Founders of the Adventist Peace Fellowship, which has recently formed in the Washington, D.C., area, envision their organization eventually as a loose international coalition. The following draft document has been under consideration for the past several months and is subject to change as the fellowship develops. Additional details can be obtained from Ronald Osborn.

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12

Our Vision

Seventh-day Adventists understand themselves to be a people with a unique mission in history, charged with carrying the gospel of Christ around the world and living as faithful witnesses to the commandments and call of God. From its earliest roots, this has meant that Adventists are a people concerned with restoring personal and social wholeness through a commitment to justice and peace. We remember the Sabbath day not only as a memorial of creation, but also as a symbol of divine justice in the face of political and economic oppression. We hold fast to the faith of Jesus not only by proclaiming his Advent, but by refusing violence and coercion as tools to establish God’s kingdom. The radical witness of the Adventist pioneers—who decried slavery, championed religious liberty, agitated against American imperialism, and refused to bear arms in the military—stands as a testament to these convictions.

Yet many of us have forgotten the prophetic social and ethical vision of our founders and Founder. Instead of challenging society as radical witnesses for peace, we have often uncritically accepted its assumptions and moral reasoning. Alternatively, some of us have withdrawn from the work of peace into spiritual and communal isolation. Both impulses, it is clear, can only be fatal to our calling and commission.

We therefore appeal to all Adventists, as fellow disciples and followers of Christ, to join us in reclaiming our Church’s historic commitment to social action and radical dissent. We urge all Adventists to re-covenant to obey the high ethical call of the center cross: the call to active, nonviolent resistance to evil. And we challenge all Adventists to engage in the vital work of restoring community through active and sacrificial service.

Our Covenant

The Adventist Peace Fellowship is a covenant of word and action. We seek to foster harmony and justice in our diverse lands, communities, homes and lives by:

1. Studying and proclaiming the Hebrew understanding of shalom and Christ’s teaching concerning nonviolence
2. Reclaiming Adventism’s historic vision for personal and social peace, including its commitment to: nonviolence, economic justice, health reform, and freedom of conscience
3. Dialoguing with persons of other faiths who are equally concerned with the cause of peace
4. Engaging in acts of voluntary service within our local communities
5. Challenging the logic of force and appeals to violence in our broader culture
6. Building communities that transcend racial, cultural, and economic differences
7. Supporting persons around the world whose commitment to peace entails severe hardship and physical peril
8. Urging a stronger commitment to nonviolence and social activism among all Adventists, at all church and institutional levels

EMAIL THIS ARTICLE