President of the Adventist Italian Union, Pastor Stefano Paris (holding red bag) stands with Father Marco Yaroslav Semehen (holding certificate of solidarity).
Hope Media is the official news agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Italy. A March 15, 2022 headline from HopeMedia reads: “The Adventist Church in Solidarity with the Ukrainian Catholic Church.” To stand in solidarity with someone, as in the case of Catholicism, means to be in “unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest.” [1]
Here’s what HopeMedia had to say about Adventists standing in solidarity with Catholics:
“On March 15, the president of the Italian Union of Seventh-day Adventist Christian Churches, Pastor Stefano Paris, accompanied by the head of the Public Affairs and Religious Freedom Department, Pastor Davide Romano, gave a fraternal greeting to the rector of the Basilica of Santa Sofia in Rome, Father Marco Yaroslav Semehen, as a sign of concern for the Ukrainian population of Catholic faith and Byzantine rite. [2]
The high prelate of Ukrainian nationality thanked the Adventist Church, which he had already met in his own country, for the solidarity received and asked President Paris to extend his affectionate thanks to the members of the Italian Union, inviting them to intercede in prayer, for peace and for welcoming Ukrainians fleeing the war. [2]
One can certainly express regret for the suffering and lives lost in any war. We can certainly show concern for those who have been impacted by any crisis. We should feel this way for all victims. But it is a completely different matter for Seventh-day Adventist leaders to issue statements expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is in communion with the Papacy and recognizes Pope Francis as its spiritual leader. For Seventh-day Adventists to make a statement of solidarity with Catholicism has theological implications that are designed to establish a vague, non-doctrinal spirituality. This is a display of appeasement to Rome. They are blurring the lines between Adventists and Catholics. These acts of solidarity always tend to water-down the distinctiveness of our unique Adventist message.
It would have been better and more honest for our church leaders to say “we stand with all those who are suffering in this conflict in Ukraine” rather than stating “we are in solidarity with Catholicism.” No one is against standing with the persecuted. However, by emphasizing and drawing attention to our willingness to stand in unity with Catholicism, we bury the fundamental and theological differences between the two faiths and project a false impression of Adventism to the world.
The differences between Adventism and Catholicism are fundamentally opposed and impossible to reconcile. It’s impossible to reconcile God’s commandment-keeping people with the mystery of iniquity who will “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). Contemporary leaders have a never-ending, eager desire to stand in solidarity with Rome and all the other churches. What exactly does this imply? Does this imply that our leadership no longer considers our unique teachings to be distinguishable from those of other churches?
Notice what Seventh-day Adventist church leaders used to believe. The following was published in the Review and Herald on May 15, 1958, and was written by Raymond F. Cottrell, Associate Editor, in an editorial called “Can Truth Be Popular?”
“Truth has never been popular … The distinctive truths proclaimed by Seventh-day Adventists for more than a century have never been popular in theological circles, and it is futile to expect that they ever will be. Present truth was not popular in the days of Noah, Jeremiah, Jesus, or Paul, and it is not pleasant to the unsurrendered heart.” (Can Truth Be Popular?, Raymond F. Cottrell, Review and Herald, May 15, 1958).
Unfortunately, Raymond Cottrell didn’t believe that our leading brethren would ignore or abandon our distinctive truth for the sake of standing in solidarity with Catholicism. However, with prophetic insight, Raymond Cottrell did give a serious warning to the church:
“Were Seventh-day Adventists to yield their distinctive teachings in order to win and wear the robe of theological respectability, they would doubtless be accepted by other Christian bodies. But in so doing they would be traitors to the truths that have made them a people and bound them together in one great family around the world. They would no longer be Seventh-day Adventists.” (Can Truth Be Popular?, Raymond F. Cottrell, Review and Herald, May 15, 1958).
Traitors to the truth? These words describe exactly the present situation in Adventism today. Where are the men and women in the church today who will speak out like this? Many of those in positions of authority are not Seventh-day Adventists, at least not by the standard of previous generations. There was a time when the majority of Seventh-day Adventist pastors, leaders, colporteurs, missionaries, evangelists, and laymen used to faithfully spread the Three Angels’ Messages across the world. We used to speak openly and publicly about the warning messages given in prophecy about the beast, the image, and the mark. Now, very few will even talk about these truths.
Notice how Raymond Cottrell appealed to our people that we should not be seeking friendship and acceptance from the world, but instead focus on giving our distinctive message:
“Seventh-day Adventists are not seeking the plaudits of the world or of other Christian bodies. We seek only to give the trumpet of truth a clear, ringing note, in order that the present truth of the everlasting gospel may sound forth to all men, thereby bringing the reign of sin to a close and ushering in the eternal kingdom of our Lord. ‘In that day shall this song be sung … Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in’ (Isa. 26:1, 2). Only then will truth attain to universal popularity.” (Can Truth Be Popular?, Raymond F. Cottrell, Review and Herald, May 15, 1958).
This is the difference between those who are approved by God and those who are not. On the one hand, there are Seventh-day Adventists who are working to come into harmony with Rome while ignoring our distinctive doctrines when it matters. The Three Angels’ Messages have been abandoned by these ecumenical agents. On the other hand, there are devoted Seventh-day Adventists who aren’t afraid to blow the trumpet. They give the final message to their communities and to the rest of the world.
In these final hours of earth’s history, may God give us a burden to share the special truths for this time. He has not given this message to the Sunday-keeping churches of Babylon, and our commission is to call people out of Babylon, not to join hands with them in solidarity.
Sources
[1] https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/solidarity
0
0
0
We are supposed to stand in solidarity with biblical truth.
God is calling us to expose the beast and its deadly errors, and we are standing in solidarity with them? Have these leaders completely lost their minds?
We are warned that these alliances will be formed in order to persecute God’s people.
“I saw the nominal church and nominal Adventists, like Judas, would betray us to the Catholics to obtain their influence to come against the truth. The saints then will be an obscure people, little known to the Catholics; but the churches and nominal Adventists who know of our faith and customs (for they hated us on account of the Sabbath, for they could not refute it) will betray the saints and report them to the Catholics as those who disregard the institutions of the people; that is, that they keep the Sabbath and disregard Sunday.” Spalding Magan Collection page 1
Hope channel in Australia seems like there’s a line that they just won’t cross and the 3 Angels are way way way over on the other side of the line,
My Relatives use to call their news segment The Catholic news because instead of exposing the sins of Babylon the news segments would uplift Popery.
I agree with you. They are “appeasing” Rome. They want to stand with everyone except conservative historic Adventists.
We need to stand in solidarity with the three angels’ message.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4.
I agree with you Marlys. That is exactly what we did.
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3.