Dec. 29, 1998

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA … [ANN] 1998 saw major developments in areas of concern to and involving Seventh-day Adventists.  It was during this year that the Seventh-day Adventist Church passed the ten-million member mark, showing the Church to be one of the fastest growing Christian denominations in the world. Throughout the year, primary themes of religious liberty, inter-church relations, human rights, humanitarian aid, health promotion, outreach, and education featured in news from across the globe, involving many of the 207 countries in which Adventists are active.  Here are some of the headline stories that ANN continued to develop throughout the year.

Religious Liberty Concerns —
In 1998 the concern for religious liberty continued in Russia, as the new law passed in September 1997 requiring all religious bodies to re-register with the government at the end of 1999 came into effect.  In February 1998, the Russian Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) appealed for action against “the violation of freedom of conscience” in the country, after news reports calling the Adventist Church a “destructive cult or totalitarian sect which turns people into bio-robots.” 

Increased restrictions towards religious activities continued to be reported in Russia in May 1998 when government officials in the Tula region forbade churches to use public buildings for religious meetings.  Reports from the Keston News Service indicated that two church congregations, Baptist and Seventh-day Adventist, were expelled from a building owned by the Venev municipality. 

The beating of an Seventh-day Adventist in the Black Sea city of Anapa, Russia was indicative of the local attitudes towards religious minorities.  In a statement for ANN, John Graz, secretary general of the IRLA stated that while citizens were not experiencing any problems on a national level, locally “religious minorities are on the defensive.  It is as if the new law has legitimated discrimination against those not of the majority faith.”

In October 1998, the first church building to be owned by Seventh-day Adventists in Moscow since property confiscation policies under communism was dedicated.  Despite violations of religious liberty and unfair treatment, Seventh-day Adventist have continued their outreach programs in Russia.  In December, an outreach program at the Church in Tula brought about 200-300 visitors, and in Moscow similar programs have brought more than 1,250 attendees.  The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia has recently secured its registration with the government.  The Church was the second denomination to have been issued a formal registration by the government.

Restrictions in religious liberty also featured in news items from Romania (January 1998), Spain (June 1998) and India (July 1998).

Inter-Church Relations —
The fourth meeting of the consultation between representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was held in Cartigny, Switzerland, on May.  Over the last four years, the series of discussion with the Lutheran World Federation have consisted of three thematic parts: Justification by Faith: the Law; Scripture and Authority in the Church: Ecclesiology; and Eschatology.  The meeting in Cartigny dealt specifically with Eschatology.  The meeting in Cartigny concluded the four-year series of conversations between Adventists and Lutherans, initiated in November 1994 in Germany.  This was the first international consultation between representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist and the Lutheran World Federation.  The goals of the first meeting were, among others, better mutual understanding, the breaking of false stereotypes and the discovery of each other’s bases of belief.

Human Rights—
In December, the Seventh-day Adventist Church commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The Seventh-day Adventist World Church Headquarters joined the world community in recognizing the importance of restating the values enshrined in this U.N. document by hosting a historic commemorative convocation on November 20.  The event was attended by guests such as Robert Seiple, special representative of the U.S. Secretary of State for International Religious Freedom, Joe Sills, director for the United Nations Information Center, Karen Lord of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and many others.  During the convocation an official statement from the Adventist Church was released calling for support for the U.N. Declaration.

Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief —
Adventists continued their major commitment to aiding the world community through humanitarian work and assistance in disaster relief. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was heavily involved in assisting disaster areas such as Honduras and Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch, the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Georges, and also in Chiapas Mexico in response to the worst flooding in 40 years.  ADRA volunteers have assisted in creating and providing shelter, food, and rebuilding homes for thousands of victims involved in the natural disasters of 1998.

Tobacco and Health —
Adventists have been at the forefront of anti-smoking advocacy and tobacco control for well over a century.  As initiators of the famous “Five Day Plan to Stop Smoking” Adventists continue to operate anti-smoking clinics and to inform the public of the dangers of smoking.  In February 1998, Adventists joined with 22 denominations and associations supporting the Inter-religious Coalition on Smoking or Health in urging President Clinton to raise taxes on tobacco.  The church joined what the Coalition called “the single most effective method of discouraging 3,000 young people each day from starting a drug habit that will prematurely kill 1,000 of them.” 

Adventists were at the frontline of research and anti-tobacco and health education throughout the world.  Contributions from Dr. Linda Ferry in Loma Linda, California, USA and Dr. Patrick Guenin in Annecy, France, were nationally recognized by health institutions and local governments as catalysts towards a tobacco legislation reform.  Throughout the year, Adventists continued to support tobacco initiatives, and in May, Robert S. Folkenberg, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, called on church members to support the tobacco control bill which was to be debated in the U.S. Senate that same month.  In a message to the ten-million Adventists worldwide, Folkenberg termed the proposed legislation “the most comprehensive tobacco control bill in the history of the republic,” and called on members in the United States to send their messages of support to the relevant senators.  Tobacco is considered the number one preventable cause of death.  The Seventh-day Adventist Church continues to support initiatives that reduce smoking and its destructive effect on health.

Satellite Outreach —
The Net ‘98 NeXt Millennium series reached thousands globally.  During opening night on October 9, the live seminar program up linked to satellite hosts including1,979 live satellite downlink sites in North America and a worldwide total of 5,000.  An additional 3,000 locations used VHS tapes to replay the programs. The featured speaker for the NeXt Millennium series was Dwight Nelson, senior pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Pioneer Memorial Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA.  Nelson spoke five nights a week to a vast audience across the globe.  Reports from Adventist Global Communication Network (AGCN) estimate approximately 30-40,000 individuals will join the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a result of Net ‘98.

Education —
Adventist Education continues to carry the seal of excellence and in 1998 provided several examples of this.  In April, Andrews University announced its wide range involvement in its link programs.  Education programs linked to Andrews University currently operate more than 20 overseas sites.  Affiliating with Andrews University means that 3,000 students will be able to attend the overseas colleges.  Some sites include Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mexico, the Carribean, India, Singapore and Russia.  The affiliation program encourages an international focus and reveals that Christian education is viewed positively in many places.

In July, the Adventist University located in Cochabamba, Bolivia scored among the top three in a government-sponsored evaluation of universities.  The Adventist University came in second for Cochabamba and third place overall for the whole country in an evaluation program sponsored by the Bolivian government. The evaluation analyzed the infra-structure, teaching materials, laboratories, libraries, human resources and university administration.

U.S. News and World Report America’s Best Colleges, a publication which ranks colleges and universities throughout the United States, listed Adventist colleges and universities among the high ranking educational institutions in America.  Some of the colleges mentioned were Pacific Union College (California), Walla Walla College (Washington), Atlantic Union College (Massachusetts), Andrews University (Michigan) and Southern Adventist University (Tenessee).

Official Church Statements for 1998 —
The annual meeting of Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders from all over the world tackled major issues confronting the Church today. The meetings held in September voted statements on major areas of concern for church as well as voted financial arrangements for the world Church, elected officers and revised policies.  Official statements issued at the meetings include documents on human cloning and sexually-transmitted diseases.  An additional statement by the Seventh-day Adventist Church was released in December, regarding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the church’s support for the U.N. Declaration.

A Word From the Adventist News Network Staff —
<i>The staff of the Adventist News Network and the General Conference Communication Department wish you a very happy and prosperous 1999!  Thank you for your kind support as we communicate important news about the progress and challenges of the Seventh-day Adventist Church around the world.<i>

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