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Hi, my name is Zach Roberts. I am a senior at Southern Adventist University. Although I am not a member of any Adventist congregation, I attend one every weekend, and I have worked at an Adventist summer camp and now attend an Adventist university, of course. I like to say I am 60% Adventist (at least), but I am not a member. 

I was first introduced to Adventism when I was 17 years old. Prior to that, I I had not heard of the religion. Now, my life is full of Adventists. Probably over 80% of the people I know and interact with fall under that category.

When I am at Southern Adventist University, I am surrounded by Adventists. When I am back home and attending Statesville Seventh-day Adventist Church, I am surrounded by Adventists. But the experience could not be more different. Why? At first glance, there is a quick answer to that question. And, as with a lot of things, it’s largely demographic.

At school, I’m largely interacting with 18–24-year-olds, with a few exceptions. At home and at church, it’s much more of a 50+ (emphasis on the plus) range, with, of course, a few exceptions. 

Yes, being Adventist results in quite a few common ideologies, such as the Sabbath, what’s clean to eat and many other things. But there is a stark contrast in perspectives. On things that aren’t necessarily taught in the church, there’ has been a fairly drastic shift from one generation to the next, in my personal experience. 

That’s what makes this so interesting to me. I see the differences first-hand. I live them out. One place feels a lot different than the other, despite seemingly being in similar surroundings. I think that, through research this semester, my experience will be borne out through the data. There is a generational divide in the church, as with everything in the world these days, and it only seems to be widening. 

Not being an Adventist lends me a unique perspective to this, but it also leaves me with a few questions. Most of the people I’m around at school come from similar environments as my home church, so why does this divide exist? Why is it such a powerful divide? Is this universal across different areas? There’s only one way to find out.

Hello, My name is Frank Canizares, and throughout the years I have noticed a generational divide among Hispanic Seventh-day Adventists. The gap underscores various perspectives regarding secular issues such as science and politics, as well as spiritual matters such as worship and modesty.

Conservatives vs. Liberals. These two stances have defined and divided church members into different groups.

As a student taking an Interactive Journalism course at Southern Adventist University, I will explore this topic through conversations, research and recollection based on my personal experience as someone who grew up in the Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist community, left the church for a period of time and then returned within recent years.

A religious practitioner of the faith, I was always involved in church activities during my childhood. That involvement provided me with a window through which I observed the range of behaviors among brethren practicing and promulgating their beliefs.

After years of wandering in the world – away from God and the church – I returned to an environment where some people with whom I grew up had, in my opinion, maintained certain positions, which throughout the years had defined them.

By observing their viewpoints, the ways they worshipped, how they dressed and practiced religion, I could detect an unspoken division among church members. Even though none of it played a role in my departure, the differences between young and old are intriguing.

However, it is important to note that the religious divide is not a defined line drawn in the sand. The differences sometimes fluctuate depending on one’s education, upbringing, and the influence parents have had on one’s outlook on life. The type of church a person attended as a child could also impact his or her formative years. That influence could define viewpoints, habits and a person’s overall character, regardless of age and generation.

It is my desire to research the origins and development of this issue. So, let’s embark on this journey together!

Hi, my name is Megan Yoshioka. I am 21 years old and currently majoring in mass communication with an emphasis in writing and editing. I was born on the Millennial/Gen Z cusp and raised by two Gen Xers in an Adventist household.

About a year ago, my dad and I were listening to a podcast in the car. In that podcast, the speaker strongly advocated for traditional marriage roles where the man is the breadwinner and the woman is the homemaker.

I was annoyed by this position and vocalized my irritation to my dad. He responded to me by asking, “Why?” He stated that there is nothing wrong with traditional marriage roles.

And he was right. There is nothing wrong with traditional marriage roles if that is the lifestyle both spouses agree to live out. I do not have a problem with the role, only the expectation that I should not pursue or prioritize a career outside of homemaking simply because I am female. 

Growing up, my family encouraged me to study and work hard. I developed a strong work ethic and have carried it with me into college so I can earn a degree and start a career in writing. I explained to my dad that if I decide to get married in the future, I do not want to give up or be expected to give up a career I have worked so hard to achieve. If I were to give it up, I would feel that all my time, money, and effort would have been wasted by going to college.

My dad then told me that not everyone would agree with my line of thinking. He said that while he was attending Pacific Union College thirty years ago, he knew many women who went to an Adventist college in order to find a husband. 

I was surprised by this statement and confused by the word “many.” During my past three years at Southern Adventist University, I have only met one woman who said she wanted to become a wife and mother for her primary career. The majority of women I have met are equally as driven as I am to pursue a career outside of homemaking and motherhood, whether it be in medicine, dentistry, journalism, or graphic design. 

My dad and I both realized that a generational gap could have influenced our different views of marriage. This conversation sparked my interest in learning more about different generational values and opinions, especially within the Adventist church. Is there truly a generational divide like my dad and I hypothesized, or were our differences of opinion simply just that?

I sit in an interesting spot when it comes to this topic. I was born in 1983 which is in millennial territory. I have never really felt like the millennial archetype fit, though, and even less so the Generation X. I feel more like I’m in a no-man’s land between the two where certain aspects of both apply, and some of neither. This has given me almost an “outside looking in” perspective on the generational aspects of world as a whole, and on the Adventist church specifically. Without strongly identifying with any single group I’ve had the opportunity to be more objective in my examinations. Now in my late 30’s with children of my own, I can explore this topic along with the students in a way that will hopefully allow us to find common ground in a church that has often struggled to create an identity for the diverse generations that call themselves Adventist.

I grew up in the church in the 1980s and 90s, and saw some of the conflicts that alienated the youth of that era, but I also was young enough in the early 2000s to still be developing my sense of identity in the Church, and benefited from some of the positive progress during that era. I attended Adventist boarding schools from 2000 till 2008, through late high school (Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, FL) and 5 years of undergraduate work (Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, TN.) I was married by a wonderful Adventist pastor, and now I’m seeing my children experience the world through the eyes of a generation we haven’t even defined yet and helping students at Southern understand their own place in this wonderful world. This is an exciting chance to examine how what we experience, what our parents experience, and what our children experience shapes the shared existence of our culture in the Church and how it defines our past, present and future.