World War II and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific

Abstract

The Second World War had a significant impact on the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, most notably in New Guinea, Papua, and the Solomon Islands, which were the scenes of bitter conflict between Japanese and Allied forces. The Australasian Union Conference (AUC), which administered the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the region, had to respond to restricted travel and tightened finances while simultaneously meeting new demands on its energies and resources. In particular, the church had to negotiate its interaction with state authorities over support for the war effort and compulsory military service, and manage its work in war-affected regions.