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Seventh-day Adventist Church: a neutral profile of what this congregation describes about its beliefs.
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31.5959° N, 96.9878° WOpen map →TraditionSeventh-day Adventist ChurchAbout →
Sourcing statusTradition default
Beliefs on file851 positions
Statement of faithNot on file
Where they stand
Each position below is labelled by how it was sourced, so you can weigh it for yourself.
VerifiedConfirmed by the church
From their statement of faithEstimated, not verified
Tradition defaultEstimated, not verified
Showing 81 of 851 positions across 18 topics. Expand any topic to see the rest.
God & the Trinity51 positions
- Analogical LanguageAffirmsTradition defaultHuman language about God is analogical: true but never capturing God univocally as it captures creatures.Estimated, not verified
- Apophatic PriorityAffirmsTradition defaultWhat God is in himself is ultimately beyond human comprehension, so negative ("God is not...") statements are more reliable than positive ones.Estimated, not verified
Christ64 positions
- Assumed Fallen Human NatureStrongly rejectsTradition defaultChrist assumed a fully fallen human nature (subject to the effects of the Fall) in order to heal it from within.Estimated, not verified
- Assumed Unfallen Human NatureStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist assumed an unfallen, sinless human nature, untouched by original sin/corruption.Estimated, not verified
Sin & the fall42 positions
- Adams Sin Brought Physical DeathStrongly affirmsTradition defaultPhysical death entered the human race as a consequence of Adam's sin; humans were not originally subject to death.Estimated, not verified
- All Sin Deserves Death EquallyStrongly affirmsTradition defaultEvery sin, however small, deserves God's condemnation/death: there is no class of sin that does not by nature merit it.Estimated, not verified
Salvation49 positions
- Active Obedience ImputedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist's lifelong law-keeping (his "active obedience"), not only his death, is imputed to the believer as their positive righteousness.Estimated, not verified
- Annihilationism Conditional ImmortalityStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe finally lost are ultimately destroyed/cease to exist rather than suffering everlasting conscious torment (annihilationism / conditional immortality).Estimated, not verified
The Holy Spirit43 positions
- Assurance Is Normal For BelieversStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSettled assurance of salvation is normal and to be expected for genuine believers in this life.Estimated, not verified
- Blasphemy Against Spirit UnforgivableStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThere is a specific sin against the Holy Spirit that is unforgivable.Estimated, not verified
The Church41 positions
- Baptism Is The Entry Into The ChurchStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBaptism is the rite of entry/incorporation into the visible church.Estimated, not verified
- Bishop Of Rome Has Universal PrimacyStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe bishop of Rome (the pope) holds a divinely instituted primacy of jurisdiction over the whole church.Estimated, not verified
Sacraments & ordinances42 positions
- Age Of Accountability Before BaptismStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBaptism should wait until a person reaches an age of accountability and can repent and believe for themselves.Estimated, not verified
- Anointing Sick Is A SacramentRejectsTradition defaultAnointing of the sick with oil is a sacrament conveying grace, healing, and forgiveness to the seriously ill.Estimated, not verified
Worship & liturgy32 positions
- Bowing And ProstrationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBowing, prostration, or full physical reverence before the altar, icons, or sacrament is fitting in worship.Estimated, not verified
- Communion Only SeasonallyStrongly rejectsTradition defaultCommunion seasons (a few solemn observances a year with extensive preparation) are the fitting pattern.Estimated, not verified
Last things50 positions
- A Literal Mark Of The Beast Is ComingAffirmsTradition defaultA literal future "mark of the beast" will be imposed as a condition of economic participation.Estimated, not verified
- All Will Finally Be SavedStrongly rejectsTradition defaultIn the end all rational creatures will be reconciled to God and none will be finally lost (universal reconciliation/apokatastasis).Estimated, not verified
Scripture48 positions
- Authority Holy Tradition OrthodoxStrongly rejectsTradition defaultScripture is rightly read only within Holy Tradition: the Fathers, councils, liturgy, and consensus of the Church.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Magisterium InterpretsStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe authentic interpretation of Scripture is entrusted to the Church's living teaching office (Magisterium), whose judgments bind the faithful.Estimated, not verified
Revelation, creation & science47 positions
- Adam Special Creation From DustStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe first human was specially and directly created by God from the dust, not biologically descended from earlier hominins.Estimated, not verified
- Angels Created BeingsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAngels and other spiritual beings are part of God's created order, made by God.Estimated, not verified
- Barth No Natural TheologyRejectsTradition defaultThere is no genuine knowledge of God available through nature or human reason apart from God's revelation in Jesus Christ.Estimated, not verified
- Big Bang Compatible With CreationRejectsTradition defaultThe Big Bang cosmology (a universe with a finite beginning ~13.8 billion years ago) is compatible with, or even supportive of, the doctrine of creation.Estimated, not verified
- Creation Continuous Creatio ContinuaStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod is best understood as creating continuously and in cooperation with an evolving, partly self-creating world (creatio continua), rather than as having finished creation.Estimated, not verified
- Creation Ex NihiloStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod created the universe out of nothing (ex nihilo), not from pre-existing matter.Estimated, not verified
- Creation Ongoing ProvidenceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod continually sustains the universe in being; creation is not merely a past event but an ongoing dependence on God.Estimated, not verified
- Creation Purposeful TeleologyStrongly affirmsTradition defaultCreation has a real divine purpose and direction (telos), not merely the appearance of order arising from undirected processes.Estimated, not verified
- Creation Science Is Legitimate ScienceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultYoung-earth "creation science" (and/or intelligent design) constitutes legitimate science that should be taught alongside or instead of mainstream accounts.Estimated, not verified
- Creation Will Be Renewed Not DestroyedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe present physical creation will be redeemed and renewed (a "new heavens and new earth"), not annihilated and replaced.Estimated, not verified
- Day Age InterpretationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe "days" of Genesis 1 represent long ages or epochs, allowing for an old earth while keeping the sequence broadly historical.Estimated, not verified
- Deism No Special RevelationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod created the world and established its laws but does not intervene with miracles or verbal revelation; he is known through reason and nature alone.Estimated, not verified
- Earth Young Thousands Of YearsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe earth and universe are only thousands of years old (on the order of ~6,000-10,000 years).Estimated, not verified
- Environmental Stewardship Creation CareStrongly affirmsTradition defaultCaring for the created order (environmental stewardship) is a genuine theological duty flowing from the doctrine of creation.Estimated, not verified
- Evolution Unguided No GodStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBiological evolution is an entirely unguided, purposeless process requiring no divine involvement of any kind.Estimated, not verified
- Fine Tuning Design EvidenceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe fine-tuning of the universe's physical constants is real evidence of intelligent design or a divine designer.Estimated, not verified
- Flood Geology Explains StrataStrongly affirmsTradition defaultMuch of the earth's fossil-bearing rock strata were laid down rapidly by the global flood, not over millions of years.Estimated, not verified
- Flood Global HistoricalStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Genesis flood was a real, worldwide deluge that covered the entire globe and destroyed all land life outside the ark.Estimated, not verified
- Flood Mythic TheologicalStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe flood narrative is primarily a theological or mythic story (akin to other ancient flood traditions) rather than a report of an actual catastrophe.Estimated, not verified
- General Revelation ConscienceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe human conscience and moral sense are a form of God's revelation, giving real knowledge of right and wrong written on the heart.Estimated, not verified
- General Revelation RealStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod genuinely reveals something of himself through the natural world and the created order, apart from Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Genesis Ancient Cosmology AccommodatedStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGenesis communicates theological truth using the cosmological assumptions of its ancient Near Eastern setting (a solid firmament, waters above), which need not be taken as literal science.Estimated, not verified
- Genesis Intended As HistoryStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGenesis 1-3 is intended as an account of actual historical events, not primarily as theological symbol, poetry, or myth.Estimated, not verified
- God Sole CreatorStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe one triune God is the sole creator of everything that exists, including all spiritual and material reality.Estimated, not verified
- Historical Adam EveStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAdam and Eve were real, historical individuals, the literal first human beings.Estimated, not verified
- Historical Fall EventStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe fall of humanity into sin was a real historical event by the first humans, not merely a symbol of the universal human condition.Estimated, not verified
- Humanity MonogenismStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAll human beings descend from a single original couple (monogenism).Estimated, not verified
- Humanity Polygenism PopulationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe human population never passed through a single original couple but emerged as a group of several thousand individuals.Estimated, not verified
- Image Of God SpecialStrongly affirmsTradition defaultHumans bear the image of God in a way that sets them qualitatively apart from all other animals, by a special divine act or endowment.Estimated, not verified
- Intelligent Design DetectableAffirmsTradition defaultCertain features of biology exhibit "irreducible" or "specified" complexity that is best explained by intelligent design and could not arise by unguided evolution.Estimated, not verified
- Material Creation GoodStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe material, physical world is intrinsically good as God made it, not evil, illusory, or a prison for the soul.Estimated, not verified
- Miracles Continue TodayAffirmsTradition defaultGod still performs miracles today (healings, signs, answered prayer beyond natural explanation) as he did in biblical times.Estimated, not verified
- Miracles Possible In PrincipleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod can and does act in the world in ways that supersede or suspend ordinary natural causes (genuine miracles are possible).Estimated, not verified
- Natural Knowledge Of God Saving InsufficientStrongly affirmsTradition defaultWhatever knowledge of God nature provides is insufficient for salvation; saving knowledge requires special revelation in Christ and Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- No Animal Death Before FallStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThere was no animal death, predation, or suffering before the fall of humanity; death entered the whole creation through Adam's sin.Estimated, not verified
- Physical Death Human Consequence Of SinStrongly affirmsTradition defaultHuman physical death is a consequence of sin; humans were created to be immortal in body and would not have died apart from the fall.Estimated, not verified
- Providence Through Natural LawStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod ordinarily acts through natural laws and secondary causes, which are themselves his ongoing governance, rather than by frequent direct intervention.Estimated, not verified
- Resurrection Bodily HistoricalStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe resurrection of Jesus was a real, bodily, historical event, not merely a symbol of hope or the disciples' inner experience.Estimated, not verified
- Science Can Correct InterpretationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultWell-established scientific findings can legitimately guide and correct how we interpret the relevant parts of Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Science Faith ConcordismAffirmsTradition defaultProperly interpreted Scripture and properly conducted science will agree, and apparent conflicts arise from misreading one or the other.Estimated, not verified
- Science Faith ConflictAffirmsTradition defaultModern science and Christian faith are fundamentally in conflict, so where they disagree, one must ultimately override the other.Estimated, not verified
- Scientific Consensus Generally ReliableStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe settled consensus of the natural sciences (e.g., on the age of the universe, common descent, the fossil record) is generally trustworthy.Estimated, not verified
- Scripture Overrides ScienceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultWhen the plain teaching of Scripture conflicts with a scientific consensus, Scripture must be followed and the science rejected or reinterpreted.Estimated, not verified
- Special Revelation NecessaryStrongly affirmsTradition defaultA clear and reliable knowledge of God and his saving purposes requires God's special, verbal self-revelation, not merely general revelation.Estimated, not verified
- Theistic Evolution Evolutionary CreationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod created living things, including humans, by means of the evolutionary process, including common descent.Estimated, not verified
- Universe Eternal No BeginningStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe universe (or some physical reality) is eternal and had no absolute beginning.Estimated, not verified
- Young Earth Six 24hr DaysStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod created the universe and all kinds of life in six literal 24-hour days.Estimated, not verified
Life & bioethics59 positions
- Abortion Gravely Wrong In PrincipleLeans toward affirmingTradition defaultDeliberately ending a pregnancy by killing the unborn is in itself a grave moral wrong.Estimated, not verified
- Abortion Permitted For Fetal AnomalyLeans toward affirmingTradition defaultAbortion is morally permissible when the fetus has a severe anomaly or a condition incompatible with life.Estimated, not verified
Sexuality & marriage43 positions
- Abortifacient Contraception WrongStrongly affirmsTradition defaultContraceptive methods that may act after fertilization (potential abortifacients) are morally wrong even if other contraception is permitted.Estimated, not verified
- Annulment Recognizes Invalid MarriageRejectsTradition defaultSome unions that appeared to be marriages were never valid marriages, and the church can rightly declare them null (annulment).Estimated, not verified
Society & politics48 positions
- Active Nonviolent Resistance ObligatoryAffirmsTradition defaultChristians should actively resist injustice through nonviolent means (protest, civil disobedience, noncooperation), not merely abstain from violence.Estimated, not verified
- Capitalism Intrinsically UnjustRejectsTradition defaultCapitalism as a system is intrinsically exploitative and stands under God's judgment; Christian faithfulness requires working to replace it.Estimated, not verified
Angelology Demonology47 positions
- Angelic Fall Caused By PrideStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe angels fell primarily through pride: refusing subjection to God / seeking to exalt themselves.Estimated, not verified
- Angelic Fall Predates Human FallStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe angelic rebellion occurred before the fall of humanity, and the serpent's temptation issued from an already-fallen angel.Estimated, not verified
Anthropology45 positions
- Body Essential To PersonStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe body is essential to being a complete human person, not an accidental or dispensable container for the soul.Estimated, not verified
- Body GoodStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe material human body is intrinsically good as created by God.Estimated, not verified
Covenant Law Israel38 positions
- Abrahamic Covenant Foundational And OngoingStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Abrahamic covenant is foundational and its promises remain operative for the people of God today.Estimated, not verified
- Believers No Longer Under Laws CondemnationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBelievers are entirely free from the law's condemning function but remain under its directing function.Estimated, not verified
Mariology Saints62 positions
- All Believers Are SaintsStrongly affirmsTradition default"Saints" in the New Testament sense means all believers, not a special canonized class.Estimated, not verified
- Altar Relics Required Or ProperStrongly rejectsTradition defaultIt is fitting (or required) that altars contain the relics of saints.Estimated, not verified
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