For many years the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has conducted dialogues with many churches, most of these churches could be considered “main stream” churches. As affirmed in our churches’ Ecumenical Policy, one of our priorities is to engage in conversation with churches that have not been traditionally involved in the ecumenical movement. For many years this church was viewed by many as a Christian cult or sect. During the last ten years, the Seventh-day Adventist church has been more widely accepted as a “main stream” evangelical denomination in our country.

From 2006 through 2008, representatives of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists met for a series of church-to-church conversations. Through exchange of scholarly papers and hours spent in discussion, the two churches reached a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other’s beliefs and practices, removed many false stereotypes, and explored possible areas of cooperation. A deep level of friendship and fellowship developed as we acknowledged one another as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Based on the positive results of these initial gatherings, both groups recommended to their respective churches the desire to continue into a deeper dialogue.

The specific topics that the dialogue will address are:

In order to fully understand each other’s perspectives, the dialogue will commence by laying out our respective approaches to Scripture, that is, our particular hermeneutics.

The topic of Sabbath and Sunday is primarily a Seventh-Day Adventist concern, rather than a Reformed one. The Reformed delegation will approach this topic from the perspective of the “Law and Gospel,” with Sunday and Sabbath being a subset of that larger topic. This larger category is certainly a significant concern for the Reformed. Under this category we will address at least these topics:

•           How both testaments function as norms for Christian faith and life.

•           The shift from Sabbath to Sunday worship in Scripture and Christian history.

•           The three uses of the Law in the Reformed understanding.

•           The benefits and blessings of following the Law, with special focus on Sabbath-keeping.

•           How Jesus Christ both fulfills and supersedes the Law, and how this shapes the Christian Gospel.

For the Sabbath-Sunday topic, the Adventists will take up at least the following topics:

•           Theological implications of the Sabbath.

•           Implications of Sabbath/Sunday observance: practical aspects and benefits.

2.   Religious Liberty and Justice

Reformed churches tend to talk more about “Church-State” issues, rather than “religious liberty,” even though many of our churches are also actively involved in “religious liberty” issues. This difference, itself, might be an important beginning point of dialogue and engagement. The Reformed delegation will address at least these topics:

•           Advocacy for religious minorities abroad—How do we each view the idea of American Christians seeking to influence American policies of aid and trade to foster better treatment of religious minorities (or perhaps only Christians) in other nations.

•           Religion in the Public Square—Matters ranging from the place of prayer in the public schools to the issue of Christmas displays on public property.

•           Charitable Choice—How does each community view the use of public moneys by church agencies who offer services such as soup kitchens, tutoring, job training, addiction recovery, etc.

•           Civic Engagement and Christian Faithfulness—How does each community view discipleship responsibilities in the light of Christian teaching.

•           Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Context—With growing religious pluralism in the U.S., we face new challenges to matters of religious liberty we thought were settled. Schools, government, and banks, etc., tend only to observe Christian and sometimes Jewish holidays. How will our cultural life show equal respect for myriad other faiths now living within the culture.

For the area of Religious Liberty and Justice, the consultation (Adventists) will take up at least following topics:

•           The biblical basis of religious liberty.

•           Justice as a biblical principle and responsibility.

•           Defending religious liberty in today’s world

•           Justice in today’s world: individual and corporate aspects.

•           Adventist/ Reformed cooperation in advocating and defending religious liberty and justice.