The Mission Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church And Politics In Ghana

Abstract

This thesis deals with the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church and politics in Ghana. Basically three schools of thought have been considered in this research namely sectarianism, “Christendom”, and the “Position of Balance”. The underlying issues that have been considered are: Adventist stances on voting, standing for elections, joining political parties, holding political office, political activism, social causes and political alignment of the Seventh-day Adventist church. This research made use of multiple approaches including historical and missiological approaches to explore the conflict that ensues among Adventists on the subject of politics. Data collection was through primary and secondary sources. It was observed by this research that, the religiosity of individual Ghanaian Adventists influence their behaviour toward public issues. Though Adventists in Ghana have the same creed, they do not have the same point of view. People who turn to be liberal in politics turn to be liberal in religion. On the other hand, those who interpret the bible and the writings of Ellen G. White literally, hold conservatives views in religion and politics. The issue is that the political stand of Adventists in Ghana is not homogenous. This thesis finds that pioneer Adventist had strong aversion for politics as shown in various statements they made against political involvement in the formative years of the church. However, there has been a shift in policies in line with the church’s relationship with the secular world and other churches. As such they accept secular notions that are not in conflict with their dogma. The thesis has established that politics has both perils and opportunities for Christians. There are dangers of compromise of principle and corruption of values when politics becomes all-absorbing. Conversely there are advantages for missionary endeavours for the Adventist church in Ghana.