Bert B. Beach
Bert B. Beach, Ph.D., is former director of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
Pitfalls of the Ministry
Most professions have what we call professional hazards, special liabilities attached to them. The ministry is no exception.
Evangelicals in Critical Discussion With WCC
IT IS A FACT of recent church history that the churches controlled by conservative evangelicals have generally not joined the World Council of Churches. This abstention is because they do not believe that the WCC legitimately represents the church's given unity in Christ. Furthermore, they have serious reservations regarding the deployment of the limited energies and means of the WCC and the churches it represents in dubious and, at times, divisive socio-political activities. . .
The World Council of Churches: Seventh-day Adventist Conversations and Their Significance (Concluded)
MEASURED within the framework of the avowed purposes of the Conversations, it can be said that their results have been definitely positive and useful. There have been no measurably negative outgrowths. In order to clearly see the substantial number of accomplishments, it would appear helpful to succinctly list some of the major results that have emanated so far from the Conversations:
The World Council of Churches: Seventh-day Adventist Conversations and Their Significance---Part 1
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 Adventists being insufficiently informed regarding the WCC, and the WCC staff and church leaders being equally in need of additional and more comprehensive knowledge regarding the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Undiplomatic relations
The Seventh-day Adventist Church, throughout its history strongly supportive of the United States's constitutional separation of church and state, takes a dim view of the recent establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Vatican. In this article, B. B. Beach points out that while in the past the Holy See might justifiably have requested diplomatic recognition on the basis of its having a significant political dominion, this is no longer true. And he gives five reasons the Seventh-day Adventist Church opposes President Reagan's move.
Evangelism and the ecumenical movement
While there are pitfalls in the ecumenical understanding of evangelism, there are enriching dimensions as well.
Religion in America: change and continuity
Religion retains a strong hold on the American life, sometimes pulling it to extremes.
Adventism and secularization
How can Adventism meet the challenge of secularization within the context of its commission and hope?
Evangelism and interfaith relations
Doing evangelism in a world increasingly averse to it.