wfn.org | New Study Center Will Focus on Religion and Government

[BeckettJ@gc.adventist.org]

Adventist News Network
Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters
November 28, 2000
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New Study Center Will Focus on Religion and Government
Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA .... [Bettina Krause]
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The newly established Center on Religion and Government at Andrews
University will build on the Seventh-day Adventist Church's rich heritage of
promoting religious freedom, says Dr. John Graz, public affairs and
religious liberty director for the church worldwide. The center will sponsor
academic study and symposiums on religious freedom issues and will provide
practical training for religious liberty leaders.

"The ultimate purpose of this center is to create a pool of professional
religious freedom advocates at every level of the Adventist Church," says
Graz. "With more than 11 million members in 205 countries, the Adventist
Church has increasing interaction with governments around the world. We need
to train church leaders and members to effectively engage with governments
on matters that are important to us as a church; human rights, religious
liberty, and public health issues, to name just a few."

Initiated jointly by Andrews University and the Adventist Church's public
affairs and religious liberty department, the center will also work closely
with the history department at Andrews University, which is currently
designing both a new master's program and a certificate program in the field
of religion and government relations. 

"Ultimately, the goal of the study center is to help foster and safeguard
religious freedom for reasons that surpass denominational self-interest,"
explains Dr. Gary Ross, assistant to the president at Andrews University and
executive director of the new center. "We value religious freedom, not only
because of a fear that one day we won't have it, but because we believe
religious freedom is inherently good as a basic human right." 

Graz says the center will increase awareness within the Adventist Church of
international political and legislative processes. "It is far better to
express concerns about a piece of proposed legislation than to try to change
the law once it has passed," he says. "By then, it is too late."  

"The church should not adopt a 'head-in-the-sand strategy of survival,'
refusing to be proactive in meeting potential difficulties," he adds. "On
the other hand, we must also avoid being too compliant, too ready to
sacrifice the global vision and interests of the church to nationalistic
demands or immediate benefits."

Planning for the center has been spearheaded by Graz and Ross, along with
Dr. Humberto Rasi, education director for the Adventist Church worldwide,
and Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen, president of Andrews University.  The project
was approved at an October 21 meeting of the university's board.  In what
Ross calls a "modest start-up year," the unit plans to sponsor two
conferences--one focusing on proselytism, the other on religion in
China--and to lay the groundwork for future development and expansion of the
center.
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