Adventist Church & World Evangelical Alliance: A Joint Statement to Be Released In a news release entitled “Adventist Church Expects Joint Statement with World Evangelical Alliance”, the Adventist News Network reports that:
“The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) are expected to announce a joint statement within the next few months identifying the common goals and results of theological discussions between the two institutions, delegates from both organizations announced in an August 9 press release.
“Each organization plans to vote on recommendations stemming from conversations when representatives met in the United States at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, August 5 to 10.”
According to the WEA website, “World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. WEA is a network of churches in 128 nations that have each formed an evangelical alliance and over 100 international organizations joining together to give a worldwide identity, voice and platform to more than 420 million evangelical Christians.” WEA uses theologian Leon Morris’s definition of “evangelical” to explain what it means by the term.
The ANN press release indicate that “Adventist participants agreed with the WEA Statement of Faith, which focuses on seven “fundamentals” of Christian faith.
WEA is a body that connects regional evangelical associations such as the National Association of Evangelicals in the U.S. and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and other “global partners” and “associates.”
Some random questions that arise in my mind are:
* If influential Adventist scholars can engage in a conversation with groups such as WEA whose theologican position is essentially in agreement with Desmond Ford, does this represent a greater openness or tolerance toward those Adventists who agree with Ford in emphasizing the fundamental points of the gospel (as defined by WEA) and challenge some of the distinctive understandings of the Adventist church’s tradition?
* Reading this release reminded me of Review editor Bill Knott’s poignant question to GC vice president Lowell Cooper in the June 28 issue of Adventist Review: “Do you think Adventists are more combative when we talk to ourselves than when Adventist theologians talk to theologians of other faiths, or when scientists talk with their peers in the scientific world? Are we less careful with one another?”
* Would the Adventist church also be willing to dialogue with and make joint statements with progressive bodies of Christians or a much more fundamentalist network of Christians? I’m simply wondering about the limits and parameters of formal dialogues and joint statements. Is there a guideline? Should there be? What about other religions? I’m sure it will be possible to agree on areas of common interest and causes with most religions of the world.
* How are Adventist representatives to these consultations chosen? What are the criteria? How does one become a truly representative representative of Adventism? Given the fact that GC president Jan Paulsen has emphasized respect for diversity in so many of his sermons and writings, should the diversity of views in Adventism today be reflected in the representation of Adventism? What would that do to the dialogue? How would such a dialogue impact us?
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