Seventh-Day Adventists: It Gets Better!

As a former SDA myself I found myself excited after viewing this It Gets Better video filmed by Seventh-day Adventist filmmakers and activists as a part of the It Gets Better campaign. You can read the full article here.


It Gets Better (for Adventists too) from Stephen Eyer on Vimeo.


I was surprised at my own ignorance of LGBT people within the SDA church but also of my views of the SDA church. Growing up in a SDA church I always found the church stuffy, filled with an aging congregation pushing their conservative, Bible based views on the younger folk (or at least what this particular group calls Bible-based). It wasn't until after graduating from my SDA boarding school that I first realized that even within our conservative community some people were "different" from the established norm (almost 1/8 of my graduating class came out shortly after graduation, one of them being a very dear friend of mine I had absolutely no clue was gay). No one talked about it on campus because we all knew anyone who openly contradicted the values of the SDA church was grounds for expulsion. I wouldn't call it an ingrained fear or indoctrination against any non Bible-based relationships but it was a view that stuck with me and took years to unravel.

Ryan Bell, author of the article, is right, this It Gets Better video is a step in the right direction for the SDA church. I once viewed the SDA church with their heels dug in so deep into their conservative evangelical roots that I thought they were beyond any form of reformation. I've forgotten there are individuals and groups within the Christian church that are pushing the envelope of what it means to be Christian. What gets me even more excited is not that there are those who are challenging the boundaries of religious group they identify with but that we (mankind) are continuing to push the envelope of what it means to be human and how we interact and love our neighbor.

Back to Basics: My Adventist Roots

I recently stumbled upon a USA Today article heralding Seventh-Day Adventists as the fastest growing Christian denomination in America. Although the article did state that the vegetarian lifestyle and it's "clear" message on Christian life are a couple of the reasons people are flocking to SDA, I found the article too vague in answering WHY this particular denomination is growing so quickly. I remember going to seminars, camp meetings, and week long outreach events all the time growing up as a kid. It seemed like every other week we held an outreach event explaining, in vast detail I might add, what WILL happen during the second coming. I'm sure this frequent reminder reassured the aging population of our church but such details on a future event puzzled me as a child. How were they so sure these events would take place in this manner?

A lot of my friends and family members comment on how they feel it's the end of the world with everything that's been happening. I remind them, without trying to step on their religious convictions, that anytime the world has experienced a catastrophic event throughout history there have been those heralding the end of the world. The SDAs were born out of the Millerite movement which continue the strong emphasis of the second coming of Christ. I understand why people look towards the second coming, they want to leave this chaotic world behind along with all of the pain and misery. [On a sidenote, did you know Muslims are also awaiting the second coming of Jesus?] When chaos strikes they also run towards that which makes them feel safe and secure, and for many people security is found under the protection of an all knowing God. They (SDAs) believe that by going back to the basics and following some (not all, though) of the Old Testament observances that they will be following God's Will more closely thereby also receiving God's divine protection.

I understand the draw to a "back to basics" faith but all the faith in the world will not protect you from the chaos created by either nature or man. What faith should do during turbulent times is to give one the strength to pull through the chaos and even help to bring some order back into the world instead of a hope for escape. Faith should not be the person saying "thank you God for protecting me", faith should be "give me the strength and the compassion to help the suffering". Although, I personally don't believe religion is necessary to inspire compassion in our fellow man there are many who do. Much of Christianity tends to lean towards an escape from being our brother's keeper, whereas it should be an inspiration to watch and care for them.