Cross Denominational Mission
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church (also known as "Adventist") is a
Protestant Christian denomination that holds Saturday as the Sabbath
(the "seventh day") whereas nearly all other Christian denominations
hold Sunday as Sabbath. This denomination grew out of the Millerite
movement in the United States in 1863. Among its founders was Ellen G.
White, whose extensive writings are held in high regard by the church.
The Adventists are Trinitarian and biblical, similar in many respects
to other protestant evangelical denominations, apart from the Sabbath
observance. Other specific Adventist teachings include the unconscious
state of the dead, the doctrine of an investigative judgment, emphasis
on diet and health, and promotion of religious liberty. It is
generally considered a culturally conservative church.
The world
church is governed by a General Conference; smaller regions
administered by divisions, union conferences and local conferences. It
currently has a worldwide membership of over 14 million people, has a
missionary presence in over 200 countries and is ethnically and
culturally diverse. The church operates numerous schools, hospitals and
publications worldwide, as well as a prominent humanitarian aid
organization known as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency
(ADRA).
Seventh-Day Adventist Church History
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of the Millerite movement of the
1840s which was a revival in the United States known as the 'Second
Great Awakening' and originated with William Miller, a Baptist preacher
from New York. Miller predicted (on the basis of Daniel 8:14) that Jesus Christ would return to Earth on October 22, 1844. Miller used
the "day-year principle" to arrive at this. When the Second Coming
failed to occur most of his following disbanded and returned to their
original churches. Following the "Great Disappointment" (as it came to
be known), some Millerites came to believe that Miller's predictions
were correct, but that his interpretation of Daniel 8:14 was
flawed. These Adventists believed that Daniel 8:14 foretold
Christ's entrance into the "Most Holy Place" of the heavenly sanctuary
rather than his Second Coming to Earth. This theology developed into
the doctrine of 'Investigative judgment': where Christians
will be judged to determine their eligibility for salvation. The
Adventists still believe that Christ's second coming is due, but no
longer predict dates for the event.
Saturday Sabbath
Early
in the Adventist movement questions about the biblical day of rest and
worship surfaced. Retired sea captain Joseph Bates was introduced to
the "Seventh Day" Sabbath doctrine by Thomas M. Preble a Millerite
preacher, who himself had been influenced by Rachel Oakes Preston, a
young Seventh Day Baptist. Bates is attributed to the Saturday Sabbath
doctrine of the Adventists, which was first published in 1849 in the
church's first edition of its church publication called 'The Present
Truth' (now called the 'Adventist Review').
Organization and recognition
At
first the Adventist movement was a loose knit group who shared
beliefs on the Sabbath, the "heavenly sanctuary" interpretation of
Daniel 8:14, conditional immortality and the expectation of Christ's
return (this time predicted as happening by the year 2000). Prominent
were James S. White, Ellen G. White and Joseph Bates. Ellen White came
to be principal leader, her many visions and strong leadership
convinced her fellow Adventists that she possessed the gift of
prophecy. A formally organized church called the Seventh-Day Adventist
Church was established in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA, on May 23, 1863,
with an initial membership of 3,500. Through the evangelistic work of
its ministers, members and the leadership of Ellen G. White, the church
quickly grew and soon established a presence beyond North America. In
1903, the denominational headquarters were moved to Maryland,
USA. In its early years the Adventist church was dominated by
Arianism (see Unitarian Church page). This reluctance to hold the
Trinity and the movement's other unique theological views, meant other
Christian denominations regarded it as a sect. When the Adventist
church adopted the Trinity in 1908 and later began dialogue with other
Protestant groups at the time of the second world war, the Adventists
gradually became recognised as an "orthodox" Christian denomination.
Beliefs
The
official teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination are
expressed in its 'Twenty Eight Fundamental Beliefs'. This statement of
beliefs was adopted by the General Conference in 1980, with
belief number 11 being added in 2005. Acceptance of either of the
church's two baptismal vows is a prerequisite for membership.
Adventist teaching is similar to many protestant denominations
such as the infallibility of Scripture, the Trinity, the
substitutionary atonement, the resurrection of the dead and
justification by faith alone. They also hold to baptism by immersion
and creation in six days (in common with certain other Christian churches).
There
is a generally recognized set of "distinctive" doctrines which
distinguish Adventism from the rest of the Christian world, although
these teachings are not unique to Adventism:
Law
(fundamental belief 19) - the Law of God is "embodied in the Ten
Commandments", which continue to be binding upon Christians. Sabbath
(fundamental belief 20) - the Sabbath should be observed on the seventh
day of the week, i.e. from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Second
Coming and End times (fundamental beliefs 25-28) - Jesus Christ will
return visibly to earth after a "time of trouble", during which the
Sabbath will become a worldwide test. The second coming will be
followed by a millennial reign of the saints in heaven. Adventist
eschatology is based on the historicist method of prophetic
interpretation. Holistic
human nature (fundamental beliefs 7, 26) - Humans are an indivisible
unity of body, mind and spirit. They do not possess an immortal soul,
and death is an unconscious sleep (which Adventists call "soul
sleep"). Conditional
immortality (fundamental belief 27) - The wicked will not suffer
eternal torment in hell, but instead will be permanently
destroyed. Great
Controversy (fundamental belief 8) - Humanity is involved in a "great
controversy" between Jesus Christ and Satan. This is an elaboration on
the common Christian theory that evil began in heaven when an angelic
being (Lucifer) rebelled against the Law of God. Heavenly
sanctuary (fundamental belief 24) - At his ascension, Jesus Christ
commenced an atoning ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. In 1844, he
began to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary in fulfillment of the Day of
Atonement. Investigative
Judgment (fundamental belief 24) - A judgment of professed Christians
began in 1844, in which the books of record are examined for all the
universe to see. The investigative judgment will affirm who is worthy
of salvation, and vindicate God as just in His dealings with mankind. Remnant
(fundamental belief 13) - There will be an end-time remnant who keep
the commandments of God and have "the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation
12:17). This remnant proclaims the "three angels' messages" of
Revelation 14:6-12 to the world. Spirit
of Prophecy (fundamental belief 18) - The ministry of Ellen G. White is
commonly referred to as the "Spirit of Prophecy" and her writings are
considered "a continuing and authoritative source of truth", though
ultimately subject to the Bible.
Theological Diversity
A
variety of groups, movements or subcultures within the church exists,
as in any denomination, representing different viewpoints on beliefs
and lifestyle.
The conservative end of the theological spectrum
is represented by "Historic Adventists", who are opposed to recent
(post 1950) theological trends within the denomination. They tend to
view modern Adventist theology as a compromise with evangelicalism, and
defend older teachings such as the fallen nature of Jesus Christ,
incomplete atonement, and character perfectionism. Historic Adventism
is represented mainly at the "grassroots" level and is often promoted
through independent ministries, but has considerably less support among
Adventist scholarship.
The "liberal" elements in the church are
known as "Progressive Adventists" (but they do not identify with
liberal Christianity). They hold a "modernized" view on issues like the
inspiration of the founder Ellen White, the doctrine of the "remnant"
and the investigative judgment. This progressive movement is strong
amongst the scholarship of the denomination, and finds expression in
the Association of Adventist Forums and in journals such as Spectrum
and Adventist Today.
Adventist organizations
The
Biblical Research Institute is the official theological college of the
Seventh Day Adventist Church. The church has two professional
organizations for Adventist theologians: The Adventist Society for
Religious Studies (ASRS) was formed to foster community among Adventist
theologians who attend the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and the
American Academy of Religion. The Adventist Theological Society was
formed in 1983 to provide a forum for more conservative theologians to
meet and is held in conjunction with the Evangelical Theological
Society.
Sabbath activities
To
keep the Sabbath, Adventists abstain from secular work and business on
Saturday, from purely secular forms of recreation, such as competitive
sport and watching non-religious programmes on television. Worship,
nature walks, family-oriented activities and charitable work are
accepted. Much of Friday may be spent preparing for the Sabbath—for
example, preparing meals and tidying homes. Some Adventists meet for
Friday evening worship to welcome in the Sabbath, a practice often
known as Vespers.
Saturday afternoon activities vary widely and in some churches, members and visitors will participate in a fellowship lunch.
Worship service
The
principal weekly worship services occur on Saturday (the Sabbath),
often commencing with Sabbath School which is a structured time of
small-group study at church. Most Adventists make use of an officially
produced "Sabbath School Lesson", which deals with a series of
particular biblical texts or doctrines. Special meetings are provided
for children and youth in different age groups during this time (like
Sunday school in other churches). Then the groups join together for a
church service that follows a typical protestant evangelical format,
with a sermon, hymn singing, Scripture readings, prayers and a money
collection (or offering). The instruments and forms of worship music
vary greatly throughout the worldwide church. Many youth-focused
churches in the Western world have a contemporary Christian music
style, whereas other churches enjoy more traditional hymns (official
hymnbook: Adventist Hymnal). Many churches hold week day services too,
but do not open their churches at all on a Sunday, to do so would
dilute their Sabbath beliefs.
Holy Communion
Adventists
usually practice Holy Communion four times a year. The communion
is open to members and Christian non-members alike. It commences
with a feet washing ceremony, known as the "Ordinance of Humility",
based on John 13, and symbolizes Christ's washing of his disciples'
feet at the Last Supper and remind participants of the need to humbly
serve one another. Participants segregate by gender to separate rooms
to conduct this ritual, although some congregations allow married
couples to perform the ordinance on each other and families are often
encouraged to participate together. After its completion, participants
return to the main sanctuary for consumption of the Lord's Supper,
using unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice.
Links
Seventh Day Adventist Church Headquarters
Seventh Day Adventist Church UK
Seventh Day Adventist Church AsiaPacific
Seventh Day Adventist Church Singapore
Seventh Day Adventist Network