NEW JERSEY
Right or Wrong?
“It is fun but challenging to have the steering wheel on the wrong side!” | exclaimed as | was driving
down the motorway from London to Lutterworth through many roundabouts.
“It is on the right side,” my wife, Minha, quickly corrected me. “Cars in America have it on the wrong
side because it is not on the right side.”
So, who's got it right? Is it the Americans or the Brits? The word “right” could be a noun or an adjective,
referring to correctness; a verb meaning to make straight; or an adverb referring to direction or immediacy.
As | was reflecting on the word, a special sign beside the road greeted me. It read, “Welcome to
Lutterworth, workplace of John Wycliffe.” Why was this man who lived nearly 700 years ago being
commemorated?
First of all, Wycliffe followed what was “right,” using the noun form. Bucking the traditions of Rome was
not only countercultural but was considered treason; however, when he saw that the papacy had forsaken
the Word of God over human tradition, he spoke out against it. “Instead of doing what was right in the
eyes of men, he chose to “do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord” (Deut. 6:18, NKJV).
Secondly, he used “right” in the verb form. He was determined to right the church, so he wrote tracts against
the papacy who were collecting from the poor and living in luxury. He was not fazed by prison or the stake.
Lastly, he used “right” in the adverb form. When he realized that common people were kept in darkness
by withholding the Bible from them, he immediately set out to work. Even though it was illegal to translate
the Scripture, he believed in the power of the Living Word that transforms lives.
Wycliffe became the first translator of the Bible into the English language, and he finished his task
in Lutterworth, opening the Scripture to England. Was Wycliffe driving on the right side or the wrong side?
The John Wycliffe Memorial stands tall in Lutterworth, and on it you’ll find an inscription that reads,
“Morning Star of the Reformation.” Venus is the planet that shines brightly just before
the sunrise while darkness is prevailing over the horizon. Wycliffe was the forerunner to
reformation whose influence directly impacted Jan Huss and Jerome of Prague, and later,
Martin Luther.
The Papacy’s anger was so furious that Wycliffe’'s bones were dug up 43 years after
his death, burnt, and the ashes were thrown into the river Swift. The light he placed
in England would never be extinguished.
God is calling for morning stars in this dark world who will herald that, just as
surely as the sun rises each morning, the Son of God will return exactly as He has Stephen Lee
promised. Do you want to right the world, do what is right, and do it right now? Executive Secretary
Nino Transitions to Columbia Union Education Team
Her name derives from Hebrew, and it means “compassionate friend.” Without
a doubt, Ruth Nino lives up to her name, further cementing its meaning with total
devotion and loyalty to Seventh-day Adventist education.
Nino started her ministry of education in the New Jersey Conference’s (NJC)
Tranquility School in Andover. She later taught at Waldwick Adventist School—
the school she attended during her elementary years and where her love for
education grew.
The natural steps to leadership followed, and Nino became the principal of
Waldwick, where she remained for 12 years until recently accepting the call from
the Columbia Union Conference to be the assistant director for early childhood
education. The NJC administrators, colleagues, parents and students thank
Nino for her dedicated service to God and education.
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