SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY RECLAIMED

           Thousands have read the famous, full-page advertisement sponsored by the Eternal Gospel Church of Seventh-day Adventists, entitled "Earth's Final Warning," in USA Today, August 10, 1999. The subject matter was of a prophetic theme based primarily on the Bible, including sections from the highly acclaimed, The Great Controversy [c.1884] by Ellen G. White, the most published female author in American history.
            Roman Catholic Church officials had previously (erroneously) implicated the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists as the responsible party for prior occurrences of the ad in various national newspapers. In response, the General Conference Corporation filed suit against the Eternal Gospel Church of Seventh-day Adventists for trademark infringement regarding use of the term SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST in their church name. Resulting questions erupted: "Who are Seventh-day Adventists?" "Who has a legal right to bear the name Seventh-day Adventist in a religious identity context?"
            The purpose of this ad is to educate the public, hoping that future conflicts of this nature may be averted. The Creation Seventh Day (and) Adventist Church, organized in 1991 as a protest against the union of church and state undertaken by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, takes full responsibility for the contents of this advertisement.  We hold no formal connection with other “SDA” organizations, but share a common Christian faith with many individuals worldwide who claim to be SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST.
            Seventh Day Adventist is a generic term describing a Christian faith and practice. The major tenets designated by the name are (1) the observance of the Biblical "creation seventh day" (the seventh day of the Gregorian calendar week: Saturday), and (2) belief in a literal, imminent second coming of Jesus Christ.  Historically, SDAs have been known for pioneering health reform, championing religious liberty, promoting community service, upholding the principles of Protestantism, serving as non-combatants in the military, and exemplifying the noblest of Christian graces. The origin of the Seventh-day Adventist faith can be traced back to the creation story in Genesis, but the name was not formally adopted until the mid-1800's, following the “Great Awakening.” We note the first organization to officially bear the mark to be the Seventh-day Adventist Church, now legally headed by the General Conference Corporation of SDAs, Silver Spring, MD.   In the early 1900's a dissatisfied group of SDA believers became known as the SDA Reform Movement, and others in Russia were identified as True and Free Seventh Day Adventists. Some later followed suit, for example, Davidian Seventh Day Adventists (the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists of Waco, Texas being the most notoriously covered by the media in recent times).
            By 1980 several other Seventh-day Adventist groups began to sprout and, as a perceived threat was posed to the General Conference Corporation's financial empire, the Corporation trademarked the term SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST to control the use of its trade name.  Pioneers of early SDA faith would have loathed such an “unholy union” of church with state, but "times have changed" is the common excuse offered for this antithetical departure from Adventist roots. The authentic Seventh-day Adventist faith claims only one "creed" which is "the Bible and the Bible alone." In 1980, however, the General Conference organization adopted a written creed of "27 fundamental beliefs" by which they could eventually define a Seventh-day Adventist adherent. This narrow and confining creed would disqualify the very pioneers of the SDA faith from church membership, since they rejected the doctrine of the Trinity as having its origin in paganism.  Thus arose the Historic Seventh-day Adventist Churches, the Pioneer SDAs, the Ancient SDAs, the Free Seventh-day Adventists, the Fundamental SDAs, etc.  By the year 2000 there were no fewer than 30 separate versions of "Seventh-day Adventism," worldwide. This scattering process is nothing new to church history, occurring whenever confusion and apostasy set in; the Baptists and Methodists serve as two outstanding examples of this denominational fragmentation.
            We are pleased to invite you to learn of the Seventh-day Adventist faith as handed down to us by our fathers. We encourage you to study Holy Scripture and discover that Seventh-day Adventism in its purest form is the religion of the Bible, declaring “the power of God unto salvation.” If you are "hungering and thirsting after righteousness," you shall be blessed to know that our Heavenly Father has a family on earth that "keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Rev. 14:12) Would you care to join us in our commitment to truth, and preparation for the soon second coming of Christ?

Originally Published By:

A Creation Seventh Day (&) Adventist Church
UNITED STATES FIELD OFFICE
1162 Old Highway 45 South
Guys, Tennessee 38339
Toll-free: 1-888-284-2487

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"Earth's Final Apostasy 1: Sued by a Fictitious Person," by Walter "Chick" McGill

"Earth's Final Apostasy 2: Hated of All Men for [His] Name’s Sake," by Walter "Chick" McGill

"Earth's Final Apostasy 3: With LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL?" by Walter "Chick" McGill

"Earth's Final Apostasy 4: Epilogue - Earth's Last Day of Grace," by Walter "Chick" McGill

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"They Were the Bravest,
Most Committed Americans I Know"

Printed in The New York Times, March 28, 1993, section 4, page 14.

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To the Editor:

In covering the tragic armed conflict between the Federal Government and the Branch Davidians at Waco, Tex., wire services have identified the cult as a "splinter group of the Seventh Day Adventist Church." Since the mass media also use David Koresh to preach their own gospel against "religious zealots," some might suspect the Seventh Day Adventists of a similar cultic trend.

As a priest of the Orthodox Church who writes on religion and culture, I am hardly a missionary for the Seventh Day Adventists. In the Vietnam War, however, I served as an Army medic with many S.D.A.s, as they were called. As conscientious objectors, these young men refused to bear arms but agreed to serve as medical personnel. Most of those I trained and served with were black Southerners.

Vegetarian, cheerful, stolidly faithful to their tradition, they were harassed mercilessly by drill instructors, who routinely insulted their beliefs. Some were chosen to participate in a "white coat" program, where they served as human subjects for what they thought was humanitarian research. Later, the program was identified as a facet of our germ warfare program. (Cynics point out the Seventh Day Adventists were chosen as guinea pigs because their beliefs forbid them to bring suit in civil court [see Adventist source quoted below].)

Most often, Seventh Day Adventists were sent to combat units, where without even a sidearm they crawled directly into enemy fire to patch the wounded and retrieve the dead. Their casualty rates were among the highest of the war. There are names of Seventh Day Adventists etched in the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Their memory is seared into those hapless cynics who served with them. They were the bravest, most committed, most heroic Americans I have ever known.

Given that they openly confessed Jesus as Lord, a habit the mass media find annoying, I guarantee that Hollywood or the secular press will never tell their story as a counterweight to people like David Koresh. But to honor the memory of those whose faith led them to die, rather than take up arms, we can spare the Seventh Day Adventists in condemnation of cults.

Anthony Ugolnik
Elijah Kresge Professor
Franklin & Marshall College
Lancaster, Pa., March 20, 1993

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"Now I want to state a little further upon the principle that no Christian, being a citizen of the kingdom of God, can of right start any procedure in connection with civil government. After it is started by the government itself, that is another question . . . I repeat therefore, that upon the principles which govern kingdoms and governments, the very principle of the law in heaven, or law in earth, a Christian cannot start any procedure in connection with civil government. And of all Christians, SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS cannot do it. The very keeping of the Sabbath forbids it."

A. T. Jones, 1895 General Conference Bulletin, page 28.

Historic SDA quotes regarding bringing suit in civil court

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