NAD Responds to Violence in Charlottesville

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The North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination posted a news story about the recent racial violence in Virginia (link). The article begins:

Tragedy struck the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2017, when demonstrators at a white nationalist rally, after a day of protests and clashes, were hit by the car of an Ohio man whom authorities claim held radical views. Thirty-two-year-old Heather Heyer was killed; according to news reports, nine pedestrians were injured in the crash with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.
 
The local Adventist churches are working together to help with the healing process.

The article also contains a statement from Daniel R. Jackson and G. Alexander Bryant, the president and executive secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.

It finishes with a response from Adventist pastor and former APF student leader, Daniel Xisto. Be sure to click through to his moving response--I'm not OK.

The complete NAD article can be read here.

ASJ: Stand in Solidarity against the Evils of Racism

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Adventists for Social Justice released the following statement regarding the racial violence in Virginia over the weekend:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August, 13th, 2017. This weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, we watched from across the country, as hundreds of torch-wielding white nationalists marched through this town, intending to attack and intimidate through a “Unite the Right” rally in opposition of a plan to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, from a city park. These violent, racist acts are tragic and intolerable. 

This is blatant domestic terrorism, with racially driven actions we have been reminded over time are not behind us. These reminders appear to be occurring rapidly, in our towns and cities, and it is imperative for us to act in defense of our friends, families, and neighbors. 

We MUST stand up for each other, because we know the history, and we are painfully aware of what such demonstrations represent. We are weary as we observe that the highest office of the land, shifts blames on "both sides", instead of wielding power and status to defend minorities and the oppressed within this United States of America.

In times like this, we share feelings of hurt, pain, sorrow, and fear. We are encouraged now more than ever that although "troubled on every side, not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." 

This is the time for Adventists for Social Justice to stand in solidarity against the evils of racism and we are committed to protecting those in fear, and combat and denounce hatred and injustice from every avenue. God is clear, we must do good, seek justice, and correct oppression. Silence is not an option. The challenge is for you, your leaders and churches to join us in fulfilling Christ's mission on Earth, being centers of hope, peace, and action.

Our prayers are with the families and loved ones of Heather Heyer, Lt. H. Jay Cullen, Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. bates, whose lives were senselessly lost at this time.

AToday: Race in Society and Religion (Cleran Hollancid)

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In May 2017, Cleran Hollancid posted an 8-part Adventist Today series on racial justice and reconciliation. I appreciated Cleran's voice on the Compass conversations (It Is Time to Talk, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3*), and I enjoyed seeing him again at Repairing the Breach after meeting him several years earlier. While at Repairing the Breach, he told me about his series of articles that would be posted on AToday.

Cleran's bio on the AToday series reads:

Cleran L. Hollancid is a life-long Adventist who belongs to a congregation in Michigan. He is a PhD candidate in the sociology of religion at Western Michigan University. His research has focused on racial segregation in the Adventist Church in the United States of America. He completed a BA in theology at Caribbean Union College, the Master of Divinity in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, an MA in anthropology and an MA in sociology at Wayne State University. Is an adjunct professor in the Religious Studies Program at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. The purpose of this eight-part series is to offer beginning steps toward racial reconciliation in the Adventist faith community.

Here are links to the eight essays:

  1. Race in Society and Religion: Its Implications and Its Long Shadow (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 22 May 2017)
  2. The Notion of Race in Light of History, Current Events and Comparative Religious Outlooks (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 23 May 2017)
  3. Legacy of Race: Implications and Historical Considerations in Adventist Culture (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 25 May 2017)
  4. More about the Legacy of Race in Seventh-day Adventist Culture (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 26 May 2017)
  5. More about the Legacy of Race in Seventh-day Adventist Culture (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 29 May 2017)
  6. Progress in the Twenty-first Century? (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 7 June 2017)
  7. Moving Forward: Considerations for Adventists (Cleran Hollancid, Adv Today, 11 June 2017)
  8. Summary and Steps toward a New Beginning (Cleran Hollancid, 12 June 2017)

*See also David Penno's Compass Magazine blog posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Documentary Looks at Operation Whitecoat

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Kimberly Luste Maran interviewed Colonel Randall Larsen, USAF (Ret.) about his documentary Operation Whitecoat (Filmmaker talks about documentary on Adventist volunteers in Army's "Operation Whitecoat", NADAdventist.org, 21 June 2016). The article begins:

"Operation Whitecoat" is a documentary that tells the story of more than 2,300 Adventist, noncombatant conscientious objectors who volunteered for biodefense research studies from 1954-1973. These patriots are described as showing extraordinary commitment to their religious principles and great courage to participate in tests that produced outcomes reaching far beyond Army biodefense.
 
Through 151 medical studies during 19 years, a vast amount of data was gathered on naturally-occurring diseases. Thought the project is not without some controversy, thirteen important vaccines still used around the world were developed and tested for safety and efficacy during Operation Whitecoat. Vaccines still in use today include Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, Plague, Tularemia, Typhus, Rift Valley Fever, Q Fever, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Chikungunya, and Adenovirus.

Maran and Larsen wrap-up the interview with the following two exchanges:

Who do you hope watches this, and why?
 
I made the film as a tribute to the commitment, courage, and contributions of the Whitecoats. The Whitecoats and their families are the primary audience. We also hope that the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will learn more about these extraordinary men, and hope that the church will use the film as a teaching tool to facilitate discussion on non-combatant conscientious objectors, ethics, and service to one's community and country. We eventually hope to take this inspiring story to a broad audience who have not yet heard about Whitecoats, and who have little knowledge of the Adventist Church.
 
How can people watch the documentary film?
 
This film is available for purchase; for more information and to watch a trailer, go to: http://operationwhitecoatmovie.com.

To read the complete interview, visit NADAdventist.org.

Ohio Congregation Cares for Refugees, Promotes Reconciliation

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The Adventist Review posted a story recently about the Centerville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The congregation is a church plant focusing on the needs of refugees from Africa. Excerpts:

Most of the refugees come from Rwanda, with some from Burundi and Congo. The majority do not yet know English but are making efforts to learn.

“Many in the group have never lived in a setting like the one they are experiencing [in the US], because many of them have spent 20 years in refugee camps, living only in tents,” [senior pastor Winston Baldwin] said.

“As you can imagine, the physical needs of these refugees are great,” said Baldwin. “They need everything from clothing and household goods to washers and dryers.” Many Centerville members have donated clothing, appliances and even provided plumbing repairs.

The complete article is available online: "US Africa Refugee Church Plant Brings Reconciliation, Growth" (Heidi Shoemaker, Adventist Review, 27 July 2017).

TEDNews: Watford Peace Garden a Living Tribute to Those Who 'Stand for Right Though the Heavens Fall’

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We should have reported this story months ago. The TED News Network posted a story about the Watford Peace Garden on September 21, 2016. Excerpt:

Officially opened in a moving and thought provoking ceremony on Wednesday, 21 September, the International Day of Peace, the idea for the garden arose out of a recognition that 130 Adventist men, many of them based around Stanborough Park, the Church headquarters office in Watford, went to prison and suffered severely for their non-combatant values during World War I. Even in World War II, where the government had a much better understanding of Adventist principles, Adventist men had to appear before a tribunal and were then assigned to work of ‘national importance’.

Read the entire article here (Richard Daly/tedNEWS).

Adventist Peace Radio, Episode 8: Blessed Are the Demonstrators

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Jeff Boyd explores what it means to be a peacemaker.

Read More

Croatian Adventist Pastor receives 2016 Human Rights Award

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Dragutin Matak—an Adventist Pastor and theologian also serving as the General Secretary of the Croatian Religious Liberty Association—was one of three individuals to receive the 2016 Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Award on Friday, December 9. All three were “were recognized for their promotion of human rights, religious liberty and interreligious dialogue.”

Among his recent activities Matak was part of a delegation of religious representatives from Croatia who visited the religious and political leaders of Iran during the summer. In his acceptance speech Matak emphasised the need for personal moral responsibilities in achieving human and religious freedom.

Read the full story on the Adventist News Network.

Adventists Reflect on “Hacksaw Ridge”

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In connection with the release of the Desmond Doss biopic film Hacksaw Ridge, Ronald Osborn—friend and former Director of the Adventist Peace Fellowship—briefly explains the shifting history of Adventists and war.

See Spectrum’s original post here: Young Adventists Speak: Ronald Osborn on Desmond Doss

Surrounding the release, several others have reflected on the film, the life of Desmond Doss, and Adventism’s relationship to war and non-violence. Here are some other articles on the topic:

Hacksaw Ridge: A Reflection (N. Brown)

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Nathan Brown originally published this reflection on the Avondale News website (reprinted with permission). Nathan is Book Editor at Signs Publishing. He is a former magazine editor, a published writer and an author or editor of a dozen books. He is also a co-convener of Manifest, a community exploring, encouraging and celebrating faithful creativity.

IS IT MORE CONSCIENTIOUS TO BE AN “OBJECTOR” OF THAN A “COOPERATOR” IN WAR?

Watching Hacksaw Ridge is an ordeal—and probably should be. War is hell. Any storytelling painting the picture otherwise is disingenuous. Even more so when the central character is a United States Army medic, charged with patching up his wounded and shattered comrades. But the portrayal of the battlefield horrors in this new biographical film render the heroism and the faithfulness of conscientious objector and Seventh-day Adventist Desmond Doss more troubling than inspiring.

After an arresting opening glimpse of the carnage to come but with a Bible verse that also hints at the story of faith, we get to know Doss, who grows up in an abusive home with a father damaged by past war. Faith and love play increasing roles in the story, coinciding with Doss enlisting to serve in the army as World War II takes grip of the world.

As we see more of Doss’ faith—portrayed in a way that shows rather than tells—the Bible is depicted as central. Doss is committed to Sabbath-keeping and his refusal to even touch a gun in training is the dominant tension. Doss always argued against his classification as a “conscientious objector”—he preferred “conscientious cooperator.” His stand is admirable. His determination to serve his country and fellow men in even the worst of circumstances is heroic. But the ordeal of the battlefield tests the assumptions we might prefer, the image of the American hero director Mel Gibson seeks to portray and how we as Adventists might respond to this film.

The graphic rendering of the battle for Hacksaw Ridge—regarded as one of the bloodiest of the war—emphasises the absurdity of going into such an environment unarmed. Undoubtedly, Doss served faithfully and it seems God worked with his faithfulness to save both Doss and many of his men.

But this large-scale retelling of Doss’ story also raises questions about the conscientious role he played, whether cooperator or objector. On a number of occasions, Doss is depicted being rescued from an attacking soldier by a bullet fired by one of his fellow soldiers (it’s hardly a spoiler to report Doss survives the battle). As viewers, we’re expected to applaud these deaths at the same time as honouring Doss’ commitment not to kill.

And this is the tension. In his survey of different Christian stances in relation to war, John Howard Yoder singled out the traditional Seventh-day Adventist position as one of the most fraught: “The obligation is absolute, but it is also arbitrary. One can, like the Seventh Day Adventists [sic], refuse to kill and yet be willing to participate in the military enterprise, since it is only the act of doing the killing oneself which is forbidden.” (Nevertheless: The Varieties and Shortcomings of Religious Pacifism, Second Edition, Herald Press, 1976, page 96). Perhaps this “immature vision”—as Yoder describes it—has laid the groundwork for the growing abandonment of it by Adventist members of the military in some parts of the world.

But would Doss have been more faithful if he’d simply chosen to stay home, safely away from the war, as he had the option to do? Would he have been any less a beneficiary of those who were killing on behalf of his nation? And is this similar to the situation many of us find ourselves in as beneficiaries of the violence committed to ensure our freedom and lifestyles?

These questions are not answered simply. Doss’ story does little to help us with them, except to remind us our highest call is always to faithful service, to “conquer evil by doing good” (Romans 12:20, NLT), whenever and whatever our circumstances. While we might examine the theology of his stance, we cannot question the faithfulness and trust with which he did what he felt he was called to do.

But Hacksaw Ridge’s graphic depiction of the horrors and futility of war should also remind us of the Bible’s call to faithful peacemaking in the larger and the smaller contexts of our lives. When it comes to war and peace, the Bible offers stark alternatives: “Those who use the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52, NLT); or “those who work for peace . . . will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NLT), although this is certainly not a formula for everything to go smoothly, easily or safely.

Hacksaw Ridge should prompt us to ask whether it is more conscientious to be an “objector” than a “cooperator” with the tragic business of war. In a violent and conflicted world, we must continue to applaud faithfulness and service. But we must also find ways to champion faithful, courageous and creative peacemaking wherever it can be found and fostered.

 

Yi Shen Ma: The Word for Today

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By: Jeff Boyd

Long-time APF supporter Pastor Yi Shen Ma has continued his YouTube series The Word for Today. We highlighted this series back in July. 

A number of the videos would be of interest to Adventist Peacemakers, including episodes on immigration and poverty. However, I want to especially note a series of videos Yi Shen made with APF co-founder and former director Ron Osborn.

Dr. Ron Osborn Interview Part 1: Christianity and Social Justice

Follow the complete vlog series here.

Adventists for Social Justice (DC, Nov 4-6, 2016)

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By: Jeff Boyd

Adventists for Social Justice is hosting its first conference in Washington DC, November 4-6, 2016. The theme this year is "Pushing Past the Pews."

Unfortunately, I dropped the ball and didn't figure out our new blog platform until last night, so I didn't promote the event before registration closed at Eventbrite. However, you can still donate to the cause at GoFundMe.

The Adventist Peace Fellowship will have two representatives at the conference. Board of Directors member Dr. Olive Hemmings will be speaking. Dr. Hemmings is a professor at Washington Adventist University, where she teaches Biblical Theology, Pauline Theology, Introduction to the New Testament and other New testament courses, New Testament Greek and Moral Issues in World Religions. Also, as APF director, I will participate in one of the workshops on church-based social action.

ASJ co-founder Tiffany Llewellyn has an interview posted on the Spectrum website. In that interview, Llewellyn addresses a question about why ASJ is necessary:

Whether we choose to accept the responsibility or not, this group is long overdue. Our denomination must experience a paradigm shift in our identified goals internally and externally as it relates to the community. The church is a hub -- when a community is hurting the question is asked “Where is the church?” We have been given a mandate by God, which also happens to be our organization’s mission to “do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless and plead the widow’s cause.” This should be the focus of the church on a micro and macro level. We cannot seek to evangelize without first understanding the implications. We cannot misrepresent Christ as if He is not burdened by the injustices within society. We cannot preach passionately about Esther and Joseph, confident about what God called them to do, and be silent when it matters most. No, this group is not only necessary, it is overdue.

While I'm out at the conference, I hope to record another Adventist Peace Radio episode, even though I'll miss Friday's session. Look for an announcement of the episode on this blog.