We’re Here for a Reason
There’s a reason it’s called Adventist Today.
Most Adventists understand that we no longer live in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. The fact that we live in the twenty-first century makes it absolutely essential that we plant ourselves firmly in the present and accept today’s realities.
Yes, we once had a prophetic voice. We embraced social causes such as abolition, temperance, church/state separation, education, healthcare. Sometimes we stood alone; sometimes we were ahead of our time (Sabbath rest, addictions, and plant-based diets). But in these and many other issues we are no longer unique.
In fact, the thing some Adventists are most proud of—our interpretation of prophecy—is laughably outdated. While evangelists still rant against the Papacy, apostate Protestantism, and Sunday worship, a more dangerous and insidious threat infects society. Ironically, the threat is still religious in nature, motivated by those intent on forcing their beliefs on everyone else.
We used to naively believe that our Bibles would be taken from us. Now, books in schools and libraries are being banned. Religious zealots are taking over school boards, county councils, state legislatures, and courts. Bent on imposing their religious and moral values on the rest of us, some states are mandating that the Bible be taught and the Ten Commandments be posted in public schools.
People who don’t understand that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” can’t be expected to understand that freedom of religion means freedom for all religions, even freedom from religion. They can’t be expected to understand that coercion is coercion, and that it’s all the more dangerous when motivated by “good intentions.”
That’s why we call it Adventist Today. As we face new challenges, your support and sharing of Adventist Today is essential in reaching a contemporary society with the eternal gospel.
Stephen Chavez
Adjunct Editor, Adventist Today
6 July 2024
ANNOUNCEMENTS & LINKS
Today’s ATSS class (1:30 PM Eastern) with Loren Seibold and Jonathan Butler
One-click link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84953421063
Passcode: ADVENTIST
Previous weeks’ ATSS recordings can be accessed here.
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