Religion and Theology - Christian Denomination - Essay Example

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination founded on the worship of Jesus and identified by the doctrines of the seventhday Sabbath, the second coming of Jesus Christ, the state of the dead, the sanctuary and the spirit of prophecy. The beliefs, practices, authority, worship and polity of Seventh-day Adventists are founded on the mandates of the Bible or the Holy Scriptures in tandem with the guidance of Ellen G. White, a pioneer and anointed messenger of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Rhodes 2005). The Seventh-day Adventist Church originated in the Millerite Movement 1832-1844 in which the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to occur. William Miller, a Baptist minister heralded the Great Awakening which spiritually revived Christendom in North America. After the crushing Great Disappointment, when Christ does not appear and a significant Millerite following falls away, “many nevertheless remained Adventists since they believed the second coming is still imminent” (Rhodes 27). A remnant of Protestant Christians perseveres in studying the Bible and meeting for regular Sabbath services. In 1860 at Battle Creek, Michigan, they give themselves the denominational name, Seventh-day Adventists, to signify their distinguishing beliefs: the seventh day Sabbath and the soon, second return of Christ. In the organizational framework comes into place when local congregations expand into conferences which are incorporated as the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists in 1863. Other notable early Adventists are Joseph Bates, James White, Uriah Smith, Hiram Edson and J.N Andrews. The current membership of Seventh-day Adventists worldwide stands at 12 million (Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Session 2005; Rhodes 27) Christian Denomination: The Seventh-day Adventists The authority of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is hinged on the Bible as the rule of standard and is resident structurally in the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The spiritual authority of the Seventh day Adventist Church resides in the Bible which is regarded as “the infallible revelation of (God’s) will” (General Conference of Seventh day Adventists 9). However, as far as organizational structure is concerned, the General Conference is the highest authority as “all subordinate organizations and institutions will recognize the General Conference as the highest authority under God among Seventh-day Adventists” (General Conference 2005). All SDA subsidiary conferences, missions and institutions operate under the aegis of the General Conference. Spearheaded by a President elected every quinquennium, and located in Silver Spring, Maryland, the General Conference orchestrates the international functions of the Church. Another noteworthy authority of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is Ellen G. White, (1827-1915) one who relayed to the early church with messages from God. Based on the belief of the spirit of prophecy, Seventh-day Adventists endorse Ellen G. White’s writings as inspirational, prophetic and truth. Ellen G. White was a prolific author and visionary that composed more than forty books, entered about 50,000 articles and letters (White). Her writings are mentioned as Spirit of Prophecy books. The General Conference advocates the “promoting, the purchase and reading of Spirit of Prophecy books for personal and spiritual development and nurture” (General Conference 2005). White’s literary expositions of counsel on a wide range of subjects such as health, education, family, prophecy and church organization are undisputed as a Church authority and “her writings …considered by church members to be authoritative” (Rhodes 2005). Worship within the Seventh day Adventist church belongs to the God and Creator of heaven and earth. It takes place in the daily life of every believer and culminates in the observation of the seventh-day Sabbath. Seventh day Adventist believers realize that “the Sabbath worship service is the most important of all meetings of the church” (General Conference 2005). These Sabbath religious services contextualized in the Seventh day Adventist Church, memorializes the Lord’s seventh day of rest when creation of the world is complete according to Genesis 2:1-3. The values of reverence for God, Christian fellowship and simplicity direct the Seventh day Adventist Church’s liturgy. Worship also synchronizes with the SDA Church’s Three Angels’ Messages (Revelation 14:6-12) wherein a command is sent from heaven to believers to “worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” The seventh day Sabbath constitutes one of the cornerstone beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. According to Seventh day Adventists, the Sabbath is an eternal sign instituted by God at the day of the Earth’s completion (Genesis 2:1-3) and remains in force among the body of Christ. Within the 4th commandment is enshrined the mandate to observe the holy Sabbath as the day that God blessed and sanctified. (Exodus 20:8-11). Again, in Mark 2:27-28 when Jesus walks the earth, He recognizes the Sabbath day as a day on which man observes the rest day of the Creator and calls himself the Lord of the Sabbath. Seventh day Adventists affirm that in no place in the Bible is the seventh day Sabbath abolished by God. The sanctuary is another pivotal SDA belief in which the Church realizes the sanctity and role of the heavenly sanctuary in the salvation of mankind. As the nation of Israel erected an earthly sanctuary so that God may dwell among them and in which many religious rites are executed, so there abides a heavenly sanctuary in which Jesus Christ intercedes as High Priest on behalf of humanity (Exodus 29:44; Exodus 30:30; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 8:2-5; Hebrews 9:11). The General Conference supports the Bible’s standpoint on the sanctuary; hence, has published that “there is a tabernacle in heaven…in it Christ ministers on our behalf” (General Conference 2005). Because of every believer’s connection with Jesus Christ, Seventh-day Adventists see themselves as belonging to a holy and royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). The Spirit of Prophecy message is endeared to Seventh day Adventist believers as a holy gift bestowed by God. Adventist cling to the belief that “one of the marks of the gifts of the Spirit is the spirit of prophecy” (General Conference 2005) As prophets of God carry messages from God to man, so today God uses chosen men and women as messengers of truth. The spirit of prophecy is an end time anointing by the Holy Spirit in which prophets encourage, admonish and forecast last day events before the end of the world when Christ should return. (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Joel 2:27-29; Revelation 19:10). The SDA Church also believes that Ellen G. White was endowed with a special prophetic gift that enabled her with spiritual discernment to predict, warn and hearten men and women. The SDA Church has another pinnacle belief on the state of the dead. They accept that man is a mortal being as possess no immortality of soul as “death is an unconscious state for all people” (General Conference 2005). Man’s frailty accentuates itself in none other prominent way than in his very mortality. Mortality corresponds to the fleeting, temporary nature of man’s existence, and reminds him that he is but dust. Man’s proneness to death points to his moral and physical feebleness and fallibility. Seventh day Adventists give credence to the fact that at man’s decease, he lapses into a state of unconsciousness or sleep until resurrection day when Jesus Christ returns again. (Genesis 3:19; Psalm 104:29 ; Psalms 146:4; Ecclesiastes 12:7; 1 Corinthians 15:52-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ) In sum, the Seventh-day Adventist Church considers represents a Protestant Christian denomination founded on the Bible, birthed in America but with worldwide reach. The tenets of Seventh day Adventist are uncompromising and distinctly peculiar as it relates to mainstream Christianity. A new religion – when one considers the recent history – the SDA Church harkens back to ancient ideals as set by God and recognized by the General Conference. References: General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual 17th Edition. (2005) Review and Herald Publishing Association, Maryland, 2005. General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists Ministerial Association. (2005) Seventh Day Adventists Believe: The 28 Doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Idaho.   Rhodes, R. (2005)The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations, Harvest House Publishers, Oregon. Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Session: A Brief History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. White, A.L (2000). Ellen G. White: A Brief Biography, The Ellen G. White Estate Read More