Mission experts and directors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Global Mission religious study centers met together December 5 to 8 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to share reports and discuss future directions for Adventist relations with other religions throughout the world.

“Global Mission has established religious study centers for Buddhism, Secularism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam, to help the church better understand and more effectively communicate with people of differing beliefs,” says Dr. Michael Ryan, director of Global Mission. “The Adventist Church is a witnessing community, but we condemn using force or any unethical means to persuade others. We respect their dignity, and their right to choose their religious beliefs. The study centers help us build bridges, without giving offense to other religions.”

Jerry Whitehouse, director of the Adventist-Islamic Relations Center, reported on the special focus of his work since the September 11 terrorist attacks. “There is an increased openness among Muslims to discussion with other faiths,” he said. Not only has this tragedy provided many new opportunities for interfaith dialogue, he added, it has also given the center the chance to help correct misunderstandings within the Adventist and wider Christian community regarding Islam.

Whitehouse also reflected on current developments within Islam. “The vision of the ‘better future’ prevalent in the materialistic, hedonistic West is increasingly being rejected by the East, especially the Muslim world,” he said. “A return to fundamentalism in a religious sense is the answer many are turning to.”

Many of the reports focused on new ways to make Adventist faith and worship meaningful to people in different cultures. Presenters stressed that a responsible Christian witness must be sensitive to cultural differences.

Discussion also centered on how to translate Adventist beliefs into a language that people from other cultures and religious traditions can understand. “There’s a tremendous gulf,” said Ryan, “between the worldviews of certain world religions and the worldview of Seventh-day Adventists.” Despite this, many of the study center directors emphasized areas that Adventists hold in common with other religions.

“Adventists have so many points in common [with Jews] that being Adventist brings us closer to the Jews than to any other ethnic or religious group,” said Richard Elofer, director of the Worldwide Jewish Friendship Center.

Participants at the meeting also began identifying agenda items for the next Global Mission Issues Committee, a group formed to address problems and challenges of working cross-culturally. Next scheduled to be held at the Adventist world headquarters in April 2002, the committee will discuss topics such as polygamy, ways that church organization can better facilitate mission, and the need for an abbreviated church manual for use in certain parts of the world.