Christian Nationalism, Adventism, and Prophecy Event

We invite you to watch on April 24 an event hosted by the North American Division. In the recent political climate there has arisen a new level of cooperation between evangelical and civil leaders that appears to place Christianity at the center of political influence. This kind of Christian Nationalism is the type Adventists have spoken of prophetically. Unfortunately, even Adventists have been swept into the ideology.

The challenge of placing one’s Christian identity ahead of one’s faith is the same as the church faced when German Adventists were attracted to Hitler, or more recently, with the Rwandan genocide when Adventists killed fellow church members. The challenge remains a perpetual danger for Christians, including Adventists, thereby blurring the distinction between Christian and American identities. Christian Nationalism moves beyond merely being patriotic, to a distinctive worldview that prioritizes, or seeks to impose, Christianity upon the public sphere. It creates boundaries and hierarchies that promote authoritarian control, racial insensitivity, militarism, and more. This conference, jointly sponsored by a number of denominational and professional entities, seeks to better identify, describe, and prescribe through thoughtful papers and discussion what this means for the Seventh-day Adventist Church today and into the future.

Keynote Speakers:

Andrew Whitehead & Samuel Perry - co-authors of Taking America Back for God

Other Presenters:

• Nick Miller - Adventist orientation

• Jeff Rosario - on prophetic application

• Ante Jeroncic - about epistemology and problem with conspiracies

• Claudia Allen - with the challenge of white supremacy

• Timothy Golden - also will address issue of white supremacy 

Panelists:  

• Daniel Xisto - Adventist pastor active with APF

• David Hamstra - Adventist pastor in Canada

• Jack Doggette - Adventist lawyer with pastoral experience

• Lisa Diller - Southern Adventist University history professor

• Josie Asencio - Adventist pastor in California

• Ganoune Diop - United Nations liaison for GC

We Stand With Peaceful Civilians in Myanmar

The recent surge of military violence unleashed on the citizens of Myanmar weighs heavily on our hearts. Security forces in Myanmar have carried out systematic attacks on peaceful protestors  who continue to risk their lives in hope of a freer, brighter future for their children. The military junta has killed hundreds of civilians, including more than 40 children, according to recent reports, since it seized power in the February 1, 2021 military coup. We are heartbroken and horrified by yet another example of the use of state violence, intimidation, and dehumanization of others for the selfish pursuit of power. 

As an organization committed to peacemaking, the Adventist Peace Fellowship condemns these acts of violence against Myanmar’s citizens. We reaffirm our commitment to stand with and for those engaged in nonviolent resistance to injustice. We call on peacemakers to make an intentional, dedicated effort to “do justice and love mercy” (Micah 6:8) and to advocate on behalf of those experiencing oppression (Isaiah 58:6-11) in Myanmar.

There are at least 33,000 Adventist Christians in Myanmar, amongst 54,045,000 citizens. All, precious and loved by their Creator.

This statement was written by Benya Wilson, a member of the Adventist Peace Fellowship Chapter at Southern Adventist University. She is a graduating history major, sociology minor. In 2017 -18 she taught music lessons to Syrian and Kurdish refugee children in Lebanon and has been inspired and shaped by her mothers passion for justice, equality, and peace.

The Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2001 that seeks to raise consciousness about the centrality of peacemaking and social justice to the beliefs and heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist tradition. We support public service, activism, advocacy, and scholarship that reflects the radical spirit of many Adventist pioneers. We welcome all Adventists and friends of Adventists to join our network and to add their voices and their talents to the work of peacemaking.

Statement on AAPI Violence

This statement was written by Meg Ermer and Abby Hansen, students at Southern Adventist University who are part of the Adventist Peace Fellowship Chapter on campus.

The Adventist Peace Fellowship mourns the loss of the eight individuals, six of whom were women of Asian descent, that were tragically murdered in the Atlanta shooting on March 16, 2021.  Our hearts are broken  when we see recent footage of elderly AAPI people being violently attacked while bystanders remain silent. We acknowledge the traumatic impact of recent hate crimes on the Asian-American community. We also recognize the pain and frustration that comes from generations of being scapegoated and dehumanized. Not only has the Asian-American community been targeted during this past year of pandemic, but the U.S. has a long history of xenophobia against Asians as well as the degradation and fetishization of Asian women.

    Jesus is the antithesis of this type of behavior. During his time on earth, Christ did not let the stereotypes of the time stop him from specifically seeking out relationships with foreigners, women, and those at the bottom of the social ladder. He taught that all people—regardless of class, religion, gender, ethnicity, or occupation—are his valued children and have a place in his kingdom.

    As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus’s example and take care of his people, keeping in mind that this includes every person. This means listening to their pain and taking the time to mourn with those who mourn. In our daily lives, we are called to condemn acts of injustice—at any scale. Racial jokes and stereotypes are the seeds of future violence: it is our duty to stop these seeds from taking root and fueling acts of hate that result in losses of life. 

    We press onward with the goal of creating a community of healing, one in which women are viewed as daughters of God, in which immigrants are welcomed with open arms just as God will one day receive us into his kingdom. We vow to throw off our habit of complacency in the face of injustice and to stand with our brothers and sisters, assuming their struggles as our own, so that together we can strive for restoration and peace (2 Corinthians 13:11). 

The Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2001 that seeks to raise consciousness about the centrality of peacemaking and social justice to the beliefs and heritage of Adventists. We support public service, activism, advocacy, and scholarship that reflects the radical spirit of many Adventist pioneers. We welcome all Adventists and friends of Adventists to join our network and to add their voices and their talents to the work of peacemaking.

Statement On Events at the US Capitol

There are no adequate words to fully describe the feelings many of us are experiencing in the wake of the violent attempted coup and insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Many people are wrestling with shock and anger, while others are unsurprised that the vitriolic rhetoric of the past few years has culminated in violence. The root evil that sits at the foundation of this tragedy is the idolatry of power, which is seen in white supremacy, entitlement, violence, and hatred that accompanies this scourge. Further upsetting is the widespread usage of Christian imagery at the forefront of the riot. The violence and chaos seen at the Capitol does not represent the God we serve. We must call this co-opting of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for what it is: blasphemy. Jesus never called upon His followers to commit a violent insurrection, even though they desired him to do so! Instead, Jesus calls his followers to be peaceable, compassionate, a healing presence in the world, and a loving witness of His Kingdom. Now, more than ever, believers need to lament the domestic terrorist’s satanic misrepresentation of God. We also must lean into the duty conscripted on us by Scripture to "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

What I Can/Can't Do

Karah lives in a rural Appalachian town where nationalism and personal freedoms are highly valued and diversity and non-violence aren’t popular. The town is filled with people who stop to help each-other change tires, high levels of drug addiction, friendly coffee shops, many gun stores, active church groups, cheerful cashiers, a neo-Nazi group, a large artisan community, a cross section of all kinds of people.

I cannot convince the gun store owner who puts up monthly billboards with harmful messages of fear and racism to take them down.

I couldn’t convince my daughter’s classmate that immigrants from Honduras are not coming to take his future job and resources.

I cannot use my Sharpie marker to make improvements to some of the bumper stickers I’ve seen in the WalMart parking lot.

I wasn’t able to shift a conversation with a man intent on evangelizing for a local area alt-right church (but I could at least leave the shop where I was accosted).

I can’t tear down the massive newly placed Trump/Pence signs that have continue to appear since November 4. 

I struggle to have open and honest conversations with family members who seem to have chosen allegiance to a particular politician above a theology.

I couldn’t even convince a close Christian friend that the simple act of wearing a mask is an act of love to our neighbors.

At a peaceful protest for Black Lives Matter in downtown.

Experiences over the past few years have left me feeling handicapped and impotent.  If I can’t encourage someone in close proximity to me to move in the direction of compassion or understanding, what am I even doing?

My own values, beliefs, and actions have been shifted by moments that seem almost imperceptible.  A conversation in a grocery store, a story shared over dessert, a podcast from a friend, a book, or just observing people in public spaces.  I am growing into the person I am because life has been teaching me so much. But. . . . social and relational tensions feel higher than usual.  Gentleness and lighthearted connections seem so rare.

It’s been easy for me to tumble into feelings of helplessness.  What difference am I making?  Does my one little life have any power for good? It took making a pencil-to-paper list to be reminded that there is so much I can do.

I can pause to recognize each person (no matter the billboards or bumper stickers, no matter the feuds or the false data, the mask or the unmasked) is a precious and holy Creation. As is.

I can listen to the stories quietly shared and ask questions to learn more.

I can speak up and share personal stories and experiences that have shaped and challenged my own thinking.

I can protest and exercise my Constitutional freedom to speak for a better world.

I can write letters to leaders prioritizing things I’m passionate about, or asking them to reconsider a position or a vote.  I can thank leaders for working toward a more just and kind country.

I can challenge my reading of scripture by listening to different teachers and hermeneutics.

I can welcome agnostics and atheists, fundamentalists and federalists, and hungry strangers and friends into my home for soup and bread and conversation.

I can seek connections with those who have not had the same experiences as me, and I can position myself to learn.

Good conversation in small groups beside a waterfall

I can hold grace and compassion for myself and the growth I have yet to know.  I can hold gentleness and love for those around me who don’t see the world or their neighbors the same way I do. 

The promise was never that it would be easy, but peacemakers are world changers. I’ve found tender comfort in the companionship of Jesus, knowing that the path He walked was just as divisive, just as political, and even more lonely and isolating.  And in this technological age, I’ve also discovered that community and encouragement is just a click away.