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This is from an article published in Adventist Today. Many in the SDA church are realizing that their present state of doctrinal requirements, such as strict adherence to the sabbath, following the dietary laws, and life style requirements, are quite legalistic so the focus is on strict adherence to the 28 fundamental beliefs. This article speaks to this tension.
An uncomfortable tension
The Adventist Church has put itself in a bind. By codifying belief into a creed, it has essentially turned from the radical trust in Jesus that both Scripture and Ellen White proclaimed, and has shackled itself to a legalistic structure that cannot bring life. If it continues down this road, the church risks losing its soul even while clinging to its shell.
In practice, enforcement varies. In some parts of Europe and North America, pastors emphasize commitment to Christ and community more than box-checking all 28 beliefs. But in South America, Africa, and conservative regions of the U.S., enforcement is strict, and a member or employee who questions a belief risks discipline or dismissal. What Ellen White warned against has become official policy, though not always universally applied.
It leaves us with an uncomfortable tension. The prophet who declared “The Bible, and the Bible alone, is our creed” has been made the prophet of a denomination that demands assent to a creed. Depending on where you live, you may feel those iron bands more or less tightly.
A possible solution
What can save the Church from itself? The General Conference could begin by retiring the language of “28 Fundamental Beliefs” as a test of fellowship, and instead present them as a dynamic, growing “Statement of Faith in Progress,” open to re-examination in light of Scripture and the Spirit’s leading. Baptismal vows could be rewritten to center on faith in Christ alone, not assent to a creed. The Church Manual could be revised to explicitly affirm that no creed other than the Bible itself binds the conscience.
Such steps wouldn’t destroy Adventism’s identity—they would rescue it. They would return the movement to its original DNA, when early Adventists rejected creeds as “the mark of the beast” and proclaimed the Bible as sufficient for salvation. Unless Adventism rediscovers this heartbeat, it may survive as an institution—but not as a Spirit-filled movement.
The church stands at a crossroads. One road leads deeper into legalism, where creeds harden, enforcement grows harsher, and grace is eclipsed by intellectual conformity. The other leads back to its origins: a bold trust in the love of Christ, righteousness by faith, and the Bible alone as the rule of faith and practice.
A return to righteousness by faith is the church’s only salvation. By it we preach the true Gospel to all the world and prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.
Has the SDA fallen into legalism as the article implies?
An uncomfortable tension
The Adventist Church has put itself in a bind. By codifying belief into a creed, it has essentially turned from the radical trust in Jesus that both Scripture and Ellen White proclaimed, and has shackled itself to a legalistic structure that cannot bring life. If it continues down this road, the church risks losing its soul even while clinging to its shell.
In practice, enforcement varies. In some parts of Europe and North America, pastors emphasize commitment to Christ and community more than box-checking all 28 beliefs. But in South America, Africa, and conservative regions of the U.S., enforcement is strict, and a member or employee who questions a belief risks discipline or dismissal. What Ellen White warned against has become official policy, though not always universally applied.
It leaves us with an uncomfortable tension. The prophet who declared “The Bible, and the Bible alone, is our creed” has been made the prophet of a denomination that demands assent to a creed. Depending on where you live, you may feel those iron bands more or less tightly.
A possible solution
What can save the Church from itself? The General Conference could begin by retiring the language of “28 Fundamental Beliefs” as a test of fellowship, and instead present them as a dynamic, growing “Statement of Faith in Progress,” open to re-examination in light of Scripture and the Spirit’s leading. Baptismal vows could be rewritten to center on faith in Christ alone, not assent to a creed. The Church Manual could be revised to explicitly affirm that no creed other than the Bible itself binds the conscience.
Such steps wouldn’t destroy Adventism’s identity—they would rescue it. They would return the movement to its original DNA, when early Adventists rejected creeds as “the mark of the beast” and proclaimed the Bible as sufficient for salvation. Unless Adventism rediscovers this heartbeat, it may survive as an institution—but not as a Spirit-filled movement.
The church stands at a crossroads. One road leads deeper into legalism, where creeds harden, enforcement grows harsher, and grace is eclipsed by intellectual conformity. The other leads back to its origins: a bold trust in the love of Christ, righteousness by faith, and the Bible alone as the rule of faith and practice.
A return to righteousness by faith is the church’s only salvation. By it we preach the true Gospel to all the world and prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.
Has the SDA fallen into legalism as the article implies?
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