Do You Know What You Believe?
One day a passerby approached a man (presumably the caretaker) sweeping the front steps of a large beautiful church. The passerby, hoping to learn about the church’s beliefs, asked the man the question, “What do you believe?” The caretaker responded, “I believe what my church believes.” So the passerby pressed again, “Well, what does your church believe?” To which the caretaker responded quite proudly, “My church believes what I believe.” The frustrated passerby, trying to get a specific answer, asked once more, “Well, what do you and your church believe?” The caretaker answered, “We both believe the same things.”
Are you prepared to know more about your church than the caretaker knew about his? Just because your church may be large and beautiful on the outside, do you know what it believes on the inside? The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one”—Colossians 4:6 (ASV).
The cradle of the denomination's beginnings dates back to the 1860s when the Seventh-day Adventist Church was formally established. From the early years, and through its history, the Adventist Church has been recognized as a group of conscientious Christians who are vocal about its fundamental beliefs (see Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual) and prominent (especially since the 1980s) in taking a stand for many causes and issues. The list of issues is quite remarkable: religious liberty, prevention of alcoholism and drug dependency, racism, anti-smoking and tobacco awareness, abuse and family violence, same-sex unions, homosexuality, women’s issues, welfare, AIDS, and so forth.
Over the next twelve months, each issue of the Gleaner (see page 4 of this issue) will carry one official position or guideline statement or other document of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as issued by the General Conference in session, by the General Conference Executive Committee, by the administrative committee of the General Conference, or by the office of the General Conference president.
I believe it is imperative and indeed urgent that every Seventh-day Adventist believer knows where their church stands on the issues. Furthermore, where do you stand? This is no time to flutter our feathers of conscience in the breeze of mediocrity. A mere “caretaker” attitude is not sufficient for these times in which we live.
As we wind our way down the meandering boulevards of the 21st century awaiting the soon coming of our Lord and Savior, it is my hope and prayer that the statements published throughout this year will not only strengthen our resolve, but prepare our hearts individually to face the closing scenes of this world’s history as predicted in Scripture.
My wife, Lois, and I wish you a most prosperous and spiritually satisfying experience in 2007.
Donald
G. King is president of the Atlantic Union
Conference and chairman of the Atlantic
Union College Board of Trustees.
Atlantic Union GLEANER
January 2007
