Articles

John Graz

Letter to Ambassador of Serbia Regarding Attack on Adventist Church and Pastor (Printer-Friendly version)
The War in Iraq: Is it Too Late? (Printer-Friendly version)

Letter to Ambassador of Serbia Regarding Attack on Adventist Church and Pastor

Ambassador Ivan Vujacic
Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro
2134 Kalorama Rd., NW
Washington, DC 20008

17 April 2003

Your Excellency!

On behalf of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I would like to share with you our concern about the latest attack which left an Adventist pastor, Josip Tikvicki, hospitalized and the local Adventist church damaged.

It happened on the night of 15th April in the city of Zrenjanin. According to Dr. Radisa Antic, president of the Adventist Church in Serbia and Montenegro, this was the fifth such incident perpetuated against Adventists.

Your Excellency, I had the privilege to be invited to your country for a symposium with leaders from various faiths. Adventists helped organize such a meeting because they want to build bridges with other people of goodwill. They don’t understand why they are the victims of such vicious and unprovoked attacks.

Mr. Ambassador, we are convinced that the democratic government of your country, which stands for human rights and religious freedom, will protect Adventist citizens and their churches, and all religious minorities against violent intolerance. Our church was organized in Serbia in 1925 and has many local churches in approximately 150 cities. On the international level we are recognized as an NGO by the United Nations, and we are a member of the Christian World Communions. The world-wide Seventh-day Adventist community now represents about 25 million people.

With my good wishes, I remain very sincerely yours,

Dr. John Graz

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The War in Iraq: Is it Too Late?

I have just returned from a European tour one day before the U.S. declared war on Iraq. Ironically, I had been invited to lecture in Russia, Bulgaria and Romania on religious freedom and security issues. During my tour, questions about America’s decision to go to war were frequently raised. I don’t remember meeting one person who was in favor of the war. This, however, is a positive sign, for it is better to see thousands of people demonstrating for peace than the opposite.

I do not complain at all when I see huge crowds filling squares and streets for peace in Germany. The Germans should be congratulated for defending peace. The difference of perception between the USA and the population in the whole world is enormous. For those living outside the USA, the war is unnecessary, dangerous, divisive, and immoral. The leaders of mainline churches and the Pope share this view—they have issued statements and letters.

I was asked very directly by someone, “What are you doing at the General Conference?” “Why have you not published any condemnation of the coming attack?”*

Upon my return to the U.S., I discovered a different picture. Some of the people I spoke with are not convinced the war is necessary, but they trust their President. Of course some disagreed—a minority. Why did the church not officially oppose the politics of war to disarm the Iraqi regime?

The answer is simple—we are not involved in politics. But is this answer really enough? What about the values we promote like peace, justice, and love? Have we forgotten them?

Not at all! I opened the book “Statements, Guidelines and Other Documents”, published by the General Conference in June 2000, and turned to the Table of Contents. Let me quote some abstracts:

Perhaps this is the answer to the question I was asked in Europe: “While peace cannot be found in official church pronouncements, the authentic Christian church is to work for peace…”

It is so obvious, so evident, that we work for or stand for peace that we don’t feel the need to justify ourselves. It is also true that we don’t have a tradition of publishing statements like other churches. We are a small minority, our voice may not make a difference, but our actions in favor of peace can.

During my visit to Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria I saw Adventists leading meetings on religious freedom with the Orthodox, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Jews … Opening dialogue with majority and minority religions and with the authorities—a wonderful example of how to work for peace.

“War is the result of sin”. To use a more religious phraseology: “Satan delights in war… It is his object to incite nations to war against one another.” (ibid.) There is no good war, there is no just war. I don’t understand why some of the main churches say that the first Gulf War was a “just war” but this one is not. On spiritual grounds, there is no just war. A “just war” means that you, as Disciples of Christ, justify war. There is no just war, as there is no just adultery or just crime.

Now the war has begun, we must pray for peace.

We must pray for the victims and their families on both sides. We have to be ready to help all those who will suffer, without any distinction. “The church has consistently refused,” according to our statement on Kosovo, (idem. P. 45) “to be involved in political issues,” and by extension “it rejects the use of violence as a method of conflict resolution, be it ethnic cleansing or bombing.” (p.45)

The war on Iraq will not be the last one. Unfortunately! As Adventists, we must do our best to be bridge-builders and peacemakers. That is what Jesus asked us to be! We know that He is the one who will bring Eternal Peace.

It is never too late to be peacemakers, before the war, during the war, or after the war.

John Graz, Director
PARL
2003

*http://www.adventist.org/news/data/2003/02/1048194052/index.html.en

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