The Confessing Seventh-day Adventist

Adventist Development and Relief Agency International has announced their complete and willful ignorance of the Islamic Government in Sudan and Sudan’s large-scale 19 years-long “jihad” against Sudanese Christians. See:

Fourth ADRA Detainee Released from Sudan
Another ADRA Detainee Released from Sudan, One Remains In Custody
ADRA Urges the Release of Two Remaining Hostages

Sudan's Genocide and U.S. Indifference
Media neglects Genocide in Sudan
Clinton Administration Ignores Genocide of Christians
Islamic Government’s Atrocities
Sudan’s “Holy” War

You’re not sure what I’m saying.

I was hoping that the contrast between the first three links to the ADRA website and the last five would be self-evident. Please forgive me for being beyond words in stating what the sharp contrast is. I will try to explain. Compared with the truth as it is in Jesus and a sincere Christian concern, I believe the SDA church and the ADRA website openly expresses a willful ignorance and total indifference about the plight of the Sudanese Christians. In contrast to this, I believe that the last five links are full of loving Christian concern and relevant information.

The ADRA website thinks it’s more newsworthy to report on a few of it’s own than to present reports of the genocide of the millions in Sudan who have died. Every reasonable connection to “jihad” is conspicuously absent. Revealing no relevant information seems to be SDA policy. Worse than that, if the church would disclose what they are duty bound to reveal, I believe everyone would be sickened by the great darkness and indifference epitomized in the first link which says “Reasons for the abduction and detention are still unclear.” As you can tell, I don’t believe that silence and the neglect of leadership to arouse Adventists to a sense of their duty, is Christian.

In our News Room, we have an important news story by Nat Hentoff of the Washington Times. Nat Hentoff’s basic point is this: The Sudan Peace Act was signed into law on Oct. 21 by President George W. Bush. This law is an official declaration by the United States that the government in Khartoum is guilty of actual genocide.

If you contrast Nat Hentoff’s editorial with the following news item from http://www.sdaisrael.org, dated 13 February 2000, I think you will wonder why Seventh-day Adventist leaders are so proud of fraternizing with mass murderers.

ADVENTIST CHURCH LEADERS WARMLY RECEIVED BY GOVERNMENT MINISTERS

KHARTOUM, SUDAN - [ANR] On two separate occasions, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders visited Sudanese Government Ministers. On Sunday, 13 February, Dr Bertil Wiklander, president of the Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division, accompanied by Pastor Sven Jensen, president of the Adventist Church for the Middle East region, were warmly received by the State Minister for Social Planning, His Excellency Chol Deng Alak.

The minister briefed the church leaders on the current events in the Sudan and the role of the government in facilitating church activities. The minister further stated that he is quite familiar with the problems faced by various churches. As the person in charge of church activities he affirmed the important role of the church in preaching God's word, maintaining peace and spreading the message of love and reconciliation, and he thanked the church leaders for this important visit.

The church leaders in return thanked the minister and the Sudanese people for their warm and friendly welcome and expressed their gratitude and thanks for the support the Adventist Church is enjoying in the Sudan. Dr Wiklander briefed the minister on the activities of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Sudan, and the minister appreciated the good work ADRA/Sudan is doing and the services it renders to the Sudanese people.

The event was featured on the main news bulletin on Sudan's national radio.

The previous Wednesday, February 9, Pastor Sven H Jensen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church of the Middle East Union, paid a courtesy visit to the office of His Excellency Rev Bishop Gabriel Rorich Jur, State Minister for Foreign Relations and was welcomed by the minister on behalf of the Sudanese Government.

"It is our role to see that all churches function and practice their faith without hindrance," said Bishop Jur. He further stated that he is well acquainted with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and appreciated the spiritual role of the church in the Sudanese society. He also appreciated the work of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in its effort to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people and pledged to support the programmes of ADRA/Sudan.

Jensen thanked the minister and the Sudanese Government for their support to the Adventist Church and to ADRA.

The visit was covered on the main news on national radio as well as on the main English news on national television and the main Arabic news on Sudanese satellite television. [Paul Yithak/ANR Staff/ANR 049]

I just finished reading your article entitled

Sudan’s “Holy” War

, and I can't resist saying a loud AMEN. I agree with your assessment that the Lord permitted the attack on Pearl Harbor as a wake-up call, which prompted the U.S. to come to the rescue of those who were being butchered by the Nazi regime. The similarity of what happened on 9/11 is undeniable. Our country is again challenged to do what is right. God has blessed this nation above every other nation that ever existed on earth, and these blessing must be used for the protection of those who are being slaughtered mercilessly both here end elsewhere.

I applaud your concern for the Christian brothers and sisters who are being enslaved and murdered in Sudan as part of a Holy Islamic War. Millions have been martyred already, and more will follow, unless something drastic is done.

For thoughts parallel to the slaughter of innocent Sudanese, click here.

Let’s explore the most excellent concept of love and righteousness as understood by Seventh-day Adventists and compare that with the demands of God’s law. Perhaps you recall the high moral standard of Galatians 6:2:

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Is there any evidence that a Seventh-day Adventist has conveyed a compassionate thought in any of our publications for the suffering Sudanese Christians during the last 19 years?

For another thread parallel to this one, see: Concerns regarding an apparent critical spirit manifested in the thread: ADRA Announces Their Willful Ignorance

The problem in Sudan began 19 years ago. It is perceived that we can only help the Sudanese Christians in one of two ways. We could be a voice for them and let the world community know of the systematic extermination of these people by Sudan’s Islamic government. This would involve explaining the crime of not being Muslim, which is practically a crime in itself. The other option is to pretend that you’re not political and that you want entrance into Sudan to help all hurting and starving people. It’s all a game of chess. The Islamic regime is smart to accept these offers of humanitarian aid because it’s a plausible denial to reports of actual genocide. Propaganda is the best way to disarm the international community. Sudan’s government officials seek every opportunity to receive favorable press and the stupid Adventists are there, publicly praising these mass murderers for their righteousness.

ADRA’s defense is that many more Sudanese would have died if ADRA and all Seventh-day Adventists didn’t pretend to be stupid. I want to know who these geniuses are who have decided what was best for the dead and dying Sudanese.

We should not accuse CHRISTIAN gov't officials in Sudan of being terrorists without strong evidence to that effect.

My facts have the force of law. President George W. Bush signed the Sudan Peace Act into law on Oct. 21. This law is an official declaration by the United States that the government in Khartoum is guilty of actual genocide. Read Nat Hentoff’s editorial. It’s all there.

Understand this also: Every willing participant of an evil government, including ministers of propaganda, share culpability with the crimes of that government.

This is from a friend of mine, who is as conservative as they get. Judging from the date of this email and the date of your article, I wouldn't doubt that the visit of ADRA officials was connected with a peace mission.



Subject: 8-2-2000 I Hate War!!!!!!
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 11:23:13 EST
From: HTrecartin@aol.com
To: ADRA-Southsudan@maf.org

Whether it is the Russian bombardment of a a breakaway republic, the NATO air-strikes on Kosovo, a difference of religion in Ireland, a militant group holding hostages on a hijacked airplane in London, a defense minister shot through a window in a cafe, or planes dropping bombs on my friends in South Sudan - I HATE WAR!!!!!!

It is always the innocent people who suffer, and it looks like right now a LOT more are getting ready to suffer in Southern Sudan. The rebel movements have been uniting, training armies outside Sudan (apparently with "unofficial" support from my home country), and mobilizing for what appears to be an all out offensive against the government held towns in the South. Millions of people in Southern Sudan already live life on the brink, and when you throw in a war which drives them from their homes at planting or harvesting time, pollutes their limited water sources, demolishes their few schools and clinics, and destroys their cattle, the results will again be horrific. I hate war!

Right now the government bombers (Russian made Antenovs) are again flying over Kiechkuon. This is an area of swamps where thousands had fled to avoid the fighting. It is in what is called the Upper Nile. Hardly anything grows there because of the extreme dryness during the long hot seasons, and the torrential rain in the rainy seasons. These people have been trying to stay alive with no medical assistance, no education, no stores, roads, or monetary system. ADRA moved in to their area a few months ago to try and bring some relief to their desperate needs. They didn't have much, but at least they didn't have war there.

But within the last few weeks 12 bombs were dropped very near our compound. The only casualties were two cows, thankfully, but the people are terrified and trying to escape - except there is no place to go! It is a very flat land, with no trees, and no place to hide. The bombers will be able to pinpoint their targets and be extremely accurate. I hate war!

Last week the rebel movement in the area was involved in a hostage taking incident. A UN security officer had flown in to a town quite removed from Kiechkuon, but still in the Upper Nile Region. He, the pilot, and the plane were immediately taken as hostages. At this point the negotiations are not succeeding, so the UN was holding meetings today to determine their response. One scenario being discussed is to force all NGO staff in the entire region to evacuate and leave the area without any outside assistance until the crisis is solved. I hope it doesn't come to that, because of the extreme suffering of the simple people during the time we are gone. I hate war!

As most of you know, Barbara and I are far removed from the fighting. We live hundreds of kilometers away in a very large, very modern city - Nairobi, Kenya. It has multilane highways, sky scrapers, shopping centers, and malls. It is as safe as most major cities in our world (that doesn't say much does it? :-)

Since there is no infrastructure in Southern Sudan (no banking, communications, etc) we have to maintain our office in Nairobi with a branch up near the border between Kenya and Sudan (Lokichogio) where the UN maintains flight access to most areas of Southern Sudan. Now we are opening another branch in Arua, Uganda where the South Sudan Field has their headquarters. This will provide us with land access to the western part of the country.

But still, even though I am not there where the war is a daily occurrence and the bomb shelter the most used room, I can see the fear in my friends eyes as they tell me about "sleeping on thorns" (their way of saying they dove for any available cover when the "eggs" started falling). I can hear the hurt in their voices when they tell me about the little children who long so much for a chance to go to school, and who are SO tired of hiding from the Antenovs. And I want to cry when my Sudanese friends start telling me about the family members they have lost during the last 30 years of fighting. I hate war!

Oh may the Lord come quickly and put an end to it all! And may He give us the wisdom and protection we need to be able to continue offering some measure of help and comfort to these people.

Homer Trecartin
Finance Director
ADRA South Sudan

It’s not war. It’s genocide! It’s not war regardless of how many times propagandists say it’s war.

If you think it justified to condemn a Christian Sudanese gov't official as a terrorist simply because he is a gov't official, then that is the same as condemning Daniel for burning down the temple, and murdering lots of Jews. The logic is flawed.

Pickle,

You are right. I don’t mean to condemn postal workers or Bible prophets.

My argument is that spreading messages of peace, good will, reconciliation and love is good and that genocide is evil. I think it’s evil for propagandists and the puppets of the government in Khartoum to cover genocide with false charity. I believe that the Seventh-day Adventist leaders who were doing this willingly with the Sudanese representative, exchanging praise and glaze, as featured on the main news bulletin of Sudanese national radio, satellite television and Arabic news for propaganda purposes, are guilty of crimes against humanity.

Why is it that when you do a search on Google for +sudan +genocide you get 35,000 to 41,100 hits, but you can’t find a single compassionate thought in any of our publications for the suffering Sudanese Christians during the last 19 years?

After the Sudan Peace Act is passed and forced negotiations begin in Sudan under threat of US reprisal, what do Seventh-day Adventists proclaim?

The Review and Herald Nov. 21, 2002:

GC Official Applauds the U.S. Congress For Signing the Sudan Peace Act

The director of legislative affairs for the Seventh-day Adventist world church has applauded the action of the United States Congress in passing the Sudan Peace Act.

In a recently released statement, James Standish says: “The Sudan Peace Act is the fruit of a concerted effort by a disparate coalition of faith groups who are working tirelessly to bring U.S. pressure to bear on the Khartoum government to stop brutal persecution of people of faith in that nation.”

Bush signed the Sudan Peace Act into law on October 21. In a statement released by the White House, he said, “The Act is designed to help address the evils inflicted on the people of Sudan by their government—including senseless suffering, use of emergency food relief as a weapon of war, and the practice of slavery.”

More than two million people have been killed and four million displaced since 1983, and there has still been no significant movement toward peace. There have been reports of more than 150 bombings of civilian targets, destroying lives, property, infrastructure, and disrupting humanitarian-relief activities.

The Adventist Church has actively worked to stop persecution in Sudan. The church’s annual World Report on Religious Freedom lists Sudan among the nations with the most severe restrictions on religious liberty. This past spring in Geneva, Jonathan Gallagher, United Nations liaison director for the Adventist Church, expressed the church’s concern to the U.N. Commission for Human Rights over the horrific violence against Christians and animists in the country.

The Adventist Church’s South Sudan field, located in Uganda, has more than 4,000 members, while its Sudan field office, in Central Khartoum, has more than 5,000 members. In a population of more than 37 million, only five percent who are Christians.

The Adventist Church has actively worked to stop persecution in Sudan.

I demonstrated plenty of evidence to the contrary.