What is Adventism?

This piece originally appeared in the November 29, 1950 issue of the World’s Crisis.

When you think of the Advent Christian Church, what is your conception of it?

I would say, first, that IT IS A LOGICAL AND CONSISTENT WORLD-VIEW. By this I mean that it logically and consistently interprets the universe, making sense out of reality.

Teaching that God created all things and that man by sin brought death into the world, we go on to say that God will one day restore all things, taking sin and death out of the world. This is a dying world. The only course for God to take is to clean it up and restore life.

Second, ADVENTISM IS A CHURCH. It is the world-wide assembly of people who hold to our world-view. Perhaps it is found in a great church in a city with hundreds attending every service. Again, it may be a small frame building in the country; but wherever it is, the same living hope exists in the hearts of the people.

Third, ADVENTISM IS HOPE. This is the primary sense in which we think of our belief. We have hope- hope that God will restore the world to the perfection which He planned. Hope that Christ is to return to earth as He promised; hope that sin is going to be banished and death removed from God’s universe.

Fourth, ADVENTISM IS A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD. Unless Christ returns, the world will continue on its mad course, which leads to destruction. His advent in glory will solve all our problems.

What is Adventism? It is a living faith, having its roots in the Bible, and branches which will lead us to rest in God and eternal bliss on the new earth. Adventism is our way of expressing the Biblical hope of Paradise Restored. Do you have this hope?