Church-state relations

A brief Seventh-day Adventist perspective

Jesus showed the best way of maintaining a relationship between church and state. He defined their separate roles and functions. If anyone had the right to force others to worship a certain way, it was Jesus Christ. But He never did.

Seventh-day Adventists believe governments must guarantee freedom of conscience. But what does this mean?

Adventists define freedom of conscience as the freedom to:
1. Believe and practice religious faith
2. Not believe or practice religious faith
3. Change faiths
4. Establish and operate religious institutions in accordance with religious beliefs.

We recognise this freedom has limits and can exist only as it protects and respects the rights of others.

The church encourages its members to serve as civil leaders, but warns them not to use influence to advance their faith or inhibit the faith of others. It also encourages its members to take civic and public responsibilities seriously, to vote and to share the responsibility of building community.

Adventists defend those persecuted by the state and we continue to support freedom of conscience and belief.

The Adventist Church in the South Pacific released a full statement on church-state relations in 2001.