1. Is the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) a cult?

No, although as this is such a subjective question, it really depends who is asking. Many Atheists, Agnostics and non-Christians would no doubt label all of Christianity a cult. The Jewish leaders seemed to think of the Early Church in these terms (Acts 5:33-39).


The most ‘official’ and authoritative position amongst Evangelical Christians is from Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute (CRI), and author of Kingdom of Cults (1965). The position CRI is that Seventh-day Adventist (‘SDA’ or ‘Adventist’) theology is essentially ‘orthodox’:

“It now appeared that the structure of SDA theology was essentially orthodox. Adventism affirmed the inspiration of Scripture, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, and Christ's deity, virgin birth, vicarious atonement, bodily resurrection, and second advent. Martin, who had written extensively on the subject of American-based cults, immediately recognized that this was not the doctrinal statement of a typical cult. He began to believe that SDA, at least as these men represented it, had been very misunderstood by evangelical Christianity.”



“Martin’s conviction remains my own—that one cannot be a true Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, or Christian Scientist and be a practicing Christian in the biblical sense of the word. Those sects proclaim a different God, a different Christ, and a different gospel (2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6-9). But it is possible to be a Seventh-day Adventist and a true follower of Jesus Christ despite certain distinctive Adventist doctrines that most evangelical Protestants respectfully consider to be unbiblical.”


The view even taken by Roman Catholics, who have no reason to show bias to one Protestant Church over another, also states:

“Seventh-Day Adventists agree with many Catholic doctrines, including the Trinity, Christ’s divinity, the virgin birth, the atonement, a physical resurrection of the dead, and Christ’s Second Coming. They use a valid form of baptism. They believe in original sin and reject the Evangelical teaching that one can never lose one’s salvation no matter what one does (i.e., they correctly reject "once saved, always saved").

…Adventists also subscribe to the two Protestant shibboleths, sola scriptura (the Bible is the sole rule of faith) and sola fide (justification is by faith alone). Other Protestants, especially conservative Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, often attack Adventists on these points, claiming they do not really hold them, which is often used as "proof" that they are "a cult." However, along the spectrum of Protestantism (from high-church Lutherans and Anglicans to low-church Pentecostals and Baptists), there is little agreement about the meaning of these two phrases or about the doctrines they are supposed to represent.”


For a full examination of extremist SDA offshoots, including the Branch Dividians, Creationist SDA Church and Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement, please visit the site 'Sevy Taliban':



9 comments:

  1. Adventist.

    One man's cult is another man's religion - and vica versa.

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  2. I note the Oxford dictionary defines cult as, ‘A system of worship; excessive admiration or a person or thing; sect, denomination, movement, church, persuasion’. The certainly could apply to almost any religious group, and certainly every Christian denominations. No doubt to most non-Christians every Church community gives excessive admiration to the person of Jesus Christ. I guess it really depends on who is asking. SDA

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    1. I love the dictionary approach. Have to be careful at times as definitions can change throughout the years. But yeah, basically people label something as a cult if it is not in agreement with them. ~SDA

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  3. It is also Evangelical Christians (esp Assemblies of God, Pentecostals, Brethren, Dispensationalists and Baptists) who claim the SDA Church is a cult. But go back a few centuries and the other 'mainstream' Protestant groups were calling these newer Protestant groups a cult. Then go back a few more centuries, and the 'mother' Roman Catholic Church was calling these original Protestant groups a cult. Then go back a few centuries more and the 'mother' Jewish leaders were calling these Christians a cult. Be called a cult is part of spiritual revelation and present truth.

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  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. THE SDA CHURCH IS A CULT! IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET!!! BEWARE THE SDA WOLFS IN SHEEP CLOTHNIG!!

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    1. Its all over the internet that fornication and adultery is okay too. And back 200 years ago, its was widely accepted in America that slavery was okay. Just because something is all over everywhere doesn't mean anything. Not trying to argue, just saying.

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    2. Well said!!!
      I guess this person believes that everything that's on the internet is true if it's in the majority. Very bad view to have, especially since the Bible says that most people will be deceived and end up in hell and only a few will take the straight and narrow way to heaven.

      We shouldn't take our beliefs from the internet but rather from the Bible itself. Concordances are great for studying what the Bible truly says on a topic and blows away one verse doctrines. Use them instead of just accepting what is taught at your church's pulpit.

      The wolf in sheep's clothing may be your own pastor, and he or she might not even know it...

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  6. Who cares what Walter Martin believes!!!!!

    Kevin McMillen
    Morgantown, WV
    kljcmc@comcast.net

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