Mentone Church of Seventh-day Adventists
P.O. Box 127
Mentone, CA 92359

(909) 794-1610

September 16, 2001

Re: Gracelink Materials Rejected

____________
11320 Pierce St.
Riverside, CA 92515

Dear _____ _____:

The board of the Mentone Seventh-day Adventist Church wishes to inform you of our considered decision to discontinue use of the materials designated "Gracelink" for our young people.

After lengthy and careful discussion and evaluation of the materials, we found them to be both troubling and inferior, unsuited for our use. Knowing your interest in these matters we wanted to share with you some of the concerns expressed in our deliberations.

• Objectionable artwork. We find the artwork used in these materials to be highly objectionable. The cartoon style represents what are real historical events in the Bible stories as if mere animations, mere moving-pictures out of a Saturday morning children's cartoon television program. We know you have seen the Ellen G. White references indicating that this is objectionable.

• Theological unsoundness. The portrayal of grace and obedience is faulty. Some of us have been troubled by the strange vagueness consistently encountered in expressions found in these materials. Often a statement is vague, even true, in what it affirms, while disquieting or even effectively falsified by what is left out. This dilemma we describe is obviously a judgment call. But why does such a situation exist? Are our highly educated Gracelink workers and consultants incapable of clear expression, or bent upon carefully pressing home certain points they fear to clearly expound? For example, in PowerPoints Vol. 67, No. 3 (Second Quarter 2001). p. 2, "God's grace is the unlimited, for-sure, forever power that finds us, forgives us, frees us, and fills us with everything we need to live a full and wonderful life, serving and worshiping Him."

Even the above definition statement is rendered vague by its plenitude of open statements. God's grace is here held as essentially a power that seeks, forgives, frees, and fills us. This wouldn't be troubling but for the fact that the philosophy behind Gracelink is specifically said to be to "resolve the confusion about salvation by separating talk about our response to God's grace, the good works Christians do, from the discussion of the salvation God's grace has freely given us" (http://gracelink.net/Philosophy/grace.htm). We note with interest the following remark from the inspired pen: "Daily they seek the Lord for grace to obey Him, and they are strengthened and helped. This is true conversion." YI Sept 26, 1901. It appears that when God spoke to us through Sister White, He failed to separate so precisely good works and grace! This point alone--the thoroughly unsound teaching on grace and works--recommends these materials to the garbage can.

• Grotesque License in Story-telling. Numerous examples of grotesque license in story-telling permeate these materials. For example, in one case, the story regarding the confession of Peter that Jesus is the Christ begins with the playful antics of Peter's sneaking up on Andrew and pouring water on him. The event proceeds with Jesus "stretched out full-length on the ground." Suddenly He asks whether people think He is the Messiah or not, continuing the discussion while propped-up on elbow (from PowerPoints, Vo. 67, no. 3, Year B, (Second Quarter 2001), Juniors/Teen, pp. 42-45).

This item illustrates a most regrettable mixture of the profane and the holy. Profane embellishment recasts this most solemn and treasured Bible story in a very light and relaxed atmosphere. We hardly need to point out that Ellen White, who saw the actual events in vision, portrays the setting altogether differently (See Desire of Ages, pp. 410-418).

The direction of the materials you have produced seems to us subversive of true Adventism. The conventional understanding of what Adventism is, is not represented. The product demonstrates this sharp ideological imbalance with its strong non-SDA and "evangelical" slant.

How can we support what you are printing and what you (apparently) are seeking to achieve? The outcome of the use of these materials, even if it is not your official goal, appears to be little less than the undermining of the faith once delivered to the saints; the faith for which we are commissioned to contend. On behalf of the spiritual welfare of our children we send you this letter as both a wake-up call, and an earnest plea:

Back to the drawing board with these materials.

If the North American Division will produce sound materials for our young people, then we will use them. But until then we add our voice to the many, many others calling for a substantive change in the approach that has been taken, a turn back to more realism, an end to comic-book artwork style, and a return to true Adventism. The basic ideas of grace and worship as presented in your productions need to be revisited and realigned with that Adventism to which we joined ourselves when we made our commitments to follow Jesus. What you have done is--although doubtless unintended as such--embarrassing, cheap, and puerile.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
Board of the Mentone Seventh-day Adventist Church
Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

cc/ _____ _____, Children's Ministries director, NAD
_____ _____, Subscriber Services, RH