wfn.org | Adventists in Political Office: ANN Poll

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Reveals Conflicting Views

November 19, 2000
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD

Adventists in Political Office: ANN Poll Reveals 
Conflicting Views

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.          Seventh-day 
Adventists have a legitimate role to play in political 
leadership say a large majority of those responding to a 
recent online poll conducted by Adventist News Network.  
The poll, in which visitors to the Adventist Church's 
web site registered their opinion on the question 
"Should an Adventist run for political office" drew 
some 2,800 responses. Sixty-six percent of respondents 
said that Adventists should run for office; 28 percent 
disagreed, and 6 percent were undecided.

Dr. Angel Rodriguez, an associate in the Adventist 
Church's Biblical Research Institute, says that there is 
no official Adventist Church position on whether 
individual church members should, or should not, run 
for political office. "It is a matter for the individual, 
and his or her conscience," adds Rodriguez.  He says 
that some elements of political life can prove 
difficult for people of faith and for Adventists in 
particular.  

"Campaigning doesn't automatically stop on Sabbath 
[or Saturday]," says Rodriguez, who adds that an 
individual's commitment to Sabbathkeeping may often be 
challenged by the demands of political office. He also 
points out that truth is often perceived to be a 
casualty in the political process, and that the 
culture of political give-and-take and compromise may 
also make it difficult for people of faith to maintain 
allegiance to their principles in some circumstances. 

Tim Poirier, an associate in the Ellen G. White 
Estate located at the Adventist Church's world 
headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, points out 
that Ellen White, a pioneer of the Adventist Church, 
counseled against the church as an institution 
becoming involved in partisan politics. He adds, 
however, that she did not take the position that 
individuals should refrain from playing a role within 
thepolitical sphere. 

Addressing Adventist teachers and students in Battle 
Creek, Michigan, in 1883, White said: "Have you thoughts 
that you dare not express, that you may one day 
. . . sit in deliberative and legislative councils, 
and help to enact laws for the nation? There is nothing 
wrong in these aspirations."

According to Rodriguez, the Adventist Church's 
caution regarding partisan politics does not indicate 
social apathy; the church has a long history of engaging 
in social issues that have political significance, he 
says. He cites the strong anti-slavery position taken 
by many founders of the Adventist Church. The church 
also subsequently became known for its global anti-
tobacco push, long before the issue became a popular 
political agenda item. 

"Today, the church continues to release official 
statements on issues ranging from gambling, to 
religious liberty, to public health; statements that 
clearly show that the Adventist Church is engaged with 
social realities, and that it seeks to have its voice 
heard in the public sphere," says Rodriguez.

"One can cite many countries where Adventists have 
played a sometimes prominent role in legislative activity 
including Uganda, Papua New Guinea, and the United 
States, to name just a few," says Ray Dabrowski, 
communication director for the Adventist Church worldwide. 
"Some church members feel strongly that they have a 
responsibility as Adventist Christians to get involved 
and make a difference in the public life of their 
country."   

John Beckett, an assistant director in the Adventist 
Church's communication department and webmaster for its 
site, says that ANN's poll results do not reflect 
a scientific sampling.  The exercise, he says, is 
intended to raise questions that are of interest to 
Christians and to "get a sense of what our site 
visitors feel about the issue." 

To vote in ANN's current poll dealing with capital 
punishment and to view the results so far, go to 
www.adventist.org.