Introduction

Some call them a cult, others a denomination. Walter Martin - one of the 20th century's leading expert on cults - called them a "puzzle." Opinions will vary according to the definition of the above words of course. While this group has been largely ignored by most writers (you'll rarely see a book on them at a Christian Bookstore today), they are becoming more popular today due to their outreach programs on the radio, TV, and their famous prophecy conferences. Most of these are presented as regular Christian meetings or programs. Is this deceptive? Why do they not just come out and admit who they are up front? Why the secrecy?

Serious charges have come against the Seventh-day Adventists from within and without. Unfortunately, it is usually the extreme members of most groups who are most vocal and thus most noticed. And so we have today the very real possibility of misunderstanding. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Seventh-day Adventists prefer to remain anonymous until they have been given a chance to speak for themselves. In the spirit of fairness I would like to present the Seventh-day Adventists beliefs as they actually exist and let you come to your own conclusions. Of course this will necessitate probing the differences that exist rather than only the areas in which agreement is found, for it is difference that we discover the true nature of a thing. To balance this out, I will start here with agreements between Seventh-day Adventists and fundamental Christianity.

Areas of Agreement with Evangelical Christianity

Unlike the cults, the Seventh-day Adventists do not deny the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Reading their belief statement, one would probably not notice anything out of the ordinary. Among the essentials of the faith are the Seventh-day Adventists belief in:

The Holy Scriptures: The Holy Scriptures...are the written Word of God...They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines...

The Trinity: There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. He is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation.

The Father: God the eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation...

The Son: God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, the character of God is revealed, the salvation of humanity is accomplished, and the world is judged. Forever truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived and experienced temptation as a human being, but perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God. By His miracles He manifested God's power and was attested as God's promised Messiah. He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the dead, and ascended to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things.

The Holy Spirit: God the eternal Spirit was active with the Father and the Son in Creation, incarnation, and redemption. He inspired the writers of Scripture...

Creation: God is Creator of all things, and has revealed in Scripture the authentic account of His creative activity...

The Nature of Man: Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else. When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high position under God. The image of God in them was marred and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences.

Salvation: In infinite love and mercy God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God. Through Christ we are justified, adopted as God's sons and daughters, and delivered from the lordship of sin. Through the Spirit we are born again and sanctified; the Spirit renews our minds, writes God's law of love in our hearts, and we are given the power to live a holy life.

The Church: The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

The Second Coming of Christ: The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The Saviour's coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. When He returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living will be glorified and taken to heaven, but the unrighteous will die...Christ's coming is imminent. The time of that event has not been revealed, and we are therefore exhorted to be ready at all times.

Excerpted from "What We Believe" Copyright © 1999 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Conclusion

As you can see, this reads like a pretty typical Christian statement of faith. God, Man, Salvation... none of the usual problems inherent in a cult. But there is more to the story. It is in the differences that a system of thought must be judged. And the Seventh-day Adventists differ in many beliefs from the historic Christian faith. Many people try to take their personal beliefs and hold them up as essential doctrine. However, we must not judge based on opinion, but on the revealed, clear teachings of the Word of God. The state of the dead, prophetic fulfillment, Sabbath worship, the extent of Legalism - all have been debated throughout the history of the Church.