The regional black conferences (nine of them) issued a joint statement on Friday. The statement is vague, notable for innuendo, and nebulous for what it fails to make plain.
What We Can Infer
This statement is related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I’ll explain.
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder, the president of the central States Conference made a social media post decrying “murder, hate speech, racism, sexism, and all other forms of discrimination.” It was an odd post that should have stopped after the word murder, since that was the topic of the day. Adding several social justice components to it, drew some criticism from social media users.
Last Thursday, the Central States Conference affirmed Josiah’s social media post (not sure why they felt they needed to defend it). They also included denunciations against Amazing Facts and 3ABN, presumably because these two ministries were insufficiently hostile to Charlie Kirk.
On Friday, the Southwest Region Conference affirmed the Central States Conference’s statement affirming Cryston Josiah’s social media post.
Also on Friday, all the black regional conferences essentially affirmed the Southwest Region Conference affirming the Central States Conference’s statement affirming Cryston Josiah’s social media post. I think . .
Observations On The Above Statement
An innocent guy gets killed and the Office of Regional Conferences issues a statement about discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, caste and nationality. Huh? Talk about missing the point entirely. They should issue a statement decrying violence and murder, if they wish to be ‘relevant.’ Discrimination has nothing to do with the murder of Charlie Kirk. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they got carried away in the heat of the moment and forgot that the real issue is the violent silencing of voices you disagree with.
Justice is mentioned four times in this statement. If they are affirming that the murderer of Charlie Kirk should face justice, we agree. We call for the lawful prosecution of the murders of the last two weeks and urge Seventh-day Adventists to join us in praying for the repentance and salvation of the murderers. If they are trying to weave social justice into the story of Charlie’s murder, we renounce that as an ill-timed and inappropriate non-sequitur.
“In light of recent events and ongoing public discourse, we express our deep concern over the endorsement of public figures and platforms that promote Christian nationalism, racial superiority, xenophobia, and sexism.” This appears to be referring to people who demonstrated compassion to Charlie Kirk’s family after his killing, as some mature Adventists have done.
There have been various responses to Kirk’s assassination, ranging from glee to compassion. For the believer, the only response that heaven approves is compassion for such atrocities (Proverbs 24:17). Or at least the absence of glee. In the aftermath of Kirk's murder, most progressives (in the church and out of the church) completely misread the room. They could barely disguise their "he-had-it-coming" smugness. They have been doing this kind of thing for years. Harboring deep loathing of anything associated with conservatives has become their professional calling card and identity. Victimhood has become a religion that outstrips any other veneration of their life. Some people want Jesus to forgive them, but they have no intention of ever forgiving anyone they blame for problems in their own life. They are in for a shock on That Day (Matthew 6:14).
When Seventh-day Adventist media outlets or leaders support messages that marginalize or dehumanize others, it undermines our collective witness and contradicts the church’s stated values. On the surface, I agree. We should not marginalize or dehumanize others, including those who dehumanized Charlie Kirk after his death by suggesting that he got what he deserved, or were happy that his (effective) voice was silenced. Under the surface, this appears to be a undeserved stab at Amazing Facts and 3ABN. If not so, please feel free to clarify who exactly you are speaking about in your vague statement.
We invite open and respectful discourse among church members and leaders. Very commendable. We do too. So did Charlie—he was the poster child of open dialogue.
In summary, this statement appears to be complaining about something, but it’s vague, leaving many Adventists wondering what these conferences are saying. To eliminate conjecture please clarify what you are trying to say here, and explain the odd timing to us. Thanks and God bless you.
Walk with the King and be a blessing.
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