Ray Tetz, Publisher
Pacific Union Conference
March 9, 2026
The views expressed in the article “Honoring God Through Science and Scripture,” which appeared in the February 2026 issue of the Pacific Union Recorder, solely represent the perspective of author, Alberto Valenzuela, and do not constitute the policy of the Pacific Union Conference.
The Pacific Union Conference is in full support of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. These beliefs constitute the church’s understanding and expression of the teaching of Scripture. Belief #6 – Creation states, “God has revealed in Scripture the authentic and historical account of His creative activity. He created the universe, and in a recent six-day creation the Lord made ‘the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them’ and rested on the seventh day. Thus He established the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of the work He performed and completed during six literal days that together with the Sabbath constituted the same unit of time that we call a week today. The first man and woman were made in the image of God as the crowning work of Creation, given dominion over the world, and charged with responsibility to care for it. When the world was finished it was ‘very good,’ declaring the glory of God. (Gen. 1-2; 5; 11; Exod. 20:8-11; Ps. 19:1-6; 33:6, 9; 104; Isa. 45:12, 18; Acts 17:24; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; 11:3; Rev. 10:6; 14:7.)”
A key feature of the Pacific Union Recorder is to nurture thoughtful discourse about our rich and diverse history, culture, convictions, stated beliefs, and values, within our shared Adventist perspective.
Dr. Leonard Brand, Emeritus Professor of Biology and Paleontology, Loma Linda University, Earth and Biological Sciences, has accepted our invitation to provide an article for the May 2026 issue of the Pacific Union Recorderthat will present his perspective on science and religion. Other organizations have expressed their viewpoints in various ways on their own media platforms, and we are grateful for their engagement on this topic.
Alberto Valenzuela is not an advocate of theistic, nor Darwinian, evolution, as he explains in this statement:
In the February 2026 issue of the Pacific Union Recorder, I authored the article “Honoring God Through Science and Scripture.” After careful reflection and in response to concerns that have been expressed, I wish to offer a clear clarification and apology. The views presented in that article were my personal reflections and do not represent the official position of the Pacific Union Conference. I want to state unequivocally that I am not an advocate of either Darwinian evolution or theistic evolution. I fully affirm the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Fundamental Belief #6: Creation, including a literal six-day creation, creatio ex nihilo, the Sabbath as its memorial, and the complete framework of our biblical doctrine of origins.
It was never my intent to undermine confidence in Scripture or to create confusion. My purpose was to encourage thoughtful dialogue between faith and science. However, I recognize that certain statements and sources in the article were not expressed with sufficient clarity and may have caused misunderstanding. I regret that and apologize sincerely to those who were troubled by the article. If my words became a stumbling block to any believer, I ask forgiveness. I remain firmly committed to presenting a faith-affirming message that upholds the authority of Scripture and the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. —Alberto Valenzuela
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