Guide to Adventist teachers: Adventist Theology beyond Conventionalism

koot van wyk      Seoul   South Korea   27 December 2008

There are hundreds, if not thousands of seminaries across the globe. All of them are one way or another involved in teaching the Bible sciences or related sciences.

There are a ten-score of Theological Societies, producing journals of its members and occasionally a cross-breeding from other Societies or non-members.

There are another ten-score networks of publishers publishing books for seminary professors.

There are church printers that prints books for their denomination and for their denominational professors.

The function of all these societies, networks, clubs and groups, are to bring professors together to interact with each other and although they differ on minor points here and there, to go ahead and publish their findings.

Conventionalism is born.

Conventionalism is what the majority of these scholars who publish regularly think or write about a theme or subject. Articles are classified as either just "articles" or given a "tag name" refereed articles. Refereed articles are those which has gone through the editorial board of a journal of members of such a Theological Society and who has agreed among themselves or in majority that a person can publish the article in their journal.

Once you understand what will be published, you need to understand what will not be published. Despite minor prejudices articles do enter refereed at times much to the surprise of many. A trend is when an article that is not usually or conventionally refereed, given the green light to be refereed.

Is a refereed article better than a non-refereed article?

The answer is no. Refereed article just means that it has past the critical eyes of the conventional "burocrats" and they have winked it as acceptable.


It is here, that Adventist teachers need to take note.


1. Refereed articles are not necessarily more scientific, or complete, or balanced on a topic just because conventionalism or a sector of conventionalism allowed it to be published.


2. Articles means money and there are scholars who just produce articles for publication since their universities provide them with a $1000 stipendia if they do. They do.


3. There are articles written by professors who just want to say what everyone else is saying so that they can scoop up the stipendia. They want to do it the quickest and shortest way possible.


4. Some scholars are considering conventionalism as the "Canon" and from this canon they do not want to disagree since their books and articles will not be published.


5. They do not criticize or analyse critically the articles of conventionalism except on one point that will allow them to write their article. There will not be a broadbase criticism of these scholars since they do not want to offend the editorial board of the refereed article publishers.


6. Often you hear at Graduation ceremonies a president of a University say, "He has published widely and is recognized globally". For secular universities it may be good news, but think about it, how many pluralistic sacrifices did he have to make to get access to these journals for publication?


7. Some hide their concepts in refined, quietistic word formulations that goes "unnoticed" by the editors.


8. I have personally said that the way a book or article is read is from the back to the front and from the footnotes to the text. That is how you pick up these controversial elements easily.


9. Nearly all our professors and teachers at universities and colleges go to these societies to make friends with them. Very noble.  However, friendshjp has a price and involves a give and take situation. If you are careful, the give and take situation is limited and may be more healthy.


10. It is remarkable that scholars who are anti-Adventist theology, skeptical of SDA doctrines, sometimes get so quick access to prestigious journals to voice their negativism.


11. Then there are the world standards of what "elite" is and what it is not. Harvard University will be considered by these societies as "elite" and they are controlling the editorial board for many of their societies and publications.


12. Inbreeding is when a famous Harvard professor is considered to be the authority on something and others cite him uncontested untested in an uncontrolled manner.


13. For the Society Theological Burocrats, numbers and who you are, counts. Where you have studied, and who you are associated with, counts.


14. The internet is beginning to slowly breaking this "elite bubble". Now someone from pumpkin valley on a fisher-trailer can present an article that is a major challenge to prof. dr. so and so from so and so university.


15. Before these elite professors ignored the minority views or alternative suggestions posed to correct his own prejudices or axioms. These days it is much more complicated to do so, given the fact that his audience at least had access to internet and can raise a number of contrasting questions.


This brings us to the main theme under investigation. Adventist Theology is not conventional theology. It is advanced courses beyond conventionalism. It includes conventionalism but only as a bypasser. It transcends beyond conventionalism.


If Adventism is merely echoing the latest trend on the subject it is no longer fulfilling its role. It is in fact, no longer Adventism since the identity of the remnant is that it constantly re-evaluate conventionalism and eclectically "pick and choose" those supporting it views and brush off the table those who do not.


Let us look at some examples:


1. Textual Criticism

Conventionalism believes that there is no single text better than another. Therefore the LXX is just as good as the Hebrew text and at times better. For them there is no single unified "Word of God". 


Adventism investigated the claims and found that conventionalism has overlooked many a) alternative findings by their peer groups in the past; b) alternative scholars [less known by Harvard et al or the societies] and ended up skew; c) have not always looked at the original data properly so that alternatives is clearly present; d) has made prescriptive, aspects of texts that was by a well-known scholar on the topic meant to be merely descriptive with no binding effect.

Thus, the Hebrew text is the original "Word of God" and all other texts are derivatives or deviations from it through a difficult process of transmission and translation involving errors of the hand, ear, eye, memory, mouth.

Adventist Textual Criticism is thus Beyond Conventionalism Textual Criticism.


2. Systematic Theology

Conventionalism on atonement focuses only on the atonement at the cross.

Adventism claims that conventionalism has overlooked the maximalist view of atonement that was operative since the fall of Adam, at the Cross, between the cross at 1844, between 1844 and the Second Coming, during the 1000 years and finally during the process of Hell that will eradicate all evil conclusively. The Consummation Theology thus. This is another case of Advanced Beyond Conventionalism Theology. 


3. All days holy as opposed to Sabbath

Conventionalism works with the scheme that one day is not better than another.

Adventism keep to the intention of Moses when he wrote Genesis 1 and Exodus 20 that the seventh day is very special for the Lord.


4. Sprinkling babies or immerse adult for baptism

Conventionalism stick to baptism as a process of sprinkling and that of babies.

Adventism present their Advanced Beyond Conventionalism Theology of baptism that when you dip your cookie in tea, the word dip is the same as doop in Dutch which is the word for baptism. You do not sprinkle with your fingers a few drops on your cookie.


There are many examples.

There is nothing wrong in investigating other views or views per se of conventionalism on a particular topic, but the Adventist researcher is standing with a stronger conviction in his own view and has to relate all other views in the conglomerate of what has already been brought out on the topic in Adventism, before he merely succumbs to conventional jargon.


Teachers and Professors and universities and colleges may use conventional books, but it is their God given task to re-evaluate each datum very carefully, very cautiously, asking him/herself whether the statement is in conflict with the Bible of Spirit of Prophecy.

Adventist are always revisioning, rewriting, re-evaluating, fine-tuning conventionalism.

Alerting and cumbersome it is, when one find in a particular science Adventist teachers and professors merely parroting after conventionalism not to offend "their friends" on the Societies of the Theological burocrats.

The Adventist teacher has a solemn covenant with the people in the pew, the pastors in the pulpits, to himself and to God not to sell himself out for gain of fame, position, power, finances from conventionalism.


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