The Great Controversy Project is a unique initiative with the goal of distributing massive quantities of Seventh-day Adventist Church co-founder, Ellen G. White’s book, The Great Controversy, as part of the church’s worldwide Tell the World emphasis.

As part of the church’s The Great Controversy Project, or sometimes called, The Great Hope, LJA’s older students spent a week learning about Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, from The Great Controversy, pp. 120 -170 and 185-210. These pages tell how Luther was sent on a mission to Rome by Father Staupitz, the vicar of Luther’s Augustine order. Luther was disillusioned by this trip. He came back as a man who firmly believed in Romans 1:17: “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Students learned that Luther nailed to the Wittenberg church front a paper which stated 95 arguments, or theses, against the sale of indulgences. The students were curious to know why people would think they could buy themselves into Heaven. This was an opportunity for them to learn that it isn’t always best to follow the crowd. All of us need to learn to think for ourselves.

Reading parts of The Great Controversy demonstrated to the students that God is a kind, loving God who wants us to live by faith and not fear. Lubbock Junior Academy’s purpose is for the students to know Jesus as a personal Savior who wants us to believe the Holy Word.

Susan Zimmermann