Changes Proposed to Fundamental Beliefs at Annual Council

Spectrum Staff | October 12, 2014

SILVER SPRING – Delegates considered and discussed several changes to the Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Beliefs during Sunday’s afternoon business session at the 2014 Annual Council.

General Conference Executive Committee members heard proposed changes to several Fundamental Beliefs that would change language to be more gender inclusive.

Among the most significant proposals, the committee tasked with reviewing the beliefs recommended inserting the word “literal” and the word “recent” to close perceived loopholes that some felt left the door open to theistic evolution in Belief number six on Creation. On Belief number eighteen on the Gift of Prophecy, the committee proposed removing the words “As the Lord’s messenger” and “authoritative source of truth” describing Ellen White and her writings. The rationale, according to General Conference Vice President Artur Stele, was to maintain the Adventist belief in “Sola Scriptura”–the Bible as the only authoritative source of belief and practice.

A full report on the deliberations will follow in the fourth installment of Spectrum editor Bonnie Dwyer’s daily Annual Council Diary.

Meanwhile, updates in 140 characters from the discussion are available on the Spectrum Twitter account: @spectrummag. Follow Spectrum’s twitterfeed for up to the moment updates, especially as discussion turns to women’s ordination on Tuesday.

Wiklander notes that the word “recent” injected into FB6 on creation is not in the Bible. This concerns him. #GCAC14

— SPECTRUM (@spectrummag) October 12, 2014

Another gentleman, from Africa this time, asking why “persons” and not “men” be used in FB1 on Scriptures. It was OK with “man.” #GCAC14

— SPECTRUM (@spectrummag) October 12, 2014

Stele says the word ἄνθρωπος (anthropos) refers to humanity, not men specifically. #GCAC14

— SPECTRUM (@spectrummag) October 12, 2014

Trim wants to avoid opening a loophole that some would “drive a horse and carriage through.” #GCAC14

— SPECTRUM (@spectrummag) October 12, 2014

Wilson tells people to read White’s “Patriarchs and Prophets” which has chapter called “The Literal Week.” #GCAC14

— SPECTRUM (@spectrummag) October 12, 2014

A PDF version of all the proposed revisions to the Fundamental Beliefs is available here.

Jared Wright is managing editor of spectrummagazine.org

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