A second round of bilateral talks between doctrinal experts from The Salvation Army and the Seventh-day Adventist Church were held March 7 to 10 in Jackson's Point, a town 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Representing the Adventist Church were Dr. Bert B. Beach of the Council on Inter-Church Relations; Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen, president of Andrews University; Dr. Andrea Luxton, associate education director for the world church; Biblical Research Institute director Dr. Angel Manuel Rodríguez and associate director Dr. Kwabena Donkor; Dr. John Graz, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the world church; Dr Mario Ochoa, executive vice president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency; and Dr. Woodrow Whidden, professor of historical theology at Andrews University.

"The fact that we had met before made this meeting very warm and easygoing," said Dr. Rodríguez. "We had a spirit of friendship together. It was a nice emotional atmosphere."

Added Dr. Beach, "This dialogue has confirmed and reinforced the good relations we have developed years-long with The Salvation Army. It was a fruitful and friendly meeting and we look forward [to] having a follow-up session."

In addition to Col. Earl Robinson, the Army's secretary for International External Relations, the Salvationist delegation included: Col. Benita Robinson, associate secretary for International External Relations; Maj. Karen Shakespeare, assistant training program director, William Booth College, London, England; Colonel Prathipaty Devavaram, Salvation Army Territorial Commander for India; Maj. Lester Fergusson, divisional commander in Nassau, Bahamas; Maj. Edwin Okorougo, principal of The Salvation Army Training College, Lagos, Nigeria; Dr. Roger Green, professor and chair of Biblical and Theological Studies, Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts, United States; Lars Lydholm, information director, The Salvation Army, Copenhagen, Denmark; and Major Barbara Robinson, Women's Ministries and Adjunct Professor, William and Catherine Booth College, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The meetings -- a result of a quarter-century of informal contacts -- continued conversations between the two worldwide Christian movements, each founded in the 19th century: Seventh-day Adventists in America and The Salvation Army in London, where it was originally called the Christian Revival Association, and, later, the East London Christian Mission. Each organization had a married couple as formative influences: Ellen and James White for the Adventists and Catherine and William Booth for the Salvationists. Each group traces its roots back to the Methodist movement started by John Wesley.

At the dialogue Salvationists and Seventh-day Adventists presented three sets of companion papers on education, the theology of the church and the sacraments, and missiology.

The Salvation Army's paper on education linked education with discipleship, providing three international perspectives that focused on education in both church life and more formal educational settings. The parallel Seventh-day Adventist paper discussed the historical development of the Adventist Church's education system, its underlying philosophy, and the structures and processes that encourage mission effectiveness.

The Seventh-day Adventist paper on sacraments identified the Adventist Church position within the historic framework of the Christian Church and the importance of the practice of the two ordinances -- baptism and Lord's Supper -- within that tradition. The Salvation Army paper spoke of developing concepts on ecclesiology and the sacraments, identifying areas of present debate.

The Salvationist paper on mission argued that Wesleyan Methodist practice and theology are the foundation for Army mission; the Seventh-day Adventist paper developed the thesis that Adventist success in mission was inextricably linked with eschatology, stewardship and church structure.

The Salvation Army also presented a fourth paper on the role and spiritual leadership of women in The Salvation Army. The writer emphasized the early focus of the Army on equality in ministry and how that has worked out in organizational life.

Papers unique to the Seventh-day Adventist team were on the Adventist Disaster and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the Adventist position on the nature of man, death and the final eradication of sin. The ADRA presentation focused on the 16 belief statements of the organization, including its egalitarian and participatory emphases. The presentation on the Adventist view of death discussed the way the Adventist Church develops doctrinal positions, as well as the specifics of the Adventist view of the holistic (non-dualistic) nature of man, death as sleep, with a physical resurrection and final eradication of evil.

The formal dialogue sessions were enhanced by a tour of several Salvation Army ministries and facilities in the Toronto area that provided practical examples of the effectiveness of The Salvation Army witness to the people of Toronto. Commissioner Christine MacMillan, territorial commander for the Army's Canada and Bermuda territory, spoke to the dialogue teams of the specific challenges of The Salvation Army in Canada and her vision to ensure Salvationists remain relevant to the present generation.

The dialogue clarified the mutual Methodist (Wesleyan) background and its influence on the development of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and The Salvation Army. The dialogue also confirmed that the two churches have much in common when it comes to both preaching a holistic gospel and practicing holistic living.

"These consultations force us to rethink how we communicate and express what we believe," Dr. Rodríguez said. "We're so used to our language and the traditional expressions," he added. [Editor: Andrea Luxton for ANN/APD]