Crime & Safety

Seventh-Day Adventist War of Words Continues: Creation Officials Statement

The statement was distributed Wednesday by assistant pastor Lucan Chartier and Creation Ministries.

A war of words continued Wednesday in a dispute between the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has its largest U.S. congregation in Loma Linda, and an offshot church founded by a pastor in west Tennessee.

Officials with Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church of Guys, Tenn., issued a statement Thursday in response to statements released earlier this week by the mother church, which is based in Silver Spring, Md.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church of North America and Pastor Walter Ogden McGill, 66, founder of Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church, are involved in a trademark dispute over use of the name "Seventh-day Adventist."

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McGill was arrested Friday on the grounds of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church, according to the sheriff's department.

The statement Wednesday was distributed by assistant pastor Lucan Chartier and Creation Ministries. The entire statement follows:

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"July 18, 2012

"Re: Official Statement from George Johnson Jr, North American Seventh-day Adventist Church Communications Director

"Having recently been made aware of a press release by the Seventh-day Adventist church purporting to explain the history of Pastor McGill and his relationship with the Seventh- day Adventist denomination, we offer this official response. Having reviewed the document, it is our position that the news release in question is an inaccurate account of both the history and the relevant facts.

"Creation Seventh Day Adventist church records show the first complaint from the Seventh- day Adventist church came via legal filing in 2006. The Seventh-day Adventist church has never, on any occasion, attempted to reach out to McGill asking him to cease and desist usage of the name 'Creation Seventh Day Adventist' prior to litigation. No attempt was made to resolve the matter amicably, and I would challenge the office responsible for the official statement in question to offer evidence supporting any claims to the contrary.

"Court records clearly demonstrate that the Seventh-day Adventist church sought the permanent incarceration of Pastor McGill as early as 2009, only three months after Pastor McGill had filed his appeal with the Sixth Circuit and while that appeal was pending a hearing. While the court declined to grant their request, it is demonstrably false that it 'is not now nor has it been the intention of the Seventh-day Adventist church [...] for Pastor McGill to be jailed.' Recent actions by the court are solely the result of the Seventh-day Adventist church persistently and repeatedly requesting sanctions involving incarceration against Pastor McGill in a civil lawsuit.

"It has been established both within and out of court that the use of the name 'Creation Seventh Day Adventist' is an integral part of the religious beliefs of the eponymous church and its members. The exercise of those beliefs requires the use of the name. For evidence that the Seventh-day Adventist church does not believe in Pastor McGill's right to freely exercise his religious belief, one must look no further than a jail cell in San Bernardino Co.

"According to Judge Karen Moore, 'No one has questioned the sincerity of McGill's belief that God requires him to continue his infringing use of the plaintiffs' marks. Being compelled to stop could substantially burden his religious practice.' (Opinion in G.C.C. v. McGill, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, p. 10)

"Finally, the court records show that the Seventh-day Adventist church was unable to produce a single item of evidence demonstrating confusion between the Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Seventh-day Adventist denomination from 1991 to the present. Pastor McGill has not identified himself with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination since his separation, nor has the church of which he is a member. We again challenge the issuing office to provide any evidence whatsoever supporting the claim that the media, the public, and Seventh-day Adventist members are at times confused.

"According to Judge J. Daniel Breen, 'While the use of the mark was certainly knowing, there is no evidence that the Defendant intended to confuse the public into believing that his church was one of the Plaintiffs'. Rather, the proof supports the conclusion that McGill chose the name for his church based on a divine revelation." (G.C.C. v. McGill, Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment, p.22)

"The Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church welcomes questions and requests for documentation to support any of its claims. Despite the hostile and aggressive actions of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, it continues to operate internationally, offering the gospel of freedom from sin to those in need and preparing a people to stand in the day of God without blemish."

For previous statements this week by the Seventh-day Adventist Church of North America, click and .

Approximately 6,500 members of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church comprise the largest Adventist congregation in North America, according to the church's website.

McGill had a second federal court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Riverside. He was being held Tuesday night at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino. He was ineligible for bail, according to inmate records.

For perspective from McGill's assistant Lucan Chartier, .

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