Recently, I w a s very pleased to receive a copy of a slim but impactful volume entitled, The Next Chapter of Adventism: Confronting Challenges, Seizing Opportunities, edited by Laszlo Gallusz and Julian Thompson, both of whom lecture at Newbold College of Higher Education and who are among the contributors to the book, published by Stanborough Press in the United Kingdom. My pleasure arose from the collective imagination to write, from multiple perspectives, on the social, cultural, conceptual, and theological landscape within which Adventism “lives, and moves, and has [its] being” (Acts 17:28, NRSV), to borrow a phrase from Paul who, in turn, borrowed it from the sixth century BC poet Epimenides. And, perhaps it is apropos to the contextual questions being asked and explored by the authors: What does it mean to cherish truth and purpose, meaning and mission, love for God and love for humanity, in the contemporary environment?
Through a compilation of scholarly, yet accessible thirteen articles, this volume speaks into the myriad of intersecting and overlapping challenges faced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a denomination and as a collective of believers living in challenging times while maintaining a sense of expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. To write exhaustively on the subject would be a monumental feat, however, this volume claims neither exhaustive nor definitive status. Stemming from a love for the church—both as denomination and as Christbelieving people—thought leaders share their observations and reflections on the contextual, cultural, and theological landscape within which the contemporary Adventist Church in Europe lives as both witness and testimony.
Witness: in the sense that we, like the prophets, the apostles, and Gospel writers, are among those who notice, observe, collaborate with, record, and cherish the activity of God in our time and in our places. Testimony: in the sense that we announce, declare, and “show forth” (Ps 19:1–4, NRSV) the glory, presence, and work of God over the course of human history while anticipating the continued redemptive activity of God on behalf of humanity. This perspective is reflected, for example, in Gifford Rhamie’s article, “Justice Is What Love Looks Like in Public,” where on page 17 he describes social justice as “the dogged historical legacy of the Old Testament Hebrew prophets . . . [who] . . . channelled God’s displeasure and righteous indignation against rulers . . . who fostered hostile environments that oppressed the poor, the widows, and the orphans.” The legacy of witness and testimony, not only as something that we look back on but as something within which we actively live, is a repeated nuanced theme through the book, with each author making contributions from a variety of angles.
The legacy of witness and testimony, not only as something that we look back on but as something within which we actively live, is a repeated nuanced theme through the book.
Each author’s chosen vantage point explores a potential or existing challenge for Adventism while also offering suggestions on where opportunities for enhanced understanding and wider ministry and mission might be explored, or where our collective and individual practice might be reviewed and renewed. For example, Jan Barna’s article “Google, Adventism and Algorithmic Truth” invites reconsideration of our approaches to determining and deciding in matters of faith and belief. These thoughtful chapters invite the reader to consider the way we read and understand Scripture, the shifting cultural Western landscape, digital innovation, and the challenges presented by “churchless spirituality” while having the mind led back to the themes of witness and testimony, and how they might appear in contemporary settings while anticipating the soon return of Christ.
Spiritual leaders from elders serving in local congregations, to pastors and administrators, are already engaging these same challenges and wondering where meaningful opportunities for ministry and mission exist—especially those serving in urban and Westernized contexts. And for those whose context does not yet feel as changed or diverse as that terminology might suggest, the themes around witness and testimony are no less significant or culturally prophetic, for we all must minister in the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. That is where the value of this thoughtful volume lies: in the willingness to not only shed light on our present, but to also faithfully stretch into the immediate future expecting to find that God is already there.
Wayne Erasmus, DMin, is the director for church growth and mission of the South England Conference, as well as pastor of the Maidenhead Seventh-day Adventist Church, England.
