The SDA growth in amongst hispanics in N. America is probably more about increasing population than anything else. SDA is a larger movement outside the US than in the US if measured by member numbers.

Sabbath or Saturday keeping is the 4th commandment if you’re someone who is concerned with keeping God’s law keep it all, why pick and choose.

I also believe from my past studies that there is historical evidence of Constatine the Byzentine Emperor making Sunday the official day of worship for Christians.

As far as nit picking at flaws and misguided movements, every religion has some embarrassing moments in its history.

The most important thing is getting to know Christ, dieing to self, having a change of character, asking for the power of the holy spirit to enable us to be Christ like.

Gail F — no insult taken, at least not yet. William Miller and his followers were serious Christians, not fanatics. They were mistaken in an aspect of Bible prophecy that they took seriously, i.e. that Jesus was returning on a specific date in 1844. When that prediction failed, those believers went all kinds of directions, but some of them were convicted that God was involved in the movement in spite of their mistake about prophecy. They continued studying their Bibles and eventually came together to form the Adventist church about 20 years later. Mr Miller was not a founder in any way, and in fact never joined them and didn’t accept their Sabbath belief. We still view William Miller as an honest servant of God who went as far as he could in following God’s word.

I am a second generation Hispanic SDA member. I have never heard of anything as absurd as using Jewish ancestry or bloodlines, if you will, to recruit Latinos/Hispanics. What I have witnessed however in my 40 years of Adventism is that Catholics are disillusioned with not having a personal relationship with God. Some have sought a definitive way of being with God, loving God, and witnessing for God that is absent of the ritualistic foundations of Cat holism.

Furthermore, liberation theology that you espoused is the bases for the influx of Hispanics into the SDA church has its inception with the Jesuit order; and certainly not part of the SDA church. If you want to speak of eschatology, than frankly speaking, in the “last days” which I certainly agree that we are in, holy writ states that there will be a remnant who keeps the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev 12:17).

People of all persuasions are coming out of churches and finding the SDA church and not just Latinos. Yes, it is indeed interesting!!

There are only two major religious movements in the world, where its churches can be considered global and thriving – the Catholic Church and the SDA. Both can not be right as one is a total antithesis of the other; the dicothomy could not be more astounding! This begs the question, which movement is God helping?

I couldn’t estimate how large the “falling out” was, but I remember the controversies about the Heavenly Sanctuary and etc. I think they started in the early 80s and lasted several years. Factions still persist, of course.

I probably can’t speak accurately about it without a lot of research and text space. I think a key part of the controversy was Christ’s continuing ministry in the sanctuary in heaven, especially the change of ministry that we associate with Daniel’s 2300-day prophecy, versus the popular Christian concept that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was the total, complete offering for our salvation and nothing more should be needed. I think the church’s settled position is that His sacrifice was the complete, one-time offering for all sinners, but the *application* of that sacrifice to our own lives remains and is what Jesus does for us in the Father’s presence in heaven. There was also the issue of just how closely the two-compartment sanctuary ministry of the Old Testament compared to Jesus’ work in heaven, and whether Jesus did or didn’t enter into God’s presence before the end of the 2300 days. I think that has settled with church members not being so strictly literal in matching details of the earthly sanctuary with operations in heaven.

I’m not sure if I answered your question, but I hope this is helpful.

There is a special sensitivity Adventists feel toward Jews, since we share the 7th day Sabbath, some diet principles, and a reverence for God’s law in general. There is a sub-culture of Adventist Jews, similar to Jews for Jesus in the wider Christian community, and most Adventists probably expect Jews’ acceptance of Jesus to increase as part of end-time events, but I don’t think many see special eschatological significance in whether or not an individual has Jewish ancestry.