MYLES CHRISTIAN |
I was recently having a discussion with a theology professor who was interested to hear more about Seventh-day Adventist theology due to his regular engagement with those in the Hebrew Roots Movement and Torahism. As we began peeling the layers of the Adventist onion, it quickly dawned on him that he may have bitten off more than he, not necessarily could chew, but was prepared to. As I watched his body language convey that he was drinking from a fire hose, despite my best efforts to keep things low brow, I was once again reminded of the convoluted complexity of what’s supposed to be the greatest and final revelation from God to the world.
This life or death message—upon which one’s soul depends after hearing and accepting it—seemingly requires formal theological training to understand. Yet even a theologically trained professor struggled to wrap his mind around what was being shared and was left with countless questions. This overwhelm naturally led to the question, “Do all Seventh-day Adventists understand this?” I was, once again, not only reminded of the complex deception of Adventist theology, but why those from the outside truly struggle to understand it.
When I left the Adventist Church over a decade ago, I didn’t realize all of the baggage that I was bringing with me. It was as I was working through that baggage that I finally had an “Aha!” moment some years into my process. It was after meeting with qualified pastors and elders who helped disciple me and teach me basic Christian orthodoxy that I realized Adventism had equipped me with a unique worldview—not just a system of beliefs. Oh, it most certainly left me with a mental suitcase full of novel doctrines and concepts—but those were the fruit, not the root.
I had an entirely distinct worldview from—not just those in the world—but from Christians.
I had an entirely distinct worldview from—not just those in the world—but from Christians. For 20 years of my life I had viewed the world through the lens of the Great Controversy. Despite not being the most well-versed Seventh-day Adventist or the most ardent, there was still a connecting link that tied me to every other Seventh-day Adventist despite our differences. It was our shared, unique worldview.
In an interesting way—navigating through the discovery of my Adventist worldview was one of the most difficult and fulfilling things I’ve experienced in my faith walk. I would find myself, in the recesses of my mind, uncovering vestiges that I didn’t realize were there and culprits that I didn’t know were culprits. But most importantly, I began seeing things that were veiled as being biblical which, in fact, had no roots in the Bible whatsoever.
Adventism Is a Business
In the process of working through all of this complexity, I realized that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is a business, and the product that they are selling is the Great Controversy Worldview. Their ministers are the salesmen; the schools and seminars are the onboarding process, and the doctrines, to use business lingo, are the key performance indicator metrics for how well one is performing in the system. Do you follow the health message in its fullness? Do you fully embrace and understand the seven steps through the sanctuary? Are you regularly reading the Spirit of Prophecy? Are you seeking to get others on-boarded as a company evangelist?
All of these key performance indicators (and others) function as the barometer for how you are performing in the business.
The sad reality is that most Seventh-day Adventists have unknowingly bought into and been harnessed with this product under the guise of accepting the “Sabbath truth” or the “message of health.” What starts with the first step leads to a long line of steps down the stairs into the darkness where they are then finally saddled with a set of lenses that make the darkness appear to vanish away, but in reality, is still entirely surrounding them.
The Seventh-day Adventist worldview is what causes the confusion for those both within and outside of the Adventist system. It’s why Christians are so perplexed to hear about Seventh-day Adventist theology, but also why they struggle to see what the issues are. After all, don’t they use all of the same language? They believe in Jesus, the cross, and the gospel, right?
It’s only when one understands that the great controversy worldview lurking in the shadows is the culprit that one can truly understand Adventism’s insidious nature.
It’s only when one understands that the great controversy worldview lurking in the shadows is the culprit that one can truly understand Adventism’s insidious nature.
It’s only when one breaks free from the great controversy paradigm that the gospel can truly be understood, the true God can be known, and the freedom that Christ brings can truly be experienced. For 20 years I walked around spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-2) thinking I was alive simply because of breath in my lungs. But thanks be to God that the true gospel brings life, not just metaphorically, but spiritually. And that life brings with it light that leads one back up the stairs and out into the sun—the true Son—Jesus Christ. †
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