Elisabet Kirkland Page 49

24 Jul

DECIPHERING “AUTHENTIC” ADVENTISM?

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A few years ago, our congregation decided to recruit Adventists from around North America to move to our city to help us participate in God’s mission there. We created a promotional video that we paid to show Adventists on Facebook®, explaining our vision and inviting those Adventists who had a heart to reach a secular context to join us.

One of the lines in particular is rolling around in my mind right now. In it, we said, “Maybe you want to join a movement that is pursuing authentic Adventism in the midst of America’s most secular region.” By “authentic,” what we had in mind was an open-minded, forward-thinking, relational community that’s imagining creative ways to live out the gospel and connect with the growing unchurched population.

But as I was reflecting about that idea after we produced and published the video, I really got to thinking: is that “authentic” Adventism?

And who gets to decide what’s “authentic” anyway?

It’s a question I’ve really been wrestling with for quite a while—one that has resulted not only from my pastoral and personal pursuits, but my academic ones as well.

After all, one popular way of telling the Adventist story is that we started out as a progressive, non-traditional, anti-institutional, anti-creedal movement. Emphasizing “present truth,” we were ever open to “new light” and didn’t want to draw doctrinal boxes, nor exclude people on the basis of theological differences.

Perhaps the “patron saint” of such a story is J. N. Loughborough, who, in 1861, famously outlined the quickest way to create a heretic. “The first step of apostasy,” he thus explained, “is to get up a creed, telling us what we shall believe. The second is to make that creed a test of fellowship. The third is to try members by that creed. The fourth to denounce as heretics those who do not believe that creed. And, fifth, to commence persecution against such.” 1

Such a quote, and others like it, are frequently cited as evidence of the progressive nature of early Adventism—and, by extension, what we should be like today—which is a perspective I’m very sympathetic to. We therefore shouldn’t carefully police theological boundaries, but be more inclusive and open-minded about further doctrinal development and ways to express our faith.

Unfortunately, the historical record is a lot more complicated. As I’ve gone through early Adventist materials, I’ve found most of the early “pioneers” to be a lot more closed-minded and self-confident than I’d originally thought, expected, and hoped for. While we were very critical of other denominations that failed to continue to “advance” into further “light,” we ourselves seemed to suffer the same fate. By and large, our own theological system was mostly developed by the early 1850s, and we didn’t really budge from it after that.

We were also very intent on defending that system, and quick to attack any perceived threats.

Thus, two years after Loughborough’s famous reflections on creeds, the General Conference Committee, for example, very publicly defrocked Moses Hull from ministry and expelled him from Adventist membership for being a “heretic of the most obnoxious kind.” 2 Hull had been Adventism’s most celebrated and accomplished evangelist up to that point, and had even, somewhat ironically, toured with J. N. Loughborough in New Hampshire just months before his defrocking in an attempt to keep him on the straight and narrow.

But by this time, Hull had started flirting with Spiritualism, after he debated a Spiritualist, and, by the end of 1863, had essentially cast his lot with the movement, apparently abandoning, at least according to an Advent Review and Sabbath Herald article entitled, “Astonishing Apostasy: Elder Moses Hull Departed from the Faith, and Gone to Spiritualism!” all the foundational teachings of Christianity and most of the doctrines of Adventism (except, interestingly, the Sabbath).

The relevant point here is a question: which episode is “authentic” Adventism? The sentiments of Loughborough in 1861, who expressed grave concerns about doctrinal witch hunts, or the General Conference Committee in 1863, who carefully guarded theological orthodoxy and publicly shamed a celebrated evangelist for going astray (no doubt, by the way, with the approval of Loughborough, who was intimately acquainted with Hull’s theological outlook)?

Of course, perhaps neither represents “authentic” Adventism. Perhaps we shouldn’t look to the 1860s or even the 1960s to determine what is the truest expression and representation of the faith. Perhaps there are as many “authentic” versions of Adventism as there are Adventists—which, as of this writing, is over 20 million persons worldwide—which is somewhat of an attractive approach, since we don’t believe in Popes who can single-handedly declare, by fiat, what is the truest and most authentic expression of faith.

But, for my part, as I look especially at our history, searching for clues as to what our denominational identity and trajectory has been and should be, my gaze turns in one particular direction.

What is that direction? Ellen G. White.

Ellen G. White’s “Authentic” Adventism

Whether one recognizes Ellen G. White’s prophetic gift or not, it’s hard to deny one simple reality: her ministry has been unparalleled when it comes to shaping Adventism. Some view this as a great thing, others as catastrophic. I think it’s a mixed bag.

I don’t say this because I don’t believe in her prophetic ministry. Quite the opposite. I say it because any “battle” over what constitutes “authentic” Adventism is, to some degree, a battle over how one interprets Ellen G. White.

The truth is, just like people do with Scripture, we can all make Ellen G. White say whatever we want to say (and perhaps even more than we do with the Bible, since we have so much more material from her).

So, obviously, my appeal to Ellen G. White is just one perspective. I can probably see what I want to see in her writings.

But here’s what I see: when I read many of the other pioneers of her time, I get very discouraged. While I’m incredibly grateful for the determination they had and the convictions they remained committed to, I don’t see the gracious, large-hearted, and open-minded spirit that is sometimes attributed to them.

I see people who were confident in and dogmatic about their own opinions, judgmental towards other Christians (some of whom they said weren’t even Christians), and resistant to anything new or novel. I say this with all due respect.

And I’d also say that Ellen G. White herself saw—and identified—this. Especially as her own understanding developed
in the 1880s, and she recognized how Adventism was gospel-deficient, she started sounding the alarm and trying to correct the denomination, centering it firmly on Christ.

Thus, she started saying stuff like, “Of all professing Christians, Seventh-day Adventists should be foremost in uplifting Christ before the world.” 3 She also said that “we have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn.” 4 She started writing prolifically on the life of Christ, and began and ended her Conflict of the Ages series with the words “God is love.” She even wrote, in Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, that we should not intrude upon the “province of conscience” of another and make our “interpretations of Scripture” the “criterion” by which to judge them.

In short, “authentic” Adventism for Ellen G. White, was—grounded firmly in Scripture—open-handed, large-hearted, and centered on Jesus. And she desperately tried to steer the denomination in this direction.

This doesn’t at all mean she was theologically-shallow or that she lacked doctrinal convictions, having an “anything goes” attitude. She was firmly committed to the “pillars” of the faith, as she called them, but presented them in the light of Christ, refusing to turn everything into a theological debate, or majoring in minors.

And this is what discourages me so much. There’s such a huge and tragic paradox between what Adventism could be, and what it is.

I do believe Adventism, when properly articulated and lived out—because of the “God is love” paradigm we have access to (but so often ignore or deny)—could be the most beautiful, awesome, loving, and powerful religious movement in the world. Instead, we are so often the opposite.

This doesn’t mean we should run everything through Ellen G. White, especially since she wanted us to base our lives on Scripture, rather than on her. But we can at least gather a few hints from her about what “authentic” Adventism is: a Christ-centered, love-saturated, open-minded, world-engaging movement.

Shawn Brace is a pastor in Bangor, Maine, whose life, ministry, and writing focus on incarnational expressions of faith. The author of four books and a columnist for Adventist Review, he is also a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, focusing on nineteenth-century American Christianity. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter @shawnbrace, and sign up for his weekly newsletter at: shawnbrace.substack.com  

1  Bates J. and Smith, U. (1861). “Doings of the Battle Creek Conference, Oct. 5 & 6, 1861.” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. Vol. 18, No. 19: p. 148.

2  See  Byington, J., AndrewsJ.N., and Amadon G.W. (1864). “Astonishing Apostasy: Elder Moses Hull Departed from the Faith, and Gone to Spiritualism!” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. Vol. 23, No. 6. p. 45-46.

3  White, Ellen G. (1888). The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials. p. 891.

4  White, Ellen G. Review and Herald. July 26, 1892.

24 Jul

SEARCH FOR AUTHENTICITY AND THE ADVENTIST FAITH

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In his book Life of the Beloved and Our Greatest Gift, Henri Nouwen shares the experience of befriending a young secular journalist named Fred from the New York Times who interviewed him. During the interview, Henri felt great sympathy for the young man, for it seemed that Fred was ready to surrender his dreams by going through the motions of his profession. “He looked like a prisoner locked behind the bars of a society forcing him to work at something he didn’t believe.” 1 As their friendship matured, the conversations transitioned to a deeper level and became “[a] little less concerned about success, career, fame, money, and time; questions of meaning and purpose came more into the center of our relationship.” 2

One day, Fred challenged Henri to speak to his friends—individuals who, like many who walk the streets of big cities, possess great spiritual hunger and thirst, and no longer go to churches or synagogues.3 His request was simple, yet simultaneously thoughtful and reflective, one that moved beyond the need for definable constructs of beliefs, emerging as a cry from the depths of the human heart. “Speak to us about the deepest yearning of our hearts, about our many wishes, about hope—not about the many strategies for survival, but about trust—not about new methods of satisfying our emotional needs, but about love … . Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about—God.” 4

It seems that Fred’s request called for an authentic voice that rises above the boundaries of logically defined information about God. The invite sprang from the desire to understand the mystery of God from a voice immersed in an authentic relationship of trust and love—one that connects people with God. Sensing an intense depth of an inner emotional struggle on Henri’s face, Fred added, “Speak from that place in your heart where you are most yourself. Speak directly, simply, lovingly, gently, and without any apologies. Tell us what you see and want us to see; tell us what you hear and want us to hear.” 5 Fred called for voice authenticity, one that speaks candidly from the depths of the struggles to know and understand God.

Reflecting on Henri’s encounter with this young professional, I wonder about the meaning of authenticity in the context of my faith tradition. Authenticity means being genuine, sincere, honest, and transparent with oneself and others; aligning thoughts, feelings, and actions with core values, beliefs, and identity without pretense or façade. It requires humility and vulnerability to confront the challenges of knowing God on an ongoing prospective journey of faith (1 Corinthians 13: 9-12). Such faith’s authenticity collaborates with the challenging nature of the social, cultural, and religious environment. Simultaneously, it remains anchored to the object of Christian adoration—Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Peterson describes the named process as a daily—and even several times a day—return to “Square One,” the transforming, empowering, and primary source of relational authenticity. “We return to the condition in which we acquired subject permanence … . We adore and listen.” 6 In that sense, the Christian faith’s authenticity finds its locum in a relational attachment to Jesus. It means knowing, understanding, and sharing the values flowing from the depths of God’s love (1 Corinthians 13:1-8).

Adventism and Authenticity

The challenges confronting the Seventh-day Adventist Church in today’s changing world tend to lock the progressive nature of faith, beliefs, and understanding of God’s revelation into a retrospective and defensive mode reinforced by the call to return to the pioneers’ doctrinal beliefs, i.e., a revival of authentic historic Adventism. In October 2022, a group of 30 Seventh-day Adventist scholars participated in a conference titled, “Being the Remnant: Adventist Identity in History and Theology.” As one of the organizers noted, “It’s essential we talk about what it is that makes us distinctly Seventh-day Adventist, and then that we share that with the world Church.” 7 I contend that it is even more essential to reflect on how to make the Adventist voice authentic and relevant in the contemporary, dramatically changing world.

Rather than turn to retrospective reflections to secure distinctiveness and correctness encrypted in doctrinal expressions of the past, it is essential to recapture the spirit of the dynamic, prospective nature of the movement’s spiritual journey that progressively augmented Adventist pioneers’ biblically secured faith. Space does not permit examining the slow, complex, and progressive development of Adventist doctrines, but current trends toward adopting the traditional, and often literal, approach to interpreting core Adventist doctrinal beliefs—such as Creation, the Sabbath, the Fall, Salvation, Eschatology, the State of the Dead, and the Second Coming—frame the dynamic nature of faith into cognitive, static, and informative constructs of a Christian worldview. Within this inert framework, various views so often have swayed attention toward irrelevant discussions and arguments about “hair length, beards, pantsuits, dress length, makeup, jewelry, and Sabbath observance.” 8

In recent years, one has observed the divisive tension relating to “women’s ordination,” fundamentalism’s impact, and—even more troubling—the warnings against the practice of spirituality. Instead, to remain relevant, the contemporary Adventist voice’s authenticity must embrace and transmit the dynamism of the relational heart-to-heart transmission of faith in God and its ensuing values (1 Peter 1:18-21)—the Adventist heritage story’s foundational hub.

The Authentic Voice’s Prospective Nature

Discussing the attributes of the Adventist movement’s journey between 1850 and 1863, Beem and Harwood draw attention to the Advent experience’s specific character. “The spiritual life of the Advent people was shaped by opening their lives to receive the truth God revealed through the leading of the Holy Spirit and then by experiencing the joys of fuller dwelling within God’s design. The spiritual understanding was deepened, and progress made when individuals practiced their faith and put it to the test.” 9

More importantly, “They [the pioneers] sought God in prayer and meditation, searching the Scripture for further word from God. The spiritual confusion, distress, and discouragement needed to be met with clear evidence of God’s imprimatur on the movement.” 10 This description highlights the dynamic nature of the relational quality of faith grounded in spiritual life, prayer, meditation, an open-minded approach to Bible study and the Holy Spirit’s influence. It generates spiritual growth in understanding the truth that surged from God’s revelation. Moreover, it empowers believers to practice faith and test God’s presence in the surrounding reality of life. Such faith engenders authentic voices empowered to share God from the heart-to-heart stance.

Ellen G. White’s voice continued to encourage the movement to focus on the Christian experience’s spiritual nature—a prospective journey of faith to a specific destination. In her understanding, such life “will breathe out fragrance and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts.” 11 As she argued, it’s no wonder that “Christ is the center of all true doctrine. All true religion is found in His word and in nature. He is the One in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered.” 12 In this context, to remain relevant to this messed-up world’s needs, the Church must raise its vision beyond the boundaries of its doctrinal distinctiveness and embrace and transmit the vitality of the relational heart-to-heart sharing of faith anchored in Jesus.

The prophetic voice of the past uplifts this visualization as an ongoing source of spiritual remedy. “In the time of confusion and trouble before us, a time of trouble as has not been since there was a nation, the uplifted Savior will be presented to the whole world in all lands that all who look to Him in faith may live.” 13  Voices around us seem to cry out, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about God, but what does it mean practically?

Concluding Reflections

Amid today’s political, social, religious, and family dysfunctions, people are skeptical about structures built on failed promises. There seems to be a demand for values that enhance comfort, courage, and a sense of secure belonging, as well as foster authentic identity, purpose, and hope. The prevailing milieu provides an opportunity for the Church to shape the story of Creation, Salvation, and future hope in a new and refreshed way—not from the space of isolated doctrinal distinctiveness, but from life reflecting the values and qualities shared by Jesus. It calls for a voice that connects people with God, a space that offers genuine authenticity and transformational change.

John Skrzypaszek, DMin, a retired director of the Ellen White/Seventh-day Adventist Research Centre, is an adjunct senior lecturer at Avondale University College, Coranboong, NSW, Australia. Polish by birth, John takes a keen interest in heritage, spirituality, and identity studies. He is married to Brenda and has two sons Raphael and Luke. Email him at: [email protected]

1  Nouwen, H. (2002). Life of the Beloved and Our Greatest Gift. Hodder and Stoughton, London. p. 11.

2  Ibid., p. 15.

3  Ibid., p. 17.

4  Ibid., p. 18.

5  Ibid., p. 20.

6  Peterson, E.B. (1997). Subversive Spirituality. Eerdmans Publishing, p. 30.

7  Koch, I. “Conference at Andrews University Explores Adventist Identity.” Adventist Review, October 27, 2022.  https://adventistreview.org/news/conference-at-andrews-university-explores-adventist-identity/

8  Moncrieff, S. Spectrum, March 25, 2022. https://spectrummagazine.org/arts-essays/2022/authentic-adventism-places-faith-denomination

9  Beem, B. and Hanks-Harwood, G. (2006) “My Soul is on the Wings for Glory.” Andrews University Studies. Volume 44, No 1, p. 166.

10  Ibid., 160.

11  White, E.G. (1940). The Desire of Ages. Pacific Press. p. 363.

12  White, E.G. (1913). Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students. Pacific Press. p. 453.

13  White, E.G. (1904). Testimonies for the Church. Pacific Press. Vol. 8, p. 50.

24 Jul

AUTHENTICALLY ADVENTIST: DISCOVERING JESUS

In

For me, it was showing up at the neighborhood Bible study. Ostensibly, it was so that I could trade baseball cards and play street hockey with my friends whose parents were inside. I went inside on a rainy day, and the leader of the Bible study group, who happened to be Adventist, was sharing about God’s love and the plan of redemption. I went home that night and invited Jesus into my heart. Although I was only eight years old at the time, for me it was my first introduction both to Christ and Adventism. This, from my perspective, represents Adventism at its very first falling in love with Jesus and thereby desiring to see Him come soon. This Advent hope that awakened in my heart has deep roots in Adventist history.

James White wrote the book, Bible Adventism, in 1878 as a way to introduce and explain Adventism to others. He noted that “much prejudice” exists, but much of it is due to misinformation. Yet even just our name, “Seventh-day Adventist,” he wrote, “is expressive of two prominent features of our faith and hope.” As a people, we are a people who love to spend time with Jesus. Every Sabbath is about connecting in a relational way with our God. And for those who love Jesus so much, we cannot wait to see Him return. “The certainty of the second advent of Christ, and the manner and object of his coming, are points of thrilling interest to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1

Even William Miller understood this concept. He initially resisted religion as a young person, but, as he later revealed, it was because of a wrong view about who God is. When his picture of God began to change, through the reading of Scripture, everything else changed for him, too. He had gone through a series of hard knocks in life—going off to war, losing loved ones, and coming to essentially an existential crisis. And it was one day, while he was reading the sermon at church (since they didn’t have a pastor and he would complain about others) that he broke down. The sermon was by Alexander Proudfit titled “The Importance of Parental Duties.” For the first time he began to see God as a loving father in heaven:

Suddenly the character of a Saviour was vividly impressed upon my mind. It seemed that there might be a Being so good and compassionate as to himself atone for our transgressions, and, thereby, save us from suffering the penalty of sin. I immediately felt how lovely such a Being must be; and imagined that I could cast myself into the arms of, and trust in the mercy of, such a One.2

As he continued to study the Bible, “I found everything revealed that my heart could desire, and a remedy for every disease of the soul. I lost all taste for other reading, and applied my heart to get wisdom from God.” 3 This scriptural quest led to his conversion. “I saw Jesus as a friend, and my only help, and the Word of God as the perfect rule of duty.” 4 And in response to his earlier Deist friends who taunted him, he asked them only for more time so that he could continue his biblical quest. He concluded:

Give me Jesus, and a knowledge of His Word, faith in His name, hope in His grace, interest in His love, and let me be clothed in His righteousness, and the world may enjoy all the high-sounding titles, the riches it can boast, the vanities it is heir to, and all the pleasures of sin; and they will be no more than a drop in the ocean. Yes, let me have Jesus Christ, and then vanish all earthly toys. What glory has God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ! In Him all power centers. In Him all power dwells. He is the evidence of all truth, the fountain of all mercy, the giver of all grace, the object of all adoration, and the source of all light; and I hope to enjoy Him to all eternity.5

This is not to say that Adventism hasn’t struggled with this quest either. By the 1880s, Ellen G. White noted that the church had drifted into legalism. “Many had lost sight of Jesus,” she admonished. And the source of light came in the most unexpected way—two missionary pastors and editors working in California. And as various individuals at the infamous 1888 General Conference session got caught up majoring in the minors, so to speak (especially over the identity of the horns in Daniel 7 and the law in Galatians), Ellen G. White recognized there was something far more significant. These young men were preaching Jesus and emphasizing righteousness in Christ in a way that was spiritually refreshing. She stated that this 1888 message was given “in clear and distinct lines” so that “the world should no longer say that Seventh-day Adventists talk the law, but do not teach or believe Christ.” 6

Shortly afterward, Ellen G. White shared how Adventists indeed had promoted “the commandments of God, … but the faith of Jesus had not been proclaimed … as of equal importance.” The faith of Jesus was “talked of,” yet it was “not understood.” What constituted the faith of Jesus? She replied: “Jesus becoming our sin-bearer that He might become our sin-pardoning Saviour. He was treated as we deserve to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins that we might take His righteousness. Faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus.” 7 She later reflected on this 1888 meeting: “My burden during the meeting was to present Jesus and His love before my brethren, for I saw marked evidences that many had not the spirit of Christ.” 8

The most authentic form of Adventism—in its truest and best sense—is when Jesus is at the very heart and center of all things Adventist. Adventism quickly falls apart when Jesus isn’t at the center of it. And, while there are many good things that we do and believe, from figuring out the prophetic dates to health reform, none of these really matter if Jesus is not at the very heart and center of our Adventist experience and identity. Adventism is truly at its very best, as both James White and William Miller discovered, and as the church needed to be reminded again in 1888, by falling ever more deeply in love with Jesus. And, when we do, we will be eager and fervently looking forward to that day and doing everything in our power to hasten so that as many others as possible can know Jesus and be ready, too.

Michael Campbell, PhD, is director of archives, statistics, and research for the North American Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He has spent over a decade teaching in higher education in schools in Texas and the Philippines. Previously he pastored in Kansas and in the Rocky Mountain Conference. He is married to Heidi, a PhD candidate at Baylor University, and they have two teenage children, Emma, and David.

1  White, J. (1878). Bible Adventism; or, Sermons on the Coming and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 7 42.

2  Miller, W. (1845).  William Miller’s Apology and Defense, August 1. Boston: J. V. Himes, p. 5.

3  Miller, W. (1842). Miller’s Works: Views of the Prophecies and Prophetic Chronology. Boston: Joshua V. Himes. Vol. 1, 11.

4  Ibid.

5  Bliss, S. (1853). Memoirs of William Miller. Boston: Joshua V. Himes. III.

6  White, E.G. (1962). Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers. Pacific Press. 92.

7  White, E.G. (1993). Manuscript Releases. Ellen G. White Estate. Manuscript 24, 1888, 12:193.

8  Ibid.

24 Jul

TRADEMARKS OF ADVENTIST AUTHENTICITY

In

What does it mean to be an authentic Seventh-day Adventist? At first glance, answering that question seems easy. It is all in our name, right? Seventh-day refers to our belief that the true Bible Sabbath falls on the seventh day of the week … Saturday. Our name also indicates we believe in the second coming of our Savior and eagerly await His soon return. Why would we need to add anything to this simple explanation coming from our name?

Yet, under this umbrella of our name, there have been many theological viewpoints held by many different people. So, over the years, there was some confusion as to what our church’s official stand was on various doctrine. As a church, we started with just a few pillars of doctrine that we stood for, deriving our beliefs from the Bible and the Bible alone. The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald put these five pillars on the front page of their magazine on August 15, 1854. Here is the list as they published it:

  1. “The Bible, and the Bible alone, the rule of faith and duty.‌‌”
  2. “The Law of God, as taught in the Old and New Testaments, unchangeable.‌‌”
  3. “The Personal Advent of Christ and the resurrection of the Just, before the Millennium.‌‌”
  4.  “The Earth restored to its Eden perfection and glory, the final inheritance of the Saints.‌‌”
  5. ‌‌”Immortality alone through Christ, to be given to the Saints at the Resurrection.‌‌”

The church came out with other lists of fundamental beliefs along the way, but in 1980, at the World Session of Seventh-day Adventist General Conference, a list of 27 fundamental beliefs was formed and voted in. It was made clear when this took place that this was not a creed, but rather a set of beliefs that guided our movement. At the 2005 General Conference Session, a 28th fundamental belief was added on the importance of “Growing in Christ.”

There are still a number of different theological thoughts people have within our church that go beyond what we have voted in for our 28 fundamental beliefs. Some members will even get quite angry if you disagree or try to refute them. We must make sure our umbrella for what makes an Adventist stays large enough for all of us to fit under, as long as we are together on the 28. After the 28, other theological positions may be correct, but are considered “private interpretations” until the church body votes on it at a General Conference Session.

So, is this what makes an authentic Adventist? Someone who believes these 28 fundamental beliefs and obeys and follows them on their life’s journey? These beliefs are certainly important to being an authentic Adventist, but I don’t believe they cover the whole picture.

To the Adventist, the Reformation is critically important. What Martin Luther and the other reformers did was to stand up for the Bible and the Bible alone as our rule of faith. The concept embraced by the reformers was one in which church dogma was not going to influence their thinking; their doctrine was to be based on what the Word of God was telling them. The reason we do not have a creed is that we must never stop studying and learning from scripture. In other words, the reformation needs to be ongoing, never stopping until Jesus comes.

In her book, Counsel to Writers and Editors, Ellen G. White makes the following statement (p. 35):

There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.

The Biblical Research Institute, which is part of the General Conference, has developed a process for someone to go through who wants to bring new light to our movement. I am thankful we have a process for new theological discoveries because it shows we are willing as a church to keep the Bible—not the 28 fundamental beliefs—as our authority.

So, beyond our name and what it stands for, beyond our 28 fundamental beliefs, and beyond being people of the Word who never stop studying to find new light to guide our path, there is one more attribute I believe we need to talk about in regard to being an authentic Adventist.

I believe an authentic Adventist will be someone who reflects the character of Christ. It is put this way in 2 Corinthians 3:18: So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (NLT). Reflecting Christ and His character is without question, one of the trademarks of an authentic Adventist.

What does it mean to reflect the character of Christ? My wife gave me a beautiful piece of metal artwork which has the fruits of the spirit flowing out from a tree and being gathered in a barrel. It hangs on the wall right across from my desk and I look at it every day I’m in the office. I quite often miss the mark, but those attributes make up the core of how I want to treat people in my journey—whether they are the clerk at the store, my neighbor, a church member, or someone I work with. These are the core values I hold on to.

Ellen G. White makes the following comment: “The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing—the reproduction of Christ’s character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others … The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5:22-23). This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life.” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 67-69). I believe an authentic Adventist is someone who is reflecting the fruits of the spirit, which best represents the character of God Himself.

Don’t pass over this qualification too quickly with the idea that the concept is simple and you don’t need to dwell on it. I believe this should be the subject of our prayers every day. And when we treat others with this kind of grace, we will be quite different from the rest of the world.

Are you filled with love for others … even the unlovable? Is there joy in your journey? Do you wake up excited about what kind of plans the Lord has for you that day? Are you at peace? Do you have that “peace that passes all understanding?” Are you patient? Are you patient with the people closest to you when they seem to be under a different time frame than you are working in? Are you kind? Are you kind even to those who are not kind to you? Are you kind to the person who just let you down in some way?

Are you full of goodness? Do you care for others around you with graciousness? Are you as gracious to your family as you are to others? Are you honest and do you display integrity in your daily walk? Are you faithful in your work, your home, and in your church and community? Are you gentle with people in all circumstances? Even with those who are not gentle with you? Do you have the self-control you need to live a healthy, productive life?

The fruits of the spirit truly do paint a picture of Christ’s character. If you are like me, you fall woefully short of getting it right all the time. Yet these qualities are something I aspire to. I believe it will make me the most useful I can be in the Lord’s hands.

So, in review, what do I believe makes you an authentic Adventist?

  1. You whole-heartedly embrace our name. You are someone who believes in the Seventh-day Sabbath and eagerly awaits the soon return of our Lord and Savior.
  2. You know and understand Seventh-day Adventist 28 fundamental beliefs.
  3. You don’t hold our beliefs, however, as your final authority; that is reserved for Scripture and Scripture alone. You will continue to study God’s Word to learn even more about who He is and His plans for each one of us.
  4. Your heart’s desire is to reflect the character of Christ to the world, which is best understood in the fruits of the spirit.

I am sure each of you could make your own list as to what makes someone an authentic Adventist, but these are my thoughts as I reflect on the church and people I love. May the Lord bless each of you as you continue to walk in His glory and grace.

Gary Thurber is the president of Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Email him at: [email protected] 

24 Jul

SABBATH HOPE GRACE-PEOPLE

In

Seventh-day Adventism is a particular faith. When formalizing the organization of the church in 1863, the Adventist pioneers chose to put that peculiarity and particularity in the name of the new denomination. Particularity is important, but sometimes zooming in close can cause us to miss some of the bigger picture.

When we can see the brushstrokes, we experience a painting in one way. When we see the painting from the other side of the room, the brush strokes are still vital elements of the artwork, but we might also see, respond to, and understand the painting in a different and larger way. This longer vantage point might also be a way to better appreciate the individual textures and brush strokes in their proper context.

Seventh-day Adventist Church is a particular way of describing our faith. But if we step back for a wider view, we might appreciate the unique elements of our faith differently. Provisionally describing ourselves as “Sabbath Hope Grace-people” seems an experiment worth trying—that could offer a greater and more practical authenticity when we return to the particularity of what we believe.

Sabbath

The seventh day is an important particular of Adventist faith. It is not any Sabbath—we insist—but the seventh- day Sabbath. For much of our history, we have put a lot of effort into arguing against other Sabbaths. We might have won some arguments, but we have often lost the larger battles as increasingly our society has turned away from any kind of Sabbath-keeping. Now we like to claim to be one of the largest Sabbath-keeping faith communities in the world, which ignores the reality of the general disregard of Sabbath in most consumer cultures, where our particular claim is cause only for incomprehension for most people.

There has been some renewed interest in Sabbath in recent years. But our insistence on particularity has meant that such interest is suspect among many Adventists, we have created barriers to contributing to these conversations, and others have been hesitant to engage with our presentations of Sabbath. For example, most of the best books on the topic of Sabbath have not been written by Seventh-day Adventists1 and even those worthwhile books that have been written by Adventist scholars and authors2 have not received wide readership or acceptance, either within or beyond Adventism.

As important as it might be, Sabbath as Saturday is nowhere near as interesting or inviting as Sabbath as rest, delight, and liberation. While we continue to insist on the importance of Sabbath as a particular day commanded by God, we need to take that step back to rediscover these other components of Sabbath and its practice. After we do this work, we might then be able to share how the particularity of the seventh day can actually enhance these more meaningful aspects of Sabbath. That we rest when Sabbath comes to us, rather than when it suits us, gives rest more reliability and sustainability. That we delight in Sabbath means we begin to look forward to it more and to order the rest of our week in its light. That Sabbath comes to all, not only to us, means that we seek ways to share Sabbath with others in ways that benefit their lives, even if it costs or inconveniences us. We will be more authentically Seventh-dayers only after we are more fully Sabbathers.

Hope

When we talk “Adventist,” our particularity directs to thinking about, anticipating, and perhaps even “getting ready” for the second coming of Jesus. Of course, this is important and holds an overwhelmingly significant place in the identity, purpose, and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is the fundamental impulse and perpetual longing of Christian history, but has flowered anew in the Adventist movements of the past two centuries. It is also the as-yet disappointed expectation of our earliest pioneers and the focus of sometimes frantic attempts at prophetic interpretations among many misguided date-setters and preachers since.

Taking a small step back for that larger view, we can observe that Adventist describes the full story of Jesus, including His incarnation, which necessarily grounds His promises to return. A second coming does not happen without a first—and if we don’t know Jesus, news of His second coming is most likely unnerving. So a more authentic Adventism devotes more attention to Jesus, His life and teachings, death and resurrection, as key elements in any and all hope of His return.

The next step back for a bigger perspective takes us to the concept and practice of hope. As it is often used today, hope is a slippery and somewhat ephemeral word, more akin to wishful thinking. But we must insist on a more substantial understanding of hope.

Meaningful hope is not merely some distant beacon, but a future-oriented practice of present transformation based on past experience. What we believe about the future is based on what we believe about the past, which—most importantly—shapes us, our lives and our world today. The formula in Hebrews 6 includes the promises God has given to us in the past plus our present and enduring faithfulness leading to a future inheritance. This formula also insists that our present hope-shaped lives play a role in creating that future: Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true (Hebrews 6:11).

When we reframe our anticipation of the Second Coming in the story of Jesus and the daily practice of hope, sharing Bible prophecy will sound less like the conspiracy-mongering that some have made it into and more like a truly blessed hope (see Titus 2:13). It will also be an increasingly transformative influence in our attitudes to the world around us, undermining evil and injustice and motivating us to make a difference with those who are most disadvantaged and marginalized. We will be more authentically Adventist when we are more hope-filled, hope-shaped and hope-motivated.

Grace-people

There are so many assumptions and images that leap into our minds with mention of the word church—and so many of them are less than what it ought to be. A few years ago, I was making a brief presentation to one of the “highest” denominational committees in our region, and I had the temerity to point out that, for all its church leaders and representatives, this executive committee was not the church. At best, it could offer only an administrative support structure for the actual church that lives, works, and worships together in so many local communities across the region in so many everyday ways.

Taking a step back from the particularity of church—in this case the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a worldwide organizational structure or even any of its more regional or localized constituent components—we might observe a community of grace, people drawn together from many different backgrounds and stories by little more than their common following of Jesus. They bring their large and small experiences of transformation and hope into common gatherings for worship, encouragement and service, primarily because somehow, He invited them individually together.

Such a community is welcoming and includes and invites people who might not otherwise interact, but for grace, as well as those who are not yet there. We are called out of the world, but not away from the world (see John 17:14–16). Church that makes sense is always about people, both those within the community of faith and those around it. Any church organization, institution, or policy is only useful to the degree that it supports, encourages, and enhances these communities of grace.

We will be more authentically church when we recognize our highest expression in the gathering of a few local followers of Jesus, perhaps with a few more who are trying to follow Him or are even quite uncertain about following Him, seeking to share their lives, encourage each other, and serve their wider community together.

Sabbath Hope Grace-people

The particularity that we know as the Seventh-day Adventist Church must not be allowed to eclipse the bigger meaning that the particular elements of the name rely upon. These wider perspectives must inform our understanding of the particulars. We cannot be an authentic Seventh-day Adventist Church without a better appreciation of Sabbath and hope practiced together by people in communities of grace.

Particularity is important, but our faith draws us into a broader view and a larger world. Sometimes we need to step away from the canvas. While admiring their precision or flourish, if we get lost in the brush strokes, we might miss the larger beauty of which they are a part and for which those brush strokes were created.

Nathan Brown is a writer and editor at Signs Publishing in Warburton, Victoria, Australia. Nathan recently launched Thinking Faith, a collection of his articles in Mountain Views over the past few years, as well as being co-editor of A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism. Email him at: [email protected]

1 For example, The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel (1951), Sabbath by Wayne Muller (2000), Sabbath As Resistance by Walter Brueggemann (2014), and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (2019).

2 For example, The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day by Sigve Tonstad (2009).

24 Jul

THE GRACE OF ESSENTIALS

In

Sabbath has been a constant in my life from childhood. Everything about it in the beginning was odd until I got used to it and then it was familiar and after that it was like muscle memory—something that happened with little thought and predictable results. It wasn’t until I had some freedom to make decisions about how I would spend my Sabbaths that it became more than simply rote.

I can clearly remember the time and place in which the freedom to walk through the fields on the Sabbath like the disciples and to pluck from the world all that would give me nourishment, first occurred. I was a high-school teenager in Northern California in the summer of 1968. My grandparents had left me home alone for the weekend with the agreement that I’d go to Sabbath School and church as always.

My friend, slightly older than I, suggested we hitchhike after church from PUC, where we lived, out to the coast and back through the Napa Valley. It would be our missionary journey: we would witness about Jesus to anyone who picked us up. I remember the shock of realizing it was my decision to make, the thrill of the unknown, the anticipation of the open road, and the adventures that awaited us. So, we said a quick prayer and set out. We agreed that we’d welcome rides from hippies in VW vans but refuse rides from creeps in Cadillacs and Buicks.

It being the Sixties and the Summer of Love, there was an abundance of VW vans with cheerful young people only a couple of years older than us. They would stop, we would hop in, and the conversations about God, drugs, rock ’n roll, and politics would begin. It was exhilarating being far from home, traveling on tickets punched by the Holy Spirit.

__________

I would like to be authentic.

To be authentic is to be true to oneself, to one’s essence. It is to discover the original version of yourself, since authentikos is Greek for “original.”

Albert Camus, French existentialist, resistance fighter against the Nazis, and Nobel Prize winning author, gave me one example of authenticity. For him, it meant taking responsibility for one’s actions in an absurd universe. We freely choose our actions, and we take responsibility for the consequences. In the absence of God, we make ourselves. We breathe in freedom, and we exhale authenticity.

As I understand it, I must aim to be authentic. However, unlike Camus, I know I can’t achieve it by myself, nor can I readily recognize it in myself. My actions toward others are a measure of my responsibility: authenticity is the echo coming back to me from my relationships.

Unless we are completely self-consumed, we seek the acknowledgement of others. We want to move through life with confidence that we can affect others positively, that in some real sense we belong here. We know we are not self-sufficient; we are not islands unto ourselves. Neither are we pure versions of ourselves. We are, to some extent, the partial product of anyone who has influenced us.

I grew up with the Sabbath, its rhythms and restrictions so deeply embedded in my conscience that my body obediently followed. Sabbath, for many of us growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, was not a celebration. It was a day in which adults did whatever it took to guarantee we didn’t do our own pleasure on the Lord’s Day. The Sabbath was the fourth commandment, the hinge of history, upon which the very reason for the Seventh-day Adventist Church turned. An authentic Adventist observed the Sabbath dutifully, if a little grimly. According to the lore, all those saved who were not Adventists would keep their first Sabbath on the trip to heaven, a baptism through ritual observance.

Authenticity is one of those states of being that needs its opposite. We’re always measuring it against the inauthentic. We begin with what we think is authentic and the corruption of that is inauthentic. In a practical sense, one does not exist without the other. This means we carry around two standards in our heads, one constantly rubbing against the other. Behind the authentic is something difficult to define but recognizable when experienced. To see it, really see it, is to know it. It’s no Olympic torch, it’s more like a flickering flame seen best in the darkness.

The Sabbath and the Second Advent are the connective tissue that joins this global Adventist body together. We are beings who both influence and are influenced, and the crossover between these two complicates and deepens our understanding of who we are and where we fit in our communities.

__________

The sulfur lights in the railway yard burned with a yellow intensity, but the fog softened and dispersed their gleams like smoke. We picked our way over the train tracks toward buildings that fronted a street. My three friends and I had crossed the English Channel on the ferry that December night to disembark at Calais.

It was close to midnight, and we had no place to stay until morning, but a guy we met claimed to have a key to the rail cars. We could sleep in one of them and be out before morning. It was briefly tempting: it was freezing and damp and we were tired. But we said no, partly on the theory that anyone who would break into rail cars isn’t to be trusted, and partly because it just seemed wrong to start our European adventure with a minor crime.

Besides, it was Friday night, the beginning of Sabbath, the 13th Sabbath of the church quarter. Back in the States, our friends on their Adventist campuses would be celebrating with agape feasts. So, we found the one shop still open and bought baguettes and Fanta—an orange soda—and the four of us sat in the stairwell of an apartment building and had our own Communion service.

 __________

I praise the Adventist pioneers who first came up with the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” It’s a stroke of genius, a three-word title and description that tells you everything essential about this church whose purpose, however imperfectly, is to live toward the kingdom of God-in-Jesus.

I distinguish “essential” from “fundamental.” I am perplexed how 28 beliefs, most of which we share with other Protestant denominations, can still be characterized as “fundamental.” That’s a lot of fundamentals. I would rather try to live with “essentials,” and the Sabbath and the Second Advent fit that bill perfectly.

They are like magnets whose force fields keep the poles apart. Flip them around and they snap together. We live within the tension between the two, a tension that provides a robust philosophy of life.

The Sabbath roots us to this Earth. It calls us to care for the created order as God’s gift to humanity. The Sabbath is a powerful symbol of liberation from materialism, from slavery to false gods and authorities, and as resistance to the power of evil in this world. It is a time of rest, an analgesic for the soul.

The Second Advent builds on the hope embedded in the Sabbath and assures us that, while all our efforts toward peace and justice are necessary, they are penultimate to God’s ultimate action of cosmic and earthly liberation.

This Earth is our home; being with God is our destiny. The Sabbath is our portable cathedral, as much a place of worship in a stairwell in Calais as it is a feast of connection with others on the roads through Sonoma to Bodega Bay to the Napa Valley. No matter where we are, if we are in the Sabbath, we are home.

I am simplifying my life. For many years now, when asked, I reply that Sabbath and the Second Advent are the shoes I walk in as I try to follow Jesus. The other 26 Fundamentals are givens as far as I’m concerned. What I live with daily are these two essentials, as authentic as you can get for a follower of Jesus of the Adventist variety.

If you feel for any reason pushed out of this church, ask yourself what real-time and eternal consequences it would have in your life. You will still carry the Sabbath with you; it can be your sanctuary. As long as there is time, the Sabbath will be your dwelling place, the tent in which God-in-Jesus is truly God-with-us.

And the Advent of Jesus still to come is the hope that is within us. Not tied to our own achievement or merit, not even unfolding according to a rigid algorithm of biblical calculation, but coming when it is the kairos, the right time. We may live to see it or we may not. It doesn’t matter. We are here now, and the kingdom is within us. This is the grace that blossoms from the essentials.

Barry Casey has published in Adventist Society for the Arts, Brevity, Faculty Focus, Lighthouse Weekly, Mountain Views, Patheos, Spectrum Magazine, The Dewdrop, and The Purpled Nail. His collection of essays, Wandering, Not Lost: Essays on Faith, Doubt, and Mystery, was published by Wipf and Stock in November 2019. He writes from Burtonsville, Maryland. Email him at: [email protected]

24 Jul

CONFESSIONS OF AN IGNORANT AND CONFUSED ADVENTIST

In

The gentleman in Western Tanzania was drop dead drunk, but his dull red eyes brightened. He flashed a toothless grin when he heard I was an Adventist.

“So am I,” he said cheerfully!

He probably was.

The way I see it, it’s a “behaviors versus beliefs” issue. One can behave like an authentic Adventist, or believe like an authentic Adventist, or both.

I consider myself a bit of an expert on authentic Adventist behavior. I’m great at evaluating lifestyles and assessing appearances. It’s an important part of my life as an Adventist. I can observe what you eat and drink, how you dress, what you do on Saturdays and Saturday nights, how and whom you love, and tell, with a great deal of confidence, if you’re behaving like an authentic Adventist. I’m very good at it.

But I would never claim to be an authority on Adventist beliefs.

On the beliefs side, I’m relatively ignorant. Or at least confused. I have limited access and little insight into the hierarchy of all the pronouncements, guidelines, rules, principles, commitments, vows, fundamental beliefs, position statements, and requirements that an Adventist must hold and uphold socially, spiritually, economically, ethically, and theologically to permit me to identify an authentic, belief-based Adventist. It may not even be possible.

Part of the problem is that Adventism apparently is not a single, unified church. The late William Johnsson, editor of the Adventist Review for a quarter century, claimed that there are two different versions of Adventism, while Jon Paulien, the past dean of the Faculty of Religion at Loma Linda University, has identified at least four brands of Adventism. It’s difficult to define authenticity among those in division.

We Adventists come to our present discord, in large part, because of our church history. Our denomination was born in confusion and disagreement. Adventism suffered a “great disappointment” based on a significant misinterpretation of prophecy, and then splintered into numerous Adventist components. The splintered components then fragmented further.

As with many Protestant churches, early Adventists claimed to believe in the “priesthood of all (male) believers.” They also believed in “present truth,” the idea that truth was progressive; dynamic, as opposed to static. This is a formula for fragmentation.

Having a church full of individual “priests” studying the Bible for themselves leads to singular convictions that often result in sharp divisions and disputes among members and between members and leaders. This difficulty was magnified in the group that eventually became the Seventh-day Adventists. There, believers could not only study and view biblical writings differently, but they could also study and interpret the writings of their “prophetess” differently. This led to confusion both inside and outside of the church.

To prevent and suppress such chaotic behavior, most churches adopt a standard creed. Our denomination, however, was founded by leaders who were not just non-credal, they were dogmatically anti-credal. Many of them felt that creeds stifled the work of the Holy Spirit. However, not having a creed, or even a list of fundamental principles or beliefs, made it difficult to “shepherd” the members, and almost impossible to explain to the outside world what it was that they believed.

There was no “officially” pronounced set of fundamental beliefs for more than a century of the church’s existence as an organization. Unofficially, though, in 1872, Uriah Smith, the editor of the church’s leading periodical, published a “Declaration of Fundamental Principles.” He did this, in large part, to address the confusion that reigned in the Christian community regarding what it was that made Adventists different. This unadopted and unofficial list of Adventist principles essentially defined the church and explained its mission until 1931. Unfortunately, it included key items that were not only unorthodox, but they were also seen as being heretical by many non-Adventist Christians.

By 1931, church leadership realized that the “Declarations of Fundamental Principles” were causing Adventism to be seen as a cult. Additionally, requests to clarify our beliefs were coming in from church divisions around the world. In response, a committee was established to produce “a statement of what Seventh-day Adventists believe” to be printed in the church’s Yearbook. It was felt that “such a statement would help government officials and others to a better understanding of our work.”

The committee’s product became known as “The Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists.” This was first presented to the public in the February 19, 1931, edition of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. There was no official church vote on its acceptance, nor was there any apparent push to adopt it as a creed for the denomination. However, it finally offered to the world, and to church members, the articulation of “our faith” in a manner that presumed to reflect an entirely agreed upon system of beliefs. Importantly, it corrected the heretical positions that had been present in the earlier list of principles.

Unfortunately, this document was not widely disseminated, and the odor of heresy and the criticism of being a cult continued to hang over the church.

In 1955 and 1956, a group of Adventist scholars and theologians met with several non-Adventist Evangelical leaders over a period of eighteen months, hammering out answers to a number of questions about our church and its beliefs. This led to the publication, in 1957, of Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine. This book warmed the hearts of leading American fundamentalist Evangelicals, who finally agreed that Adventists should be admitted into the Christian fold.

Many Adventist theologians who had not been involved in the publication, however, loudly criticized the work. They felt we had surrendered too much of our distinctiveness in purchasing a seat on the bench of so-called Christian orthodoxy. And, although the book was “prepared and authorized” by the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference administration, it was not an “official pronouncement” of the church, as it was never “endorsed or adopted” by the General Conference in session.

Finally, in 1980, at a representative meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in session, the church officially adopted a comprehensive summarization of “Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists” in 27 paragraphs. The Bible remained as the church’s only creed, but the church officially now had a statement of the shared beliefs of the community in a form which was structured by subjects which summarized its core tenets. This was in contradistinction to a creed, which has been defined as “a statement of the shared beliefs of a community in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.”

In 2005, a 28th fundamental belief was added to the list to apparently help support and assist perfectionists. This list constitutes the church’s understanding and expression of the teaching of Scripture. The Bible is still our only creed, but we now have an “official” way of identifying, by both beliefs and practices, an “authentic” Adventist.

Or do we?

Sadly, confusion remains, at least among some of us living in the intellectual and theological hinterlands. While we have the 28 fundamental beliefs, there are still two different sets of baptismal vows and dozens of official church position statements that expand on and attempt to clarify the list of beliefs. Knowing which of these statements are authoritative is perplexing, as they have been variously approved by the General Conference Administrative Committee, the General Conference Executive Committee, the General Conference in session, the General Conference Communications Department, and the General Conference Communication Department on behalf of the President’s Office.

Personally, there are some official statements and positions with which I disagree. Fortunately, I have been told by several local pastors and conference officials that one does not have to believe all of the Fundamental Beliefs and official position statements to be an Adventist. But still I worry. Am I authentic? Who has the ultimate right to decide?

Our church includes numerous categories of believers, all of whom are encouraged to spread our beliefs to the world. There are lay members, such as I. There are Bible workers, local pastors, elementary and high school Bible teachers, college and university professors, independent and employed evangelists, and seminary theologians. Additionally, there are local conference officers, union and division administrators, and executives of the General Conference. But not everyone is on the same page. Does the General Conference president speak with more authority regarding our Fundamental Beliefs and positions than does a local Bible worker? How can one be certain?

The official position of the church is that our fundamental beliefs and doctrines are given the formal imprimatur of the church when the Adventist General Conference is in session, with accredited delegates from the whole world field present. These General Conference in session meetings occur every five years. Perhaps the safest thing to do is to wait until 2025, when, hopefully, we’ll once again find out what it is that “authentic” Adventists believe. Until then, however, I’ll just keep spreading my own little list of present truths! I am, after all, an authentic (male) priest.

Mark Johnson, MD, is a retired public health physician and the chairman of the Boulder Vision Board. Email him at: [email protected]

24 Jul

A CATHEDRAL SPEAKS

In

Come with me into an English cathedral. There are over 40 of them in my country. Come with me into the one I know best: Salisbury Cathedral. And as we enter this great Anglican church, where worship has been offered by the faithful for many hundreds of years, allow it to speak to you a little about authentic Adventism. Listen to the cathedral.

As we enter, our voices drop to a whisper. We all immediately know that this is a different kind of space. A special space. Our whispers witness to a stillness. In his book The Sabbath, the Jewish philosopher and writer, Abraham Joshua Heschel, says that Jews do not build cathedrals in space; they build cathedrals in time. So too for Adventists. The Sabbath is our cathedral in time, a holy place. An intersection where God meets us. The Sabbath defines Adventist spiritual life (Fundamental belief #20). It takes us to the very heart of things … if we let it.

I read once that Sabbath people are rested people, and rested people are resourceful people. There’s truth in that. When we observe the true spirit of Sabbath, when do not rush around frantically simply to keep the religious show on the road, when we don’t allow the Sabbath to become a dull routine, when we don’t allow it to become just part of the weekend, we put ourselves in a place where we may be filled with the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19, NRSV)

Be still and know … (Psalm 46:10).

Even though this Anglican cathedral is a place of stillness, there is nevertheless a lot going on. Priests float noiselessly along the aisles. Volunteers work away at creating welcome. The notice boards tell of a multitude of activities which are part of the cathedral’s witness to the goodness of God (#22).

So too with the Sabbath. Rest does not necessarily mean passivity. It is stillness with a purpose.

Activities will stop briefly at midday when tourists are invited to pause for a short act of worship—probably “Our Father …” (#3), a word of welcome (#12), a brief reflection given by a vicar.

It is not only the stillness which first impresses. Your eyes will soon inevitably be drawn to the lofty vaulted ceilings. This space is immense. It speaks of God’s own immensity (#2). This English Gothic church is an important reminder to us that, all too often, we domesticate God. We create God in our own image. We make God serve our own agenda. Everything here reminds me that my God is too small.

How did they get those vaults up there centuries ago? It would be a great feat even with modern technology and engineering but in the mediaeval period …? It is a spectacular and costly act of creation (#6). It displays boundless imagination and vision. And dedication. And love. No doubt some of the masons, carpenters, and other labourers met their accidental deaths here—for this. My mind goes back to the opening chapters of Genesis: And God ventured to say: “Let us make man in our own image …” God’s audacious risk. Breath-taking vision.

We turn towards the nave and are confronted with a brilliant modern baptistery (2008). The water is continually flowing, and it is big enough to allow full adult immersion (#15). In baptism we are, for a moment, submerged, overwhelmed by the continuing generosity of God. Around the baptistery are inscribed the words from Isaiah 43: 1-2: Do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. This is the heart of Adventism. Called by name. Water welling up to eternal life.

We proceed down the nave towards the East window. The Holy Scriptures always stand open on the lectern (#1). We arrive eventually in front of the altar, the area called the chancel or sanctuary. Until the 17th century, fugitives could flee to the sanctuary, and find a safe haven in front of the altar, holy ground, beyond the immediate reach of the law or their pursuers.

The sanctuary is the sacred place because of the belief that God is physically present in the Eucharist. We may differ over whether Holy Communion is about the actual or symbolic presence of Christ, but, at base, this broken-hearted celebration affirms that Christ has made our journey to God a safe one, which we can make in all confidence. With debates over prophetic times and symbolic meanings, the doctrine of the sanctuary (#24) has a controversial history in the Adventist church. Sadly, this has sometimes obscured the basic teaching—that we are safe with Jesus. This is my body given for you. This is my blood shed for you.

Look up and you will not see a contorted Christ figure on a cross. The cross is empty. He is risen, risen indeed! Alleluia! (#9) A cross bearing a crucified Christ reminds us that we are hopelessly sinful. The empty cross, Jesus liberated by the resurrection, calls us to life with an altogether new quality. It calls for engagement with others. It calls us to responsibility. The occupied cross can lead us to a kind of passivity. We sometimes emphasize Good Friday at the expense of resurrection Sunday. No! The cross is empty. The tomb is empty. He is risen!

While there may be many representations of Christ in church, it is more difficult to represent the Holy Spirit. But if you look up now you will see a flame flickering in the sanctuary lamp—a sign of the eternal presence of Christ with us in the Holy Spirit (#5) The wind blows where it wills … So it is with the Spirit. Sometimes we forget this and believe that the Spirit is only active where our church has a presence. Sometimes we speak as if the Holy Spirit is a kind of fuel which we use to do our work. Nothing could be further from the truth. The wind blows where it wills …

There’s more to see. On one of the aisles, there are a couple of chantries. They are like very small chapels within the cathedral. They were built as places where prayers could be said, masses sung for a very wealthy patron, a lord of the manor. They are based on the idea that you can intercede for the souls of the dead, at least the very rich dead. And that you can earn merit by sheer effort (#10). This is in stark contrast to the more biblical teaching held by Adventists that when you are dead, you are dead. Ashes only (#26). While the idea of an expectant sleep may give solace to the dying, it is not an immediately comforting teaching for those who survive.

For that, you need to go to the return of Jesus. You will have to look harder to find evidence of the doctrine of the second coming of Christ as cherished by Adventists (#25). The traditional teaching of the established church, based on fear of hell, gave it power and leverage. No church can prosper when fear is the underlying motivation. Adventism at its best is clear about this. Sadly, some expressions of Adventism trade in fear. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Some of the stained glass is mediaeval, mostly representing scenes from the life of Christ. The windows were the ancient version of a multimedia show. The dazzling windows were a vital means of indoctrinating the illiterate majority. Adventists are undeniably good at multimedia communication of the gospel. We are less good at what you find in the Trinity Chapel behind the altar. Its modern stained glass and superb tapestry call us to think about Prisoners of Conscience around the world (1980). We are less good at fighting for justice. We fear political entanglement unlike some of our abolitionist pioneers.

There’s a rare copy of the Magna Carta over in the chapter house. The document is an affirmation of the rights of ordinary folk against hierarchies which so easily overreach themselves and oppress. There’s no time to visit the cloisters where scholars spent long hours on Bible study. They were highly valued. In our church, the scholars have sometimes been regarded as an irritating presence.

It’s time to leave. We exit by the huge West door which admits all who will come. Without condition. Do we sometimes impose conditions on who can come?

The cathedral has been a long time in the making. It inspires me to seek greater faithfulness to God within my own community. In this great church, you will hear whispers of God. This voice from beyond our familiar Adventist experience witnesses authentic discipleship … if we let it.

We take one long last look at the spire. I once heard a guide say that, in strong winds, the spire may move as much as 4 feet—it seems unbelievable. But the metal rods inside the masonry give the spire a flexibility which allows it to stand so nobly. Such agility brings strength. The spire points me away from myself, upwards, outwards. To God.

The test of authentic Adventism is that it will help you, just for a moment, to touch eternity.

Michael Pearson is Principal Lecturer Emeritus at Newbold College in the U.K. For many years he taught topics in ethics, philosophy, and spirituality. He and his wife, Helen, write a weekly blog pearsonsperspectives.com Email him at: [email protected]

24 Jul

ARE YOU FOR REAL? BEING (OR BECOMING) AN AUTHENTIC BELIEVER

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Last year, the Southern Baptists denomination in the United States lost half a million members. This means that in just twelve months, roughly one of every 25 members decided to walk away from their church. Although there are some specific reasons that contributed to this extraordinary exodus, in recent decades most Christian denominations in the western world had to face a constant and intensifying hemorrhage of members, suffering an even more dramatic decline in church attendance.

Numerous books have been written about the reasons why people leave the church, and, indeed, there are many different factors that play a role. But one element is mentioned more often than any other reason—in particular by members of the younger generations—namely: hypocrisy. David Kinnaman, the president of the Barna Group which researches developments in Christianity, wrote: “Whether we like it or not, the term ‘hypocritical’ has become fused to young people’s experience with Christianity.” He added that 85 percent of all young people who have had at least some exposure to Christians and to the church have concluded that Christianity is hypocritical (p. 42).1

Countless people give up on the institutional church—and often also on their faith—because of the glaring inconsistencies between the words and the actions of fellow believers and, in particular, of church leaders. The sexual scandals in the Roman Catholic Church as well as the numerous cases of sexual indiscretion, or worse, among prominent pastors in Protestant churches, have done colossal damage to the credibility of Christianity. Also, many erstwhile strong believers have become totally disillusioned about the church, as they observed the dubious lifestyles and selfish behavior of many faithful churchgoers. And the fact that extreme piety often disguises serious moral problems does not go unnoticed.

In addition, other forms of hypocrisy leave many believers wondering to what extent they can still trust their leaders. Too often, they discover that there is a substantial discrepancy between what pastors teach and preach and the convictions they privately hold. Is it a matter of not wanting to jeopardize their job and their career opportunities? Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that the Adventist Church is faring any better in this respect than most other faith communities.

An Issue of All Times

Hypocrisy is not a new phenomenon. We find it already in Bible times. Jesus did not mince words when He accused the spiritual leaders of his days of hypocrisy. He called them “blind guides,” “snakes,” and “white-washed tombs” (Matt. 23:13-36). They sadly lacked what should have characterized them most: authenticity.

Even in the earliest days of the Christian church, hypocrisy raised its ugly head. Ananias and Sapphira appeared to be generous people. They decided to sell a piece of land and to give a large chunk of the money to the church. But their generosity was phony. They wanted to look good and enhance their reputation as pillars of the newly established church. They pretended that they were giving the entire proceeds of the sale to the church, while in reality they kept part of the money for themselves. Their lack of authenticity cost them their lives (Acts 5:1-10).

But let’s be honest. Hypocrisy and pretense are not just things of the past and do not only occur in other faith communities. There is also much window dressing among Seventh-day Adventist Christians. As church members, we know we are supposed to act in certain ways. We must do certain things and abstain from particular activities if we want to safeguard our reputation as members in “good and regular standing.” Alas, when other church members are in sight, we may behave differently from when we think we are “safe.” But the critical question is not who we are when we are on the platform of our church on Sabbath morning, but who we are when no one is looking!

A Corporate Issue

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has tended to pride itself with various complimentary labels. We have called ourselves the “remnant church,” meaning: We are the only last-day community of people who are truly loyal to God. We have pointed to ourselves as members of a global missionary movement who are “totally involved.” And we have often claimed to be a “caring” church. But how true is that?

I have no doubt that there are many local Adventist communities that do indeed “care” for their members and for those they come into contact with. But what do we see when we take a more comprehensive look? What is the quality of pastoral care in many of our churches? How inclusive is the average Adventist congregation when it concerns men and women (and others) with a “different” sexual orientation or with some “liberal” theological ideas? How much care do local congregations manifest towards the people with specific needs in the wider community? Must we not regretfully conclude that many (if not most) Adventist churches have a long way to go in practicing what they preach?

What Our Church Needs

The church needs authenticity and, as individual members of the church, we must be authentic. Dictionaries provide us with many synonyms for the term authentic, such as real, genuine, worthy of trust, not fake or phony, pure, credible. In the past, the first question most people asked when choosing a church would be whether that church teaches biblical truth. Today, this is still an important aspect, but the question “What do you people believe and preach?” has taken second place to: “What kind of people are you? Do you practice what you preach?”

My mother once (now some decades ago) told me about the quarrels and bitter disagreements between members in the small church in which she grew up. I asked her why she decided to stay in that kind of a church. Her answer was quite straightforward: “Because, whatever happens, our church has the truth.” Today, many react in a different way. They turn their back on a church where people cannot get along with one another and miserably fail to reflect the attitude of the One they profess to follow.

As a church—globally, regionally, nationally, and, foremost, locally—we must radiate authenticity if we want to be a living, attractive, and growing church. We must do away with all false pretenses and all the promises we cannot keep. The reputation, programs, slogans, and strategies of our church must, at all times, be credible and genuine. Our message is to be based on biblical truth, but it must also embody true love and care. Our church must be an authentic beacon of positivity and hope in our community.

What I Need

My individual challenge as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian is directly linked to what I just said about our church: How can I become, be, and remain, an authentic person?

The Old Testament story of the anointing of David as the king of Israel reminds us of a crucial fact. The prophet Elia preferred Eliab, an older brother of David, as the royal candidate, but God told him that David was the one He had chosen. The lesson of the story is summarized in just a few words: “People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

This is in many ways reassuring. God does not build his assessment of me on my external qualities and on what people say about me, but on what I really am deep down. However, it remains true that people do get a particular impression of me when they meet me and talk to me. When they interact with me, they will wonder whether I am for real, or am I hiding behind a façade. When they wonder whether my Christianity is make-believe, will they somehow sense that it is genuine?

If we want to share our faith with others in the western world of 2023, it remains, of course, essential that we have something important to say and that we are able to say this in words and images that can be understood by people around us. But, beyond anything else, the key for any meaningful sharing of the gospel is that we are authentic. People—and especially young people—nowadays smell phoniness from miles away. As I try to live as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, I have to take a good look at myself.

Am I someone who is for real? Am I honest about myself, not only willing to talk about my successes, but also about my shortcomings? Do I have the courage to tell other people about my faith, but also about my doubts? Am I prepared to listen to the stories of the people around me, but also to make myself vulnerable by telling my own story? This is all part of being authentic.

What counts in the end is not primarily whether people see me as a pious person with a lot of Bible knowledge, but rather, first and foremost, as a genuinely nice person who models acceptance and forgiveness. Christ was and is the true I AM. He was perfect in his authenticity. It should be my most earnest wish to reflect my Lord’s authenticity to the best of my ability in all I do and speak.

Reinder Bruinsma, PhD, has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church in publishing, education, and church administration on three continents. He writes from the Netherlands where he lives with his wife Aafie. Among his latest books is I Have a Future: Christ’s  Resurrection and Mine. Email him at: [email protected]

 

1 Kinnaman, D., & Lyons, G. (2012). Unchristian: What a new generation really thinks about Christianity—and why it matters. Baker Books.

24 Jul

TEN ADVENTISTS AND TEN ANSWERS

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Being in Adventist ministry my entire work life means that I’ve moved a bunch. Some Adventist workers have had to move a lot, but I’ve only had to move a bunch (which is less than a lot). The eight times we’ve moved each had its own unique challenges, especially when it comes to finding a suitable place to live.

The first two times we moved we were assigned housing both at Adventist boarding schools. But from then on, it was up to us. Move number three was a bit unique in that the conference I was moving to did not invite me to bring Jana along to look over the call and find housing, so I bought a small three bedroom condo in San Diego without Jana being present to look it over. Fortunately, Jana was very gracious about it. It did help that we could pick carpet and tile color after the purchase, but I learned then that it’s never wise to make that sort of decision on your own if you are married!

As we continued in the work and moved more times, I learned that when we looked for houses together, and then later still when we began to take our children into consideration, it became very obvious that each of us valued something different in a house. One feature or another would catch one of our fancies, and they, only rarely, turned out to be the same features that were special for all of us. So we had the same end goal in mind, but the things we each found most appealing about a given housing opportunity always varied. But, in the end, we found a way to make whatever our choice ultimately was work out just fine.

If you were to ask any 10 faithful Adventist Christians what authentic Adventism was to them, my hunch is that you’d get maybe 10 different answers. That may be because there are different parts of being an Adventist that really hooks into a person’s soul that may not resonate the same way for another person. Oh, we’re all on the same track—we have the same goal in mind. But different things might bring different joys to different people.

For example, some of us find Adventism precious because we truly can give ourselves a break once every week to lay aside all our stresses and struggles and rest. I imagine that of all the commandments given in the desert to the soon-to-be-wandering Israelites were greatly surprised they could actually have a day when they did not have to work—they of former slave status that had no concept of resting on a Sabbath.

For others, it might be the comfort of knowing that those they love whom they have lost are asleep. Still others will be grateful that God does not punish with eternal hellfire.

I imagine that one of our dearest and most cherished hopes is our belief that Jesus is coming soon. Some of us are tired of this world and want to go home!

Some of us are desperately in love with Jesus, and want to do all we can to live for Him.

So we can all be one as Adventists and yet still love different things that bring us joy, all the while appreciating and loving all the other wonderful things it means to be an Adventist.

What I am most uncomfortable with is when one of us tries to enforce our view of what it means to be a true, faithful Adventist on our brothers and sisters. Some even point to specific periods of time and observe who we were back then and say, “this is what we should be today.” But a careful study of our history will show that there was much development of our church and its structure and doctrines over many years. It’s true that we still have disagreements about what some of those “old days” meant in terms of authentic Adventism, so maybe pointing to different eras of the church may not be so helpful.

May I posit one suggestion? It’s not meant to settle the question: what does “Authentic Adventism” mean? Rather, it’s a starting point and perhaps even an ending point. If we don’t start and end with at least this, then all of the stuff in between can be used in unhealthy ways.

Just three short sentences from Jesus—who is the head of our church: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples (John 13.34-35, NLT).

I want to be that authentic.

Mic Thurber is the RMC president. Email him at: [email protected]

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