In today’s increasingly polarized world, we are constantly bombarded with the things that separate and divide us rather than what brings us together.
As a born and raised Seventh-day Adventist immersed in the culture, being employed by the church, I recognize that this carries over to our denomination.
On one hand, being separate from everyone else is a positive thing - we are called to be a peculiar people, after all. However, rather ironically, Seventh-day Adventists tend to be rather peculiar in the sense that as members of a church most of us believe to be the foundation of the remnant church, we have an awful hard time getting along sometimes.
As in the outside world of politics and religion, our church is divided into progressive and traditional, liberal and conservative, and we are hard pressed to do anything but shutter at what’s on the other side of the line drawn in the sand, regardless of what side we’re on.
How did we get here?
Besides the work of the devil to destroy the work of the church, I think it can be chalked up to a couple of different things. I really can’t stand extremism.
By extremism, I mean going so far to one side or the other of a spectrum - in this case, a denominational spectrum. Of course, some may call fundamental Adventism extreme. To that, I would wholeheartedly disagree. Our fundamental beliefs are rooted in biblical principles that withstand time and culture changes. The principles rooted in Scripture are indisputable.
However, as Adventists, we are well aware of areas in our church in which things are not always so cut and dry - things that we may or may not have counsel on but are often a matter of personal conviction. I think of things like one’s degree of Sabbath-keeping, types of music in or out of church, diet, adornment, various social issues, etc.
Now, as a person who likes to consider himself a moderate but conservative-learning Adventist, you could probably guess where I fall on most of these issues, but I’m not here to present arguments on the “right” interpretation or conviction someone should have on these issues. On the contrary, whether you are one that leans progressive or traditional, what I think we need more of in our church is empathy - specifically, intellectual empathy.
It’s a term that was introduced to me in college by one of my English professors - a person who taught me how to think more deeply and critically than I ever had before and who had the greatest impact on my college career. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking defines intellectual empathy as
“having a consciousness to imaginatively put oneself in the place of others in order to genuinely understand them, which requires the consciousness of our egocentric tendency to identify truth with our immediate perceptions of long-standing thought or belief” (Paul and Elder, chapter 16).
Essentially, it is placing oneself in the intellectual shoes of another in an attempt to truly understand why someone thinks in a certain way.
Now, what I am not advocating for is neither the deconstruction of the beliefs of our faith nor “woke” theology. Quite to the contrary - our fundamental beliefs are firmly rooted in biblical truth. Additionally, I am not saying that there are some issues such as the ones listed earlier that cannot be reconciled through a study of Scripture supplemented by Ellen White.
What I am saying is that all of us on both sides of the aisle can be a little more empathetic, emotionally and intellectually, to others who may have different perspectives than we do. While we may not agree with someone else’s perspective, we can accept that they very well might be an thoughtful person and have Scriptural/EGW argument for their position. Instead of using our platforms to point fingers at what’s wrong with the way others think, we can peacefully disagree while maintaining that all of us are part of the same church and have the same mission - to spread the word about the soon return of Jesus.
Are there issues that can be irrefutably taken care of by the Bible? Yes. The fundamentals are objectively true. There are things that may be more subjective to some than others. Show grace.
Are there people in our church today that intentionally mix truth and error to forward agendas that are not Biblical? Of course. Call sin out by its right name, but also recognize that not everyone who disagrees with you has a sinister agenda!
Both the Bible and Ellen White foreshadowed the potential for division in the church, and both counsel to avoid it:
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (I Corinthians 1:10).
In Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, she says:
“The world is against us, the popular churches are against us, the laws of the land will soon be against us. If there was ever a time when the people of God should press together, it is now. God has committed to us the special truths for this time to make known to the world. The last message of mercy is now going forth. We are dealing with men and women who are judgment bound. How careful should we be in every word and act to follow closely the Pattern, that our example may lead men to Christ” (236).
Divisions will happen in our fallen world. The devil will continue to attack the church from the inside and out. However, it needs to be said that if our pattern is indeed Christ, then our practice will be to stand for the truth with a confident grace-filled attitude.
We can pray for those around us, within the church and without, to have, or continue having, a true encounter with Jesus - everything else falls into place after. Yes, we may still have our positions on the spectrum, but if we are living up to the light that we have, we should act on our convictions and let God do the work of convicting others.
***
Will Reed is a teacher and principal in the Adventist school system in the Rocky Mountain Conference.
