ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION BULLETIN 5 JULY 8, 2015 3 DELEGATES APPROVE LANDMARK UPDATE OF FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS 12 DELEGATES LIKE TO EAT, TOO 16 NEVER ALONE 24 SAN ANTONIO 360 26 MISSION IN A CHALLENGING FIELD 30 EXTREME MISSION! 34 PROCEEDINGS NOW AT THE BEST PRICE SINCE THE 20TH CENTURY! LAUNCH SPECIAL Try the new Review For a one-year for 6 months for subscription $ .95 $ .95 9 or 19 (regular $26.95) US$ .95 or US$ .95 19 32 Full access Canada (regular US$39.95) to our NEW website! FREE print Includes our supplement FREE app! (Kidsview) (Available Fall 15) THE NEW REVIEW COMES WITH 4 NEW SECTIONS Completely redesigned for Connect Engage How do we relate to How do we give meaning a generation on the go. eternal truth in a digital to our lives for the sake of Compact and sturdy to go culture? God’s love and grace? wherever you go. Striking and modern and News & Commentary Discover From North America and What are the guiding to be seen wherever you are! once a month! from around the world. principles that make us Now THE NEW ADVENTIST REVIEW citizens of God’s kingdom? It’ll travel with you! Order NOW at www.adventistreview.org or call 1-800-447-7377 NEWS Ezekiel Adeleye, from the West-Central Africa Division, votes in favor of Fundamental Belief number 1 regarding the Holy Scriptures. TOR TJERANSEN AR/ANN DELEGATES APPROVE LANDMARK UPDATE OF FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS THE REVISIONS MODERNIZE AND TIGHTEN THE TEXT WITHOUT ALTERING THE BELIEFS. BY ANDREW MCCHESNEY, ADVENTIST REVIEW/ANN elegates at the General Conference ses- Dsion in San Antonio, Texas, have approved a milestone update of the Seventh-day Ad- ventist Church’s 28 Fundamental Beliefs that, among other things, underscores the church’s teaching of a recent, literal Creation week. The core statements of the church’s Fun- damental Beliefs had not been touched since they were first adopted in 1980, with the lone exception an additional belief in 2005. The delegates’ approval on Tuesday, after two days of discussions, marked the end of a five-year revision and vetting process. None of the revisions change any of the Fundamental Beliefs, and many simply up- date and tighten the text, General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson assured delegates at the start of the discussions. “We are not changing our Fundamental Beliefs,” Wilson said. “We are simply trying to enhance them and make them more understandable.” “which” with “that” to reflect modern usage. ing on them one by one. A two-thirds vote The review committee modified 21 of the Instances of “man” and “mankind” were was required to refer an item back to the re- 28 beliefs, and Artur A. Stele, a General Con- changed to “people” and “humanity” to make visions committee. ference general vice president and chair of them gender inclusive. But recommendations about four beliefs— the Fundamental Belief Review committee, Delegates overwhelmingly backed revisions on the Holy Scriptures (number 1), Creation presented the proposed changes to the that clarified that marriage is between a man (number 6), the Great Controversy (number delegates. and a woman in belief number 23. 8), and Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanc- Many of the proposed changes were mi- The delegates considered and approved tuary (number 24)—were sent back to the re- nor, such as the replacement of the word revisions to 24 of the Beliefs on Monday, vot- view committee for further work. COVER PHOTO BY JOSAFAT ZEMLEDUCH AR/ANN GC SESSION BULLETIN: JULY 8, 2015 | ADVENTIST REVIEW 3 Adventist Review editor Bill Knott, a member of the Fundamental Parliamentarian Todd McFarland and presiding chair Ella Beliefs Review Committee, shared insights on the committee’s Simmons consult together during Tuesday’s business session. work. TOR TJERANSEN AR/ANN TOR TJERANSEN AR/ANN The review committee returned to dele- literal days” in the same Fundamental Belief, using “inspired authors” instead of “holy men gates on Tuesday with amendments that took Rodríguez said no one was suggesting that Cre- of God.” Several delegates made a distinction their concerns into account. ation took place in six days of exactly 24 hours between “author” and “writer,” saying God Most of the discussion on both Monday but simply that it happened in “literal days.” was the Author of the whole Bible and hu- and Tuesday centered around “Creation,” “Genesis 1 to 3 describes what literally hap- mans were its writers. Other delegates voiced where the text was revised to add the word pened there. It’s a historical record,” he said. concerns that the replacement of “men” with “recent” to describe when the Earth was cre- The inclusion of “six literal days” received “authors” might be linked to modern culture, ated and “six literal days” to explain the length quick support from James Standish, a dele- saying only men wrote the Bible so there was of Creation week. gate from the South-Pacific Division, who said no need to use gender-inclusive language. Among the delegates who made recom- the revised text reflected the very definition Bill Knott, a member of the revisions com- mendations for additional changes at the mi- of “Seventh-day Adventist.” mittee and editor of the Adventist Review, crophone were Jiří Moskala, dean of the theo- “If the first six days were not literal days, assured the delegates that the committee logical seminary at Andrews University; Rich- why do we rest on the literal seventh day?” had prayerfully sought to exclude pressures ard M. Davidson, professor of Old Testament he said. from cultural or societal forces when they Interpretation at the seminary; and Lawrence But Adrian Platts, a delegate from the South- considered the wording of belief number 1. T. Geraty, president emeritus of La Sierra ern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, said a lit- No changes were made to the committee’s University. eral day could not be counted by the rising recommendations on Fundamental Belief num- Wilson prefaced the second day of discus- and setting of the sun because the sun was ber 1, the statement on the Bible. sion by saying a word could be interpreted only created on day four of Creation week. In a sign of the ease with which the del- in many ways, but the word “recent” was cho- Another delegate, Marvin Wray of the North egates accepted the final revisions, the dis- sen because “we need to clarify that this pro- American Division, said the word “recent” was cussions finished about 20 minutes before cess was not old.” too ambiguous. the scheduled lunch break, even though they Wilson said he personally believed that “Who are we to guess the age of the Earth?” were slated to last all morning. the Earth is about 6,000 years old. “But we he said, citing Job 38 where God asks Job, Stele, the revisions committee chair, also are not putting that language in here. We are “Were you there when I made the world?” announced Tuesday that the General Confer- using the word ‘recent,’” he said in an ac- Other delegates spoke strongly in favor of ence planned to publish an easy-to-read book knowledgement that Adventists are not uni- adopting the “Creation” revisions. Clifford containing the Fundamental Beliefs. He spoke form in their understanding of the exact age Goldstein, Adult Bible Study Guides editor and after several delegates from the Trans-Euro- of the Earth. a General Conference delegate, said that the pean Division expressed concern that newly Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, a former director new text was a proper response to attempts baptized Adventists and Adventist young peo- of the church’s Biblical Research Institute and to bring the theory of evolution into the church. ple faced difficulties relating to the beliefs a member of the revisions committee, said Kathryn Proffitt, another General Conference in their current form. Stele called for the be- Adventists have estimated the Earth to be 6,000 delegate, noted how her son had left the church liefs to be explained in modern language with to 12,000 years old but are united in believing because of confusion over what he was taught the goal of reaching a new generation. “Creation took place not too long ago.” about Earth’s origins in an Adventist school. Stele acknowledged that the current text He saw “recent” as an acceptable Delegates had little issue with revisions of the Fundamental Beliefs “might not be the description. throughout the Fundamental Beliefs that made best evangelistic tool.” But, he added, “We “The church has never dated the divine them gender inclusive except during the pre- intend to work on a book that will make the act of Creation,” he said. sentation of belief number 1 on the Holy Scrip- language understandable to the younger Turning to the inclusion of the phrase “six ture. The review committee recommended generation.” 4 ADVENTIST REVIEW | GC SESSION BULLETIN: JULY 8, 2015 In Number 23, “Marriage and the Family,” the term “partners” was changed to “a man and a woman.” COMMENTARY WHAT GOT CHANGED IN THE FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE REVISED AND WHY. BY ED ZINKE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, ADVENTIST REVIEW he Seventh-day Adventist Church seldom only has the advantage of using biblical lan- tential ambiguity. White herself emphasizes Trevises its Fundamental Beliefs. So why now? guage, but it makes for easier reading and is that her authority is subject to the Scriptures. There are at least seven reasons why a de- easier to translate. The new wording of this statement does not nomination might consider a revision to its There were also many changes under cat- in any way diminish the church’s understand- belief statements.