Seventh Day Adventise
The Remnant and the Adventist Church
Ángel Manuel Rodríguez The Remnant in Contemporary Adventist ThinkingI. IntroductionThe concept of the remnant is very dear to Adventists and has played a significant role in our self-understanding, in our mission and in our message. There is an almost unconscious feeling among us that if we lose the idea of the remnant we would lose, as a church, our purpose, our reason for existence. The conviction that there is a particular divine reason for our presence in the world is an intrinsic part of the Adventist historical and religious heritage. Therefore it is with great concern that some observe a tendency to de-emphasize or ignore this fundamental self-definition. However, we recognize that there is always a need to re-examine what we believe in an attempt to make it relevant to our church and to contemporary society. Theological refinement is always welcomed as long as it does not become a threat to the message entrusted to the church.
Here we will briefly look at the reasons for the discomfort that prevails in some areas with respect to the concept of the remnant as a self-designation for our church. Besides, we will look at the suggestions offered to replace this concept and to their strengths and weaknesses.[1]II. Reasons for the Apparent CrisisA. Contact with Other Christians Probably one of the most significant elements in the present discussion of the remnant concept in the Adventist Church has been the negative way other Christians have perceived us. Evangelicals did not consider us part of the evangelical world, or even Christians, because, among other reasons, our emphasis on the remnant gave them the impression that we perceived ourselves as the exclusive children of God, the only true Christians.[2] Under such pressure the natural human tendency would be to try to find ways to change that image and to persuade the accusers to believe that we are part of the Christian community. The risk in this enterprise is the
Ángel Manuel Rodríguez The Remnant in Contemporary Adventist ThinkingI. IntroductionThe concept of the remnant is very dear to Adventists and has played a significant role in our self-understanding, in our mission and in our message. There is an almost unconscious feeling among us that if we lose the idea of the remnant we would lose, as a church, our purpose, our reason for existence. The conviction that there is a particular divine reason for our presence in the world is an intrinsic part of the Adventist historical and religious heritage. Therefore it is with great concern that some observe a tendency to de-emphasize or ignore this fundamental self-definition. However, we recognize that there is always a need to re-examine what we believe in an attempt to make it relevant to our church and to contemporary society. Theological refinement is always welcomed as long as it does not become a threat to the message entrusted to the church.
Here we will briefly look at the reasons for the discomfort that prevails in some areas with respect to the concept of the remnant as a self-designation for our church. Besides, we will look at the suggestions offered to replace this concept and to their strengths and weaknesses.[1]II. Reasons for the Apparent CrisisA. Contact with Other Christians Probably one of the most significant elements in the present discussion of the remnant concept in the Adventist Church has been the negative way other Christians have perceived us. Evangelicals did not consider us part of the evangelical world, or even Christians, because, among other reasons, our emphasis on the remnant gave them the impression that we perceived ourselves as the exclusive children of God, the only true Christians.[2] Under such pressure the natural human tendency would be to try to find ways to change that image and to persuade the accusers to believe that we are part of the Christian community. The risk in this enterprise is the
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