Frequently Asked Questions fall under the following headings:

A.   TOP TEN
B.   Myths about GraceLink
C.   Curriculum Related Questions
D.   Sabbath School Organizational Questions
E.   Questions About Training
F.   Materials and Marketing Questions
Check out what GraceLink users are saying. . . .

B. Myths about GraceLink

1. Many churches are choosing alternatives to the GraceLink materials.
_____This is not true. The vast majority of the 5000+ churches in the North American Division are using GraceLink. The publishing houses have reported Sabbath School orders holding steady or growing. Many parents and leaders have contacted the North American Division or the General Conference Sabbath School department to express their appreciation for the new materials. (See more comments at www.gracelink.net.)
_____A handful of churches have voted not to order the GraceLink materials. Some of them have done so without ever seeing the actual materials in print or attempting to use them as intended.

2. Some local conferences have rejected the GraceLink curriculum.
_____This is not true. Leadership of all 58 local conferences in the North American Division supports the GraceLink curriculum, and most conferences provide training opportunities for Sabbath School teachers.

3. Some of the writers of the GraceLink materials are not Seventh-day Adventists.
_____This is not true. All of the writers who contribute to the lessons and teacher helps are Seventh-day Adventists. Many of them are Sabbath School or Children's Ministries directors from divisions around the world.

4. We shouldn't order the GraceLink materials because they contain objectionable activities.
_____This is not true. Like any good curriculum guide, the GraceLink leader-teacher guide contains far more material than you could ever use in a typical one-hour Sabbath School program. This gives you, the leader, lots of choices. The GraceLink teacher materials clearly state that you should choose the activities that best fit your particular situation. And you are always free to adapt the ideas given.

5. The North American Division is recommending alternative materials for those who choose not to use GraceLink.
_____This is not true. While respecting the right of local churches and individual families to choose what their children study, the North American Division leadership solidly supports the GraceLink program. NAD takes Romans 13:1-5 seriously and believes that the Lord wants us to work together under the leadership of the General Conference.

6. GraceLink waters down the unique Seventh-day Adventist message.
_____This is not true. GraceLink lessons still present the distinctive Adventist doctrines--such as the Sabbath, the state of the dead, the second coming, etc.--as appropriate for each age level. Doctrines and Bible stories are not only given as information, but they are also practically applied so students can learn to experience Christ's power in their everyday lives.

"The last merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them" (Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 415-416).

7. GraceLink has taken the Spirit of Prophecy out of its curriculum, and reduced Bible study.
_____This is not true. GraceLink has incorporated the principles of the Spirit of Prophecy in every lesson, and encourages teachers to use it as an additional resource. Also, Bible study is woven into every lesson to encourage deeper study. Many teachers report their students are much more involved with Bible study now than they have ever been.
_____Teachers may need to encourage children and their parents to complete the daily study activities in order to benefit fully. Reading the story from the quarterly is only meant to be a starter.

8. GraceLink teaches New Age meditation techniques.
_____This is not true.  Passages such as this one, from PowerPoints Year A, Quarter two, instruct juniors to "Imagine you are at the foot of the cross.  Record in your Bible study journal what you 'see' happening around you.  Describe what the soldiers, priests, common people, disciples, and Mary (Jesus' mother) are doing." Such directions are fully in harmony with the admonition we read in The Desire of Ages, p. 83: 

"It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit."

9. GraceLink emphasizes grace at the expense of obedience.
_____This is not true. GraceLink lessons teach that obedience is an act of worship--a response to God's grace. The lessons focused on worship deal with Bible study, prayer, Sabbath keeping, stewardship, and other "do's" as positive worship responses to God's redemptive love for us. (see John 14:15)
_____Obedience does not earn us grace, but grace empowers obedience. When we focus on teaching obedience, we tend to put the emphasis on ourselves and what we do--instead of on Jesus and what He does for us. Grace rightly understood is not in competition with obedience. It motivates obedience. Ellen White advocates making Jesus central; that is what the GraceLink curriculum strives to do by emphasizing grace.

“The cross of Christ must occupy the central place, Christ be lifted up as never before, and the attention of the people be riveted upon the world's Redeemer” (Missionary Work, p. 856, emphasis added).

“Surrendering your will to the will of Christ, you are drawn into a region where the cross is the central object. The world fades from your view. The glory shining from the threshold of heaven is the all-attractive influence. The riches of the grace of Christ hold you in willing obedience” (Lift Him Up, p. 252, emphasis added).

10. GraceLink teaches people to use a Bible version that is full of errors and not legitimate.
_____This is not true. Sabbath School and Children's Ministries directors representing the world divisions voted unanimously in 1990 to use the NIV in the new Sabbath School curriculum. In 1995, the world Children's Ministries Advisory reaffirmed this decision. The following are some of their reasons:

• The practice has always been to use the most widely accepted version of the Bible.
• More than 60 percent of today's parents favor the NIV. (The second most popular version has about 20 percent support.)
• Using one version helps to encourage the memorization of Scripture. Showing texts in more than one version was causing confusion; when teachers asked for everyone to say the memory verse together, the children said it different ways. As a result many Sabbath School teachers entirely stopped having children recite memory verses in Sabbath School.
• The NIV is easier to read and understand than the KJV.

_____Scholars tell us that there is no perfect version; they all have errors. For instance, the KJV has Jesus telling the thief on the cross: "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Taken as a whole, the NIV is usually quite accurate. But it is also good to use other versions for comparison. (more information on Bible versions)