The very real presence of evil in the world and the sinfulness of human beings, compounded by rapid shifts in education, industry, technology and the economy, continue to embroil our planet in massive societal change. Individuals and families often feel powerless and victimized by systems and circumstances over which they perceive they have no control.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church sees as part of its
mission the extending of the ministry of Christ into the world
of suffering. His was a ministry of comfort, of empowerment,
of liberation, and of reconciliation. Alongside other
Christians, we are a healing and stabilizing force in times of
change. When all is turbulent about us, the Church provides
assurance that there is One who sits above the turmoil of
this world who is changeless and whose purposes will ultimately
prevail. The Church serves as a watchman in society
and as an empowering community, urging individuals and
families to evaluate conditions around them, upholding that
which is good, and transcending and altering that which is
detrimental.
It was said of the early Christians, “Here are they that
have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The gospel
of Christ is itself an agent of change. In the gospel there is compassion for human frailty; and at the same time there is
encouragement to form perfect relationships with God and
with one another, as was the divine plan at Creation. We believe
that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we become
new creatures (Eph 4:22-24), we come out of darkness into
light (1 Pet 2:9), and we experience now the transforming
power of the world to come (Heb 6:5). This spiritual renewal
permeates society as salt provides seasoning and as light
illumines darkness. The presence of spiritually renewed
persons in the community can do a work that political and
social initiatives alone cannot accomplish. Christians who
have experienced the transforming power of Christ are stabilizing,
strengthening pillars in society, and they preserve
life-affirming values. They act as agents of change in the
face of moral decay. Their active presence in the community
provides hope, as individuals and families are ennobled by
Christian principles and their lives and relationships impact
others around them.
This statement was approved and voted by the General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee (ADCOM) for
release by the Office of the President, Robert S. Folkenberg, at the
Annual Council session in San Jose, Costa Rica, October 1-10,
1996.
