The reality is that Adventist beliefs mean little if they cannot be applied to the real lives that people live in todays world. Thats why we now have pictures of Jesus as a dark african, oriental, or other race so that it applies to them better and makes more sense. Now some will say the Adventist doctrine were good enough in the 1800's and the last century, and that is all we need to change the world. Essentially that is still true but to reach the people, our beliefs must apply to the context, as our beliefs need to be cast in a current understanding as what once was clear can now mean different things in different cultures and different decades.
For example, being modest in dress and clothes. Now whatever one believes about it, the reality is that if you go to one part of the America or another country or culture you get many different styles and fashion. You can't go and apply one standard to every person in the world. So how do we translate our beliefs to a current world that we can show applies realistically. Or how our beliefs apply to current religious or politcal issues such as abortion, gay marriage, Intelligent design (ID), etc...
On the theological side I found this great piece by Alexander Carpenter:
"after the great disappointment the heavenly sanctuary gave Adventists faith. It provided assurance that their shaken whole-hearted belief in the biblical chronology was correct and that something really did happen in 1844. As the memory of that experience dimmed for Adventists, the context changed. As Adventists shifted their faith from chronology to personal faith the judgment aspect of the doctrine actually led some to question their assurance of salvation. Then after Desmond Ford the meaning of the doctrine shifted again as it became a symbol of loyalty to the church, or Ellen White..."
Our Adventist beliefs are supposed to call us to a higher standard of Christian witness. But this witness must speak now, not to the past. We have a great history to draw upon as a guide for the future, and with that we press forward to think carefully about how best to be Adventists.... With very real questions of literacy, funding, ethical responsibility, and institutional continuity, we want to think carefully and critically about how to apply our faith in the world we encounter.
For an hundred years, with few exceptions, to most Adventists Ellen White was the only prophet in the world and she was the last word on almost everything: doctrine, entertainment, education, health. Then for the last thirty years most Adventists have revised their reading of her....How each generation treats her shows the Zeitgeist (It is a term that refers to the ethos of a cohort of people, that spans one or more subsequent generations, who despite their diverse age and socio-economic background experience a certain worldview, which is prevalent at a particular period of socio-cultural progression). The symbol of Ellen White has helped each generation of Adventism to define itself. She gave the early adherents the confidence to push ahead with this new religion - as they told their new narrative of continuing true Christianity through the ages - she gave them the confidence to construct a new religion and she kept out a lot of fanatical ideas. If you’re the only Adventist for miles around, it really helped to turn to the Great Controversy or Patriarchs and Prophets and feel surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
But the next generation came to her with different standards for sourcing and authority. Caught in the big epistemological shift between modern and postmodern standards of truth, Ellen White got split into something she never would have wanted: a test of loyalty to our faith community. The institutional thinking went something like this, in the confusing worlds of the “new theology,” self-supporting ministries, lower standards, Ford, Rae - if the ideas lead away from Sister White, BEWARE And often it proved true, those who questioned Ellen White often left the church - although it escaped some that for many it wasn’t the ideas but the community that pushed them out. In these times she again functioned as a symbol for Adventist identity and provided security for many in uncertain times.
My point is this: a new generation of Adventists need the prophetic voice, again. In a globalized, postmodern world where more and more Adventists navigate a complex mix of identities - ethnic, gender, economic, religious - our faith needs to fit. To just dismiss the past for the future misses the point. Today's Adventist leader must be self-aware about the process of translating our faith into a new context."
We have to see how our beliefs apply to the current understanding of the world today, we must look to Gods truth, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and and see how it will help in sharing it in a way that is comprehensible and understandable.
We as a church have to begin to think openly and strategically about how to apply Adventism to the challenges of today.
For example, being modest in dress and clothes. Now whatever one believes about it, the reality is that if you go to one part of the America or another country or culture you get many different styles and fashion. You can't go and apply one standard to every person in the world. So how do we translate our beliefs to a current world that we can show applies realistically. Or how our beliefs apply to current religious or politcal issues such as abortion, gay marriage, Intelligent design (ID), etc...
On the theological side I found this great piece by Alexander Carpenter:
"after the great disappointment the heavenly sanctuary gave Adventists faith. It provided assurance that their shaken whole-hearted belief in the biblical chronology was correct and that something really did happen in 1844. As the memory of that experience dimmed for Adventists, the context changed. As Adventists shifted their faith from chronology to personal faith the judgment aspect of the doctrine actually led some to question their assurance of salvation. Then after Desmond Ford the meaning of the doctrine shifted again as it became a symbol of loyalty to the church, or Ellen White..."
Our Adventist beliefs are supposed to call us to a higher standard of Christian witness. But this witness must speak now, not to the past. We have a great history to draw upon as a guide for the future, and with that we press forward to think carefully about how best to be Adventists.... With very real questions of literacy, funding, ethical responsibility, and institutional continuity, we want to think carefully and critically about how to apply our faith in the world we encounter.
For an hundred years, with few exceptions, to most Adventists Ellen White was the only prophet in the world and she was the last word on almost everything: doctrine, entertainment, education, health. Then for the last thirty years most Adventists have revised their reading of her....How each generation treats her shows the Zeitgeist (It is a term that refers to the ethos of a cohort of people, that spans one or more subsequent generations, who despite their diverse age and socio-economic background experience a certain worldview, which is prevalent at a particular period of socio-cultural progression). The symbol of Ellen White has helped each generation of Adventism to define itself. She gave the early adherents the confidence to push ahead with this new religion - as they told their new narrative of continuing true Christianity through the ages - she gave them the confidence to construct a new religion and she kept out a lot of fanatical ideas. If you’re the only Adventist for miles around, it really helped to turn to the Great Controversy or Patriarchs and Prophets and feel surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
But the next generation came to her with different standards for sourcing and authority. Caught in the big epistemological shift between modern and postmodern standards of truth, Ellen White got split into something she never would have wanted: a test of loyalty to our faith community. The institutional thinking went something like this, in the confusing worlds of the “new theology,” self-supporting ministries, lower standards, Ford, Rae - if the ideas lead away from Sister White, BEWARE And often it proved true, those who questioned Ellen White often left the church - although it escaped some that for many it wasn’t the ideas but the community that pushed them out. In these times she again functioned as a symbol for Adventist identity and provided security for many in uncertain times.
My point is this: a new generation of Adventists need the prophetic voice, again. In a globalized, postmodern world where more and more Adventists navigate a complex mix of identities - ethnic, gender, economic, religious - our faith needs to fit. To just dismiss the past for the future misses the point. Today's Adventist leader must be self-aware about the process of translating our faith into a new context."
We have to see how our beliefs apply to the current understanding of the world today, we must look to Gods truth, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and and see how it will help in sharing it in a way that is comprehensible and understandable.
We as a church have to begin to think openly and strategically about how to apply Adventism to the challenges of today.
