With the Inter-America Division just baptizing its three-millionth member. With glowing reports of evangelistic success regularly appearing in the Adventist Review. With constant affirmation in books and newsletters that the Adventist ship is making great progress — how could anyone suggest that all might not be as well as the statistics and reports show?

This issue of Adventist Today focuses on North America. Monte Sahlin’s article is a must-read. While it is brimming with hope and optimism, it also contains a stark reality: If it were not for immigrant churches, Adventism would be losing members in North America. In other words, we are falling further and further behind in reaching the European-American population.

But we find no mention of this in Union papers, in Don Schneider’s weekly fax, or in any other official church publication. The fact is, Adventism has failed — yes, you read this right! Adventism has failed. How? It came into existence to herald the Second Coming of Jesus in a single generation, to play the same role John the Baptist did in heralding the first coming of Jesus. He lived to see fulfilled what he predicted.

Those who began the great Advent Movement were supposed to see the fulfillment of what they too predicted. In the Ellen G. White online database this citation is found: “Ellen White Expected Christ’s Return in Her Day, ‘I was shown the company present at the Conference. Said the angel: “Some food for worms, some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus”’” (Testimonies, Vol. 1, pp. 131, 132, 1856).

How can anyone some 151 years later say that the Adventist Church is doing well? We are like the emperor in Hans Christian Andersen’s famous story of the king who believed he was clothed in a magnificent new garment, yet was completely naked. Doesn’t this sound like the Laodicean message of Revelation, about the last church that thinks it is rich and doing great, when really it is pitiful and naked?

In this issue we are trying to wake up the sleeping giant that is Adventism. The articles are deliberatively provocative. We want to start a conversation, a discussion. We do not profess to have all the answers. We all love our church very much, but feel we cannot just stand back and cheer the naked emperor on while pretending he is clothed.

We welcome feedback, letters, even other articles suggesting other solutions. Let’s be honest. Until Jesus comes, Adventism is a failure. And while his coming is obviously closer than it was 150 years ago, it may take another 150 years if we do not change what we are doing. And just maybe God will use someone else other than the Adventist Church to finish things up.

The worst thing we can do is be like the Jews who boasted, “We are the seed of Abraham,” as they prepared to crucify the Messiah. We boast that we are the remnant church, and yet we crucify Jesus again by not being the people who God wants us to be.

May the conversation begin.

p. 2 adventist today | vol. 15 issue 5