Ruthless��that�s the word for today.�

The directive was coming down from Larry Colburn, editing coordinator of the official minutes of the session. He was speaking to his colleagues, perched in their second-floor office in the Renaissance Hotel, in reference to the mountain of words coming from the spirited deliberations of the morning. The issue before the session was divorce and remarriage. It had touched a nerve, and words were flying thick and quick. And secretariat was contemplating cutting words�ruthlessly.

�The document before us is riddled with theological fuzziness,� charged Samuel Korantung Pipim. It introduces �a new ground for divorce and remarriage,� he said. �This is the theological foundation for women�s ordination,� he continued later, and it is also �the theological foundation . . . for the question of homosexuality. . . .�

�Raising unrelated issues is a favorite tactic of those who want to avoid the issue in front of them,� said one delegate in response to Pipim�s speech. �It appeals to those with a scare mentality.�

Pipim�s� surprising comment was a graphic illustration of the sensitivity of the issue. At the 1999 Annual Council it had occupied delegates for the greater part of two days. Here in Toronto it had taken all morning and extended into an afternoon session.

All the Way From Utrecht
It was at the Utrecht session that an action was taken setting up a study commission on the issue of divorce and remarriage. The commission�s report was received by the administrative committee of the General Conference and presented to the 1999 Annual Council, in light of the report. Annual Council recommended changes to the Church Manual for consideration by the Toronto session. It was these recommendations that ignited the fireworks in the Dome.

Basically, the changes recognize the difficult situation existing in the church today in the area of divorce and remarriage, and seek to make the church more pastoral in its approach to those who find themselves in marital crisis. The problem is, however, that there are those who see this as a whittling down of the standards of the church. �A very fat person was asked how they got that way,� said Elder Kenneth Wood, reflecting this mood, �and their answer was �Ounce by ounce.��

My sense is that while a majority of delegates would like to see the changes adopted, many would like to give them considerably more massaging before voting to place them in the Church Manual. At the end of the day the issues remained unresolved.

The mood of the previous evening�s meeting was very different from the spiritedness of the morning�s debate. The Euro-Asia Division, dogged by unexpected technical problems, nevertheless reported on the thrilling achievements of the believers in its territories. The Southern Africa Union, facing an insurmountable problem with its video, could not bring its report, unfortunately.

The evening belonged to the South American Division.

Watching it on the monitor is one thing. But being present in the Dome is quite another. It was like magic as division president Elder Ruy Nagel introduced his troupe. Colorful. Fascinating. Picturesque. Some of the most beautiful national costumes anywhere�from Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and the other regions of the division.

And the stories were equally as fascinating. There was the story of Walter Husko du Como, from Bolivia, for example, who has established more than 250 churches and led more than 4,500 to Christ. There was the story of our hospital in Belem in the Amazon region of Brazil, an institution which, apart from dispensing health and healing to thousands, has also raised up six churches in the surrounding areas. More than 1,000 people have been baptized by the work of the hospital staff.

There was the story of Milton S. Afonso, the founder of the largest health insurance company in Brazil, who, through scholarships, has helped thousands of students�particularly ministerial students. Afonso has contributed more than $25 million to establish more than 40 Adventist radio stations throughout the South American Division. �I do this,� said Afonso, making a personal appearance at the meeting, �because I�m in a hurry.� The Lord is coming, he said. And he offered a challenge to business people in the audience. �There is nothing greater than to apply your resources to finish the work of God.�

And there were other stories�of a layperson who established a small Bible study in his home, resulting in more than 1,600 baptisms; of a colporteur who has sold more than 40,000 copies of The Great Controversy; of a food factory that gives two percent of its gross sales to the church for evangelism. No wonder that the South American Division moves forward at such a rapid pace, baptizing 678,000 for the quinquennium.

What It All Means
Every day, as I take my place in this huge hall, I keep wondering: If the Dome could speak, what would it say about the meetings that have transpired here for the past six days? SkyDome is the world�s first multipurpose stadium with a retractable roof. The 11,000-ton roof spans 674 feet across, reaches a height of 282 feet (31 stories), and covers more than 8 acres. It consists of 4 panels, three of which retract to reveal the sky.

That last detail stopped me. �That�s it!� I said. One of these days, the dome of the heaven will be rolled back, and we shall see our returning King. No more discussions about drugs and crime and immorality and divorce and remarriage. No more long distances. No more tired feet. We shall be home�home at last. What a joy if this turns out to be our final General Conference session! As Steve Darmody sang at the beginning of my watch: �How Wonderful Heaven Will Be!�