AMEN Australia 2012: Right Arm, Right Approach, Right Now

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Adventist Medical Evangelism Network Australia

Skip Dodson

JHN Tindall: A Twentieth Century Medical Evangelist

Tonight we're gonna look at a 20th century medical evangelist in the US, John H.N.

How many of you have heard of Elder Tyndall's work before?

Okay, wow, a lot of you have actually, interesting.

So this is probably going to be perhaps a review.

I think there's a lot of things to be gained by looking at Tyndall's model of evangelism simply because it's more recent.

You know, you're only going back to the 1910 to 1930, okay, something like that.

And that's, It's probably the most recent example of really integrated evangelism.

I mean, there's been other examples, but not anything that's been carried on quite as long, I don't think, as his work was.

Tyndale grew up a Methodist, but he eventually gave up on God, and 1 of the reasons he gave up on God was the whole doctrine of eternal torment.

And Ellen White says actually that that's 1 reason why some people become atheists.

They just can't reconcile that doctrine with the idea of a loving God.

And rightly so, of course, because scripture doesn't portray God as doing that.

But so he went on to study law, he worked as a publisher, and he was actually quite well off.

He got into gold prospecting, and eventually he met up with a Adventist gentleman who was also a gold prospector, who he referred to as Daddy Bell.

He used to heckle Daddy Bell, but eventually this guy gave him desire of ages to read, Tyndale read the book and was converted.

And I wanna just put a little sidebar onto this.

I think we need to use the spirit of prophecy responsibly and use it as we were instructed to use it.

I don't think we need to be ashamed though to hand books like Desire of Ages to people and say, you know, read this, this is gonna make you fall in love with Jesus.

You know, people, so many people that I've talked to have been converted by reading those books.

Yes, we need to be responsible in their use and use them appropriately, but let's use them.

So eventually he enrolled at Loma Linda in the medical missionary course and was trained there.

Now in response to Ellen White's vision of February 27, 1910, you know what that vision is, right?

She says, during the night of February 27, a representation was given to me in which the unworked cities were presented before me as a living reality.

Elder Wilson has referenced this statement a number of times in his time as General Conference President.

She says, and I was plainly instructed that there should be a decided change from past methods of working.

For months the situation has been impressed upon my mind and I urge that companies be organized and diligently trained to labor in our important cities.

This was addressed to conference presidents.

In fact, Ellen White felt so strongly about this vision that she wrote to Dr.

Daniel Kress, who was at that time the medical director of the Washington Sanitarium, she said, if the Lord spares my life and directs me to the work, I will leave my home and take up the work in some of the neglected cities, even though I never see my home again.

She was 87 when she died, so she was 82 years old.

And this dear sister was ready to go and engage in this work.

You know, does this vision strike a chord in our hearts?

Are we willing to go and labor in the cities?

But if God called me to go to New York City, I would go to New York City and work.

Would you go to, I mean, here we're in Melbourne.

Melbourne's not nearly the size of New York, but this is a city.

We need to be preparing to work those cities.

That's what is going to set in motion a mighty movement which cannot be stopped.

He was instrumental in setting up the sanitarium work in Southern California.

Owen, who Ellen White referred to as the best Bible teacher in the denomination at that time.

Great place for the best Bible teacher in the denomination to be, don't you think?

Right there where the medical students are being trained.

And they asked Tyndall if he would be willing to try this new approach to evangelism.

So the place selected was San Bernardino, and there had been efforts made there to do evangelism before, it hadn't been very successful.

Even though they had given the dreaded health talks.

Now I say they're dreaded because I don't like health nuggets.

I like it when health is integrated fully with the message for the evening.

I mean, I'm not disparaging health talks, don't misunderstand me.

Nobody goes away thinking that if you do health talks that you're doing some sin.

But all I'm trying to say is, I think we can do even better than that, Don't you?

So Tyndall pitched his tent next to a building where the Ladies' Club met.

So 1 day, the president of the Ladies' Club happened to be going past when they were holding a meeting.

And she came in, listened, and promptly invited Elder Tyndall to speak at the Ladies' Club.

As the network of influence grew, the newspaper editor found out about what was happening and opened up space in the paper for reports about the meetings.

That was kind of a short meeting for those days.

And 16 people were baptized, including a gentleman who later loaned a large sum of money, interest-free, to Loma Linda.

I think it was on the order if you would put it in today's terms.

You know, about $80, 000, something like that.

He was a tobacco addict and told Elder Tindall, I cannot give up my tobacco, I have a bad heart, I'm afraid it's going to kill me if I just go cold turkey off my tobacco.

So Tindall said, look, I have 2 nurses working with me.

And he says, I'll take the man and he'll stay with you while you're going through the process.

And if anything happens, we'll make sure you get the right care.

That man gained victory over his tobacco, became a Seventh-day Adventist, and as I mentioned just a minute ago, was very influential in funding the work at Loma Linda at a very critical time.

If there had been no nurse there to see him through his withdrawal, would he have had the courage to make that step?

So The medical part of that meeting was instrumental in that man's baptism.

Tyndall then went to Hartford, Indiana, Hartford City, Indiana, and he took the 2 nurses with him.

There was a little church there, but they only had Sabbath school.

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JHN Tindall: A Twentieth Century Medical Evangelist

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