To quote Pastor Myron Edmonds, “Adventism is not my identity. Christianity is my identity. Adventism is my mission.”
Is it a perfect church?
Definitely, not.
I mean, how could we ever expect it to be, given its
composition of sinners (myself included)? No matter where you go on this earth,
you will not be able to find a perfect church. If you do decide to attend
church, you choose the church that is the least imperfect and one in which you
can grow, despite its glaring imperfections.
…but I’ll always stay in this church and I love this
church because its virtues and its premises far outweigh its perceived,
expected and unsurprising faults.
The following is why I love being a Seventh-day Adventist.
Sound Theology
I find the doctrine and theology and hermeneutics of the
Adventist church to be sound. It just makes sense — to me at least. The
premises on which the church has been founded and its twenty-eight
fundamental beliefs line up with what I read in my Bible (I know that
surely many people would disagree). Adventists can explain — using Scripture
alone — why the Sabbath is on Saturday and why it still needs to be kept. We
can explain — again, using Scripture — that the second coming of Christ is
imminent. Sure there are things I don’t understand in the Bible, but these are
things that many people struggle with regardless of denomination. I’m an
Adventist because when I read the Bible, the church that most closely reflects
its teachings is the Seventh-day Adventist church. I love being an Adventist
because I can back up any one of my beliefs with biblically sound arguments. I
haven’t been able to say the same for many other religious groups…
Youth Ministry
I love that the Seventh-day Adventist church has a strong
youth arm. We do youth ministry. I know of no other denomination with such a robust youth ministry. From One Project to GYC to Just Claim It to Adventist
Christian Fellowship and public campus ministry to the Pathfinder ministry to
Sabbath school…the Adventist church has well-rounded, spiritually edifying
programs for its young people from ages 0 to 35ish. What other churches call
“youth group” we lovingly call AY (or Adventist Youth Society). Back in my
parent’s day, it used to be called Missionary Volunteers (or MV) and had, as
its focus, going out into the community and doing community service. The
Pathfinder ministry is probably one of the main reasons why I am still a part
of this church. No question in my mind — the Adventist church does youth
ministry and does it well.
Many churches have even begun ordaining youth elders and
having youth serve as deacons and deaconesses. I’m happy that my church (by and
large, though not enough) involves its young people, recognizing that the
church began with young people and that young people will most likely finish
the work. Youths are the present and the future of the church.
Educational Emphasis
I love that the Adventist church is such a proponent of
education, and not just education but higher education for all of its members.
I love that conferences often help sponsor aspiring pastors to attend our
seminaries. I love that our churches help support those families that want to
send their children to our schools. I love that the Adventist church has the second largest parochial educational
system in the world — second only to the Catholic Church.
Health Message
I love our focus on healthy living. I love that we don’t
only focus on spiritual development but we focus on the health of the whole
person. I love that vegetarian food is served in our schools and hospitals. I
love that, as a vegan, I have a supportive community and I don’t have to wonder
about what I will eat at church potluck no matter which church I go to in this
world. I love that an Adventist — John Harvey Kellogg — founded Kellogg
Cereals. I love the sodium-filled Worthington/Loma Linda and Morning Star meats
(dinner roast!! Swiss steak and Fri Chik are okay I guess…).
Adventist Culture and Community
Because Adventists are often separated from the world in
terms of time (Sabbath-keeping), diet (vegetarianism), and social activities
(no going to movies, no dancing, no card playing — only some Adventists adhere
to this though), Adventists tend to stick together. This has created a tangible
subculture that would be interesting to study. I find that where nationality,
ethnicity, or race would so easily be a divisive factor outside of the church,
(often, but not always) inside of the church, the Adventist subculture
overrides any cultural or ethnic differences. You can literally spend your
whole life within an Adventist world or “bubble” if you will (which is not
always a good thing). The culture is supported and solidified by our youth
programs, schools, bookstores, food stores, publishing houses, hospitals,
retirement homes, and rampant use of our own abbreviations and jargon (SDA, GC,
AY, GYC, MV, Sevvy, Sabbath, vespers…). You can spend your whole life
interacting with only Adventists (I don’t know why you would want to). But the
Adventist culture is alive and well and definitely keeps many of us from
leaving. I like being a part of this culture and community.
I love that the church is so international and
diverse. I love that, especially in Toronto or Montreal, I can find a church
and worship in English, French, Romanian, Spanish, and Portuguese (just to name a
few) and still feel at home (most of the time).
I’ve never been to General Conference, but I have been to a
couple of Pathfinder Camporees. I’d love meeting Pathfinders from all over the
world — from France and Papua New Guinea and Singapore and Mongolia etcetera —
and I love knowing that no matter how diverse we are, we all share the same beliefs
and, as Pathfinders, we sing the same song. I love that despite our origins or
nationalities, we are automatically linked in a fundamental way. To sing the
Pathfinder song with 30,000 Pathfinders from around the world is a moment no
one will ever forget. I love that no matter where I go in the world, my family
is just a drive or a bus ride away. All I need is to locate my nearest
Adventist church and I have found myself a temporary home base.
Media
I love that the Advent message to all the world in this
generation is taken to heart by Adventists. I love that we have Hope Channel
and 3ABN — the second-largest Christian network in North America. I love that we have Amazing
Facts and It is Written (and Il est écrit and Escrito Está). I love that we have
AWR (Adventist World Radio), VOAR (Voice of Adventist Radio) and other
programs. I love that they are available to the general public. I love that the
church is becoming less and less insular and more and more well-known.
Diversity of Opinion and Thought
In some Adventist circles, you may hear talk of progressive
Adventists or liberal Adventists or conservative Adventists. While the main
focus should be that we are all Adventists, and we should pay less attention to
“brands” of Adventism, I’m happy that our church allows a diversity of thought.
I don’t believe in groupthink and I think unity does not necessitate
conformity. I’m proud to belong to a church that encourages thought, because,
at least for me, there’s an intellectual appeal to faith that we don’t often
talk about.
Many divisions, unions, and conferences, but the General
Conference and North
American Division most notably, commissioned their best and brightest
theologians and Biblical scholars to study, over a period of years, the
theology of ordination, especially in light of women’s ordination. I’m glad I
belong to a church that was (is?) willing to have that discussion. I’m glad my
church honestly and assiduously studied ordination and still studies other
doctrinal issues (I love that we have a Biblical Research Institute). I’m glad
that, for the most part, my church allows for discussion (and dissension).
Conclusion
I have often wondered if I will always be a Seventh-day
Adventist. I’m not saying I won’t leave the church and I’m not saying I will.
I’m just saying I don’t know. I’d like to think though that I will remain in
this church, since, at the present moment, I have no reason to do otherwise.
But I also know that life is funny and life is long and life is complicated,
and I have surprised myself on numerous occasions as my understanding of myself
continues to evolve.
At the end of the day, Christ loves the church. Christ loves this church. We are homeward-bound. As long as Christ is the captain, I don’t think I’ll ever have reason to jump ship.
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