment. There was I, having no accounting experience, forced to audit the books of this mission. I simply checked invoices and receipts against book entries, and soon found purposeful falsification of accounts. Investigation proved the adultery charge true also. About this time a union treasurer took his books to the Division office for auditing. The books were water-soaked and many figures were obliterated. He said they got wet on the train, and asked for an "all clear" statement from the Division auditor, who told him that was not possible. Another Division auditor went to check the books of a sanitarium, and also discovered falsified accounts. The story continues--all in the same vein--Achans coveting a wedge of gold.

What did the Lord do about it? He simply turned off the gold supply, and the sinning stopped. Achans, Judases, and other opportunists were not punished (by the church), nor did they repent or commit suicide, but simply left the church because there was no more gold. But God's work went right on. A new class of believers came in their place not looking for gold, but in search of truth.

Can this thievery happen in other places? Why not? I'm no prognosticator, but certain laws are self-evident. Circumstances may differ, but wherever the spirituality of God's people drops, mission offerings dry up and tithe receipts drop with it. If the "new theology" continues to spread, its advocates, who are supported by faithful Seventh-day Adventist tithepayers, will sooner or later discover that because their teachings tend to lower the spiritual fervor of God's people, they have been digging their own graves. For if, as they insist, it is not possible to keep God's law, why be so liberal in mission offerings and faithful in tithe paying? Thus, while in China political developments led to the drying up of the gold supply, the dissemination of the "new theology" can lead to the same result in other lands. You cannot expect our people to give up Adventism and continue paying tithe into God's treasury. This heresy may be their end: yeast germs in fermenting grape juice are finally destroyed by the alcohol they produce. But that is only one possibility. God has other ways of turning off His gold supply.

When the people of Israel were on the borders of Canaan, Satan succeeded in seducing them into sin by working through the prophet Balaam. When hired to curse Israel, the prophet was impelled by the Holy Spirit to say: Behold, I have received commandment to bless, and He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel. Numbers 23:20-21

However, this poor prophet was infatuated by Balak's offer of riches, and was bent on pleasing his patron. He devised a scheme to bring God's curse on Israel. At his suggestion Balak sent a group of voluptuous women to draw the Israelites into sin. The plan worked, and Satan exulted. Many Seventh-day Adventists today have also fallen into Balaam's trap. Hence this statement by Ellen White about fornication in our ranks. (If she copied it, she must have had access to the books in heaven.) "What is to be done? The command is to 'cleanse the camp,' . . . if it takes the highest men in the highest positions." But who is to do it? The answer is, the laity.I know of a case in China where a popular self-made Adventist evangelist once traveled around the country in the company of a single woman. He spoke a dialect not familiar to most Chinese, so he used her as an interpreter. It did not take long before the lay members told him that it is not proper for a preacher to travel with a single woman. There you have it: a man who is supposed to teach the people to obey the law of God being told by the people what is proper and what is not. Sex infatuation has a blinding effect, even on preachers who are normally sane and sensible. Ellen White says that this bewitching spell can afflict "the highest men in the highest positions." If a preacher does not want to be humiliated by being taught by lay people how to behave, he must live close to God and depend on Him to keep his head cool.

Let none say a state of feeling is upon them in undue attachments, unlawful love, that they cannot break away from. It is a deception. You cherish the evil, you strengthen it. You love it better than you love truth, purity, righteousness. You do not take hold of divine help, wrenching yourselves from hurtful and dangerous associations. You tamely give yourselves to the working of an evil way, as though you had no free moral agency. Study God's word prayerfully, meet its demands firmly, resolutely, as did Joseph and Daniel." Testimonies to Ministers, 42

God gives us a picture of the Israelites at Baal-Peor. The Bible tells how an Israelite prince named Zimri, unmindful of the plague that had befallen his people, and of them who were weeping and praying, shamelessly led a Midianite girl into his tent. Then we see a young man named Phinehas rise from his knees, grab a javelin, follow them in, and thrust it through man and woman. For this deed God made a covenant with Phinehas as a token of His approbation. The initiative of one man stayed the plague that had stricken down 24,000 souls.

This example answers our question, "What is God going to do?" Actually, God is waiting to see what we will do. Will there be another Phinehas in modern Israel to stand on God's side and rid the church of them who work folly in Israel?

Now Phinehas was not a eunuch, but a creature with sex instincts like all men, but he was not seduced by the Midianite girls. Why? He had his mind fortified with the word of God. The holy Spirit helped him keep a level head and retain the mastery over his passions. When those idolatrous beauties threw their glances at him he recalled the words, "Lest . . . their daughters . . . make thy sons go awhoring after their gods." Exodus 34:15-16. He knew this trap was set by the devil, and stayed clear of it. "The adulteress will hunt for the precious life," and he knew his life was precious in God's sight. He willed not to be the devil's victim, but joined the people in prayer and then rose to slay the transgressor who dared to flaunt his sin before the congregation. God signally honored his noble act. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9

God, who endowed man with the power of choice, places a high estimate on individual initiative. When we study this trait in connection with the fact that "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure," (Philippians 2:13), we come upon the wonderful truth that though all power to overcome sin comes from God, yet He gives us the credit for every victory we gain in His name. And we give Him all praise, thanksgiving, and glory.

We are all actors in the drama of the great controversy. The angels and inhabitants of myriads of worlds are the spectators. How do you plan to act? Will you play the part of another Zimri, or will you act the part of Phinehas? How would you appear--you who are shepherds of God's flock--if you allow yourself to fall under the spell of a female decoy and be led "as an ox goeth to the slaughter"? Remember: the whole universe is looking on. Do not make a fool of yourself--a shame to the Advent cause and a reproach to God. Do not lead a double life, having always something to cover up. Living in sin and yet posing as a saint--such a state of mind is most demoralizing, and unfits a man for the work of God. Remember: "To thine own self be true," so that you can hold up your chin and fight the battles of the Lord.

Another case of lay members maintaining our standards and disciplining a preacher recently happened in a Chinese Adventist church whose minister fell in love with a married woman and made her divorce her husband to marry him. The church members did their best to restrain him, but he was deliriously infatuated, and they resolutely disfellowshipped both man and woman. They obeyed Christ's teaching: "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Because this "right eye" had become a real offense to men and a dishonor to God, they plucked it out. This example is representative of many Adventist congregations whose members are firm in their love of the truth and refuse to follow false shepherds. The question is asked: How can lay members have a higher moral standard than that of their preacher? The answer is, They learned it through the Testimonies of the Spirit. Through these books God speaks to His people and feeds His flock. Thus is fulfilled these words:

"Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? . . . And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd. . . . Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out . . . and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . . . and I will feed them in good pasture." Ezekiel 34:2-14

When the shepherds fail, the Lord will feed His flock through the Spirit of Prophecy writings. This fact has been demonstrated in China. It will be demonstrated in other fields.

Are we exalting the Spirit of Prophecy above the Bible? Does not the Lord feed His flock through the Scriptures? Yes, of course, but without the light shed by the gift of prophecy upon critical passages, the Bible does not make people into Adventists. That is a historical fact. Reading the Bible all their lives, Baptists remain Baptists, Episcopalians remain Episcopalians. In the Ellen White writings God takes His own words as written by men of old and applies them in the right place at the right time. This application makes all the difference between a commandment keeper and a commandment breaker. That is why the devil attacks the Ellen White writings.

The failure of the shepherds in China has its peculiarities. We never had very many to begin with, and their general quality was low. By this statement we mean their grasp of the truth and their dedication to the cause were weak. The only evangelist of some note moved to Hongkong in 1949 and stayed. The ordained ministers in China who are still loyal to the truth number about 16, half of whom are in their dotage. Licensed ministers are also few. In 1951 six pastors were ordained. Today all are living, but only one is still a pastor. It can be seen that if we depend on the shepherds to feed the flock, the flock will starve.

This condition has its historical factors. We started on the wrong foot. From the beginning we put major emphasis on medical evangelism and little effort in training gospel workers. In 1937, when I was in our training institute as a ministerial student, I heard of a fund called the "urge-to-study" scholarship (literal translation). Urge to study what? To study for the ministry. Why should students be urged to do that? Because unless urged with money no youth would study to be a preacher. Why? Because Chinese preachers in those days ranked very low on the social scale. Even in our training school ministerial students were lightly regarded. A student of means invariably took the pre-med course. Others who were not well-to-do but could afford to pay expenses took the teachers' training or business course. Only the poor applied for the "urge-to-study" scholarship. It is hard for us now to imagine the state of things in pre-war China. A Chinese preacher was held in low esteem, even by some missionaries. Two examples will make this fact clear: One missionary took a fancy to help a beggar boy and his sister. Would he train them to preach the gospel? No, the boy became a pharmacist, the girl went through nurses' training. Another example is found in the missionary salary report submitted to the Division Committee about the year 1935. It was a salary scale for Chinese mission workers. The norm fixed for local country preachers was based on the living standard of the rickshaw coolie. (There were still rickshaws in the 30s.) It became a byword among Chinese workers. That explains why it was necessary to establish this "urge-to-study" fund. That was also why the preachers turned out under such a training system were not satisfactory. The failure of the shepherds in China really should be traced to the failure of our educational system.

Many of our colleges in the West have leaned toward the other extreme: turning out theological "experts" who talk over the heads of the people. Our members are often impressed with the profundity of their preacher's learning, but go away empty and ill-prepared to face life's battles. For they are not fed with the Bread of Life, but with worldly provender. To satisfy their soul hunger, many of our people turn to the testimonies of the Spirit. In both extremes the pattern is the same: When shepherds fail, the Lord Himself feeds His flock. Praise Him for His timely provision!

The root cause of our troubles is our inclination to follow fashion. It was the fashion in China to look upon the ministry as a cheap profession. "Anyone who speaks well can preach," was the common attitude, and as the result we paid them a rickshaw coolie's wages. When no youth would study for the ministry, we bought up a few paupers to do so. The idea of a divine calling and a wholehearted consecration was absent. The result is a dearth of consecrated preachers. But there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few, for He has provided His sheep with richest provender in the books of the gift of prophecy. Even though the Division organization has crumbled, a body of new believers, whom the Lord Himself is feeding, continues to thrive, and from them have sprung up a group of consecrated lay workers. One has taken the pains to copy the complete The Great Controversy by hand so that he can own a copy. He is representative of all who are led by the Spirit to step out for God.

The fashion in the West is to have sophisticated ministers. Adventists too must have scholars in the pulpit. But when the time of trouble comes, all who refuse to worship the beast and his image will be in sore straits. Then will the shepherds be smitten and the sheep scattered. But again, the Lord says, "I, even I, will feed My sheep." How? By the testimonies of His Spirit. Remember, brethren and sisters, hold on to your Bibles and those "red" books. They will be your pasture when the shepherds fail.

There is another aspect to our experience in China. We thank the Lord for a virtual quarantine from the moral pollution that is engulfing the so-called "Christian" countries. It is not as thorough as one might wish, but it is a quarantine nevertheless. Many people in the West would not believe it, but we have no great hardship dealing with alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, homosexuality, pornography, broken families, juvenile delinquency, and organized crime. The divorce rate is much lower than that in the United States, and crime is well under control. Our customs authorities ban imports of rock music. As a result, the general moral tone of Chinese society is healthier than in the West.

Students of social science unacquainted with the history of the rejection of the Law of God by the popular churches will never arrive at a correct answer to the question "How is it that today 'Christian' nations are experiencing a moral decline and disintegration more serious than that in a heathen country?" Does it prove that the gospel has no power to preserve human society from corruption? Even some learned theologians are baffled. Here is the answer:

Because they have transgressed the laws (the Decalogue), changed the ordinance (the Sabbath), broken the everlasting covenant (the gospel), therefore hath the curse devoured the earth." Isaiah 24:5-6

Corruption has set in not because people are Christians, but because since 1844 they have broken God's law and trampled on His Sabbath in the name of Christ. Their faith today is a travesty of the true gospel. This rejection of truth has caused them to sink to the present depths of degradation. Then let all who are trying to do away with our teachings on 1844 take note: A fair and honest assessment of the major developments in the world since 1844 will prove that the Adventist teachings are historically as well as biblically correct. The rapid increase in crime throughout all Christendom cries out in thundering tones, "Babylon is fallen!"

When the popular churches rejected the message to worship the Creator by keeping His Sabbath, they took the next logical step of abolishing the Ten Commandments. If you accept the Decalogue, you must keep the seventh-day Sabbath. Sunday keepers began then to preach from the pulpit that God's law is ‘nailed to the cross.’ "Babylon is fallen" is God's philosophy of modern church history. It epitomizes the deepening crisis in all Christendom following 1844. The rejection of the Advent message in that year was but the beginning of a protracted apostasy in Protestantism, carrying the popular churches step by step toward complete affinity with Rome and spiritism. When this threefold union is realized, the fourth angel's message reaches its crescendo: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils. . . . Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." But is it not strange that in this crisis hour there are some Adventist ministers trying to pull us back into Babylon? This error too is a failing of our shepherds.

I believe God has preserved China as a "control specimen" to prove the truthfulness of the above thesis. Here we have a separate nation that has regulated itself since antiquity by the natural law alone. See Romans 2:14-15. How does it compare with a nation that was founded on Bible principles but subsequently apostatized? The latter is seen to be in a worse moral condition.

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 2 Peter 2:21 Q.E.D.

About three years ago, when China opened her doors again, the TV stations imported a foreign film depicting the life of a harlot. The public was shocked. Many parents turned off their TV sets to keep their children from witnessing the most lurid scenes. Letters of protest swamped the TV stations, and that stopped the importing of smutty films for good--on the strength of the public opinion of a "heathen" nation educated in their national traditions and communist ideals.

True enough, things in China went berserk for a number of years during the "Cultural Revolution," and practically every norm of human behavior was challenged and broken. The restraining influence of the Spirit of God was temporarily withdrawn. But we thank Him that order has been restored, and that those years of turmoil failed to uproot the basic ideals God planted in the Chinese mentality. In those years of terror many youth learned to defy all authority, but today we see the age-old norm; "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man," (Leviticus 19:32), is still deeply rooted in the Chinese conscience. On a trip to north China I was many times offered a seat on crowded buses by young and middle-aged women as well as by a ten-year-old boy. They did it purely out of respect for my grey hairs. In the West it is "ladies first," but over here it is "elderlies first." How is it that this precept of the Levitical code is so deeply ingrained in the minds of a "heathen" race?

The same goes for the fifth commandment. It is no exaggeration to say that the Chinese people have more respect for their parents than practically any other race on the earth, including the Jews. Jesus rebuked the Jews for neglecting their parents on a pious pretext. See Matthew 15:4-6. The ancient Chinese made no such hypocritical laws; on the contrary, they wrote the Xiao Jing, the "Holy Book on Respect for Parents," and made their children read it as a "must." It is no coincidence that the Chinese race is the longest-lived and most populous. It is another aspect of this "control specimen" God has kept. Like the Rechabites, China teaches the world a silent lesson, attesting that God's word is true, for He has indeed prolonged our days in the land which He has given us.

When will we have a clean camp? When will the church be pure and spotless? The promise is sure: we shall see a "revival of primitive godliness." But today we actually face a seemingly deteriorating situation. We wonder, Will God's promises fail? Will we go the way of all past movements, lose our bearings and fade away? No. We have something which past movements lacked; we have the Spirit of Prophecy--the Paraclete promised by Christ to remain with us and to guide us into all truth. This gift of the Spirit will see us through to the end and fulfill God's purpose in perfecting the saints. That is why at this very time when we need it most, Satan is launching a supreme effort to rob us of this gift. At this very time--when the Achans are plundering God's treasuries and the Zimris are flaunting their sex crimes in the church and the shepherds are failing us one by one--we need to lean more and more on God's everlasting arms--the testimonies of His Spirit to keep our vision clear and our bearings straight. We must stand our ground and repulse the enemy. We must give attention to what the Spirit saith to the churches and measure up to God's high and holy standards, holding them up for all to see. One Chinese seeker put it thus: "I'm looking for a church with high standards, not cheap standards. It's like going to school. Men who want a good education look for a first-rate school." The high spiritual standards--the call to perfection--in the Ellen White writings may repel the careless worldling who wants to live by a low standard, but they attract all who are honest in heart and who will respond to the movings of the Holy Spirit. These writings uplift the crucified and risen Saviour; it is He who draws all men unto Himself.

Take down those precious volumes from the shelf, blow the dust off and read every word in fear and trembling, for it is God's personal message to you, saying, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent." When we humbly obey God's every word, and purify ourselves as He is pure, then will the camp be clean.

David Lin

September 17, 1982

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