Can Religious Persecution Ever Be Justified?

 SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

Adventist expert shares lessons from the life and thought of Augustine.

Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review

John Graz, former International Religious Liberty Association secretary-general, discussed the influence and legacy of Augustine on religious persecution. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) left an incontrovertible legacy, John Graz, former International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) secretary-general, said in a presentation to the recent 9th IRLA World Congress in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

Augustine is often described as one of the most significant thinkers after the apostle Paul, and influenced other Christian thinkers such as Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Calvin, he added. In his August 22 presentation, Graz reflected on Augustine’s shifting position on religious freedom, which went from advocating tolerance to persecution of dissenters.

“Augustine experienced the tension between aspiration to freedom and the reality imposed by the religious authorities of his time,” Graz said. “But the question we need to ask is, How did a man of his stature go from opposing persecution to justifying it? Why did he end up getting the infamous title of theorist of the Inquisition?”

In the following minutes, Graz attempted to provide the background for this shift.

Based on Biblical Principles

In his earlier years, Augustine promoted a peaceful approach and held to the Christian principles of the first centuries, Graz told congress attendees. He explained that the principle had been outlined by Lactantius, Constantine’s adviser, who had written, “Religion is a matter of will. It cannot be imposed by force.… There’s no union possible between truth and violence, justice and cruelty.”

Even if the conversion of heretics is a moral obligation, at the beginning Augustine claimed that it had to be done by discussion and demonstration in a peaceful way, Graz said. But unfortunately, he added, such an open position wouldn’t last for long.

Forcing Expected Results

In time, when Augustine discovered that a spirit of openness did not produce the expected results, he saw that through violence and the sanction of authorities, some heretics were returning to the Christian church, Graz said. After witnessing that coercion indeed could bring people to return to what he believed was right, Augustine wrote, “Experience has shown us again that fear and pain have been beneficial to many in order to be instructed or to practice what they had already learned.”

Graz explained that from then on, “coercion becomes for [Augustine] a means for finding the truth and consequently salvation. The end justifies the means.” He added, “This is a sure step to crossing a red line. It leads to the cancellation of people’s rights in general and freedom of religion or belief in particular.”

IRLA current secretary-general Ganoune Diop (right) introduces his predecessor, John Graz, during the 9th IRLA World Congress in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, on August 22. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

John Graz (right) presents as Baptist World Alliance general secretary Elijah Brown and General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists general counsel Karnik Doukmetzian listen. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Augustine’s “gradual drifting away from the teaching of Jesus, the apostles, and the Church’s Fathers are lessons to be learned,” John Graz said. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

An attendee to the 9th IRLA World Congress requests a clarification after the presentations at the event on August 22. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Coercion as an ‘Act of Love’

Unfortunately for freedom of conscience and religious freedom, Augustine began to attempt to justify coercion, calling it “an act of love.” “What is, then, the function of brotherly love?” he wrote. “Does it, because it fears the short-lived fires of the furnace for a few, therefore abandon all to the eternal fires of hell?”

At the same time, Graz explained, the justification of coercion implies limits that love inspires. Augustine asked civil authorities not to execute or torture the heretics. “Our desire is that justice be satisfied without the taking of their lives or the maiming of their bodies in any part,” he wrote, according to Graz.

Augustine’s critics in his own day reminded him that such thinking implied denying the position of Jesus, the apostles, and even Paul, who never called on public force to persecute opponents. What was Augustine’s answer to those objections? He replied that in the days of the apostles, the princes and the empire were not Christian, Graz shared. Now they were, so it was expected that they put themselves at the service of the church, to preserve unity and truth.

Partnering with the State

American historian and journalist James Carroll wrote that “it was the late Augustine who, no longer depending on the force of reason, justified the use of coercion in defending, and spreading, the orthodox faith.”

Justifying persecution is one thing, Graz said. But Augustine went further by encouraging civil authorities to correct heretics. “Partnering with the State to persecute so-called heretics, dissenting voices, because of loyalty to their conscience, has plagued the history of the medieval church since Augustine,” he said.

Best Intentions Are Not Enough

Graz emphasized that having the best intentions is not enough to protect the rights of every person to freedom of conscience and religious freedom. In the case of Augustine, “[his] gradual drifting away from the teaching of Jesus, the apostles, and the Church’s Fathers are lessons to be learned,” Graz said. “His example is good for us. It teaches that good, even the best intentions of human beings and of society, are not a criterion of freedom and even less of truth.”

Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review

Source: © 2023 ADVENTIST REVIEW MEDIA

Source: https://adventistreview.org/news/can-religious-persecution-ever-be-justified/

Peru Honors Adventist Leader for Promoting Religious Freedom

John Graz receives the country’s congressional medal.

POSTED JUNE 4, 2015

By Bettina Krause, IRLA, and Adventist Review staff

Peru’s government has decorated John Graz, public affairs and religious liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with a prestigious award for his international work promoting the right of all people to worship according to the dictates of their conscience.




John Graz, center, receiving Peru's congressional medal for his work promoting religious freedom.



The national parliament presented Graz with its congressional medal during a packed session in the capital, Lima, on May 28.

“Religious freedom is not the defense of one religion against others, but it is the defense of the individual right to be different, and to believe according to conscience,” Graz said in a speech to lawmakers.

The award follows a more than 15-year relationship between Peru and the International Religious Liberty Association, an Adventist-affiliated organization led by Graz.

In 2009, Peru hosted the association’s first Festival of Religious Freedom, an event that drew more than 40,000 people to the National Stadium in Lima. The purpose of the festival, Graz said, was simply to say “thank you” to the government of Peru for the religious freedom protections enjoyed in the country. Since then, some 30 festivals have been held on six continents.

Graz, who is retiring later this year, said the congressional medal belongs to all those who have worked so hard through the years to promote the principle of religious liberty in Peru.

While in Peru, Graz also gave a lecture at the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s University of Peru, where he was awarded the Fernando Stahl Medal for his two decades of work promoting religious liberty around the world. The medal is named for the Adventist Church’s first missionary to the Peruvian Andes in the early 1900s. Fernando and his wife, Ana, revolutionized the lives of the indigenous people in that area — bringing education, medical care, and spiritual hope.

Source

.

Adventist Church President Holds First Meeting With UN Chief

The two leaders discuss ways to help people and promote religious tolerance.

POSTED APRIL 6, 2015

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns about growing religious intolerance worldwide during a private meeting with Adventist Church leader Ted N.C. Wilson, and he invited the Seventh-day Adventist Church to work with the UN in helping people.

Wilson, the first Adventist Church president to meet with a UN chief, noted that the church has long supported religious liberty and said it was willing to team up on initiatives that followed Christ’s ministry of helping people physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

Ganoune Diop, associate director of the Adventist world church’s public affairs and religious liberty department, said his department takes Jesus’ words of being the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” in Matt. 5:13, 14 seriously.

“Its representatives mingle with political and religious leaders in every country without losing or compromising a distinctive Adventist identity,” said Diop, who attended the meeting.

Ban met with Wilson, Diop, and John Graz, director of the public affairs and religious liberty department, at 12:10 p.m. Monday for a 45-minute meeting in his office at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The meeting was arranged with the personal involvement of Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, dean of the UN undersecretaries-general and a friend of Seventh-day Adventists, who regularly corresponded with Diop to make the meeting a reality, Diop said.

“It was a real privilege to meet the secretary-general and to hear his appeal for assistance for humanity,” Wilson told the Adventist Review.

“Seventh-day Adventists should be ready to witness for the Lord anywhere we go and to testify of God’s blessing in our lives and what we can do in His name,” he said. “The world is waiting for this type of heaven-inspired testimony with clear answers to today’s problems.”

From left, Ganoune Diop, Ted N.C. Wilson, Ban Ki-moon, Joseph Verner Reed, and John Graz. Photo: Evan Schneider / UN

Ban spoke about global issues such as poverty and a lack of education before voicing his concern about religious intolerance reaching unprecedented levels globally. Just last week, a militant Islamist group killed 148 people in an attack on Christians at a Kenyan university. IS and other extremist organizations in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Libya, and elsewhere have also targeted Christians and other religious groups with often-deadly violence in recent months.

Ban underscored his belief that people should cultivate a respect for all, including those of other faiths. He indicated that he appreciated the Adventist Church’s work in promoting religious liberty as well as education, health, and humanitarian aid through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. ADRA has worked with the UN in assisting refugees in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Wilson thanked Ban for the meeting and told about various church initiatives that correspond with the UN’s mission to help people.

“We had an excellent meeting with the secretary-general and some of his staff, sharing with them about the Adventist Church’s activities,” Wilson said. “We focused on certain things that the Adventist Church can help with, such as religious liberty, freedom of conscience, ethical and spiritual values, respect for human dignity, family guidance, encouragement for young people, and basic human necessities like pure water and fundamental education.”

Wilson added: “It is only if we are led by the Lord that we can truly be effective in our outreach to the world preparing them for Christ’s soon coming by carrying out the practical ministry of Jesus through the Holy Spirit’s power.”

Earlier Monday, Ban held talks with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, whom Wilson incidentally met during a visit to the East African country in February.

At the meeting with Wilson, Graz gave a short report about major congresses organized by the church-affiliated International Religious Liberty Association that promote religious liberty and the church’s strong support of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says everyone has the right “to change his religion or belief.”

Graz, secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association, said he was encouraged to see Ban’s concern about religious intolerance and desire to see people of goodwill work together to bring justice and freedom.

“It was a historic meeting between the UN secretary-general and the president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church about the state of the world and how we can help people living in very difficult environments,” Graz said.

“As disciples of Jesus, we want to help people and especially those who are voiceless, discriminated against, and persecuted,” he said. “In this way, we share the essential values of the UN.”

Diop said he also saw ways that the church and UN could cooperate, particularly in eradicating poverty and promoting education and healthcare.

“The impressive portfolio that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has developed for service to the whole human family remarkably resonates with the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN,” he said in a statement.

Source

.

At Religious Liberty Celebration, White House Official Stresses Commonalities

Photo (Courtesy) http://news.adventist.org/all-news/news/go/2014-05-06/at-religious-liberty-celebration-white-house-official-stresses-commonalities/

May 06, 2014 | Washington, D.C. | Ansel Oliver

On the day the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 15th annual report, its policy and research director encouraged a group of religious liberty advocates to redouble their efforts.

“Sadly our report shows us that the forces of intolerance are on the move, be they repressive governments or extremist groups,” said Knox Thames in describing the report monitoring religious liberty worldwide.

Thames, who has worked throughout his career to promote freedom of conscience and has known friends in other countries killed for speaking out against religious intolerance, described religious repression and violence as “casting a shadow” to create darkness. The answer to combat the darkness, he said, was “light,” and invoked the symbol of a flame, which is used by many faith groups.

“With conditions the way they are globally, we need to redouble our efforts. … I know that if we all carry individual lights into dark places, the darkness is pushed back,” he said.

Thames delivered his remarks the evening of April 30 after receiving the International Award during the 12th annual Religious Liberty Dinner in Washington D.C., held this year at the Willard InterContinental hotel.

The annual dinner has become a tradition in the U.S. capital—Thames in a lighter moment called it “the best religious freedom party in town”—and underscores the case of the hundreds of millions of people who are mistreated because of their faith, now more than 60 years after the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The annual gathering honors those who work to protect and promote religious freedom and draws members from the diplomatic community, U.S. government, religious leaders of various faiths, and religious freedom advocates. The dinner is jointly sponsored by the IRLA, the North American Religious Liberty Association (NARLA), Liberty magazine and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Attendees also heard from Melissa Rogers, special assistant to the president and executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. In a keynote address, Rogers, who is the principal advisor on faith issues to President Barak Obama and the administration, stressed the need to focus on commonalities in working for religious freedom in the U.S.

“Americans don’t always agree on the specific applications of these principles,” Rogers said. “Indeed, it’s when we have serious areas of disagreement that we ought to double down on trying to find areas of agreement. Because when we don’t, we are apt to start treating one another as enemies rather than as opponents on particular issues, we are apt to miss opportunities where we can work together to do real good for our neighbors, and we are apt to forget that that which unites us is far greater than that which divides us.”

Rogers said an example of various groups finding common ground was in 2009 when President Barak Obama created an advisory council on faith-based and neighborhood partnerships, which she chairs, to examine how government works with religious groups to serve people in need.

The task force, Rogers said, was comprised of advocates for religious freedom and separation of church and state. She said the group has helped more clearly define roles of religious organizations as they receive governmental funding for charity work—beneficiaries receiving federal funds aren’t required to participate in the religious activities of the provider.

“May we always maintain this country as a place of incredible religious diversity and remarkable religious cooperation and peace,” Rogers said to end her speech.

The recipient of this year’s National Award was Eric W. Treene, special counsel for religious discrimination in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Recognition was also given to Seventh-day Adventist Minister Antonio Monteiro, who was jailed for nearly two years with a blood libel, a case that illustrates numerous people worldwide suffering for religious reasons.
IRLA Secretary-General John Graz called religious freedom a gift from God, but a “fragile gift.”
“We can lose it. The best way to lose religious freedom is to do nothing to promote it and defend it. … “And that’s why we have done our best to promote religious freedom around the world since our association was incorporated in 1893.”

Keynote speakers for the Religious Liberty Dinner in previous years have included Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, former U.S. Secretaries of State and Senators Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, Senator John McCain, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives from both major political parties.

Eric Treene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftytwGL3G7A

Knox Thames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix8xpr_gEWY

Melissa Rogers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oand5DyWnMs

http://news.adventist.org/all-news/news/go/2014-05-06/at-religious-liberty-celebration-white-house-official-stresses-commonalities/

Source: http://www.irla.org/at-religious-liberty-celebration,-white-house-official-stresses-commonalities

.

Religious freedom festival in Haiti highlights peaceful coexistence

From left: John Graz, secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association; Elie Henry, executive secretary of the church’s Inter-American Division; and Theart St. Pierre, president of the Haitian Union Mission at Haiti’s first festival of religious freedom. The IRLA regularly sponsors festivals worldwide to thank government leaders for preserving freedom of belief. [photo courtesy IRLA]


Advocates recommend National Day of Religious Freedom in country

March 06, 2014 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | ANN staff

A festival of religious freedom in Haiti last month cements the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a leading proponent of free expression of belief in the country.

Organized by the church’s Haitian Union Mission and sponsored by the International Religious Liberty Association, the event drew more than 3,000 supporters to Port-au-Prince to celebrate freedom of belief and help raise the profile of religious liberty in the Caribbean.

The city of Port-au-Prince is still recovering from a devastating earthquake that in 2010 dealt $7.8 billion in damage to a nation already considered the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Two hurricanes in 2012 complicated rebuilding efforts.

“The people of Haiti have shown great courage and an extraordinary capacity for survival. Religious freedom is a right that Haitians treasure, and are determined to keep,” said John Graz, IRLA secretary-general.

The festival was part of the first Congress of Religious Freedom in Haiti. Hundreds of lawyers, human rights activists, government leaders and faith representatives joined in two days of lectures and workshops that highlighted the largely peaceful coexistence of religious groups in Haiti and resulted in several recommendations.

The group pledged to organize the Haitian chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association and negotiate with the Haitian government to establish a National Day of Religious Freedom in the country.

Other recommendations:

• The Congress calls on government to preserve separation of church and state.
• The Congress condemns every act of intolerance, discrimination and violence directed in the past against individuals or groups because of their religion or belief.
• The Congress expresses solidarity with all groups and individuals who are victims of violations of religious freedom worldwide.

Marie Carmelle Rose Ann Auguste, Minister of Human Rights for the Haitian government, called religious liberty an “essential” human right during her remarks.

“It is through the free exercise of conscience that the individual soul and the soul of the nation is strengthened,” she said.

Francois Clavairoly, president of the French Protestant Federation, and a group of faith leaders from Paris brought an “international dimension” to the event, Graz said. Haiti is the only predominantly French-speaking independent nation in the Americas.

Other Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church, Salvation Army and syncretic religions were also represented. Syncretic religions such as Voodoo are widely practiced in Haiti.

Another festival of religious freedom is planned for Port-au-Prince in 2015.

Adventist News Network

Source
.

Trademark and Logo Usage
Legal Notice

Copyright © 2014, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
.
.

Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions

The annual Conference of Secretaries of World Christian Communions brings together representatives from diverse Christian traditions to discuss their work and fellowship together. As general secretaries, participants are often the global face of a particular Christian theological tradition. Participating communions include the following: the Anglican Communion, Baptist World Alliance, Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, Ecumenical Patriarchate (Eastern Orthodox), General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference, Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite World Conference, Moravian Church Worldwide Unity Board, Moscow Patriarchate (Eastern Orthodox), Pentecostals, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Catholic Church), Reformed Ecumenical Council, The Salvation Army, Friends World Committee for Consultation, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, World Convention of Churches of Christ, World Evangelical Alliance, and the World Methodist Council. A representative from the World Council of Churches is often present, as well.

Source: http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/programs/conference-of-secretaries-of-christian-world-communions

Related: 

Flashback

World Church: Christian World Communions Meet, Elect Leaders



Nov. 09, 2004 Buenos Aires, Argentina


ANN Staff
Dr. John R. Graz, public affairs and religious liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters. [Photo ANN Staff]




John R. Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was re-elected secretary general of the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions, or CS/CWC. The group represents 2 billion Christians from a variety of denominations globally. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana, and executive secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, was elected CS/CWC president at the Oct. 23 to 28 conference.

Since 1957, the CS/CWCs have met annually for an informal exchange of ideas and information. Graz was among several Christian leaders who met with Argentinian officials including Alberto Fernández, chief of the cabinet; Oscazr Parrilli, general secretary of the Presidency; and José Cardoso, general director of the National Registry of Religions. Presentations were made to the group by representatives of the ecumenical community: the Baptists, Pentecostals, Anglicans and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Graz’s election continues a 34-year run of Adventist Church representatives participating in the world organization. Last year he succeeded Dr. Bert B. Beach, director for Interchurch Relations for the Adventist world church, in that position.

“The meeting was important because our [local church] president was invited to introduce the work of the Adventist Church in Argentina,” Graz noted. “During that meeting we heard several lectures about the religious and social situation in Argentina and how the various Christian churches live together. We also had a government report on church and state relations,” he added.

The substance of those reports, Graz said, is that while the Roman Catholic Church is the official church of the country, other churches are not discriminated against.


Source: © 2013, Adventist News Network

Source: http://news.adventist.org/en/archive/articles/2004/11/09/world-church-christian-world-communions-meet-elect-leaders

.

Will Rome be the new world capital for religious freedom?

Apr. 24, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

John Graz

Rome recently launched an “Observatory on Religious Freedom,” an initiative aimed at making Rome the “reference point for the defense of religious freedom in the world.”

This initiative is supported by the mayor of Rome, the Roman Catholic pontiff, Vatican officials and several international diplomats. According to news reports, the observatory is a conference “dedicated to the status and protection of Christian minorities in the world.”

I had mixed feelings as I considered this report. Four years ago, I shared a similar dream with my colleagues as we met together for an International Religious Liberty Association Meeting of Experts. I asked, “Where could we organize a World Forum on Religious Freedom in a city that has long associations with the cause of religious liberty?” We considered possibilities – perhaps Richmond, Virginia, home of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, America’s well-known “fathers of freedom”; La Rochelle, in France, in memory of the persecuted Huguenots; Geneva, Switzerland; or Toronto, Canada.

But we never considered Rome. We knew that throughout its long history, Rome has been more commonly associated with religious repression than with religious freedom.

For more than three centuries, the emperors of Rome pursued brutal campaigns against Christian believers and against the church. Even after the Christianization of the Roman Empire, religious persecution didn’t go away; only the identity of the victims changed. For the next millennium, non-Christians, dissidents and heretics became the targets of Rome’s repression.

There’s no doubt that the situation has changed dramatically. Since the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s, the Roman Catholic Church has become more open to the right of individuals to choose their religion. Several Pontifical statements in recent decades have affirmed this ideal.

But as an institution, the Catholic Church’s conversion to the cause of religious freedom came late in the game – many years after the groundbreaking work of religious groups, including the Mennonites, Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists. The Catholic Church began to embrace religious freedom some 70 years after the IRLA was chartered by Adventist leaders, and more than 15 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was voted in Paris on December 10, 1948.

So are latecomers to religious freedom now preparing to lead the way? And if so, is this is a positive development?

It depends. Religious liberty around the world today needs as many defenders as it can muster, regardless of their historical track record. If a church or organization expresses its unqualified support for the right of individuals to believe and worship freely, this can only be a positive development.

But questions still remain if Rome, through this new initiative, will truly defend the rights of everyone, no matter what their faith tradition. It must demonstrate that will be a passionate voice for people such as persecuted evangelicals and Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, as well as for the rights of “mainstream,” traditional churches.

Last year, we saw the Russian Orthodox Church – not historically known for its zeal in defending religious freedom for all – organize a symposium in Moscow focusing on the persecution of Christian minorities around the world. The IRLA chapter in Russia, which has held successful meetings and symposiums in Moscow every year since the collapse of the communist regime, welcomed this new initiative by country’s dominant religion.

Times may be changing. Voices that have historically been muted when it comes to the rights of religious minorities may indeed be preparing to become active religious freedom advocates.

Only time will tell if the Observatory on Religious Freedom will push Rome forward as an international "religious freedom capital." And only time will tell if Rome intends to champion a broad notion of religious freedom, which reflects the ideal articulated in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

—John Graz is Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association, a non-sectarian organization, which was established in 1893.

Source

.

World Religious Freedom Conference Tackles Tough Issues

Avoid secular society’s lead, speaker says.

Mark A. Kellner, news editor, and Bettina Krause, IRLA communication director, reporting from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic


A
AVOID SECULARIZING RELIGION:Denton Lotz, IRLA president, gave a keynote address on secularism and religious freedom. He said, “Religion will die when it no longer focuses on God, but only on autonomous man. Religion will thrive when it focuses on God.”ddressing nearly 900 delegates and guests at the Seventh World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), Denton Lotz, a noted Baptist minister and IRLA president, summarized the purpose of this three-day event: “We’re here today because we believe that freedom of religion is basic to all human rights.”

That view, sadly, is not shared in many parts of the world, something Lotz said made holding the sessions even more important.

“It’s incumbent upon us to work together so that we live together in harmony and concord,” Lotz said to the audience of leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and other communities. “We don’t need religious wars.”

That violence against believers remains a problem was evident from a session-opening video presentation noting the death sentences pronounced—but not yet carried out—on Christians in Pakistan and Iran on charges of “blasphemy,” and the assassinations of Pakistani officials Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab province, and Shahbaz Bhatti, minorities minister. Also cited was the extreme religious repression found in North Korea.


WITH LIBERTY FOR ALL: Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, gave an impassioned plea for religious liberty at the Seventh World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association.While the main congress theme, “Secularism and Religious Freedom—Conflict or Partnership?” may seem far removed from lands where persecution is active, Lotz took a different view.

“Most people worldwide suffer from a lack of religious freedom. Seventy percent of the world livesin places of religious repression,” he said.

Speaking to an audience that included Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Mormons, and Scientologists, among others, IRLA secretary general John Graz noted that the world congress is a multifaceted event.

“This congress is about religious freedom, but it is not a religious event,” Graz said. “We are all here together. We represent different faiths, different religions, and different churches. We are different; but we are respectful of each other.”

During the congress speakers and delegates attempted to negotiate the challenges of a world that is increasingly hostile to a variety of religious expression in the public square. While standing for separation of church and state, Lotz issued a call for religion to avoid following a secular society’s lead.


HUMAN DIGNITY STRESSED: “We are here because we believe in human dignity, and religious freedom is part of human dignity. Religious freedom is part of God’s gift of love for all people and everywhere,” said John Graz, secretary general of the International Religious Liberty Association, sponsored by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, in opening the group’s Seventh World Congress.


JAMAICAN DELEGATE: Nigel Coke, an ILRA leader in Jamaica, was one of nearly 900 delegates at the IRLA’s Seventh World Congress in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, April 26, 2012.“I believe that allowing secularism to define what a religion believes is the greatest challenge to religious freedom,” Lotz told delegates. “When we allow the secularization of our faith to transcend the transcendent, it loses its meaning,” he added.

According to Lotz, “religion will die when it no longer focuses on God, but only on autonomous man. Religion will thrive when it focuses on God.”


In a statement read to delegates, the country’s president, Leonel Fernández Reyna, offered “a most cordial welcome to the Dominican Republic, a land of freedom. The Dominican Republic is a place of freedom for Christians, Muslims, Jews, and people of other faiths.”

In his April 27, 2012, keynote, Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, challenged believers to grasp the opportunities for open discourse that a secular state preserves.

Although acknowledging the inevitable conflict between the values of believers and that of secular culture, he said: “We have to accept this tension as part of a free society. We have to accept the challenges and find appropriate responses through God’s leading.”

Wilson drew a distinction between “radical” or “extreme” secularism, which seeks to exclude religion from the public sphere, and “secular governance,” which remains neutral between religions and protects the religious freedom rights of minorities.

“If intolerant and ideological secularism attacks our religious values, we have to stand up for them with conviction,” he said. Wilson cited examples in which secularism has been taken too far, including attempts to prohibit Muslims from wearing headscarves to public school, or to mandate the provision of abortions by institutions that reject the practice as a matter of conscience.

However, Wilson also said that people of faith should reject the temptation to see a “religious state” as an acceptable alternative to secular governance.

He said his lifelong passion for promoting religious liberty has its roots in memories of his father, Neal Wilson, a former world church leader who often spent hours with government officials explaining the value of freedom of conscience.


Source

.

Religious freedom festival in Indonesia recognizes government, faith leaders

May. 15, 2012 Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Gay Tuballes-Deles/ANN staff

A recent festival of religious freedom cements the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indonesia as a leading proponent of free expression of religion in the country.

Some 2,000 people gathered at the Aula Mapalus Kantor Gubernur Sulawesi Utara auditorium in Manado on May 5 to recognize the combined efforts of government and faith groups in preserving freedom of belief in the Southeast Asian country.

Faith representatives receive recognition for their efforts in promoting freedom of belief in Indonesia at the Second Festival of Religious Freedom, sponsored by the Adventist Church in Manado this month. Religious groups share a climate of tolerance and respect in the North Sulawesi city. [photo: Jonathan Catolico]

Interest in religious liberty has grown in Indonesia since the Adventist Church first held a festival of religious freedom in Jakarta two years ago, church religious liberty advocates said.

Faith representatives at this month’s festival commended the Adventist Church for organizing a festival that offers appreciation to government and faith leaders who advocate free expression of religious belief.

“We thank the Seventh-day Adventist Church for leading out in expressing our thanks to God and to the government for the religious freedom that we are enjoying in Indonesia, particularly here in North Sulawesi,” said J. Pangaila, leader of the Pentecostal Church in Indonesia.

Deputy Governor of North Sulawesi Roy Roring echoed Pangaila’s appreciation.

Muslim leader Tamzil Permata said, “We are committed to live peacefully together, Christians and non-Christians alike.”

Holding a public event organized by the Adventist Church demonstrated the positive relationship the church has promoted among faith groups in Manado, said East Indonesia Union Conference President Noldy Sakul, who organized the festival. Religious groups represented at the event included Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country with a Protestant Christian population of 6 percent. In 2006, reports of violence between faith communities surfaced, including the vandalism of church property and forcible closure of churches.

Since then, the Indonesian government has made “positive efforts to unite religious groups and foster and attitude of toleration and respect,” according to the Religious Freedom World Report. The publication, released by the Adventist world church’s department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, also notes that “fanaticism” and “deep-rooted violence” remain.

“You may not be affected today as you still enjoy [religious] freedom, but tomorrow it may not be the same story,” PARL director John Graz told the audience in Manado. He added that religious freedom is essential to “peace, unity and prosperity for the people of Indonesia and the government.”

Source

Dominican Republic: Church celebrates religious freedom on the island

Libna Stevens

May 2, 2012

A colorful festival-filled with music and drama-celebrated religious freedom as a gift from God and capped off a week of scholarly presentations and panels at the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom.

image by Abel Marquez/IAD

The Third Festival for Religious Freedom in the Dominican Republic was held in the Aula Magna on the historic campus of Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Apr. 28, 2012.

May 2, 2012 - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic....Bettina Krause/IAD Staff

A colorful festival-filled with music and drama-celebrated religious freedom as a gift from God and capped off a week of scholarly presentations and panels at the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom. The event was held at Aula Magna on the historic campus of Universidad Autónoma in the nation's capital, Santo Domingo, on Apr. 28, 2012, and drew some 3,000 people from across the Dominican Republic, as well as many international participants from the 7th World Congress.

Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, spoke to those crowded into the venue, saying that every Adventist Church member is called to be a "champion of religious liberty and freedom of conscience."

"Religious liberty and freedom of conscience is important for everyone in the world," said Pastor Wilson. "If we wish to be proclaimers of religious liberty and reach the world, we must base this proclamation on a relationship with God including a clear, clean, pure lifestyle as did Daniel and his three friends."

Pastor Wilson concluded by emphasizing that justice, fairness, and goodness are God's character, and to be faithful to God and His Word until the second coming.

"As we carry the great banner of religious freedom not only in the Dominican Republic, but in the entire world, may we help the people to understand there is a God in heaven who gives freedom of choice. Where freedom is, there is freedom in His Law," Pastor Wilson said.

The festival event was the third held on the island, one which followed brought an opportunity to celebrate the religious freedom held in the Dominican Republic and to recognize authorities of the country who are ensuring equality and religious liberty issues, said Pastor Cesario Acevedo, president of the church in the Dominican Republic.

Pastor Wilson and John Graz, Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association, unveiled a bronze plaque that was cast in commemoration of the 7th World Congress-the first IRLA World Congress to be held in Inter-America and the largest and most diverse, with almost 900 attendees from some 65 countries.

Dr. Aquilina Alcequiez, advisor to the Dominican Republic president for Religious Affairs, read out the text on the plaque: "In remembering the 7th IRLA World Congress on Religious Liberty, held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, April 24 to 26, 2012. Religious Freedom is a gift of love from God to every human being...The IRLA delegates, coming from 60 countries to attend the World Congress, commend the Dominican Republic for its religious freedom. As million of believers are suffering discrimination, torture, and death in the world, the delegates encourage the Dominican people to join their voices with all people who love justice and freedom."

Representative of the president of the Senate of the Republic as well as the deputy leader of the city of La Romana were awarded a plaque for their efforts in recently approving a law on religious matrimonies and civil issues.

Festivals such as these are important and necessary to hold in countries where religious freedom is enjoyed, said Roberto Herrera, secretary general of IRLA for Inter-America, who has coordinated dozens of religious festivals throughout the Inter-American territory.

"We must continue to be grateful to local governments and taking the opportunity to speak more of religious freedom and what it means to every citizen," said Herrera.

A central feature of the program was a musical drama performed by young people, which told the story of religious freedom in song and drama.

Wally Amundson and Rene Gomez contributed to this report

For more on the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic, visitwww.adventistas.org.do

To view photos of the event, click here

image by Abel Marquez/IAD

Dr. Aquilin Alcequiez, advisor to the Dominican Republic president for religious affairs, read a bronze plaque cast in commemoration of the 7th IRLA World Congress held last week.

Source

.

ADVENTISTS OFFER CONDOLENCES FOR COPTIC POPE

Photo Source: CTV News

21 Mar, 2012By ANN staff

Leaders from the Seventh-day Adventist world church’s department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty offered condolences to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria on the passing of Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

Military police and mourners surround the ambulance carrying the coffin of Pope Shenouda iii, the head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church, upon its arrival for burial at St Bishoy Monastery in Wadi Al Natrun.

Photo courtesy: Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Shenouda died on Saturday at age 88 after serving four decades as patriarch.

"The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department offers its condolences to the Coptic Christians of Egypt, and to the people of Egypt for the passing away of Pope Shenouda III,” said John Graz, the Adventist Church’s PARL director.

John Graz, the Adventist Church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director.

“Seventh-day Adventists hope the new leader of the Coptic Christian Church, the recognized Christian Church in Egypt, will favor good relations with the entire Christian family in Egypt in its diversity and be an instrument for peace and religious freedom,” Graz said.

Graz called Shenouda a “strong leader,” recognizing his love of Egypt and devotion to national unity. Graz also noted Shenouda’s courage. He fell out of favor with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who in 1981 banished Shenouda to a desert monastery. He was reinstated four years later by Egypt’s then new President Hosni Mubarak.

Relations between Shenouda and the Adventist Church were sometimes tense. In 2003 he publically attacked Seventh-day Adventists for “disrupting unity.”

Still, Graz commended Shenouda for maintaining positive relations with Muslims. Christians and other religious minorities have increasingly suffered attacks since the overthrow of the Mubarak administration.

Source: http://record.net.au/items/adventist-leaders-offer-condolences-on-death-of-coptic-pope

.

Karel Nowak: A Last Farewell

September 2011 »


At memorial service, Karel was remembered as a beloved husband and father, an esteemed colleague, and a man of deep conviction



Relatives and friends of Karel Nowak came from across the Czech Republic and Europe on Monday, September 5, to remember a man of “great wisdom, kindness, and commitment.” The memorial service, held at a crematorium in Prague, Czech Republic, was marked by many tributes to Karel from both work associates and family members. Karel died in Cairns, Australia, on August 19, while en route to an International Religious Liberty Association event in Sydney. Dr. John Graz, IRLA Secretary General, travelled from Australia to Prague with Karel’s ashes and stayed to represent the IRLA and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at the memorial service.

In his tribute, Dr. Graz described Karel as someone who was always easy and pleasant to work with. “He was wise, kind, and competent, and we relied on his as an invaluable source of knowledge about the state of religious freedom in Europe,” he said. “Karel has made a difference for the good for many people and now God has welcomed him in His rest until the Resurrection day.“

Pastor Bruno Vertaillier, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Euro-Africa region, spoke about Karel’s deep faith and his commitment to God’s service.

At his death, Karel was Secretary General of the Euro-Africa Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Adventist Church in Euro-Africa, and editor of the publication, Conscience et Liberté. He advocated for religious liberty at local and Europe-wide meetings, including the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the European Union in Brussels and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations in Geneva.

Karel was born December 10, 1950, in Velopoli, Moravia, Czech Republic. He originally trained as a tinsmith but later studied theology and graduated from Andrews University in Michigan, United States, with a Master of Divinity degree.

He pastored a church in the southern Moravia town of Znojmo from 1973 to 1978, and later directed the Czechoslovakia Publishing Department of the Adventist Church before serving as the first post-Communist president of the Czechoslovakia Union from 1989 to 2004. In 2005 he became Public Affairs and Religious Liberty and Communications Department Director of the Adventist Church in Euro-Asia, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. Since 2010, he concentrated exclusively on the areas of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty. 


Karel and his wife Dana were married on July 5, 1979. in Prague, had three daughters: Alena, Eva and Jana. He was a loved husband and father. “He taught me to fight opinions, not people,” said Alena Nowak, the eldest. “I remember how as a teenager I felt so irritated when he constantly asked for my reasons and motives. But it was a great lesson that you should think carefully about what you are doing and once you decide it is worth it, you should fight for it.”

Jana Nowak, the youngest daughter, remarked that, “My dad found deep joy in Christ and was able to experience it every day, even in this imperfect world.” And describing her relationship with her father, she said “My dad was an authority to me, he has my deep respect and still we had fun together. I smile when I think of him!”

“It is still so unreal knowing my beloved daddy is not coming back from his trip,” said Jana, “however, I know I have a heavenly Father who is very much alive. Being in His hands, I find shelter even during these hard days.” [By IRLA/APD-Ch/ ANN/ CD-EUD]

Source
.

Note: Highlights and Bolds added.
.

Related:


Euro-Africa religious liberty director dies in swimming accident
Nowak was to attend IRLA meeting of experts in Sydney
19 Aug 2011, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
ANN staff

Karel Nowak, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Euro-Africa Division, died while swimming in the ocean off the coast of Australia this morning.

Nowak, 60, was snorkeling with colleagues off the coast of Cairn, Queensland. A rescue helicopter brought him to Cairns Base Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Corrado Cozzi, Communication director for the Euro-Africa Division, based in Berne, Switzerland.

Nowak was to attend next week's International Religious Liberty Association's 13th Meeting of Experts, held this year at the University of Sydney School of Law. It begins August 21.

Source: Adventist News Network©

http://news.adventist.org/2011/08/euro-africa-religiou.html
.

Church Leaders Laud Frontline Religious Freedom Work

"We need you!" church leader tells PARL directors

The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is becoming “more and more important,” said world church president Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson during a historic gathering of some 4,000 pastors from across South America. In his address, Pastor Wilson called on pastors and administrators to support the efforts of PARL as it represents the church within many different public settings.

The meeting, held May 26 to 30 in Iguassu, Brazil, brought together pastors from the eight countries of the South American division—the first time a world church region has run a combined training event for all its pastors.

Dr. John Graz, PARL director for the Adventist Church worldwide, also addressed the ministers in a series of lectures. He said later that Pastor Wilson’s words represented “a strong message of encouragement” for the efforts of PARL around the world.

“The words of our president are a reminder that PARL is an essential frontline ministry of the Adventist Church,” said Graz. “His remarks are especially timely given our plans for next years’ 7th World Congress, which will highlight the vital work of PARL.”

The 7th International Religious Liberty World Congress will be held April 24 to 26 in the Dominican Republic’s famed Punta Cana beach resort area, and will bring together a diverse international group of PARL leaders, religious liberty scholars and practitioners, government officials, and non-governmental organizations.

Pastor Wilson’s comments come just a few days after Inter-American Division president, Pastor Israel Leito, told union PARL leaders, “We need you! You are the face of the church—the ‘storm-stoppers.’ We need you at every level of our church.”

“As we prepare for next year’s World Congress, we’re especially grateful for these strong statements of support from our world church leaders,” said Dr. Graz.

For more information about the 7th International Religious Liberty World Congress, please visit www.irla.org.

Source

Graz reelected Secretary of the Conference of the Christian World Communions

PARL Updates » November 29, 2010

Graz reelected Secretary of the Conference of the Christian World Communions
On Wednesday November 3, 2010, the Secretaries of the Christian World Communions elected Dr John Graz Secretary for the 5th time at their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The Secretaries of the Christian World Communions is a group of senior Christian religious leaders from across the Christian denominational spectrum. The leaders represent Christian denominations that, when added together, amount to roughly 2 billion Christians worldwide.

"It is privilege to play a role at this critical gathering that provides space for fellowship and exchange of ideas among Christian leaders" said Graz. "The Conference as a great opportunity to promote a better understanding and to discuss the challenges to common values like religious freedom and respect for others in spite of differences."

Source

Related:

.
Christian World Communions

"Christian World Communions" (CWCs) is the term commonly used to describe the globally organized churches or groupings (families) of churches with common theological and historical roots, confessions, or structure. This definition itself demonstrates the fact that there are different kinds of Christian world communions. The term came into common use only around 1979. Other terms used in the past to name these groupings were even less adequate in describing the families of church groupings. They include "world confessional church groups", "world confessional groups", "world confessional bodies" and "world confessional families".

Each Christian world communion consists of churches belonging to the same tradition and held together by a common heritage; they are conscious of living in the same universal fellowship and give to this consciousness at least some structured visible expression. They may or may not be tied to particular creeds or confessions. The forms of "structured visible expressions" of confessional organizations vary greatly. One Christian world communion has many employees and a large annual budget. Several have small staffs and moderate budgets. Some have origins which precede the modern ecumenical movement by several decades. Others were formed or assumed their present level of activities since the World Council of Churches was officially founded in 1948. Their fields of interest can be quite varied. However, they form linkages that strengthen the common witness in their churches in areas such as mission and evangelism, justice and service and promoting Christian unity.

Since 1957, with a few exceptions (1960, 1961, and 1975), the conference of secretaries of Christian world communions has met annually. It usually gathers the general secretaries of these bodies for fellowship and comparing notes together. In some years, they have also been able to discuss various mutual concerns including bilateral dialogues, the relationships between Bible societies and the CWCs, religious liberty and human rights, and the CWCs' commitment to the future of the ecumenical movement.

The annual meetings usually gather representatives of the following: The Anglican Communion, Baptist World Alliance, Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, The Ecumenical Patriarchate (Eastern Orthodox), General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference, Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite World Conference, Moravian Church Worldwide Unity Board, The Moscow Patriarchate (Eastern Orthodox), Pentecostals, The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Catholic Church), Reformed Ecumenical Council, The Salvation Army, Friends World Committee for Consultation, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, World Convention of Churches of Christ, World Evangelical Fellowship, and the World Methodist Council. The World Council of Churches is usually represented at the meetings.

Even in their totality, the Christian world communions do not represent all branches of Christianity. At least three groups of churches in particular exist outside a worldwide Christian world communions framework: the Oriental Orthodox churches, the independent or indigenous churches, especially in Africa, the united and uniting churches which came into existence from the 1920s onwards.

Varied as they are in their structure and purpose, the Christian world communions are very much alive and must be seen in their relationship with the ecumenical movement. In their beginnings they were in fact the principal existing forms of the ecumenical movement, giving the members of their churches a new consciousness of universality through an understanding of the worldwide dimensions of their own fellowships. Many of their leaders participated in the formation of the World Council of Churches and from 1948 until today have held positions of leadership in it.

In the past, in some quarters, Christian world communions have been viewed as antithetical to ecumenical engagement. Often this has been done by labelling Christian world communions as promoting confessionalism or denominationalism at the expense of promoting Christian unity. This is rather shortsighted. In fact, many Christian world communions are key ecumenical organs and have supported the World Council of Churches in its role as the privileged ecumenical organization. This was recognized as early as the second assembly of WCC in 1954 where, in a report to the assembly in Evanston, Illinois, USA, the then central committee stated: "It may be noted with satisfaction that almost all world confessional associations have gone on record wishing to support the ecumenical movement, and it is suggested that the General Secretary shall arrange for informal consultations from time to time with three or four representatives from each association, to discuss the implementation of that desire and other common problems."1

Almost thirty years later, the sixth assembly of the WCC (Vancouver, 1983) recognized the ecumenical importance of the CWCs and of the conference of secretaries of CWCs as partners in the quest for the full visible unity of the church, and encouraged the development of closer collaboration between the WCC and the CWCs. It recommended that both should pursue the task of seeking clarity as to the goal of the unity which Christians seek within the one ecumenical movement, and in identifying steps and possibilities in achieving that goal. It also expressed the hope that a new series of ad hoc meetings of the Forum on Bilateral Conversations would be held, and made the specific request that attention be given to the reception of the Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry text and to its relations to the bilateral dialogues among CWCs. The question of the relationship between the three concepts of unity - "organic unity", "conciliar fellowship" and "reconciled diversity" - remains crucial.

These 1983 affirmations built upon earlier efforts to address some questions which were beginning to emerge vis-à-vis the relationship between the WCC and Christian world communions as well as questions related to how younger churches in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific could move beyond denominationalism to ecumenical engagement. The Nairobi WCC assembly (1975), for example, made a number of proposals aimed at both the WCC and CWCs finding "a constructive and complementary way of contributing to the advance of the ecumenical movement". 2

A major contribution of Christian world communions to Christian unity has been the theological bilateral dialogues. Several CWCs have come to some significant agreed statements that have removed some historical suspicions and condemnations. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches for example has developed close relations with Lutherans and Disciples of Christ, and come to some significant agreed positions with Roman Catholics and Anabaptists as a result of these dialogues. The Joint Declaration on Justification signed by Lutherans and Roman Catholics is a major result of such bilateral dialogues.

In 1974, the Christian world communions conference of secretaries welcomed an initiative of the WCC Faith and Order commission to hold forums to reflect on the dialogues. This was confirmed by the 1975 WCC assembly in Nairobi. Eight such forums were held between 1978 and 2001 with the participation of representatives of Christian world communions. Such forums have provided space for reflection on results and reception of the dialogues at national, regional and global levels and helped to assess their impact on the quest for Christian unity.

As the ecumenical family searches for new models of ecumenical engagement and inter-church collaboration, Christian world communions have often worked within different processes to further this cause. Since 1997, they have been actively engaged in the global Christian forum process. In recent years CWCs have also discussed among themselves and participated in processes related to the call for a reconfiguration of the ecumenical movement.

---------------------

1 The Evanston Report, 1954, pp. 184-85.

2 Breaking Barriers: Nairobi 1975. Geneva, WCC, pp. 196-98.

.

Source

.