Questions on Adventism for an University Presentation.

[Marie-Eve]

Good afternoon,

As some of you may have read I am a French student working on an Adventist project. With my friend we want to include "interviews" in our work, so here you have some questions to help us.

1. Were you an Adventist from the beginning? (Adventist parents etc) Or did you become one? If so, can you explain us what lead you to Adventism?

2. If you are married or in couple, is your husband/wife an Adventist too?

3. How can you describe Adventism in a few words for people who do not know this religion?

4. How do you live Adventism in your daily life? (food, work, family, finance)

5. When reading about Adventism we often encounter the name of Ellen White. Who is she and is she important for you?

6. Can you explain us, in your words, what 1844 means to you and now is there a date when Christ is supposed to come back?

7. How is Adventism different from Protestantism?

8. In your Church what is the program of a Saturday? How is your Sabbath?

9. What is your best memory as an Adventist?

10. What do you want us to say about Adventism in our university when we will be presenting your religion?

Thank you a lot for your answers and if our questions are not written in good English do not hesitate to correct us please.

Here you are my mail marie_eve_delmas@yahoo.com if you want to send me the answers by mail.

Marie-Eve.

[LynnDel]

I sent my answers via e-mail. Let us know how it goes!

LynnDel

[phkrause]

Wow interesting questions amarie-Eve, and welcome to C/A.

1-No I was not an SDA, became one after my parents, at least my Mom became one. So obviously at first mostly because of my Mom, later my father. But kept reading and found that Adventisim follows the Bible closer than any other denomination. So to have a closer walk with my Savior I continue to be an SDA.

2-Yes my wife was and is still a SDA.

3-I think that's easier said than done.

We celebrate God on the Sabbath, we believe in the second coming, we accept the 10 Commandments as God's moral code, believe in the Bible from front cover to back cover, Faith is definitely a positive because there are passage's that are not easy to understand. But they need to experience it for themselves, I'm pretty sure that if you ask each adventist, each one would have a little different answer.

4-I live each day or should live each day to be a blessing to someone.

5-EGW is God's appointed Prophet to the SDA church to lead some onto the right path, and others to stay on the path. To point us to the Bible. To help explain passage's that are really hard to understand. And yes she is very important to me and to the church.

6-1844 is when Jesus enter the Most Holy, and no there is no date as to the exact time Jesus will return.

7-I'd say one of the biggest difference's is the Sabbath, state of the dead, the Investigative Judgement and a few others.

8-Not sure what you want here, but as far as most SDA churches is Sabbath School, and than the Worship Service. The second part would be spending time with the Creator and Savior of this earth, Jesus.

9-Seeing people after they just got baptized.

10-To come to an Adventist church near you and feel the love of Jesus.

[Gerr]

Good afternoon,

As some of you may have read I am a French student working on an Adventist project. With my friend we want to include "interviews" in our work, so here you have some questions to help us.

1. Were you an Adventist from the beginning? (Adventist parents etc) Or did you become one? If so, can you explain us what lead you to Adventism?

I was raised in the Catholic Church. I became an Adventist as a teenager. When my attention was directed to the Bible, I immediately saw all the unbiblical beliefs that I held.

2. If you are married or in couple, is your husband/wife an Adventist too?

Yes, my wife is a SDA also.

3. How can you describe Adventism in a few words for people who do not know this religion?

The Adventist Church is the most biblically-sound Christian religion that I know of. The consistency and the logic of the doctrines are very appealing to me. it is a church that believes Jesus is coming soon, therefore, it's mission is to spread the Good News into all the world. They also keep the Sabbath as a testimony of their belief that God is the Creator of life and the universe, hence the name Seventh-day Adventists.

4. How do you live Adventism in your daily life? (food, work, family, finance)

I try to live what I understand the Bible to prescribe - love God whole-heartedly and love my fellowmen as myself. I eat in a way that treats my body as the temple of God's Spirit as the Bible says. I'm retired now, but I do work six days and rest on the 7th day according to the commandment. I also do volunteer work. Next to God, my family is the most important. As to finance, I try to follow the tithing principle, and hate debt like the plague. I try to share what I have with those less fortunate.

5. When reading about Adventism we often encounter the name of Ellen White. Who is she and is she important for you?

After reading her writings for several decades and comparing them with the Bible, I am convinced that she is a modern day inspired messenger in the same mold as the old testament prophets. Is she infallible? No. And she made no claims to infallibility. Only God is infallible.

6. Can you explain us, in your words, what 1844 means to you and now is there a date when Christ is supposed to come back?

A book could be written about this subject alone, but I will try give a brief summary. I believe 1844 to be the culmination of the 2300 day/year prophecy in Dan 8:14. The beginning date of 457 BC, I believe is a well-established date, which the prophecy specified as its beginning. Once the beginning date is accepted, there is no escaping the fact that it ends in 1844. What happened in 1844? The prophecy says that that is when the sanctuary will be cleansed or restored to its rightful state. Why does it need to be cleansed/restored to its former state? Because transgressions done here are recorded in "books" that are dealt with in the heavenly sanctuary. Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary is the central subject of the book of Hebrews. A judgment is taking place there now as recorded in Dan 7 in which the books are opened. The judgment is necessary because not everyone who profess to believe are saved. The judgment is to separate the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats, the sincere from the hypocrite. This is NOT because God doesn't know who is saved or who is lost. It is for the benefit of all who wish to see the evidence that God has been just in dealing with sin and sinners. If Hitler and Stalin were to be in heaven, I think a lot of people would want to know how or why. And if Mother Teresa were to be sentenced to hell, a lot of people would wonder about that too.

While Adventists believe that the Second Coming of Jesus is very near, we have not or do not set any dates for that event ever since the founding of the SDA church. Those that set the date of 1844 came from all the different Christian churches of that era. The SDA church was not established until 1869.

7. How is Adventism different from Protestantism?

I believe that Adventism is a movement that is deeply rooted in historic Protestantism, and therefore believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone; and that the Bible the sole rule for faith and practice. I personally believe that Adventism is a continuation of a reformation movement that was not completed. Every Protestant Church that arose discovered some biblical truth, but when its founder passed from the scene, its followers tended to consolidate and went no farther. The Adventist founders studied the Bible and adopted the different truths that were found in the different Protestant churches and rediscovered other truths as well.

What sets Adventists apart from most Protestant churches would be: 1) the 7th Sabbath (although there are many tiny churches that subscribe to the same belief, except for the 7th day Baptists which is a much larger group) 2) SDAs do not believe that man has an immortal soul. When a person dies, he/she sleeps until resurrection #1 for the righteous, or resurrection #2 for the wicked. 3) That God is just and will not burn the wicked in hell eternally for a brief life of crime/sin on earth. 4) That Christ, as our High Priest, is ministering for us in the heavenly sanctuary. 5) We probably have more emphasis on healthful living than any other Protestant church, hence the longer life span.

8. In your Church what is the program of a Saturday? How is your Sabbath?

God calls the Sabbath "my holy day", Isa 58:13.. It is a memorial that God is the Creator, Gen 2:2,3; Ex 20:8-11. It is also a sign, a reminder, that He alone can make sinners holy, Ex 31:13. So it is a day for celebration,a sanctuary in time, fellowship, sharing, worship, rest, and time with nature, a weekly vacation to recharge, if you please. The formal church program is geared to worship and Bible study.

9. What is your best memory as an Adventist?

The time I spent in an Adventist boarding school and when I was loved back into the church after a fling with the "world."

10. What do you want us to say about Adventism in our university when we will be presenting your religion?

That it is a God/Christ-centered religion with a man-centered ministry, preparing people for life that now is and for the life to come. That is why the Adventist Church has, I believe, the largest Protestant school system in the world and the most extensive healthcare facilities in the world. And because of our regard for the body and its health, Adventists are among the healthiest on this planet. And that as a church we do care about the environment. And to check it out whether our claim to being the most biblically based Christian church is true or not.

Thank you a lot for your answers and if our questions are not written in good English do not hesitate to correct us please.

Here you are my mail marie_eve_delmas@yahoo.com if you want to send me the answers by mail.

Marie-Eve.

[BobRyan]

Good afternoon,

As some of you may have read I am a French student working on an Adventist project. With my friend we want to include "interviews" in our work, so here you have some questions to help us.

1. Were you an Adventist from the beginning? (Adventist parents etc) Or did you become one? If so, can you explain us what lead you to Adventism?

[BobRyan]

A good place to find a list of official, current SDA beliefs.

http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html

[olger]

As some of you may have read I am a French student working on an Adventist project. With my friend we want to include "interviews" in our work, so here you have some questions to help us.

1. Were you an Adventist from the beginning? (Adventist parents etc) Or did you become one? If so, can you explain us what lead you to Adventism?

I converted to the church in 1988. I spent 2.5 years trying to disprove the Adventist Message prior to my conversion. Failed miserably

2. If you are married or in couple, is your husband/wife an Adventist too?

she is. She joined 8-months after I did.

3. How can you describe Adventism in a few words for people who do not know this religion?

An Adventist is one who is waiting expectantly on the second coming of Jesus. And participating in ministering truth to others.

4. How do you live Adventism in your daily life? (food, work, family, finance)

What I believe makes me different from the world.

5. When reading about Adventism we often encounter the name of Ellen White. Who is she and is she important for you?

I wasn't impressed with the idea of a prophet, in fact I disliked the idea (due to charlatans of history). Until I actually read the Great Controversy. It blew me away wasn't what I expected. At all.

6. Can you explain us, in your words, what 1844 means to you and now is there a date when Christ is supposed to come back?

1844 Is an important date that marks a prophetic event. No date for the second coming is available to man.

7. How is Adventism different from Protestantism?

The Adventist message is the fullest representation of the apostolic church. Modern Christiandom has moved so far from certain biblical truths that the Advent movement looks foreign, odd to the world. In adventism we find the restitution of forgotten (and important) truths that were jettisoned during the apostasy of the middle and dark ages. This is not to say that there are not genuine believers in protestant churches. There are, and the call is "come out of spiritual confusion my people."

8. In your Church what is the program of a Saturday? How is your Sabbath?

The sabbath is a special family day for us. Nice to have a divine stop sign from work too.

9. What is your best memory as an Adventist?

Friends and sharing christ with others. Potlucks are good too

10. What do you want us to say about Adventism in our university when we will be presenting your religion?

Certainly the Adventist 'church' is no ordinary body. It is a movement, called of God to prepare a dying world for the soon return of the Lord Jesus. An understanding of the prophecies of Daniel & The Revelation by the Hand of God, led to the formation of this last "message bearer" to Earth. The Adventist church has an understanding of prophecy that is far beyond anything I've ever seen. The Adventist people also possess a knowledge of Jesus and His Life & Ministry that is thrilling. Yet along with that insight comes a responsibility. Lest you think I am brag¬ging (I'm not), may I say that the church is full of people who struggle and fail, just as I do. The good news is: Jesus accepts sinners, and invites us to grow in Him as a perfect body. In the words of Paul: "this is a mystery," but it is also a reality. God is calling together a people who want to know Him, and will walk where He walks.

Thank you a lot for your answers and if our questions are not written in good English do not hesitate to correct us please.

Here you are my mail marie_eve_delmas@yahoo.com if you want to send me the answers by mail.

[Kevin H]

Good afternoon,

As some of you may have read I am a French student working on an Adventist project. With my friend we want to include "interviews" in our work, so here you have some questions to help us.

1. Were you an Adventist from the beginning? (Adventist parents etc) Or did you become one? If so, can you explain us what lead you to Adventism?

2. If you are married or in couple, is your husband/wife an Adventist too?

3. How can you describe Adventism in a few words for people who do not know this religion?

4. How do you live Adventism in your daily life? (food, work, family, finance)

5. When reading about Adventism we often encounter the name of Ellen White. Who is she and is she important for you?

6. Can you explain us, in your words, what 1844 means to you and now is there a date when Christ is supposed to come back?

7. How is Adventism different from Protestantism?

8. In your Church what is the program of a Saturday? How is your Sabbath?

9. What is your best memory as an Adventist?

10. What do you want us to say about Adventism in our university when we will be presenting your religion?

Thank you a lot for your answers and if our questions are not written in good English do not hesitate to correct us please.

Here you are my mail marie_eve_delmas@yahoo.com if you want to send me the answers by mail.

Marie-Eve.

1. My Grandmother was acquainted with Seventh-day Adventists as a child in Norway because her mother's sister was a Seventh-day Adventists. After moving to the USA she had an Adventist neighbor who was Norwegian that helped the new immigrants and through their friendship joined. However my grandparents eventually moved out in the country so as I was growing up we did not attend church too often and was not a part of the Adventist subculture and also when we would go to New York City on visits we would attend different church services that were being held in Norwegian from different denominations, especially at Christmas time for Julitree fest. We would go to the Adventist church when visiting NY City, or when visiting family in California, or when they came to see us. Starting when I was in the 8th or 9th grade a 20 year old man from our home church, about 40 miles away felt that his ministry would be to drive around and bring young people who lived far from the church to church (a ministry he still does) and that is when I started to attend church regularly and then in the 10th grade went to Academy and the Adventist school system.

2. Sadly still single. Sort of seeing a young girl at church

3. Seventh-day Adventists are people who want to take the entire Bible seriously and are looking for the Advent. The Seventh-day part of our name is from wanting to take the whole Bible seriously, and at the time of the development of Darwin's theories, God raised up Sabbath Keepers to remember creation. The big thing is that we were created by a God who is loving and we long to be back in a visible verbal relationship with this God. We are both a religion, yet a movement that transcends religion. There are Jews who incorporate Adventism into their beliefs (and for a while Seventh-day Adventist Jews were recognized in our memberships. ) as well as Moslems who incorporate it into their beliefs. Those who are members have strong ties, yet you will find various sub-groups among us as our pioneers came from a wide variety of different types of churches, some more liberal others more conservative, and while the pioneers agreed to disagree and to unite of a few pillar beliefs, their descendents have been trying since to have us be more conservative or more moderate. We are a people willing to grow, discuss, and look to archaeology, history and linguistic studies to understand the Bible better and to incorporate the Bible into our life. I like the summery of our faith that was on the bulletin of a church in Oregon, I'll try to return later to write it here.

4. I love Jesus, and want to reflect his love to others. Also in points asked specifically in this question: I pay tithe, and offerings, I am willing to learn how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising and avoiding the most dangerous foods that the Bible recommends us to avoid, as well as things such as drugs and tobacco and alcohol.

5. John, being the last of the apostles was teaching the church that as the apostles had died, that the church will have to depend more on prophets. I believe that there are different types of prophetic roles, and that too often we just want the Cannonical prophets, but they were only a part of the ministries of Prophets, and we sadly have allowed Fundamentalism to creep in among us. I believe that God has raised up prophets as needed to help keep the church on course. We may not realize which ones in our history had the prophetic office. Mrs. White's is unique in that she was wider published and very central to our denomination (although by the end of her life she did have more of an interdenominational ministry with Steps to Christ and being a popular speaker in Sunday keeping Churches.) Mrs. White's ministry shows that it focused on different themes: First that the Millerite movement was lead by God so don't give up that experience. Then the organization into the Seventh-day Adventist church, followed by the organization of our education and health message, followed by her greatest mission, but the one that she kept getting distracted from with side issues that she tried to deal with (and which we tend to focus on) but the issues of the Great Controversy: The 3 roles of the trinity, the 3 lies of Satan against the aspects of the trinity and how they are answered in how God leads his people and especially in the life and death of Jesus, how we understand it through the 3 angels message and in the nature of how God deals with the lost at the end. Sadly too many Seventh-day Adventists are caught up on her side issues instead of her core message.

6, I could write a book on this one. The ancient world believed in time cycles and that events that happened in heaven were reflected on earth. Prophecy is written in a way where it can be applied to the generation getting the prophecy, yet have principles which are the timeless and eternal word of God. The Hebrews could have come into the promised land soon after the forming into a nation at Mt. Sinai. But they refused so they were in the wilderness for 40 years then returned to have the prophecy fulfilled. Deuteronomy 4 (among other places which gives more details, but Deuteronomy 4 is a wonderful overview) gives two possible ways how God could use his people: in the land or in exile. The exile could have been the last days followed by God setting up his kingdom. Daniel 8 was given the year that included 2300 literal days to the fall of Babylon. Since the conditions were not fulfilled, instead of being lead home by the Messiah in a second great exodus, it was a lack luster return, giving the Jews another 490 years (the time from David to the end of the exile) and what would have happened had Jesus been accepted. In Ezekiel 38 and 39 if you were to take the time there it would be 2310 days, if you subtract the 10 days from new years to the day of atonement (since the decree was given on the day of atonement) you would have another 2300 day prophecy, telling what could have happened had Jesus been accepted. The text uses cyclic time, not a direct day or year. The cycles are found in Leviticus 26, of days, half years, whole years and Sabbatical years. Since Daniel was a Deuteronomist which was not as focused on the Jubilee we would thus not focus on cycle of sabbatical years and thus have days, half years and whole years. 2300 years from the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem brings us to 1844. We see in the mid 1800s a big change in Christianity. We split into liberal "modernist" churches, and conservative "fundamentalists" churches. You see churches trading in historicism for either preterism (that all the prophecies were in the past) or futurism/dispensationalism and the idea of the rapture and all of Darby's ideas. We also find an explosion in Biblical knowledge starting around that time when in the 1830s Robinson explored the Holy Land and rediscovered Biblical geography, which lead to archaeology and the rediscovery of the ancient world and ancient manuscripts with have lead to us being able to understand the Biblelike never before. And as the Universe is also studying the issues of the great controversy, this is where they review what God has done for his people here on earth, how he saves us and what that means for our life, which helps them understand their own salvation better. To me the Investigative Judgment teaches us that it is not "say the magic words and be saved" but that every person on earth is growing, either more like Christ or less like him. That Salvation is on God's graciousness, not on my joining a particular church or religion. Our job is to encourage each other in our growth by wanting to learn and share more more about Jesus.

7. There are more differences today than there use to be due to the rise of dispensationalism. We are not dispensationalists. We do not believe in the rapture and all the "Left behind" ideas of Darby. We believe that we are going to go through a time of trouble where the universe sees people who either love the world as Jesus has loved it, or people who think they are for themselves by making less of the outside world. I understand the 7 heads of Revelation 13 to be the 7 periods of history covering the choosen: Babylon, Medio-persia, Greece, Rome, the Holy Roman Empire (including papal supremacy), the deadly wound (a period of independent nations and no great empire) and the deadly would being healed, as the nations unite in economic cooperation and the merchants of the earth become the empire that no one can buy or sell except for going along with this system, which will fall apart into chaos. We need to trust God to give us the strength to get through the last days, rather than just say the magic words and be raptured away missing the problems. We don't believe that we go to heaven or hell at death. Paul talks about 3 stages: The grain, the grain in the ground and the grain raised into newness of life. Or the tent body, a period of nakedness, and our palace body at the resurrection/translation, it is what happened after the resurrection where we are absent from the body and present with the Lord. Paul says that while that will be so much better than this tent body, he clarified that he does not want us to be "naked" or does not want us to be dead, this tent is better than death, but not nearly as good as the palace body which is present with the Lord. And while there is 2 major views of hell in our church, one of these views is that hell fire is not that we have if we light a match, but it is the brightness and glory and beauty and love of God, Jesus is our deepest desire. When we see Jesus in all his beauty we are ALL attracted to him. Those of us who have made choices to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our life will find it heaven to be with Jesus. Those who have rejected the drawing power of the Spirit will want to come but refuse to. They don't trust God. They are unforgiving and cannot comprehend God's ability to forgive them, especially as they see their sins in contrast to Jesus' purity. They see loved ones in the city they long to join, but know how they have taken advantage of their loved ones, and see others who they have harmed and knows that the one sitting on the throne knows every corner of their mind and they want to run away, but yet Jesus is still their deepest desire. This wanting to come, but refusing to is the nature of hell. Jesus is welcoming of them, but they refuse.

8. Sabbath school, and church. I am currently attending a church which is more of an outreach church, a social worker having church for her clients and their children and friends of these people so there are a lot of children and working to help them to love Jesus. I understand Sabbath to be a day of worship, spend time with the Bible and to build our relationships, and do religious and nature things, trips to the zoo or park with your family etc. avoiding the everydayness to make it special.

9. Memory of friends and family, a trust in Jesus, the good news about Hell fire, and a willingness to take the Bible seriously with looking at archaeology and linguistic studies.

10. Who hell fire is; the beauty of Jesus. That we are a people who believes that God is not who his enemies say that he is. God is not arbitrary, unforgiving and sever, but the God of creation, majesty and power is gracious who values nothing higher than the freedom, dignity and individuality of his intelligent creatures. No matter what your background, Jesus loves you and wants to give you a happier life here on earth and he wants this to continue in heaven where death will be destroyed.

[Naomi]

Good questions ... sounds like a very interesting project.

1-Yes, 4th generation. And, NO, had to find it for myself as an adult.

2-N/A

3-It is probably easier to speak of what it is not. It's not a Free Ticket to Heaven. It's not a place where all the Saints gather and no one ever steps off the path. It's not a cult. It's not a denominaton in which members can work their way to Heaven via good works, etc

What is it to me? It is a way of life in which one studies, prays and is provided with a blueprint of how to develop and grow in a personal relationship with our Lord.

To be a SDA one learns to grow in and live by faith; set aside "logic" and trust in the unseen. To believe that every word written he Bible are the inspired word(s) of our God.

4-I attempt ( all too often fall short) of being a good stewart of my temple body, words, and finances. To remind myself often that many people will not ever see the inside of a church or one of our churches; will never hear a great speaker explain God's Word. But, they will see and hear how I dress, speak, treat them and others. They may or maynot notice what I eat but they will remember.

One of the nicest things I have heard about how someone described an Adventist they had known their past is, "He/She was such a wonderful, kind and loving person."

5-EGW was God's God's messanger to the world. Through Sister White and her group of believers the SDA church was established and continues to grow at amazing numbers. She described herself as a "lessor light" but indeed an important light.

Through her words we have come to understand God's message of salvation better ... and will come to understand it better by and by.

6-1844 The day the sanctuary was cleansed/restored. The Day Judgement began. The beginning date has not been difficult to established, however, Only God knows the ending date. More important to us as individuals is not the establishment of the day of our Lord's return, but our personal expiration date. And, that day we also do not know. (end of my sermon for the day LOL)

7-As previously stated, Adventism is the continuation of the reformation movement. That is the reason we believe we are God's Reminant Church. God has sheep in other folds who have some or most of the light, and live up to their full knowledge. For us, perhaps the biggest difference is that we have no excuses!

8-In most of the churches I have attended, in the US and abroad, the order of service is simular. A hymn or two, short talk by the Superintendant. Some churches have Mission stories, some do not, division of groups for SS Study. Intermission, usually with quiet Sabbath music, Call to worship, Dioloxgy, announcemens, childrens story, offering, Pastorial prayer, special music, sermon, closing hymn and prayer.

9-Childhood momories of Prepration Friday when house would be scrubbed clean, Sabbath meals would be prepared and preserved, Sabbath clothing would be pressed and laid out. Sundown would be our version of family vespers of some scripture, Bible stories and mother playing the piano and suffering with our vocalizing often out of tune. One usual song was "Friday evening se of sun Chrisian work will be done....."

On Friday's prior to communion. Mother would bake the unleaven bread, we would make sure all cloths were clean, pressed and neatly folded for this precious service. Grape juice would be packed in the "Communion" box. Somehow buying the communion crackers seems to have lost something to me.

I believe getting ready for the Sabbath is a little like what we do daily in preparing ourselves for the Kingdom.

Special Sabbath memories were the times our childrens, and youth groups would go outside to a park or lake for Sabbath Services. Also, campmeetings and Summer Camp

10-To come to an Adventist church just as your are. The Church is a hospital for sinners and you will be welcome. Accept the love of God and the congregation. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Naomi_Tricomi@sbcglobal.net

God Bless