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The Silent Church: Human Rights and Adventist Social Ethics PDF

278 Pages·1998·27.45 MB·English
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THE SILENT CHURCH The Silent Church Human Rights and Adventist Social Ethics Zdravko Plantak Foreword by Sakae Kubo by algrave by bya S..a" kIa e * First published in Oreat Britain 1998 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire R021 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-0-333-72448-4 ISBN 978-1-349-26649-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-26649-4 * First published in the United States of America 1998 by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-21621-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Plantak, Zdravko. The silent church; human rights and Adventist social ethics I Zdravko Plantak ; foreword by Sakae Kubo. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-21621-4 I. Human rights-Religious aspects-Seventh-Day Adventists. 2. Seventh-Day Adventists-Doctrines. I. Title. BX6154.P57 1998 261.7'088'267--<1c21 98-18586 CIP © Zdravko Plantak 1998 Foreword © Sakae Kubo 1998 AIl rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WIP 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. To my best friend, companion and wife Lidija for her encour agement, intellectual integrity and support in my academic pursuit in search of knowledge and wisdom throughout this and any other study her husband undertook. Also, to our delightful daughters, Natasha Stephanie and Roberta Lara, who could not comprehend why their father had to spend so much time at a computer, in his study or libraries, reading books. Contents Acknowledgements ix Foreword by Sakae Kubo xi Introduction 1 Part I Seventh-day Adventists and Human Rights 9 1. Adventist Attitudes to Human Rights: An Historical Perspective 11 2. Emergence of Concern for Human Rights 38 Part II Seventh-day Adventist Responses to Some Issues in Human Rights 51 3. Wealth Divide: The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Poor 53 4. Racial Divide: Discrimination and Adventism - Theological and Hermeneutical Considerations 74 5. Gender Divide: The Role of Women in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 92 Part III Social Theology in Seventh-day Adventist Scholarship 123 6. Reasons for Social Concern in Modern Adventism 125 7. Adventism's 'New Theology' 137 vii viii Contents Part IV Theology and Ethics of Human Rights: The Seventh-day Adventist Perspective 151 8. Philosophical Basis for Human Rights 153 9. A Common Theological Basis for Human Rights 163 10. Adventist Basis for Human Rights 187 Conclusion 208 Notes 214 Further Reading 255 Index 269 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge a number of people without whom this book would never have seen its completion. Many people influenced me in various ways to search for social and individual justice and to study the central theme of this book. However, several individuals and institutions deserve my special gratitude and recognition. I would like to thank imprimis my academic adviser, Professor Jack Mahoney for his gentle and clear lead, for his tremendous support especially in times when my academic and pastoral duties clashed, and for his professionalism and efficiency in returning my work always within three days, even when he had to sacrifice his weekends. I would also like to thank Dr Hugh Dunton, the then director of the Ellen C. White Research Centre, Europe, and His Honour Judge Dr Peter Jackson, one of Her Majesty's Judges in England, for taking time to read this dissertation in their already busy sched ules. Their comments and suggestions were very valuable in the last stages of this research. I am grateful to Dr Michael Pearson for initiating some ideas during his lectures and, especially, in the early days of the research when we met with a desire to establish a Seventh-day Adventist Ethics Centre for Europe. I cannot forget the kindness and understanding of many of my parishioners at Central London Church, Eastbourne, Hastings, Bromley and Chatham, whose support and positive attitude towards my studies allowed me to spend time with books, even when it was not sermon preparation. The administration of the South England Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church not only allowed me to pursue part-time study, but also allocated a ten-week study-leave, so I could finish the research. This fleXibility and desire for the church's ministers to continue their further education are greatly appreciated. Finally, without the influences of my truly Christian father and mother, who taught me never to accept injustice and always to stand on the side of the oppressed, I would probably never have ix x Acknowledgements desired to write about social theology, ethics and human rights. I am most grateful for their example, in word and deed, of being the followers of Christ at all times. Foreword It is a pleasure for me to write the Foreword to this significant book. A little over ten years before he completed his dissertation and obtained his doctorate from King's College, University of London, Dr Plantak came to Newbold College (Bracknell, England) where I was principal. He came from the old Yugoslavia as a student to learn English before completing his theological studies. At best his English was elementary. In this short time he has mas tered the English language to the extent that he serves as one of the leading pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Great Britain and was able to complete a doctorate in a British university. And considering the fact that he was able to do the research and complete 400-page dissertation while carrying on his pastoral duties, this is nothing short of phenomenal. Indispensable to these achievements are the wholehearted support, encouragement and understanding of his family, his two daughters, Natasha and Roberta, and especially his loving, devoted and equally talented wife, Lidija. It is thus with justifiable pride that I contribute this Foreword. Seventh-day Adventists arose out of the Millerite movement expecting the end of the world on 22 October 1844. Even after the disappointment, though no longer setting any specific date for the coming of the Lord, that event loomed dominant in their living and thinking. Understandably in that kind of context they were little concerned about improving social conditions in this world. However, as certain social issues arose they had to decide how to respond. They decided to help runaway slaves through the under ground railroad. Other issues arose that touched more specifically their own beliefs and practices. They would use their influence against alcohol. They would fight fiercely those who would estab lish Sunday laws. But these efforts at social reform were few and concerned their own particular self-interest. This was due to the residual effect of the sense of imminence connected with the 1844 movement. With the end so near, they could not spend their limited time and finances on anything except that which con tributed to the preparation of the world for the end. xi

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The relationship between the Adventist church and society at large has always been ambiguous. One reason for this has been the church's inarticulate social ethics. While the church upheld the concept of human dignity, promoted religious liberty and sided with the poor, nationalism and racism develop
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