When Adventist missionaries preach in remote regions of New Guinea, how much energy do they devote to teaching about the dragon in Revelation? In Seattle, how hard do preachers work to convince church members that offerings to the tree gods are dangerous syncretism? Among Amazon tribes, we probably don't have a lot to say about Ellen White.

Adventism is not a monolithic, seamless, homogeneous monad. It is a polyglot, multifarious, dynamic reality changing over time and varying across geography. So, when we go into all the world and preach the gospel, what should we say? Liberals often waffle and equivocate when asked about universal truths, afraid of being accused of cultural imperialism. But liberals must renounce timidity. Human need cries out for bold speech and action. Here I propose five pillars of transcultural, third-millennium Adventism.

Sabbath. In Sabbath keeping, we cultivate our awareness of the reality, activity and presence of God. For believers, Sabbath is a sacrament, an earthly vehicle of the grace and presence of God. Adventists insist that Sabbath is a whole day-a park in time, not a clergy-controlled activity like churchgoing. We will always argue about "proper" Sabbath keeping, but a holy day which guards employees, students, and children against the imperious demands of their superiors is finely tuned to meet the human condition, from rural New Guinea to midtown Manhattan.

Creation. Men and women were created together in the image of God to cultivate community and nobility. The doctrine of creation points to a better way than the casual divorce and abortion and the unsustainable consumption characteristic of the West. It judges the sexual and social mores which make millions of women AIDS victims across Africa as well as the victims of domestic violence around the world.

Adventists have been sidetracked by incessant debates over geochronology. It is time for us to turn from arguments about dates to conversation about living in the image of God so that our life together offers a model of God's intentions in creation. That model must include mutual honor and respect among men and women, healthy marital relationships, restraint in the use of power, attention to physical health and economic well-being, and stewardship of personal and community property.

Progressive Revelation. God has spoken in the Bible and still speaks. We promote the personal and communal reading of the Bible and personal and communal attention to the ongoing teaching of the Holy Spirit. We refuse to discard the Bible because it is old or to ignore advances in truth because they were not explicit in the Bible. Adventists oppose slavery and abortion. We advocate rational health care and higher education. We believe in representative government in both civil society and the church. All of these are innovations, dependent on progressive revelation for legitimacy in a Christian community.

Disciples of Jesus We worship Jesus as God, trust his forgiveness, follow his leadership, find consolation and hope in his death and resurrection. We believe his words about the Father's regard for his human children and seek to imitate that regard in our interactions with others. We obey Jesus' directives to care for the disadvantaged, to practice radical honesty and integrity, radical sexual purity and forgiveness. We listen for Jesus to say in our day, "You have heard . . ., but I say . . ."

Law. Who you are does not change what is right. Presidents, judges, policemen, preachers, fathers and God himself are accountable to the moral law. No status or relationship can justify wicked behavior. Moral law is no less universal or consistent than natural law. All societies, including the church, are healthiest when law is transparent and impartially enforced.

These pillars should structure Adventism everywhere, from rural New Guinea to midtown Manhattan, from Berlin to Botswana, from Rio to Sydney to Paducah, Kentucky.

The letters page is open. Send us your list of the "pillars of Adventism."