Dear Pastor ___________,

Regarding candles in a Pathfinder service, I know of nothing in Mrs. White's writings that would say that this should not be done. She objected to a Catholic use of candles as part of one's devotion to images, for instance, but I have never seen a Pathfinder service that used candles in the same way the Catholics do. Jesus spoke of lighting a candle to give light to the house (Matthew 5:15). This seems to carry no evil along with it. I cannot think that there is an inherent problem here.

As for using flags in such a Pathfinder service, I find nothing in Mrs. White's writings to suggest that this is not appropriate. There are very few mentions of national flags in Mrs. White's writings, and none that do appear are negative. Here is an occasion when Mrs. White preached on the subject of temperance in Europe, and a large American flag was used in decoration in honor of her speaking. She wrote:

On Sunday, by request of the president of the temperance society, I spoke upon the subject of temperance. The meeting was held in the soldiers' military gymnasium, the largest hall in the city. An American flag was placed as a canopy above the pulpit; this was an attention which I highly appreciated. There were about sixteen hundred assembled. Among them was a bishop of the State Church, with a number of the clergy; a large proportion were of the better class of society. {HS 207.6}

I took up the subject from a religious stand-point, showing that the Bible is full of history bearing upon temperance, and that Christ was connected with the work of temperance, even from the beginning. (Historical Sketches, p. 207; see also Temperance, pp. 225, 267.)

We would not want to give the idea that the country, or especially its current government, had the same commitment or devotion that we offer to God. But it is proper to acknowledge our rightful place as citizens of whatever country we may live in. As Jesus said, we are to "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22:21).

You asked about wearing shoes in church, saying that some claim we should not do so. The only Bible passage I can think of in this regard is the story of Moses at the burning bush, though there may be others. Mrs. White did not remove her shoes before going into the church, nor did she call on others to do so. It seems to me that, in the culture of the Middle East, the custom in Moses' day and beyond (even till today in the Arab world) indicated respect and reverence for God. In other cultures it does not do so. In western culture, men remove their hats, not their shoes, to show respect for God in prayer or in the house of worship. In the absence of counsel to the contrary through the prophetic gift of Mrs. White, I would not take those Bible verses as requiring all people in all places to remove their shoes when they enter a church. In places where the custom persists, it would be well to observe it. But I know of no reason to impose it on other peoples in other places.

I hope this may help you. God bless!

William Fagal
Associate Director
Ellen G. White Estate
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A.
Phone: 301 680-6550
FAX: 301 680-6559
http://www.WhiteEstate.org