Dispatch from the future of Adventism
By Chelle Webster
“I am 23-years old. I have been an
Adventist my whole life; in fact, the daughter of an Adventist
theologian, and so have grown up with inspirational discussions about
God, theodicy, Adventism, and church. I was a Philosophy and Religion
major, and spent my time in college thinking about our place in the
world, our understandings of the world, and what it meant to be
Adventist. In college, I believed that my friends and I were a
transformational force to be reckoned with; just wait, world, until we
graduate!
It’s been almost three years since graduation, and I am
currently working as a public high school teacher, teaching freshmen
and sophomores to stop answering their phones in class, to avoid using
the electric sharpener in the middle of my daily instructions, and to
tone down their cross-the-classroom conversations while I am teaching.
I rarely discuss Adventist theology in my daily life – the public
school system is not exactly conducive to the discussion of faith – and
find myself feeling more and more disconnected from the sense of
excitement, possibility, and transformation that infused my childhood.
u003cbr>What happened? In my case, entering the “real world” of a jobnoutside Adventism meant I became disconnected to what used to be anmajor source of inspiration; discussions of what it means to benAdventist, and how to authentically live out our faith. Now, I am annAdventist young professional in a for-all-intents-and-purposes secularnworld. I can continue my faith by personal devotions, but find it hardnto be inspired without a community. I can go to church once a week,nbut at church merely hear a sermon repeat the same theme of salvationnby grace – although this time with illustration #42 – and afterwardsnmeet with friends I have known since college or before to talk aboutnour weeks or jobs or where to eat lunch. Things have become mundane,nand I have lost the sense that God is moving quickly in this world, andnthat I am a part of that movement. nu003cbr>u003cbr>Whatncan be done? For those of you reading this, perhaps the Spectrum blognhas become that “Adventist community” for you where you can once againndiscuss your faith, and in that discussion learn more about who younare, what you believe, and how to be Adventist in your daily life.nPerhaps the peace and justice issues discussed here are easilyntranslated into the praxis of your life, in whichever world youninhabit. nu003cbr>u003cbr>But perhaps in the Spectrum cyberspace there are some of younthat late at night (or in the middle of the day) think that somethingnis lacking in your life. That we should never lose the sense ofntransformational possibility, that our daily lives should still feelnintimately connected to what we believe to be most important in life. nThose of you out there: what are you doing to keep that sense ofnmovement, that sense of hope, that sense of possibility? nu003cbr>u003cbr>I started this blog in order to let you know of somethingn(imperfect, definitely) that I am working on as my partial answer tonthat question; unfortunately, now that I’ve reached the end of thisnentry, I cannot add it. I’ve typed myself into a situation where anynendorsement now would be too commercial, too much a product of SouthernnCal. So instead I’ll leave you to post your answers, and leave minenfor the next blog. How do you keep your sense of Adventism alive?” “,1]
);
//–>u003cbr>What happened? In my case, entering the “real world” of a jobnoutside Adventism meant I became disconnected to what used to be anmajor source of inspiration; discussions of what it means to benAdventist, and how to authentically live out our faith. Now, I am annAdventist young professional in a for-all-intents-and-purposes secularnworld. I can continue my faith by personal devotions, but find it hardnto be inspired without a community. I can go to church once a week,nbut at church merely hear a sermon repeat the same theme of salvationnby grace – although this time with illustration #42 – and afterwardsnmeet with friends I have known since college or before to talk aboutnour weeks or jobs or where to eat lunch. Things have become mundane,nand I have lost the sense that God is moving quickly in this world, andnthat I am a part of that movement. nu003cbr>u003cbr>Whatncan be done? For those of you reading this, perhaps the Spectrum blognhas become that “Adventist community” for you where you can once againndiscuss your faith, and in that discussion learn more about who younare, what you believe, and how to be Adventist in your daily life.nPerhaps the peace and justice issues discussed here are easilyntranslated into the praxis of your life, in whichever world youninhabit. nu003cbr>u003cbr>But perhaps in the Spectrum cyberspace there are some of younthat late at night (or in the middle of the day) think that somethingnis lacking in your life. That we should never lose the sense ofntransformational possibility, that our daily lives should still feelnintimately connected to what we believe to be most important in life. nThose of you out there: what are you doing to keep that sense ofnmovement, that sense of hope, that sense of possibility? nu003cbr>u003cbr>I started this blog in order to let you know of somethingn(imperfect, definitely) that I am working on as my partial answer tonthat question; unfortunately, now that I’ve reached the end of thisnentry, I cannot add it. I’ve typed myself into a situation where anynendorsement now would be too commercial, too much a product of SouthernnCal. So instead I’ll leave you to post your answers, and leave minenfor the next blog. How do you keep your sense of Adventism alive?” “,1]
);
//–>
What happened? In my case, entering the “real world” of a job
outside Adventism meant I became disconnected to what used to be a
major source of inspiration; discussions of what it means to be
Adventist, and how to authentically live out our faith. Now, I am an
Adventist young professional in a for-all-intents-and-purposes secular
world. I can continue my faith by personal devotions, but find it hard
to be inspired without a community. I can go to church once a week,
but at church merely hear a sermon repeat the same theme of salvation
by grace – although this time with illustration #42 – and afterwards
meet with friends I have known since college or before to talk about
our weeks or jobs or where to eat lunch. Things have become mundane,
and I have lost the sense that God is moving quickly in this world, and
that I am a part of that movement.
What
can be done? For those of you reading this, perhaps the Spectrum blog
has become that “Adventist community” for you where you can once again
discuss your faith, and in that discussion learn more about who you
are, what you believe, and how to be Adventist in your daily life.
Perhaps the peace and justice issues discussed here are easily
translated into the praxis of your life.
But perhaps in the Spectrum cyberspace there are some of you
that late at night (or in the middle of the day) think that something
is lacking in your life. That we should never lose the sense of
transformational possibility, that our daily lives should still feel
intimately connected to what we believe to be most important in life.
Those of you out there: what are you doing to keep that sense of
movement, that sense of hope, that sense of possibility?
I started this blog post in order to let you know of something
(imperfect, definitely) that I am working on as my partial answer to
that question; unfortunately, now that I’ve reached the end of this
entry, I cannot add it. I’ve typed myself into a situation where any
endorsement now would be too commercial, too much a product of Southern
Cal. So instead I’ll leave you to post your answers, and leave mine
for the next blog. How do you keep your sense of Adventism alive?”
