The Result of Childhood Trauma

Reader,
I don’t believe that the SDA church can be “reformed”. I think that in the best case scenario, for church survival in the US and other developed countries, is a metamorphosis, or what might be described as “time and cultural change”. No one any longer talks about “the shut door”, counsels regarding the dangers of education beyond missionary training, “the lake of fire”, or the “investigative judgment”. The 2300 Days Prophecy; petty rules regarding Sabbath keeping; Revelation beasts; forbidden foods, movies, and drinks; and end-of-the-world proclamations just aren’t selling nowadays. And eventually, if the organized church survives, and that’s a big if, members will relegate these teachings to evolutionary misunderstandings necessary for Adventism to survive as a Christian sect.

Emphasis will be increasing placed on the Gospel: i.e. community outreach and worldwide health and service organizations like ADRA. Adventist education will encourage freedom of thought and expression. And SDA educated young people won’t “leave the church” because their emancipation from narrow doctrinaire practices will be celebrated by their church family.

Comic modified from The Far Side, by Gary Larson
(click to enlarge)