Why Is Adventism Not Called a Cult?
Why is Adventism still categorized as Christian instead of as a cult?
—VIA EMAIL
Response: This question is the million dollar question. I believe the reason is a bit complex but has its basis in Walter Martin’s research in 1955 when he interviewed Adventist leaders and concluded that they were true believers. Since that time, in the republished Heritage edition of Questions on Doctrine in 2003 with annotations by Adventist historian George Knight, Knight admitted that the men appointed to meet with Martin carefully worded their responses to him so that he would not perceive the unorthodox Adventist views on the nature of Christ and on the atonement. Simultaneously, they were trying to keep Adventists happy as well, because their explanations were definitely NOT traditional Adventist answers.
When Martin wrote his latest version of Kingdom of the Cults, he placed Adventism in the appendix and labeled it “heterodox” instead of heretical. He left Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses in the book and labelled them as cults, but he established Adventism as not a cult.
After that time Martin had further conversations with William Johnsson, then editor of Adventist Review, on the John Ankerberg show. In those shows, Martin is visibly upset and even stated that, if the Adventists couldn’t republish the book Questions on Doctrine which they had written to validate their words to Martin, and since Johnsson could not or would not give straight answers to Martin’s questions, Martin said that he couldn’t see how the label “cult” could help but be reapplied to Seventh-day Adventism if, indeed, it ever should have been removed.
The Christian community has never been open, in general, to considering calling Adventism a cult since then. Today, unfortunately, even Mormonism is being approached by some more liberal evangelicals with the view of finding their common ground.
Here are a couple of articles that explain the Walter Martin/Questions on Doctrine debacle:
I hope these articles help!
Responses to Academy Apologia’s Green Cord Videos
Surprisingly Corrupt
My brother has been telling me how Ellen White and Adventism are satanic entities. For a time, I thought he was being too harsh on them. When we found God’s gospel, though, we began to learn just how corrupt EGW and Adventism are.
The three videos of the Green Cord are most informative and a real eye-opener. It is surprising just how completely corrupt Adventism and Ellen White are.
I hope that everyone watches the Green Cord videos; they are fantastically informative. Thank you for sharing them with us.
—VIA EMAIL
A Revelation
Thank you—what a revelation of Ellen White! This confirms what I felt, as a child, when I saw her picture.
—VIA EMAIL
Occult Dabbler
The “Green Cord Videos” are some of the most eye-opening videos on Ellen White. I often felt uncomfortable in reading Ellen White. Somehow, I felt that reading Ellen White was spiritually dangerous. Not only are her teachings embedded with false doctrines, but these videos led me to believe that the references in which Ellen White claims that “I have been shown…” or “an angelic guide led me…” [not exact quotes] are instances in which Ellen White was being led by a demon.
The green cord vision of Ellen White makes it altogether plausible that Ellen White dabbled with the occult early in her life. If this is true, then reading works of Ellen White which contains her visions is like reading what came from the pit of hell.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: Here are the links to Academy Apologia’s three Green Cord videos we sent in a special Proclamation! supplement last Saturday, May 7.
- April 27–May 3, 2024 - April 25, 2024
- We Got Mail - April 25, 2024
- April 20–26, 2024 - April 18, 2024