For almost six years, I relentlessly pursued Dr. Bill Knott to interview him for the programme Starting Point. He had been editor-in-chief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s official publication, Adventist Review, for a decade. Finally, in early 2016, we sat down for an interview in which we discussed how he developed his talent as a writer and the current significance of the Adventist Review within the global Adventist Church, which has more than 23 million followers.
Could you tell us about your starting point in life and faith?
My father was a historian and an English teacher, so I grew up surrounded by books. I have pictures of myself leafing through books and circling letters long before I learned to read. I was fascinated by books.
I didn’t learn to read any earlier than other children, but I had good teachers and formative experiences during my childhood, including within my family, so I have always known about Christ. Over the years, I gradually began to discover God’s plan for me and became eager to follow Him. I don’t remember ever choosing to disobey God, which gave me a sense of security.
Did you enjoy going to school?
Very much.
So there is hope for boys, too!
I was eager to start school. I found the field my father worked in very interesting, even though he didn’t teach at my school. I enjoyed learning and tried hard to get good grades. I liked reading and composing artistic sentences—habits that were an important part of family life.
So, even as a child, you enjoyed putting words together to create poetic sentences?
Like all children, I used to think that all families were like mine. One special thing I discovered was the importance of storytelling in my family. Whether we were in the car or all together as a family, we would listen to my father’s stories. He would talk about his childhood in the countryside, the history of the Christian church or literature. But I took it for granted that all parents told their children stories. Shaping character and instilling values through stories was part of our daily life. Even as a child, I enjoyed putting words together to create beautiful sentences.
Did you enjoy keeping up with current events by reading newspapers, listening to the radio and watching the news?
In my family, it was mandatory to do these things. We had to follow the news closely and would often discuss it, along with politics, at the dinner table. By the age of ten, I was following political events in America and knew the names of candidates standing for various offices. I found these things fascinating because my father was interested in current affairs and how his faith related to them. All of these topics were discussed during dinner.
I grew up taking part in such discussions with my family. Because we enjoyed conversing and expressing our firm convictions, friends who came for dinner were sometimes surprised and asked, “What’s going on here?” When I was ten, I read Time magazine and spent a lot of time reading books on historical topics and about notable figures in European and American history. I have been fascinated by the history of England and Scotland ever since I was a child. I would often ride my bike six kilometres to the town library, choose a few books, tie them to the back of my bike and ride home, where I would continue reading those wonderful books.
Was there a particular reason why you were interested in the history of those two countries?
My paternal grandfather was from Cornwall in England, which is why I was captivated by the continent across the ocean. As an American, I found it fascinating to think that my family came from elsewhere. My mother is of Italian descent, so I also started researching that side of the family. I learned some very different stories.
May I ask if you were equally interested in studying the Bible at that time?
Yes, I was, and I thought that all children growing up in Christian families were encouraged to do so. Before starting school, I memorised verses for church school, but it wasn’t until primary school that I made a plan to study the Bible in more depth. Then, when I was a teenager, new translations and paraphrases of the Bible were published, and I started using them extensively in my spiritual life.
Did you enjoy reading the same idea expressed in different ways in the older translations and comparing them with the new ones?
I enjoyed both types of translation. Every morning for months, I would go for a walk, sit by a waterfall, and study a paraphrase of the New Testament.
The sound of the waterfall drowned out other noises, enabling me to concentrate on studying Scripture and devote that time to prayer. Those quiet moments at dawn were essential to me as I was very busy for the rest of the day. I enjoyed going to school and had piano lessons and participated in extracurricular sports activities, so I needed a few quiet moments at the start of each day.
What plans did you have at that time regarding your future career?
Initially, I wanted to be a teacher because, like many children, I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. That was my desire for most of my school years, so during high school and college, I took the necessary courses to become an English literature teacher while also studying theology.
I was fortunate that, from the age of nine until I graduated from college, I attended school in the same town—South Lancaster, Massachusetts. My father taught at New England Adventist College, so my elementary school, high school, and college were all within walking distance of home. This gave me a sense of stability and allowed me to learn about the history of the area. As my father also taught American religious history, I developed a keen interest in the early history of the Adventist Church in New England. The town where I grew up is one of the oldest centres of Adventism and is located a few miles from the birthplace of the movement.
Did you study English as your major?
Yes, and I obtained a teaching certificate. I also took theology courses in preparation for the possibility of God calling me to be a pastor.
And that is exactly what happened. What memories do you have of your early days?
Many young pastors I know do not have fond memories of their first year in ministry, but I was fortunate to work with a senior pastor who was a close friend and spiritual mentor. We prayed together regularly. Remarkably, I was sent to work in this pastor’s churches, so I was mentored by this very faithful man during that year—one of the best pastors I have ever known.
A year later, I was invited to further my studies at the Theological Seminary of Andrews University. While working at a Christian summer camp as a counsellor, instructor, and then assistant director, I met my future wife. She had recently converted to Adventism and had come to help out at the camp. We took long boat rides, talked a lot, and fell in love. By the time I went to seminary, we already had deep feelings for each other.
When you started preaching, what happened to your gift for crafting words? Were you able to translate it from written to verbal communication?
This was probably one of the biggest challenges because I was used to expressing my thoughts in writing and receiving grades for my work. Consequently, I spent about ten years learning the important differences between written and verbal communication. I learned how to translate what was written on paper into oral communication without needing to use notes. I tried to convey ideas in an interesting way and communicate visually with my listeners.
How do you prepare your sermons now? Do you write the text and then adapt it for verbal delivery?
Yes. In fact, I do it the same way I did 35 years ago. I usually spend about 15 hours studying the necessary materials and writing the sermon text, before translating it into a form suitable for oral delivery and considering its potential impact on my listeners. Often, before delivering the sermon, I review it by reading it aloud.
You obviously enjoy preaching.
Yes. It’s a satisfying experience, especially when I can see the expressions on my listeners’ faces. I don’t really like preaching on television because I can’t see the viewers’ reactions, but I get excited when I see people hearing the Gospel message. Some people accept the message; others do not. In some cultures, you can easily observe and understand people’s reactions; in others, they are very reserved. In some places, I can quickly see how the listeners are reacting before I finish the sermon, while in others, despite giving the same sermon, it is very difficult to get any reaction from them.
So, after obtaining your master’s degree in pastoral ministry, you returned to the life of a pastor.
After graduating, my wife and I moved back to New England. I worked in three small churches facing many difficulties, and this experience was, as a friend of mine called it, “the demystification process,” where you find out how many of the grand ideas from seminary can actually be applied in reality. I was now preaching to people whose jobs meant they worked at the hospital from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., or who were snowplough drivers or road repair workers. This was a very different world to the one I had lived in until then, surrounded by books and thriving churches. However, God taught me to love my congregation, to take an interest in their needs, and to find the way to convey the gospel to them.
Let’s move on. When did you start writing for publication?
I wrote for the school newspaper and yearbook as a teenager. I wrote about American politics and history, which were topics that interested me. At university, I was on the editorial board of the university newspaper and wrote numerous essays.
One of my most formative experiences was working three evenings a week in the “writing lab” during my English literature classes, where seniors helped younger students who were less talented at writing. This taught me to quickly evaluate the quality of essays, help students identify the strengths of their work, and find more appropriate structures and language. In retrospect, I realise that this experience helped me to quickly grasp the various ways in which an idea can be communicated, since I didn’t have to use my own words, but rather build on the students’ work.
We will make a connection with the Adventist Review, and I would like to ask you about your earliest memories of this magazine.
Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to talk about this. I recalled that, 50 years ago when I was eight, I would sit on the living room carpet on Friday evenings when religious music was often played in our home. My family would chat quietly and there would be a fire in the fireplace. I would sit on the floor reading a magazine that I would become the editor of 50 years later. I didn’t know that at the time, of course, but I was convinced of the magazine’s importance to the church. After working as a pastor for 18 years, I was surprised when Dr William Johnsson, the editor-in-chief, invited me to become the associate editor of the magazine.
What were your first responsibilities when you started working at the Adventist Review?
I joined the magazine in 1997, initially coordinating the work of several assistant editors and focusing on the spiritual heritage of Adventism and the Spirit of Prophecy. I held this position for nine years.
Adventist Review is the oldest religious magazine published in North America. It’s wonderful to go into the library, take an old issue off the shelf, and start reading. You are instantly transported into a world of faith, ideas, and realities that interested people in the past. The magazine must constantly evoke the past while embracing the future.
In recent years, especially in 2015, we have worked very hard to make changes to the design and content of the online version of the Adventist Review in order to attract a much younger demographic. We have received wonderful feedback from this group. The Adventist Review website currently receives over 500,000 unique visitors per month, making it one of the Adventist Church’s most visited websites. Many visitors come to the website to read the latest news, comments, and discussions about their beliefs. Google Analytics shows us that 63% of visitors are young people, so most of them are part of the group we are trying to engage in discussion.
You are also the editor-in-chief of Adventist World.
Yes, a magazine founded just 12 years ago. Every month, we print 1.5 million copies of the magazine, which is published in eight languages in print and 14 languages electronically. The print version is distributed in 160 countries.
When reading stories about the pioneers of Adventist publications, we learn that they wrote while travelling in a wagon or under other uncomfortable conditions. We know that they used money intended for milk and bread to buy paper. When a new edition of the magazine was finally ready to be taken to the post office or train station, the pioneers would kneel around it and pray. Of course, a lot of time has passed since then. But what remains of that spirit?
Just this morning, I attended the weekly editors’ meeting. Every week, we receive numerous letters from readers all over the world. On Wednesday mornings, we read out letters from readers in 20 or 30 countries who ask us to pray with them and for them. This spiritual community is at the heart of the magazine, and our daily conversations focus on how we can strengthen our readers’ faith through the magazine’s content.
Thank you very much!
It has been a pleasure to be here.
