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Seventh-day Adventist Church

March 20, 2023

"Adventist church" redirects here. For other branches of the wider Adventist movement, see Adventism.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church[a] is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination[2][3] which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday,[4] the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath,[3] and its emphasis on the imminent Second Coming (advent) of Jesus Christ. The denomination grew out of the Millerite movement in the United States during the mid-19th century and it was formally established in 1863.[5] Among its co-founders was Ellen G. White, whose extensive writings are still held in high regard by the church.[6]

Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist logo
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationAdventist
TheologyArminianism,[citation needed] Seventh-day Adventist theology
PolityPresbyterian/Episcopal
PresidentTed N. C. Wilson
RegionWorldwide
Founder
OriginMay 21, 1863; 159 years ago (1863-05-21)
Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Branched fromMillerites
Separations
Congregations
  • 95,297 churches[1]
  • 72,975 companies[1]
Members21,760,076[1]
Pastors20,924[1]
Hospitals229[1]
Nursing homes129[1]
Aid organizationAdventist Development and Relief Agency
Primary schools6,623[1]
Secondary schools2,640[1]
Tertiary institutions118[1]
Other name(s)Adventist church, SDA (informal)
Official websiteadventist.org

Much of the theology of the Seventh-day Adventist Church corresponds to common evangelical Christian teachings, such as the Trinity and the infallibility of Scripture. Distinctive post-tribulation teachings include the unconscious state of the dead and the doctrine of an investigative judgment. The church places an emphasis on diet and health, including adhering to Kosher food laws, advocating vegetarianism, and its holistic view of human nature—i.e. that the body, soul, and spirit form one inseparable entity.[7] The Church holds the belief that "God created the universe, and in a recent six-day creation made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day". Marriage is defined as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. The second coming of Christ, and resurrection of the dead, are among official beliefs.[8]

The world church is governed by a General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, with smaller regions administered by divisions, unions, local conferences and local missions. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is currently "one of the fastest-growing and most widespread churches worldwide",[3] with a worldwide baptized membership of over 21 million people, and 25 million adherents. As of May 2007, it was the twelfth-largest religious body in the world, and the sixth-largest highly international religious body. It is ethnically and culturally diverse, and maintains a missionary presence in over 215 countries and territories.[9][10] The church operates over 7,500 schools including over 100 post-secondary institutions, numerous hospitals, and publishing houses worldwide, a humanitarian aid organization known as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and tax-exempt businesses such as Sanitarium[11] which fund the church's charitable and religious activities.

History

Main article: History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the largest of several Adventist groups which arose from the Millerite movement of the 1840s in upstate New York,[12] a phase of the Second Great Awakening.[13] William Miller predicted on the basis of Daniel 8:14–16[14] and the "day-year principle" that Jesus Christ would return to Earth between the spring of 1843 and the spring of 1844. In the summer of 1844, Millerites came to believe that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844, understood to be the biblical Day of Atonement for that year. Miller's failed prediction became known as the "Great Disappointment".[12][13]

Hiram Edson and other Millerites came to believe that Miller's calculations were correct, but that his interpretation of Daniel 8:14 was flawed as he assumed Christ would come to cleanse the world. These Adventists came to the conviction that Daniel 8:14 foretold Christ's entrance into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary rather than his Second Coming.[13] Over the next few decades this understanding of a sanctuary in heaven developed into the doctrine of the investigative judgment, an eschatological process that commenced in 1844, in which every person would be judged to verify their eligibility for salvation and God's justice will be confirmed before the universe. This group of Adventists continued to believe that Christ's second coming would continue to be imminent, however they resisted setting further dates for the event, citing Revelation 10:6, "that there should be time no longer."[15]

Development of Sabbatarianism

As the early Adventist movement consolidated its beliefs, the question of the biblical day of rest and worship was raised. The foremost proponent of Sabbath-keeping among early Adventists was Joseph Bates. Bates was introduced to the Sabbath doctrine through a tract written by Millerite preacher Thomas M. Preble, who in turn had been influenced by Rachel Oakes Preston, a young Seventh Day Baptist. This message was gradually accepted and formed the topic of the first edition of the church publication The Present Truth, which appeared in July 1849.[16]

Organization and recognition

For about 20 years, the Adventist movement consisted of a small, loosely knit group of people who came from many churches and whose primary means of connection and interaction was through James White's periodical The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. They embraced the doctrines of the Sabbath, the heavenly sanctuary interpretation of Daniel 8:14, conditional immortality, and the expectation of Christ's premillennial return. Among its most prominent figures were Joseph Bates, James White, and Ellen G. White. Ellen White came to occupy a particularly central role; her many visions and spiritual leadership convinced her fellow Adventists that she possessed the gift of prophecy.[citation needed]

The church was formally established in Battle Creek, Michigan, on May 21, 1863, with a membership of 3,500.[5] The denominational headquarters were later moved from Battle Creek to Takoma Park, Maryland, where they remained until 1989. The General Conference headquarters then moved to its current location in Silver Spring, Maryland.[17]

In the 1870s, the denomination turned to evangelism through missionary work and revivals, tripling its membership to 16,000 by 1880 and establishing a presence beyond North America during the late 19th century. The denomination's rapid growth continued, with 75,000 members in 1901. By that time, the denomination operated two colleges, a medical school, a dozen academies, 27 hospitals, and 13 publishing houses. By 1945, the church estimated that it had 210,000 members in the US and Canada, along with 360,000 members who lived in other parts of the world; the church's budget was $29 million and the number of students who were enrolled in the church's schools was 140,000.[18]

The church first published its beliefs and doctrines in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1872, as a brief statement which was titled "A Synopsis of our Faith".[19] The church experienced challenges as it formed its core beliefs and doctrines especially as a number of the early Adventist leaders came from churches that held to some form of Arianism (Ellen G. White was not one of them).[20] This, along with some of the movement's other theological views, led conservative evangelical Protestants to regard it as a cult.[21][22][23][24] According to Adventist scholars, the teachings and writings of White, ultimately proved influential in shifting the church from largely semi-Arian[25] roots towards Trinitarianism.[26] Adventists, for the most part, credit her with bringing the Seventh-day Adventist church into a more comprehensive awareness of the Godhead during the 1890s. The Adventist Church adopted Trinitarian theology early in the 20th century and began to dialogue with other Protestant groups toward the middle of the century, eventually gaining wide recognition as a Protestant church. Christianity Today recognized the Seventh-day Adventist church as " the fifth-largest Christian communion worldwide" in its January 22, 2015 issue.[27]

Although her husband claimed that her visions did not support the Trinitarian creed,[28] her writings reveal a growing awareness on the "mystery of the GodHead".[29] Adventists, for the most part, credit her with bringing the Seventh-day Adventist church into a more comprehensive awareness of the Godhead during the 1890s. After continued Bible study, and after a decades-long debate, the denomination eventually concluded that Scripture explicitly teaches the belief in the existence of a triune God, and it affirmed that biblical view in the non-credal 28 Fundamental Beliefs.[30]

However, mainstream scholars are still not convinced that Ellen White was a Nicene Trinitarian.[28][31] In her own opinion, Jesus did not begin as equal to God the Father but was at a certain moment promoted to equality with the Father, which triggered Lucifer's rebellion (as explained in her book Spirit of Prophecy).[32]

Beliefs

Main article: Seventh-day Adventist theology
 
A pastor baptizes a young man in Mozambique.

The official teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination are expressed in its 28 Fundamental Beliefs.[12] This statement of beliefs was originally adopted by the General Conference in 1980, with an additional belief (number 11) being added in 2005.[33] Almost all of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs are the same as other evangelical Protestant denominations. The Adventist beliefs that evangelicals consider heterodoxy is worshiping God on Saturday, the gift of prophecy by Ellen G. White and the sanctuary doctrine.[13]

The church believes God created Earth in six days and rested on the seventh day Saturday.[34][35] The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in baptizing new members by immersion.[13] It believes the Bible to be the most important book.[13] They believe when humans die, that they remain asleep until they are brought back to life. Eternal life is given to people who accept Jesus as their Savior. The church believes that one receives salvation through only Jesus.[35] It believes that the investigative judgment will take place in heaven before Jesus returns to earth.[35] The church believes in the Apocalypse of John will bring on the Second Coming of Jesus.[36]

Culture and practices

Sabbath activities

See also: Sabbath in Seventh-day Adventism

Part of Friday might be spent in preparation for the Sabbath; for example, preparing meals and tidying homes. Adventists may gather for Friday evening worship to welcome in the Sabbath, a practice often known as vespers.[37]

Worship service

The major weekly worship service occurs on Saturday, typically commencing with Sabbath School which is a structured time of small-group bible study at church. Adventists make use of an officially produced "Sabbath School Lesson", which deals with a particular biblical text or doctrine every quarter.[38]

After a brief break, the community joins together again for a church service that follows a typical evangelical format, with a sermon as a central feature. Corporate singing, Scripture readings, prayers and an offering, including tithing (money collection), are other standard features. The instruments and forms of worship music vary greatly throughout the worldwide church.[39]

Holy Communion

Adventist churches usually practice open communion four times a year. It commences with a foot washing ceremony, known as the "Ordinance of Humility", based on the Gospel account of John 13.[40] The Ordinance of Humility is meant to emulate Christ's washing of his disciples' feet at the Last Supper and to remind participants of the need to humbly serve one another. Participants segregate by gender to separate rooms to conduct this ritual, although some congregations allow married couples to perform the ordinance on each other and families are often encouraged to participate together. After its completion, participants return to the main sanctuary for consumption of the Lord's Supper, which consists of unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice.[41]

Health and diet

 
Corn flakes package from 1906
 
Sanitarium products for sale
 
The main dining room of the Battle Creek Sanitarium founded in Michigan by Adventists and run by John Harvey Kellogg. The sanitarium only served vegetarian meals.

Since the 1860s when the church began, wholeness and health have been an emphasis of the Adventist church.[42] Adventists are known for presenting a health message that advocates vegetarianism and expects adherence to the kosher laws,[43] particularly the consumption of kosher foods described in Leviticus 11,[44][45] meaning abstinence from pork, rabbit, shellfish, and other animals proscribed as "unclean".[46][45] The church discourages its members from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco or illegal drugs since the 1800s (compare Christianity and alcohol).[46][47] In addition, some Adventists avoid refined foods, sweeteners, and caffeine.[46]

The pioneers of the Adventist Church had much to do with the common acceptance of breakfast cereals and meat alternatives into the Western diet. John Harvey Kellogg started the meat alternative movement by creating Protose at Battle Creek Sanitarium, which was later sold through mail order by Battle Creek Food Company. The Battle Creek Food Company mostly manufactured meat alternatives for the guests at Battle Creek Sanitarium.[48][49] Will Keith Kellogg and John Harvey Kellogg invented corn flakes at Battle Creek Sanitarium, by putting stale wheat berry between rollers and baking it.[50] It was later served to the sanitarium guests. The Kellogg brothers also invented Bran flakes and Rice Krispies.[50] Later in 1906, Will Keith Kellogg founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in Battle Creek, Michigan.[48] Special Foods founded in Worthington, Ohio in 1939, manufactured nut meat substitutes. After World War II, it changed its name to Worthington Foods. Worthington Foods introduced two canned meat alternatives in 1949: Soyloin Steaks and Meatless Wieners.[49] In 1960, it bought the rights to manufacture and market Battle Creek Foods Company products after John Harvey Kellogg died. In 1975, it released its frozen soy-based meatless foods nationwide.[48] In both Australia and New Zealand, Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company owned by the church manufactures such brands as So Good, Up & Go and Weet-Bix.[51]

The Adventist Health Studies indicate that the average Adventist in California lives 4 to 10 years longer than the average Californian. The research concludes that Adventists live longer because they do not smoke or drink alcohol, have a day of rest every week, and maintain a healthy, low-fat vegetarian diet that is rich in nuts and beans.[52][53] The cohesiveness of Adventists' social networks has also been put forward as an explanation for their extended lifespan.[54] Dan Buettner named Loma Linda, California a "Blue Zone" of longevity, and attributes that to the large concentration of Seventh-day Adventists and their health practices.[55][56][57] The 96,000 adults who participated in the Adventist Health Studies-2 from 2001-2007 were 30 to 112 years old, and lived in Canada and the United States. The study revealed 8% were vegans, 28% were ovo/lacto-vegetarians, 10% were pesco-vegetarians, 6% semi-vegetarian and 48% non-vegetarian. 98.9% of the participants were non-smokers and 93.4% abstained from drinking alcohol.[57][58] Those who were vegetarian had a much lower risk of obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. Adventists who were vegetarian had a lower risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, coronary heart disease, lung cancer and prostate cancer, compared to non-vegetarians.[59] Those who were vegan had a lower body mass index, compared vegetarians and meat eaters.[46][57]

Adventists' clean lifestyles were recognized by the U.S. military in 1954 when 2,200 Adventists volunteered to serve as human test subjects in Operation Whitecoat, a biodefense medical research program whose stated purpose was to defend troops and civilians against biological weapons.[60][61]

Marriage

The Adventist definition of marriage is a lawfully binding lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. The Church Manual professes the belief that marriage originated as an institution from the biblical story of Adam and Eve and that their union should be used as the pattern for all other marriages.[62]

Adventists hold that marriage is a divine institution established by God during the events of the Book of Genesis prior to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden. They believe that God celebrated the union of Adam and Eve and that the concept of marriage was one of the first gifts of God to man, and that it is "one of the two institutions that, after the fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise."[63]

The Old and New Testament texts are interpreted by some Adventists to teach that wives should submit to their husbands in marriage.[64]

Adventists hold that heterosexual marriages are the only biblically ordained grounds for sexual intimacy. Adventists do not perform same-sex marriages, and individuals who are openly homosexual cannot be ordained, but may hold church office and membership if they are not actively pursuing same-sex relationships. Current church policy states that openly homosexual (and "practicing") persons are to be welcomed into the church services and treated with the love and kindness afforded any human being.[65][66]

Ethics and sexuality

The Seventh-day Adventist Church opposes abortion, believing it can have long-term negative effects on both the individuals involved and society as a whole. In an official statement on the "Biblical View of Unborn Life", the church declared that an unborn child is considered by God to be a living individual.[67] However, there are circumstances where the mother's life is at risk Seventh-day Adventist hospitals will perform emergency abortions.[68]

Adventists encourage sexual abstinence for both men and women before marriage. The church disapproves of extra-marital cohabitation.[69] Adventists oppose homosexual activities and relationships, citing the belief that scripture makes no accommodation for homosexuality.[70]

The Adventist church has released official statements in relation to other ethical issues such as euthanasia (against active euthanasia but permissive of passive withdrawal of medical support to allow death to occur),[71] birth control (in favor of it for married couples if used correctly, but against abortion as birth control and premarital sex in any case)[72] and human cloning (against it if the technology could result in defective births or abortions).[73]

Dress and entertainment

Further information: Plain dress

Adventists have traditionally held socially conservative attitudes regarding dress and entertainment. These attitudes are reflected in one of the church's fundamental beliefs:

For the Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord we involve ourselves only in those things which will produce Christlike purity, health, and joy in our lives. This means that our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty. While recognizing cultural differences, our dress is to be simple, modest, and neat, befitting those whose true beauty does not consist of outward adornment but in the imperishable ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit.[74]

Accordingly, Adventists are opposed to practices such as body piercing and tattoos and refrain from the wearing of jewelry, including such items as earrings and bracelets. Some also oppose the displaying of wedding bands, although banning wedding bands is not the position of the General Conference.[75] In 1986, the North American Division legalized wedding rings.[76] Before that it was a source of friction, since Adventists overseas wear wedding rings.[77]

Conservative Adventists avoid certain recreational activities which are considered to be a negative spiritual influence, including dancing, rock music and secular theatre.[78][79] However, major studies conducted from 1989 onwards found that a majority of North American church youth reject some of these standards.[80]

On June 29, 2000, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists adopted a resolution on gambling. The church encourages its members not to gamble and it will not accept funding from it.[81]

Youth Ministry

Missionary work with children and youth begins with the Adventurer club. The Adventurer curriculum is for children aged between 4-9 and it is divided into 6 classes which are little lamb, early bird, sunbeam, builder and helping hand. Each class builds on the previous class. The curriculum is structured in way that will interest, challenge, and provide successful experiences for children. The curriculum is divided into 5 sections which are, Basic, My God, Myself, My Friends and My World which help children to meet the objectives of the curriculum. The objectives of the Adventurer Curriculum are: to develop a Christ-like character; to experience the joy and satisfaction of doing things well; to express their love for Jesus in a natural way; to learn good sportsmanship and strengthen their ability to get along with others; to discover their God-given abilities and to learn how to use them to benefit self and serve others; to discover God’s world; to improve their understanding of what makes families strong; to develop parental support for the training of children. The club engages in witnessing, community work so as to share the love of Jesus.[82]

Pathfinders is a club for 5th to 10th grade (up to 12th in Florida Conference) boys and girls. It is similar to and based partly on the Scouting movement. Pathfinders exposes young people to such activities as camping, community service, personal mentorship, and skills-based education, and trains them for leadership in the church. Yearly "Camporees" are held in individual Conferences, where Pathfinders from the region gather and participate in events similar to Boy Scouts' Jamborees.

After a person enters 9th grade, they are eligible to join Teen Leadership Training within Pathfinders. In the 11th grade, typically after being a member of a club, they can become a Pathfinder or Adventurer staff member and begin the "Master Guide" program (similar to Scout Master) which develops leaders for both Adventurers and Pathfinders.[83]

Organization

 
Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, California
 
South St. Paul Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota
 
Capitol Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington, D.C.
 
Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York City

Structure and polity

The Seventh-day Adventist church is governed by a form of representation which resembles the presbyterian system of church organization. Four levels of organization exist within the world church.[84][85]

  1. The local church is the foundation level of organizational structure and is the public face of the denomination. Every baptized Adventist is a member of a local church and has voting powers within that church.
  2. Directly above the local church is the "local conference". The local conference is an organization of churches within a state, province or territory (or part thereof) which appoints ministers, owns church land and organizes the distribution of tithes and payments to ministers.
  3. Above the local conference is the "union conference" which embodies a number of local conferences within a larger territory.
  4. The highest level of governance within the church structure is the General Conference which consists of 13 "Divisions", each assigned to various geographic locations. The General Conference is the church authority and has the final say in matters of conjecture and administrative issues. The General Conference is headed by the office of President. The General Conference head office is in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

Each organization is governed by a general "session" which occurs at certain intervals. This is usually when administrative decisions are made. The president of the General Conference, for instance, is elected at the General Conference Session every five years. Delegates to a session are appointed by organizations at a lower level. For example, each local church appoints delegates to a conference session.

Tithes collected from church members are not used directly by the local churches, but are passed upwards to the local conferences which then distribute the finances toward various ministry needs. Employees are compensated "on the basis of the church remuneration policy and practice in effect in the location or country in which they reside."[86]

The Church Manual[84] gives provisions for each level of government to create educational, healthcare, publishing, and other institutions that are seen within the call of the Great Commission.

Church officers and clergy

The ordained clergy of the Adventist church are known as ministers or pastors. Ministers are neither elected nor employed by the local churches, but instead are appointed by the local Conferences, which assign them responsibility over a single church or group of churches. Ordination is a formal recognition bestowed upon pastors and elders after usually a number of years of service. In most parts of the world, women may not be given the title "ordained", although some are employed in ministry, and may be "commissioned" or "ordained-commissioned".[87] However, beginning in 2012, some unions adopted policies of allowing member conferences to ordain without regard to gender.

A number of lay offices exist within the local church, including the ordained positions of elder and deacon.[84] Elders and deacons are appointed by the vote of a local church business meeting or elected committees. Elders serve a mainly administrative and pastoral role, but must also be capable of providing religious leadership (particularly in the absence of an ordained minister). The role of deacons is to assist in the smooth functioning of a local church and to maintain church property.

Ordination of women

In 1990, at their General Conference Session leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church prevented the ordination of women. They voted 1,173 against and 377 in favor. Those who supported ordaining women were from Europe and North America, while those from Africa, Asia and South America were strongly against.[88] Five years later, it turned down a request by the North American Division that its local conferences be allowed to ordain women.[89]

On July 29, 2012, the Columbia Union Conference, which has its headquarters in Maryland voted 80 percent in favor of ordaining women. On August 19, 2012, the Pacific Union Conference, which has its headquarters in California voted 79 percent to 21 percent in favor of ordaining women. The world leaders of the church were disappointed with the actions of the two conferences and considered their actions not in harmony with the world church. In 2012, there were 320 women pastors in the church, while in North America there are 120 women pastors and 4,100 male pastors.[89] In 2013, the Southern California Conference voted for the first time a woman as president.[90]

In July 8, 2015, leaders who represented the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted at their General Conference Session in San Antonio, against the ordination of women becoming pastors. They voted 1,381 against and 977 in favor. Western Adventists who are against the ban say it is keeping them from functioning in this culture, while those who support the ban get their reason for opposing from the bible. Adventists in North America, Europe and a few other areas have been ordaining women as pastors. Women are banned from leading local conferences, they also can not create or close churches.[91] Ted N. C. Wilson who was re-elected for a second five-year term as president voted no, while former president Jan Paulsen voted yes.[90]

On September 12, 2021, the Mid-America Union Conference was the third to ordain women in the North American Division. They voted 82 percent in favor and 12 percent against.[92]

Membership

 
Seventh-day Adventist Church membership from 1863-2021
Membership
 
Change in Adventist membership as a fraction of world population.
 
Adventists per million inhabitants by country.
  0-9
  10-99
  100-499
  500-999
  1000-4999
  5000-9999
  10,000-49,999
  50,000-99,999
  ≥100,000

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the world's fastest-growing organizations, primarily from membership increases in developing nations. Today much of the church membership reside outside of the United States, with large numbers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.[36] Every 30.33 seconds a new member is baptized into one of the 13 divisions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[59]

In 2006, over 25 million people worshiped weekly in Seventh-day Adventist churches around the world.[93] In 2011, it was reported that the Seventh-day Adventist Church was the fastest-growing church in the United States. Released data showed the membership growing by 2.5% in North America, a rapid clip for this part of the world, where many Christian denominations are declining.[94] On the churches 150th anniversary in April 2013, there were over 17,000,000 members.[95] In 2013, it was reported that the church lost one in three members over a fifty year period. Every one hundred people the church gains, it loses forty-three members. The reason why people leave the church is because of marital issues and unemployment.[96] In 2015, the church was the most racially diverse denomination in the United States. The ratio was 37 percent white, 32 percent black, 15 percent Hispanic, 8 percent Asian and 8 percent another or mixed.[97] In 2017, the church had members in almost every country and territory in the world, except for Brunei, Comoros, Djibouti, Falkland Islands, Iran, Jersey, Maldives, Monaco, Somalia and Tokelau.[98] In 2019 the Seventh-day Adventist Church had 21,000,000 baptized members around the world.[12]

In 2020, church officials reported the lowest membership increase in 16 years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seventh-day Adventist Church added only 803,000 members, the last time membership dropped below 1 million was in 2004.[99][100] In 2021, the Seventh-day Adventist Church had 1.2 million members worshiping in Canada and the United States.[101]

Adventist mission

Started in the late 19th century, Adventist mission work today reaches people in over 200 countries and territories.[9] Adventist mission workers seek to preach the gospel, promote health through hospitals and clinics, run development projects to improve living standards, and provide relief in times of calamity.[102]

Missionary outreach of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is aimed not only at non-Christians but also at Christians from other denominations. Adventists believe that Christ has called his followers in the Great Commission to reach the whole world. Adventists are cautious, however, to ensure that evangelism does not impede or intrude on the basic rights of the individual. Religious liberty is a stance that the Adventist Church supports and promotes.[103]

Education

Main article: Seventh-day Adventist education
 
Moran Hall at Oakwood University
 
Student Center Building at Spicer Adventist University
See also: List of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities and List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools

Globally, the Adventist Church operates 7,598 schools, colleges and universities, with a total enrollment of more than 1,545,000 and a total teaching staff of approximately 80,000.[104] It operates the second largest school system in the world, only larger is the Roman Catholic Church school system.[59]

Health

 
Tokyo Adventist Hospital.
Main articles: AdventHealth, Adventist Health, Adventist Health International, Adventist HealthCare, and Kettering Health
See also: List of Seventh-day Adventist hospitals

Their largest medical school and hospital in North America is Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center. Throughout the world the Seventh-day Adventist Church, runs a wide network of hospitals, clinics, lifestyle centers, and sanitariums. These play a role in the church's health message and worldwide missions outreach.[105]

AdventHealth is the largest not-for-profit Protestant health care provider in the United States.[106] It is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and cares for over 5 million patients yearly.[107][108]

Humanitarian aid and the environment

For over 50 years, the church has been active in humanitarian aid through the work of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). ADRA works as a non-sectarian relief agency in 125 countries and areas of the world. ADRA has been granted General Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Worldwide, ADRA employs over 4,000 people to help provide relief in crises as well as development in situations of poverty.

The church embraces an official commitment to the protection and care of the environment[109] as well as taking action to avoid the dangers of climate change:[110] "Seventh-day Adventism advocates a simple, wholesome lifestyle, where people do not step on the treadmill of unbridled over-consumption, accumulation of goods, and production of waste. A reformation of lifestyle is called for, based on respect for nature, restraint in the use of the world's resources, reevaluation of one's needs, and reaffirmation of the dignity of created life."[111]

Media

Main article: Media ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
 
Hope Channel logo

Adventists have long been proponents of media-based ministries. Traditional Adventist evangelistic efforts consisted of street missions and the distribution of tracts such as The Present Truth, which was published by James White as early as 1849. Until J. N. Andrews was sent to Switzerland in 1874, Adventist global efforts consisted entirely of the posting of tracts such as White's to various locations.

In the last century, these efforts have also made use of emerging media such as radio and television. The first of these was H. M. S. Richards' radio show Voice of Prophecy,[112] which was initially broadcast in Los Angeles in 1929. Since then, Adventists have been on the forefront of media evangelism; It Is Written,[113] founded by George Vandeman, was the first religious program to air on color television in March 1965 and the first major Christian ministry to utilize satellite uplink technology. Amazing Facts[114] was founded in 1965 by Joe Crews in Baltimore as a radio ministry. Amazing Facts broadcasts "Bible Answers Live" each Sunday where listeners phone or email Bible questions which are answered live.[115] Today the Hope Channel, the official television network of the church which launched in October 2003, operates 8+ international channels broadcasting 24 hours a day on cable, satellite, and the Web.[116]

Adventist World Radio[117] was founded in 1971[118] and is the "radio mission arm" of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It utilizes AM, FM, shortwave, satellite, podcasting, and the Internet, broadcasting in 77 major language groups of the world with a potential coverage of 80% of the world's population. AWR's headquarters is in Silver Spring, Maryland, with studios throughout the world. A large portion of the ministry's income is derived from membership gifts.[119]

SDA evangelists such as Doug Batchelor, Mark Finley and Dwight Nelson have undertaken a number of international satellite-broadcast live evangelistic events, addressing audiences in up to 40 languages simultaneously.[120]

In 2016, the Church released the film Tell the World.[121]

Publishing

 
Review and Herald Publishing Association in 1868

The Adventist Church owns and operates many publishing companies around the world. Two of the largest are the Pacific Press and Review and Herald publishing associations, both located in the United States. The Review and Herald is headquartered in Hagerstown, Maryland.[122]

Ecumenical activity

Main article: Seventh-day Adventist interfaith relations

The Adventist Church generally opposes the ecumenical movement, although it supports some of the other goals of ecumenism. The General Conference has released an official statement concerning the Adventist position with respect to the ecumenical movement, which contains the following paragraph:

Should Adventists cooperate ecumenically? Adventists should cooperate insofar as the authentic gospel is proclaimed and crying human needs are being met. The Seventh-day Adventist Church wants no entangling memberships and refuses any compromising relationships that might tend to water down her distinct witness. However, Adventists wish to be "conscientious cooperators." The ecumenical movement as an agency of cooperation has acceptable aspects; as an agency for the organic unity of churches, it is much more suspect.[123]

While not being a member of the World Council of Churches, the Adventist Church has participated in its assemblies in an observer capacity.[124]

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Adventist Church has received criticism along several lines, including what some claim are heterodox doctrines, and in relation to Ellen G. White and her status within the church, and in relation to alleged exclusivist issues.[125]

Doctrines

Critics such as evangelical Anthony Hoekema (who felt that Adventists were more in agreement with Arminianism) argue that some Adventist doctrines are heterodox. Several teachings which have come under scrutiny are the annihilationist view of hell, the investigative judgment (and a related view of the atonement), and the Sabbath; in addition, Hoekema also claims that Adventist doctrine suffers from legalism.[126]

While critics such as Hoekema have classified Adventism as a sectarian group on the basis of its atypical doctrines,[21][22] it has been accepted as more mainstream by Protestant evangelicals since its meetings and discussions with evangelicals in the 1950s.[127] Notably, Billy Graham invited Adventists to be part of his crusades after Eternity, a conservative Christian magazine edited by Donald Barnhouse, asserted in 1956 that Adventists are Christians, and also later stated, "They are sound on the great New Testament doctrines including grace and redemption through the vicarious offering of Jesus Christ 'once for all'".[128] Walter Martin, who is considered by many to be the father of the counter-cult apologetics movement within evangelicalism, authored The Truth About Seventh-day Adventists (1960) which marked a turning point in the way Adventism was viewed:[129][130] "it is perfectly possible to be a Seventh-day Adventist and be a true follower of Jesus Christ despite heterodox concept".[131]

Later on, Martin planned to write a new book on Seventh-day Adventism, with the assistance of Kenneth R. Samples.[132] Samples subsequently authored "From Controversy to Crisis: An Updated Assessment of Seventh-day Adventism", which upholds Martin's view "for that segment of Adventism which holds to the position stated in QOD, and further expressed in the Evangelical Adventist movement of the last few decades." However, Samples also claimed that "Traditional Adventism" appeared "to be moving further away from a number of positions taken in QOD", and at least at Glacier View seemed to have "gained the support of many administrators and leaders".[133]

Ellen G. White and her status

 
Ellen G. White in 1899
Main article: Inspiration of Ellen White

Ellen G. White's status as a modern-day prophet has also been criticized. In the Questions on Doctrine era, evangelicals expressed concern about Adventism's understanding of the relationship of White's writings to the inspired canon of Scripture.[21] The Adventist fundamental beliefs maintain that "the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested."[134]

A common criticism of Ellen White, widely popularized by Walter T. Rea, Ronald Numbers and others, is the claim of plagiarism from other authors.[135][136][137] An independent lawyer specializing in plagiarism, Vincent L. Ramik, was engaged to undertake a study of Ellen G. White's writings during the early 1980s, and concluded that they were "conclusively unplagiaristic".[138] When the plagiarism charge ignited a significant debate during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Adventist General Conference commissioned a major study by Dr. Fred Veltman. The ensuing project became known as the "Life of Christ' Research Project".[139] Veltman examined fifteen, randomly selected chapters of The Desire of Ages for evidence of literary dependence and concluded, "On an average we may say that 31.4 percent of the DA text is dependent to some extent on literary sources."[140] The results are available at the General Conference Archives.[141] Dr. Roger W. Coon,[142] David J. Conklin,[143] Dr. Denis Fortin,[144][145] King and Morgan,[146] and Morgan,[147] among others, undertook the refutation of the accusations of plagiarism. At the conclusion of his report, Ramik states:

It is impossible to imagine that the intention of Ellen G. White, as reflected in her writings and the unquestionably prodigious efforts involved therein, was anything other than a sincerely motivated and unselfish effort to place the understandings of Biblical truths in a coherent form for all to see and comprehend. Most certainly, the nature and content of her writings had but one hope and intent, namely, the furthering of mankind's understanding of the word of God. Considering all factors necessary in reaching a just conclusion on this issue, it is submitted that the writings of Ellen G. White were conclusively unplagiaristic.[148]

Exclusivism

Critics have alleged that certain Adventist beliefs and practices are exclusivist in nature and they point to the Adventist claim to be the "remnant church", and the traditional Protestant association of Roman Catholicism with "Babylon".[149][150][151] These attitudes are said to legitimize the proselytising of Christians from other denominations. In response to such criticisms, Adventist theologians have stated that the doctrine of the remnant does not preclude the existence of genuine Christians in other denominations, but is concerned with institutions.[152]

Offshoots and schisms

Throughout the history of the denomination, there have been a number of groups that have left the church and formed their own movements.

Following World War I, a group known as the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement was formed as a result of the actions of L. R. Conradi and certain European church leaders during the war, who decided that it was acceptable for Adventists to take part in war. Those who were opposed to this stand and refused to participate in the war were declared "disfellowshipped" by their local Church leaders at the time. When the Church leaders from the General Conference came and admonished the local European leaders after the war to try to heal the damage, and bring the members together, it met with resistance from those who had suffered under those leaders. Their attempts at reconciliation failed after the war and the group became organized as a separate church at a conference that was held on July 14–20, 1925. The movement officially incorporated in 1949.[153]

In 2005, in another attempt to examine and resolve what its German leaders had done, the mainstream church apologized for its failures during World War II, stating that they "'deeply regret' any participation in or support of Nazi activities during the war by the German and Austrian leadership of the church."[154]

In the Soviet Union the same issues produced the group known as the True and Free Seventh-day Adventists. This also formed as the result of a schism within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe during World War I over the position its European church leaders took on having its members join the military or keep the Sabbath. The group remains active today (2010) in the former republics of the Soviet Union.[155]

Well-known but distant offshoots are the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist organization and the Branch Davidians, themselves a schism within the larger Davidian movement.[156] The Davidians formed in 1929, following Victor Houteff, after he came out with his book The Shepherd's Rod, which was rejected as heretical. A succession dispute after Houteff's death in 1955 led to the formation of two groups, the original Davidians and the Branches. Later, another ex-Adventist, David Koresh, led the Branch Davidians, until he died in the 1993 siege, at the group's headquarters near Waco, Texas.[36]

A number of Adventists who apostatized, such as former minister Walter Rea, have become critics of the church's teachings and Ellen G. White.

Cultural influence

Main article: Seventh-day Adventism in popular culture
 
Postage stamp of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ryazan

Hacksaw Ridge depicts the life of Adventist conscientious objector and Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss.[157][158] The Road to Wellville is based on a novel about Seventh-day Adventist physician John Harvey Kellogg, director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium.[159][160] A Cry in the Dark, a film about the death of Azaria Chamberlain, features the prejudice her parents faced due to misconceptions about their religion.[161][162] Many other forms of media include mentions of Seventh-day Adventism.

Many country postal services around the world have created postage stamps honoring the Seventh-day Adventist Church, or an individual member. In 2020, Iraqi Post released a set of eight commemorative stamps to honor the Christian churches in the country, the set included a photograph of the Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church.[163]

See also

By country

Notes

  1. ^ Officially abbreviated as "Adventist", commonly abbreviated as "SDA".[164]

References

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Further reading

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seventh-day Adventist Church.
 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Seventh-day Adventist Church
  • Baker, Benjamin. 2005. Crucial Moments: The 12 Most Important Events in Black Adventism. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  • Bull, Malcolm and Keith Lockhart, Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream. (2006, 2nd edn). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. A sociological study.
  • Chaij, Fernando. Fuerzas supriores que actuán en la vida humana: el hipnotismo y el espiritismo ante la ciencia y la religión [y] el problema de la sanidad y la felicidad. Quinta ed. actualizada. Bogotá: Ediciones Interamericanas, 1976. 267 p. N.B.: Speculations about various occult phenomena, health, theology and Bible exegesis, all from a Seventh Day Adventist perspective. Without ISBN
  • Edwards, Calvin W. and Gary Land. Seeker After Light: A F Ballenger, Adventism, and American Christianity. (2000). 240pp online review
  • Jetelina, Bedrich. "Seventh-day Adventists, Human Rights and Social Work," Caritas et veritas, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2014), pp. 22–32 Caritas et veritas
  • Land, Gary (2001). "At the Edges of Holiness: Seventh-Day Adventism Receives the Holy Ghost, 1892–1900". Fides et Historia. 33 (2): 13–30.
  • Land, Gary, Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-Day Adventists (Scarecrow Press, 2005).
  • Morgan, Douglas. Adventism and the American Republic: The Public Involvement of a Major Apocalyptic Movement. (2001). 269 pp.
  • Morgan, Douglas. "Adventism, Apocalyptic, and the Cause of Liberty," Church History, Vol. 63, No. 2 (Jun. 1994), pp. 235–249 in JSTOR
  • Neufield, Don F. ed. Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (10 vol 1976), official publication
  • Numbers, Ronald L. Prophetess of health: a study of Ellen G. White (3rd ed. 2008)
  • Pearson, Michael. Millennial Dreams and Moral Dilemmas: Seventh-day Adventism and Contemporary Ethics. (1990, 1998) excerpt and text search, looks at issues of marriage, abortion, homosexuality
  • Schwarz, Richard. Light Bearers: A History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (3rd ed. 2000)
  • Vance, Laura L. Seventh-day Adventism Crisis: Gender and Sectarian Change in an Emerging Religion. (1999). 261 pp.
  • Van Dolson, Leo. What about Life after Death? Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978. 32 p.
  • The Adventists, Documentary film by Martin Doblmeier

March 20, 2023
seventh, adventist, church, adventist, church, redirects, here, other, branches, wider, adventist, movement, adventism, this, article, rely, excessively, sources, closely, associated, with, subject, potentially, preventing, article, from, being, verifiable, ne. Adventist church redirects here For other branches of the wider Adventist movement see Adventism This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral Please help improve it by replacing them with more appropriate citations to reliable independent third party sources September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Seventh day Adventist Church a is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination 2 3 which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday 4 the seventh day of the week in the Christian Gregorian and the Hebrew calendar as the Sabbath 3 and its emphasis on the imminent Second Coming advent of Jesus Christ The denomination grew out of the Millerite movement in the United States during the mid 19th century and it was formally established in 1863 5 Among its co founders was Ellen G White whose extensive writings are still held in high regard by the church 6 Seventh day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh day Adventist logoClassificationProtestantOrientationAdventistTheologyArminianism citation needed Seventh day Adventist theologyPolityPresbyterian EpiscopalPresidentTed N C WilsonRegionWorldwideFounderJoseph Bates James White Ellen G White J N AndrewsOriginMay 21 1863 159 years ago 1863 05 21 Battle Creek Michigan U S Branched fromMilleritesSeparationsSDA Reform Movement and True and Free SDAs separated 1925 small minorities Davidian SDAs separated 1929 small minority Adventist Church of Promise separated 1932 small minority Congregations95 297 churches 1 72 975 companies 1 Members21 760 076 1 Pastors20 924 1 Hospitals229 1 Nursing homes129 1 Aid organizationAdventist Development and Relief AgencyPrimary schools6 623 1 Secondary schools2 640 1 Tertiary institutions118 1 Other name s Adventist church SDA informal Official websiteadventist wbr orgMuch of the theology of the Seventh day Adventist Church corresponds to common evangelical Christian teachings such as the Trinity and the infallibility of Scripture Distinctive post tribulation teachings include the unconscious state of the dead and the doctrine of an investigative judgment The church places an emphasis on diet and health including adhering to Kosher food laws advocating vegetarianism and its holistic view of human nature i e that the body soul and spirit form one inseparable entity 7 The Church holds the belief that God created the universe and in a recent six day creation made the heavens and the earth the sea and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day Marriage is defined as a lifelong union between a man and a woman The second coming of Christ and resurrection of the dead are among official beliefs 8 The world church is governed by a General Conference of Seventh day Adventists with smaller regions administered by divisions unions local conferences and local missions The Seventh day Adventist Church is currently one of the fastest growing and most widespread churches worldwide 3 with a worldwide baptized membership of over 21 million people and 25 million adherents As of May 2007 update it was the twelfth largest religious body in the world and the sixth largest highly international religious body It is ethnically and culturally diverse and maintains a missionary presence in over 215 countries and territories 9 10 The church operates over 7 500 schools including over 100 post secondary institutions numerous hospitals and publishing houses worldwide a humanitarian aid organization known as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency ADRA and tax exempt businesses such as Sanitarium 11 which fund the church s charitable and religious activities Contents 1 History 1 1 Development of Sabbatarianism 1 2 Organization and recognition 2 Beliefs 3 Culture and practices 3 1 Sabbath activities 3 1 1 Worship service 3 1 2 Holy Communion 3 2 Health and diet 3 3 Marriage 3 4 Ethics and sexuality 3 5 Dress and entertainment 3 6 Youth Ministry 4 Organization 4 1 Structure and polity 4 2 Church officers and clergy 4 2 1 Ordination of women 4 3 Membership 5 Adventist mission 5 1 Education 5 2 Health 5 3 Humanitarian aid and the environment 5 4 Media 5 5 Publishing 5 6 Ecumenical activity 6 Criticism 6 1 Doctrines 6 2 Ellen G White and her status 6 3 Exclusivism 7 Offshoots and schisms 8 Cultural influence 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 Further readingHistory EditMain article History of the Seventh day Adventist Church The Seventh day Adventist Church is the largest of several Adventist groups which arose from the Millerite movement of the 1840s in upstate New York 12 a phase of the Second Great Awakening 13 William Miller predicted on the basis of Daniel 8 14 16 14 and the day year principle that Jesus Christ would return to Earth between the spring of 1843 and the spring of 1844 In the summer of 1844 Millerites came to believe that Jesus would return on October 22 1844 understood to be the biblical Day of Atonement for that year Miller s failed prediction became known as the Great Disappointment 12 13 Hiram Edson and other Millerites came to believe that Miller s calculations were correct but that his interpretation of Daniel 8 14 was flawed as he assumed Christ would come to cleanse the world These Adventists came to the conviction that Daniel 8 14 foretold Christ s entrance into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary rather than his Second Coming 13 Over the next few decades this understanding of a sanctuary in heaven developed into the doctrine of the investigative judgment an eschatological process that commenced in 1844 in which every person would be judged to verify their eligibility for salvation and God s justice will be confirmed before the universe This group of Adventists continued to believe that Christ s second coming would continue to be imminent however they resisted setting further dates for the event citing Revelation 10 6 that there should be time no longer 15 Development of Sabbatarianism Edit As the early Adventist movement consolidated its beliefs the question of the biblical day of rest and worship was raised The foremost proponent of Sabbath keeping among early Adventists was Joseph Bates Bates was introduced to the Sabbath doctrine through a tract written by Millerite preacher Thomas M Preble who in turn had been influenced by Rachel Oakes Preston a young Seventh Day Baptist This message was gradually accepted and formed the topic of the first edition of the church publication The Present Truth which appeared in July 1849 16 Organization and recognition Edit For about 20 years the Adventist movement consisted of a small loosely knit group of people who came from many churches and whose primary means of connection and interaction was through James White s periodical The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald They embraced the doctrines of the Sabbath the heavenly sanctuary interpretation of Daniel 8 14 conditional immortality and the expectation of Christ s premillennial return Among its most prominent figures were Joseph Bates James White and Ellen G White Ellen White came to occupy a particularly central role her many visions and spiritual leadership convinced her fellow Adventists that she possessed the gift of prophecy citation needed The church was formally established in Battle Creek Michigan on May 21 1863 with a membership of 3 500 5 The denominational headquarters were later moved from Battle Creek to Takoma Park Maryland where they remained until 1989 The General Conference headquarters then moved to its current location in Silver Spring Maryland 17 In the 1870s the denomination turned to evangelism through missionary work and revivals tripling its membership to 16 000 by 1880 and establishing a presence beyond North America during the late 19th century The denomination s rapid growth continued with 75 000 members in 1901 By that time the denomination operated two colleges a medical school a dozen academies 27 hospitals and 13 publishing houses By 1945 the church estimated that it had 210 000 members in the US and Canada along with 360 000 members who lived in other parts of the world the church s budget was 29 million and the number of students who were enrolled in the church s schools was 140 000 18 The church first published its beliefs and doctrines in Battle Creek Michigan in 1872 as a brief statement which was titled A Synopsis of our Faith 19 The church experienced challenges as it formed its core beliefs and doctrines especially as a number of the early Adventist leaders came from churches that held to some form of Arianism Ellen G White was not one of them 20 This along with some of the movement s other theological views led conservative evangelical Protestants to regard it as a cult 21 22 23 24 According to Adventist scholars the teachings and writings of White ultimately proved influential in shifting the church from largely semi Arian 25 roots towards Trinitarianism 26 Adventists for the most part credit her with bringing the Seventh day Adventist church into a more comprehensive awareness of the Godhead during the 1890s The Adventist Church adopted Trinitarian theology early in the 20th century and began to dialogue with other Protestant groups toward the middle of the century eventually gaining wide recognition as a Protestant church Christianity Today recognized the Seventh day Adventist church as the fifth largest Christian communion worldwide in its January 22 2015 issue 27 Although her husband claimed that her visions did not support the Trinitarian creed 28 her writings reveal a growing awareness on the mystery of the GodHead 29 Adventists for the most part credit her with bringing the Seventh day Adventist church into a more comprehensive awareness of the Godhead during the 1890s After continued Bible study and after a decades long debate the denomination eventually concluded that Scripture explicitly teaches the belief in the existence of a triune God and it affirmed that biblical view in the non credal 28 Fundamental Beliefs 30 However mainstream scholars are still not convinced that Ellen White was a Nicene Trinitarian 28 31 In her own opinion Jesus did not begin as equal to God the Father but was at a certain moment promoted to equality with the Father which triggered Lucifer s rebellion as explained in her book Spirit of Prophecy 32 Beliefs EditMain article Seventh day Adventist theology A pastor baptizes a young man in Mozambique The official teachings of the Seventh day Adventist denomination are expressed in its 28 Fundamental Beliefs 12 This statement of beliefs was originally adopted by the General Conference in 1980 with an additional belief number 11 being added in 2005 33 Almost all of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs are the same as other evangelical Protestant denominations The Adventist beliefs that evangelicals consider heterodoxy is worshiping God on Saturday the gift of prophecy by Ellen G White and the sanctuary doctrine 13 The church believes God created Earth in six days and rested on the seventh day Saturday 34 35 The Seventh day Adventist Church believes in baptizing new members by immersion 13 It believes the Bible to be the most important book 13 They believe when humans die that they remain asleep until they are brought back to life Eternal life is given to people who accept Jesus as their Savior The church believes that one receives salvation through only Jesus 35 It believes that the investigative judgment will take place in heaven before Jesus returns to earth 35 The church believes in the Apocalypse of John will bring on the Second Coming of Jesus 36 Culture and practices EditSabbath activities Edit See also Sabbath in Seventh day Adventism Part of Friday might be spent in preparation for the Sabbath for example preparing meals and tidying homes Adventists may gather for Friday evening worship to welcome in the Sabbath a practice often known as vespers 37 Worship service Edit The major weekly worship service occurs on Saturday typically commencing with Sabbath School which is a structured time of small group bible study at church Adventists make use of an officially produced Sabbath School Lesson which deals with a particular biblical text or doctrine every quarter 38 After a brief break the community joins together again for a church service that follows a typical evangelical format with a sermon as a central feature Corporate singing Scripture readings prayers and an offering including tithing money collection are other standard features The instruments and forms of worship music vary greatly throughout the worldwide church 39 Holy Communion Edit Adventist churches usually practice open communion four times a year It commences with a foot washing ceremony known as the Ordinance of Humility based on the Gospel account of John 13 40 The Ordinance of Humility is meant to emulate Christ s washing of his disciples feet at the Last Supper and to remind participants of the need to humbly serve one another Participants segregate by gender to separate rooms to conduct this ritual although some congregations allow married couples to perform the ordinance on each other and families are often encouraged to participate together After its completion participants return to the main sanctuary for consumption of the Lord s Supper which consists of unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice 41 Health and diet Edit Corn flakes package from 1906 Sanitarium products for sale The main dining room of the Battle Creek Sanitarium founded in Michigan by Adventists and run by John Harvey Kellogg The sanitarium only served vegetarian meals Since the 1860s when the church began wholeness and health have been an emphasis of the Adventist church 42 Adventists are known for presenting a health message that advocates vegetarianism and expects adherence to the kosher laws 43 particularly the consumption of kosher foods described in Leviticus 11 44 45 meaning abstinence from pork rabbit shellfish and other animals proscribed as unclean 46 45 The church discourages its members from consuming alcoholic beverages tobacco or illegal drugs since the 1800s compare Christianity and alcohol 46 47 In addition some Adventists avoid refined foods sweeteners and caffeine 46 The pioneers of the Adventist Church had much to do with the common acceptance of breakfast cereals and meat alternatives into the Western diet John Harvey Kellogg started the meat alternative movement by creating Protose at Battle Creek Sanitarium which was later sold through mail order by Battle Creek Food Company The Battle Creek Food Company mostly manufactured meat alternatives for the guests at Battle Creek Sanitarium 48 49 Will Keith Kellogg and John Harvey Kellogg invented corn flakes at Battle Creek Sanitarium by putting stale wheat berry between rollers and baking it 50 It was later served to the sanitarium guests The Kellogg brothers also invented Bran flakes and Rice Krispies 50 Later in 1906 Will Keith Kellogg founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in Battle Creek Michigan 48 Special Foods founded in Worthington Ohio in 1939 manufactured nut meat substitutes After World War II it changed its name to Worthington Foods Worthington Foods introduced two canned meat alternatives in 1949 Soyloin Steaks and Meatless Wieners 49 In 1960 it bought the rights to manufacture and market Battle Creek Foods Company products after John Harvey Kellogg died In 1975 it released its frozen soy based meatless foods nationwide 48 In both Australia and New Zealand Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company owned by the church manufactures such brands as So Good Up amp Go and Weet Bix 51 The Adventist Health Studies indicate that the average Adventist in California lives 4 to 10 years longer than the average Californian The research concludes that Adventists live longer because they do not smoke or drink alcohol have a day of rest every week and maintain a healthy low fat vegetarian diet that is rich in nuts and beans 52 53 The cohesiveness of Adventists social networks has also been put forward as an explanation for their extended lifespan 54 Dan Buettner named Loma Linda California a Blue Zone of longevity and attributes that to the large concentration of Seventh day Adventists and their health practices 55 56 57 The 96 000 adults who participated in the Adventist Health Studies 2 from 2001 2007 were 30 to 112 years old and lived in Canada and the United States The study revealed 8 were vegans 28 were ovo lacto vegetarians 10 were pesco vegetarians 6 semi vegetarian and 48 non vegetarian 98 9 of the participants were non smokers and 93 4 abstained from drinking alcohol 57 58 Those who were vegetarian had a much lower risk of obesity hypertension and hyperglycemia Adventists who were vegetarian had a lower risk of breast cancer colorectal cancer coronary heart disease lung cancer and prostate cancer compared to non vegetarians 59 Those who were vegan had a lower body mass index compared vegetarians and meat eaters 46 57 Adventists clean lifestyles were recognized by the U S military in 1954 when 2 200 Adventists volunteered to serve as human test subjects in Operation Whitecoat a biodefense medical research program whose stated purpose was to defend troops and civilians against biological weapons 60 61 Marriage Edit The Adventist definition of marriage is a lawfully binding lifelong commitment between a man and a woman The Church Manual professes the belief that marriage originated as an institution from the biblical story of Adam and Eve and that their union should be used as the pattern for all other marriages 62 Adventists hold that marriage is a divine institution established by God during the events of the Book of Genesis prior to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden They believe that God celebrated the union of Adam and Eve and that the concept of marriage was one of the first gifts of God to man and that it is one of the two institutions that after the fall Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise 63 The Old and New Testament texts are interpreted by some Adventists to teach that wives should submit to their husbands in marriage 64 Adventists hold that heterosexual marriages are the only biblically ordained grounds for sexual intimacy Adventists do not perform same sex marriages and individuals who are openly homosexual cannot be ordained but may hold church office and membership if they are not actively pursuing same sex relationships Current church policy states that openly homosexual and practicing persons are to be welcomed into the church services and treated with the love and kindness afforded any human being 65 66 Ethics and sexuality Edit The Seventh day Adventist Church opposes abortion believing it can have long term negative effects on both the individuals involved and society as a whole In an official statement on the Biblical View of Unborn Life the church declared that an unborn child is considered by God to be a living individual 67 However there are circumstances where the mother s life is at risk Seventh day Adventist hospitals will perform emergency abortions 68 Adventists encourage sexual abstinence for both men and women before marriage The church disapproves of extra marital cohabitation 69 Adventists oppose homosexual activities and relationships citing the belief that scripture makes no accommodation for homosexuality 70 The Adventist church has released official statements in relation to other ethical issues such as euthanasia against active euthanasia but permissive of passive withdrawal of medical support to allow death to occur 71 birth control in favor of it for married couples if used correctly but against abortion as birth control and premarital sex in any case 72 and human cloning against it if the technology could result in defective births or abortions 73 Dress and entertainment Edit Further information Plain dress Adventists have traditionally held socially conservative attitudes regarding dress and entertainment These attitudes are reflected in one of the church s fundamental beliefs For the Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord we involve ourselves only in those things which will produce Christlike purity health and joy in our lives This means that our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty While recognizing cultural differences our dress is to be simple modest and neat befitting those whose true beauty does not consist of outward adornment but in the imperishable ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit 74 Accordingly Adventists are opposed to practices such as body piercing and tattoos and refrain from the wearing of jewelry including such items as earrings and bracelets Some also oppose the displaying of wedding bands although banning wedding bands is not the position of the General Conference 75 In 1986 the North American Division legalized wedding rings 76 Before that it was a source of friction since Adventists overseas wear wedding rings 77 Conservative Adventists avoid certain recreational activities which are considered to be a negative spiritual influence including dancing rock music and secular theatre 78 79 However major studies conducted from 1989 onwards found that a majority of North American church youth reject some of these standards 80 On June 29 2000 the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists adopted a resolution on gambling The church encourages its members not to gamble and it will not accept funding from it 81 Youth Ministry Edit Missionary work with children and youth begins with the Adventurer club The Adventurer curriculum is for children aged between 4 9 and it is divided into 6 classes which are little lamb early bird sunbeam builder and helping hand Each class builds on the previous class The curriculum is structured in way that will interest challenge and provide successful experiences for children The curriculum is divided into 5 sections which are Basic My God Myself My Friends and My World which help children to meet the objectives of the curriculum The objectives of the Adventurer Curriculum are to develop a Christ like character to experience the joy and satisfaction of doing things well to express their love for Jesus in a natural way to learn good sportsmanship and strengthen their ability to get along with others to discover their God given abilities and to learn how to use them to benefit self and serve others to discover God s world to improve their understanding of what makes families strong to develop parental support for the training of children The club engages in witnessing community work so as to share the love of Jesus 82 Pathfinders is a club for 5th to 10th grade up to 12th in Florida Conference boys and girls It is similar to and based partly on the Scouting movement Pathfinders exposes young people to such activities as camping community service personal mentorship and skills based education and trains them for leadership in the church Yearly Camporees are held in individual Conferences where Pathfinders from the region gather and participate in events similar to Boy Scouts Jamborees After a person enters 9th grade they are eligible to join Teen Leadership Training within Pathfinders In the 11th grade typically after being a member of a club they can become a Pathfinder or Adventurer staff member and begin the Master Guide program similar to Scout Master which develops leaders for both Adventurers and Pathfinders 83 Organization Edit Loma Linda University Seventh day Adventist Church in Loma Linda California South St Paul Hispanic Seventh day Adventist Church in Saint Paul Minnesota Capitol Hill Seventh day Adventist Church in Washington D C Bethel Seventh day Adventist Church in New York City Structure and polity Edit The Seventh day Adventist church is governed by a form of representation which resembles the presbyterian system of church organization Four levels of organization exist within the world church 84 85 The local church is the foundation level of organizational structure and is the public face of the denomination Every baptized Adventist is a member of a local church and has voting powers within that church Directly above the local church is the local conference The local conference is an organization of churches within a state province or territory or part thereof which appoints ministers owns church land and organizes the distribution of tithes and payments to ministers Above the local conference is the union conference which embodies a number of local conferences within a larger territory The highest level of governance within the church structure is the General Conference which consists of 13 Divisions each assigned to various geographic locations The General Conference is the church authority and has the final say in matters of conjecture and administrative issues The General Conference is headed by the office of President The General Conference head office is in Silver Spring Maryland United States Each organization is governed by a general session which occurs at certain intervals This is usually when administrative decisions are made The president of the General Conference for instance is elected at the General Conference Session every five years Delegates to a session are appointed by organizations at a lower level For example each local church appoints delegates to a conference session Tithes collected from church members are not used directly by the local churches but are passed upwards to the local conferences which then distribute the finances toward various ministry needs Employees are compensated on the basis of the church remuneration policy and practice in effect in the location or country in which they reside 86 The Church Manual 84 gives provisions for each level of government to create educational healthcare publishing and other institutions that are seen within the call of the Great Commission Church officers and clergy Edit The ordained clergy of the Adventist church are known as ministers or pastors Ministers are neither elected nor employed by the local churches but instead are appointed by the local Conferences which assign them responsibility over a single church or group of churches Ordination is a formal recognition bestowed upon pastors and elders after usually a number of years of service In most parts of the world women may not be given the title ordained although some are employed in ministry and may be commissioned or ordained commissioned 87 However beginning in 2012 some unions adopted policies of allowing member conferences to ordain without regard to gender A number of lay offices exist within the local church including the ordained positions of elder and deacon 84 Elders and deacons are appointed by the vote of a local church business meeting or elected committees Elders serve a mainly administrative and pastoral role but must also be capable of providing religious leadership particularly in the absence of an ordained minister The role of deacons is to assist in the smooth functioning of a local church and to maintain church property Ordination of women Edit In 1990 at their General Conference Session leaders of the Seventh day Adventist Church prevented the ordination of women They voted 1 173 against and 377 in favor Those who supported ordaining women were from Europe and North America while those from Africa Asia and South America were strongly against 88 Five years later it turned down a request by the North American Division that its local conferences be allowed to ordain women 89 On July 29 2012 the Columbia Union Conference which has its headquarters in Maryland voted 80 percent in favor of ordaining women On August 19 2012 the Pacific Union Conference which has its headquarters in California voted 79 percent to 21 percent in favor of ordaining women The world leaders of the church were disappointed with the actions of the two conferences and considered their actions not in harmony with the world church In 2012 there were 320 women pastors in the church while in North America there are 120 women pastors and 4 100 male pastors 89 In 2013 the Southern California Conference voted for the first time a woman as president 90 In July 8 2015 leaders who represented the Seventh day Adventist Church voted at their General Conference Session in San Antonio against the ordination of women becoming pastors They voted 1 381 against and 977 in favor Western Adventists who are against the ban say it is keeping them from functioning in this culture while those who support the ban get their reason for opposing from the bible Adventists in North America Europe and a few other areas have been ordaining women as pastors Women are banned from leading local conferences they also can not create or close churches 91 Ted N C Wilson who was re elected for a second five year term as president voted no while former president Jan Paulsen voted yes 90 On September 12 2021 the Mid America Union Conference was the third to ordain women in the North American Division They voted 82 percent in favor and 12 percent against 92 Membership Edit Seventh day Adventist Church membership from 1863 2021 Membership Change in Adventist membership as a fraction of world population Adventists per million inhabitants by country 0 9 10 99 100 499 500 999 1000 4999 5000 9999 10 000 49 999 50 000 99 999 100 000 The Seventh day Adventist Church is one of the world s fastest growing organizations primarily from membership increases in developing nations Today much of the church membership reside outside of the United States with large numbers in Africa Asia and Latin America 36 Every 30 33 seconds a new member is baptized into one of the 13 divisions of the Seventh day Adventist Church 59 In 2006 over 25 million people worshiped weekly in Seventh day Adventist churches around the world 93 In 2011 it was reported that the Seventh day Adventist Church was the fastest growing church in the United States Released data showed the membership growing by 2 5 in North America a rapid clip for this part of the world where many Christian denominations are declining 94 On the churches 150th anniversary in April 2013 there were over 17 000 000 members 95 In 2013 it was reported that the church lost one in three members over a fifty year period Every one hundred people the church gains it loses forty three members The reason why people leave the church is because of marital issues and unemployment 96 In 2015 the church was the most racially diverse denomination in the United States The ratio was 37 percent white 32 percent black 15 percent Hispanic 8 percent Asian and 8 percent another or mixed 97 In 2017 the church had members in almost every country and territory in the world except for Brunei Comoros Djibouti Falkland Islands Iran Jersey Maldives Monaco Somalia and Tokelau 98 In 2019 the Seventh day Adventist Church had 21 000 000 baptized members around the world 12 In 2020 church officials reported the lowest membership increase in 16 years due to the COVID 19 pandemic The Seventh day Adventist Church added only 803 000 members the last time membership dropped below 1 million was in 2004 99 100 In 2021 the Seventh day Adventist Church had 1 2 million members worshiping in Canada and the United States 101 Adventist mission EditStarted in the late 19th century Adventist mission work today reaches people in over 200 countries and territories 9 Adventist mission workers seek to preach the gospel promote health through hospitals and clinics run development projects to improve living standards and provide relief in times of calamity 102 Missionary outreach of the Seventh day Adventist Church is aimed not only at non Christians but also at Christians from other denominations Adventists believe that Christ has called his followers in the Great Commission to reach the whole world Adventists are cautious however to ensure that evangelism does not impede or intrude on the basic rights of the individual Religious liberty is a stance that the Adventist Church supports and promotes 103 Education Edit Main article Seventh day Adventist education Moran Hall at Oakwood University Student Center Building at Spicer Adventist University See also List of Seventh day Adventist colleges and universities and List of Seventh day Adventist secondary schools Globally the Adventist Church operates 7 598 schools colleges and universities with a total enrollment of more than 1 545 000 and a total teaching staff of approximately 80 000 104 It operates the second largest school system in the world only larger is the Roman Catholic Church school system 59 Health Edit Loma Linda University Medical Center Tokyo Adventist Hospital Main articles AdventHealth Adventist Health Adventist Health International Adventist HealthCare and Kettering Health See also List of Seventh day Adventist hospitals Their largest medical school and hospital in North America is Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center Throughout the world the Seventh day Adventist Church runs a wide network of hospitals clinics lifestyle centers and sanitariums These play a role in the church s health message and worldwide missions outreach 105 AdventHealth is the largest not for profit Protestant health care provider in the United States 106 It is sponsored by the Seventh day Adventist Church and cares for over 5 million patients yearly 107 108 Humanitarian aid and the environment Edit For over 50 years the church has been active in humanitarian aid through the work of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency ADRA ADRA works as a non sectarian relief agency in 125 countries and areas of the world ADRA has been granted General Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council Worldwide ADRA employs over 4 000 people to help provide relief in crises as well as development in situations of poverty The church embraces an official commitment to the protection and care of the environment 109 as well as taking action to avoid the dangers of climate change 110 Seventh day Adventism advocates a simple wholesome lifestyle where people do not step on the treadmill of unbridled over consumption accumulation of goods and production of waste A reformation of lifestyle is called for based on respect for nature restraint in the use of the world s resources reevaluation of one s needs and reaffirmation of the dignity of created life 111 Media Edit Main article Media ministries of the Seventh day Adventist Church Hope Channel logo Adventists have long been proponents of media based ministries Traditional Adventist evangelistic efforts consisted of street missions and the distribution of tracts such as The Present Truth which was published by James White as early as 1849 Until J N Andrews was sent to Switzerland in 1874 Adventist global efforts consisted entirely of the posting of tracts such as White s to various locations In the last century these efforts have also made use of emerging media such as radio and television The first of these was H M S Richards radio show Voice of Prophecy 112 which was initially broadcast in Los Angeles in 1929 Since then Adventists have been on the forefront of media evangelism It Is Written 113 founded by George Vandeman was the first religious program to air on color television in March 1965 and the first major Christian ministry to utilize satellite uplink technology Amazing Facts 114 was founded in 1965 by Joe Crews in Baltimore as a radio ministry Amazing Facts broadcasts Bible Answers Live each Sunday where listeners phone or email Bible questions which are answered live 115 Today the Hope Channel the official television network of the church which launched in October 2003 operates 8 international channels broadcasting 24 hours a day on cable satellite and the Web 116 Adventist World Radio 117 was founded in 1971 118 and is the radio mission arm of the Seventh day Adventist Church It utilizes AM FM shortwave satellite podcasting and the Internet broadcasting in 77 major language groups of the world with a potential coverage of 80 of the world s population AWR s headquarters is in Silver Spring Maryland with studios throughout the world A large portion of the ministry s income is derived from membership gifts 119 SDA evangelists such as Doug Batchelor Mark Finley and Dwight Nelson have undertaken a number of international satellite broadcast live evangelistic events addressing audiences in up to 40 languages simultaneously 120 In 2016 the Church released the film Tell the World 121 Publishing Edit Review and Herald Publishing Association in 1868 The Adventist Church owns and operates many publishing companies around the world Two of the largest are the Pacific Press and Review and Herald publishing associations both located in the United States The Review and Herald is headquartered in Hagerstown Maryland 122 Ecumenical activity Edit Main article Seventh day Adventist interfaith relations The Adventist Church generally opposes the ecumenical movement although it supports some of the other goals of ecumenism The General Conference has released an official statement concerning the Adventist position with respect to the ecumenical movement which contains the following paragraph Should Adventists cooperate ecumenically Adventists should cooperate insofar as the authentic gospel is proclaimed and crying human needs are being met The Seventh day Adventist Church wants no entangling memberships and refuses any compromising relationships that might tend to water down her distinct witness However Adventists wish to be conscientious cooperators The ecumenical movement as an agency of cooperation has acceptable aspects as an agency for the organic unity of churches it is much more suspect 123 While not being a member of the World Council of Churches the Adventist Church has participated in its assemblies in an observer capacity 124 Criticism EditMain article Criticism of the Seventh day Adventist Church The Adventist Church has received criticism along several lines including what some claim are heterodox doctrines and in relation to Ellen G White and her status within the church and in relation to alleged exclusivist issues 125 Doctrines Edit Critics such as evangelical Anthony Hoekema who felt that Adventists were more in agreement with Arminianism argue that some Adventist doctrines are heterodox Several teachings which have come under scrutiny are the annihilationist view of hell the investigative judgment and a related view of the atonement and the Sabbath in addition Hoekema also claims that Adventist doctrine suffers from legalism 126 While critics such as Hoekema have classified Adventism as a sectarian group on the basis of its atypical doctrines 21 22 it has been accepted as more mainstream by Protestant evangelicals since its meetings and discussions with evangelicals in the 1950s 127 Notably Billy Graham invited Adventists to be part of his crusades after Eternity a conservative Christian magazine edited by Donald Barnhouse asserted in 1956 that Adventists are Christians and also later stated They are sound on the great New Testament doctrines including grace and redemption through the vicarious offering of Jesus Christ once for all 128 Walter Martin who is considered by many to be the father of the counter cult apologetics movement within evangelicalism authored The Truth About Seventh day Adventists 1960 which marked a turning point in the way Adventism was viewed 129 130 it is perfectly possible to be a Seventh day Adventist and be a true follower of Jesus Christ despite heterodox concept 131 Later on Martin planned to write a new book on Seventh day Adventism with the assistance of Kenneth R Samples 132 Samples subsequently authored From Controversy to Crisis An Updated Assessment of Seventh day Adventism which upholds Martin s view for that segment of Adventism which holds to the position stated in QOD and further expressed in the Evangelical Adventist movement of the last few decades However Samples also claimed that Traditional Adventism appeared to be moving further away from a number of positions taken in QOD and at least at Glacier View seemed to have gained the support of many administrators and leaders 133 Ellen G White and her status Edit Ellen G White in 1899 Main article Inspiration of Ellen White Ellen G White s status as a modern day prophet has also been criticized In the Questions on Doctrine era evangelicals expressed concern about Adventism s understanding of the relationship of White s writings to the inspired canon of Scripture 21 The Adventist fundamental beliefs maintain that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested 134 A common criticism of Ellen White widely popularized by Walter T Rea Ronald Numbers and others is the claim of plagiarism from other authors 135 136 137 An independent lawyer specializing in plagiarism Vincent L Ramik was engaged to undertake a study of Ellen G White s writings during the early 1980s and concluded that they were conclusively unplagiaristic 138 When the plagiarism charge ignited a significant debate during the late 1970s and early 1980s the Adventist General Conference commissioned a major study by Dr Fred Veltman The ensuing project became known as the Life of Christ Research Project 139 Veltman examined fifteen randomly selected chapters of The Desire of Ages for evidence of literary dependence and concluded On an average we may say that 31 4 percent of the DA text is dependent to some extent on literary sources 140 The results are available at the General Conference Archives 141 Dr Roger W Coon 142 David J Conklin 143 Dr Denis Fortin 144 145 King and Morgan 146 and Morgan 147 among others undertook the refutation of the accusations of plagiarism At the conclusion of his report Ramik states It is impossible to imagine that the intention of Ellen G White as reflected in her writings and the unquestionably prodigious efforts involved therein was anything other than a sincerely motivated and unselfish effort to place the understandings of Biblical truths in a coherent form for all to see and comprehend Most certainly the nature and content of her writings had but one hope and intent namely the furthering of mankind s understanding of the word of God Considering all factors necessary in reaching a just conclusion on this issue it is submitted that the writings of Ellen G White were conclusively unplagiaristic 148 Exclusivism Edit Critics have alleged that certain Adventist beliefs and practices are exclusivist in nature and they point to the Adventist claim to be the remnant church and the traditional Protestant association of Roman Catholicism with Babylon 149 150 151 These attitudes are said to legitimize the proselytising of Christians from other denominations In response to such criticisms Adventist theologians have stated that the doctrine of the remnant does not preclude the existence of genuine Christians in other denominations but is concerned with institutions 152 Offshoots and schisms EditThroughout the history of the denomination there have been a number of groups that have left the church and formed their own movements Following World War I a group known as the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement was formed as a result of the actions of L R Conradi and certain European church leaders during the war who decided that it was acceptable for Adventists to take part in war Those who were opposed to this stand and refused to participate in the war were declared disfellowshipped by their local Church leaders at the time When the Church leaders from the General Conference came and admonished the local European leaders after the war to try to heal the damage and bring the members together it met with resistance from those who had suffered under those leaders Their attempts at reconciliation failed after the war and the group became organized as a separate church at a conference that was held on July 14 20 1925 The movement officially incorporated in 1949 153 In 2005 in another attempt to examine and resolve what its German leaders had done the mainstream church apologized for its failures during World War II stating that they deeply regret any participation in or support of Nazi activities during the war by the German and Austrian leadership of the church 154 In the Soviet Union the same issues produced the group known as the True and Free Seventh day Adventists This also formed as the result of a schism within the Seventh day Adventist Church in Europe during World War I over the position its European church leaders took on having its members join the military or keep the Sabbath The group remains active today 2010 in the former republics of the Soviet Union 155 Well known but distant offshoots are the Davidian Seventh day Adventist organization and the Branch Davidians themselves a schism within the larger Davidian movement 156 The Davidians formed in 1929 following Victor Houteff after he came out with his book The Shepherd s Rod which was rejected as heretical A succession dispute after Houteff s death in 1955 led to the formation of two groups the original Davidians and the Branches Later another ex Adventist David Koresh led the Branch Davidians until he died in the 1993 siege at the group s headquarters near Waco Texas 36 A number of Adventists who apostatized such as former minister Walter Rea have become critics of the church s teachings and Ellen G White Cultural influence EditMain article Seventh day Adventism in popular culture Postage stamp of the Seventh day Adventist Church in Ryazan Hacksaw Ridge depicts the life of Adventist conscientious objector and Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss 157 158 The Road to Wellville is based on a novel about Seventh day Adventist physician John Harvey Kellogg director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium 159 160 A Cry in the Dark a film about the death of Azaria Chamberlain features the prejudice her parents faced due to misconceptions about their religion 161 162 Many other forms of media include mentions of Seventh day Adventism Many country postal services around the world have created postage stamps honoring the Seventh day Adventist Church or an individual member In 2020 Iraqi Post released a set of eight commemorative stamps to honor the Christian churches in the country the set included a photograph of the Baghdad Seventh day Adventist Church 163 See also Edit Christianity portal Religion portalList of the largest Protestant denominations History of Seventh day Adventist freedom of religion in Canada List of Seventh day Adventists List of Seventh day Adventist periodicals Prophecy in the Seventh day Adventist Church Italian Union of Seventh day Adventist Christian Churches Sabbath Rest Advent ChurchBy countryAustralian Union Conference of Seventh day Adventists Seventh day Adventist Church in Brazil Seventh day Adventist Church in Canada Seventh day Adventist Church in the People s Republic of China Seventh day Adventist Church in Colombia Seventh day Adventist Church in Ghana Seventh day Adventist Church in India New Zealand Pacific Union Conference of Seventh day Adventists Seventh day Adventist Church in Nigeria Romanian Union Conference of Seventh day Adventists Seventh day Adventist Church in Sweden Seventh day Adventist Church in Thailand Seventh day Adventist Church in Tonga Seventh day Adventists in Turks and Caicos IslandsNotes Edit Officially abbreviated as Adventist commonly abbreviated as SDA 164 References Edit a b c d e f g h i Seventh Day Adventists World Church Statistics 2021 March 1 2022 Queen Edward L Prothero Stephen R Shattuck Gardiner H 2009 Seventh day Adventist Church Encyclopedia of American religious history Vol 3 3rd ed New York Infobase Publishing p 913 ISBN 978 0 8160 6660 5 a b c Feichtinger Christian 2016 Seventh day Adventists An Apocalyptic Christian Movement in Search for Identity In Hunt Stephen J ed Handbook of Global Contemporary Christianity Movements Institutions and Allegiance Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion Vol 12 Leiden Brill Publishers pp 382 401 doi 10 1163 9789004310780 019 ISBN 978 90 04 26539 4 ISSN 1874 6691 Lipka Michael November 3 2015 A closer look at Seventh day Adventists in America Pew Research Center Retrieved September 7 2022 a b Seventh day Adventists The Heritage Continues Along General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Archived from the original on December 6 2006 Retrieved January 17 2007 Ronald L Numbers Prophetess of health a study of Ellen G White 3rd ed 2008 pp xxiii xxiv Arnoldi Tina March 13 2020 The Holistic Approach to Care in the Adventist Church Theravive Seventh day Adventist Church Fundamental Beliefs Archived March 10 2006 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 22 2011 a b Seventh day Adventist World Church Statistics Office of Archives and Statistics General Conference of Seventh day Adventists December 2009 Archived from the original on September 19 2012 Retrieved September 4 2011 Statistical report Annual council of the General Conference Committee October 9 14 2009 PDF June 30 2009 Archived from the original PDF on April 15 2010 Retrieved March 23 2010 Lifting the lid on Sanitarium Business News NZ Herald Retrieved October 14 2022 a b c d Harounoff Jonathan May 3 2019 Seventh day Adventists fit into the rhythms and faiths of Israeli life Religion News Service Retrieved September 10 2022 a b c d e f Carter Joe March 8 2016 9 Things Yoy Should Know About Seventh day Adventism The Gospel Coalition Retrieved September 22 2022 Daniel 8 14 16 Cottrell R F June 26 1855 Definite Time PDF Review and Herald Rochester NY James White VI 32 5 Archived from the original PDF on May 25 2013 Maseko Achim 2008 Church schism amp Corruption Book 6 other church organisations Durban p 134 Melton J Gordon Smylie James Hutchinson Adventism Encyclopedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc Retrieved January 31 2020 Statistical Report of Seventh day Adventist Conferences Missions and Institutions The Eighty third Annual Report Year Ending December 31 1945 pp 2 4 PDF adventistarchives org Archived from the original PDF on December 29 2011 Retrieved March 19 2011 Damsteegt Pieter Gerard Foundations of the Seventh day Adventist Message and Mission Ellen G White Estate Retrieved August 31 2015 Jerry A Moon 2003 The Adventist Trinity Debate Part 1 Historical Overview Andrews University Seminary Studies Andrews University Press 41 1 a b c Kenneth Samples 1988 From Controversy to Crisis An Updated Assessment of Seventh day Adventism Christian Research Institute a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b Anthony A Hoekema 1963 The Four Major Cults William B Eerdmans ISBN 978 0 85364 094 3 Adventist historian George R Knight notes several other leading evangelicals who considered Adventist doctrine to be heterodox these included Donald Barnhouse prior to 1950 Norman F Douty Herbert S Bird E B Jones Louis B Talbot and M R DeHaan See Questions on Doctrine annotated edition Andrews University Press 2003 xiii xxxiii a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help See also Julius Nam The Questions on Doctrine saga Contours and Lessons PDF Archived from the original PDF on July 19 2011 Retrieved October 13 2010 and Kenneth Samples Evangelical Reflections on Seventh day Adventism Yesterday and Today PDF Archived from the original PDF on July 19 2011 Retrieved October 13 2010 Jerry Moon Were early Adventists Arians Archived from the original on May 24 2017 Retrieved March 17 2017 Jerry A Moon The Adventist Trinity Debate Part 1 Historical Overview and The Adventist Trinity Debate Part 2 The Role of Ellen G White Archived March 9 2017 at the Wayback Machine Copyright 2003 Andrews University Press See also The Arian or Anti Trinitarian Views Presented in Seventh day Adventist Literature and the Ellen G White Answer Archived 2017 01 17 at the Wayback Machine by Erwin Roy Gane Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra The Season of Adventists Can Ben Carson s Church Stay Separatist amid Booming Growth Christianity Today Retrieved August 31 2015 a b Bull Malcolm Lockhart Keith 2007 The Divine Realm Seeking a Sanctuary Seventh day Adventism and the American Dream Indiana University Press p 75 ISBN 978 0 253 34764 0 With Adventism s most articulate spokesmen so implacably opposed to the doctrine of the Trinity it is unsurprising that one researcher was forced to conclude that he was unable to discover any evidence that many were Trinitarians before 1898 nor has there been found any Trinitarian declaration written prior to that date by an Adventist writer other than Ellen G White 46 But even this is an overstatement Although not actively anti Trinitarian Ellen White always carefully avoided using the term Trinity and her husband stated categorically that her visions did not support the Trinitarian creed 47 E GANE M A Thesis Ellen G White a Trinitarian Monotheist Knight George ed 2003 Seventh day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine Annotated ed Berrien Springs Michigan Andrews University Press p 5 Guy Fritz April 11 2014 Theology In Dopp Aamodt Terrie Land Gary Numbers Ronald L eds Ellen Harmon White American Prophet Oxford University Press pp 144 145 ISBN 978 0 19 937387 1 Strictly speaking very seldom did Ellen White do theology That is she did not ordinarily do what professional theologians typically do She did not produce a book of or about theology She did not think speak and write in theological language She did not elaborate a particular doctrine of the Trinity atonement God and time or free will She did not explain the precise meaning and broader implications of her own language and ideas nor did she always use her theological vocabulary consistently She did not endeavor to explain verbal or conceptual inconsistencies either those of Scripture or her own or to reduce the tensions inherent in her overall theological understanding Bull Malcolm Lockhart Keith 2007 The Divine Realm Seeking a Sanctuary Seventh day Adventism and the American Dream Indiana University Press p 72 ISBN 978 0 253 34764 0 Retrieved March 7 2022 but in her version of the event that destroyed the unity of the divine realm the rebellion of Satan As White related in the Spirit of Prophecy the devil s revolt against divine law came about precisely because Satan was unwilling to accept Jesus position in the heavenly hierarchy At that time Satan who was then known as Lucifer was a high and exalted angel next in honor to God s dear Son 13 It was an arrangement with which he had been happy according to White until a primordial ceremony formalized the supremacy of Jesus The Father then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ his Son should be equal with himself 14 However Satan believed that this decision had been taken without prior consultation and he convened a meeting of the angels to air his grievances A ruler had now been appointed over them he said and he would no longer submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs 15 World Church Growing in Christ New Belief Statement Voted Adventist News Network July 3 2005 Ostling Richard November 13 2004 Seventh day Adventists reaffirm six day creation Houston Chronicle Retrieved September 26 2022 a b c Noble Jason October 26 2015 Basics on the Seventh day Adventist Church The Des Moines Register Retrieved September 21 2022 a b c Gorman Tom Lichtblau Eric August 13 1998 Currents of Change Roil Seventh Day Adventists Los Angeles Times Retrieved September 23 2022 Sabbath Vespers SDA Church www sdachurch com Spectrum Magazine spectrummagazine org A Seventh day Adventist Philosophy of Music Guidelines General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Annual Council October 2004 Archived from the original on April 5 2007 Retrieved April 4 2007 John 13 Seventh day Adventists Believe The Lord s Supper 27 15 htm www sdanet org Health Archived from the original on October 3 2006 Retrieved October 6 2006 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Shurtleff W Aoyagi A 2014 History of Seventh day Adventist Work with Soyfoods Vegetarianism Meat Alternatives Wheat Gluten Dietary Fiber and Peanut Butter 1863 2013 Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook PDF Soyinfo Center p 1081 ISBN 978 1 928914 64 8 Retrieved April 10 2018 Leviticus 11 a b Ashcraft Carol Faye August 1 1991 Many Adventists Advocate Rich Grain No Meat Diet Orlando Sentinel Retrieved September 9 2022 a b c d Panoff Lauren July 29 2019 Seventh Day Adventist Diet A Complete Guide healthline Retrieved September 8 2022 Hegarty Siobhan July 25 2020 Seventh day Adventists advocate a vegetarian diet but it s not because of animal ethics ABC News Retrieved September 3 2022 a b c Buckley Nick October 4 2019 Fake meat is baked into Battle Creek s history Battle Creek Enquirer Retrieved September 8 2022 a b Smith Ernie August 17 2015 The History of Fake Meat Starts With the Seventh Day Adventist Church Atlas Obscura Retrieved September 9 2022 a b Cyran Pamela Gaylord Chris October 5 2012 The 20 most fascinating inventions The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved September 9 2022 Chambers Pippa December 6 2017 Slingshot wins 14m food giant Sanitarium AdNews Retrieved August 31 2022 Buettner Dan November 16 2005 The Secrets of Long Life National Geographic 208 5 2 27 ISSN 0027 9358 Retrieved June 6 2006 Excerpt Archived November 16 2007 at the Wayback Machine See also National Geographic Sights amp Sounds of Longevity Seventh day Adventists and Health PBS Religion amp Ethics Newsweekly March 23 2012 Retrieved September 21 2022 Kolata Gina January 3 2007 A Surprising Secret to a Long Life Stay in School The New York Times Macvean Mary July 11 2015 Why Loma Linda residents live longer than the rest of us Los Angeles Times Retrieved August 31 2022 Spector Nicole April 3 2019 What Blue Zone city Loma Linda California can teach us about living longer NBC News Better Retrieved August 31 2022 a b c LaMotte Sandee November 25 2019 What sunny religious town in California teaches us about living longer CNN health Retrieved August 31 2022 permanent dead link Adventist Health Study 2 Adventist Health Study adventisthealthstudy org Retrieved January 5 2021 a b c The Adventists And What They Mean To You World Life Expectancy Retrieved September 23 2022 Carignan Sylvia October 23 2015 Operation Whitecoat benifits Army research 60 years later Frederick News Post Retrieved September 23 2022 Giles Jennie January 25 2004 Adventist helped biological weapons study BlueRidgeNow Times News Retrieved September 23 2022 Delegates Reinforce Man and Woman Definition of Marriage archived from the original on June 1 2020 retrieved August 2 2020 The Adventist Home pp 25 26 Ekkehardt Mueller 2005 Submission in the New Testament Ephesians 5 PDF Biblical Research Institute Archived from the original PDF on September 27 2011 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Seventh day Adventist Position Statement on Homosexuality Seventh day Adventist Church October 3 1999 Archived from the original on October 3 2006 Retrieved October 18 2006 Seventh day Adventist Response to Same Sex Unions A Reaffirmation of Christian Marriage General Conference of Seventh day Adventists March 9 2004 Archived from the original on January 10 2007 Retrieved January 11 2007 General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Executive Committee October 16 2019 Statement on the Biblical View of Unborn Life and Its Implications for Abortion Archived from the original on December 2 2019 Retrieved December 2 2019 PDF https adventistbioethics org sites adventistbioethics org files docs policy docs 4997 7 pdf Retrieved September 9 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help Miroslav M Kis Seventh day Adventist Position on COHABITATION Archived from the original on January 12 2011 Homosexuality www adventist org October 4 2016 A Statement of Consensus on Care for the Dying General Conference of Seventh day Adventists October 9 1992 Archived from the original on December 6 2006 Retrieved January 11 2007 Birth Control A Seventh day Adventist Statement of Consensus General Conference of Seventh day Adventists September 29 1999 Archived from the original on November 30 2006 Retrieved January 11 2007 Statement on Ethical Considerations Regarding Human Cloning General Conference of Seventh day Adventists September 27 1998 Archived from the original on December 7 2006 Retrieved January 11 2007 Fundamental Beliefs Seventh day Adventist Church Archived from the original on March 10 2006 Retrieved January 18 2018 Roger Coon December 10 1987 The Wedding Band Ellen G White and the Seventh day Adventist Church Biblical Research Institute Archived from the original on December 6 2006 Retrieved January 11 2007 Can Seventh Day Adventists Wear Wedding Rings Reference April 8 2020 Retrieved September 29 2022 Hyer Marjorie March 30 1979 Seventh Day Adventist s Ring Case Carried to District Agency The Washington Post Retrieved September 29 2022 Adventist students sanctioned for attending dance 2001 Associated Press 2001 Retrieved January 11 2007 Samuel Pipim Applause Hand Waiving Drumming amp Dancing in the Church drpipim org Archived from the original on July 11 2010 Retrieved September 14 2010 Case Steve Shall We Dance Dialogue Archived from the original on February 3 2007 Retrieved January 11 2007 Seventh Day Adventist Church Position On Gambling St Vincent Times January 28 2019 Retrieved September 28 2022 Adventurers Adventist Manual a b c Seventh day Adventist Church Manual PDF Hagerstown Maryland The Secretariat General Conference of Seventh day Adventists 2005 p 26 Archived from the original PDF on January 21 2007 World Church Structure and Governance Archived from the original on April 4 2007 NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION OF SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS Remuneration Scale January 1 2018 Retrieved from nadadventist org See also Seventh day Adventist theology Ordination of women Laura L Vance discusses gender issues in Seventh day Adventism in Crisis Gender and Sectarian Change in an Emerging Religion University of Illinois Press 1999 One review is by Douglas Morgan in The Christian Century September 22 1999 reprint dead link Possibly see also Seeking a Sanctuary chapter Gender Seventh day Adventists Vote To Bar Ordination of Women The New York Times July 12 1990 Retrieved September 19 2022 a b Seventh Day Adventists Facing Pressure On Allowing Female Pastors HuffPost September 2 2012 Retrieved September 19 2022 a b Banks Adelle August 7 2015 Adventists stay the course vote to deny women s ordination Religion News Service Retrieved September 19 2022 Boorstein Michelle July 8 2015 Seventh day Adventists vote against female ordination The Washington Post Retrieved September 19 2022 In the middle no more The Scratch September 17 2021 Archived from the original on September 20 2022 Retrieved September 19 2022 Berman Daphna February 10 2006 Seventh Day Adventist Church Holds First Jewish Friendship Conference Here Haaretz Retrieved September 26 2022 MacDonald G Jeffrey March 17 2011 Adventists back to basics faith is fastest growing U S church USA Today Burke Daniel April 10 2013 As they turn 150 Adventists still pray for the apocalypse Religion News Service Retrieved September 23 2022 Tracy Kate December 9 2013 Adventists Assess Why 1 in 3 Members Leave the Church Christianity Today Retrieved September 21 2022 Lipka Michael The most and least racially diverse U S religious groups Pew Research Center Retrieved September 23 2022 Brunt Maritza March 28 2019 The Ten Countries or areas with no Adventists Adventist Record Retrieved September 26 2022 Kellner Mark October 11 2021 Adventist Church sees rate of growth tumble due to pandemic Report The Washington Times Retrieved September 16 2022 Gryboski Michael October 13 2021 Seventh day Adventist Church experience lowest rate of growth in 16 years The Christian Post Retrieved September 16 2022 Shimron Yonat November 24 2021 Pastor who approved of marital rape removed from Seventh day Adventist Church Religion News Service Retrieved September 26 2022 Adventist Mission Archived from the original on October 30 2005 Retrieved January 17 2007 A Seventh day Adventist Statement on Religious Liberty Evangelism and Proselytism General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Administrative Committee 2000 Archived from the original on December 6 2006 Retrieved January 18 2007 Department of Education Seventh day Adventist Church Archived from the original on October 17 2017 Retrieved June 18 2010 Adventist Health Outreach Archived from the original on January 5 2007 Shrieves Linda July 30 2010 Are nonprofit hospitals truly not for profit Orlando Sentinel Retrieved August 12 2022 AdventHealth signals a new beginning in health care The Sentinel Echo January 9 2019 Retrieved August 12 2022 Landi Heather February 11 2020 EHR giant Cerner loses major health system client Fierce Healthcare Retrieved August 12 2022 A Statement on the Environment Archived April 4 2007 at the Wayback Machine 1995 and Statement on Stewardship of the Environment Archived April 5 2007 at the Wayback Machine 1996 See also fundamental beliefs No 6 Creation and No 21 Stewardship The Dangers of Climate Change A Statement to Governments of Industrialized Countries Archived April 10 2007 at the Wayback Machine 1995 Official statement Statement on Stewardship of the Environment Archived April 5 2007 at the Wayback Machine 1996 Voice of Prophecy Roku Retrieved March 1 2022 It Is Written TV Roku Retrieved March 1 2022 Amazing Facts TV Roku Retrieved March 1 2022 Amazing Facts International reports massive online viewing surge Religion News Service April 2 2020 Retrieved March 2 2022 Hope Channel Archived from the original on October 25 2006 Adventist World Radio Chartable Retrieved March 1 2022 Adventist World Radio awr org Adventist World Radio awr org Net 98 Finale Conclusion of Largest ever Satellite Outreach Program Adventist News Network November 6 1998 Archived from the original on October 13 2007 Retrieved January 20 2007 How Tell the World the Biggest Adventist Movie Ever Got Made Spectrum Magazine Archived from the original on November 28 2018 Retrieved November 28 2018 Publishing work of the Seventh day Adventist Church Archived from the original on April 24 2018 Retrieved April 17 2021 Beach Bert June 1985 Seventh day Adventists and the Ecumenical Movement General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Archived from the original on December 6 2006 Retrieved January 10 2007 World Church Adventists Observe World Council of Churches Assembly Adventist News Network March 7 2006 Archived from the original on October 13 2007 Retrieved January 10 2007 Seventh day Adventist Church profile Religious Tolerance org Archived from the original on May 22 2013 Retrieved December 2 2004 Anthony Hoekema 1963 The Four Major Cults pp 115 128 144 169 ISBN 978 0 85364 094 3 George R Knight A Search For Identity The Development of Seventh Day Adventist Beliefs Review and Herald Publishing Association 2000 Pg 165 1 Archived October 14 2012 at the Wayback Machine Donald Grey Barnhouse Are Seventh day Adventists Christians Eternity September 1956 7 Loren Dickinson November 2 2006 The Day Adventists Became Christians Spectrum Walter Martin Kingdom of the Cults Off site Link Bethany House Minneapolis Minnesota Updated edition 1997 p 517 Evangelical Reflections on Seventh day Adventism Yesterday and Today by Kenneth Richard Samples andrews edu Archived from the original on May 12 2008 Retrieved July 10 2009 From Controversy to Crisis An Updated Assessment of Seventh day Adventism by Kenneth R Samples Christian Research Institute Journal Christian Research Journal Summer 1988 Volume 11 Number 1 Fundamental Beliefs 18 Seventh day Adventist Church Retrieved November 1 2006 Canright D M 1919 Life of Mrs E G White Seventh day Adventist Prophet Her False Claims Refuted Archived from the original on December 5 1998 Retrieved June 6 2006 Rea Walter T February 1983 The White Lie Moore Publishing ISBN 978 0 9607424 0 0 Numbers Ronald L 1976 Prophetess of health a study of Ellen G White Harper amp Row ISBN 978 0 06 066325 4 Ronald L Numbers January 1977 An Author Replies to His Critics PDF Spectrum 8 2 27 36 Archived from the original PDF on September 27 2007 The Ramik Report Memorandum of Law Literary Property Rights 1790 1915 Archived December 14 2007 at the Wayback Machine Veltman Fred Life of Christ Research Project Veltman Fred 1988 Life of Christ Research Project p 882 General Conference Archives Archived July 15 2010 at the Wayback Machine of the Seventh day Adventist Church Ellen G White as a Writer Part III The Issue of Literary Borrowing andrews edu INDEX FILES on Charge of Plagiarism against E G White 50megs com Ellen G White as a Writer Case Studies in the Issue of Literary Borrowing andrews edu Untitled Document andrews edu E Marcella Anderson King and Kevin L Morgan 2009 More Than Words A Study of Inspiration and Ellen White s Use of Sources in The Desire of Ages Honor Him Publishers Kevin L Morgan 2013 White Lie Soap For removal of lingering stains on Ellen White s integrity as an inspired writer Honor Him Publishers Also appears in Review article Archived 2007 12 14 at the Wayback Machine How Seventh day Adventists View Roman Catholicism General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Administrative Committee April 15 1997 Archived from the original on December 6 2006 Retrieved January 11 2007 Seventh Day Adventism Catholic Answers Archived from the original on February 3 2007 Retrieved February 5 2007 See also Questions on Doctrine chapters 20 and 21 and Anthony Hoekema 1963 The Four Major Cults pp 128 132 ISBN 978 0 85364 094 3 Angel Manuel Rodriguez October 2002 The Remnant and the Adventist Church Biblical Research Institute Archived from the original on March 22 2007 Retrieved February 5 2007 Origin of the SDA Reform Movement Archived from the original on August 15 2010 Church Leaders Say We re Sorry German and Austrian churches apologize for Holocaust actions Archived 2014 10 19 at the Wayback Machine by Mark A Kellner Sapiets Marite V A Shelkov and the true and free Adventists of the USSR Religion State and Society Volume 8 Issue 3 1980 pp 201 217 Fundamental beliefs of DSDA as compared with the ones of the Seventh day Adventist Church Pfefferman Naomi February 24 2017 Producer David Permut brings a soldier s valor to the screen in Hacksaw Ridge Jewish Journal Retrieved September 10 2022 Miller Mike August 14 2022 The True Story of Hacksaw Ridge and Desmond Doss the Medal of Honor Winner Who Never Fired a Shot People Retrieved September 12 2022 Buckley Nick October 24 2019 Battle Creek reluctant to revisit The Road to Wellville 25 years after film s release Battle Creek Enquirer Retrieved September 10 2022 Hunter Stephen October 27 1994 There s no cure for The Road to Wellville The Baltimore Sun Retrieved September 12 2022 Buckmaster Luke January 31 2016 Evil Angels rewatched harrowing Meryl Streep triumph still packs a punch The Guardian Retrieved September 12 2022 Childs Kevin February 7 1988 FILM Meryl Streep as an Accused Murderer The New York Times Retrieved September 12 2022 Chung Chanmin October 21 2021 Iraq Recognizes Adventist Church with New National Stamp Adventist Review Retrieved September 15 2022 Use of the Church Name Seventh day Adventist Church Archived from the original on January 10 2007 Retrieved January 11 2007 Further reading Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seventh day Adventist Church Wikisource has original text related to this article Seventh day Adventist Church Baker Benjamin 2005 Crucial Moments The 12 Most Important Events in Black Adventism Hagerstown MD Review and Herald Bull Malcolm and Keith Lockhart Seeking a Sanctuary Seventh day Adventism and the American Dream 2006 2nd edn Bloomington Indiana Indiana University Press A sociological study Chaij Fernando Fuerzas supriores que actuan en la vida humana el hipnotismo y el espiritismo ante la ciencia y la religion y el problema de la sanidad y la felicidad Quinta ed actualizada Bogota Ediciones Interamericanas 1976 267 p N B Speculations about various occult phenomena health theology and Bible exegesis all from a Seventh Day Adventist perspective Without ISBN Edwards Calvin W and Gary Land Seeker After Light A F Ballenger Adventism and American Christianity 2000 240pp online review Jetelina Bedrich Seventh day Adventists Human Rights and Social Work Caritas et veritas Vol 4 No 1 2014 pp 22 32 Caritas et veritas Land Gary 2001 At the Edges of Holiness Seventh Day Adventism Receives the Holy Ghost 1892 1900 Fides et Historia 33 2 13 30 Land Gary Historical Dictionary of the Seventh Day Adventists Scarecrow Press 2005 Morgan Douglas Adventism and the American Republic The Public Involvement of a Major Apocalyptic Movement 2001 269 pp Morgan Douglas Adventism Apocalyptic and the Cause of Liberty Church History Vol 63 No 2 Jun 1994 pp 235 249 in JSTOR Neufield Don F ed Seventh day Adventist Encyclopedia 10 vol 1976 official publication Numbers Ronald L Prophetess of health a study of Ellen G White 3rd ed 2008 Pearson Michael Millennial Dreams and Moral Dilemmas Seventh day Adventism and Contemporary Ethics 1990 1998 excerpt and text search looks at issues of marriage abortion homosexuality Schwarz Richard Light Bearers A History of the Seventh day Adventist Church 3rd ed 2000 Vance Laura L Seventh day Adventism Crisis Gender and Sectarian Change in an Emerging Religion 1999 261 pp Van Dolson Leo What about Life after Death Washington D C Review and Herald Publishing Association 1978 32 p The Adventists Documentary film by Martin Doblmeier Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Seventh day Adventist Church amp oldid 1145622288, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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