Fifteen years ago Adventist Today published four articles on four “wings” of Adventism (January/ February 1994). In the words of the various authors, those articles described “Mainstream Adventism,” “Evangelical Adventism,” “Progressive Adventism,” and “Historic Adventism.” In this issue, Adventist Today again publishes four views on Adventism but with a twist. Each of the authors gets to critique what the others have written.

The assignment was uncomplicated and the same for each one. They were to write the answer to a simple question: What is an Adventist? Larry Christoffel and Larry Kirkpatrick are pastors. Charles Scriven is a college president, and Sari Fordam is a college professor.

Read their articles and their responses and then send in your definition of what is an Adventist. There is even room in future issues for a short article on the subject, if you feel so inspired.

George R. Knight has just published his latest book: The Apocalpytic Vision and the Neutering of Adventism (reviews to follow in next issue). Knight, who has written 19 books, considers this book to be the most important of his career. The first sentence in his book says, “Why be Adventist?” His book and this special issue of Adventist Today explore the same theme.

Adventist Dilemma

The Adventist Church labors under an enormous dilemma. It sprang into being to proclaim the Second Coming of Jesus. Just as John the Baptist lived to see what he proclaimed—the first coming of Jesus—so too were those who proclaimed the imminent return of Jesus supposed to see him come.

Ellen White says: “Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith, and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, … the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward” (Maranatha, p. 61).

The 1976 Annual Council voted a document called “Evangelism and Finishing the Work.” It defined “finishing the work” as “both an inward and outward work—a people saved by grace, working to save others. It is the reaching of every person on earth with the claim and promise of God’s message of love and salvation, so that this generation may have opportunity to be restored in His image, now and forever. Thus, the ‘finishing of the work’ means one thing: communicating God’s message through the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit to all the world’s population so that God can proclaim His work finished. When this happens Jesus will come. ‘And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come,’ Matthew 24:14.”

The document then listed 10 implementation steps, among which were “Clarify the role of the pastor” and “Limit building projects.”

A Finished Work

More than 30 years have passed since the Annual Council voted that document, and it seems that we are no nearer to finishing the work than we were back then. Oh, yes, we do have quite a few more church members than we did then, but is that “finishing the work?”

The question of “What is an Adventist?” is particularly relevant to this plea of the Annual Council. It would seem that only Adventists have been given the task of converting the world for Christ and bringing in his coming. There is no mention in the document that God will use anyone else other than Adventists.

Then there is the question of Laodicea. The document gives one line to this subject. “Most members and ministers recognize that we are weakened by a Laodicean condition in the church.”

There is no discussion amidst the 10 implementation plans about the three remedies that God gives in his plea to the Laodicean church of Revelation—none whatsoever. Could it be that we will be here a lot longer? So, what is an Adventist? 

p. 3 ADVENTIST TODAY • SPRING 2009