Is Seventh-Day Adventism a Cult?

The Seventh-day Adventists are known for the doctrine that is in their name: keeping the Sabbath. Some know them as health-conscious and often vegetarian, and some are aware of Ellen White, whose writings are treated as virtually holy scripture. However, the real distinctive doctrine of the SDA Church, the one that drives all others, is called the Investigative Judgment.

Where the SDA Came From

A Baptist preacher, William Miller, predicted that Jesus would return in 1844, which led to the Great Disappointment when Jesus did not return on that date. This disappointment gave rise to the unique SDA belief in the Investigative Judgment, rooted in a vision by Hiram Edson.

William Miller began preaching the second Advent message in 1831, attracting between 50,000 to 100,000 followers. However, on October 22, 1844, Jesus did not return, leading to the Great Disappointment. The next day, Hiram Edson claimed to have had a vision that Jesus entered the Heavenly Sanctuary to begin a special work of judgment, which became the foundation for the Investigative Judgment doctrine.

Hiram Edson’s Vision

Edson’s vision led to the development of the teaching that Jesus began a work in the Heavenly Sanctuary, not an earthly return. This belief became central to the SDA Church.

Ellen White’s Role

Another prominent figure in SDA history is Ellen White, who had over 2,000 visions starting at the age of 17. She promoted observing the Sabbath on the seventh day and wrote extensively on health, particularly advocating for a vegetarian diet.

Today, the SDA Church operates 9,419 schools, including primary, secondary, and university levels. They have 229 hospitals and 57 publishing houses.

Famous figures associated with the SDA Church include musicians like Prince and Little Richard, basketball player Magic Johnson, and politician Ben Carson. The church emerged from the Second Great Awakening (1795-1835), the period of revival in America.

6 SDA Doctrines Similar to Evangelical Christianity

1. Trinity: The SDA church is trinitarian, believing in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. Bible as Scripture: The SDA church upholds the Bible as Scripture, although they include other writings.
3. Doctrine about Jesus: Jesus is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, sinless, crucified, and resurrected.
4. Jesus’ Return: The SDA church believes Jesus will return to Earth in a literal, visible way.
5. New Earth: They believe in a new earth where God will dwell with His people, similar to Evangelical beliefs.
6. Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: These practices are shared with Evangelical Christianity.

5 SDA Doctrines Different from Evangelical Christianity

1. Prophetic Ministry of Ellen G. White: The SDA holds Ellen White’s writings in high regard, almost on par with Scripture.
2. Sabbath Keeping: The SDA church emphasizes a legalistic Sabbath observance, unlike Evangelicals who view Sunday as the Lord’s Day.
3. State of the Dead: They also believe in soul sleep, whereas Evangelicals believe in immediate presence with the Lord after death.
4. No Earthly Millennium: The SDA church teaches that Christ’s 1,000-year reign occurs in heaven, not on earth.
5. Investigative Judgment: This doctrine teaches that believers are not fully saved until they pass an investigative judgment, which began in 1844.

However, we see that the Bible teaches that God already knows His people (John 10:14) and that salvation was accomplished on the cross. Believers are presently saved and can know they are saved (Ephesians 2:8-10). According to the Bible, there will be three areas in our lives that will be judged:

• Ministry (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
• Interpersonal Relationships (Ephesians 6:9)
• Devotion to Christ (Revelation 2-3)

Final Thoughts

Many Evangelicals consider the SDA church to be a cult. However, since the 1950s, scholars have led to a shift in viewing them as a denomination, not a cult. Now, while I believe that a Seventh-day Adventist can be a born-again believer, there are concerns about their adherence to legalistic doctrines.

Read: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Cult?