The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

IV. Remarkable Total Testimony of Entire Denomination

But that is not all. In addition to the mass communications media of the foregoing sections, we must present, as a fitting close, the more than eighteen thousand evangelistic workers forming the ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church which sponsors the aforementioned major radio and television programs. Each and all of these hold to, and teach, Conditionalism. There are no exceptions. Moreover, they conduct their worldwide work in 189 of the 223 countries and subdivisions (of the United Nations’ listing), and operate in 928 languages —228 with publications. ⁶ CFF2 990.1

In addition to the national ministry indigenous to each country, they maintain a constant staff of some 2,300 foreign missionaries in these overseas lands, under Mission Board direction. ⁷ In all of the lands represented they uniformly teach Conditionalism. CFF2 990.2

1. HUGE LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION SUPPORTS CONDITIONALISM

It is impressive to note, first of all, that their 42 publishing houses—scattered strategically over the globe, issuing 285 periodicals, listing some 1,500 separate book titles in North America alone in 1962, and totaling more than $28,000,000 annual book and periodical sales ⁸—do not publish a single item that deviates from the Conditionalist position. ⁹ That likewise is a remarkable record and testimony. CFF2 990.3

This is the largest Christian body (with a total baptized ¹⁰ membership of one and a third million) in which all adherents, without exception, subscribe to and teach Conditionalism without reservations. And such profession is solely on the basis of Scripture evidence, buttressed by the testimony of history. CFF2 990.4

2. AVOWAL OF CONDITIONALISM PREREQUISITE TO BAPTISM

Again, the Seventh-day Adventist uniform Certificate of Baptism to which each candidate for membership individually subscribes and which is given to the candidate, contains seven articles pertaining to Conditional Immortality. ¹¹ To these the candidate must subscribe as a prerequisite to baptism and church membership. The result is a total worldwide body of one and a third million adherents to Conditionalism..in transferring membership to any other of the more than 13,000 churches in this sisterhood of churches encircling the globe, the individual member finds no deviation in belief as regards Conditionalism. CFF2 991.1

3. EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM COMMITTED TO CONDITIONALISM

Then, there is yet another unique phase-the Adventist denominational educational system. The 383 Seventh-day Adventist colleges and secondary schools (with 5,140 teachers and 59,583 students), as well as their 4,389 elementary church schools (with 9,143 teachers and 258,224 pupils), ¹² are all just as staunchly Conditionalist. And this adherence is appropriately intensified in their two universities. There the teachers and students similarly subscribe, with augmented emphasis. CFF2 991.2

This uniformity of emphasis-through grade school, high school, college, and university-is a record without parallel in educational annals. It shows how completely committed to Conditionalism is the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its component parts. It registers a witness that is consistent and undeviating. And this constitutes an integral part of the worldwide testimony of Conditionalism to mankind today. Altogether, it presents a contemporary witness unprecedented in coverage and uniformity of testimony. Such is the commitment of a dedicated Christian denomination to the Conditionalist faith of their forefathers, back across the centuries. CFF2 991.3