ADVENTIST ECUMENICAL by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 6, 1881

ADVENTIST ECUMENICAL.

By Editor

THE Foreston, Ill., meeting of First-day Adventists was held, professedly, in the interest of a more perfect union between Advent believers other than Seventh-day Adventists. To the criticisms of the editor of the Bible Banner we have referred; now a correspondent of that paper, an old and well-known Adventist, writes a very conservative article, giving credit to the convention as far as he possibly can, and says:—

“It must, however, be confessed that the convention lacked—well, what?—say courage, may be, generosity. It came to the line Christianly, with open hand for universal Advent fellowship, then faltered, lost heart, and—showed a fist! at undeniably Christian brethren as devotedly working in the same one glorious faith. The bridge broke down at the middle span; the gulf yawns more ghastly than before.”

It is a fact which can neither be denied nor concealed, that the element of “unity of the faith,” and also that of “unity of the spirit,” are lacking in the body of First-day Adventists. And every effort which they make to unite only makes the fact more painfully prominent, even to themselves. We might suggest a remedy—an infallible one, because a Scriptural one, —but refrain for two reasons: 1. It has often been presented to them before; and 2. Our past experience in this direction teaches us that our informaion would not be kindly received. But there are some among them who are earnestly seeking for light, and for better and safer ground on which to stand. Our prayer is that the Spirit of God will guide them to a full reception of “the present truth”—the real Advent message—the closing message of the dispensation.