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The Baptism of Adventist Education
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Oct. 21-The Baptism of Adventist Education

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Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Rev. 3:20, RSV.

In December 1890, as we saw yesterday, Christ came to William Warren Prescott and knocked on the door of his heart. The young educator opened it. And he would never be the same. And neither would Uriah Smith. One result of Prescott's conversion was a ministry to Smith that led to his public confession and a healing between him and Ellen White.

And so it is that the message of Christ changes lives and reshapes them. But in the case of Prescott the reshaping not only affected individual lives but also had a mighty impact on Adventist education.

You see, Prescott was not merely the president of Battle Creek College--he was also the head of the Seventh-day Adventist Educational Association and would soon be the president of both Union College and Walla Walla College. Being leader of the association and president of three colleges at the same time, the articulate Prescott was in a position to make serious changes in Adventist education.

He would initiate the transformation of Adventist education at an educational convention he sponsored at a little place called Harbor Springs in northern Michigan during July and August 1891.

Up to that point Adventist education had struggled with its mission and identity. Although
Adventists had founded it to be distinctively Christian and to prepare ministers and missionaries, from its beginning at Battle Creek College in 1874 it had been held captive to the pagan classics and the study of Latin and classical Greek. Some reforms had been attempted, but most yet remained to be accomplished.

That would begin to change with the conversion of Prescott. The truth of Prescott's story is that God uses people to change His church. But He can only work through those willing to let Him use them.

That is where you and I come in. God wants to take our lives and shape us in such a way that He can use us to reach out and affect others and the larger church.

Now, I know that some of you are saying that you have no influence. Not so! Each of us touches other people in some small way every day. It is through bits and pieces of such influence that the snowball of change eventually comes about.

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God regards us as His children. He has redeemed us out of the careless world and has chosen us to become members of the royal family, sons and daughters of the heavenly King. He invites us to trust in Him with a trust deeper and stronger than that of a child in his earthly father. Parents love their children, but the love of God is larger, broader, deeper, than human love can possibly be. It is immeasurable. Then if earthly parents know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more shall our Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?(COL 142).
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