Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
As a young and enthusiastic volunteer
minister a number of years ago, I arrived at what I had been told was a growing
and vibrant church. I was full of bright ideas and happy to share them. Neither
the ideas nor me got very far. At the first elders meeting in which I was
involved, I was carefully informed by one of the senior elders that "we" didn't
need any "new" ideas and that with the Bible and the writings of Ellen White,
we had everything we would ever need. Even the suggestion of reading books from
non-Adventist sources was dismissed, much less "experimenting" with any of the
ideas they might contain.
I was stunned. I had heard rumours of such attitudes but--perhaps in my youthful naivety--was shocked to be confronted by them. Having been taught at home, in my education and even in much of my church experience to read and think widely, I struggled to understand such a seemingly narrow attitude and--perhaps in my youthful arrogance--even felt a little sorry for someone who felt they could maintain such strict boundaries to their thoughts, questions and curiosities.
But, while I probably still maintain some of that youthful naivety, arrogance and idealism, I have come to see this kind of attitude as something all religious groups--but perhaps Adventism more than some--are tempted toward. And, as such, is a temptation that needs to be resisted. As Fritz Guy suggests, "It would be just arrogant to disregard completely the thinking of others, supposing that we have nothing to learn from anyone else past or present. Given the immensity of the challenge and the meagreness of our own intellectual resources, we need all the help we can get, wherever we can find it" (Thinking Theologically).
But the temptation is subtle. It begins with a drift toward self-containment. It is always easier and more comfortable to spend time with people and ideas that agree with us. When we have unique beliefs and lifestyle practices, we are tempted to self-exclude ourselves from social and ideological situations that may challenge us and our beliefs. This reinforces our sense of special identity, limits our recognition of so much that we have in common with others and can become a self-affirming, looping thought process.
And when we fall into this way of thinking, it is easy to think we have everything we need for every situation. Having cut ourselves off from the questions and challenges beyond our walls as well as the spiritual resources and insight of others, it is easy to remind ourselves that what we have is unquestionably best--after all, it is never questioned--and more than enough for any need we have.
The greater our self-containment, the greater our sense of self-sufficiency. The greater our special identity, the less our willingness to grow and learn from others: "A ‘remnant' mindset and self-understanding seems prone to settle for the status quo; the one who belongs to the remnant has arrived irrespective of what happens in the church or in the world; remnant as a state of existence lacks the incentive and the means to critique and correct itself. It is desirable to be part of the remnant as to the final outcome of things, but it is hazardous to a person's spiritual vocation." (Sigve Tonstad, "The Nimble Foot" in Exploring the Frontiers of Faith).
Perhaps it is possible to read some of the description of the bogey-man church of Adventism--Revelation's church of Laodicea--along the lines of this sense of spiritual self-sufficiency: "You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!'" (Revelation 3:17, NLT).
Perhaps the third stage of the temptation process is that the practice and sharing of our faith come to the point that they are ultimately about us. Even our efforts to reach out evangelistically and practically became about evidence of our faithfulness, finishing our mission, so we are proved worthy and Jesus will return to take us to heaven. In this attitude, the souls of this world are merely cannon fodder in our war with the devil to salvage some to join us and affirm our rightness and faithfulness. The self-centredness of this is as subtle as it is astounding.
But it is also a call to humility. Of course, it was easy for me as a naïve and arrogant youngster to see this in someone else. But these temptations are equally applicable no matter what one's set of beliefs or practices. Whether conservative or liberal, traditional or progressive--or whatever anyone else might label us--we are all tempted to associate only with people, books and ideas with which we agree, thus risking our own kind of self-containment, self-sufficiency and self-centeredness.
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 | Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown is a book editor and former magazine editor for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific, based just out of Melbourne, Australia. He has degrees in law, literature and English. He is married to Angela and they have two mismatched dogs and sponsor kids in a number of countries. Nathan is the author of four books: Pastor George (2010), a biography of the first Australian Aborigine to be ordained as an Adventist pastor; a novel Nemesis Train (2008); Seven Reasons Life is Better with God (2007); and the thought-provoking Relevation (2006). He has also edited a number of books, most recently Ordinary People-Generous God (2010). |
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Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Find your wings and soar!
I am so sorry you experienced such a discouraging start! I have belonged to many of those type of churches and it nearly sent me kicking and screaming out of the denom. I just read a great book about learning from others written by Samir Selmanovic....he is practicing learning from others.
It's Really All About God. Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian. [A great insightful journey]
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
There is another option: joining a church is not necessary for a spiritual life; actually, it sometimes hinders it.
If someone can find a warm and welcoming church feel free to join. But to join any church simply because they have the right doctrine is like marrying someone because they have the right looks, car, job, or other external assets. There must be a feeling of "belonging" before being a member of any group.
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
“Perhaps the third stageof the temptation process is that the practice and sharing of our faith come tothe point that they are ultimately about us. Even our efforts to reach outevangelistically and practically became about evidence of our faithfulness, finishing our mission, so we are proved worthy and Jesus will return to take us to heaven. In this attitude, the souls of thisworld are merely cannon fodder in our war with the devil to salvage some to join us and affirm our rightness and faithfulness. The self-centerednessof this is as subtle as it is astounding.”
Insightful. This paragraphhas helped me better understand my emotional reaction to Wilson inaugural address. Thanks, Nathan
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Hmmm,
Worship on Saturday, the "true sabbath", check.
Vegetarian (and only beef or fish if supplemental protein is required), check.
Adventism is the "remnant church", check.
Grape juice only, no wine, check.
EGW is the prophesying founder, check
The earth and universe were recently created and evolution is not a mechanism for change in life forms, check.
The catholic church is the beast (even though our bible and much of our theology comes from this religious tradition), check.
The bible is literal, check.
OK, when is the next baptism date? Sign me up. Once I join then I am one of Gods "peculiar people" and I can comfortably isolate myself knowing I have the truth.
Very succinct post Nathan and you so eloquently describe many of the problems with Adventist sectarianism.
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Richard L. Noel, DMD
Andy, I can relate to your experience as well as Nathan's. Recently, I received the "you're not welcome" from two conferences. I have chosen to go forth and spread the gospel without their imprimatur or assistance. By God's great grace, I am still a believer. This is because I have come to fear God. This takes all fear of man away. I am entering new territory for Jesus and jump for joy.
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Counsellor
I've had the same experience:
1. I was taught at Andrews Theological Seminary that we believed in the principle of sola scriptura. Only to encounter members in church who asked in incredulous tones if I didn't believe in the Spirit of Prophecy (a misnomer, but that's a comment for another day).
2. I discovered that most members have what I call a "Triumphalist" view of the Adventist Church. We heard our new President articulate this orientation when he said we're not just any other denomination, but failed to point out that our uniqueness should come from the way we imitate the graciousness of Jesus, not from "peculiar" beliefs.
3. I came to the conclusion that the members need leadership who are not afraid to study the Bible for themselves and teach from the Bible even if it doesn't jive with the "peculiar" (sometimes downright hokey) beliefs.
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Counsellor,
I am very much in agreement with your perspective, but for the sake of fairness I would say that Ted did say somthing very similar to what you said should be our uniquenes. Unfortunately, that point is obliterated by the implications of many other things he said that in the end leave a very different impression.
When I listened to Ted's message a second time I found many more statements that I agreed with as isolated statements than I noticed in the first listen. The problem was that the tone and overall thrust of his messages contradicted many of those points.
This ability to espouse righteousness by faith and the gospel and at the same time promote a works based view of our obligation to God reflects the contradictions abundant in the writings of Ellen White. His alignment with her is nearly perfect in that sense.
I think you hit the nail on the head in pointing to the "triumphalism" of Adventism. Adventist have been (and are being) taught to see their church as triumphant in the Revelation narrative. The fact is, the lamb is triumphant and those who follow him wherever he goes are the beneficiaries of His triumph. The lamb alone is worthy.
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Nathan Brown, your blog is one of the finest that I have ever read. You have hit the nail on the head.
The SDA church has painted itself into a corner. Is there a way out? I would suggest that there is but it would be radical. The early church had the same problem. Will Judaism fold into Christianity or forever be at odds? The point of no return came when the Jews started persecuting and killing the followers of Christ. What followed was a divide that has never been reunited.
I would suggest that the best way forward for Adventism is to divide into at least 2 new churches. The first group would go on and continue doing exactly what they are doing.
The second group would make some radical changes.
The second group would immediately reduce the 28 fundamental beliefs to 10. The Bible and the Bible only would be their basis of belief. Gone would be EGW, the remnant church theology, the tithe, the food laws, and other man made dogma that the "pioneers" put in place. The church would be congregational. The huge group of administrators would all stay with the first group.
This second group would have an Evangelical / Reformed flavor but would leave off the "bad theology" and junk that comes as baggage with both of those groups. This second group would learn, live and teach the Bible. They would make Christ the Centre. The gospel would be preached and taught. An understanding of covenant theology would enhance their understanding of Scripture. They would uphold the gospel and the holy eternal covenant law of God and continually call for repentance and humility. The Sabbath would be their day of worship. The coming of Christ would be continually preached. The good news of a God who respects us enough to be just and actually punish the wicked, followed by annihilation would be taught. The Biblical mandate for every member to act as priests and to go out and preach the gospel and to serve would be modeled and taught to all. A stated willingness to do so would be a prerequisite for membership. The elders, as in the spiritual ones, the ones who have made studying the word, teaching the word, and shepherding the flock their personal mandate would be the leaders. The deacons, the accountants and ones in the new administration would be subservient to the elders. (In the present SDA church, it is the other way around). The church would run lean. House churches would abound. Money would be spent carefully. Most pastors would be part time as they would continue to work for a living at their jobs.
Seminars, conferences, discussions, and dialogue would be the norm. The best that the Christian world has to offer would be on the table. Instead of shunning the writer's of other groups, reading their stuff would be encouraged. For example, reading John Stott and N.T. Wright and Greg Beale and Riddlebarger and Pink and Kline to name a few would be encouraged. The best teachers from other denominations would be invited in to share their research. In reach and out reach would take place. Each member's spiritual gift would be recognized and developed. A 'family' attitude would prevail. The church would invest their lives in not only worshipping with their fellow members but eating with them in their homes, helping each other on projects, and yes, even 'playing' together. Imagine how some Christian soft ball teams (plug in your favorite sport) could mean some fun and even provide some evangelism. The young would be encouraged to lend a hand to the old and the old would impart wisdom to the young.
The 10 fundamentals would be Biblcal and basic. Members would believe them. Non fundamental ideas, as in for example having differing views on prophecy would not only be tolerated but encouraged. To eat steak or not to eat steak is something that would never come up. Fornication and adultery, or living in sin and expecting membership, on the other hand is something that would be dealt with quickly and decisively. The priviledge of membership and the yoke of accountability go hand in hand.
Bible study, worship, evangelism, service, helping the poor (even and especially in our midst) and working hand in hand with other excellent groups, like World Vision would be the norm.
' You can't put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins' someone once said. One size doesn't fit all. Deep pruning is sometimes needed to save the tree. If it doesn't, sometimes the best thing to do is cut it down and plant a new one. Of all the people that I have ever known, and I make it my business to know as many people as I can, I find that change is the rarest and hardest thing for anyone including myself to do. Nevertheless, as it was for the Jews at the time of Christ, change wasn't an option. What it amounted to was change or die.
Some of those reading this will hate every word that I have said. Some will find it a breath of fresh air. Your view will have stated which one of the two churches that you really rather be in.
Re: Self-contained, self-sufficient and self-centered
Chris, this will either eventually happen, or those who cannot find the present church giving their lives any meaning, will depart from the back door. In case no one has been watching, this has been occurring for many years, but will be hastened as the "Fundamentalists" beging defining who does not belong. Some of us have saved them the problem by exiting long ago.