Are Seventh-day Adventists Evangelicals?

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination that shares many beliefs with other Christians and faith communities who may identify as evangelical.

Officially, however, the Adventist Church has not used this label to classify or categorize itself.

Today, the term “evangelical” might mean different things to different people, and its connotation can also vary depending on location or time period. So to find the most straightforward answer to this question, we’ll look solely at the origin and definition of the term.

In doing so, we find that Adventists indeed align with the core characteristics of evangelicalism, which are based on these four Christian beliefs:

1. The spiritual authority of the Bible
2. The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross to save us from sin
3. The Holy Spirit’s work in our lives when we choose to follow Jesus
4. The importance of mission and living out our faith

We’ll explore this further by covering the following:

• What does evangelical mean?
• How Adventism aligns with the four core characteristics of evangelicalism:
  • Biblicism
  • Crucicentrism
  • Conversionism
  • Activism
• It’s all about Jesus and the Bible that testifies of Him

Let’s start by looking at the history of the term and the purpose behind its origins.

What does evangelical mean?

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The word evangelical comes from the Greek root euangelion, which means “gospel” or “good news.” This root is used in the New Testament 55 times, often to refer to preaching the Gospel or good news about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, through which we receive salvation and eternal life.¹

Here are a couple examples:

“And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” (Romans 10:15, NKJV, emphasis added)

 

“So they [Jesus’ disciples] departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” (Luke 9:6, NKJV, emphasis added).

In the biblical sense, then, to be evangelical simply means to be someone who preaches the good news of salvation through Jesus.

Let’s look at how this term came into use in more recent years.

The term’s origins

During the time of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther used the Latin term evangelium to refer to non-Catholic churches that came about after the Reformation. But the specific term evangelical wasn’t used until the 18th century.²

In the 18th century, a revival movement called the Great Awakening was in full swing, spurred on by preachers like John Wesley and George Whitefield. They re-emphasized the principles of the Protestant Reformation and tried to bring about revival in the Church of England. Their movement became known as the “Evangelical Party.”³

In its first usages, evangelical was all about revival and a return to the active, genuine Christianity of the early Christian church.

The core characteristics of evangelicalism

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After the Great Awakening, evangelical became a general term to describe Protestant denominations that hold to certain core beliefs. Historian David Bebbington identified those beliefs as⁴:

1. Biblicism
2. Crucicentrism
3. Conversionism
4. Activism

These characteristics are also listed on the website of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), a North American organization that connects and represents evangelical congregations and organizations.

Biblicism is a belief in the ultimate spiritual authority of the Bible. Evangelicals see the Bible as their ultimate guide for every aspect of life. It’s the same idea as the Protestant principle of sola scriptura, or “Scripture alone.”

Crucicentrism refers to belief in Jesus and His death on the Cross, and how this is central to the whole story and experience of salvation. In being crucified, Jesus took upon Himself the consequence of all our sins, demonstrating God’s incredible love for us and offering us the gift of a new life through Him.

Conversionism, or being sincerely and fully converted, logically follows crucicentrism. Focusing on the Cross—and what Jesus did for us there—leads to a changed life.⁵ As we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and grow in a relationship with Him, we allow Him to transform us from within, by the Holy Spirit.

And finally, activism is simply the belief that faith is more than a proclamation or a label. True faith influences us from the inside out, which will affect how we live. It’s the sentiment behind James 2:20, in saying that “faith without works is dead” (NKJV). A real faith is an active faith.

You can see how these four characteristics fit together. Through the Bible, we learn about Christ, who paid the ultimate price on the Cross, making it possible for us to be saved. And when we sincerely accept this incredible love of Christ, it leads us to exemplify this faith through our words and actions.

Seventh-day Adventism and the core characteristics of evangelicalism

Seventh-day Adventist beliefs harmonize with the four core characteristics of evangelicalism. Biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism, and activism are foundational themes throughout all of our 28 Fundamental Beliefs, as we’ll see when we look more closely at those four principles.

Adventists also have other beliefs in common with evangelical denominations worldwide, including the following listed in the World Evangelical Alliance’s statement of faith:

• The Godhead with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless life, death, and resurrection
• Jesus’ personal return in power and glory (the Second Coming)
• The work of the Holy Spirit in each person’s life
• The resurrection of the saved and the lost

But let’s go into detail about how Adventists align with Bebbington’s core four.

Biblicism

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Adventists hold the Bible in the highest regard. In fact, our first Fundamental Belief is all about the Bible’s supremacy in teaching us about God and providing the principles that should guide our lives:

“The Holy Scriptures are the supreme, authoritative, and the infallible revelation of His will.

 

“They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the definitive revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history.”⁶

We believe the Bible was inspired by God and should be the foundation of all our teachings and doctrines (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

In line with this, when someone chooses to become a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, they accept the following:

“Do you believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word, the only rule of faith and practice for the Christian?”⁷

Crucicentrism

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Jesus and His death on the Cross are central to everything else Adventists believe. Jesus’ love is the driving force of our faith, and as the apostle Paul points out, our faith wouldn’t make any sense without His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Salvation comes through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice of bearing our sins for us (Romans 1:18; Ephesians 2:8-9).

And throughout the New Testament, Jesus’ death and resurrection are referred to as a metaphor for how we “die” to our old, sinful lives and rise with Christ as our Savior, no longer “enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:4-6, ESV; see also Galatians 2:20).

Two of our Fundamental Beliefs highlight this—”The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus,” and “The Experience of Salvation.”

Our first three baptismal vows also relate to this core idea:

“1. Do you believe there is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons?

“2. Do you accept the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary as the atoning sacrifice for your sins and believe that by God’s grace through faith in His shed blood you are saved from sin and its penalty?

“3. Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior, believing that God, in Christ, has forgiven your sins and given you a new heart, and do you renounce the sinful ways of the world?”⁸

Conversionism

The Bible teaches the importance of being “born again” and experiencing change and growth as a result of choosing to follow Jesus. Jesus called it being “born…of the Spirit” (John 3:5, NKJV). Or in the words of Paul,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV).

As the Spirit works in our lives, we become more like Christ and show the fruits of the Spirit, characteristics like love, joy, or gentleness (Galatians 5:22-25).

This teaching is highlighted in our “Growing in Christ” and “Christian Behavior” fundamental beliefs, and in another one of our baptismal vows:

“Do you accept by faith the righteousness of Christ, your Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary, and accept His promise of transforming grace and power to live a loving, Christ-centered life in your home and before the world?”⁹

Activism

Adventists believe in expressing our faith through mission and service. By sincerely loving Jesus, that love will flow out of us in a desire to share the Gospel and reflect His character.

From our beginnings as a church, Adventists have been very active in sharing the Gospel through evangelism, healthcare, community service, publishing, and a worldwide religious liberty movement that advocates for religious freedom and separation of church and state.

To us, these things are simply a response to Jesus’ love for us, and His call to share the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20) and to care for those who are hurting, sick, or in need (Matthew 25:30-40).

It’s all about following Jesus and reading the Bible

It’s a natural human tendency to want to label or classify people, ideas, organizations, etc. But as for the word evangelical, when we dig into its definition and history, we realize that its four core characteristics can actually describe anyone who has chosen to become a Christian and follow the Bible’s teachings. Regardless of their background or denominational affiliation.

Ultimately, it’s about a personal, saving relationship with Jesus.

And we wholeheartedly agree.

Adventists seek a personal faith in Jesus Christ, following Him in thought, word, and action and upholding the Scriptures that tell us about Him. He’s the whole reason for our faith as Christians, and it’s only by looking to Him that we find love, purpose, victory over sin, and salvation.

For more about how Adventism connects with other Christian denominations,

1. Strong’s Concordance, “G2097 – euangelizō” [↵]
2. Merritt, Jonathan, “Defining Evangelical,” The Atlantic, Dec. 7, 2015. [↵]
3. Patrick, Arthur, “Are Adventists Evangelical?” Ministry, Feb. 1995.  [↵]
4. Merritt, “Defining Evangelical.” [↵]
5. “Bebbington’s Four Points of Evangelicalism,” Ligonier, Aug. 29, 2020. [↵]
6. “What Adventists Believe About the Holy Scriptures,” Seventh-day Adventist Church. [↵]
7. Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 2022, p. 51. [↵]
8. Ibid. [↵]
9. Ibid. [↵]

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