Not Everything Published Online is Truth

There are allegations presented Online as if they were true, but which are in fact fabrications maliciously put together to discredit the GC and its leadership.

Please consider the following:

1. The Seventh-day Adventist church is not involved in any doctrinal alliance with any other church. On social welfare matters, we partner with other agencies to do good to communities, to society, and to the international community. These endeavors occur in many countries, and in international forums such as the UN. ADRA for example, works with the UN and its agencies on many projects over the years.
2. When it comes to Christian gatherings, we attend meetings where all participating churches are on the same footing and with the same rights and respect. We attend two of these important meetings: The Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions and the Global Christian Forum. We are invited as guest observers when other Christians have their general assemblies. We do the same when we invite other Christian leaders to come to our General Conference Session to come to know who we are and what we do.
3. Though we seek to promote a good reputation for the SDA church, this has nothing to do with trying to please others. It would be farfetched to suppose that in the process we capitulate our distinctive identity, message and mission.
4. Contrary to a false information, the Seventh-day Adventist church has no representative at the Vatican.
5. No department of the GC has the power to engage the church in any alliance with other churches. As Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department, we have not and will not sign any kind of agreement with any church. It is a basic fact that all the decisions the Adventist church makes are ratified by vote at the General Conference session not by any one individual or by any department. The other instances that make decisions for the general Conference are the Executive Committee and the ADCOM. At Public Affairs, we are not plenipotentiary ambassadors. We are representatives reporting the voted public statements of the church. We never cross the boundary of what is adopted in the General Conference working policy and the explicit mandate of the department written thereof. We report the official statements of the church. Those are voted by the General Conference. They are all available on the GC website. The church functions openly. Moreover, the truth is that as we represent the church, we do not sign any agreement with anyone. We always go by the official statements of the church. We do not assign ourselves the power nor do we ever intent to put the SDA church under the umbrella of any organization, thus submitting the authority of the world Seventh Day Adventist church to another organization, be they Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, or national or international, whether religious or political.

Freedom of conscience or religious freedom forbids that we lose our identity in any fashion or form. It excludes that we surrender our freedom to choose to any other organization, be it political or religious. When it comes to the church, corporate freedom of conscience, the working policy or constitution of the SDA church is deeply adhered to. We do all things according to the mandate explicitly written in this normative document.

*The SDA church will never be under the umbrella of another organization, be it religious or political.

1. For the past 50 years now, we attend some Christian gatherings the church and its committees carefully select. As Ellen White recommends, we mingle to do good, to dispel prejudice and to have opportunities to witness to our unique Adventist identity. We believe as others do for themselves that we are blessings to the world. Otherwise, there would be no point in having developed significant portfolios of services: health, education, humanitarian, human rights, and various ministries such as women, youth, children, special needs etc.…
2. All my predecessors have mingled with other Christians without endorsing any one of them and without compromising their distinctive relationships with biblical truth. They have remained loyal SDA. They have not joined any other church. Today, we are no exception. We continue the same journey.
3. Please read our articles published in Adventist Review, not second-hand distortions of their content. We respect everyone, even those who may disagree with what we share. Our publications are not meant to offend or insult anyone, but they state the truth of interchurch and interfaith relations. While following the Bible and Ellen White’s counsels we mingle without sacrificing a single biblical principle. Unfortunately, there some independent ministries with a different agenda. These are not like ASI or GYC, and many others too many to mention, who are truly supporting the work of God through the church. But there are independent ministries of a different kind; those that major in trying to malign or even demonize those who work at the GC. They do not even spare our president whom they accuse of all kinds of names. These slanders do not come from the Holy Spirit.
4. Please go to our website www.adventistliberty.org, where you will find materials showing why there can be no doctrinal alliance with any church beyond the foundational Christian doctrine of the triune God, Christ’s divinity and incarnation, God’s sovereignty, Christ’s sufficiency as sacrifice, priest and king for the salvation of the world. There are deep doctrinal differences that would not allow fusion of churches. This does not mean we should act as their avowed enemies. Even if they were, the love of God does not discriminate. Jesus told us to love even our enemies.
5. People will continue to slander regardless of the truth. Some use these slanders and accusations to raise funds for their independent ministries. So, they make it a profession to publish all kinds of mischaracterizations. May God change their hearts. But God also will continue to give discernment to his people.

Your brother in Christ who eagerly waits, like you, for Christ’s deliverance at the soon Second Coming.

Ganoune Diop