Growing up in the 90’s, it seemed that the ubiquitous part time job for teens was at the local McDonald’s restaurant. I, however, was not fortunate enough to live in a town that had such a novelty and was reduced to earning my minimum wage stripes at the submarine sandwich shop. It was a major chain, and in Canada, the unique offering was a “Special Sauce” offered at the end of the sandwich assembly, along with salt and pepper. Twenty-five years later, I could probably still rattle off the list of sandwich ingredient offerings in an appropriate, questioning manner, but the final phrase is one I will never forget: “Salt and pepper, Special Sauce?” Often, I was questioned as to what, exactly, the Special Sauce was, and, as a good little legalist, this question made me nervous, as I was never sure if I was allowed to say. The Special Sauce was somewhat of an enigma, mysterious, yet not hidden, and it was one of the things that set the sandwiches from this chain apart from the fare of other sub sandwich shops.
As I’ve navigated these years post-Adventism, I’ve often thought that the appeal of that sandwich shop helps me understand people’s attachment to Adventism. I’ve wondered what the unique factors are that drive people to that religion—and other groups like them—and keep them there. I’ve come to refer to that phenomenon as the Special Sauce Syndrome, and I’d like to propose that it’s at work, not only in sects and cults, but also within Christianity at large.
Special knowledge
The human propensity to have an elite, or superior, understanding is certainly not a new one, and it is inarguably at play in Genesis chapter 3:4–6, when the serpent tempted Eve.
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
The serpent used the idea of superior, or “special”, knowledge to tempt Eve, and the text states that one of her motivations was that it would make her wise. This temptation has continued through the millennia of human existence, with self-proclaimed prophets and gurus who claim to have received special, personal revelation from god/gods as to what humans must do, or things they must pursue, in order to gain spiritual approval or an improved sense of closeness or intimacy with the god or gods. Many of these prophets gained little to no popular following, but history is still riddled with the accounts of these characters who have succeeded in convincing hundreds—thousands, even—that their way is the secret, special way to a higher knowledge or experience with god or gods.
While this pattern can be seen in religion and spiritual practices outside of Christianity, it is this desire to know “more” or to have some sort of insider spiritual information that has contributed to the formation of nearly every Christian sect or cult. It is seen in groups which, on the surface, affirm the Bible, the Godhead in some form, and claim Christ; yet, there is always some special or secret revealed-only-to-them element that they claim is the missing piece of complete Christianity that has either been lost or only recently revealed.
Because of our sinful, fallen nature, we have the propensity to search for that elusive, secret knowledge that will set us apart and make us special, whole, or enlightened. I’m sure there are personalities that struggle less with this desire, but I would venture to guess that it is present in all of us, just as it was in Adam and Eve.
It was likely no different for William Miller, James White, Ellen Harmon, Uriah Smith, J.N. Andrews, and all the rest of those names linked to Adventist heritage. A brief reading of any of their lives will tell the tale of a need to know “more,” a need to dig into the Bible, looking for codes and secret messages. After accepting William Miller’s failed date setting in 1844, Ellen clung to the idea that William Miller had, in reality, cracked some sort of secret code, and because of her certainty that such secret knowledge existed, the teaching of the Investigative Judgement was born, and from it all the false teaching and dysfunction that has become the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Some of those willing to accept the possibility that William Miller had found the “special sauce” were just as willing to accept the validity of Ellen White and her visions and testimonies, and they aligned themselves with her teachings and writings as another source of special revelation.
As Adventists we all felt a certain amount of satisfaction, a sense of “specialness” because of the extra light we had, most visibly the Sabbath. Because I had a lot of contact and relationships with “Sunday Christians,” their sincerity and legitimacy were clear to me, but I just felt sad for them that they didn’t “have” the Sabbath like I did. I knew they had things that Adventism didn’t, which I would have identified as “grace” and “non-judgmentalism,” but in my mind, those were secondary things, not primary, like the Sabbath (as part of the 10 Commandments) was.
Looking back, I see how backwards I had things. I thought that I, as an Adventist, had the Special Sauce, and those “Sunday Christians” were the ones lacking. In truth, it was Adventism that was lacking.
Attraction of special teachings
It is the Special Sauce teachings of the Adventist church that are used to attract new proselytes. Through prophecy seminars, internet, and video-based outreach and ministries, their unique doctrines and teachings are promoted, most often the Sabbath and their End Times predictions. The Investigative Judgement, the state of the dead, and the “inspiration” of Ellen G. White may also be included, though those are often left until the prospective convert has been “hooked” by the Sabbath. It is these teachings that are most hotly debated and defended in online interactions, and it is these teachings that are used to tout the Adventist organization as the “remnant church” they assert is referred to in Revelation 12:17.
When I came out of Adventism, I realized that the things I thought made us special and “more right” than everyone else were actually just distractions from the lack of the REAL substance of Christianity—the Biblical Christ and the gospel. The true things that are needful for us as fallen humans were not secret at all, and yet, within Adventism, they were truly hidden from us. They were bogged down under the so-called “remnant church” trappings of the Sabbath, the Investigative Judgement, Ellen White, and so many more. I will never forget the feeling of lightness, of freedom, when I realized that none of these beliefs which required so much effort from me, or the belief that I could never truly know if I was saved—none of those were necessary. Knowing that all I needed to carry was faith and trust in Jesus was the most assuring and liberating thing in the world!
As I have put more time and space between myself and Adventism, however, I have become more aware of this same “Special Sauce Syndrome” at work within Christianity. Sometimes it is overt, as evidenced in the Word Faith movement, and sometimes it is more subtle, as seen in teachings that promote “seeking a special blessing,” or a “special touch” from the Lord as a way to search out a personal emotive event in order to ensure that the Lord is near to them, or having “favor” on them. I have seen it in public preachers, in local church pastors, and in social media postings and promotions, and I see how attractive it is to our human drive, but especially to those of us to whom this “Special Sauce Syndrome” is so familiar.
Even after months or years of living in post-Adventism Christian faith and fellowship, and is extremely easy to find oneself following the numerous trails of “extra” or “special” knowledge. It’s easy to find teachers and teachings that claim to have connected Biblical dots in a way never done before, to have cracked the secret code that God has supposedly left in His Word for us lowly earthlings to fumble through and figure out. We’ve likely all heard from a friend, or even BEEN that friend who has called to say, “Jesus/the Gospel is great and all, but WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR WHAT I FOUND OUT!”
Let me be clear. There is no Special Sauce. There is no code. Scripture is clear and sufficient, and God is not “tricky.” All that is needed for faith unto salvation, completed once, is contained within the covers of the Bible, clear and understandable.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17, emphasis mine)
There are almost certainly readers right now who are thinking, “Yeah, but no one wants to be WRONG! No one purposely wants to miss out on any important truth, whether in the secular or spiritual world.”
It’s not wrong to not want to be wrong. Certainly the Bible speaks often about truth, and the importance of being IN truth, of KNOWING truth, but upon careful examination, it’s easy to see that the truth of these verses and passages are all rooted in is the truth of the Gospel, the truth encompassed in the whole of Scripture, the truth of Christ as the complete atonement for our sinful, fallen natures. All further truth flows from those things and must be clearly traced back to them. As you read and study and learn, trusting God to guide you, you will inevitably understand Scripture with increasing depth. Each time you lean into a passage, you may see things that you didn’t see before.
It would be extreme to proclaim that I am promoting a laziness, or a lack of caring about truth. What I AM saying is that it is wrong to seek or find status in “rightness,” in thinking I have a superior form of truth that is somehow unavailable, unseen, or unaccepted by anyone outside the exclusive group I have found—or even created.
Knowing or believing “special truths” or “special information” is appealing to our human nature which exists to serve our own sinful natures. Often these “secret sauces” allow us to feel elite in some way, or perhaps we can “humble brag” about how good the Lord has been to allow us to see these things which are purported to allow us a deeper relationship with Him, or even to be more prepared than the “average Joe” for future events. I wonder if, on some level, they serve to give us a feeling that we are “doing something” as we walk through life on earth, that we are somehow productively participating in the cosmic story of the Earth?
Not too long ago, I heard of a man who was relieved to be attending a new church where the sermons were “so practical.” He was ecstatic to be able to walk out of church each week with a practical “to do” list of things to apply to his life that week. Self-awareness is not a bad thing, but since he didn’t mention it, I had to question, in my mind, where that sermon, and its following to-do list, was rooted: in a deep, thankful rejoicing for all that the Lord has done for Him in giving us complete atonement through Jesus blood on the cross, or in a need to feel “productive,” feeling that one was doing some good for themselves, or even for others? I was only able to ask that question because I know that my own tendencies are to look for the list, to look for the evidence or ticked boxes of activities or “correct beliefs” that indicate that I am right, or at least more right than the next person.
Rejecting the Special Sauce
As former Adventists, people who were raised on the Special Sauce, let’s not forget that those Special Sauce beliefs and teachings were exactly WHY we could no longer remain Adventist. We found the simple meat of the Gospel. It is good, it is satisfying, and it is ENOUGH. The Adventist Special Sauce teachings are all rooted in twisting and rejecting the Gospel and fly in the face of the completed atonement of Christ on the cross. They teach that the cross and the resurrection were NOT enough, and that more is needed from us to “complete” the work.
I pray you will keep Special Sauce Syndrome in mind as you navigate your new life in Christ, remembering that these Special Sauce teachers and teachings exist within Christianity at large, and that you would not forget that, despite any surface appeal of having special knowledge, or being among a “privileged few,” you will remember that the words of Paul to Timothy:
If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain (1 Timothy 6:3-5).
Also, consider these strong words from Paul to the church in Galatia:
I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse! (Galatians 1:6-9).
Friends, we have been set free from the need for a Special Sauce! To take the metaphor perhaps a little too far, the Special Sauce of Adventism or any other special sauce out there only serves to disguise the lack of meat, the truth of the Gospel. We have already fled once from a meatless faith (oh, the irony of my analogy!). Let us not find ourselves trapped in another. Fix your eyes on Jesus alone, my friend. He is a good and complete Savior, fully sufficient and without need of any supplement from a secret code or password for us to enter His kingdom. His salvation is offered freely for all who will believe in Him, and it is enough.
I’ll leave you with this moving passage from the first chapter of John’s gospel, John 1:9-17:
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (emphasis mine).
P.S. And what was the secret sub sauce? It was Italian dressing….and now you know. †
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