Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Can Adventism Save Itself?

I'm feeling hopeful for my church this week, and it's because of Annual Council. But it's not because it's going well. For the last few days, I've followed the meetings on Twitter, and sometimes tuned in to the live stream. It is . . . interesting. Sure, there's lots of good mission projects, hopes to involve youth, fascinating statistics, and the exercise breaks are entertaining. But...

This year's Annual Council theme is: "Faithfulness in Christian Lifestyle."

Yup. That's the rallying cry this year.

I am in awe of this. We're daily struggling to relate to racism, polarized politics, a worldwide refugee crisis, and our personal griefs and burdens. We live in a world growing everyday less able to dialogue or offer grace, while reeling under a deeper awareness of abuse and trauma. We are broke, anxious, and heart weary. And right now my church wants to talk about coffee.

So far this week we've heard that coffee will make us gossip, fun music hurts our brains, emotions are bad, and we can't be spiritual while observing movies and "the YouTubes." And whether those things are true or false isn't really the point. The problem is that they aren't the point. Decaffeinating won't heal our divides, and withdrawing from culture won't spread the gospel.

Add to that a statement from the front that church members should be "protected" from conversations about church finance. Lay people, the speaker said, shouldn't wonder about their money once they give it to the church, or it might destroy their faith. And top it off with a statement on abortion created by committees with less than a quarter of members who are women, and a continued press to punish those who are ordaining women.

The message coming out of these meetings is that the church is out of touch with our time and place. We don't want to change our practices, and we're more concerned with external behaviors than the power of God to make a difference in the world. Adventist Twitter is abuzz with disbelief and snark, young adults discussing their "gossip juice" and contemplating whether the church wants them or not. Whether it can be salvaged as a place to grow a living faith.

But I don't believe this is all just the GC being tone-deaf. I don't believe my church leaders don't see the news, or know what we're talking about. In fact, they're trying to solve all these problems at once.

The conservative wing of  the Adventist church is trying to save itself. They aren't taking the strategy  I would hope for--by living in context, and offering answers for today's questions. Instead, they're trying to "fix" the Adventists so that Jesus can come back and solve the rest.

The generation leading the GC now grew up in the midst of Last Generation theology. Even I heard the echoes of it in my childhood, sans the name. The theology said that we get a part to play in the act of redemption--besides receiving it. Because Satan said God's law couldn't be kept, God needs a group of people who actually keep it as proof. We aren't redeemed until we fix this last issue in the great controversy. And that means that, until we reach this feat, Jesus has to wait, and time and sin and suffering all continue.

The idea is seductive. As humans, we're hobbits facing an evil that far out-classes us. As Adventists, we're troubled by the question of why time continues. The idea of Something We Can Do offers us a ring of power--it explains our problems (we haven't done our part yet), and fixes them all in one go. It casts aside our helplessness, makes us the players rather than the ball.

I think it's important for my friends and fellow-critics to know our church leaders aren't ignoring the real problems. They're just wrong about the solutions. Because the story we're in wasn't written by Tolkien. We don't get to be the heroes in this one. We don't save ourselves. The gospel is better news than that.

The Adventist church can't save itself. And that's good new, not bad. Because no matter how much decaf we drink, we were never going to reach the goal. We have to give up the perfection plan, toss the ring into the mountain, and open our hands for help. It's good news, because God can save us.

And as for the snark on Adventist Twitter? Well that's my favorite sign of hope for the church. Because it means there are young adults who care about the church enough to criticize it. Don't forget that we have people tuning in on work days to watch church meetings. All those voices saying "I want this to be better" don't hate the church. If they did, they'd find something else to watch on "the YouTubes." And that's why I believe we have a future.


10 comments:

  1. I so enjoyed reading this the day after my 52 birthday...so true. We all regardless of church position, me a Nursery SS teacher or GC President that only Jesus saves. WE need to hold fast to what Christ taught then He will come. I am currently being rejected jobs because of holding the Sabbath truth but I know God has the right job for me when He wants me to have it. God Bless.

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  2. Can you be a part of the right church if it's characterized by Laodicea, will there have to be a new movement or did we in fact miss the solution God sent us in 1888 through Jones and Waggoner? All questions to consider, as for me the thing that gives young people hope is to pray for corporate repentance!

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    1. A quick look at history show that we are always missing opportunities. And God is still there, offering them. It's not about being the right church, it's about having the right God. At least, that's my view.

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  3. Laodicea is the last church. John correctly identified the problems of the church at the end. And yet, Christ somehow manages to save us all in the end. That's how the story goes. I'm comforted to know that Jesus saves even those who struggle with being lukewarm So how about we focus on spreading the good news and quit focusing on what everyone else is doing. God is love. Maybe we should try to be too.

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    1. I don't know what story have you been reading but no, Christ won't save us all at the end. 5 girls will stay outside. Don't lul yourself.

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  4. I always appreciate your comments, friend.

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  5. Thank you for writing this. So many resonate with you yet feel powerless. What can we do as church members and as a body to turn this ship around?

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    1. All the power in the church lives in local congregations, local members. That's where mission happens, so that's where you'll find the Holy Spirit focused. I know we're helpless to change what the GC thinks or does, but we are potent where it counts--in the actual Christian communities where we worship, and in contact with other people who need the gospel.

      As for who I am, I'm just an opinionated lay person (was an opinionated pastor's wife until my husband became a professor). I live in California at present.

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  6. Follow your advice and you effectively take Ellen out of the picture!!! Take Ellen out and you have no SDA church!!! The SDA's are nothing more than Jews who follow the Old Covenant and works, but believe Jesus was the Messiah. Not only is he the Messiah but he is the New Covenant!!! I was brainwashed in this church for 47 years until I understood this. For a concise and full understanding of this I challenge any SDA to read the book, "Sabbath in Christ" by Dale Ratzlaff with an open mind and not through the lens of Ellen White. It will truly change your life and set you free!!!

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