Adventist Doctrine Reconsidered

The fundamental tenets of Protestantism as I understand them are as follows: a rejection that tradition alone supercedes biblical teachings, a belief that all doctrinal teachings come from sola scripura, that the Pope, contrary to Catholic teachings, is not Christ's vicar on this earth and is, just as you and I are, fallible, that the Jewish Torah and Christian Gospels with the New Testament writings constitute the "Word of God," and that Christ is our sole advocate and means of salvation; no man, institution, works, or doctrine can lead to salvation, only Christ. Seventh-day Adventist, I believe, pick up the progression of the philosophies of Protestantism from the sixteenth-century in the nineteenth-century. Adventist's beliefs constitute a progression of Protestant biblical thoughts on religion and theology. The Adventist movement has added a great deal to Christianity as a larger philosophy and in a completely opposite vein has also frustrated believers and distanced Christians from their Heavenly Father and loving Saviour.

Adventism Reconsidered is not a renunciation of Adventist beliefs as much as it is a rebuke of alleged and self-proclaimed "Christian Adventists." I will tackle some highly contested and debated theological issues, but my primary focus is to challenge my fellow Adventists to act like the Christ they claim to follow after. I understand that these are harsh words and statements like this make one quite unpopular, but I am not concerned about my popularity as much as the future of my beloved church; I desperately want to see the church of my youth, that taught me of the great love of Christ for the world, make progress and grow into a denomination of healthy, loving Christians eager to heal humanity as the hands and body of the Living Christ within us.

Here I will go through each "Fundamental Belief" and briefly discuss which statements assist in alienating progressive Adventist believers and which parts I find not compatible with the philosophies of Christianity and the great moral teachings of Christ. Sections in bold will indicate direct wording that I will comment on in green text. Belief statements that are without contention, on my part, will be intentionally omitted.

1. Holy Scriptures:
The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. While I believe that the Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit, there are clear injections of the author's and compilers biases and prejudices. It is my conviction that God, in His infinite wisdom, permitted man to define and grasp the Almighty in contemporary terms that the people of the time of authorship could understand. This is evident in symbolic language, customs, practices, and beliefs that do not stem from a God of love, but from a church structure centered on control and organization. It is through this politicking and selective authorship that "texts of hate" can be found throughout Scripture. Examples of such passages can be seen with the condolence of slavery or deep racial tensions between Jews and non-Jews, sexist practices, portions of Scripture invoking a more hateful and vengeful version of the loving God at the core of the Christian philosophy, homophobic edicts, and beliefs and practices contrary to what research and scientific knowledge has proven anachronistic. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history. (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 4:12.)

14. Unity in the Body of Christ:
The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, learning, and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us. It would be appropriate to add that heterosexual, bisexual, transgendered, homosexual, and asexual are all one in the Body of Christ. We are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures we share the same faith and hope, and reach out in one witness to all. This unity has its source in the oneness of the triune God, who has adopted us as His children. (Rom. 12:4, 5; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Matt. 28:19, 20; Ps. 133:1; 2 Cor. 5:16, 17; Acts 17:26, 27; Gal. 3:27, 29; Col. 3:10-15; Eph. 4:14-16; 4:1-6; John 17:20-23.)

17. Spiritual Gifts and Ministries:
God bestows upon all members of His church in every age spiritual gifts which each member is to employ in loving ministry for the common good of the church and of humanity. Given by the agency of the Holy Spirit, who apportions to each member as He wills, the gifts provide all abilities and ministries needed by the church to fulfill its divinely ordained functions. According to the Scriptures, these gifts include such ministries as faith, healing, prophecy, proclamation, teaching, administration, reconciliation, compassion, and self-sacrificing service and charity for the help and encouragement of people. Some members are called of God and endowed by the Spirit for functions recognized by the church in pastoral, evangelistic, apostolic, and teaching ministries particularly needed to equip the members for service, to build up the church to spiritual maturity, and to foster unity of the faith and knowledge of God. This includes WOMEN and HOMOSEXUALS. When members employ these spiritual gifts as faithful stewards of God's varied grace, the church is protected from the destructive influence of false doctrine, grows with a growth that is from God, and is built up in faith and love. (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:9-11, 27, 28; Eph. 4:8, 11-16; Acts 6:1-7; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 1 Peter 4:10, 11.)

18. The Gift of Prophecy:
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White . As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. The writings of Ellen G. White have served to enrich and strengthen my Christian experience. I believe that Ellen White had the gift of prophecy, but do not believe that EVERYTHING she had to write was inspired. Her writings are not to be used for doctrine or as a replacement to biblical, theological understandings on the nature of God. Her writings are not to be used as a litmus test for "true Christians" and are not to be used for disputing arguments by a "thus saith Ellen White." She is not the last word on faith, God, theology, spirituality, life, ect., but is an additional Christian source whereby we can be lead to a deeper faith experience with Christ. The writings of Martin Luther, I believe were inspired by the impetus of the Holy Spirit, however not everything Luther wrote was a "thus saith the Lord" on the matter. Max Lucado is an inspirational Christian author and I believe is lead by the Spirit, he might not be a "prophet," but is a man that is lead by the same Sprit of the prophets of old. It is time that a new, practical approach must be made to Ellen White and the Adventist church. Adventism's doctrines stand without Ellen White and so does one's spiritual life with Christ, similarly exist free of Ellen White quotes and literature. Adventists do a disservice to their understanding of God when they limit their reading to the writings of Ellen White exclusively. This is a terrible practice and, in my view, lazy and complacent. We must always explore, further define, question and seek out answers, these things are a life journey and so too is an experience and relationship with Christ. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)

22. Christian Behavior:
We are called to be a godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with the principles of heaven. For the Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord we involve ourselves only in those things which will produce Christlike purity, health, and joy in our lives. This means that our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty. While recognizing cultural differences, our dress is to be simple, modest, and neat, befitting those whose true beauty does not consist of outward adornment but in the imperishable ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit. It also means that because our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to care for them intelligently. Along with adequate exercise and rest, we are to adopt the most healthful diet possible and abstain from the unclean foods identified in the Scriptures. Since alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and the irresponsible use of drugs and narcotics are harmful to our bodies, we are to abstain from them as well. Going to see and enjoy films, theatre, sports games, ect. are not "evil" things. Celebrating our God-created humanity and the creativeness that God instilled in each and every one of us is a healthy activity and in and of itself morally neutral. If these things begin to replace Christ in one's life then there is an issue at stake. Furthermore one need not worry about "outward adornments" so much, makeup is not wrong, jewelry is not bad or of the "Devil"; these beliefs are silly at best and just plain stupid at worst. "Christians" who make such a fuss as to what is "appropriate" to wear need to, quite frankly, GROW UP and realize what experiencing a genuine relationship with Christ is all about, it is NOT about telling others what to and what not to wear, that's offensive and quite arrogant and Christ was neither, get the picture? Instead, we are to engage in whatever brings our thoughts and bodies into the discipline of Christ, who desires our wholesomeness, joy, and goodness. (Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 John 2:6; Eph. 5:1-21; Phil. 4:8; 2 Cor. 10:5; 6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 3:1-4; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 10:31; Lev. 11:1-47; 3 John 2.)

23. Marriage and the Family:
Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. For the Christian a marriage commitment is to God as well as to the spouse, and should be entered into only between partners who share a common faith. Marriage is a public and spiritual affirmation of the commitment between two people to love and honour each other for the entirety of their lives. Marriage and, more importantly, love know no gender boundaries. There exists a Christian love that lesbian women and gay men have for persons of the same gender and this should be respected by the church and social communities. Such is also the case between persons of two different faiths or no faith at all, both can have and share a loving relationship that edifies one another and strengthens their commitment to each other. Mutual love, honor, respect, and responsibility are the fabric of this relationship, which is to reflect the love, sanctity, closeness, and permanence of the relationship between Christ and His church. Regarding divorce, Jesus taught that the person who divorces a spouse, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. To believe this is to make marriage a tyrannical institution whereby men and women are forced to stay with their partner for the rest of their lives regardless of what complications and problems may arise. This is an unchristian teaching and has no significance in the Body of Christ which chooses to understand and accept the fact that people make mistakes, even with marriage. Although some family relationships may fall short of the ideal, marriage partners who fully commit themselves to each other in Christ may achieve loving unity through the guidance of the Spirit and the nurture of the church. God blesses the family and intends that its members shall assist each other toward complete maturity. Parents are to bring up their children to love and obey the Lord. By their example and their words they are to teach them that Christ is a loving disciplinarian, ever tender and caring, who wants them to become members of His body, the family of God. Increasing family closeness is one of the earmarks of the final gospel message. (Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 19:3-9; John 2:1-11; 2 Cor. 6:14; Eph. 5:21-33; Matt. 5:31, 32; Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7:10, 11; Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-4; Deut. 6:5-9; Prov. 22:6; Mal. 4:5