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Fingers in Pagan history

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Origins of the wedding ring

A Warning for the Adventist Church.

What has happened in the Methodist Church can serve as a warning to the Adventist Church. Kelly, though himself a Methodist, made this point in an article entitled, "How Adventism Can Stop Growing." His answer is simple and yet profound: "Be like the Methodists. According to Kelly all that Adventists need to do to stop growing and begin declining is to emphasize that church standards of abstinence, dress, diet, tithing, etc., are "not really essential to salvation." Such an emphasis causes the decline of the church because it "deprives faith of its unique and necessary texture and practice and cost.

In the light of the above observations, it is evident that church standards affecting such sensitive areas as dress and jewelry can contribute to the growth or decline of the church. Believers who observe high standards are constantly reminded of their calling and mission in the world.