(Excerpt)
Blessed
with Abraham
"So
then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Mark the
close connection between this and the preceding verse.
Gal
3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall
all nations be blessed.
Gal
3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful
Abraham.
The Gospel
was preached to Abraham in the words, "In thee shall all nations be
blessed." (It should be remembered, in passing, that the words
"heathen," or "Gentiles," as in the Revised Version, and
"nations," in verse 8, come from the very same Greek word.) This
blessing is the blessing of righteousness through Christ, as we learn from Acts
3:25,26: "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which
God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the
kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son
Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his
iniquities." Because God preached the Gospel to Abraham, saying, "In
thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," those who believe are
blessed with the faithful Abraham. There is no blessing for any man except the
blessing which Abraham received, and the Gospel preached to him is the only
Gospel there is for any people under heaven; for besides the name of Jesus, in
whom Abraham believed, "there is none other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved." In Him "we have redemption through His
blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Col.1:14. The forgiveness of sins
carries with it all blessings.
A
Contrast: Under the Curse
Note the
sharp contrast in verses 9 and 10. "They which be of faith are
blessed," but "as many as are of the works of the law are under the
curse." Faith brings the blessing; works bring the curse, or, rather,
leave one under the curse. The curse is on all, for "he that believeth not
is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God." John 3:18. Faith removes the curse. Who are under the curse?--"As many as
are of the works of the law." Note that it does not say that those who do
the law are under the curse, for that would be a contradiction of Rev.22:14:
"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the
Lord." Ps.119:1. So, then, they
that are of faith are keepers of the law; for they that are of faith are
blessed, and those who do the commandments
are
blessed. By faith they do the commandments. The Gospel is contrary to human
nature, and so it is that we become doers of the law, not by doing, but by
believing. If we worked for righteousness, we should be exercising only our own
sinful human nature, and so would get no nearer to righteousness, but farther
from it; but by believing the "exceeding great and precious
promises," we become partakers of the Divine nature (2Pet.1:4), and then
all our works are wrought in God. "The Gentiles, which followed not after
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is
of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not
attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore?--Because they sought it not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that
stumbling-stone; as it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a Stumbling-stone and
Rock of offense; and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."
Rom.9:30-33.
What the
Curse Is
No one can
read Gal.3:10 carefully and thoughtfully without seeing that the curse is
transgression of the law.
Gal
3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for
it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Disobedience
to God's law is itself the curse; for "by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin." Rom.5:12. Sin has death wrapped up in it.
Without sin death would be impossible, for "the sting of death is
sin." 1Cor.15:56.
1Co
15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the
law.
"As many as are of the works of the law
are under the curse." Why? Is it because the law is a curse?--Not by any
means. "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
good." Rom.7:12. Why, then, are as many as are of the works of the law
under the curse?--Because it is written, "Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them." Mark it well: They are not cursed because they do the law, but
because they do not do it. So, then, we see that being of the works of the law
does not mean that one is doing the law. No; "the carnal mind is enmity
against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Rom.8:7. All are under the curse, and he who thinks to get out by his own
works, remains there. The curse consists in not continuing in all things that
are written in the law; therefore, the blessing means perfect conformity to the
law. This is as plain as language can make it.
Blessing
and Cursing
"Behold,
I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the
commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; and a curse,
if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God." Deut.11:26-28.
This is the living word of God, addressed to each one of us personally.
"The law worketh wrath" (Rom.4:15), but the wrath of God comes only
on the children of disobedience (Eph.5:6). If we truly believe, we are not
condemned, but only because faith brings us into harmony with the law--the life
of God. "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed." Jam. 1:25.
Good Works
The Bible
does not disparage good works. On the contrary, it exalts them. "This is a
faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These
things are good and profitable." Titus 3:8. The charge against the
unbelieving is that they are "unto every good work reprobate." Titus
1:16. Timothy was exhorted to "charge them that are rich in this
world," "that they do good, that they be rich in good works."
1Tim.6:17,18. And the apostle Paul prayed for us all, that we might "walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work."
Col. 1:10. Still further, we are assured that God has created us in Christ
Jesus "unto good works," "that we should walk in them."
Eph.2:10.
He has
Himself prepared these works for us, wrought them out, and laid them up for all
who trust in Him. Ps.31:19. "This is the work of God, that ye believe on
Him whom He hath sent." John 6:29. Good works are commended, but we can
not do them. They can be performed only by the One who is good, and that is
God. If there be ever any good in us,
it is God who worketh in us. There is no disparagement of anything that
He does. "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you
that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be
glory forever and ever. Amen." Heb. 13:20,21.
The Glad
Tidings
By E. J.
WAGGONER
(Excerpt- To be continued)
*******
(Excerpt)
1978 May
-- Special Report -- Audience with Pope Paul VI -- RE: - Audience with Pope Paul VI by
Official Representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
-- Introduction -- On May 18, 1977,
Dr. B. B. Beach, Secretary of the Northern Europe-West Africa Division of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, along with other representatives of the religious
bodies which form the Conference of Secretaries of the World Confessional Families
[Churches] had an audience with Pope Paul VI. The Pope welcomed these men as
"representatives of a considerable portion of Christian people" and
he sent the greetings of the Papacy through them "to your confessional
families." (Religious
News Service, May 19, 1977. See p. 8 of this
Special Report) Elder W. Duncan Eva, a vice president of the General Conference
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, reported that on this occasion, Dr. Beach
presented the Pope a medallion which "was a gold-covered symbol of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church." (Review, Aug. 11, 1977, p. 23)
Concerning this meeting, Religious News Service (RNS)
stated that Dr. Beach "noted that the audience with the Pope marked the
first time in history that the Seventh-day Adventist Church, through an
official representative, had met with a Roman Pontiff." The leadership of
the Church is seeking to play down this event. The Editor of the Adventist Review, Kenneth H. Wood, in a letter dated Feb. 22, 1978, wrote
to a layperson stating - "I am personally very well acquainted with Dr.
Bert Beach and have discussed with him this visit. Even though the visit may
look sinister ... the visit was entirely innocent and meaningless so far as any
relationship goes between SDA's and the Catholics." In this Special
Report, we shall present documented facts - primary, not secondary - concerning
the background of this audience between Pope Paul VI and Dr. B. B. Beach - then
leave with you, the reader to draw your own conclusion. These documents will
consist of official publications of the World Council of Churches (WCC),
Catholic newspapers, Letters addressed to me personally, and Letters and
Statements from the files in the General Conference offices.
~~~~
"And the things that thou hast heard of me among
many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to
teach others also." - II Timothy 2:2
This
admonition of Paul to Timothy - "commit thou to faithful men" - is
basic if the message given to any people or movement is to remain pure and
viable. To this Church was committed the trust of the Three Angel's Messages of
Revelation 14: 6-12. Of this fact it is written:
P 2 -- In a special sense Seventh-day
Adventists have been set in the world as watchman and light-bearers. To them
has been entrusted the last warning message for a perishing world. On them is
shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of
the most solemn import, - the proclamation of the first, second, and third
angels' messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to
allow nothing else to absorb their attention.
The
most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to
the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to
be warned, and God's people are to be true to the trust committed to them. (9 Testimonies,
p.19)
The
Second Angel's Message declares - "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication." (Rev. 14:8)How was this understood by the spiritual
fathers of this Church to whom the giving of this message was committed? We
read: This message was understood by
Adventists to be an announcement of the moral fall of the churches in
consequence of their rejection of the first message...
The
term Babylon, derived from Babel, and signifying confusion, is applied in
Scripture to the various forms of false or apostate religion. But the message
announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to some religious body that was once
pure, and has become corrupt. It cannot be the Romish Church which is here
meant; for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. But
how appropriate the figure as applied to the Protestant churches, all
professing to derive their doctrines from the Bible, yet divided into almost
innumerable sects. (Spirit of Prophecy, IV, pp. 232-233)
The
Third Angel's Message warns - "If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the
wine of the wrath of God." (Rev. 14:9-10a)
How was this understood by our spiritual fathers? We
read: The image is made to the first or
leopard-like beast, which is the one brought to view in the third angel's
message. By the first beast is represented the Roman Church, an ecclesiastical
body clothed with civil power, having authority to punish all dissenters. The
image to the beast represents another religious body clothed with similar
power. The formation of this image is the work of that beast whose peaceful
rise and mild professions render it so striking a symbol of the United States.
Here is to be found an image of the papacy. When the churches of our land,
uniting upon such points of faith as are held by them in common, shall influence the State to enforce
their decrees and sustain their institutions, then will Protestant America have
formed an image of the Roman hierarchy.(Spirit of Prophecy, IV, p. 278)
Here
in this quotation is a sentence which needs to be pondered long - "When
the churches of our land, uniting upon such points of faith as are held by them in common, shall
influence the State to enforce their decrees and sustain their
p 3 -- institutions, then will Protestant
America have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy."
This
does not exempt any church - "the churches of our land" - but does
picture an ecumenical movement - "uniting upon such points of faith as are
held by them in common."
Certain
direct results are pictured - "shall influence the State to... sustain
their institutions" - government aid.
These
are the messages and warnings entrusted to the Church. Our spiritual fathers
committed this heritage to those whom they thought to be "faithful
men." How is this commitment being handled by the church leadership today?
STEPS TO ROME -- In 1973, the World Council of Churches (WCC)
published a paperback book entitled - So Much in Common (SMC).
This book contained "Documents of Interest in the Conversations Between
the World Council of Churches and the Seventh-day Adventist Church." (p.
1) One of these "Documents" outlines the history of the conversations
from their inception in 1965 through 1969. It will be seen that the events
which transpired during these years finally led to the meeting of the
Conference of Secretaries of the World Confessional Families in Rome, which in
turn provided the setting for the audience which Dr. B. B. Beach had with the
Pope as an official representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Step One: Strange as
it may seem, these yearly consultations were an indirect byproduct of Vatican
II. In fact, while in Rome in connection with the Vatican Council a WCC staff
member and an Adventist representative came to the conclusion that an informal
meeting of a small group of Seventh-day Adventists with an equal number of
representatives from the World Council of Churches would fulfill a useful
purpose. (SMC, p. 98)
Step Two: The first meeting was held in 1965, the participants
being selected by the two organizers. Thus, the conversations got under way on
a completely informal basis and were held under the sole responsibility of the
participants. (Ibid.)
It
should be carefully noted that up to this point the conversations between the
Seventh-day Adventists and representatives of the WCC were strictly an
individual matter, and did not carry any official recognition from the
Adventist Church nor the WCC.
Step Three: Subsequent meetings have become somewhat more formal,
in the sense that the employing bodies of the SDA participants have authorized
and financed their presence and the executive committees of the three Adventist
Divisions involved have given their blessing by facilitating the selection of
the SDA representatives; the World Council of Churches has defrayed the
expenses of its group. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has
been kept informed regarding the meetings, though it has taken no direct,
active part
p 4 -- in the Consultations, except
through its three European Divisional branch offices.(Ibid.)
Herein
is a very subtle situation which permits the leadership in Washington to say to
the laity of the American Church sector who might inquire, that the General
Conference is not involved with the WCC. But through their divisions in Europe,
direct consultations were being carried forward with the full approval and
financial blessings of the respective executive committees who were chaired by
a Vice President of the General Conference voted to serve as President in their
respective divisions. From fifteen to twenty participants have taken part in
the five Consultation meetings from 1965 - 1969. The Adventist members have
included "SDA church leaders and educators." (Ibid. p. 99) "The
Consultations [were] held on the basis of equal footing, each yearly meeting
taking place part of the time at the WCC headquarters in Geneva and the rest of
the time at the nearby Seminaire Adventiste at Collonges, just across the border
in France." (Ibid.)
Step Four: A very
useful product of the Conversations is the statement regarding the SDA Church
which was published in January, 1967, issue of the Ecumenical Review. [A
journal of the WCC]
With
this began a very interesting series of events. Following the publication of
this document prepared by the assistant director of the WCC Secretariat on
Faith and Order, R. F. Cottrell, an Associate Editor of the Review - the "Official Organ
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church" - reviewed this document and then
told why the Church did not officially join the WCC in a series of three
editorials (March 23; March 30; & April 6, 1967). But in the concluding
editorial, Cottrell invited the Church into the back door of the WCC. Here is
what he wrote: It is with no small
measure of regret that SDA's do not find it possible, as an organization, to be
more closely associated with others who profess the name of Christ. On the
other hand, if the Secretariat on Faith and Order, for instance, were to invite
SDA's to appoint someone competent in that area to meet with their group from
time to time and represent the SDA point of view, we could accept such an
invitation with a clear conscience. (Review, April 6, 1967, p. 13)
This
"back door" was quickly opened. Dr. Earle Hilgert, then Professor of
New Testament at Andrews University was appointed by the WCC Central Committee
to serve as a Seventh-day Adventist on the Faith and Order Commission. His
place is now filled by Dr. R. Dederen, also of Andrews University. Herein is a
tricky relationship that must be carefully worded to give the whole truth and
nothing by the truth. The SDA Church did
not appoint the Adventist representative to the Commission,
but it did approve the
selection by the Central Committee of the WCC. Thus the leadership of the
Church can say, we are not members of the Faith and Order Commission.
Step Five: Since the Conversations got under way, it has become
the accepted procedure for the SDA Church to be represented at various WCC
meetings, including the Assembly, by observers. These observers have not been
present pro
p 5 -- forma,
but have taken an active interest in the meetings attended. An additional step
was taken when the General Conference, as a world confessional body or church,
was represented by an advisor in Canterbury at the 1969 meeting of the WCC
Central Committee. (SMC, p. 101)
The
hierarchy in Washington can write in the Adventist Review, and in letters to the laity that the Church
does not belong to the WCC - and technically this is true - but how can we
honestly leave the impression that we are not deeply involved in the work and
procedures of the WCC when we attend the General Assemblies not pro forma, but as active
participants, and when we have an advisor present
at the meeting of the Central Committee of the WCC. And if we send advisors to
the Central Committee meetings, what should prevent the WCC from sending
advisors to the General Conference Committee meetings? It should be noted
further that "As a kind of corollary to the Geneva Consultations,
Consultations began in 1969 in the United States between Seventh-day Adventists
and a WCC appointed group." (SMC,
p. 101) Have the laity been given a report of these meetings in the Review?
These
Consultations are filtering down to the national level in Europe. The same
document reports: It is interesting to
note that the contacts on the WCC level have, to some extent, filtered down to
certain national levels. As examples one can mention the SDA contacts with the
British Council of Churches, the Finish Council of Churches and the office of
the German Arbeitsgemeinshaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland. (SMC, p. 101)
Step Six: Since
1968 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists have been actively
represented at the annual meetings of "Secretaries of World Confessional
Families." This participation is largely the result of the WCC/SDA Conversations
and contacts that were made at the time of the Uppsala Assembly. (SMC, p. 100)
What
is this "organization"? What is its relationship to the World Council
of Churches? We shall answer the second question first. Robert Welsh of the
Commission on Faith and Order of the WCC wrote under date, April 1, 1975 from
Geneva, Switzerland - "With regard to Dr. Beach, he is the Secretary of
the Annual Conference of Secretaries of the World Confessional Families. Faith
and Order relates to that conference in a consultative manner." Dr. Beach
himself states "The bodies represented there [at the Conference] are
between 12 and 15 world organizations such as the Lutheran World Federation,
the Baptist World Alliance, the World Methodist Council, the World Reformed
Alliance, the Roman Catholic Church, the Salvation Army, and the Anglican
Consultative Council." (Letter to Pastor A. G. Brito, dated, Nov. 15,
1977) In another paragraph in the same letter, Beach declares - "I would
like to make it clear that this conference is not a part of the World Council
of Churches." However, RNS (May
19, 1977) quoted the president of the Conference, Bishop John Howe, as stating
- "we have been able to decide how we shall work together more with the
World Council of Churches in understanding the ecumenical role that all of us
have."
Now
to the first question - Beach denies
that this conference is an organization
p 6 -- since he states it doesn't have a
constitution, nor are dues paid into it. However, he
writes: I have been representing our
church at this meeting for 9 years now and our involvement consists simply in
attending the meeting and participating in the discussions and exchange of
information. For the past few years I have served as Secretary of the
Conference (this means that I am responsible for preparing the agenda and
handling the minutes or report of the Conference). There is no useful purpose
in giving any publicity to this fact, but I do mention it for your
information." (Letter to A. G.
Brito, op.
cit.)
We
shall let the reader decide the question as to whether there is an organization
- officers, agenda, minutes! But please do not give publicity to this fact, it
will serve no useful purpose!
Step Seven: It was our involvement in the Annual
Conference of "Secretaries of the World Confessional Families" that
led to the audience with the Pope. The Catholic Church joined this conference
the same year as the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and it has been represented
at these annual meetings through the Vatican Secretariat for Unity. Beach,
himself has written - "Since this year's meeting [1977] was held in Rome,
it was felt that it might be appropriate to have a meeting with the Pope, who
is the head of Vatican State and the religious leader of well over 500 million
people in the world." (Letter to Brito, op. cit.) In a letter dated, March 3, 1978, Elder W. Duncan Eva
noted in a very clear manner - "The Northern Europe-West Africa Division
Committee authorized Brother Beach's trip to Rome and it understood that the
visit to the Pope with representatives of the World Confessional Families was a
probability." This "probability" was so sure that the medallion
given was "paid for from Departmental expense funds of the Northern
Europe-West Africa Division."
Summary: Thus the beginnings of what appeared to be an
"innocent" dialogue between individuals of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, and persons connected with the WCC ended up in a formal audience with
the Pope by an official representative of the Adventist Church who presented to
the Pope as a "symbol" of the Church, "a gold-covered"
medallion. (Review, August 11, 1977, p. 23). Well did the servant of the Lord
write: Who can truthfully say, "Our
gold is tried in the fire; our garments are unspotted by the world"? I saw
our Instructor pointing to the garments of so-called righteousness. Stripping
them off, He laid bare the defilement beneath. Then He said to me: "Can
you not see how they have pretentiously covered up their defilement and
rottenness of character? 'How is the faithful city become an harlot?"'(8 Testimonies, p. 250)
It
was by departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish
church became a harlot. (GC, P. 382)
p 7 -- Footnote -
Every quotation in the preceding topic - Steps to Rome - from the book - So Much in Common - is from a
single document entitled - "The World Council of Churches/Seventh-day
Adventist Conversations and Their Significance." It was written by none
other that Dr. B. B. Beach, himself. The book - So Much in Common carries an "Introductory
Statement" signed cojointly by Dr. Beach and Dr. Lukas Vischer of the
Faith and Order Secretariat of the World Council of Churches. This book may he
obtained by writing either to WCC, 150 route de Ferney, 1211 Geneva 20,
Switzerland, or Room 439, 475 Riverside Dr. New York, NY 10027. (Keep in mind
that these addresses were current as of date of publication in 1973.)
SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -- On January
18, 1978, 1 wrote to Elder W. Duncan Eva, Vice President of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, and asked:
1) What committee, or church official
authorized the audience with Pope Paul VI, and the presentation of the
medallion overlaid with pure gold?
2) It is my understanding that all gold
and silver issues of this medallion were serially numbered. What was the serial
number given to the Pope?
3) From your article, and the RNS press release, this audience
and presentation was made in conjunction with Dr. B. B. Beach's attendance at
the Conference of Secretaries of the World Confessional Families. Who gave the
authorization for this trip and paid the costs of travel to attend?
4) While the cost of the medallion was
only nominal - $45.00 as stated by Miss Hetzell - from what funds was this
taken?
On
March 3, 1978, I received the following reply regarding these questions from
Elder Eva: He wrote: Now to the questions of your letter of January
18.
1. The Northern Europe-West Africa
Division Committee authorized Brother Beach's trip to Rome and it was
understood that the visit to the Pope with representatives of the World
Confessional Families was a probability.
2. Dr. Beach does not know the serial
number of the medallion presented to the Pope and I am not able to ascertain it
here.
3. This question is covered in the reply
to your question 1.
4. The medallion was paid for from
Departmental expense funds of the Northern Europe-West Africa Division.
"The
papacy is just what prophecy declared that she would be, the apostasy of the
latter times... shall this power, whose record for a thousand years is written
in the blood of saints, be now acknowledged as a part of the church of
Christ?" Great Controversy,
p. 571.
p 8 -- RELIGIOUS
NEWS SERVICE
FOREIGN SERVICE
-
9
-
THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1977
Addresses World Confessional
Families Group
UNCEASING PURSUIT OF UNITY IS PLEDGED BY POPE PAUL
By Religious News Service (5-19-77)
VATICAN CITY (RNS) -- Pope
Paul, receiving participants of the Conference of Secretaries of World
Confessional Families, urged unceasing pursuit of the goal of "full unity
in Christ and in the Church," despite "all obstacles."
"It
is a joy for us to receive such an important group and to welcome you to the
See of Peter," said the Pope. "In you we greet representatives of a
considerable portion of Christian people and through you we send greetings of
grace and peace in the Lord to your confessional families."
The
Conference, a grouping of Anglican, Protestant, Orthodox, Old Catholic, and
other Christian church bodies, which was formed in 1957, met in Rome (May 16 -
18) for the first time.
The
Vatican Secretariat for Christian Unity and the Seventh-day Adventists became
regular participants in the Conference in 1968.
"'We
are pleased," Pope Paul told the Conference participants, "to give
expression in your presence to our common faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, the one mediator with the Father, the Saviour of the world.
"Yes,
brothers, with the Apostle Peter we proclaim that there is salvation in, none
else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must
be saved."
The
pontiff went on to remark that "on her part," the Catholic Church is
solemnly committed by the Second Vatican Council to "an ecumenism based on
increased fidelity to Christ the Lord and on conversion of hearts.
"At
the same time she realizes that nothing is so foreign to ecumenism as a false
conciliatory approach. Strengthened by the power of God's work," he urged,
"Let us then, despite all obstacles, pursue the goal of full unity in
Christ and in the Church..."
Later,
in Vatican Radio interviews, two officers of the Conference of Secretaries of
the World Confessional Families, expressed satisfaction with the Rome meeting.
Bishop John Howe, secretary general of the Anglican Consultative Council, who
is president of the Conference, said it had been "a satisfactory
meeting" because "we had secretaries here from the world
organizations of nearly all the Churches, including the (Vatican) Secretariat
for Unity." "It was a brotherly discussion," said the Anglican
prelate, "and we have been able to decide how we shall work together more
with the World Council of Churches in understanding the ecumenical role that
all of us have."
p 9 -- Dr. Bert Beach, the Conference
secretary, who is secretary of the Northern Europe-West Africa Division of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, noted that history that the audience with Pope
Paul marked the first time in history that the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
through an official representative, had met with a Roman pontiff. Dr. Beach
also said it had been "a pleasure" to be able to attend the
Conference meeting in Rome, and that the meeting had provided "a good
opportunity" for reflecting on "the work that has been
accomplished" by the Conference since its founding.
Picture
of Adventist Review August 11, 1977 (847) page 23; The article about the
Book, Medallion Presented to Pope is written out below.
Book, Medallion Presented to Pope (
script from article above) -- In
connection with a recent consultative meeting of secretaries of World
Confessional Families held in Rome, B. B. Beach, secretary of the Northern
Europe-West Africa Division, one of the 15 participants and the only Adventist
in the group, presented a book and a medallion to Pope Paul VI on May 18.
The
book presented was the Adventist missionary book Faith in Action, and the
medallion was a gold-covered symbol of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The medallion is an engraved witness to the Adventist faith in Christ as
Creator, Redeemer, and soon-coming Lord, in the cross and Bible, and in the
lasting validity of the Ten Commandments. While the other commandments are
represented simply as Roman numerals, the words of the fourth - "Remember
the sabbath day to keep it holy" - are written out.
The
Conference of World Confessional Families usually meets once a year. It is not
an organization, but an informal, unstructured forum for consultation and the
exchange of useful information. W. D. EVA (Review, August 11, 1977)
p 10 -- GLAS KONCILA -- ADVENTISTI PRIVI
PUT KOD PAPE -- Translation: ADVENTISTI
(Adventist) PRIVI (First) PUT (Time) KOD (By or To) PAPE (Pope)
On
Wednesday, the 18th of May, Pope Paul received in Separate audience
participants of the Secretarial Conference of the United Church World. The
group was accompanied by Bishop John Howe, Chief Secretary of the Anglican
Assembly Council and Mr. B. B. Beach, Chief Secretary of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. This is the first time a representative of this religion has
met with the Pope who was thus presented with a gold medal. Upon their
greeting, Paul VI answered:
"I
am happy that we may receive such an esteemed group and express welcome from
the Throne of Peter. In you, we greet representatives of the greater part of
Christian believers and through you send greetings of God's mercy to your
religious churches. I am glad that we may express in your presence our common
faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only Intercessor with the Father and
Redeemer of the World. Yes, brothers, with the apostle Peter we proclaim that
there is salvation in nothing else. 'For there is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must be saved'(Acts 4:12.) As concerns us, at the
2nd Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has sacredly engaged itself in
ecumenicalism, established in and arisen out of faith in Christ our Lord and in
the conversion of hearts. (UR 6-7) Strengthened by the power of God's word, let
us continue, in defiance of all obstacles, to walk toward our goal of complete
unity in Christ and in the Church."
p 11 -- The Secretarial Conference of the
United Church World was established 20 years ago by Bishop John Howe, Chief
Secretary of the Anglican Assembly. The present Secretary of the Conference and
Chief Secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist church, Mr. Beach, submitted to
Radio-Vatican an announcement in which he distinctly emphasized the importance
of that first meeting of an Adventist with the Pope. He is quoted as saying,
"It is a distinct honor to be present as Secretary of the Conference in an
audience here in Rome with the Holy Father upon which I presented to the Pope a
book describing the work of the Adventist Church throughout the world."
Observations and Comments -- This article taken from the Catholic Biweekly
published in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, gives the Catholic version of what took place.
The name of the newspaper - Glas (Voice) and Koncila (Council) - can be
interpreted as the Voice of the Council. In the upper left corner of the
"Slag" which appears on page 1 of the newspaper are the words - Novo
Lice Crkve - (only a blur on the copy as printed on page 10). A literal
translation reads - "New Face Church" - but in conversational English
- "The New Image of the Church." In other words, this newspaper
reflects the spirit of Vatican II, and gives from that viewpoint how the
Catholic Church viewed the audience with the Pope by the Secretaries of the
World Confessional Families, which included Dr. B. B. Beach of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
One
notes that the newspaper referred to Dr. Beach as "Chief Secretary of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church." This is not strictly correct, but an
allowable technical error in the light of how Dr. Beach is presented in the
publication of the WCC - So Much
in Common. In two different places (pp. 92, 102) the notation appears -
"Dr. B. B. Beach, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, is
secretary of the Department of Public Affairs, Northern European Division,
United Kingdom." This was in 1973, and in the 1976 Yearbook, he is listed as carrying the
additional responsibility of Secretary of the Division. From the Catholic
viewpoint, there is no question but they considered B. B. Beach as speaking for
the Seventh-day Adventist Church in an official capacity. This event was also
covered in L'Observatore Romano,
the official Vatican newspaper. (This is confirmed by a letter dated, October
11, 1977, written by Azenilto G. Brito, San Paulo, Brazil, to the General
Conference. We have not been able to secure a copy of this news item appearing
in the official Vatican daily. Any help will be appreciated.)
Naturally,
the hierarchy in Washington are doing everything in their power to play down
this event as something "entirely innocent and meaningless." These
are the very words of the Editor of the Adventist
Review, Kenneth H. Wood, in a letter previously quoted. He wrote to a
layperson - "I am personally very well acquainted with Dr. Bert Beach and
have discussed with him this visit [to the Pope]. Even though it may look
sinister ... The visit was
entirely innocent and meaningless so far as any relationship goes
between SDA's and Catholics."
This
does not square with the following facts:
1) RNS in its report of the audience with
the Pope noted - "The Vatican Secretariat for Christian Unity and the
Seventh-day Adventists became regular participants in the Conference
[Secretaries of the World Confessional Families] in 1968." (See
p 12 -- p. 8 of this Special Report) Thus
the representative of the Adventist Church is in yearly fellowship with the
representative from the Vatican Secretariat for Unity. Only heaven, and the
parties themselves know what has been discussed between them. Further there
must be kept in mind that Pope Paul told the Secretaries of the World
Confessional Families (Churches) that despite "all obstacles" these
leaders should unceasingly pursue the goal of "full unity in Christ and in
the Church." And the Pope meant the Catholic Church! It dare not be
overlooked that the Catholic Biweekly - Glas
Koncila - quoted Beach as stating over Radio-Vatican that it was a
distinct honor to have had "an audience here in Rome with the Holy Father." Beach did not have
to refer to the Pope as "the Holy Father."
And
there remains the nagging question - How was it that when the Gregorian
Pontifical University - the alma mater of popes and cardinals - opened its
doors to a first non-Roman Catholic in its 425 year history, that individual
was enrolled as a Seventh-day Adventist? And why is it that a Jesuit - with all
that that Order has stood for in its history - signed the Preface to the
published edition of that individual's dissertation?
2) The former Associate Editor of
the Review wrote in an
editorial about a conference he attended at Notre Dame University following
Vatican II. He stated: The new ecumenical
climate is opening up countless opportunities for dialog with people of other
faiths, both for a clearer understanding of their point of view and for sharing
our own convictions with them ...
It
has been my privilege to participate in several such conferences. One of these
was the International Conference on Theological Issues of Vatican II at Notre
Dame in March, 1966. There for an entire week the leading theologians of the
Catholic Church from North America and Europe, with a liberal sprinkling of
Protestant, Orthodox, and Jewish theologians, shared their mutual convictions.
My seatmates to the left were Henri de Lubac, leading French theologian, and
Archbishop John F. Dearden of Detroit, since then elected president of the
National Council of Catholic Bishops. To my right were Father Bernard Cooke of
Marquette University, and Yves Congar, another French theologian.(Review, March 23, 1967, pp.
12-13)
3) In the Silver-Tobler legal case
involving the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the legal counsel for the Church
submitted to the court a Brief which
stated: Although it is true that there was a
period in the life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church when the denomination
took a distinctly anti-Roman Catholic viewpoint, and the term,
"hierarchy" was used in a perjorative sense to refer to the papal
form of church governance, that attitude on the Church's part was nothing more
than a manifestation of widespread anti-popery among conservative protestant
denominations in the early part of this century and the latter part of the
last, and which has now been assigned to the historical trash heap so far as
the Seventh-day Adventist Church is concerned. (P. 4, footnote #2, Docket Entry #84: EEOC vs PPPA C-74-2025 CBR)
Further
in the same brief: While, however,
Adventist doctrine continues to teach that church government by one man is
contrary to the Word of God, it is not good Seventh-day Adventism to express...
an aversion to Roman Catholicism as
such. (p. 30)
Think
it through - Can you conceive of the associate editor of the Review sharing his conviction
that the Pope was the "man of sin" - the antichrist of prophecy with
Archbishop Dearden? Or had he lost this historic Adventist conviction? If he
truly held to it, he would not have been there in the first place. There is no
record of Christ being present during theological conferences involving the
Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Herodians. Maybe Cottrell's attendance at the
Notre Dame conference was only "entirely innocent and meaningless" as
Wood asserts.
p 13 --
Medallion - - -- --- - --FRONT - - -- -- -- -- - -- --
-- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- BACK -- -- -- --
The
above is a photocopy of the gold medallion given by Dr. B. B. Beach to Pope
Paul VI, along with the Adventist missionary book - Faith in Action. This medallion was
designed and sculptured by Ralph J. Menconi of the Presidential Art Medals,
Inc., of Vandallia, Ohio. It was issued by this company in 1973.
The
suggestion for the Seventh-day Adventists to be included among the "great
religions of the world" in the series planned by the Presidential Art
Metals, Inc., was made by Miss M. Carol Hetzell of the General Conference
Department of Communications. Mr. Menconi "visited our world headquarters
here and talked with our committee that had been set up to suggest what the
medallion might incorporate (Letter from M. Carol Hetzell, Dec. 29, 1977)
As
can be seen from the above pictures, an attempt was made to incorporate certain
basic Adventist teachings. The front in depicting the Second Coming of Christ
does not portray the usual representation of His coming - when He shall send
His angels to gather together the elect to meet the Lord in the air. Rather the
angels are pictured in "Catholic" fashion adoring a risen Lord. On
the back the IV Commandment is abbreviated, while the other commandments are
only numbered. We must keep in mind that the true Adventist emphasis in regard
to the Fourth Commandment is "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
thy God." The Catholic Church in its catechisms - while noting it as the
Third - admonishes - "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day."
(The Convert's Catechism of Catholic
Doctrine, by Peter Geirermann, p. 49) Thus the testimony on the
medallion is somewhat muted.
The
medallions of the Great Religions of the World were issued as follows:
|
Bronze - Unnumbered - Special Patina Finish - -
- - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - $ 4.50/medal
|
|
Silver - Antique Oxidized Finish - 5000 complete sets; 5000
individual medals (Total 10,000 Silver of each religion) - - - - - - - - - -
- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -$ 20.00/medal
|
|
Gold Filled -
1/10 14 kt. G. F. 24 kt. Gold Finish Limited issue - 500 pieces - -$
40.00/medal
|
p 14 -- This is quoted from the
brochure - "Great Religions of the World" - prepared by the
Presidential Art Medals., Inc. The prices represent the 1973 figure. The price
in 1978 as quoted to us via telephone was - Bronze, $5.00; Silver, $35.00; and
Gold, $95.00. The Silver and Gold issues were serially numbered.
Again
the cost of this medallion is being played down by the editorial voice in
Washington. The Editor of the Adventist Review would
have the laity believe that all Beach did was to obtain a trinket from a Dollar
Store for the Pope. In his letter dated February 22, 1978, he wrote:
"Representatives of the General Conference have given this medallion to
heads of state and other dignitaries all around the world. We have one here in
our office. It costs somewhere between $5 and $10, I believe." Either the
Editor is naive; or else he is "sloppy" in his research of facts; or
else he is seeking to mislead the laity. Yet he tells this layperson -
"When questions are raised do not depend on secondary sources such as (WWN) newsletter. Write directly to us
or the General Conference and we will be happy to give you the facts." We
will let the readers of this Special Report determine where the documented
primary sources are to be found, and where they will obtain managed news
releases.
We
freely admit that when we first read of the gold medallion being presented to
the Pope, we thought it was struck for the occasion, and wrote asking questions
from this assumption. We were told that it had been produced by the
Presidential Art, Medals, Inc., but were not told where in Ohio to locate the
company. We used available research procedures and obtained the information
direct. We found when supplied with brochures from the company that the prices
vary depending when purchased. If the medallion given to the Pope came from the
medallions first purchased by the Church in 1973, then the price would have
been $40.00; but if ordered for the occasion of the presentation to the Pope in
1977, then the price would have been in the neighborhood of $95.00 as was
quoted to us. Thus the price was nominal and the issue is simply that this gold
medallion was presented by Beach to the Pope as a "symbol of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church." (Review,
Aug. 11, 1977, p. 23.)
SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS -- In the
letter which Dr. B. B.
Beach wrote to A. G. Brito in Sao Paulo, Brazil, dated November 15, 1977, he stated: I am
enclosing a brief statement regarding the meeting with the Pope. This statement
(with one or two small modifications) appeared some time ago in the Review and Herald.
We
have reproduced this statement on the next page. (You will observe that the
word, "audience" - is struck through and over it is written -
"meeting.") By carefully comparing this brief statement with the news
item appearing in the Review for
August 11, 1977, p. 23 (p. 9, Special Report), it can be seen that this is the
basis for the Review news
item. In a letter to Elder Eva, dated February 24, 1978, we sent a copy of this
statement, and asked him - "Who made the change from "audience"
to "meeting"? Did Beach in submitting the material to you, or did you
do it,
p 15 -- or authorized it done?" Eva
refused to answer this in his letter dated March 3, 1978.
STATEMENT REGARDING MEETING WITH THE
POPE -- In connection with a recent
consultative meeting of Secretaries of World confessional Families held in
Rome, a group of fifteen participants had a special audience ( this was crossed
out and put "meeting" in its place) with the Pope on May 18. Among
the participants was one Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. B. B. Beach of the Northern
Europe - West Africa Division. This was not the first time that an Adventist
has met a pope. In meeting with the head of the Vatican State and leader of
some five hundred million Catholics, Dr. Beach had the unusual opportunity of
presenting to the Pope the Adventist missionary book Faith in Action and a gold-covered medal (this was crossed out and
put "medallion" in its place) of the SDA Church. The latter
represents an engraved witness to the Adventist faith in Christ as Creator,
Redeemer and soon-coming Lord, in the cross and Bible and the lasting validity
of the ten commandments. While the other commandments are listed as roman
numerals, the words of the fourth "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy" - are especially highlighted.
The
Conference of World Confessional Families meets usually once a year. It is not
an organization but simply an informal, unstructured form for consultation and
the exchange of useful information.
We
asked one further question in our letter dated February 24,
1978: Why was the sentence -
"This is not the first time that an Adventist has met a pope" -
omitted? What were the other times, and under what circumstances? Have there
been frequent audiences involving officials of the church in their official
capacities? If not frequent, what contacts have been made between our church
leaders and the Pope and for what purposes? Since the official newspaper of the
Vatican has noted this audience in regard to the Seventh-day Adventist
participation as of special note, and RNS through its Vatican correspondent
marked it as "the first time in history" that the Seventh-day
Adventist Church through an official representative met with the Pope, have the
other contacts been secret and private
p 16 -- so that only certain members of
the hierarchy know of them? These things need to be clarified.
In
his reply, Elder Eva refused to answer these questions. He stated - "We
feel no burden to give you the detailed information you ask for and I have not
tried to do so nor to answer the further questions of your letter of February
24." Thus it has neither been affirmed nor denied in regard to other
contacts between the Adventists and the Pope or Vatican officials. Beach writes
in his "Statement Regarding Meeting with Pope" - "This is not
the first time that an Adventist has met a pope." The Review news item deleted this
sentence. Yet Beach as reported by RNS in a Vatican radio interview declared,
the audience "marked the first time in history that the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, through an official representative, had met with a Roman
Pontiff," How does one put this all together?
We know of one other recorded meeting with the Pope that
appeared in the Review with pictures. (May 30, 1968) It shows Pope Paul VI
giving a souvenir medal to Dr. Lief Kr. Tobiassen. Pictured with Tobiassen are
Elders R. R. Hegstad, Editor of Liberty, and Pierre Lanares,
Religious Liberty Secretary of the Southern European Division. These men were a
part of "A 34-member International Church-State Study Commission,
sponsored by Andrews University, the International Religious Liberty
Association, and the Religious Liberty Department of the General
Conference." (Review, May 16, 1968, p. 16) Hegstad in telling of the meeting
with the Pope writes: While in Rome the
Adventist Study Commission experienced the pomp and ceremony of a papal
audience in St. Peter's. It was hardly a private audience: some 5,000 shouting
and clapping pilgrims were around us. Members of our group were seated not far
from the high altar, which is in the midst of the serpentine Bernini columns,
which, in turn, are under the central dome of St. Peter's. After the general
audience, during which the Pope spoke for some 20 minutes on his year-old
encyclical Populorum
Progressio, L. Kr. Tobiassen, Pierre Lanares,
and I were introduced to the pontiff. Dr. Tobiassen told him of the purpose of
our study commission and of the countries we were visiting. I then mentioned
our pleasure at finding material progress toward religious liberty in Spain,
where the religious liberty schema of Vatican II is having good effect. (Ibid. P. 17) --- (1978 May -- Special Report -- Audience
with Pope Paul VI) ---END ---
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