Day: April 12, 2021

According to generational researcher Chuck Underwood, a generation is determined by shared core values. Different generations may value different things. So when it comes to the Adventist church, do different generations value different aspects of the church? I interviewed nine Adventists across four American generations: Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials and Gen Zers. Interestingly, all nine Adventists shared a common value: relationships and community. Maybe the gap isn’t as wide as we think it is.

Click the pictures to see each response.

The issue of political engagement is a divisive one within the Adventist church. For me, a political science and journalism major, it is deeply intriguing. Since the birth of the denomination in the late 19th century, politics has been a hot-button topic. But why?

Many might point to John 17:15-16 (“in the world, but not of the world”) or Matt. 22:21 (“to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”) as Biblical evidence that religion and politics are and should remain heterogeneous. However, this long-held view has been flipped over in recent years as a growing number of young Adventists are becoming more politically aware. The Millennial generation is one of the most socially and politically active we’ve seen, perhaps because of the unprecedented sociopolitical climate, or simply the rapid spread of information social media has enabled. 

When I helped organize a campus-wide voter registration and engagement initiative before the 2020 presidential election, I observed a noticeable interest in civic engagement from students. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have seen the same thing in 1950 or 1890. 

By Zach Roberts

I spoke with Koralys Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican lifelong Adventist who attends Statesville Seventh-day Adventist church. This is the same church I attend at home and the one I referenced in my introductory blog post. I asked her about race in the church, with a special look at how they’re doing today. I’ve researched the past, but now it’s time to get some perspective on the present. She had some powerful things to say. Check it out down below: 

The Adventist church struggles with race, which is no different today than at its inception in the mid 1800s. I suppose that’s no different than any church or any institution that exists today, especially in America. It should be noted that the Adventist church is the most diverse Christian denomination in the world. Unfortunately, that does not elevate the denomination above the racial struggles we see today. 

By María José Morán

“I believe that gays can go to heaven.” A very bold statement I made to my parents that inevitably started a discussion. 

I have never been the kind to hide my opinions. I have also never been the kind to sit on my hands when I feel strongly about something. My beliefs are important to me. 

I knew this statement would start a discussion with my parents in which we would be able to exchange viewpoints. This was definitely the case. 

By the end of the conversation, we were able to reach some middle ground: Homosexuals can go to heaven if they are not engaging in a sexual lifestyle. The reason we came to this conclusion was based on some very brief research that we did on what the Bible had to say about this topic. 

I was actually surprised by how easy it was for me and my parents to agree on this topic. This is not to say that my parents or I look down on this topic or people dealing with this issue. Simply, I thought that our different perspectives based on the different times that we grew up in would be stronger and harder for each other to understand.

I guess this really short discussion with my parents taught me two main things that are valuable to me today. One, it is important and almost crucial for families to have real conversations about difficult topics such as sexuality and the LGBTQ community. Whatever reaction or opinion you think they might have, might be proven wrong. 

The second thing that I learned is that generations are not necessarily as different as we think in every issue. Sure, there are some significant viewpoint differences that are worth noting, however, not everything needs to be or is an argument. Maybe if we spent some more time looking for common ground and exploring our similarities it would be easier to progress on different issues.