Review of Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream

By Alexander Carpenter

As many of you know the annual Adventist Forum conference is this weekend in Santa Rosa, California. This year's featured guests are Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart, the authors of the best history of Adventism, Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream, which was recently expanded and republished.

Thanks to Daneen Akers we have a review of it by the Adventist historian of ideas, Gary Land, the man who introduced me to Jacques Ellul.
__________________

Review of Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream, 2nd Edition by Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart,
Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2007
498 pp., paper $29.95.

By Gary Land

When published in 1989, the first edition of Seeking a Sanctuary established itself as the best available study of American Seventh-day Adventism.  Now updated and enlarged, the volume remains the foremost work on this denomination.  Combining historical, sociological, and cultural studies methodologies, Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart, respectively a teacher at Oxford University and a London-based journalist, offer a readable and penetrating analysis that is indispensable to both scholars and general readers wanting to understand Adventism.  For Adventists themselves, it offers a sympathetic outsider's perspective that increases self-awareness.

The authors argue two intertwined theses.  First, as indicated by their title and subtitle, they believe that Adventism provides an alternative means of achieving the American dream of spiritual fulfillment and material progress.  Second, they dispute the interpretation put forward by scholars both within and outside the denomination that Adventism is in the process of transforming from a sect into a denomination; in contrast, they believe that it remains a sect. 

In presenting these arguments, the authors divide their book into three parts.  The first, "Adventist Theology," addresses authority, identity, eschatology, and the sanctuary doctrine.  Although they do not use the term, the authors see several dialectics at work in Adventist theology:  the Bible as the source of Adventist belief over against Ellen White as the final interpreter of the Bible, the hope for versus the delay in Christ's second coming, identity tied to specific beliefs in contrast with identity expressed through loyalty to denominational structure, and the Arian tendencies embedded in the Sanctuary Doctrine in conflict with the church's twentieth century Trinitarianism. 

Viewing these issues historically, Seeking a Sanctuary incorporates them into an almost Hegelian pattern:  the thesis of Adventist radicalism produced the antithesis of fundamentalism out of which came the synthesis of evangelicalism.  Interestingly, however, and in keeping with the argument that Adventism is not progressing to denominational status, as this synthesis became the new thesis, the antithesis that it produced was a return to fundamentalism rather than a step to a higher stage of development.

Part 2 examines "The Adventist Experience and the American Dream."  Here again we see some dialectics at work, beginning with the concept that in opposition to a flawed Republic, Adventism has developed an "alternative social system" (114).  Although the church originated in America, most of its growth is now taking place in other parts of the world; in its homeland the church is disproportionately female, old, black, and immigrant.   As health and family life (i.e. sexuality) lost their eschatological meaning and became ends in themselves, they became optional behaviors.  The church's orientation toward time as embodied in the Sabbath and the eschaton placed it in opposition to American society but also produced internal schisms and shapes artistic expression.  Contrasting Adventism with Mormonism, another indigenous American religion, the authors state, "In Adventism the American dream is reinterpreted, in Mormonism, Christianity is reinterpreted.  Adventists have become un-American in an effort to become more truly Christian.  Mormons have become un-Christian in order to become more American" (254).

In Part 3, the authors examine the "Adventist Subculture," including gender, race, ministry, medicine, education, and the self-supporting movement.  This portion of the book might be understood as a subset of Part 2, exploring in more detail important elements of this "alternative social system."  Again, a number of dialectics (I hope that I am not pushing this concept too far, but it is something that struck me when reading my notes before writing this review.)  Adventism, according to Bull and Lockhart, is a women's movement that goes against traditional male values; as a result men find entering into the church bureaucracy the only acceptable way to express their masculinity. 

Although Adventism represents the ethnic variety of American culture to a degree not found in other churches, it still practices segregation, most fully illustrated by regional conferences.  Ministers, who personify the Adventist response to the American nation, are often misunderstood and underappreciated by the laity and receive inadequate support, especially during personal crises, from their conferences.  The Adventist health system constitutes an alternative administrative and economic structurȩ for doctors and hospital administrators are the only church employees with the financial resources to successfully challenge clerical control.  Adventist education did not develop a distinctive philosophy until a couple of decades after the founding of Battle Creek College; today that philosophy may inform long-term goals as expressed in mission statements but has little influence on short-term operations, which are very similar to those of other schools. 

The ultimate dialectic, however, is that the most distinctive or pure expression of Adventist values appears in the self-supporting movement that exists outside the control of the institutional church.  But even this movement, the authors write, "which represents the ideal of egalitarian cooperation, has been promoted by the power of individual capital concentration, while mainstream Adventism, which espouses a set of values a little closer to the American ethos, is founded on centrally managed schemes of funding" (346). 

The authors' arguments are grounded in prodigious research, documented in nearly a hundred pages of notes.  Sources include nearly every imaginable type of work published by the denomination and independent publishers related to Adventism as well as those published by commercial and academic presses.  The bibliographical essay that closes the book helpfully sorts out and comments on the most helpful of these sources.

Compared to the first edition, there are some significant changes in the second.  In addition to updated statistical information and accounts of recent events such as the Branch Davidian tragedy and General Conference votes on the ordination of women, the authors have added a chapter on "The Ethics of Schism."   They have also revised their original chapter titles "Women" and "Blacks" to "Gender" and "Race," the latter change opening space for discussion of Hispanics and Asians as well as Blacks.  The visual appeal of the new edition is enhanced by the inclusion of several illustrations   There does not seem to be any major revision of the book's arguments, however.

Any book of this scope is bound to raise questions. Because the authors' discussion of the "revolving door" is primarily sociological, it does not address the role that theological disagreement has played since the 1980s in departures from the church.  Is there a connection between the grace orientation of those former Adventists for whom the magazine Proclamation! is published and rising social status?  Or is the issue truly theological?  Also, what is meant by the church?  Is it the official bureaucratic structure or the membership?  Although Bull and Lockhart are sensitive to this distinction, I have often wondered how many lay members really understand or deem important the inner workings of the sanctuary doctrine or the details of eschatology that appear in Adventist publications.

Finally, while I appreciate the reasons why the authors challenge the sect-to-denomination interpretation of Adventism, I am not fully convinced.  The very Adventist theologians, for example, who represent a return to fundamentalism appear to be aligned with the Evangelical Theological Society.  There is also evidence that Adventist scholars, in biblical studies as well as other fields, are increasingly writing for non-denominational publishers.  None of this belies Seeking a Sanctuary's thesis, but it does suggest that Adventism's trajectory may be moving in several directions at once.  These questions are minor at best and in no way lessen Bull and Lockhart's monumental achievement.  Hopefully, the appearance of this new edition will draw the attention of a new generation of readers and push scholars to more fully incorporate its interpretations into their studies of Seventh-day Adventism.   

…………………
Dr. Gary Land writes from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI where he is a professor of history and the chair of the Department of History and Political Science. His is the author of the Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-day Adventists and the editor of Growing up with Baseball: How We Loved and Played the Game. He is currently working on a biography of Uriah Smith.

Comments

[Vera]

Up until a few weeks ago I would have disagreed with the idea that Adventism remains a sect; however, I happened to listen to Dwight Nelson's September 8 sermon "Why We Are the Most Unique People on Earth".

Since we've never had a sermon like that at the church I attend, I found Nelson's sermon shocking (and not just the badly constructed title). But if this is the kind of thing that is preached in most Adventist churches, then we are indeed a sect.

[Wondering]

Vera the word "sect" ahs to be defined. It can't just have any old political meaning.

---

I too have read this book.

I think that "progressive" Adventists are intoxicated with "Glacier View".

I am willing to bet that not only do most Adventists not know what that is, but that they don't care; and that its effects are overrated and overblown in "progressive" circles.

People who fell away from Adventism most likely did so because of Sabbath strictures (among other things).

[arlyn]

Sect: "In the sociology of religion a sect is generally a small religious or political group that has broken off from a larger group, for example from a large, well-established religious group, like a denomination, usually due to a dispute about doctrinal matters.

In its historical usage in Christendom the term has a pejorative connotation and refers to a movement committed to heretical beliefs and that often deviated from orthodox practices."

So, sect is an immature denomination or movement that differs from orthodox/accepted/familiar practices. What's so bad about that? The protestant movement was a sect once.

[Alexander]

I couldn't agree more with you Arlyn. I think that we Adventists should preserve our sectiness.

[arlyn]

Did you just coin a new word?

[Vera]

I was aware when I wrote the above that the word "sect" has more than one meaning, but I hadn't used with any political meaning in mind. What kind of political meaning can "sect" have?

Sectiness...hee.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

This issue, in the early 1950's, was posed by Barnhouse and Martin and answered in Answers to Questions on Doctrine. The result Barnhouse proclaimed SDA a part of the body of Christ--a Church in the reform sense of the Word. The reaction has yet to find a consensus. The leadership has been trying to hold on to the dock and the boat at the same time. It is becoming quite a stretch. The unique understanding of Dan 8:14 endorsed by E.G. White is the tensional center. Glacier View settled only the power center not the exegesical center. Those who like a firm foundation go with solid exegesis. Those who enjoy debate, stick with the 1844 enthusiasts. Tom

[Dick Larsen]

Maybe Vera was trying to say cultic in a nicer way.

[arlyn]

Sects and Cults differ in several ways, I've learned recently.

1. Sects claim to be an authentic, purer version of the existing mileiu. Cults are innovative and new within their surrounding society.

2. Sects have followers, believers, participants but do not enforce membership boundaries rigidly. Cults definately have punitive and harsh boundaries.

3. Sects appeal to an authoritative locus for their legitimacy and feel they have privileged access with outsiders seen as in "error". Cults do not look outside themselves for final authority, it is considered inherently right.

So- the million dollar question which are we?

[Elaine]

Sects or cults can transition over time to becoming a recognized religion of its own.

Vera, after hearing part of Dwight Nelson's sermon, the pontifical, funereal tone was too much. The delete button was applied.

[Not Wondering]

Glacier View was a defining moment for a generation of young pastors. We lost an entire generation of creative, authentic, devoted, grace-oriented, honest pastors. They are gone. Mostly forced out of the Church through traumatic events. I know a number of them. The direction the church might have taken with these young pastors often leaves me wondering. But the impact of Glacier View does NOT leave me wondering. A member of my own family heading for a career in the ministry saw the handwriting on the wall after Glacier View. He has been looking for his niche with his pastoral skills ever since. Glacier View's impact was not a blip on the direction or history of the Church.

[Not Wondering]

And it wasn't "Sabbath Strictures" that Glacier View's lost pastors struggled with. It was Daniel 8:14 and the supremacy of EGW over the Bible in authority as well as the role of grace in Adventist theology.

[Not Wondering]

You are probably right about who cares now. You yourself, Wondering, illustrate how little is now remembered by this generation about Glacier View. And you are right, too, about them not caring.

[Vera]

Dick, you give me too much credit. :)

[Joselito Coo]

Gary Land rightly points out, I believe, in connection with the sect-to-denomination debate that "Adventism's trajectory may be moving in several directions at once." As a non-American myself, I wonder if Bull and Lockhart's story, as well as Land's helpful review, is not too America-centric. Is it? Put another way: What did most readers (bloggers on this thread) make of the review's title: American Dreams, Adventist Style?

One has to put on another pair of eyeglasses than one that's made in America, as I did, to be able to read Adventist history in another light. How about a post-colonial re-view, for example? It's interesting to note Tom's observation regarding those who made Adventist history in connection with Glacier View: the greater concern of the hierarchy to maintain control (power) rather than finding the truth (exegesis).

Needless to say, those who write history books don't make up the facts. Still, we're told (I'm citing Mortimer Adler's How to Read Books), historical narratives are more like fiction than science. Interpretation is what matters. The best historical account is one that fits our own preconceptions and assumptions.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

Adventism is an American phenomenon. Just like, The Church of the Latter Day Saints, Christian Science, Jevhovah Witnesses, etc all are American extra Canonnical belief systems. More over excepting for A. G. Daniels the power elite have come from Americans steeped in the Colonial mind-set of mission service. Their management style has always been to treat employees as "Uncle Toms",even the ordained scholars, as Glacier View so clearly exposed. Leadership has always acted, in crisis, either as if "the natives are restless" or "everyone has a lunatic fringe!" They can then cherry pick from the Spirit of Prophecy justification for almost any kind of horror to deal with Satan minions. Tom

[Harvey Brenneise]

As a post-denominational Christian and former SDA, it's always interesting to follow a bit of what is going on in that church (which, frankly, doesn't seem to change a great deal over time). Kudos to Bull and Lockhart as well as to Gary, a longtime friend and former colleague. Just a couple of comments.

I'd like to know more about the Arian aspects of Adventism, as the church seems to have largely succeeded in its efforts to deny them or cover them up (I recently had an interesting e-mail conversation with a theologian at Fuller on this topic).

For me, the true "klinker" of Adventist theology is EGW's judgmental perfectionism in the last chapters of GC. Certainly a long way from Luther.

I'd have to agree that most "everyday" Adventists know little about any of the past theological controversies, and there have been many (often on the same issue), and not just Glacier View.

As to Dwight Nelson, I wish now I had kept the letter he sent when I resigned my church membership in which he told me I'd be welcome to "return to Jesus."

[Elaine]

Those are the usual commenets made "returning to Jesus" when anyone leaves Adventism. He is viewed as a lost soul, forever in darkness. That is the destructiveness of the "remant theology" that is part and parcel of Adventism. While those of us have left Adventism feel that we have finally seen the "Light."

[Daneen Akers]

I haven't finished reading the book yet, but I am quite curious about the other religions that have grown out of the 19th century religious fervor that swept the country, especially New England. I just read an essay in The Week, a popular news digest, about Morman missionary training, and I wondered why Adventists are so little known in the mainstream culture? What is it about Adventism that tends to keep us (generally) our of elected office, big business, and the creation of art or popular culture? Is this a good or bad trend? How would this fit into the view of sect/denomination?

[Questioner]

Daneen: Sabbath keeping is what has kept Adventists out of the mainstream culture. It certainly kept me out for years. I remember my Adventist teachers and pastors telling me I had to attend an Adventist college or university or I might have to take a test or a class on Sabbath. Adventist students don't participate in sports because so many competitions are held on Saturdays. I made my daughter quit gymnastics just as she was becoming competitive for this reason. Holding elected office? They work on Sabbath. Big business? Ditto. Arts or culture? Either give up Sabbath or give up any chance at a career that involves serious public performance. It's truly unfortunate, because we need more Christians in all of these positions.

[Elaine]

It's the doctrines, especially the Sabbath, folks. One can talk all around the reason why Adventists aren't involved in -----, but Questioner has put the spotlight on the reason. When a belief prevents one from associating with, or participating in major events in all categories, the silence is very noticeable.

Mormons and Adventists began at approximately the same time, they maintain many separate beliefs, but they are far better known.

[arlyn]

for historical polygamy. and a current presidential candidate.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

Elaine

Senator Leiberman has done well in politics as an observant Jew. The Sabbath is not the barrier most make of it. The barrier is the faulty exegesis upon which it is built. Of the Millerites Joesph Bates was the first to grasp it. E.G.White not to come behind in any "Good Thing" grabbed it and endorsed it as from God Himself! Paul is quite clear the Sabbath begam with Moses not Adam and Eve! I had a very successful career as a careful Sabbath-keeper. I am having a full life as a senior citizen and a Sunday School teacher. I have friends in both camps that I trust I will fellowship with in heaven. It is crazy to make time a test of fellowship! Tom

[arlyn]

and we? for historical vegetarianism and waco.

[Terrence Finney]

I both enjoyed and was informed by the book. Having held to elective offices in California over a period of 27 years I did not find that the Sabbath was a roadblock. As a matter of fact I found it a bonus to not have to attend candidate forums on Friday night. It was interesting though to keep the Sabbath and be treated whith suspicion by those I worshipped with.

[Wondering]

--Anyone with questions about comparisons to Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, should read the book. They try to cover them sufficiently to show how these three religions--born at the same time--developed into what they are today.
Don't just talk about the book--read it! I borrowed it (the latest edition) through my local library this summer. It's called Interlibrary Loan--ask your local librarian about it. It should be free (it usually is). Or, you can buy it on Amazon.

--Now, if I remember correctly, Malcolm and Bull define a sect in a sort of socioeconomic way. In other words, they said that SDAs are a sect, because like all sects, they serve as a funnel that takes people in at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, and spits them out at the top--in effect.
What they were saying is that more affluent Adventists tend to leave the church while we tend to appeal to poorer people than either the Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons (if I remember correctly). We take these people, educate them (like no other) and then they "leave" when they get their degrees (you get the idea).
By contrast, a "church"--as opposed to a sect--would have members who were generally better off socioeconomically than those of a sect. I think they were referring to the mainline churches here (when they gave an example).

--Not to dwell on Glacier View, but what goes on in America (dare I say White American Adventism) is not necessarily relevant to the rest of the world church . That is not where the church is growing anyway.
I think that the strength of the "institutionalism" in Adventism allows most of the church to survive individualist disruptions. For most of the church, the Sanctuary doctrine was and remains a non-issue.
I am wiling to bet that more people leave the church because of Sabbath issues (i.e. the pressures of wanting to live the "freer" lifestyle that economic progress brings).
A relative of mine has traveled the Caribbean extensively, and he says that the proportion of people who make it on time to church on Sabbath is almost directly proportional to the economic prosperity of the island (negatively proportional).

[Joselito Coo]

For those interested in the sect-denomination distinction, I recommend the Hartford Institute for Religion Research's Encyclopedia of Religion and Society that you can download on this site:
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/index.html

Look for the entries on "Denomination/Denominationalism" and "Cult". There is no separate entry for "Sect" since in some countries, where Catholics are predominant, the term is also used for all Protestant churches or denominations. Nevertheless, a valid distinction between sect and denomination is the degree of tension with the dominant social order. Religious groups that maintain a high degree of tension with secular society would be closer to what is called "Sect" ("Cult"?) in the United States. The boundaries (distinctive beliefs and practices) are well guarded and separateness is emphasized. Briefly, belonging to a "Sect" is to be in the world but not of it or countercultural, IOW. I believe this is what Bull and Lockhart meant by the term.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

Wondering

The Sabbath is a direct derivative of the Sanctuary Doctrine. E. G. White "saw" the Ten Commandments in the Ark in the Holy of Holies and noticed that the 4th commandment shown even brighter than the rest! Deny the Sanctuary Message and the entire structure falls. The only thing left is Methodism. Tom

[David Hamstra]

Tom:

You just sounded like uncannily like Goldstien. Perhaps you two are more alike than either of you would like to admit.

(Unless I missed some tongue-in-cheek implication in that last comment.)

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

No mocking. No tongue-in cheek just plain history and consequences. Reread Early Writings etc.

There should be one more volume in the hinges of history series. The stack of cards began with Wm Miller, and ended with Goldstein. I am just an innocent by-stander. Tom

[Elaine]

Wondering has shown that with Adventists "a little learning is a dangerous thing." The larger number of Adventists who leave the church are better educated; and that education has, invariably, led them to question and think critically: a death knell to fundamentalist doctrines.

While the Sabbath may not be a roadblock been for others. Many years ago, as the only family breadwinner, I could not get approval to leave work a few minutes early before sundown and ultimately lost my job. It took over a month (we were living on savings while spouse was in medical school) before I found another job, a better one. But, unlike "Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories" they all don't end so well.

Sabbath observance, by the sun, has become a fetish. Recall the wild west move (Gene Wilder?) with the Rabbi, who raced his horse to get in the shadow of a mountain and lo and behold! The sun had set! Works for an illiterate bunch of former slaves; not so easily foisted on those with a (literal) global world view. The sun is ALWAYS Rising or setting in some part of the world. The Israelties knew nothing of such things; guess we should assume their perspectives.

[Monte Sahlin]

There are significant numbers of Adventists who hold elective office; three members of Congress in the U.S.; 14 in Jamaica; 19 in Papua New Guinea; a cabinet member in Bermuda; etc., etc. The major of the sixth largest city in America (Philadelphia) is an Adventist. There are so many Adventists who hold elective office in the South Pacific Division that the division holds regular retreats for them. There are significant numbers of Adventists in management in large corporations and in the arts. There is no evidence that the presence of Adventists is unproportinate in these areas of society. We have a visibility problem in the U.S., but it is institutional, it is not about Adventist members.

[arlyn]

1.Two can play this game.

Harvey,
Tell Dwight Nelson that the last time Jesus and you had a conversation about him, Jesus said He missed him too.

2. Being educated does help one debunk fundamentalism, but lest we think it almost always leads to more "light"- the Lightbearer himself, Lucifer, is far better educated on every subject than we are. Education is not a virtue, only a tool.

3. Another way to think about the fact that better education characterizes those who leave the church- is to consider if our theological paradigms have not kept pace with its people. Like the Mennonites and Amish, do we stay entrenched in past understandings as a sign of moral purity and graduate seminarians trained more as indoctrinators rather than working theologians? How can this be changed?

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

arlyn

You are right. In the past 20 years the educational level in the local church dropped from post-graduate to post-highschool. Of course the change in disciplined learning has been two fold--an increase in lower educated converts and an erosion of advanced educated members. There are many sincere, truth seeking, and God fearing members within that community of saints. The debate is not with the members but with the leadership. (Come let us reasons together!) Tom

[Joselito Coo]

Since Bull and Lockhart's book is about American Adventism, the following info regarding the educational attainment of a sample of the American population may be relevant:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 American Community Survey, Selected Population Profiles, S0201. Issued February 2007.

Bachelor's degree or more (Percent)

White 29.7
Asian 48.2

[Wondering]

Wondering has shown that with Adventists "a little learning is a dangerous thing." The larger number of Adventists who leave the church are better educated; and that education has, invariably, led them to question and think critically: a death knell to fundamentalist doctrines.

While the Sabbath may not be a roadblock been for others. Many years ago, as the only family breadwinner, I could not get approval to leave work a few minutes early before sundown and ultimately lost my job. It took over a month (we were living on savings while spouse was in medical school) before I found another job, a better one. But, unlike "Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories" they all don't end so well.

Sabbath observance, by the sun, has become a fetish. Recall the wild west move (Gene Wilder?) with the Rabbi, who raced his horse to get in the shadow of a mountain and lo and behold! The sun had set! Works for an illiterate bunch of former slaves; not so easily foisted on those with a (literal) global world view. The sun is ALWAYS Rising or setting in some part of the world. The Israelties knew nothing of such things; guess we should assume their perspectives.

Posted by: Elaine | 29 September 2007 at 19:07
============================
1. The foolishness of God is the wisdom of man--or something like that; not so?

"Educated" people all over the world have believed all sorts of things at one time or the other.
I agree with arlyn.

(And it wasn't me who showed that, it was Malcolm and Bull.)

2. Who ever promised "good" outcomes?
Wasn't the ideal supposed to be "..even if he doesn't save us..." like Shadrach and those guys?

3. When has the Sabbath not been determined by the sun?

Is sunset now an illusion?

That the sun is always rising and setting all over the world is the point.
I would say it is a brilliant way to keep time, and works even today. How else would you have timed the Sabbath?
Accounted for leap years and corrected for lost seconds etc.?

[Joselito Coo]

Boundary markers, such as Sabbath observance, can serve either as walls or as bridges. Though we're not supposed to since only God can declare anything holy, don't we sanctify certain kind of work on the Sabbath especially when the same is done in connection with church activities or institutional functions? Consequently, I no longer find it necessary to ask to leave earlier than co-workers on Friday because it's already sunset. I do my part not for me but for my professional colleagues's sake and for God's glory.

[Elaine Nelson]

The Sabbath may, or may not be a roadblock. For an employee of other than the health professions (ever wonder why Adventists so often choose those?) it can be a problem for those very strict about its observance but not in one of the many vocations that "excuse" Sabbath work (Is there a dispensationalist list of necessary work that is approved for Sabbath?)

The Sabbath is the ONLY command that is restricted to a specific time to be moral. Any time-specific observance is by its nature a ceremonial one. No one would ever have been able to determine any specific day to refrain from work without a special revelation; all the other 5 civil laws are restraints on our moral actions that can be discerned by groups on their own in order to live in peace and harmony. Only the Sabbath law says that behavior that is honorable and perfectly acceptable one day is forbidden the next, merely because it is a different day of the week (and in many ancient cultures, the weeks were of varying lengths). If it is moral one day, it is moral on all others. Is morality determined by the calendar?

If, as Paul tells us, the Gentiles, even without the written law, had a law written on their hearts, how could a special day be known by nature? God never required the Gentiles to obey laws they did not have: the ritual laws of the Israelites. Nor were they given the Jewish festivals, Levitical priests, nor to make animal sacrifices that were given to Israel. Nor did he ever command them to keep the Sabbath.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

As a medic in WWII while in direct combat: I worked at saving lives 24/7. When not in direct combat, I asked for time for private worship, rest, and study. My requests were honored.

As a dental student, I requested and received the Sabbath off. I seemed to have converted the entire profession. No dental school offers classes, labs, or clinics on Saturday. In 16 years of private practice I had only two emergencies on week days. All others occured on Friday night after sundown. I responded to all. I think the Lord blessed my study and my work. But I think He would have as well if I didn't not believe at the time I was honoring Him. Today I worship God and the time He has given me. 24/7 Blessed Asssurance is not time based. Tom

[Elaine Nelson]

Wondering, well-duh! To inform us that the sun marks the day is a scientific breakthrough!

However, the sun does not mark the week.

[Joselito Coo]

The comments of Elaine and Tom, as always, raise some challenging questions. In my mind, they serve as barometers measuring each thread's degree of importance. Your remarks, though controversial, are appreciated. Thanks.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

Thanks Joselito

I am still learning--I am no longer in the parade but the view from the side lines is spectaular. I see a greater drift away from historic Adventism within than without. I find much of the argumentation specious and say so. Tom

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

P.S.

In my experience I have found the typical Adventist as too sure of their exegesis and too unsure of their salvation. The more positive they are about E.G.White the more they question their standing with God. That is why I like David, John, and Paul. I only wish I could sing! Tom

[Elaine Nelson]

Faulty exegesis can lead to origin of new denominations! Most Adventists can only explain their belief by falling back to old,tired quotations and usually from the KJV OT, ignoring what the NT says.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

Elaine
They certainly seem to prefer Moses to Paul.
Yet I know some Pauline Scholars among them who are my dear friends.
During the witch hunt days of 60's I was once asked in the halls of Loma Linda who I invited into my home.
I responded innumerable Seventh-day Adventists, A few Mormon graduate students, many Methodist and Roman Catholic relatives. At which time I stopped for a moment to ponder and then said: "Oh yes, I think by chance, a couple of Christians!" Tom

[Preman Jonas]

Vera,

I hope I am not too late at jumping into your comment on Dwight Nelson's sermon - Why We Are the Most Unique People on Earth. I just happen to listen to it last night (talking from India). Was he so much as talking about Seventh-day Adventist or about everyone being special in the sight of God? The special destiny of every person? I definitely got that message over your one line review of the sermon.

[Alexander]

Greetings Questioner:

I'll grant you your points that legalistic devotion to Sabbath time limits the ethical witness of Adventism. But when we expand the meaning of Sabbath to Sabbath economics and the also very scriptural (see Ex. and Deut.) and historical meanings of Sabbath that include compassion for immigrants, wage slaves, and the environment. Should Adventists continue to gather on Sabbath? Yes. Should we also expand our sense of Sabbath-keeping to include advocating, public voting and private moral action? Yes.

[Vera]

Preman Jonas, he was clearly talking about SDAs. The title of the sermon indicates that he was referring to a group of people, not individuals.

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

Alex

I don't quite understand your promotion of Sabbath economics. It seems you are making a case for Christian Charity which should be 24/7. Thus not exclusively a Seventh-day Adventist mandate. The New Testament has a lot more to say about generosity than do the books of Moses. Tom

[Daneen Akers]

Dr. Zwemer: I have to jump in and make a small plea not to completely disregard the Torah especially when it comes to Sabbath economics. I'm thinking in particular of the mandates to care for those immigrants within our gates, to free slaves, to practice Sabbath jubilee.

Speaking as a someone who has seriously considered leaving the church officially, I can attest that the concept of Sabbath economics and Sabbath justice, as inspired by the Hebrew scriptures, keeps me hopeful that Adventists will one day soon stop just counting Sabbath-keeping as a legalistic, we're-better-than-the-other Christians sort of "gotcha" tradition in which we judge others around us and start sharing Sabbath as the blessing it can be for our modern world.

What's one of the best things an individual can do to help global warming? Keep a Sabbath (not my idea, but one I've heard from several prominent, non-SDA environmentalists).

What's a relevent and authentic way for Adventists to engage in a world with deep economic injustice and poverty? Sabbath econmics.