Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Dial Daily Bread: A Matter of Unbelief

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As the 1890s were drawing to an end and a merger with the beginning of the 20th century, the State of Michigan was growing and developing. At that time the most progressive printing plant was in the city of Battle Creek--the Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Founded by dedicated members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Review and Herald had been solemnly dedicated to the Lord for the publication of books and articles proclaiming the nearness of the second coming of Christ, and the preparation of heart necessary for us to have in order to be ready for it.

There was no work in the world in progress at that time more important than this. (Even today there is no work being done anywhere as important!)

But some unwise participants in the work embraced the idea that if the Publishing House were to introduce job printing as business, they could make extra money for the institution that would make it possible to print the gospel message more cheaply, and therefore (so the idea went) could make possible a greater distribution of the good truth-filled literature.

So the managers embraced the job-printing idea, and had the typesetters and press operators of necessity seeing and reading this non-Christian literature, some of it downright wildly pagan.

The young people who were the pressmen and proofreaders were forced to see and read this literature promoting paganism!

Ellen White said that the Lord loved those youth too much to allow them to poison their minds by having to read and print this garbage. The Review and Herald Publishing House had been dedicated to the Lord in solemn prayer; this invited Him to enter into the crisis and to act.

Solemn warnings were uttered by the Lord's messenger, and went unheeded.

Finally, the Lord was forced to withdraw His special protection. Someone had left some oily rags used for cleaning the presses in a heap in the basement; they ignited, and the entire building went up in flames. The unbelief of His people forced the Lord to let matters take their course.



Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.