For The Record
The Seventh-day Adventist church has 28 fundamental beliefs. So do I. Those doctrines are my doctrines [1].
Of course, I don’t own the copyright. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists does. It’s true—you can scroll down to the bottom of that PDF to see that Church employed lawyers have been diligent. If you don’t have the time, here’s a screenshot:
You can add lawyering up to the list of things I have witnessed in the church that are not okay. Remember all those lawyers that Jesus and Paul and Moses and Daniel and Noah had? Happy Sabbath! God bless you! Love your neighbor as yourself! Now here’s your subpoena.
And if you live for defending the institution’s actions, don’t even begin to tell me about how this is a different time than when Moses or Noah lived. You can’t pick and choose when that applies… If I told you that times had changed and we needed to meet people where they were, you might say something like, “We don’t need slang in the church!” Because the Christian dictionary shouldn’t change over time. Only the baby boomers know how to speak properly. But wait… if a Christian’s language and culture shouldn’t change from generation to generation, then why didn’t you phrase your sentence in proper King James English? You little blasphemer you.
Make no mistake: I do own my beliefs. I’m not a robot. God gave me the freedom to believe as I will. And as I have previously stated, nothing—and nobody—could ever reach into a person’s heart or mind to tear away beliefs and convictions. Not mine. Not yours.
That doesn’t mean I won’t worry that the institution isn’t, or won’t, be out to get me. But lots of Christians who wanted reform were persecuted (as you know if you’ve ever read your Bible or your Ellen White). But I fear God more than men.
In any case, statements can be restated—as the disclaimer near the top of the [official fundamental beliefs PDF]((http://www.adventist.org/fileadmin/adventist.org/files/articles/official-statements/28Beliefs-Web.pdf) clearly states (unless they do changing this link on me): 
Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. These beliefs, as set forth here, constitute the church’s understanding and expression of the teaching of Scripture. Revision of these statements may be expected at a General Conference session when the church is led by
the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of Bible truth or finds better language in which to express the teachings of God’s Holy Word.
The Central States Conference has an about page which does an excellent job of boiling down exactly what differentiates my beliefs from those of other Christians out there:
- Salvation - rest in Christ
- Sabbath - rest in God’s finished work
- Sanctuary - rest in God’s ongoing work
- Second Coming - rest in the hope of a new world
- State of the Dead - rest until the work is over
So, for the record, I’m not anti-Adventist.
[1]. I do take issue with the notion that the Adventist church, as in the institution (as in only members of the institution), would be considered the remnant church, as I mention near the end of this post. That is theologically/chronologically incorrect. Beyond any shadow of a doubt I do believe in a remnant church—a body of believers. I don’t believe that body of believers must belong to a specific, legally recognizable, non-profit organization known as The Seventh-day Adventist church. Denomination? Optional.
Start A Conversation On Facebook And Twitter: #
Want to get your friends involved in the discussion? Here are a few intriguing title suggestions you can use to get their attention on social media.
- Young People: You? Or The Adventist Church?
- Happy Sabbath! Now Here’s Your Subpoena. Wait A Minute…
- Did You Know About The Little Disclaimer Attached To “Your” 28 Fundamental Beliefs?
- Remember All Those Lawyers Jesus and Paul Hired? Me Neither.
- Why Does The Adventist Church Have So Many Lawyers Working For It?
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