Source: Adventist Review
BY BILL KNOTT, Editor of the Adventist Review
For more than 160 years, the Adventist Review has pursued its mission of encouraging and informing Adventists by underlining the Bible truths uniquely proclaimed by God’s endtime remnant. From its first editions, it has proclaimed the importance of God’s seventh-day Sabbath and the reliability of the Genesis account of origins. Through the decades, its pages have carried numerous items that illustrate the challenges the church has faced in fulfilling the Great Commission. Difficulties, setbacks, and even controversies have been reported in the Adventist Review, along with the many stories of God’s leading and guidance of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The Adventist Review’s reporting is not designed to meet the public relations needs of any church institution: other entities have been assigned that task. Every attempt is made to ensure that articles and news reports appearing in the Review are carefully researched, factually accurate, balanced, and ultimately supportive of the larger mission of both the magazine and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The news report, “Evolution Controversy Stirs La Sierra Campus,†is an example of the preparation and presentation of important information that the Adventist Review always seeks to achieve. Interviews were conducted with each of the major figures associated with the ongoing debates about the teaching of science classes at La Sierra University, including Dr. Randal Wisbey, La Sierra University president; Dr. Ricardo Graham, Pacific Union Conference president and chairman of the university’s board of trustees; individual trustees; and Dr. Larry Blackmer, director of education for the North American Division. In each case, representative statements by these individuals were included in the published report. Due weight was also given to the remedial actions being taken by the university’s board of trustees, whose November, 2009 statement and February, 2010 reaffirmation were both cited. The university relations office was contacted to verify important factual information included in the article. The news report also noted the activity of those criticizing the university’s science teaching: it neither aligned itself with those criticisms nor endorsed the manner in which they have made their criticisms public. The concerns of those critics have become an unavoidable part of the circumstances surrounding this discussion, and were thus referenced.
Adventist Review readers may expect the same careful and professional presentation of information on other topics as the magazine moves forward in achieving its mission.
