May 17, 2012 São Paulo, Brazil
Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

Concluding a spring meeting for the South American Division, Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson put his foot down, literally.

First, however, the sole of Wilson's foot was dabbed with rubber-stamp pad ink. Then, joined by division and union leaders here, each similarly "inked," he stepped down on a map of South America. Each leader repeated the process.

Adventist Church President Ted N. C. Wilson and South American Division President Erton Köhler, second and third from left, pose with map showing footprints, symbolic of claiming a territory for Jesus. Leaders are raising $50 million for outreach in key cities around South America. [photo: Mark Kellner]

This visual demonstration had a scriptural basis, declared SAD President Erton Köhler: Just as God promised to Joshua and the children of Israel the land wherever Moses' successor trod (Joshua 1:3), Adventists were claiming the division for Jesus. Each of the 17 unions had its own map, all bearing the footprint of a leader.

Backing up the dramatic display was an even more dramatic commitment: the South American Division expects to raise US$50 million to fund outreach in dozens of locations in 2013. Buenos Aires, the heart of a 13-million population metropolitan area, will be the chief priority, but every other union has identified a big city as an outreach target.

The Argentinian capital is of special interest, for the city is one where only 9.1 percent of the population consider themselves "evangelicals," while 18 percent aren't interested in any religion at all. Ten challenges have been outlined by the Argentine Union, including the establishment of a clinic, a vegetarian restaurant, Adventist schools and churches in the federal capital, or central city. "Mission Caleb," a youth outreach program, hopes to enlist 3,000 young people, and the church plans to distribute 300,000 DVDs titled "The Last Hope."

These efforts, along with outreach to former Adventists, a special project at Radio Novo Tempo (New Times), and 167 small evangelism campaigns, culminating in a satellite series by Pastor Luís Gonçalves in September 2013, are expected to lead at least 3,000 people to baptism in the city, along with the establishment of four new congregations.

Similar goals are planned for many other cities, including Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus in Brazil; Asunción in Paraguay; Cochabamba and La Paz in Bolivia; Santiago and Valparaiso in Chile; Montevideo, Uruguay; Quito and Guyaquil in Ecuador; and Lima and Trujillo in Peru, among others.

In an impassioned message to division leaders, Wilson recalled Jesus looking out over Jerusalem and weeping – not for the buildings, but for its people.

Wilson asked, "Are you weeping for the cities of the South American Division? [Jesus] wasn't weeping for the city itself, He was weeping for the people of the city. Because you see, the city is made up of thousands and thousands of people."

During a day of stirring reports about evangelistic outreach and literature distribution – South American church members placed 25 million copies of "The Great Hope" in the hands of residents in nine countries on March 24 – Wilson recalled his own effort that day in São Paulo, and said he’s advertising the success in many places.

"Let me tell you, the world is amazed at what South America has done," Wilson declared.

He added, "But these big cities, many of them have no idea about Jesus. So the General Conference and the world divisions have focused on mission to the cities, bringing hope to the cities. The hope of Jesus' soon coming."

At the same time, Wilson said, evangelism must be grounded in our own personal connection to the One we're seeking to introduce to others.

"All of these plans, slogans and visuals ... will mean nothing if you and I do not know personally that person [Jesus], the One who saved us. The One who will come to take us home. The main reason we do this for all of the cities of the world is to introduce them to Him."

Apr 30, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Bettina Krause/IRLA with Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

When veteran religious liberty advocate Knox Thames addressed the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom last week, he held a piece of rubble from a Seventh-day Adventist church building in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, demolished some years ago by government authorities. 

Thames, who directs Policy and Research for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he has seen first-hand the results of the current global religious liberty crisis while representing the U.S. Department of State worldwide.

Expanding religious liberty worldwide requires citizen participation, panelists at the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom said April 24. From left, Knox Thames, director of Policy and Research for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Ambassador Robert Seiple, president of the Center for America's First Freedom; and Richard T. Foltin, director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. [photo: Ansel Oliver]

Yet, at the same time, Thames sounded a note of optimism. “I’m not without hope that religious liberty advocates can make a real difference,” he told an audience of 900 religious liberty advocates, government officials, scholars and legal experts in the Dominican Republic to examine the influence of secularism on religious expression.    

Thames illustrated the power of advocacy by chronicling the state of religious restrictions in Turkmenistan.

After a decade of advocacy by individuals and organizations, the U.S. and other governments were motivated to pressure Turkmenistan to ease restrictions, Thames said. Today, minority faith groups such as the Adventist Church face eased registration requirements in the central Asian country, he said.

“I have seen that the efforts of individuals, faith groups and non-governmental organizations can save lives, change laws and expand religious freedom,” Thames said. He warned that ongoing advocacy is difficult and results are never assured. He also advised advocates to act with discernment and persistence, and to reject the temptation to exaggerate their cause or to speak without knowing all the facts.

Later, Thames joined president of the Center for America’s First Freedom Robert Seiple and director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee Richard T. Foltin to discuss the role of grassroots advocacy.

Whether it’s involvement in local religious freedom issues or helping to change the situation for believers in Laos or Vietnam, the presence of non-governmental organizations and private citizens is essential to the promotion and protection of religious liberty, the panel said.

“Governments can be very, very helpful. But ultimately it has to be people who are committed to this for the duration,” Seiple said. “Never expect more from the government than the government is prepared to do.”

Thames noted that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s budget is limited, so they are “delighted to partner with NGOs and religious organizations” to monitor religious freedom on the ground overseas. The commission exists to inform the U.S. Congress on issues of religious freedom worldwide.

While different organizations can and do united on common issues, having “space” for differences of opinion is also vital, Foltin said.

“To get your voice heard, you have to leverage your presence by working in coalition,” he said. “What’s important is that there’s a relationship that allows us to work together.”

And whether the issue is local or global, Seiple added, achieving results can often take far longer than expected. He noted that it was only after decades of work in Laos and Vietnam that NGOs began to see positive results. And in some countries, where an American diplomat may have difficulty in presenting a wide range of issues, the NGO that focuses on global engagement in the religious freedom sphere can often be more warmly received, he said.

All three experts stressed the need for NGOs and religious liberty advocates to get young people involved. Thames reaches out via the Twitter messaging service; Seiple commended youth involvement; and Foltin observed that it’s also necessary to let young people express differing opinions as part of the engagement process.

Apr 30, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Bettina Krause/IRLA with Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

When veteran religious liberty advocate Knox Thames addressed the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom last week, he held a piece of rubble from a Seventh-day Adventist church building in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, demolished some years ago by government authorities. 

Thames, who directs Policy and Research for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he has seen first-hand the results of the current global religious liberty crisis while representing the U.S. Department of State worldwide.

Expanding religious liberty worldwide requires citizen participation, panelists at the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom said April 24. From left, Knox Thames, director of Policy and Research for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Ambassador Robert Seiple, president of the Center for America's First Freedom; and Richard T. Foltin, director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. [photo: Ansel Oliver]

Yet, at the same time, Thames sounded a note of optimism. “I’m not without hope that religious liberty advocates can make a real difference,” he told an audience of 900 religious liberty advocates, government officials, scholars and legal experts in the Dominican Republic to examine the influence of secularism on religious expression.    

Thames illustrated the power of advocacy by chronicling the state of religious restrictions in Turkmenistan.

After a decade of advocacy by individuals and organizations, the U.S. and other governments were motivated to pressure Turkmenistan to ease restrictions, Thames said. Today, minority faith groups such as the Adventist Church face eased registration requirements in the central Asian country, he said.

“I have seen that the efforts of individuals, faith groups and non-governmental organizations can save lives, change laws and expand religious freedom,” Thames said. He warned that ongoing advocacy is difficult and results are never assured. He also advised advocates to act with discernment and persistence, and to reject the temptation to exaggerate their cause or to speak without knowing all the facts.

Later, Thames joined president of the Center for America’s First Freedom Robert Seiple and director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee Richard T. Foltin to discuss the role of grassroots advocacy.

Whether it’s involvement in local religious freedom issues or helping to change the situation for believers in Laos or Vietnam, the presence of non-governmental organizations and private citizens is essential to the promotion and protection of religious liberty, the panel said.

“Governments can be very, very helpful. But ultimately it has to be people who are committed to this for the duration,” Seiple said. “Never expect more from the government than the government is prepared to do.”

Thames noted that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s budget is limited, so they are “delighted to partner with NGOs and religious organizations” to monitor religious freedom on the ground overseas. The commission exists to inform the U.S. Congress on issues of religious freedom worldwide.

While different organizations can and do united on common issues, having “space” for differences of opinion is also vital, Foltin said.

“To get your voice heard, you have to leverage your presence by working in coalition,” he said. “What’s important is that there’s a relationship that allows us to work together.”

And whether the issue is local or global, Seiple added, achieving results can often take far longer than expected. He noted that it was only after decades of work in Laos and Vietnam that NGOs began to see positive results. And in some countries, where an American diplomat may have difficulty in presenting a wide range of issues, the NGO that focuses on global engagement in the religious freedom sphere can often be more warmly received, he said.

All three experts stressed the need for NGOs and religious liberty advocates to get young people involved. Thames reaches out via the Twitter messaging service; Seiple commended youth involvement; and Foltin observed that it’s also necessary to let young people express differing opinions as part of the engagement process.

Apr 26, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mark A. Kellner, News Editor, Adventist Review

It's one thing to lose a job because of your religious beliefs. It's quite another to be deprived of your freedom -- or even your life.

Those are perhaps the most extreme challenges facing believers of many different faiths around the world today, and the situation can sometimes change without warning or even explanation, attendees at the 7th World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association heard this week during a panel discussion in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

From left, Vladimir Ryahovsky of the Slavic Center for Law & Justice; Kevin L. Kimball of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Rev. Susan L. Taylor of the Church of Scientology; and Tiffany Barrans, of the American Center for Law and Justice discuss the state of religious liberty worldwide during the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom April 25. [photo: Ansel Oliver]

Tiffany Barrans, international legal director for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) in Washington, D.C., recalled the torture and murder of Pakistani Christian businessman Rasheed Masih in 2010. Four Muslim competitors lured Masih to a rural farmhouse, ostensibly to discuss the potato business. Instead, they tried to force Masih to convert to Islam, and, it was alleged, beat him to death when Masih refused.

ACLJ's European affiliate got involved and, working with attorneys in Pakistan, helped secure convictions of three of the alleged killers, each of whom received a life sentence.

The center is also very active on behalf of Iranian Christian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, arrested in 2009 on charges of "apostasy" from Islam, a faith Nadarkhani never practiced. He was sentenced to death in 2010, but massive international pressure has delayed the execution so far.

Barrans said of the ACLJ's work, "Our attempt is to use the judicial system ... and create a precedent, so people know they cannot kill, cannot beat and cannot hurt the religious minority with impunity," she said.

In both Russia and Kazakstan, the roughly 60-year-old Church of Scientology is facing persecution and discrimination, said the Rev. Susan L. Taylor, president of the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington, D.C.

"Last December, police entered our church in Moscow full force, burst into homes of staff members, and also brought a man from a TV station to film the raid," Taylor said. "The idea is to close down various churches of Scientology," she added.

"In Kazakstan, we're also experiencing persecution. Members have had to go underground," Taylor said. "In Almaty, the Ahmadi Muslims were shut down all over Kazakstan, and a local news report asked, 'Is the Methodist Church next?'"

Scientologists, Taylor explained, "have a policy in our church that we abide by the rules of the land. Working in that framework, we fight for our rights, we fight to exist."

Attorney Kevin Kimball, legal counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, presented his personal views on the subject, saying he was "a longtime student of religious liberty" issues.

"We protect and reverence the right of liberty, the privilege of worshipping almighty God," Kimball noted after quoting statements from several LDS leaders including founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Societies, he said, "need to respect other's rights to practice their own religions."

Such respect is growing in the Dominican Republic, Kimball said. In 2011, the national government enacted a law granting civil (legal) recognition to marriages performed by churches other than the Roman Catholic Church. He said this was an important step for Dominican churches and their members.

Now, leaders of evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist, LDS and other churches are meeting informally to advance other laws aimed at gaining rights and privileges in Dominican society, he noted.

"It's our hope that we will continue to build on the momentum we have here, [during this] period of time when our host country affords a measure of religious freedom," Kimball said. The goal, he added, "is not to diminish rights the Catholic Church has, but to extend those rights to other religions."

For Vladimir Ryahovsky of the Slavic Center for Law & Justice (SCLJ) in Moscow, the challenges are basic. "I represent a country where the institution of religious freedom is still in the process of developing," he said.

While there was considerable religious freedom after the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of it was later withdrawn. Evangelical Christian movement The Salvation Army was under fire from Russian authorities because of the word "Army" in their name and the fact that the movement's international leader carries the rank of "General." Ryahovsky's group helped in an eight-year legal battle to gain recognition for The Salvation Army in the country.

The SCLJ focuses much of its activity on educating lawyers, judges and government officials on the details of religious freedom. "We organize training seminars for religious organizations as well as for governmental officials. [University] chairs of church/state relations have been established; and we publish an academic journal on 'Religion & Law' to which many people subscribe," Ryahovsky said.

Apr 30, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Bettina Krause/IRLA with Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

When veteran religious liberty advocate Knox Thames addressed the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom last week, he held a piece of rubble from a Seventh-day Adventist church building in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, demolished some years ago by government authorities. 

Thames, who directs Policy and Research for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he has seen first-hand the results of the current global religious liberty crisis while representing the U.S. Department of State worldwide.

Expanding religious liberty worldwide requires citizen participation, panelists at the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom said April 24. From left, Knox Thames, director of Policy and Research for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Ambassador Robert Seiple, president of the Center for America's First Freedom; and Richard T. Foltin, director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. [photo: Ansel Oliver]

Yet, at the same time, Thames sounded a note of optimism. “I’m not without hope that religious liberty advocates can make a real difference,” he told an audience of 900 religious liberty advocates, government officials, scholars and legal experts in the Dominican Republic to examine the influence of secularism on religious expression.    

Thames illustrated the power of advocacy by chronicling the state of religious restrictions in Turkmenistan.

After a decade of advocacy by individuals and organizations, the U.S. and other governments were motivated to pressure Turkmenistan to ease restrictions, Thames said. Today, minority faith groups such as the Adventist Church face eased registration requirements in the central Asian country, he said.

“I have seen that the efforts of individuals, faith groups and non-governmental organizations can save lives, change laws and expand religious freedom,” Thames said. He warned that ongoing advocacy is difficult and results are never assured. He also advised advocates to act with discernment and persistence, and to reject the temptation to exaggerate their cause or to speak without knowing all the facts.

Later, Thames joined president of the Center for America’s First Freedom Robert Seiple and director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee Richard T. Foltin to discuss the role of grassroots advocacy.

Whether it’s involvement in local religious freedom issues or helping to change the situation for believers in Laos or Vietnam, the presence of non-governmental organizations and private citizens is essential to the promotion and protection of religious liberty, the panel said.

“Governments can be very, very helpful. But ultimately it has to be people who are committed to this for the duration,” Seiple said. “Never expect more from the government than the government is prepared to do.”

Thames noted that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s budget is limited, so they are “delighted to partner with NGOs and religious organizations” to monitor religious freedom on the ground overseas. The commission exists to inform the U.S. Congress on issues of religious freedom worldwide.

While different organizations can and do united on common issues, having “space” for differences of opinion is also vital, Foltin said.

“To get your voice heard, you have to leverage your presence by working in coalition,” he said. “What’s important is that there’s a relationship that allows us to work together.”

And whether the issue is local or global, Seiple added, achieving results can often take far longer than expected. He noted that it was only after decades of work in Laos and Vietnam that NGOs began to see positive results. And in some countries, where an American diplomat may have difficulty in presenting a wide range of issues, the NGO that focuses on global engagement in the religious freedom sphere can often be more warmly received, he said.

All three experts stressed the need for NGOs and religious liberty advocates to get young people involved. Thames reaches out via the Twitter messaging service; Seiple commended youth involvement; and Foltin observed that it’s also necessary to let young people express differing opinions as part of the engagement process.

Apr 19, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

The formula for contributions by world divisions to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists will change in 2013, if suggestions recommended by global church leaders on the concluding day of the movement’s Spring Meeting are adopted later this year.

Robert E. Lemon is treasurer of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Here, he delivers the Treasurer's Report during Spring Meeting at the Adventist Church headquarters on April 18. [photos by Ansel Oliver/ANN]

By 2020, the North American Division would annually contribute 6 percent of its gross tithe receipts to the General Conference budget, down from 8 percent today. Other world divisions – of which there are 12 – may see their annual contribution increase to 3 percent of gross tithe, although that is less certain. A commission is being formed to study the matter and report back to the 2014 Annual Council, said Robert E. Lemon, treasurer of the Adventist world church.

“This request will allow the North American Division to carry out its missional goals and the funds will be used to advance the work throughout the division,” said Tom Evans, treasurer of the North American Division, in a statement. “The North American Division has been blessed in being instrumental in the growth of the world church since its inception,” Evans added.

Because an adjustment in the contribution percentage is a matter of policy, leaders explained, it can be voted only at an Annual Council, next slated to take place in October 2012 at the world headquarters. For now, church leaders have authorized the General Conference’s Treasury department “to prepare the budget based on these assumptions,” that the change would be made, said Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference.

In explaining the move, Lemon said the North American Division, or NAD, the region where Adventism was born, “needs to remain strong. … In addition to that, every part of the world considers NAD to be their territory and they come and raise funds in NAD. We have to understand the level of commitment NAD had given over the history of the church has given to mission.”

After the measure was approved, on a voice vote, Wilson said, “Let me underscore the appreciation on the part of the world field and the General Conference for the generosity on the part of the North American Division for decades. We do value it and appreciate it.”

Juan R. Prestol, undertreasurer of the Adventist world church, addresses a question from the floor at Spring Meeting at the Adventist Church's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

In other actions at Spring Meeting, the Executive Committee voted to approve a “Client Identification and Cost-Sharing Action Plan” for the General Conference Auditing Service, or GCAS, which would shift some audit work to local, outside firms, and require church units to financially participate in the costs of audits conducted by the GC organization.

The 35-year-old GCAS operation is currently tasked with financial compliance audits of many church operations around the world, from divisions to remote clinics staffed by one or two people, said Lemon. While the North American Division pays for its audits, the General Conference pays for most of the rest, leaving an $8 million annual shortfall. In view of this, reorganization would ease the dollar drain, he said.

“This is a very comprehensive and needed action, but it's complicated,” Wilson noted during discussion of the measure. Passed on a voice vote, further plans are to be discussed at Annual Council.

In other financial news, Lemon reported the General Conference operated in 2011 at $10 million below budget caps, and received an additional $18.8 million in unexpected income due to foreign exchange rates and other considerations. The Spring Meeting leaders voted to allocate $15 million to a variety of outreach and development projects aimed at reaching non-Adventists and strengthening church members in their faith walk.

Apr 24, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

Addressing nearly 900 delegates and guests at the Seventh World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association, Denton Lotz, a noted Baptist minister and IRLA president, summarized the purpose of this three-day event: "We're here today because we believe that freedom of religion is basic to all human rights."

That view, sadly, is not shared in many parts of the world, something Lotz said made holding the sessions even more important.

"It's incumbent upon us to work together that we live together in harmony and concord," Lotz said to an audience of leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other communities. "We don't need religious wars."

IRLA Secretary General John Graz addresses nearly 900 delegates at the 7th World Congress in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, April 24. The congress is examining the challenges to religious freedom posed by secularism. [photos by Ansel Oliver]

That violence against believers remains a problem was evident from a session-opening video presentation noting the death sentences pronounced – but not yet carried out – on Christians in Pakistan and Iran on charges of "blasphemy," and the assassinations of Pakistani officials Salman Tasser, governor of Punjab province and minorities minister, Shahbaz Bhatti. Also cited was the extreme religious repression found in North Korea.

While the main congress theme, "Secularism and Religious Freedom – Conflict or Partnership" may seem far removed from lands where persecution is active, Lotz took a different view.

"Most people worldwide suffer from a lack of religious freedom. Seventy percent of the world lives in places of religious repression," he said.

Speaking to an audience that included Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Mormons and Scientologists, among others, IRLA secretary-general John Graz noted the world congress is a multifaceted event.

"This congress is about religious freedom, but it is not a religious event," Graz said. "We are all here together. We represent different faiths, different religions and different churches. We are different, but we are respectful of each other."

Denton Lotz, IRLA president, gives a keynote address on secularism and religious freedom.

With the theme of "Secularism and Religious Freedom -- Conflict or Partnership," speakers and delegates will attempt to negotiate the challenges of a world which is increasingly hostile to a variety of religious expression in the public square. While standing for separation of church and state, IRLA leader Lotz issued a call for religion to avoid following a secular society's lead.

"When religion becomes secular, I believe it is the greatest challenge to religious freedom, allowing secularism to define what a religion believes," Lotz told delegates. "When we allow the secularization of our faith to transcend the transcendent, it loses its meaning," he added.

According to Lotz, "Religion will die when it no longer focuses on God, but only on autonomous man. Religion will thrive when it focuses on God."

In a statement read to delegates, the country's president, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, offered "a most cordial welcome to the Dominican Republic, a land of freedom. The Dominican Republic is a place of freedom for Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of other faiths."

Apr 26, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Bettina Krause

Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson today challenged believers to grasp the opportunities for open discourse that a secular state preserves.

His comments came during a keynote address to the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom. The gathering has drawn hundreds of religious liberty advocates, government officials, scholars and legal experts to the Dominican Republic this week to examine the influence of secularism on religious expression.

Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson addresses the audience at the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom on April 26. Tensions between the "values of believers" and secular culture are an inevitable part of a free society, he said. [photos: Ansel Oliver]

Although acknowledging the inevitable conflict between the values of believers and that of secular culture, Wilson said, “We have to accept this tension as part of a free society. We have to accept the challenges and find appropriate responses, through God’s leading.”

Wilson drew a distinction between “radical” or “extreme” secularism—which seeks to exclude religion from the public sphere—and “secular governance,” which remains neutral toward religions and protects the religious freedom rights of minorities.

“If intolerant and ideological secularism attacks our religious values, we have to stand up for them with conviction,” he said.  Wilson cited examples of where secularism has been taken too far, including attempts to prohibit Muslim girls from wearing headscarves to public school, or to mandate the provision of abortions by institutions that reject the practice as a matter of conscience.

“It’s taken too far when the mention of creation of the world is totally forbidden in the public schools or when Christian agencies for adoption of children are threatened to lose their legal recognition, if they refuse to list as potential parents same sex couples,” he said.

However, Wilson also said that people of faith should reject the temptation to see a “religious state” as an acceptable alternative to secular governance. “If the state gives one religion a privileged legal position, no equality is possible and life becomes a nightmare for those who are different,” he said.

Nigel Coke is an International Religious Liberty Association leader in Jamaica. He is one of nearly 900 delegates at the IRLA 7th World Congress in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic this week.

“Which type of society is it that condemns to death someone for apostasy because they have changed religions?” he asked. “Is that a secularized or religious society?”

Wilson said that Adventism’s strong heritage of religious freedom activism and its support for state neutrality between religions has firm biblical foundations, and that Adventists “feel very close to believers who have stood for religious freedom during thousands of years of restrictions and persecution.”

He said his life-long passion for promoting religious liberty has its roots in memories of his father, Neal Wilson—a former world church leader—who often spent hours with government officials explaining the value of freedom of conscience.

“We need to instill in young people the love for preserving religious liberty and freedom of conscience,” said Wilson. “Let us encourage them to join in this vitally important pursuit of freedom of conscience for all.”

Apr 26, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mark A. Kellner, News Editor, Adventist Review

It's one thing to lose a job because of your religious beliefs. It's quite another to be deprived of your freedom -- or even your life.

Those are perhaps the most extreme challenges facing believers of many different faiths around the world today, and the situation can sometimes change without warning or even explanation, attendees at the 7th World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association heard this week during a panel discussion in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

From left, Vladimir Ryahovsky of the Slavic Center for Law & Justice; Kevin L. Kimball of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Rev. Susan L. Taylor of the Church of Scientology; and Tiffany Barrans, of the American Center for Law and Justice discuss the state of religious liberty worldwide during the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom April 25. [photo: Ansel Oliver]

Tiffany Barrans, international legal director for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) in Washington, D.C., recalled the torture and murder of Pakistani Christian businessman Rasheed Masih in 2010. Four Muslim competitors lured Masih to a rural farmhouse, ostensibly to discuss the potato business. Instead, they tried to force Masih to convert to Islam, and, it was alleged, beat him to death when Masih refused.

ACLJ's European affiliate got involved and, working with attorneys in Pakistan, helped secure convictions of three of the alleged killers, each of whom received a life sentence.

The center is also very active on behalf of Iranian Christian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, arrested in 2009 on charges of "apostasy" from Islam, a faith Nadarkhani never practiced. He was sentenced to death in 2010, but massive international pressure has delayed the execution so far.

Barrans said of the ACLJ's work, "Our attempt is to use the judicial system ... and create a precedent, so people know they cannot kill, cannot beat and cannot hurt the religious minority with impunity," she said.

In both Russia and Kazakstan, the roughly 60-year-old Church of Scientology is facing persecution and discrimination, said the Rev. Susan L. Taylor, president of the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington, D.C.

"Last December, police entered our church in Moscow full force, burst into homes of staff members, and also brought a man from a TV station to film the raid," Taylor said. "The idea is to close down various churches of Scientology," she added.

"In Kazakstan, we're also experiencing persecution. Members have had to go underground," Taylor said. "In Almaty, the Ahmadi Muslims were shut down all over Kazakstan, and a local news report asked, 'Is the Methodist Church next?'"

Scientologists, Taylor explained, "have a policy in our church that we abide by the rules of the land. Working in that framework, we fight for our rights, we fight to exist."

Attorney Kevin Kimball, legal counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, presented his personal views on the subject, saying he was "a longtime student of religious liberty" issues.

"We protect and reverence the right of liberty, the privilege of worshipping almighty God," Kimball noted after quoting statements from several LDS leaders including founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Societies, he said, "need to respect other's rights to practice their own religions."

Such respect is growing in the Dominican Republic, Kimball said. In 2011, the national government enacted a law granting civil (legal) recognition to marriages performed by churches other than the Roman Catholic Church. He said this was an important step for Dominican churches and their members.

Now, leaders of evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist, LDS and other churches are meeting informally to advance other laws aimed at gaining rights and privileges in Dominican society, he noted.

"It's our hope that we will continue to build on the momentum we have here, [during this] period of time when our host country affords a measure of religious freedom," Kimball said. The goal, he added, "is not to diminish rights the Catholic Church has, but to extend those rights to other religions."

For Vladimir Ryahovsky of the Slavic Center for Law & Justice (SCLJ) in Moscow, the challenges are basic. "I represent a country where the institution of religious freedom is still in the process of developing," he said.

While there was considerable religious freedom after the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of it was later withdrawn. Evangelical Christian movement The Salvation Army was under fire from Russian authorities because of the word "Army" in their name and the fact that the movement's international leader carries the rank of "General." Ryahovsky's group helped in an eight-year legal battle to gain recognition for The Salvation Army in the country.

The SCLJ focuses much of its activity on educating lawyers, judges and government officials on the details of religious freedom. "We organize training seminars for religious organizations as well as for governmental officials. [University] chairs of church/state relations have been established; and we publish an academic journal on 'Religion & Law' to which many people subscribe," Ryahovsky said.