Chapter 56—Religion and Scientific Education Dear Brother and Sister B,You have both been presented before me as in danger spiritually. You were leaving the right path and were placing your feet in a broader road. Sister B was saying many things, in jots and tittles, here a little and there a little, which were as seed sown, and the harvest will surely come. She was encouraging unbelief and telling her husband that the road they had been traveling was altogether too narrow and lowly. She thought that her husband’s qualifications were of a high order and should be exercised in a broader and more influential manner. Brother B was of the very same mind; in fact, he had led her into this train of thought. You both held the banner upon which was inscribed, “The commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus;” but as you met in your way with people whom you thought were popular, down came the banner, and you put it behind your backs, saying: “If we let it be known that we are Seventh-day Adventists, then our influence will be at an end, and we shall lose many advantages.” I saw the banner of truth trailing behind you. Then the question arose: “Why carry it at all? We can believe that which we see to be truth, but we need not let the educators and students know that we bear this unpopular banner.” There were those in your company who were not pleased or satisfied with these suggestions, but they weakly followed your influence in place of letting their light shine by holding aloft their standard. They hid their banners and marched on, fearing to let the light which was given them of heaven shine before all. {5T 501.1}

(501) Kære bror og søster B: I er begge blevet fremstillet for mig, som i åndelig fare. I forlod den rette sti og satte jeres fødder på en bredere vej. Søster B sagde mange ting, i punkter og småting, lidt her og lidt der, som blev sået som frø og høsten vil visselig komme. Hun ansporede til vantro og fortalte hendes mand at den vej de havde rejst på, i det hele taget var for snæver og beskeden. Hun tænkte at hendes mands kvalifikationer var af en højere orden og burde bruges på en bredere og mere indflydelsesrig måde. Bror B var af samme opfattelse; faktisk havde han ført hende ind på den tanke. I begge holdt på banner, hvorpå der stod skrevet: »Guds bud og troen på Jesus;« idet I møder folk på jeres vej, hvem I mente var populære, kom banneret ned og I tog det bag ryggen og sagde: Hvis vi lader det være kendt at vi er syvendedags adventister, så vil vor indflydelse være slut og vi mister mange fordele." Jeg så sandhedens banner blive trukket efter jer. Da rejste spørgsmålet sig: "Hvorfor tage det med overalt? Vi kan tro at det vi ser er sandt, men behøver ikke at lade lærere og studerende vide at vi bærer dette upopulære banner." Der var dem i jeres selskab, som ikke var glade eller tilfredse med disse antydninger, men de fulgte så småt jer, i stedet for at lade deres lys skinne og holde deres standard højt. De skjulte deres banner og marcherede videre, frygtede for at lade det lys de fik fra himlen, skinne for alle.