Talk:Standish brothers

Article created

I thought it best to merge the two Standish brothers into one article. The Standish brothers are probably best known for their books, which they seem to co-write so the lists will be identical anyway. I created the page over a disambig page, from material on Colin Standish and Russell R. Standish. Colin MacLaurin 21:49, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

Third party sources

This article needs third party, reliable sources. I liked this anecdote of Russell's, but resisted putting it in the article because already most of the content is sourced from the Standishes own writings:

Russell described a chance meeting with Desmond Ford at Loma Linda, California in 1978:

"There followed an hour and a half of friendly conversation, even when we discussed our strongly held differences. Des and Russell were still the old college pals of 1950 and their thoughts turned to those days. No acrimonious words passed their lips. At the conclusion of that visit, [the pastor visiting with Russell] privately expressed to Russell his surprise at the cordiality of the meeting. He did not fully understand the abrasive Australian personality, which holds beliefs very strongly, and loudly opposes those felt to be erroneous, while underneath harboring a soft heart, one of genuine friendship and true loyalty."

Colin MacLaurin (talk) 13:26, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Major additions were recently made, and while there was much good information, there was no reliable source provided (see Wikipedia:Verifiability), and the material was not neutral (see Wikipedia:Neutral point of view). I have kept some, converting it to a more neutral tone, and requested a citation. Most of it I have removed and placed here:

"...As Ford adopted elements of theology previously rejected by Adventists, their views diverged."

"Even in later years, however, they retained warm personal regards for Ford and others who disagreed with them – even though at times, the warmth was not always returned. For example, during the height of theological debates within the Adventist Church in Australia in the 70’s, Ford’s followers went as far as to publish a cartoon book characterizing Russell as a witch doctor among other infantile images, and Ford as a spritely super hero of faith. Russell was denied retirement benefits when he returned to Australia after many years of mission service in apparent retaliation for his theological views, but refused to take legal action due to Biblical constraints on suing brothers in the faith."

"Russell's medial career was universally praised, even by his most severe critics. Not only as he an outstanding physician, being elevated to a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of both Glasgow and Edinburgh by he peers, but his term as a medical administrator met with significant success. Among these was turning around Bangkok Adventist Hospital, which was at the point of bankruptcy when he took over as President, and that subsequently returned to fiscal health. The hospital was thoroughly modernized under his leadership - including the building a new wing. He was also instrumental in the founding of Mission College in Thailand, played a key role in the Adventist efforts to assist the Cambodian refugees and was a consistent Christian example that was widely respected by his colleagues and staff - many of whom were Buddhist. He credited God with the success, pointing specifically to the decision to stop regular business practices in the hospital on the Sabbath as the turning point."

"Russell dedicated a significant portion of his life to mission service in Asia during turbulent times. He voluntarily went to Saigon to provide care to civilians shortly following the Tet Offensive. During travel in Laos he was held at gunpoint by Communist guerillas who subsequently released him when they discovered he was an Australian citizen, rather than American as they assumed. He provided medical care irrespective of race, religion and maybe most remarkably, irrespective of the ability to pay."

"...At his funeral, friends from around the world gathered to mourn him."

Colin MacLaurin (talk) 07:12, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Neutrality and citing sources

Please read Wikipedia's compulsory policy on neutral point of view. This article suffers from repeated uncited comments (see also that policy). I just removed the following: Russell's tenure as presidents "were marked by periods of rapid modernization, expanded services, and solid fiscal performance. This allowed him to expand charity care and lead in a number of projects that continue to make their mark today, including the founding of Mission College in Thailand. He was admired by colleagues and patients." (some editing from myself). Incidentally, from my knowledge I believe it is true that Russell was admired in SE Asia; however this must be attributed to a source by Wikipedia policies. Colin MacLaurin (talk) 06:24, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

References