Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Dr. John Graz
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000296A
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00:22 Welcome to "The Liberty Insider."
00:24 This is the program designed to bring you 00:25 the very latest news, views, information, 00:28 and insights into religious liberty 00:30 developments around the world. 00:32 My name is Lincoln Steed, Editor of Liberty Magazine, 00:36 and my guest on the program is Dr. John Graz. 00:38 Welcome again, John. This is not the first time. 00:42 And I could say, I hope not the last time but it might be. 00:45 May be. 00:47 For our viewers you've been for 20 years 00:50 the head of the religious liberty program 00:52 at our church headquarters, Seventh-day Adventist 00:54 headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. 00:57 You carried the responsibility 00:59 for the International Religious Liberty Association. 01:02 You've been the exec-- what is it? 01:06 Executive director-- secretary general 01:09 of the Christian World Communion. 01:11 Secretary of the Christian World Communion. 01:13 Yeah. 01:14 And there maybe even a few others that I missing. 01:17 I know, you've been busy traveling all the time 01:20 and generating a lot of enthusiasm 01:22 for religious liberty 01:24 and I just want in the little time 01:25 for this program let's do a bit of a, 01:28 of a swing through some of the things in your life 01:31 and please even go back further 01:32 to your work in Europe and France and other places. 01:36 You know, what are some of the highlights 01:38 that you remember working for the church 01:40 and for religious liberty? 01:42 Oh, that's that difficult really to answer. 01:46 I saw-- 01:47 I see many, many very pleasant, attractive-- 01:51 you know when I became Christian-- 01:53 I grew up in a Christian-- 01:55 Yeah, so how old were you 01:56 when you became a Seventh-day Adventist? 01:58 Yeah, you know my father was Protestant 02:00 he did not go to church. 02:01 And my mother was Catholic, she was a formal Catholic. 02:04 But my grandmother was very much involved in the church. 02:08 She was a Catholic and really a-- 02:11 she communicate to me the faith in God. 02:14 And my aunt on my father's side was an Adventist 02:19 and she also communicate the love of the Bible. 02:23 But you know, when I was 13-years-old 02:25 I decided that religion was no good, not good 02:30 and I became agnostic 02:32 or I don't know what but I did not believe-- 02:34 You took a time out of this knowing teenagers how they-- 02:37 And at 18 my cousin was really a very good Adventist 02:42 and died from leukemia and that was an occasion, 02:47 opportunity for me to meet Adventist 02:49 and to talk with them and to had a Bible 02:52 and I started to read the gospel. 02:55 And during the three days-- days and night, 02:57 you know, I was fighting. 02:59 I thought like I did not hear any thing 03:03 but I had strong pressure on my mind 03:07 and my heart to follow Jesus because when I read the gospel 03:10 I was so moved that I remember, you know, I cannot sleep 03:16 and when finally in the middle of the night 03:19 I was ready to sleep. 03:20 I thought yeah, tomorrow I will become Christian. 03:22 But in the morning when I got up 03:24 I said, no, no, I don't want. 03:26 I'm becoming crazy now. 03:28 I don't know what, I'm becoming insane. 03:30 I don't want to become Christian. 03:32 And finally after a three night, three days, 03:34 you know, the pressure was so strong 03:38 now I said that the only way to find peace 03:41 is really to become Christina 03:44 and I decided to become a disciple of Jesus. 03:47 But that was really-- it changed my life totally, 03:50 you know, totally. 03:53 It changed everything in my life in a few days. 03:55 So that was your Damascus sleep of-- 03:57 Yeah. 03:59 And now you believe God works on people's hearts. 04:02 Of course you know, I-- 04:03 Beyond the convictions so-- 04:04 I grew up in a family where my, 04:06 from both side of my family father and mother 04:09 they were very involved in defending freedom. 04:12 My grandfather died in a concentration camps 04:14 because he was arrested helping French resistant, 04:18 helping some Jews to and my uncle was killed 04:22 because he was fighting with the ally. 04:24 All my brothers and sister of my mother 04:29 were involved with the ally. 04:31 You know, they crossed the Atlantic, 04:33 they went to fighting with the American and the English. 04:36 It means the concept of freedom 04:39 was very strong in our family, justice and freedom. 04:42 I grew up with this idea that every people should be free. 04:47 That's-- it gives another-- 04:49 then when I became Adventist, 04:51 you know, I decided I was working 04:53 in a printed house and printing house 04:56 and I decided to become pastor. 04:58 I said, I don't want to be a half Christian, 05:02 I want to give my life to God. 05:04 And as I explained, you know, just a few days ago 05:09 at the General Conference, you know, the verse, 05:12 the biblical the Bible verse was, 05:15 "Seek first the kingdom of God." 05:17 I said there is no room in my life for-- 05:20 I know the space I want to belong totally to God 05:25 and I want to serve Him, how can I do that? 05:28 Maybe if I'm pastor I will give all my life, 05:31 all my time to God. 05:32 And that-- 05:34 And you were youth director initially, weren't you? 05:35 No, no. 05:36 This time I went to school to the Adventist school 05:39 and I started again. 05:42 You know, in secondary school 05:44 I was a very young kids, I have to learn 05:48 and because I was not able to speak in public, 05:50 not able to write correctly and sort of everything. 05:54 And I did and I learned very important lesson that, 05:59 you know, first life is a great adventure. 06:02 Secondly do your best wherever you are 06:05 because God wants you to be there, 06:07 wherever you are but do your best 06:10 and let God to open other doors, 06:13 if they want, if He wants and it has led my life. 06:16 And I saw every year, you know, new doors open 06:19 and finally I went to the university 06:21 and I passed my doctorate at the best school, 06:25 one of the best school in Europe. 06:27 That means I was totally something 06:29 that I even could not imagine before I became Christian. 06:34 I thought that I will never, never do 06:36 anything like that, you know. 06:37 So God's taken you on a heady ride. 06:40 You had no idea where you were getting off. 06:41 And life became really a great adventure 06:44 and that was fabulous, you know. 06:47 But I see God then I had to go to the military service. 06:51 And you know, when you arrive the first thing had to say that 06:54 I don't work tomorrow because it's Saturday. 06:56 You can imagine when you are a young guy, 06:59 you have to face there office. 07:00 This was the Swiss military? 07:02 No, I was living in France, this time it was they had 07:04 an agreement between Swiss and France. 07:06 As I was living in France I went to French Army. 07:10 And you know the first thing you said to the colonel 07:14 or sorry but, you know, tomorrow I don't work. 07:17 Why? And tonight too. 07:19 Why? 07:20 Because it' Saturday Sabbath, I'm Adventist. 07:23 People say who is this guy? What is he doing? 07:25 And I had to fight really but fortunately at this time 07:29 you know, people were more open that now than today 07:32 and there was-- they were very helpful to me. 07:36 But I remember also a story, 07:39 you know, where it' always connected 07:41 with religious freedom. 07:42 The first night in the army and it was a dormitory, 07:46 it had a 30, 35 young soldiers there 07:51 and as I used to do I kneel down by my bed 07:56 and I start to pray. 07:57 And you know, you had a lot of noise-- 08:00 I can imagine, they were almost 08:01 probably trying to give you just to show you. 08:04 And at the end of my prayer, you know, that was very quiet. 08:08 I said, my, something happened. 08:10 I opened my eyes and I looked around. 08:13 All the soldiers were around me and they look at me. 08:15 Watching you. 08:17 They were really, what you are doing? 08:18 What is this guy doing? 08:20 And someone came and say, are you Muslim? 08:24 I say, no, I'm Christian. I'm an Adventist. 08:28 And I saw so many opportunity 08:30 to share my faith during this time 08:34 which was not really an easy time 08:35 but still and the God opened the door so many times that 08:40 even during these time of military service 08:43 I was able to pass my exam to go to the universities. 08:49 That's the background-- 08:51 But then you were a pastor for sometime. 08:53 Then I'm a pastor, youth leader. 08:55 I work at the University of Montpellier, 08:58 I study at the university but I work for the church. 09:01 And we visited, 09:02 I had the privilege of visiting Montpellier. 09:04 And what is it a year and half ago? 09:05 Yeah. 09:07 We had 20 some of us we were on a bus tour with you. 09:10 Yeah. 09:12 It's the reformation tour but some of us joked 09:14 that this was the John Graz's career tour 09:17 because we were retracing some of those spots you worked. 09:21 And you know, connected with religious freedom. 09:23 Montpellier, was the place where the Protestant 09:25 were very strong and they were prosecuted. 09:28 And we visited, you remember the Tower of Constance. 09:32 Marie Durand was there for 37 years 09:36 because she refused to recant her faith. 09:38 Thirty seven years. 09:41 And then we saw in the stone where she scratched resist. 09:44 Resist. Yeah, yeah. 09:45 And of course, that this connected 09:47 with religious freedom. 09:48 You know, it means I was very open, 09:51 very sensitive about religious freedom about 09:54 the suffering of minorities in some countries 09:57 where you don't have religious freedom. 09:59 So was it that period that you started 10:00 to get into religious liberty work? 10:02 No, I was communication director 10:05 but I was always interested. 10:07 I organized the tour 10:09 of the religious liberty leader, 10:11 the conference, lectures and so on. 10:14 Then after I was during six years 10:17 very involved in the youth ministry, 10:19 communication 10 years at the European level for US 10:23 and then you have still a connection 10:26 because I organize congresses. 10:29 I organize meetings and of course when I came 10:32 to religious freedom I came with these experiences 10:36 of congresses international meeting and so on 10:40 and after I was called at the General Conference 10:42 after 10 years the division level 10:45 as communication and US director. 10:49 But they believed that you are skills 10:53 were in religious liberty. 10:55 I think I always wanted, 10:56 you know, have always had these idea 10:58 that one day I would be very happy. 11:01 You know, after my time with the US 11:03 where I learn a lot of things 11:05 I would be very happy to work for the religious freedom. 11:08 Yeah, and that's the and we've discussed 11:10 on other programs and other times with you, 11:13 you know, to involve the youth 11:14 with religious liberty is still the big challenge. 11:16 Yeah. But-- 11:18 To pass the torch to the next generation. 11:19 You know, when we have, when we have 11:21 a festival of religious freedom 70 person-- 11:23 You get a lot of young people 11:25 and that's the great success of that I think. 11:26 And they pass the torch, you know, we start 11:30 the festival of religious freedom 11:31 with pipe thunder march. 11:33 They bring the flag of the country on the platform. 11:36 That's a beautiful and very often, 11:38 you know, the presenter play about Joseph 11:42 or about Daniel, about Moses. 11:43 I remember seeing that about the programs. 11:45 You remember. 11:46 Back forth one in Dominican Republic. 11:49 Yeah. And they continue to do that. 11:50 Crossing the Red Sea I remember the cloth 11:53 they were waving and yeah, very impressive. 11:55 And you know, when you see Moses 11:56 and people applaud that's fabulous. 12:00 And also you know, you can see young people 12:03 in the concert because we can do-- 12:05 we try to encourage a concert of religious freedom. 12:07 Religious freedom concert and many other activities. 12:11 Well, you know, I believe we need to involve young people 12:13 but it's a greater imperative to live before 12:16 because I'm sure you noticed that 12:17 when you travel the world many, if not most countries 12:21 that populations are overwhelmingly young. 12:24 There's any number of countries 12:25 that two thirds of the country are below mid to late 20s. 12:30 Exactly. 12:31 So we had-- 12:33 some have to pass the baton to that generation. 12:36 And they have to understand that 12:37 if you don't have religious freedom 12:39 what are you doing? 12:40 What are you doing as believer? 12:42 Yep, absolutely we need to be active. 12:44 We will take a break now and I will rejoin 12:46 and you too I hope rejoin John Graz 12:49 talking about a great career. 12:51 It's not over but it's peaked, career in religious liberty. 12:56 Yeah, thank you. |
Revised 2015-08-20