A Critical Assessment of Adventist Understanding of the Church as Remnant

Abstract

This chapter highlights the following four major inadequacies of the Seventh-day Adventist standardized conceptualization of the church as remnant: (1) a lack of systematic reasoning; (2) a neglect of ontological definitions of the church; (3) a reductionist concept of truth; and finally, (4) a pneumatological deficit. Subsequently, four major proposals are made for deepening Adventist understanding of the nature of church. Whereas the formal structure of communio framework can help Adventists move beyond one-sided, single-metaphor communal self-descriptions, the idea of the church as essentially a koinonia of believers in God can supplement their predominantly functionalist portrayal of the church as herald or messenger. Thirdly, the Adventist notion of truth can be enriched by viewing the community of believers not only as a messenger but also as an organic part of divine revelation. Finally, the development of a richer interpretation of the Spirit’s activity in the church is seen as one of the key prerequisites for a fuller, more nuanced account of the church’s participation in the life of the triune God.