Survival of Doctrinal Truth in Postmodernism II
Missional Implications for Seventh-day Adventism

  • Survival of Doctrinal Truth in Postmodernism II

    Survival of Doctrinal Truth in Postmodernism

    Missional Implications for Seventh-day Adventism

    Part Two

    John Okpechi
    John Okpechi, M.T.S Student

    Friedensau Adventist University

     

    Introduction

         It would seem that the postmodern context is not compatible with the Christian worldview. However, Postmoderns are also included in the gospel commission. Grenz believes that “To reach people in the new postmodern context, we must set ourselves to the task of deciphering the implications of postmodernism for the gospel.”i He emphatically asserts that “We must claim the new postmodern context for Christ by embodying the Christian faith in ways that the new generation can understand.”ii The implication of Grenz’s postulation is that if any change would be made, it has to be by the church, and not by Postmoderns, since the gospel is being taken to them. It is suggestive of the proverbial “becoming all things to all men” of Paul (1 Cor. 9:22). Instead of being perceived as a challenge and and irreconcilable context, Grenz would rather see postmodernism as a veritable opportunity for mission.
         Lose submits that “Whatever challenges the postmodern turn presents to those who seek to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, it also provides a distinct opportunity… What postmodern thought lends to Christian theology, ultimately is a clarification of its essential nature.”iii And Downing notes that People who denounce postmodernism imply that Christian doctrine cannot withstand rough handling.iv Likewise, Paul Lakeland agrees that “Postmodernity has a lesson for Christianity.”v And according to Gibbs, “The church in the postmodern era must be prepared to witness with vulnerability and humility from the margins of society, much as it did in the first two centuries of its existence.”vi The unanimous claim here is that postmodernism presents a begging opportunity for mission, and not a challenge for mission. And that mission is expected to meet, confront, and relate with the postmodern challenge in the best productive manner, and not approach it from an antagonistic perspective.
        Nevertheless, in a postmodern milieu, where totalizing metanarratives are suspect, and with the doctrinal bent of the Christian faith, how can there possibly be a meaningful interaction between the two worldviews? How would doctrinal truths survive the postmodern torrent?

     

    Doctrines as Truths in Postmodernism

        Alister McGrath has defined doctrine as “communally authoritative teachings regarded as essential to the identity of the Christian community.” vii While w. B. Ochs sees doctrine as “as opinion held or put forth as true, or a principle of faith.”viii In his Studies in Doctrines, McGrath argues that “Doctrine represents the human attempt to order the ideas of Scripture, arranging them in a logical manner in order that their mutual relation can be better understood.”ix He reasons that doctrines were historically issued at times when Christianity seemed to be threatened by simplification, distortion, or misunderstanding. According to McGrath, to tell the truth about the revelation of God and to give Christians, as individuals and as a community, a sense of identity and purpose, doctrines were hammered out.x
        Erickson and Heflin suggest that it is more difficult to espouse correct biblical doctrine today than at some times in the past. They argue that to make doctrine intelligible and relevant in a postmodern context engenders obvious resistance. Such resistance is because some object that doctrine is divisive and that this age is a feeling-oriented one.xi They add that

                          Doctrine does not really fit the contemporary milieu of our society. It
                          appeals to the mind, to rational thought, but most of our contemporaries
                          are much more feeling-oriented… More than that, doctrine is terribly
                          abstract, whereas most people think much more concretely.xii

                          The church growth specialists tell us these days you need to avoid
                          discussing these doctrinal differences if you are going to grow a church...
                          Doctrines does not contribute to church growth, but to church shrinkage.xiii

     

        More so, some assume that “theology should be primarily narrative in nature and not systematic or abstract and conceptual. Telling the Christian story should replace stipulating Christian doctrine.”xiv Others are calling for a shift “from objective truth to communal experience, from rational argument to subjective appeal, from doctrinal orthodoxy to relevant practices.”xv Norman Gulley also notes that “Doctrines are absolutes and thus unacceptable to postmodernity.”xvi This is a generation that is less interested in cerebral arguments, linear thinking and theological systems.xvii
        Nonetheless, some believe that doctrine is not just description but prescription,xviii and that “There is an inseparable connection between doctrine and duty, precept and practice. Discovered truth must be applied to life. It is only then that a doctrine becomes dynamic.”xix Richard Rice admits that “to be a Christian is to believe that certain things are true” and that “The church defines itself with reference to its doctrines.”xx Thom Rainer’s survey on the formerly unchurched people is quite revealing. Ninety-one percent of the formerly unchurched he interviewed indicated that doctrine was an important factor that attracted them to the church. He discovered that churches that are unambiguous in their beliefs and clear in their teachings of them see more of their visitors return or join as members.xxi He concludes his survey by noting that

                        The formerly unchurched… were not just interested in the facts of
                         the doctrine; they were insistent that the churches should not be
                         uncompromising in their stand.
                         Churches that are lukewarm in their doctrinal conviction do not attract the
                         unchurched.
                         We can say with a high degree of certainty that clearly articulated doctrine
                         attracts the unchurched.
                         Doctrinal certainty and clarity engender commitment.
                         One of the reasons the formerly unchurched were attracted to the churches
                         they joined was the churches’ unambiguous declaration of absolutes. In a
                         world of relativity, many seekers desire to know that a black and white
                         reality does exist.
                         The evidence is clear, if not overwhelming: doctrine really matters. Church
                          leaders will ignore this reality to their church’s peril. xxii

     

    Secularism: Milestone or Stumbling Block for Christianity?

        Discussing postmodernism without paying attention to the secularizing influences of the day is a biased approach. If societies become increasingly secular as they modernize, it is expected that secularism would attain its acme in a postmodern world. Sociologists define secularization as “the process whereby worldly institutions and values become more important than religious institutions and values.”xxiii It could also mean “The movement of a society away from religious beliefs and institutions.”xxiv
         Secularism entails that societies can no longer assume a shared set of religious understandings. Instead, societal commonalities such as – governmental or educational systems – are arranged in ways that permit for a wide variety of beliefs, including disbelief.xxv Mara Einstein argues that “Secularization is a mutual process – the sacred becoming more secular and the secular becoming more sacred.”xxvi
        Jon Paulien has pointed out two ways secularism threatens faith, “by making the truth seem relative or irrelevant and by crowding out the spiritual aspects of life in the effort to attain secular goals.”xxvii George Hunter adds that secular people are essentially ignorant of basic Christianity and have a negative image of the church.xxviii But Dockery thinks that secularists, with their pluralistic worldview, still express a need for God and a hunger for spirituality.xxix What implications are there for Adventist mission? How can Adventists help quench the Postmoderns’ thirst for the living water of the gospel?

     

    Adventism in Secular-Postmodernism

        It may not be premature to submit at this point that postmodernism and its secular nuances present Adventism with both considerable perils and promises. Perils, because Adventism has a doctrinal bent. Promises, because the postmodern context is a missional opportunity. But how open and equipped is the Church in meeting and maximizing the situation? Repeating James Thwaites’ question, “What kind of church … will emerge for a postmodern time?”xxx
    Reinder Bruinsma reasons that the Adventist Church is not immune to postmodernism. He argues that there are postmodern Adventists already in the Church. Bruinsma notes that they are disinterested in doctrinal truths, they value experience above reason, and they manifest a substantial degree of suspicion for the institutional church and leadership.xxxi James Brownson asks a pertinent question that should stimulate Adventism’s response, “What does it mean to be called to speak of the gospel as truth in a culture that declares that religious speech can never be true, but only true for you?xxxii
    Adventist theologian, Gulley agrees that “There seems to be agreement that the church must change because postmodernity is a new worldview. Without this change, the church is irrelevant.”xxxiii Regele’s unequivocal assertion may well explain the dilemma of the church:

                          The church is moving rapidly toward a moment of decision, a defining
                          moment. It is a moment of definition because, whether we like it or not, the
                          church… is being redefined. And our options are limited. What are the
                          options? Simply, we die because of our hidebound resistance to change, or
                          we can die in order to live. As an institution, the… church must choose
                          between the two. There are no options.

        The Adventist Church, in its mission to Postmoderns in and outside the Church, has a choice to make on the approaches to be used in teaching doctrinal truths. What really changes, the doctrines or the methods of delivery? Robert Zamora thinks that Adventism must make some changes in order to make strides in the postmodern context.xxxiv He argues that

                        A person does not necessarily become an Adventist just by accepting 27
                       points of doctrine, if he does, then for him Adventism is but a collection of
                       doctrines rather than a way of life. Doctrines are important because they give
                       direction to and establish the reason for a way of life… They are not,
                       however, an end in themselves; they are the reason for the believer’s way of
                       life.xxxv

        Paulien has done an impressive work in his Everlasting Gospel. Ever Changing World. He advances general principles in reaching Postmoderns with the gospel. Paulien agrees unambiguously that the Church must change in its doctrinal approach to Postmoderns. He notes that “Doctrinal constructs by themselves may not touch the heart.”xxxvi Paulien continues to observe that

                       On the one hand, many of us want a relatively small, focused, doctrinally
                       pure church with consistent standards of belief and lifestyle. on the other
                       hand, we believe God wants us to go into the whole world and reach out to
                       all kinds of people. But reaching out to all kinds of different people will require
                       a flexibility and inclusiveness that will make the first goal rather difficult to
                       attain… We are facing a tension between a focus on pure teaching and a
                       focus on the openness of grace. If we concentrate on purity, we will become
                       smaller and more idiosyncratic.xxxvii

        In Seventh-day Adventists Believe, it is stated that the doctrines of the church may be viewed as representative of the truth as it is in Jesus and Adventists around the world should cherish and proclaim them.xxxviii But it is obvious that if these doctrines are proclaimed just the way they are, Postmoderns will not be attracted. Since changes are inevitable in reaching the postmodern context, what is the nature of this change? What are the dimensions of this change? And what are the implications of this change both for the Church and its mission?

     

    Doctrinal Change or Relational Adjustment?

        Change almost always encounters resistance. Kim Papaioannou notes that “change is difficult and painful; non-change can be equally so. Finding the right balance between change and continuity often seems impossible.”xxxix But change does not alter the truth, it only enhances its understanding.
    Ellen White would say that “There is no excuse for anyone taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed and that all our expositions of Scripture are without error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for years is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth.”xl For her, the continuity of a doctrine is enhanced by investigating it. She adds that “We have many lessons to learn and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion will be disappointed.”xli
        Though White suggests that there is room for doctrinal modification, the burden of this paper is not about doctrinal correctness but how to reach Postmoderns with the assumed correct doctrines. Russell Burrill argues that Postmoderns are not rejecting faith, but that they are earnestly desiring an experience with God. This desire “leaves them wide open for deceptions that emphasize feeling over the Word. We must offer them the real thing – the Word of God that leads to a dynamic experience with Jesus. God has called the Seventh-day Adventist Church into existence for such a time as this.”xlii Could the real thing be doctrines as taught by Adventists? Whatever it is, one cannot overstress the fact that the attitude with which the real thing is offered is as important as the real thing. Some might argue that Adventists have done progressively well in relational evangelism.
        However, Paulien, who has researched extensively on secularism and postmodernism in Adventism, thinks otherwise. He states that “Historically… Adventists have had difficulty reaching any but religious people because we have not been dealing with issues that are relevant to secular people. We dispute over issues that are not issues to them.”xliii Paulien contradicts Burrill on this point because he sees Adventism’s real thing as a non-issue for Postmoderns. Emphatically he adds that “Thus for… Adventists to have a relevant witness, it is necessary to begin with creative listening.” In contrasts to Burrill’s idea of desire on the part of Postmoderns, he argues that “In Working for secular people one must be prepared for failure.”xliv Paulien makes a case for relevance. For him, listening to Postmoderns and what they have to say is more important than foisting doctrinal propositions on them. He notes that

                      A… reason that Adventists have difficulty reaching secular people is the way
                      we present our message. For example, the centerpoint of many traditional
                      Adventist evangelistic series is the Sabbath-Sunday issue… But to secular
                      people there couldn’t be a more irrelevant issue than whether Saturday or
                      Sunday is the right day to go church. They aren’t even sure why anyone
                      would go to church at all.xlv

        Undoubtably, Paulien believes that doctrines should be deemphasized in witnessing to Postmoderns because they are not relevant to them. In fact, he warns that “an Adventism that confines itself largely to doctrine and things of the intellect is doomed to failure in a secular context.”xlvii William Johnsson agrees that “The secular mind-set is poles apart from the philosophy of Adventism.”xlviii He therefore, proposes that the evangelization of secular-Postmoderns would require a longer period of time and rapid accessions should not be accepted.xlix Baptism and conversion give way to relationship and process.
    Bruinsma takes the need for change further. He advocates that “A twenty-first century church will need a twenty-first century theology… The church must never stop thinking of how its faith interacts with the world in which it exists and in which it must bear witness.”l He emphasizes that “Theology can only be an important factor in the development of the Adventist identity in the coming decades, if it will do more than primarily defend traditional understandings… It may well be that it all boils down to less emphasis on a defence of the truths and more on discovery of truths.”li Bruinsma foresees that

                     Many churches will also show increased flexibility with regard to the entrance
                     requirements it imposes on new members. Many local churches will no longer
                     demand that baptismal candidates accept all 28 fundamental beliefs, but will
                     rather expect that new members express their affinity with the core of
                     Adventist beliefs and practices and want to participate in the life of the
                     community.lii

                     It is essential that we are defined by what we are, not by what we oppose, by
                     preaching what we believe rather than by condemning what others believe. It
                     is further more essential that we are defined by our lifestyle, which we promote
                     through a credible and contemporary demonstration of principles, rather than
                     by legislating a long list of do’s and don’ts.liii

        Apparently, the synopsis of Paulien and Bruinsma is that for Adventists to make advance in its mission to Postmoderns, it must deemphasize its doctrinal uniqueness and exclusiveness. While methods can be changed, modified, and re-strategized to effectively minister to secular-Postmoderns, would it be a consensus in Adventism that their doctrinal truths take a back seat in mission? Or must doctrinal truths survive anyhow, despite the missional impediments they present?

     

    Would Doctrinal Truths Survive?

        George Vandeman once argued that “There is permanent, abiding, unchanging truth for every age and generation. The fundamentals of God’s plan to save men do not change, but they are written to meet the specific needs of each generation.”liv However, he agrees that “Truth is ever advancing… That does not mean that advance in truth need radically change our basic ideas of truth unless our understanding has been limited or incomplete. Advancing light strengthens the Christian and prepares him for the future.”lv Vandeman seems to reason that truth is supra-contextual, but at the same time he notes that such truth should meet the specific need of each generation. Postmoderns seem to argue that their needs are not met by the mere enunciation of doctrines, especially when they are very abstract.
        Notwithstanding, Martin Weber, known for his proclivity for controversial topics, argues that “gospel truth is even more important than peace in the church… Some denominations might sacrifice truth for the sake of peace, but not the remnant whom God has called out of Babylon to worship Him in Spirit and truth.”lvi John Schuler adds that “God has given mankind timeless truths and truths for the times. Timeless truths are applicable to all people at all times.”lvii Day observes that secularity, for all its claims, cannot meet the deepest needs of man. He therefore advocates that “We must be able to set our beliefs down alongside the beliefs of others and show how they better meet the needs of men and women in our… age.”lviii Day doesn’t call for doctrinal change, but that Adventist beliefs should be presented as they are.
        Dean Kelley discovered in his survey that churches which preserve their seriousness through doctrinal strictness will not only be relevant to their members and others, but will thrive and grow.lix He describes what doctrinal seriousness means:

                     Those who are serious about their faith do not confuse it with other beliefs,
                     loyalties, or practices, or mingle them together indiscriminately, or pretend
                     they are alike, of equal merit, or mutually compatible if they are not.
                     Those who are serious about their faith make high demands of those admitted
                     to the organization that bears the faith, and they do not include or allow to
                     continue within it those who are not fully committed to it.
                     Those who are serious about their faith do not keep silent about it, apologize
                     for it, or let it be treated as though it made no difference, or should make no
                     difference, in their behaviour or their relationships with others.lx

         Francis Schaeffer notes that “Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless. If our reflex action is always accommodation regardless of the centrality of the truth involved, there is something wrong.”lxi Even Groothaus concludes his Truth Decay by submitting that the fixed point in a shifting world is biblical truth and that truth decays because “those who are called to be truth-tellers and truth-bearers are frequently shirking their divinely appointed duties, through cowardice or arrogance or both.”lxii Art Linsley makes the case for truth-telling compelling, “We need to uphold absolutes without absolutism, practice rationality without rationalism, make assertions without arrogance and offer a defense without defensiveness.”lxiii And that “We need to recover truth, mobilizing and calling our churches to teach it.”lxiv It is obvious that there is an intense lack of agreement on how doctrinal truth is to be approached and taught, even in a postmodern context.

     

    Making Doctrines Count in Postmodernism

        To some, postmodernism is the bane of the Christian faith. But others see it as an opportunity for mission.lxv To Adventism, it is both a challenge and a promise. The challenge of confronting Postmoderns with doctrinal truth seems to be significant. Though this paper is not about the strategies for ministering to secular-Postmoderns, it still acknowledges that such a work requires a robust and patient strategy. God meets Postmoderns where they are, so are Adventists to approach them.
         The goal of any change in doctrinal presentation to Postmoderns should be to express the Adventist faith in the kind of language they understand, rather than the often loaded and specialized doctrinal language of Adventism. It is all about faithful contextualization. It is about listening patiently and discerningly. It is about accepting them into a loving community, because Postmoderns value belonging more than believing. Fixation on doctrinal correctness should not rob the church of Christian love, for the doctrine about Jesus was never meant to be a substitute for experience of him.
         Postmoderns want to know what a doctrine will do for their lives, not what it means. András Szilvási points out that “People are searching for meaningful, genuine relationships… There is a growing interest in lifestyle coaching. People want to know what to do with their lives.”lxvi Simply put, how can Adventist doctrines solve the practical needs of Postmoderns? How can Adventist doctrines make sense to those who have no interest in doctrines?
         Adventist doctrines fall short of their goal if they cannot be intelligently and lovingly communicated and demonstrated to Postmoderns. Alan Torrance notes that “theology does not concern abstract speculation or the appropriation of impersonal systems of dogma; it concerns serious and hard-nosed consideration of what it means to be the church, to be a Christian, to be a participant in God’s mission to a lost and alienated humanity… It concerns what it is to be in truth.”lxvii
         If Adventist doctrines cannot be contextualized to meet the needs of Postmoderns, then the everlasting gospel commission “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” falls short. János Kovács-Bíró stresses that “Ministers should use simple, everyday language to explain the gospel and express caring love. People need to see how the gospel can change their daily life.”lxviii He also informs that “Because of their scepticism toward authority and the institutions of authority, postmodern people will explain the claims of Christianity only through individual Christians who have gained their respect and trust.”lxix Adventists still struggle with exclusivity. But if the message they bear is for all, inclusiveness, even of Postmoderns, is critical.
         Fritz Guy points out that “Communicating the Advent message leads inevitably to interaction with contemporary life and thought. For to communicate successfully requires an understanding of the intended audience, including its language.”lxx Guy further notes that “While pluralism makes spiritual unity more difficult to maintain, it does not necessarily subvert it; the subversion of unity comes from attitudes of pride and arrogance, desires to dominate and control, and practices of exclusion.”lxxi
         Doctrines may not be an obstacle in witnessing to Postmoderns, the crucial obstacle is in the way they are presented. Stefan Paas argues that doctrines still count in postmodern contexts, even in Europe. “Church planting in Europe is needed because of the failure, by and large of existing churches to evangelize their nations properly. New churches, pure in doctrines and lifestyle, must replace (or at least complement) churches that have been heretic or lazy or both.”lxxii Adventism has a chance to make its doctrines count, especially considering the staggering biblical ignorance of Postmoderns. Creatively maximizing the opportunities in postmodernism is a promising task.
         Paul Williams of the British and Foreign Bible Society reports of a survey done by his organization where people were not sure if the nativity story was in the Bible. He notes that a ridiculously high percentage of adults thought Superman might be in the Bible. “You are talking about a staggering level of ignorance, which completely changes the way you think about communicating with unbelievers. In many ways, Westerners aren’t even aware of the God they have rejected. So there is a new openness, a curiosity that creates new opportunities to educate.”lxxiii Williams concludes that “There’s a timidity in our approach to discipleship that goes alongside a lack of confidence in the Bible itself.”lxxiv This openness gives Adventist doctrines a chance to survive, since they are firmly and confidently rooted in Scriptures. Whilst Postmoderns reject metanarratives, they have not found a cure for the emptiness that only faith in God and His word can fill.

     

    Conclusion

         There is irrefutable reason for a change in how doctrinal truths are presented in a postmodern context. Like apostle Paul, Adventism is to “become all things to all men” if it would reach and win Postmoderns. Though some advocate for an outright exclusion of doctrines in missional efforts to Postmoderns, it seems modest to assert that doctrines, rightly, lovingly, and intelligently presented to secular-Postmoderns, will both succeed and survive. There is nothing wrong with biblically consistent and congruent Adventist doctrines; rightly presented, they are an agent of conversion, transformation, and renewal. Adventist doctrines when presented intelligently, compassionately, relationally, and contextually to Postmoderns will survive and appeal to them.
         If doctrinal truth is to be deemphasized in reaching Postmoderns with the Adventist message, when will the truth be introduced to them? If they are brought into Adventism without doctrines, will there be two streams of Adventism, one guided by doctrines and the other without them? Is Adventism relevant without its unique doctrines? If Postmoderns should not be bothered with doctrines, does it suggest that Adventist doctrines have lost their essence? These questions should stimulate further research. It is possible to relate to Postmoderns by taking into account some of the ways in which they think and listen. Propositional truths don’t attract Postmoderns, what attracts them is a strong, caring community of people who can be trusted. Having a loving community serves as a springboard for a Bible based relationship. Here methods become paramount. While the message may be timeless, the method is not. Rather than just telling Postmoderns what to believe, they should be led to discover the truth for themselves. One approach that promises to be effective is to aim at the felt needs of Postmoderns in the areas of lifestyle, health, and welfare. These areas open unending vistas for interaction.
         As the discussion on the survival of Adventism’s doctrinal truths in postmodernism continues, it may be fitting to state that doctrines cannot save Postmoderns, only Jesus can. And His method is applicable to the postmodern context. “Christ’s Method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence, then He bade them, ‘follow me.’”lxxv The missional starting point in witnessing to Postmoderns is establishing an authentic relationship with them. Indoctrination is a process, not the starting point. The relational-doctrinal paradigm is highly recommended as an agent for the fostering of doctrinal survival in the postmodern context.

     

    ______________________________________________________________________

    i Grenz, A Primer on Postmodernism, 10.
    ii Ibid, 10.
    iii Jose, Confessing Jesus Christ. Preaching in a Postmodern World, 233.
    iv Downing, How Postmodernism Serves Faith, 229.
    v Paul Lakeland, Postmodernity: Christian Identity in a Fragmented Age (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1997), 113.
    vi Gibbs, ChurchNext, 30.
    vii Alister E. McGrath, The Genesis of Doctrine. A Study in the Foundations of Doctrinal Criticism (Oxford: Basic Blackwell, 1990), 12. Postmodernism’s distrust of metanarratives and authority impede on the acceptance of doctrine.
    viii W. B. Ochs, Living Faith (Washington, D.C.: RHPA, 1954), 9. Ochs observes that it is God’s will that we know sound doctrine, and that it must be learned. He concludes that sound doctrine is rejected because it is unpopular.
    ix McGrath, Studies in Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 249.
    x Ibid, 27, 233-268. “It is doctrine that binds together any group of believers… Doctrine provides theological rationale for the life of the church – its liturgy, edification, outreach and evangelism. A church community must therefore remain aware of its own most important doctrines if it is to retain its identity in the world.” William A. Dryness and Veli-Mati Kärkkäinen, ed., Global Dictionary of Theology (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2008)
    xi Millard J. Erickson and James L. Heflin, Old Wine in New Wineskins. Doctrinal Preaching in a Changing World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997), 21-53.
    xii Ibid, 16.
    xiii Ibid, 17.
    xiv Groothus, Truth Decay, 111.
    xv Ibid, 265.
    xvi Norman R. Gulley, Systematic Theology. The Church and the Last Things (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2016), 576.
    xvii Leith Anderson, A Church for the 21st Century (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1992), 26.
    xviii Gerald Loughlin, “The Basis and Authority of Doctrine,” in The Cambridge Companion to Christian Doctrine, ed. Colin E. Gunton (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 56.
    xix Herbert Lockyer, All the Doctrines of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1964). 3.
    xx Richard Rice, Reason and the Contours of Faith (Riverside, CA: La Sierra University Press, 1999), 89.
    xxi Thom S. Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 45, 110. Rainer carried out an extensive research where he interviewed over 355 formerly unchurched people, more 100 pastors, and 350 longer term Christians, over a period of two years.
    xxii Ibid, 127-136.
    xxiii George J. Bryjack and Michael P. Soroka, Sociology: Cultural Diversity in a Changing World (Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1992), 405.
    xxiv Anthony Giddens et al., Introduction to Sociology (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012), 572.
    xxv Dryness and Kärkkäinen, ed., Global Dictionary of Theology, 802.
    xxvi Mara Einstein, Brands of Faith. Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age (New York: Routledge, 2008), 18.
    xxvii Jon K. Paulien, “The Gospel in a Secular World,” in Meeting the Secular Mind: Some Adventist Perspectives, ed. Humberto M. Rasi and Fritz Guy (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1985), 32.
    xxviii George G. Hunter III, How to Reach Secular People (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992), 44, 47.
    xxix Dockery, Preface of The Challenge of Postmodernism, 11.
    xxx James Thwaites, The Church Beyond the Congregation. The Strategic Role of the Church in the Postmodern Era (Cumbria: Paternoster Press, 1999), 4.
    xxxi Reinder Bruinsma, “Is the Postmodern Adventist a Threat to the Unity of his Church,” in Exploring the Frontiers of Faith, ed. Borge Schantz and Reinder Bruinsma (Lueneburg: Advent-Verlag, 2009) 75-85.
    xxxii James V. Brownson, Speaking the Truth in Love (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1998), 7. Irrespective of Sweet’s overall views on postmodernism, one cannot but agree with him that “It is time to find new ways of being the church that are true to our postmodern context. It is time for a post-modern reformation.” Leonard I. Sweet, Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 17. See also, Sweet, Quantum Spirituality: A postmodern Apologetic (Dayton, OH: Whaleprints, 1991).
    xxxiii Gulley, Systematic Theology, 593.
    xxxiv Robert M. Zamora, “The Gospel of the Abundant Life,” in Meeting the Secular Mind, 128.
    xxxv Ibid, 130.
    xxxvi Paulien, Everlasting Gospel. Ever Changing World (Nampa, ID: PPPA, 2008), 83.
    xxxvii Ibid, 131, 132.
    xxxviii James A. Cress, Preface of Seventh-day Adventists Believe: An Exposition of the Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Silver Spring: MD, Ministerial Association General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, 2005), vi.
    xxxix Kim Papaioannou, “Ecclesia Reformata in Matthew 1, 1-17. A Biblical Paradigm,” DavarLogos, 17 (2018): 22.
    xl Ellen G. White, Counsels on Writers and Editors (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association,1946), 35.
    xli Ibid, 37.
    xlii Russell Burrill, Rekindling a Lost Passion: Recreating a Church Planting Movement (Fallbrook, CA: Hart Research Center, 1999), 11.
    xliii Paulien, “The Gospel in a Secular World,” in Meeting the Secular Mind, 36.
    xliv Ibid, 35.
    xlv Paulien, Present Truth in the Real World (Boise, ID: PPPA, 1993), 35.
    xlvi Ibid.
    xlvii Ibid, 110.
    xlviii William G. Johnsson, “The Challenge of Secular Thought,” in Meeting the Secular Mind, 17.
    xlix Ibid, 20.
    l Bruinsma, “What Will the Church of the Future be Like?” in Faith. In Search of Depth and Relevancy, 408.
    li Ibid, 409.
    lii Ibid, 403.
    liii Ibid, 410.
    liv George E. Vandeman, Touch and Live (Washington, D.C.: RHPA, 1958), 51.
    lv Ibid, 52.
    lvi Martin Weber, Who’s Got the Truth? (Silver Spring, MD: Home Study International Press, 1994), 8.
    lvii John Lewis Schuler, The Search for Truth (Washington, D.C.: RHPA, 1979), 41.
    lviii Day, Straight Thinking in an Age of Exotic Beliefs, 37.
    lix Dean M. Kelley, Why Conservative Churches Are Growing. A Study in Sociology of Religion (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1972), 178.
    lx Ibid, 176.
    lxi Francis A. Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Westchester: Crossway, 1984), 64.
    lxii Groothaus, Truth Decay, 265, 268.
    lxiii Art Lindsley, True Truth. Defending Absolute Truth in a Relativistic World (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Books, 2004), 172.
    lxiv Ibid, 174.
    lxv James K. A. Smith, Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 18.
    lxvi András Szilvási, “The Role of the Pastor in the Postmodern World,” in Faith. In Search of Depth and Relevancy, 489.
    lxvii Alan J. Torrance, Foreword of Michael Jinkins, Invitation to Theology (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2001), 12.
    lxviii János Kovács-Bíró, “The Response of Adventism to the Challenges of New Worldviews in Europe,” in Faith. In Search of Depth and Relevancy, 429.
    lxix Ibid.
    lxx Fritz Guy, “Adventist Christianity on the Way to the Future,” in Adventism. Theology, Society, Experience, ed. Garry Chartier (Ann Arbor, MI: Griffin & Lash, 2015), 325.
    lxxi Ibid, 332.
    lxxii Stefan Paas, Church Planting in the Secular West. Learning from the European Experience (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016), 52.
    lxxiii Paul S. Williams, “Ambassadors with an Edge,” Christianity Today, April 2020, 66.
    lxxiv Ibid.
    lxxv White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, CA: PPPA, 1942), 143. For a detailed study of this method, see Philip G. Samaan, Christ’s Method Alone (Hagerstown, MD: RHPA, 2012). For practical ways of ministering in a secular-postmodern context, see Richard Lehmann et al., ed., Cast the Net on the Right Side. Crucial issues for Witnessing to Western Peoples (Bracknell: European Institute of World Missions, 1993); Petr Činčala, “European Adventist Ways of Reaching Secular People for Christ: Need oriented Evangelism and Mission Outreach (1995 – present),” in Contours of European Adventism: Issues in the History of the Denomination on the Old Continent ed. Stefan Höschele and Chigemezi N. Wogu (Möckern-Friedensau: Institute of Adventist Studies, Friedensau Adventist University, 2020), 99 – 110.

     

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