Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Amjad Waryam
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000349B
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00:05 Welcome back to the Liberty Insider.
00:08 We've taken a short break 00:09 and I wanna continue with Amjad 00:12 who's had a varied career as a... 00:16 you used the term that very few people would know, 00:20 even some of your fellow Adventist of younger age... 00:23 Colporteur. Colporteur. 00:24 I don't know the origin of that word. 00:26 But the best description is you're an evangelist, 00:29 going door-to-door, sharing printed material. 00:34 And while we were in a computer revolution 00:37 and people addict to it saying this is the end of print, 00:39 it hasn't come yet and many people 00:42 get great pleasure from reading Christian material 00:47 and you've been doing that. 00:49 Now, at the moment, 00:52 between visits back to Pakistan, 00:54 you're selling materials in the United States right now. 00:57 How do you find that? 00:59 Because there's a lot of talk in the US, 01:02 a little bit like in England, that sort of, 01:05 many people oppose Christian, 01:06 they're not really religiously oriented. 01:08 How do you find that? 01:10 Is their prejudice against 01:11 even just showing them moral Christian material? 01:14 Here is a good advantage is this in United States is 01:19 all our publications are in English 01:21 and people speak English. 01:24 And mostly they can read it and when we approach them, 01:27 you know, that, we do have challenges, 01:31 but it's not bad as other places are, 01:33 you know, that. 01:35 We, it is challenge that 01:36 many people will not respond to it, 01:38 people will not buy it. 01:40 And even in many homes and we visit they say, 01:45 "We are not Christians or no. 01:47 We have no religion" sometime religion, 01:50 but many says that we, okay, we are Protestants, 01:54 we are Catholics, 01:56 we are not Seventh-day Adventist 01:57 when they find it. 01:58 Even though we don't start that we, 02:00 it's a Seventh-day Adventist thing, 02:02 we state Home Health Education is promoting this. 02:05 So you find there is some resistance. 02:06 There is a resistance and once they know, 02:08 many places, you're Seventh-day Adventist, 02:10 they say, "No, no, no, no, 02:11 we have our own religion, we have our own denominations." 02:15 Gave at the office. Yeah. 02:17 So there are, challenges are there 02:20 when you see there, 02:21 but the work is been always difficult 02:25 and challenging from the beginning, 02:27 but it's not impossible. 02:29 It's still going on, and we still see the Lord, 02:33 you know, help and work on hearts. 02:36 What is that? 02:37 Do you remember any particularly 02:39 memorable experiences 02:40 you've had as you've gone door-to-door? 02:43 Bad one or good one? 02:44 Do you wanna ask? 02:46 Yeah, I was looking for good, but bad ones were telling this, 02:48 this is a religious liberty program 02:51 and so there's ups in religious liberty 02:53 and this is sad in a way, 02:55 often religious liberty is described in the negative 02:57 where there's problems. 02:59 Where there's none people figure it's... 03:01 Many good experience people, you know, 03:04 invite us for prayers and they want to listen, 03:06 they take our books very respectfully. 03:09 And even they don't want to say no, 03:12 there are many, say, it's, okay, 03:14 we don't want it, thank you so much. 03:16 But there are times, you know, 03:18 people bang door on us, 03:19 you know, that there are people who can be very abusive, 03:23 you know, that one fellow, you know, said, 03:25 "Get out of it and he said the words 03:27 which I don't want to say that." 03:28 And he chased me out very badly from that place, you know. 03:32 And another thing is sometime, 03:34 within our own denomination or organization, 03:37 we don't respect as other people are respecting 03:40 outside the work, you know, 03:42 but many are not within our organization, 03:45 do that too, 03:47 but I see there are some both... 03:50 I think I know what you're saying, 03:51 would explain that because... 03:53 You don't believe within our own Adventists community, 03:57 the work of the LE is regarded very highly. 04:01 Is that what you are saying? Yeah. 04:02 It is, some places and some people think, 04:06 you know, this is, oh, you're LE, okay, okay. 04:08 Why is that? 04:10 I have my opinions but why do you think that...? 04:15 Literature evangelism is been always, 04:18 as I said, is challenging and hard, 04:20 but sometime people think, 04:22 maybe people are tired of keep buying the books 04:24 and that's why maybe one reason, 04:26 I can think of it. 04:28 That's why they don't want to deal with you. 04:30 No, but within the church why, 04:32 what has caused this that you picked up on occasion, 04:36 I'm sure most people don't think that, 04:38 but perhaps a significant number have the idea 04:42 that this is not a... 04:43 They don't think highly of the ministry. 04:45 Why would that be? 04:47 Highly of the ministry is that 04:50 maybe people are more educated 04:52 or they don't consider this is important. 04:56 You can see the value of it, our ABCs are closing, you know, 05:00 that our own people if buy, you know, 05:01 our ABC will not close, believe me. 05:04 ABC, lot of places are closing and some... 05:09 And recently, I was in California 05:11 and all our, 05:12 all our conference are looking for ABC manager 05:16 because nobody wants to work there, 05:17 you know, what is the problem that 05:19 there is a problem that's why they have challenges. 05:23 That's sad because you obviously 05:25 know the history of the Seventh-day Adventist church 05:27 which was is unique to itself, 05:31 but by my understanding of history 05:34 in the United States particularly, 05:36 at the time period the US or the Adventist church began, 05:40 within the US there was much promotion 05:43 door-to-door of printed material. 05:45 Yeah. 05:46 As Sister White said... And salesman. 05:48 You see, as Sister White said, 05:49 Sister Ellen G. White said that... 05:50 Ellen White was the one of the Adventist pioneers 05:52 who we believe God has... 05:53 She highly promoted 05:55 and she said this will be the last work 05:56 until probation closed. 05:58 Right, that's what I am viewing at so. 05:59 You know, and laymen will finish 06:00 the work there itself. 06:02 But going back to history, this is a projection and a hope 06:05 and an insightful statement, 06:08 but it's just a matter of plain history, 06:11 that the Seventh-day Adventist church 06:12 as well as other religious entities of its time 06:15 when it began, 06:16 it developed and grew exponentially purely 06:19 because of the literature evangelism work. 06:22 And I'm old enough to remember 06:23 when every pastor had to spend one year 06:27 as a literature evangelist. 06:28 Now it's very different. 06:30 It's a prerequisite to ministry. 06:31 Now it's very different. 06:33 Before pastor could not graduate, 06:35 if they would have not done the work. 06:37 And now, they can do theology 06:39 without this work and they do so. 06:41 I think they should bring that same policy back 06:43 and they should let people work, 06:45 and then at least they will be... 06:47 it actually a good experience to talk to public. 06:50 Well, it strengthens your own faith, 06:52 but also it teaches you to project your ideas 06:55 to other people as a salesman. 06:57 You are not there as a salesman, 06:58 but like everyone at any time effectively 07:01 you have to be selling your idea what you evangelize... 07:02 Yeah, sure. 07:04 It is a sale but it is... 07:05 But it's very much tied up to your success 07:07 as an LE whether you're able to explain 07:09 what you believe correctly. 07:11 Yeah, yeah. 07:12 Explain this book in an attractive way 07:13 that they wanted. 07:15 Actually the main purpose of the literature ministry is 07:17 to introduce them to for the health messages, 07:21 and also about the love of Jesus, you know. 07:24 At the end of the day, 07:25 we just tell about the Christianity, 07:29 about the Seventh-day Adventist church, 07:31 what their views are. 07:33 Actually, we need to have more colporteurs, 07:35 we need to have more people working this, 07:38 even volunteer base or even for, 07:40 you know, living, then this work will grow. 07:43 In the past if you see, Brother Lincoln, 07:46 that this work has grown in the past, 07:48 it came from very humble beginning 07:50 and that's why we have publishing houses 07:52 all over the world. 07:54 We have colporteur work going all over the world, 07:58 but it is coming down, down, 08:00 but it's dropping, you know, that... 08:02 In the West? Yeah. 08:03 In the US, in Australia... 08:04 In US and other parts of the world, 08:06 we're struggling, you know. 08:07 In England, in Canada, which is ironic. 08:10 It needed more attention. That's what I think. 08:13 But you put your finger on something that, 08:16 you know, this is an Adventist internal issue, 08:19 but I think it's worth talking about 08:21 on a larger discussion to a community in general. 08:26 When there's respect for a religion 08:30 and religious ministry, it will flourish. 08:32 When people turn against it, 08:36 that's a very negative backward attitude. 08:39 What they're saying now, what they're saying is... 08:41 And our own church is marginalized 08:42 what you're doing and that's not good. 08:44 Yeah. 08:45 And I just wanted to say that, they say it, 08:49 that electronic media or, you know, 08:52 the computer age has affected. 08:54 It is true, it is affected. 08:56 All our books are on like, you can read it on the phone, 09:00 or on the computer online, 09:02 and this is the reason people don't buy it and but... 09:05 I don't think so. 09:07 But I think we're not doing our part either, 09:09 you know, that. 09:11 You know, you can look on the magazine racks 09:14 and there's more magazines than before. 09:17 Many that don't print as much as they used to, 09:19 but there's still an ongoing demand to read... 09:21 I will not say the name because it's on television, 09:24 but within our own organization, 09:26 many places you cannot put your own 09:28 Seventh-day Adventists printed material there. 09:33 So what kind of freedom is this? 09:35 Within your own organization, we own them, 09:37 and we should have, you know, 09:39 there our publications sitting there 09:41 and people should, you know, and this you can't. 09:43 And there's a need for openness, 09:46 and an allowance, 09:48 not just that religious liberty did not marginalize you, 09:52 but a greater vision on sharing faith, 09:55 that's what religious liberty is. 09:57 It should be an unimpeded distribution 10:00 of faith and truth. 10:02 Yeah, this is, if I see... 10:03 And by the way, I need to do this... 10:05 with the little time we've got left, 10:06 I want to make a statement. 10:08 Liberty Magazine, 10:10 we're printing as many as 185, 000 every issue. 10:14 That's quite a lot. 10:16 And I hear some of the same comments from people, 10:18 "Well, printing not anymore 10:20 it's the Internet, and Twitter." 10:21 We have a president 10:23 who came to power largely through Twitter. 10:26 So you can't say that that doesn't work, 10:28 but for Liberty Magazine, we want legislators, 10:32 and thought leaders, 10:33 and community leaders to get this and sends it... 10:35 that we sent it to them. 10:37 They are not going to, by chance, 10:38 put their hand up 10:40 and like the fly flying around little in the wind, 10:42 you know, an internet connection 10:43 they'll discover it. 10:45 It's not going to happen randomly. 10:46 These need to be targeted. 10:48 And when you go to door-to-door, 10:49 you're looking for people who have a direct need, 10:52 they will always welcome the reading. 10:54 Because reading is not dying away, 10:56 it is the way it's distributed is changing. 10:58 People still love to read, you know, this is a reason, 11:01 you know, that we still have some success, you know, 11:05 that people are reading our book. 11:06 Yeah. 11:08 And I'm sure, 11:09 as I was trying to draw out from you, 11:10 you'll have many positive experiences 11:12 and it's a hard sell with your own membership sometimes, 11:15 hard sell on given doors 11:16 where they might chase you away. 11:18 Yeah, they do, they do. 11:19 But many times I'm sure you've seen 11:21 God's Spirit moving in an openness... 11:22 It does. 11:23 And it, the Lord always led us, 11:25 you know, to many places where, 11:28 you know, that we have, you know, 11:30 this work successfully done. 11:32 And we have sold many of sets of Bible stories 11:35 and My Bible Friends and even health literature 11:39 to many of the people. 11:43 In the closing hours of the Soviet Socialist Republic, 11:50 there was much talk of two terms 11:52 that in Russian were expressed as glasnost and Perestroika, 11:56 openness and reorganization, 11:59 and when I look at the world today, 12:02 thankfully communism is largely faded, 12:05 but we are in great need of openness. 12:08 Religious liberty is just a principle 12:10 unless it's expressed in openness 12:12 and ongoing dialogue, and reorganization, 12:17 restructuring is absolutely not only necessary, 12:21 it's what our world is engaged in. 12:24 Tennyson, the poet Tennyson said once in one of his poems, 12:28 the old order changeth. 12:30 There is no question that 12:32 as the Bible predicted so long ago, 12:34 we are now living through a time of radical change. 12:38 Everything is up for grabs, 12:40 including the array of civil liberties 12:43 that the West is so cherished. 12:46 It's up to us, with faith convictions, 12:48 to speak out, reorganize our lives, 12:52 reorganize our priorities, 12:54 and be so focused on sharing, witnessing, 12:58 and the principles of eternal liberty 13:01 that they are unstoppable. 13:04 For Liberty Insider, this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2017-04-03