Press release
Ganoune Diop’s Tragic Interview with the Jesuits at Georgetown University
The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs is an academic research forum located at Georgetown Jesuit University in Washington, DC. Recently, they interviewed Ganoune Diop on a wide range of topics. [1] We regret to report that in Adventism today, we can no longer see any distinction between pastors and politicians. The ideals defended by Ganoune Diop during his recent interview with the Jesuits are more in line with the Pope’s encyclical on a universal brotherhood than with the beliefs held by our Seventh-day Adventist pioneers. Below is part of the interview:
Jesuits: What was the heart of the work you are doing in several quite distinct roles at the Seventh Day Adventist Church?
Ganoune Diop: Several doors have opened to me and, walking through them, I have realized a core in my calling in this world, which is human solidarity, a deep respect for other people’s choices that leaves aside our differences. That is freedom of conscience: conscience to believe or not to believe. If I genuinely believe in that, then that means I must genuinely embrace others. This, I think, is one of the reasons why, providentially, I’m positioned to be there as the secretary of one the largest Christian organizations, the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions, entrusted with the privilege to meet the top leaders of all denominations, developing friendships, with genuine interest in all. I was also asked to be part of the board for the Global Christian Forum, that, again, brings together different Christian streams: Orthodox, Catholics, Anglicans and many other Christians. I believe that, through my journey, God has placed me to be a person of reconciliation, a person bringing people together, a person genuinely respecting and embracing the humanity of others. [1]
Ganoune Diop says that as a leader in the General Conference, God has called him to be a “person of reconciliation” to unite churches to embrace humanity with one another. Who does he think he is, the Pope? This is the answer he gave to the Jesuits at Georgetown University when asked about his role in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Where does Ganoune Diop get his mission statement from? The United Nations? Rome? Because this is the same language that Pope Francis uses in his encyclical (Fratelli Tutti) when he calls for the creation of a universal brotherhood based on one humanity. This has nothing to do with Adventism. God has already told us what our mission statement is and why we exist as a people:
“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light-bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the Word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import,—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention” (Evangelism, p. 120).
Jesuits: I am interested to learn more about the Adventist church. There seem to be quite distinct silos (independence): the church itself, ADRA, and the whole medical side. How do these relate, within the Adventist and the outside worlds?
Ganoune Diop: Among some Adventists, for example, you find people who insist on the signs of the times: that some terrible thing will happen. Some Adventists at the fringe of the mainstream faith may develop a rather sectarian understanding, that “we are the best”. To me, that is totally misconstrued, a misunderstanding. To a large degree, without diminishing the dignity of these people, I might say it’s misinformation about God’s purposes for the world. The gospel is the good news about God’s first coming and good news about the second coming, meaning the coming of the savior to deliver people from the human predicament: suffering, disease and death.
No church is monolithic, and every church is basically a mosaic. We find that also among Adventists. Some tend to create silos (independence) of sorts, but that’s hopefully a minority among Adventists. What I am trying to promote personally is a more universal, more accepting approach. I meet everyone, including Adventists who are less welcoming, again a minority. Some can be even anti-Catholic (as some Catholics can be anti-many things). I position myself as a part of the human family, wanting to make a difference in this world, respecting people’s consciences, because to me, that’s like an inner sanctum where basically people ought to be. People are sacred, like temples, and therefore, ought to be respected. [1]
Ganoune Diop denounces certain Seventh-day Adventists in his interview with the Jesuits. He describes those who talk about the last day prophetic signs of the times as part of the “anti-Catholic,” “fringe” and “sectarian” “minority.” He accuses these Seventh-day Adventists of misconstruing and misunderstanding God’s will for the last days. He claims they are spreading misinformation.
Well, it was Martin Luther who called the Pope Antichrist. If classical Protestantism is dead and if there are no more reasons to protest, why are we separated from Rome? If the reasons for leaving Babylon have been resolved, why are we still divided? We should all return home to the universal ecumenical brotherhood of Rome consisting of all beliefs and gods known to man.
But if biblical prophecy is true, if there really is a sinister power described in Revelation 13, 17 and 18 that is planning global tyranny right now, then the protest is not over. God put prophetic warnings in His word. If they don’t apply to Rome, as Luther and the other Reformers believed, to whom do they apply? These are the words of God and are meant to be interpreted and proclaimed. The warnings will bring joy and salvation to those who receive them (Revelation 15:2) and pain and loss to those who don’t (Revelation 14:9, 10). These end-time prophecies are not critical or hateful words, lest we accuse God of these charges.
Next, Ganoune Diop promotes the pantheistic and unbiblical idea that people are sacred (holy), like temples and should be respected. Does this mean that if people are sacred, they should be left to their pagan superstitions? This is the same mischief promoted by Korah when he challenged Moses with the words: “All the congregation is holy, every one of them” (Numbers 16: 3).
People aren’t sacred; life is sacred. People are by their human nature corrupt and depraved and in need of redemption:
“There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-12.
It is only through the everlasting gospel, as it is received, that Christ replaces corruption and lust with godliness and virtue (2 Peter 1:2-4). This is the motive for preaching the Three Angels’ Message and bringing men and women to repentance. This is not criticism, it’s redemption.
Jesuits: When did you go to France? Was this after the baccalaureate?
Ganoune Diop: I went to France when I was in my 20s … While I was in Annecy (France), something else happened that once again broadened my perspectives. I wanted to devour everything around knowledge. Reading was a passion: going to the library to sit and read for hours. I went to the library at the top of the mountain in Annecy, a Catholic convent that had a library that was a center. I drove there one day and was sitting, reading, when a nun approached me. She asked if I was interested in theology and I replied that I was indeed. As we began talking, I recall well, on a Wednesday, she told me that Jean Delorme, a specialist in the gospels, in particular, the book of Mark, was leading a study group at the library that evening. He was among the avant garde in France, promoting semiotics in literature, but also religious literature, including the bible. The nun who had approached me, knowing nothing at all about me, simply invited me to join the study group that very evening. I accepted of course, and immediately clicked with Jean Delorme, who was a Dominican priest. We had a remarkable relationship and his generosity touched and moved me profoundly. Here was an expert, well known, who had written extensively, recognized not only in the Catholic world, but beyond. He told me that I could join the group, if I wanted to, permanently, with no strings attached whatsoever. He gave me the full access to his own library. He introduced me to the lady who was basically managing the convent, telling her that whenever I wanted to come, I could have the key to the library.
This and other experiences are why I will never judge any person because of their religious affiliation. I have seen people with remarkable qualities from many traditions. I find it difficult to see anyone criticizing Catholics or others. I see it as unfair and inhumane. [1]
Ganoune Diop tells the Jesuits that it is “inhumane” and “unfair” to criticize Catholics and that he would never “judge anyone” for their religious affiliation. Ganoune Diop is being deceitful because he judges certain Seventh-day Adventists who speak of the end times. He passes judgment on certain Adventists by calling them “fringe,” “sectarians,” and “anti-Catholic” and who “misconstrue” and misinterpret “the signs of the times of the last day.”
Ganoune Diop will never judge Catholics, but he has no problem judging certain Seventh-day Adventists. This is the confession he made to the Jesuits in Rome. The truth is that it is NOT wrong to encourage people to accept the Three Angels’ Message. It is NOT wrong to obey God. It is God who identifies Babylon and He is calling them to come out. To use the so-called “human dignity” argument as an effort to quench the Three Angels’ Message would be really promoting Satan’s agenda:
“Satan has devised a state of things whereby the proclamation of the third angel’s message shall be bound about. We must beware of his plans and methods. There must be no toning down of the truth, no muffling of the message for this time. The third angel’s message must be strengthened and confirmed. The eighteenth chapter of Revelation reveals the importance of presenting the truth in no measured terms but with boldness and power…. There has been too much beating about the bush in the proclamation of the third angel’s message. The message has not been given as clearly and distinctly as it should have been” (Evangelism, p. 230).
Unfortunately, during this interview, Ganoune Diop has betrayed historic Seventh-day Adventism to the Jesuits:
“I saw the nominal church and nominal Adventists, like Judas, would betray us to the Catholics to obtain their influence to come against the truth. The saints then will be an obscure people, little known to the Catholics; but the churches and nominal Adventists who know of our faith and customs (for they hated us on account of the Sabbath, for they could not refute it) will betray the saints and report them to the Catholics" (Spalding & Magan Collection, p. 1).
Jesuits: What did you do after you finished with your master’s degree?
Ganoune Diop: The next large shift came when I was asked if I wanted to pursue an academic career as a teacher. That would entail going to the US, to Michigan, and doing a PhD in Old Testament. At the time, I was doing a PhD in New Testament in France at the Catholic University of Paris, linked to semiotics, the analysis of religious discourse. I was also studying at La Sorbonne. I found that fascinating. I stayed in the US for about five years, finishing a PhD in Old Testament. I then returned to France, this time as a teacher. I had studied ancient languages, Hebrew especially, while I was in college, then for my masters. While I was working in Paris, I decided that I really needed to have a degree in philology, the science of languages. I did not just want to be a good student in Hebrew or a good student in Greek. If I was to teach these languages, I wanted to have the necessary credentials. I went to the Catholic University of Paris again, while I was teaching in France, pursuing a master’s degree in philology at the School of Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations and Languages. [1]
Ganoune Diop in his own words describes his Roman Catholic education. This is undoubtedly a very serious situation when some of the highest leaders of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church are products of the same theological institution. To be more frank, Ganaoune Diop is currently gaining more “wisdom” and “knowledge” to use in denominational employment for his work at the General Conference. He is being trained to help with church ministry, and the education is coming from the same school where prominent Roman Catholic theologians and leaders are being taught by Rome.
Jesuits: Backing up, did you go to a Quranic school in Senegal? Did you speak Arabic?
Ganoune Diop: I know Arabic and understood the Quran. I have the blessing of being comfortable with Hebrew, Aramaic Greek, and also Classical Quranic Arabic. I also studied Latin. [1]
Latin is the liturgical language of the Roman Catholic Church. Ganoune Diop is not only fluent in Latin, but in a video that came out, he also sings the Traditional Roman Catholic Song for Mass in Latin. [2] Diop sings the same melody that is used in the Vatican whenever Catholics praise their popes! This is an act of solidarity and unity with the ancient liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. [2]
Jesuits: That’s a stunning story and I’m delighted to know it. A specific, side question: is the Seventh Day Adventist Church part of the World Council of Churches?
Ganoune Diop: The Seventh Day Adventist Church is not part of the World Council of Churches. We have what we call observer status. I’m invited to events and I work with them personally. I was even part of the writing committee at the Busan General Assembly few years ago. We collaborate and we partner, but the Seventh Day Adventist Church has chosen, for freedom of conscience purposes, not to belong to an ecumenical entity with a central organization, because belonging to such a central organization is like surrendering one’s constitutional conscience. This may be why the Catholic Church, for example, while having very close and cordial relationships, cannot be under the umbrella of another organization. We position ourselves in a similar way.
This is a leadership double-talk. Ganoune Diop says that even though Seventh-day Adventists “collaborate” and “partner” with the World Council of Churches and even if they serve on its policy “writing” committees; they are not members. We are only partners, but not members. We write policies for the World Council of Churches, but we are not really part of them. What is the difference? There is no difference in the eyes of God:
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. This does not refer to marriage alone; any intimate relation of confidence and copartnership with those who have no love for God or the truth, is a snare” (Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 13).
Jesuits: In your academic journeys, have you dealt with Vedic, Eastern religions or has it been mainly within the Abrahamic family?
Ganoune Diop: I have had extensive contacts, mainly on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a little less, but significantly or sufficiently, to be able to have an intelligent conversation with even some shamanic or other Asian traditions. I have studied many schools of Hinduism and Buddhism.
This man needs to be thrown out. He need not to represent Seventh-day Adventists any longer! The Omega of Apostasy is on full display. Seventh-day Adventists have had “extensive” contacts with paganism, pantheism and shamanism. Do you know what “shamanic” traditions are? That is talking about people who interact with the dead or the spirit world. [3] We are embracing the Pope’s Fratellii Tutti agenda that refuses to convert or judge anyone, including the indigenous faiths. The plan is to learn from them, not change them.
Jesuits: With such a rich background of scholarship, are you teaching and writing or are you focusing more on dialogue and engagement at this point?
Ganoune Diop: I study religions deeply enough to try to articulate what they believe in ways that they will recognize and be comfortable with, that is not derogatory, judgmental, or trampling on their dignity. Absolutely not. What is Islam really about? I have taught that in several settings, and Muslims will stand up or come and thank me, saying that I help them better understand their own religion. When other people say that, and this is not just anecdotal, I am grateful. But I am very careful to manage that so that it is not politicized. I’m close to people who are Muslims, Jewish, or people of other faiths. Again, I have embraced the whole human family. What other way there is for me if even of God it is said that God loves the whole world?
Unbelievable! Ganoune Diop says that he has been helping Muslims to better embrace and understand their Muslim religion. His mission is fulfilled when he can help others become more rooted in their superstitions. This is not Adventism. This is Romanism. Why does Diop even work in the General Conference? He is repeating (like a parrot) the same universal brotherhood taught by the Freemasons at the Vatican. [4]
Ganoune Diop is articulating Rome’s agenda in ways that knows no equal. In his interview with the Jesuits, he boasts of having been educated by Rome. He boasts of his friendship with Dominican Priests. He boasts of his “extensive” relationships with Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Shamanism (communication with the dead). He boasts of helping people become better rooted in their own non-Christian religions. And he talks about being a “person of reconciliation” between Roman Catholics, Evangelicals and other religions.
Jesus warned us against false prophets in the last days. These would be men who will make false claims in the name of God, which God has not sanctioned (Matthew 24:11). In the book of Revelation, the Antichrist will have his false prophets who will point people to the Universal Brotherhood of the New World Order. Seventh-day Adventist leaders at General Conference level and every other level cannot play the role of the false prophets in the kingdom of the Antichrist.
Seventh-day Adventists cannot approve of this new reorientation of the end-time events. We cannot embrace this new path for God’s people. This is Rome’s new vocation for the Remnant people that God will never authorize. We are not global secular humanists. We are not world imitators. We are the light of the world that will soon enlighten this dark earth with the glory of God (Revelation 18:1-5). Instead of allowing the world’s agenda to change us, we are to help transform the lives of people with the word of God.
Sources
[1] https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/interviews/a-discussion-with-ganoune-diop-director-of-the-public-affairs-and-religious-liberty-department-seventh-day-adventist-church
[2] http://adventmessenger.org/a-general-conference-executive-sings-the-traditional-roman-catholic-song-for-mass-in-latin/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism
[4] http://adventmessenger.org/the-masonic-order-praises-pope-francis-encyclical-on-universal-brotherhood-and-calls-it-the-great-principle-of-freemasonry/
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