In recent history, if you queried any Seventh-day Adventist regarding the Great Disappointment they would recount the events surrounding the Millerite movement. This is where a young Baptist preacher, by the name of William Miller, was able to successfully decipher the end-time road map leading to the timing of the Cleansing of the Sanctuary identified in Daniel 8:14. The disappointment came in the misapplying the eschatological timing to Christ’s return, versus the investigative judgment occurring in the heavenly sanctuary. This series of events led to the 1844 Great Disappointment; whereby fellow believers prepared for Christ’s return on October 22, 1844.
This sequence of enlightenment, disappointment, and the revelation of the investigative judgement launched the formation of a movement many of us ascribe our membership to; the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The great disappointment occurrence, prior to the launch of our SDA denomination, was instrumental in aligning membership within a unified biblical conviction. This is unlike the Christian church at the time of Constantine, where conversion was heavily influenced by popularity, thus resulting in a melding of popular ideology and biblical precepts. The SDA’s church origin, as shaped by its great disappointment, attracted converts with convictions able to withstand the present-day persecution in preparation for the end time tribulation.
It was only due to the great disappointment that the SDA denomination could launch its movement, to bring spiritual accuracy in an ecclesiastical world seeking reformative biblical significance from compromise of biblical truth. As the world’s churches, marched into alignment with each other; to increase their significance through consolidation of ideology, governmental authorities simultaneously maximized authoritative opportunities by bridging church/state relationships via interdependent mechanisms.
The Covid Mandate
Today, if you query many SDA members and ask them what their greatest disappointment is (while being an SDA member), many will tell you; that during the Covid Pandemic, we as a world church, did not cement our place in history in affirmation of Liberty of Conscience. That at the core of our endtime tribulation warning to the world, when all rights will be suspended and the world pivots to worshiping the beast, the manipulation of individual Conscience is the battleground of salvation. For to pressure a throng to compliant action, the potential dissenters must fear the consequences of opposition greater than the consequences of submission.
Few events in SDA history have caused more dissention, polarization and criticism than the GC ADCOM Covid response. Plainly put, for many Seventh-day Adventist members the sentiment is that our collective world church, as an organizational body, fell on the wrong side of history. And the very fact we have not been able to have a constituent level dialogue on the precedent set, leaves many SDA members concerned and greatly disappointed.
We know more mandates will come. This is at the core of our end time message. Should we not seek to coalesce around a united front? Does the GC Administratively define our SDA theology and ideology, or does the SDA constituency define it for the GC? If the GC adopts both the legislative and executive function of the SDA, doesn’t the lack of checks and balance present concerns?
The lack of administrative/constituent dialogue on this issue and the subsequent anxiety that it has spawned, have led numerous parishioners, pastors, and administrators to voice their individual concerns (both in hindsight and towards future mandates). The liberty from which these voices of incertitude have been raised, is directly proportional to the level of ideological alignment there is within their respective authoritative structure. Independent ministries have been the most vocal, while those who are church employed have often chosen more measured approaches. The optics are of an SDA administrative structure that has “circled the wagons” and largely closed communications within the rank and file. At the same time, independent ministries must navigate a myriad of messaging censorship. This leaves a multitude of concerned parishioners to navigate between a parish afraid to speak and independent ministries unable to access the membership.
The lack of open and transparent dialogue is having the presumed opposite desired effect (of silencing the concerned). The tone deafness is fueling criticism of Godly men on both sides of the issue. Furthermore, escalation of anxieties regarding erosion of civil liberties and potential denominational capitulation is met with administratively orchestrated disciplinary action.
In 57 years of my SDA journey, I have come to realize and accept that Godly men make mistakes. This includes men who have committed their lives in advancing the gospel truth evangelically, and men who have committed their lives in God’s service through administration of the church. No man is without sin and beyond rebuke. And likewise, no one has reached the terminus of their service to God until He performs the great harvest (Matthew 13:24-30). For service to God is a transformative journey, not a point in time commitment or conviction. Our transformation is not complete until the day of Christ’s return.
… being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phi. 1:6) emphasis added
In the writing of this article, it is not the author’s intent to cast our SDA organizational leaders in a negative light. Leading an end time movement at the global level is complex and not easily executed by prescriptive formulas. Leadership by its nature places one in unchartered territory where mistakes are made, and grace must be extended. Perfection of a leader, even ones in lifelong service to God, is an unrealistic expectation. But humility of one’s humanity entreats parishioners to extend trust to leaders. The words “I’m sorry” go a long way to maintaining trust.
The Nuclear Option
While there are numerous biblical beliefs/positions held by the SDA organizationally that are absolute truth, and not in need of debate or dialogue, there are however issues and topics that need a forum for dialogue. The SDA position of Liberty of Conscience being one of them. Though I revere the Godly men who serve our church leadership, there is no basis for the absoluteness of conviction that manifests itself in censoring, canceling, or banning dialogue on the many issues concerning our members. We can’t point to a “thus sayeth the Lord” or text from the Spirit of Prophecy that substantiates such resolute administrative actions. Conversely there are scholars, administrators, medical professionals, and multitudes of constituents that are convicted that great public harm has occurred in complacency to various Covid mandates and sanctions.
In a society that has evolved to control truth at any cost, we have dissolved discourse into ideologically aligned echo chambers. With an ever-increasing focus on risk management, strong leaders who tirelessly seek to serve God and advance the gospel message are relegated to obscurity when their actions don’t parallel a prescriptive narrative.
History is replete with examples of imperfect individuals seeking to serve God and falling short in the process. Biblically, I think of Moses, Jonah, King David, King Solomon and all the disciples. Each could have been cancelled by God and relegated to obscurity for their direct actions against Him.
As a wretched sinner, what is amazing to me is that God’s love for us is so deep that we are continually afforded forgiveness and renewal. Advancing His truth would be so much easier if He did not have to use us to do it. Despite our egocentric inclinations, He gives us the privilege to be in His service and ultimately part of His kingdom. Yet our culture today, too readily reaches for the nuclear option; an action of last resort, where the risks of mutual assured destruction are outweighed by the perceived necessary gains. Where no apparent alternative is available, and no redeeming value is present, they censure, cancel, ban, or ostracize an individual or group not aligned with prescriptive manmade expectations.
I’ve observed and experienced marginalization, and had to overcome its ill effects in my personal journey back to SDA parishioner participation. It wounds people and collateral damage is often immeasurable. And its first-resort use is not spiritual. Censoring, canceling, and banning is destructive. It polarizes memberships and undermines the faith constituents want to have in their leadership.
Many SDA members are concerned that significant factions of our church have found harmony with a secular and ecumenical narrative. A remnant church must be a relevant church and to be relevant you can’t survive on ecumenism. You must stand for truth though the heavens fall (Ed. 57.3) Being bold and impassioned to serve God may not endear every parishioner, pastor or administrator. However, I would urge all SDA entities to extend grace to the impassioned. Christ’s letter to our Laodicean church indicated He wished we were hot or cold, not ecumenical (Rev. 3:15-16).
Our digital information “airwaves” are full of rhetoric and not all is election related. Godly men have taken to leaning into this storm and render their convictions for or against the mandate’s fall out. At times the arguments are framed on presuppositions not rooted in facts, reality, or biblical conformity, selected messages are chosen while others ignored. Individually we are egocentric creatures susceptible to biases from our echo-chamber feedback. Any argument can be supported by engaging in scriptural or textual excision. What is lost in the linguistic compositions is that the earth as we know it is racing towards a cosmic end, punctuated by a majestic rebirth. As an expecting mother looks past the inevitable birth pains, her spirits are uplifted by focusing on the miracle of impending birth. To only focus on the cosmic end, misses the point that all the pain and tribulation will be well worth it. Remember, our denominational mandate is not to wallow in fear of the cosmic end, but to call people out of Babylon towards the rebirth. We can all see it coming. None of us know how the tribulation will manifest itself. What is abundantly clear in the SOP is that though men/women serving the church will err and stumble, we are to press together, for the world is watching. The enemies of God wish to relegate our entire movement into obscurity. Now, more than ever we must be true to our conscience of duty like a needle to the pole (Ed. 57.3).
In closing I would hope this article is a mirror from which the various participants can see a true reflection of where we exist. I believe we are stronger in our faith when we are afforded the opportunity to individuallyaffirm our convictions. I believe that is the salvation example we have been given. Salvation is not the result of removing all the “false” voices from our midst but being able to individually discern truth from falsehood. I encourage all to raise our evangelists and church leaders in prayer. May the God of wisdom, compassion, and renewal, unite us into a stronger reconciled SDA.
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Daniel Bacchiocchi is an architect and builder. Today he operates an architectural and construction business in Michigan as well as a non-profit building mission organization, Master’s Builders, Inc., supporting SDA efforts in financially depressed communities around the world.