When I mentioned that my group members and I come from very different views and backgrounds, I didn’t just mean politically. We also come from varied views within Adventism, as well as outside Adventism. This results in our project being seen and approached through different worldviews. In order to avoid forgetting our ultimate goals, we have established a Declaration of Principles:
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DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES:
1. We believe there should be an end to perpetual military conflict in the Middle East and across the globe.
2. We believe that peaceful coexistence should be a primary focus of all people.
3. We believe that others are entitled to express their religious, cultural, and political viewpoints, beliefs, or stances, while giving room and tolerance to others.
4. We believe that a continual process of improving the world is necessary and important.
5. We believe that seeking a better understanding of others will assist in peaceful and diplomatic conflict resolution.
6. We believe that we each have a duty to voice our opinions in order to promote communication, open-mindedness, and awareness for the improvement of society.
7. We believe that the media should function to give us accurate, well-rounded information.
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While this is the idealistic glue that holds us together, each of us takes something different from our project. These principles and our mission to raise awareness and broaden public perspectives necessarily leak into other areas of our lives, affecting the way we think about the world and our place in it, and causing some of us to re-evaluate where we stand on current issues. (In our experience, the political often blurs with the cultural and the religious.) In order to pursue a project such as KEP, we have to hold certain similar convictions, and those convictions must find their place within our other established beliefs. Personally, I seek to find that link between my idealistic and pragmatic hopes for KEP and my idealistic and pragmatic vision within Adventism. I do not abide by two different sets of principles for two different areas of my life, so this declaration of KEP principles that I strive for, must also be a declaration of Adventist principles– or at least of my take on Adventism.
A couple of Sabbaths ago, some members of our group
Of course, one can take many things from the stories and pictures we present. For example, one can say that as the end draws near, the “signs of the times” are more evident, and that our project highlights the turmoil in the Middle East, illuminating events that lead us to the conclusion that the second coming is near. But is this what we focus on? Is this what we are trying to present? Is our project simply a means to say, “Yes, now we are aware that we aren’t seeing the complete picture of the atrocities in the Middle East, and this solidifies our faith that Jesus is coming soon?” No, far from it. I would hope that fellow Adventists take much more out of our message than this.
I, as an Adventist, live in expectation of the Second Coming of Christ, but sometimes I wonder at the emphasis on the “responsibility” of the remnant to proclaim God’s final warning to all the world. Before and beyond this responsibility, the remnant has been called to “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12) We have a call to action past the proclamation of the judgment hour, a call to love God and one another, a call to follow in the actions and character of Jesus. God does not leave us to revel in the comfort and satisfaction of our faith in alienation to the world we live in. I believe that Jesus encourages us to embrace humanity through community, to have a direct impact on history, and to refrain from waiting passively for His Second Coming.
My Adventist faith leads me to believe that I have a responsibility in the present to act upon my love for my neighbor, as I am to act upon my love for my God, and to be aware and responsive to the afflictions of my neighbor. After learning of some need, of some suffering, of some oppression, of some injustice, and being aware that I can do something to change it to any small degree, I cannot, in following Christ’s footsteps, simply put my hands in my pocket, turn my back, and walk away– feeling a vague, insensitive pity and hoping that someone else will come along and be the good Samaritan. My faith does not support this inhumane apathy.
Neither could the KEP vision. My hope for KEP transcends raising awareness. KEP calls to the world, to Americans, to Christians, to Adventists, to shake off the layers of complacency, numbness, and individualistic self-centeredness. It is my hope that those who listen to our message think critically about issues, that those who are aware not leave solutions and realization of those solutions to others, and that those who seek to take action not be afraid to question established norms in the pursuit of “better.” In principles, then, my hopes for KEP also comprise some of my hopes for Adventism.
As an Adventist, I believe in living peacefully in my community (2), and therefore I believe there should be an end to military conflict in my community and my world (1). As an Adventist, I believe that I should have the religious liberty to practice my faith freely; therefore, I must also extend that liberty to others (3). As an Adventist, I seek to find new meaning to my faith, to accept that the Spirit also impresses “others” with truth, and to learn from the convictions and communion of those around me. I seek to find a reflection of God in the heart of my neighbor, my acquaintance, and the stranger on the street. In this way, I also seek a better understanding of others (5), and promote open-mindedness, communication, and awareness (6). As an Adventist, I proclaim a faith that despises static, lackadaisical lifestyles, welcomes self-examination, and pursues progress and reform. Therefore, I believe in being an active participant in the continual process of improving society and the world I live in (4). I believe in being attentive to ways in which society can be improved, and that is how I am persuaded that the media, in its profession of informing the public of the events in their community, should uphold the truth and provide accurate, well-rounded information to the best of its ability (7).
I hold on to these beliefs and hopes, because before I am a Christian, Adventist, or American, I am a creation of God, just like every other individual, complete without any man-made labels and superficial divisions. Aiming at the core of the individual, I urge other Adventists to care about the world we live in, in word AND deed. Let us show our faith by crying out for justice and exhibiting compassion. Let us lean on each other and on God, and work with one another in practice of our common faith. Let us not simply declare our beliefs, but let us demonstrate them in our daily lives. Amidst a materially intensive American life, let us take responsibility in changing our attitude to life, and in being conscientious of our environment and communities. We have the opportunity to spread the gospel of good news every day through our approach to living. Let’s not let that opportunity pass us by.
