My seminary professor, Raoul Dederen, once noted in class that it normally takes a Christian denomination about 150 years to work out the details of what it believes. What I have begun to wonder is, what happens after that? Do we as the people of “present truth” become a people theologically fixed by our statements of fundamental belief?

No doubt many have left our fellowship throughout the years because of controversy surrounding our fundamental beliefs. In this series, I’ve mentioned the debate over the nature of Christ, creation, and I might also mention the debate surrounding the life and ministry of Ellen White.

Many who once worshiped with us have been forced to leave because their beliefs were not consistent with official teaching of the Church. I find this tragic; not that they believed differently, but that they were forced out as a result.

Protestants wrestle with statements of doctrine — always have, always will. By some counts, there are more than 6,000 Protestant denominations; is it any wonder that there will be diversity of belief within Seventh-day Adventism? How many Seventh-day Adventist denominations do we want?

I believe that Seventh-day Adventists as Protestants have always been and should always remain tolerant of some diversity of belief, particularly as it relates to our ability to worship together in Christ. I certainly am not advocating that the Church change its fundamental beliefs on creation, Christ, or the nature of Ellen White’s inspiration. But if we reject our open approach to God’s leading and become fixed on our statements of belief as a creed to which we are all held as an acid test of faith, I fear for our Church.

I greatly admire the efforts of our current General Conference president, Jan Paulsen, in helping our Church remember the “Christlike forbearance” that Ellen White called us to so long ago. Speaking to a group of theologians and Church administrators on the question of unity and diversity, he said this about our Church: “Two realities which are constantly before it are unity and diversity.... When unity and diversity fight each other, the loser is always the Church. The Church does best and is most effective as an instrument of mission when unity and diversity coexist in a nonhostile tension.”

But unity and diversity of culture and lifestyle is slightly different than allowing for diversity with regard to our fundamental beliefs. Many among us are able to deal with much diversity in the former but not the latter; we want uniformity of beliefs, even if we can deal with diversity in culture and lifestyle.

On the question of theological differences in our Church, Paulsen has this to say: “There is some theological polarity in our Church. Whether they be to the right or the left, reactionary or liberal, they are there. What should we do about it? Anything? No one should be surprised at their existence, nor should we expect that there will ever come a time when they will be gone. What do we do with all of that? In the main, I suspect that we just learn to live with it. Little is to be gained by chasing these polarities. Doing so has a way of usurping the Church’s agenda, and the environment created within the Church becomes hostile and strained. I say we learn to live with it, with the proviso that the Church, in its teachings, programs and activities, must at all times be visibly loyal to our heritage and our identity,” (“The Theological Landscape,” Adventist Review, June 13, 2002).