The Seventh-day Adventist Church demands refutation of TV channel 2+2’s story on its practices

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has issued a formal statement condemning a recent report by the television channel “2 + 2” as a violation of journalistic standards. The Church administration claims the story, which focuses on its practices and financial structure, misrepresents its operations and damages its reputation. The Church has demanded that the channel refute the facts presented in the report.

The report, titled “Cretretal materials,” centers on the traditional tax, or tithe, that members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are expected to contribute. According to the report, the journalist investigated the Church’s financial practices, questioning why supporters are willing to sacrifice a portion of their income. The journalist sought responses from various Church representatives, including members of the Church, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and officials from Ukraine’s Religious Information Service.

The Church has emphasized that the report does not meet the standards of professional journalism and accuses the channel of unjustly tarnishing its reputation. The statement, authored by Max Balaklic and Igor Korzeczuk, a Master of Theology, asserts that the story is biased and that the information was obtained through a hidden camera, rather than through official, open channels. The authors argue that the necessary information could have been obtained through proper journalistic methods.

The statement also criticizes the report for relying on an anonymous source with a hidden face, which the authors claim lacks factual support. They dispute the report’s claims about how donations are allocated, asserting that the Church’s financial structure is transparent and that contributions are managed by the Conference, not individual communities. The Church maintains that its financial practices are fixed and not subject to community or individual control.

Max Balaklic, one of the statement’s authors, expressed concern over the report’s portrayal of the Church’s financial practices. He and Igor Korzeczuk argue that the report fails to accurately represent the Church’s operations and that the information presented is not substantiated by evidence. The Church has called for the channel to correct the inaccuracies and provide a balanced account of its activities.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Ukrainian)