Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America Calls Members to Serve as Conduits of Peace Amid Racial Tensions

Racial tensions in the United States have risen further after the recent shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, by police officers in Wisconsin, according to a statement issued by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.

The statement says the event, like countless others, has amplified the voices of Black Americans and others who are seeking justice for acts of violence committed against their community.

The church says it hears those voices and calls on its churches and members to serve as conduits of peace and hope to their Black brothers and sisters. The statement says the church recognizes their pain and the injustice they face, and that it strives to serve as their voice when they are silenced by those seeking to quiet them. Members are urged to act as peacemakers in this moment (Matthew 5:9).

The statement calls for changes in how the Black community is treated by those in positions of trust and protection. It says that when acts of racism and violence hurt the Black community, all people are affected. As God’s children, it says, Christians can and must do better in how they treat each other equitably.

The statement cites Matthew 12:25 (NKJV).

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