Facing Doubt: A Book for Adventist Believers 'On the Margins'

A very comforting book to a lifelong member of the church (baptized in 1948) and retired after over 40 years employment with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. I have, for some time, been concerned about the direction of the church and the increasingly conservative tone among the leadership at the General Conference. This book, Facing Doubt, gave me renewed hope and reasons to stay with and support the church and its leadership. On page 189 – 190 the author presents a list of beliefs that he considers fundamental to his relationship with the Creator. That he would deviate from the list of 28 Fundamental Beliefs voted by the general conference (as amended at the last GC session) provides a fascinating view of the variability he would allow within Seventh-day Adventist faith community. I would prefer something closer to the existing creed. However, the graphic presented on p163 provides a visual defense of his position. I would probably give more credence to the authority of the church leaders than the author, but not much. My experience in working within the denomination, leads me to accept that there must be a strong central structure or the organization soon falls apart and the primary goal of the institution is never achieved. All of those who are struggling with doubt and exist on the margins of the church, will find Facing Doubt a good read. It gave me renewed hope for the future of the denomination. But, that is not the limit of the book’s value. I would strongly recommend that conservative leaders in the church read this book to see how members who have serious doubts about some aspects of denominational leadership or even some minor doctrinal variation, can still be considered as loyal Seventh-day Adventists.

This book was well written. As a life long Adventist who has had issues with the church this was a real insight for me. I left the church when I was a young adult and came back when I was in my late 40's. I am sorry to say that some of the issues that bother me then still bother me. But like Reinder Bruinsma I am here to stay. Although I was very disappointed with the GC session in San Antonio last year

An excellent treatment of the problems in Adventism. It is directed to those on the fringes of the Adventist church--both those within and those without. It is very well written. I did find it's survey of the problems was more helpful than his section on the solutions.

The author lays out current issues within the SDA Church with clarity and then gives some personal answers and hopes for the future. Whether those answers are sufficient is an individual decision. It is a breath of fresh air to hear a honest and heart felt assessment of the direction(s) the SDA denomination may go and why.

A great book for anyone who is SDA and has questions and doubts about their church and belief system. This book covers most issues that you may have.

This is book for Adventist Church. Reinder Bruinsma is balanced teologian, very good writer.

I found it helpful and spiritual will study the book some more

Just reality, no "halleluia" message - something earnestly to be considered

An extremely interesting and useful book. It is extremely well written and the author has done some very careful research. It should be translated into as many languages as possible.Inga-Beth Hinchliffe

Reinder Bruinsma’s experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is both similar and different from mine. “Moreover, although I do not see myself as a ‘believer on the margins,” who is slowly drifting toward the exit of organized faith, I do share many of the concerns of the ‘marginals’ and often feel the same uneasiness about several current trends in Adventism.” (Page 108) In this way, he and I are very similar.“I do not need to worry unduly about my membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church (at least as long as I am ‘straight’ and not ‘gay.”) (Page 168) In this way, he and I are very different because to be gay in a conservative denomination like the Seventh-day Adventists automatically places me ‘on the margins’ regardless of any doubts that might otherwise have placed me there.While his experience is naturally different from mine, I am so grateful that Doctor Bruinsma has shared some concerns and doubts that are common to us all and has written how they might be faced in a constructive way.This book is beautifully organized in how it places concerns into perspective. Doctor Bruinsma starts with a broader picture of current problems of beliefs facing Christianity in the West, exploring assumptions and beliefs that many Christians can no longer hold with the same conviction we once did. He then proceeds to illustrate some of the problems emerging in Adventist thinking. A litany of doubts could be overwhelming, so I found it very helpful that, on page 163, the author offered a tool where items of concern could be assembled in some sequence of relative importance. After all, not everything is equally important. How incongruent competing concerns over lifestyle and theology can be, he shares in a humorous illustration. “My credentials as a pastor would be at greater risk if I were to light a cigarette publicly than if I were to express doubt about the Trinity doctrine in a sermon.” (Page 90)Illustrating a very serious difference in convictions, “I personally experienced the displeasure of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference (and of a number of church leaders), when I wrote my PhD dissertation about Adventist attitudes towards Roman Catholicsm and pleaded for a critical revision of some of our traditional views.” (Page 100)At the core of concentric circles illustrating themes of importance, Bruinsma has placed the Person of Jesus Christ. Intimately related to His person and work are those items of foundational, Christian, doctrinal principles. These we Adventists largely share with Christians of other denominations. Outside of those are essential Adventist doctrinal principles—some that are essential to being an Adventist, such as the Sabbath and a hopeful longing for the promised Second Advent of Jesus. Outside of those are less essential Adventist doctrines, main lifestyle issues, and beyond those are common ideas and cultural and time-related interpretations that are perhaps unique to Adventists.My greatest concern for our denomination concerns the Biblical Research Institute which only came to my attention through reading this book. My second misgiving is that we do not appear to have a means of appeal to which everyone, including the church president is subject.In addition to their response to his doctoral dissertation, Bruinsma shares this grave concern: “(The Biblical Research Institute) was created in 1975 with the purpose of providing the church administration with theological advice in cases of doctrinal controversies, and to research matters of a theological nature. It lost its semi-independent status, when in 2010 it was directly linked to the office of the General Conference president, with its director as a vice-president of the church. Thus, from that point onwards, there would clearly be a stronger measure of presidential control of the activities of the BRI. The resident theologians of the BRI have usually been quite conservative, and this trend has clearly intensified in recent years—leading the church further on the path of fundamentalism and doctrinal rigidity.” (Page 53, 54) Without an independent theological resource and without an appeals process, we may be subject to power that cannot be questioned.The Seventh-day Adventist Church, like many Protestant churches is locked in a battle of competing values regarding the full ordination of women as pastors. In some parts of the world, we would offend local culture by ordaining women pastors. In other parts of the world, we would offend local culture by refusing to ordain women. On Doctor Bruinsma’s concentric circles of values, this issue would be properly placed in the relative importance of “cultural and time-related interpretations”; thus disputable matters. Even though Adventist theologians concluded from Scripture that there was no compelling reason to forbid it, the topic was nonetheless held up for popular vote whether to allow geographical regions the discretion to ordain women where not an offense to local sensitivities. The theological findings were in effect discarded in favour of a predictable, more conservative vote. We are always going to encounter questions, but of grave concern is how we deal with them. To my mind, an evidence of the Holy Spirit’s working in our church has been that some ordained pastors relinquished the privilege of “ordination” in exchange for being “commissioned” to ensure equality with women. Some viewed this as an egregious act of rebellion.It was never Doctor Bruinsma’s mission to provide additional things to worry about. Rather, he acknowledges that there will be issues that will justifiably concern us and perhaps even tempt us to despair. In a very encouraging, pastoral spirit, he gives us many reasons to remain with the church; none of them coercive. While he does not and cannot answer every concern, the perspectives that he offers are well worth the price of the book.That I am and that I remain a Seventh-day Adventist is by choice in spite of the fact that I find myself at the margins. That I am gay is not by choice. Since I am unlikely to be straight any time soon, I will likely remain on the margins, but just because I am kept at the margins does not mean I am drifting to the exit, for I remain committed to a “hospital” for people in need of curing.

Bruinsma gibt einen umfassenden, zuverlässigen und doch knappen Überblick über Fragen, Ungewissheiten und Zweifel in Bezug auf das Christentum allgemein sowie insbesondere auf die Freikirche der Siebenten-Tags-Adventisten (STA), deren Hermeneutik, Glaubensgrundsätze und aktuelle Trends. Er plädiert für Christus als Mitte des Glaubens und für die Überprüfung der adventistischen Lehren aus dem 19. Jhdt. aus der Sicht und mit dem Wissen von Menschen des 21. Jhdts. Nur dann bleibe die Botschaft der Freikirche der STA für Menschen unserer Zeit relevant. Das Buch ist für adventistische Gläubige „am Rande“ (Adventist believers 'on the margins') geschrieben. Es nimmt diese ernst. Man spürt, dass Bruinsma in vielem mit ihnen übereinstimmt, und doch spricht er – nach meinem Empfinden aus seelsorgerlichen Gründen – einem Verbleib in der Freikirche der STA das Wort. Wie die Lehren der Pioniere weiter entwickelt, welche allenfalls aufzugeben wären und welche neu formuliert werden müssten, ist nicht Gegenstand seines Buches. Auch äussert er sich nicht dazu, ob und wie dies geschehen könnte. Für Adventisten, welche die überwiegend aus dem 19. Jhdt. stammenden Glaubensgrundsätze sowie die Hermeneutik ihrer Kirche auf ihre Plausibilität überprüfen und sich ein fundiertes Bild über die aktuellen Trends ihrer Kirche machen möchten, ist das Buch sehr zu empfehlen.