Annual Council: World Church Leaders Affirm Historic Creation Stance
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World leaders of the 13.6-million member Seventh-day Adventist Church voted to affirm the denomination's historic "belief in a literal, six-day creation," saying such a view "is indissolubly linked with the authority of Scripture." |
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Dr. L. James Gibson, head of the Geoscience Research Institute of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is shown at one of the Faith & Science conferences which led to the report affirmed by world church leaders Oct. 13. [Photo: Matthias Dorn/ANN]
Dr. Angel M. Rodriguez, director of the church's Biblical Research Institute and Dr. William G. Johnsson, editor of the Adventist Review (right), were among those who helped produce the final Faith & Science report. (Photo: Mark A. Kellner/ANN]
World leaders of the 13.6-million member Seventh-day Adventist Church voted to affirm the denomination's historic "belief in a literal, six-day creation," saying such a view "is indissolubly linked with the authority of Scripture."
Responding to "An Affirmation of Creation" report, presented Oct. 11, delegates voted to "strongly endorse the document's affirmation of our historic, biblical position of belief in a literal, recent, six-day Creation," and reaffirm the church's "understanding of the historicity of Genesis 1-11." The action also includes a call upon Adventist educational institutions to "continue upholding and advocating the Church's position on origins" and urges church leaders to educate young people on issues surrounding the doctrine of creation, as well as calls on church members to proclaim and teach this doctrine. The response also calls for "a wide dissemination" of the "Affirmation" report.
Following an overwhelming endorsement of the document and a vote of its acceptance, a proposal to have the Church "revisit" the doctrinal statement on creation itself was defeated in a floor vote.
Lowell Cooper, a general vice president of the Church and chairman of the conferences' organizing committee, presented the "Affirmation" report to leaders. It recognizes the Adventist faith-based belief in the Biblical account of creation, but it also expresses an affirmation of Adventist scholarship in theology and science.
The report was drafted at the conclusion of the International Faith & Science Conferences 2002 to 2004, and was sent to the church body, which established a three-year series of consultations on issues in faith and science -- particularly those relating to the Adventist understanding of origins -- evaluated the findings in theology and science and how they interface, and contributed and challenged the Adventist understanding of origins.
The complete text of "Response to 'An Affirmation of Creation'," along with the report from the International Faith and Science Conference Organizing Committee, can be viewed at www.adventistreview.org.
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