Table of Contents

Ecumenism and the Adventist Church ........................................................................................ 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1

Brief History of Ecumenism ....................................................................................................... 1

Adventist Ecumenism ................................................................................................................. 3

Adventists and Ecumenical Conversation ................................................................................... 4

Benefits of having meetings with other Christians. .................................................................... 6

Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... 10

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Ecumenism and the Adventist Church

Introduction

Ecumenism has a history as long as the division of the Christian church. Unity of the body

of Christ has been a prayer and a dream since the beginning. Jesus prayed for unity and the apostles

struggled to maintain unity. In the history of every church, you will find unity being challenged.

The history of the Christian church is a long and exhausting search for unity. And yet the Christian

church has not been able to keep its unity. Those who left it formed new churches and had their

unity challenged. Christianity today is divided into three main families: the Catholics, the

Protestants, and the Orthodox.

Brief History of Ecumenism

Jesus prayed for the unity of the believers, and the division of Christ’s body is a great

scandal. Christianity is divided into many organizations and divisions inside each division. So, we

have to be very optimistic to believe that Christians could be united again as they were in the first

century.

After the reformation came several tentative steps to rebuild unity. They failed As a

Lutheran leader said to me, today the division between Lutherans and Catholics is more important

than during Luther’s time. In the nineteenth century many ecumenical movements began as inter-

religious or interdenominational organizations such as the Bible Societies and Missionary

Societies.1

1
William M. King, Ecumenism, In The Encyclopedia of Protestantism, ed. Hans J.
Hillerbrand (New York: Routledge, 2004), 182.

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 After the First World War, Protestants and Orthodox had several major meetings to study

the urgency of working for the unity of the church. Christians killing Christians was not acceptable,

and that was the official beginning of the ecumenical movement. A theological commission was

organized with theologians from different churches. Their purpose was to study the common

beliefs and to see how differences could be overcome. It was the Faith and Order Commission.2

The Second World War stopped the development of the ecumenical movement. Once again,

Christian countries led the whole world in an unprecedented slaughter. After the war, Christian

leaders saw their responsibility in the tragedy and thought that the division of the Christian world

had favored ideologies like Nazis and communism. Something had to be done and fast. The League

of Nations, which failed to stop the war, was now reinvented as the United Nations. In 1948, the

countries’ members voted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which became a model to

constitutions of many countries. The purpose was to promote human rights as universal values in

order to avoid wars. Protestants and Orthodox followed the example and organized the World

Council of Churches.3

The influence of the European National Churches was predominant. The purpose was to

build a visible unity of the Body of Christ. How to do it? By encouraging the advent of one

Christian Church. But the Catholics were not members. The ideas of unity and ecumenism were

understood differently in Rome. Roman Catholics conceived of unity as a return to the “mother”

and “true Church.” For the leaders of the ecumenical movement, unity had to be built step by step

as a process, as a journey with Christ who will lead His children. The achievement of the visible

2
See William G. Rusch, Ecumenism, Ecumenical Movement, In The Encyclopedia of
Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999–2003), 2:46–60.
3
Wilbert R. Shenk, World Council of Churches, In The Encyclopedia of Protestantism,ed.
Hans J. Hillerbrand (New York: Routledge, 2004), 821–826

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unity is more than going back to Rome. Everyone accepting being part of this journey with God

should be ready to change according to the urgency of unity. It would be the condition.4

Given this brief historical overview, we ask ourselves a couple of questions: First, should

Adventists be involved in inter-church relations? Second, is the Seventh-day Adventist refusal to

become a member of the World Council of Churches an indication of opposition to Jesus’ prayer

for unity?

Adventist Ecumenism

These are most serious issues and deserve straightforward answers. Regarding the first

question, it is important to keep in mind that the Seventh-day Adventist Church understands itself

as a movement with a special message for the world. Although Adventists may appreciate what

other branches of Christianity have done to spread the good news of the gospel, Adventists believe

they have a distinctive message to prepare the world for the soon coming of Jesus. Thus, full

participation in the ecumenical movement and certain types of inter-church relations constitute a

denial of our church’s distinctive message and mission. However, that said, I contend that

Adventists should not retract from the world and live in a denominational cocoon, as some

marginal groups have proposed. On these issues let me offer some brief thoughts.

Adventists should not shy away from opportunities to share the beauty of our distinctive

message with other denominational groups. Some venues improperly labeled as “ecumenical” (in

a pejorative sense) may become providential opportunities for Adventist pastors and leaders to

4
W. J. Whalen, Ecumenical Movement, In The New Catholic Encyclopedia,eds. Berard L.
Marthaler, Gregory F. LaNave, Jonathan Y. Tan, and Richard E. McCarron (Detroit, MI: Thomson
and Gale, 2002), 5:88.

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share our faith, hope, and view of the Scriptures. Moreover, such encounters may provide a safe

space to explain our Fundamental Beliefs, especially our distinctive doctrines, to people who

otherwise would never listen to us. Our pastors and members should never miss opportunities to

share the Adventist message with people of other faiths.5

We Adventist have no to worry so long as we keep our commitment to the Scriptures on

which we base our Fundamental Beliefs, we do well in interacting with other denominations so

that they may have a more accurate perception of who we are. In a context of publishing ministry,

Ellen G. White penned an instructive statement that aptly applies to this reflection: You may have

opportunity to speak in other churches. In improving these opportunities, remember the words of

the Saviour, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Make no denunciatory

speeches. Clear-cut messages are to be borne; but restrain all harsh expressions. There are many

souls to be saved. In word and deed be wise unto salvation, representing Christ to all with whom

you come in contact. Let all see that your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

and good will to men.6

Adventists and Ecumenical Conversation

The Seventh-day Adventist Church does not exist in isolation from other Christian

communities. Social and religious trends in the Christian world impact us; they force us to decide

how we should relate to those trends and changes. The Christian concern about the unity of the

church, voiced particularly through the World Council of Churches, forces us to define where we

5
John Graz, Issues of Faith and Freedom, (Silver Spring, MD: Public Affairs and Religious
Liberty Department), 141–148.
6
Ellen G. White, The Publishing Ministry (Review and Herald, 1983), 306.

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stand on this important subject. Certainly, “no Adventist can be opposed to the unity Christ

Himself prayed for.7

Adventist identity and ecumenical dialogues The Adventist Church has occasionally had

conversations with other Christian communities and even participated with them in special

activities (such as the matter of the promotion of religious liberty throughout the world). We have

entered into those conversations with some apprehension, while at the same time acknowledging

their need, usefulness, and importance.

What are our concerns as we deal with interfaith relations and dialogues? The church has

not been quiet about that question. Adventists are concerned about the nature of the unity that is

being sought and the methods that are employed in the attempts to accomplish it.8

There is much debate in the ecumenical movement about church unity. Traditionally that

unity has been understood as “agreement in the confession of the faith and mutuality in the

sacraments and in the ecclesiastical office (ministry), common worship life in prayer, common

witness and common service to all human beings, the ability to act and speak together in view of

the concrete tasks and challenges, the local as well as the universal dimension of the ecclesiastical

unity, unity as well as diversity.9

According to Adventist theology, the One Church of Christ does not subsist in any

particular church or denomination. This fundamental ecclesiological stance makes it practically

impossible for us to be a true partner in any dialogue aiming at unity with another Christian body.

7
Walter Raymond Beach and Bert Beverly Beach, Pattern for Progress: The Role and
Function of Church Organization (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1985), 100.
8
Walter R. Beach, SDA Relations to the National and World Councils of Churches,
(Review and Herald,October 9, 1969) 6-7
9
Harding Meyer, That All May Be One: Perceptions and Models of Ecumenicity (Grand
Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1999), 43.

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We believe that the One Church of Christ is fundamentally invisible, diffused throughout the

different Christian bodies. While ready to acknowledge that the apostolic church was fully visible,

we also recognize that it soon became largely invisible as a result of apostasy. In Adventist

thinking, the goal of true ecumenism is the restoration of biblical truth rejected or ignored by

different Christian bodies. Consequently, Adventists see themselves as a reform movement, calling

Christians back to the Scriptures as the sole foundation of faith and practice, and to the restoration

of a true apostolic faith. One could suggest that Seventh-day Adventists see their God-given

“ecumenical” mission as instrumental in making the invisible church visible again before the

parousia, toward the close of the cosmic conflict on earth.10

Benefits of having meetings with other Christians.

Despite the potential dangers, meetings with other Christians also come with potential

benefits. Therefore, we should not discourage, formally or informally, approaching other

Christians and even non-Christian religions.

1. Share our message with non-Adventist church leaders:

Conversations with other people outside the Adventist circle should be viewed as part of

our evangelistic outreach; not that we are making overt attempts to convert them, but that we are

sharing our beliefs. It is our responsibility to inform the Christian world of the reason for our

existence as a religious community. Our emphasis on end-time concerns requires that our message

10
Walter Kasper, Present Situation and Future of the Ecumenical Movement, in The
Catholic Church in Ecumenical Dialogue 2000: Articles by Members of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity. (Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
2002), 9.

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be well known throughout the Christian world. We should take every opportunity to make known

to others what we proclaim as end-time truth.

2. Present truth in a winsome way:

Possibly one of the main benefits derived from conversations with other Christians is that

we are challenged to examine our teachings and to seek ways to express them in a

nonconfrontational way. Aware that what we offer will be carefully scrutinized and evaluated, we

must present it in a persuasive and cogent way. In conversations with other Christians,

confrontation of diverse and irreconcilable ideas is unavoidable, but these ideas must be presented

in a nonthreatening, even winsome, way. The proclamation of a particular truth should have as its

purpose making friends, not enemies. This does not mean that we should sacrifice truth for

friendship, but that every effort should be made to present truth in an attractive package. This will

require packaging our message in a way that will facilitate its understanding and that will lead

others to acknowledge that, even though they may still disagree with us, what we say makes sense

and has a biblical basis.

3. Clarify issues in an informal way:

Apart from the papers presented in the meetings dealing with our message and mission,

there are many opportunities for informal conversation. Those important moments provide the

opportunity to speak more freely than in an open meeting. Usually our partners have many

questions that they feel free to ask only while walking together during a break, or while having a

meal together. At such meetings we come to know each other much better and occasion ally

sensitive questions are asked behind the scenes, on the basis of the developing friendship. It is safe

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to say that these important questions would almost certainly not be asked in the more formal setting

of the main meetings. Here witnessing takes a personal dimension at a moment when confrontation

is at its lowest point.

4. Eliminate prejudices:

Closely related to our previous comments, conversations are very useful in providing

reliable information about our church that will help to eliminate prejudice. In some cases, the

prejudice has been so strong that it has been difficult for our counterparts to accept what we were

in fact telling them about our true position on a particular theological issue. Their preconceived

ideas have not allowed them to listen. On the other hand, we as Adventists can also have false or

inaccurate information regarding other churches or faith-groups. Only the truth is most effective

in dealing with others. False stereotypes and the lack of correct information weaken witness. It is

precisely the purpose of the conversation to create an environment in which we are willing to listen

to each other in a Christian spirit of love and cordiality.

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Conclusion

Adventists have not isolated themselves from the Christian world and its search for unity.

We have been selectively involved in conversations with other religious communities, not because

we want to pursue unity on their terms, but because we want to make ourselves known and, at the

same time, eliminate misconception. We have a precious and unique message to share with the

world, even with other denominations and ecumenical groups. In addition, although we as

Seventh-day Adventists are not members of the World Council of Church and do not intend to

become such, we are not against unity. We are for truth. Unity built on the foundation of biblical

truth would be a marvelous accomplishment. But for now, let us keep in mind what Jesus said:

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a

lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in

heaven” (Matt 5:14–16).

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ellen G. White, The Publishing Ministry, Review and Herald, 1983.

Harding Meyer, That All May Be One: Perceptions and Models of Ecumenicity, Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Eerdmans, 1999.

John Graz, Issues of Faith and Freedom, Silver Spring, MD: Public Affairs and Religious
Liberty Department.

W. J. Whalen, Ecumenical Movement, In The New Catholic Encyclopedia,eds. Berard L.

Walter Kasper, Present Situation and Future of the Ecumenical Movement, in The Catholic
Church in Ecumenical Dialogue 2000: Articles by Members of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2002.

Walter R. Beach, SDA Relations to the National and World Councils of Churches, Review and
Herald,October 9, 1969.

Walter Raymond Beach and Bert Beverly Beach, Pattern for Progress: The Role and Function of
Church Organization, Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1985.

Wilbert R. Shenk, World Council of Churches, In The Encyclopedia of Protestantism,ed. Hans

William G. Rusch, Ecumenism, Ecumenical Movement, In Encyclopedia of Christianity, Grand

William M. King, Ecumenism, In Encyclopedia of Protestantism, ed. Hans J. Hillerbrand New

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