February 12, 2008 Hong Kong…Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN
Getting involved in the local church is the best way to impact the global Seventh-day Adventist community, world church president Pastor Jan Paulsen told two groups of young people gathered for the first Let's Talk broadcasts in Asia. Urging active participation in both church activities and personal spirituality, Paulsen answered questions from students and young professionals from across East Asia.
Previous installments of Let's Talk, a series of unscripted, unedited conversations between Paulsen and Adventist students and young professionals, have taken the church leader to 18 other locations worldwide since 2003.
One theme — how to make Adventism, a religion with predominantly Western roots, relevant in Asia — emerged early in the February 10 broadcast from Hong Kong, which included young people from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and fell during Chinese New Year celebrations.
“You don't take people out of [their] culture,” Paulsen, who donned a red changshan, the traditional Chinese formal costume, for the occasion, said. “The church has to find a meaningful way to reach people within their cultures. The values God teaches must make sense and be meaningful within your own culture.”
Participants at both the Hong Kong broadcast and the February 7 recording from Manila, Philippines wanted Paulsen's take on marriage, divorce and being single.
Paulsen, citing his own 52 years of marriage, stressed the value of choosing partners wisely and attending pre-marital counseling. Because marriage is a “commitment, not an experiment,” Paulsen said cohabitation as a “trial run” is not an acceptable means of cutting divorce rates.
Some participants wondered if divorce ought to even be an option. While certainly not the ideal, Paulsen described divorce as a “reality,” not a reason to judge or ostracize members whose marriages have ended. “We need to remember that we are here to be a healing, forgiving, accepting community,” he said.
One student at the Hong Kong broadcast suggested roles in the church for singles, whether divorced or never married, were narrow. Paulsen acknowledged that while some cultures prefer to hire married people, “God does not require that you marry and have kids in order to serve him.” He added that being a minister or counselor is a “professional qualification” that need only be accompanied by “spiritual commitment.”
Paulsen continued the theme of commitment — this time loyalty to God — when answering several questions about Sabbath observance from the group in Manila. When a student from Myanmar said some state exams are only held on Sabbath, Paulsen mentioned the work of the church's department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty to eliminate religious discrimination. “Governments don't like to be embarrassed, or viewed as depriving their citizens of the right to follow their consciences,” he said.
One student asked whether it's OK to let Sabbath-keeping slip to curry favor with a professor or a boss. “We don't compromise the Sabbath for anything,” Paulsen said. “The rest of life — professional, educational or otherwise — must fit into that context. Difficulties may come, but they will bring new opportunities to trust God.”
And when young people trust God, they can also depend on their own “good minds and sound judgment,” Paulsen stressed during both broadcasts. “Look, you know what's right,” he said in response to questions about music, movies and other entertainment choices. He then shared the guidelines he uses to choose music for his iPod: “Is it worshipful? Does it communicate a message from God? Does it bond a community of believers?” If not, best not to “baptize” it, he said.
Several questions surrounded appropriate activities for Adventists. Should Adventists campaign for politicians, run for office, associate with other denominations, play sports? Paulsen's “Yes” to each question was tempered by a warning — don't let anything elbow out your commitment to Christ. If you seek election one day, he told the students, “don't confuse the agenda of the state with the mission of the church.”
“Know who you are and don't compromise your identity,” Paulsen said, advising the students not to cloister themselves away in a solely Adventist community. “Christ said, 'Let's go down and meet those people.' So don't be a bystander — go with conviction, the assurance of who you are and the value of what you offer,” he said.
When a participant from Cambodia whose family died in the genocide under Pol Pot asked whether God would allow people into heaven who never had a chance to accept Jesus, Paulsen assured him God was “generous” beyond human comprehension. “Aren't you glad He is the One who will ultimately answer your questions?”
Getting involved in the local church is the best way to impact the global Seventh-day Adventist community, world church president Pastor Jan Paulsen told two groups of young people gathered for the first Let's Talk broadcasts in Asia. Urging active participation in both church activities and personal spirituality, Paulsen answered questions from students and young professionals from across East Asia.
Previous installments of Let's Talk, a series of unscripted, unedited conversations between Paulsen and Adventist students and young professionals, have taken the church leader to 18 other locations worldwide since 2003.
One theme — how to make Adventism, a religion with predominantly Western roots, relevant in Asia — emerged early in the February 10 broadcast from Hong Kong, which included young people from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and fell during Chinese New Year celebrations.
“You don't take people out of [their] culture,” Paulsen, who donned a red changshan, the traditional Chinese formal costume, for the occasion, said. “The church has to find a meaningful way to reach people within their cultures. The values God teaches must make sense and be meaningful within your own culture.”
Participants at both the Hong Kong broadcast and the February 7 recording from Manila, Philippines wanted Paulsen's take on marriage, divorce and being single.
Paulsen, citing his own 52 years of marriage, stressed the value of choosing partners wisely and attending pre-marital counseling. Because marriage is a “commitment, not an experiment,” Paulsen said cohabitation as a “trial run” is not an acceptable means of cutting divorce rates.
Some participants wondered if divorce ought to even be an option. While certainly not the ideal, Paulsen described divorce as a “reality,” not a reason to judge or ostracize members whose marriages have ended. “We need to remember that we are here to be a healing, forgiving, accepting community,” he said.
One student at the Hong Kong broadcast suggested roles in the church for singles, whether divorced or never married, were narrow. Paulsen acknowledged that while some cultures prefer to hire married people, “God does not require that you marry and have kids in order to serve him.” He added that being a minister or counselor is a “professional qualification” that need only be accompanied by “spiritual commitment.”
Paulsen continued the theme of commitment — this time loyalty to God — when answering several questions about Sabbath observance from the group in Manila. When a student from Myanmar said some state exams are only held on Sabbath, Paulsen mentioned the work of the church's department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty to eliminate religious discrimination. “Governments don't like to be embarrassed, or viewed as depriving their citizens of the right to follow their consciences,” he said.
One student asked whether it's OK to let Sabbath-keeping slip to curry favor with a professor or a boss. “We don't compromise the Sabbath for anything,” Paulsen said. “The rest of life — professional, educational or otherwise — must fit into that context. Difficulties may come, but they will bring new opportunities to trust God.”
And when young people trust God, they can also depend on their own “good minds and sound judgment,” Paulsen stressed during both broadcasts. “Look, you know what's right,” he said in response to questions about music, movies and other entertainment choices. He then shared the guidelines he uses to choose music for his iPod: “Is it worshipful? Does it communicate a message from God? Does it bond a community of believers?” If not, best not to “baptize” it, he said.
Several questions surrounded appropriate activities for Adventists. Should Adventists campaign for politicians, run for office, associate with other denominations, play sports? Paulsen's “Yes” to each question was tempered by a warning — don't let anything elbow out your commitment to Christ. If you seek election one day, he told the students, “don't confuse the agenda of the state with the mission of the church.”
“Know who you are and don't compromise your identity,” Paulsen said, advising the students not to cloister themselves away in a solely Adventist community. “Christ said, 'Let's go down and meet those people.' So don't be a bystander — go with conviction, the assurance of who you are and the value of what you offer,” he said.
When a participant from Cambodia whose family died in the genocide under Pol Pot asked whether God would allow people into heaven who never had a chance to accept Jesus, Paulsen assured him God was “generous” beyond human comprehension. “Aren't you glad He is the One who will ultimately answer your questions?”
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