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In Search of Pastoral Care in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church: a Narrative Approach

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In Search of Pastoral Care in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church: a Narrative Approach IN SEARCH OF PASTORAL CARE IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH: A NARRATIVE APPROACH By COLIN FINUCANE submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY in the subject PRACTICAL THEOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: DR. A. G. VAN WYK JOINT PROMOTER: PROF. E. VAN NIEKERK JUNE 2009 I, Colin Finucane, declare that, “In Search of Pastoral Care in the Seventh-day Adventist Church: A narrative approach”, is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. _____________________________ ______________________ Signature Date SUMMARY The mission over the last few decades, especially of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has focused on “confessionalism”. In this specific sense of mission growth—numeric growth— has been a priority, and, unfortunately, not caring for “broken” people. The emphasis has been placed on the age-old proclamation of the “truth”, at the expense of social involvement, as it seems that “truth” transcends the needs of people, even of Christians. This has led to the restricting of the scope of pastoral care, and has limited it to an “applied theology”, where the Old Testament and New Testament studies have dictated its structure and methodology. Within Adventism its view and use of Scripture has dominated its ministry, indicating a number of different methods and approaches. These differences in both the conservative and the liberal orientations only represent their own possibilities. These approaches are the result of a basic understanding of Scripture as a body of divine teachings that needs to be accepted, believed, and obeyed. Consequently, this perception has moved the focus away from caring to the “so-called” correct doctrine of “truth” and proclamation. Postmodernism, however, is challenging the assumptions of modernism and is now confronting us with the understanding that there is no “objective truth”, and that there cannot be a completely detached observer. We observe reality, experience and Scripture not objectively, but rather discern them through the eyes of our own context, experience and history. The thesis, therefore, postulates as useful, just and proper that we experience reality in a narrative fashion within a secular postmodern world. It is through stories that we grasp and appreciate the important factors in our lives. Consequently, a narrative approach is appraised as being a more meaningful tool in approaching Scripture and pastoral care. Narratives are like rituals, they preserve the memory of past events in a way that they still have power for us in the present. As Jesus is a servant of everybody His narratives are transposed and they become accounts of our involvement in the lives of our fellow “sufferers”. KEY TERMS Adventism Descartes Pastoral care Agonistics Eschatology Positivism Anthropology Foundationalism Postmodernism Applied theology Hermeneutics Practical theology Biblicism Intertextuality Rationalism Binary thinking Metanarratives Reductionism Community Metaphor Relationship Confessionalism Modernism Seventh-day Adventism Counselling Narrative Textuality Deconstruction Objectivism TABLE OF CONTENT PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. v CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1 Humanity facing the twenty-first century .......................................................................... 1 2 Terminology and abbreviations ......................................................................................... 2 3 The research problem ......................................................................................................... 4 4 Possible reasons for the problem ....................................................................................... 7 5 The task of the research ..................................................................................................... 9 6 The methodology ............................................................................................................. 11 7 The organisation of the research ...................................................................................... 13 8 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO A Historical Perspective on the Development of Adventist Theology and its Determining Influence 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 17 2 The historical background of Adventism ......................................................................... 18 2.1 The religious-socio-political world of 19 th century America ....................................... 19 2.2 Worldviews influencing the American Protestant world ............................................. 22 2.2.1 Anabaptism and Restorationism .......................................................................... 23 2.2.2 Wesleyanism ........................................................................................................ 25 2.2.3 Deism ................................................................................................................... 26 2.2.4 Puritanism ............................................................................................................ 27 2.2.5 Baconianism ......................................................................................................... 28 3 Millerism and Seventh-day Adventism ........................................................................... 29 3.1 Miller—his message and mission ................................................................................ 30 3.1.1 The imminent advent: The hope of the world ...................................................... 32 3.1.2 A proclamation-oriented mission ......................................................................... 34 i 3.2 Post 1844 and Adventism ............................................................................................ 35 3.2.1 The “shut and open” door and its significance for a theology of caring.............. 35 3.2.2 Sabbatarian Adventists and the Second Advent .................................................. 38 3.2.3 Early Seventh-day Adventism and the great advent hope ................................... 40 3.2.4 1888—A move from law to grace ....................................................................... 42 3.2.5 A search for identity after 1888 ........................................................................... 45 4 Early Adventism’s view and use of Scripture.................................................................. 48 4.1 The Reformation and its impact ................................................................................... 49 4.2 Millerism and Scripture ............................................................................................... 51 4.3 James White, Joseph Bates, Ellen G White and Scripture ........................................... 54 4.4 An intellectual approach to Scripture and its implications for caring ......................... 55 5 Seventh-day Adventists, practical theology and caring ................................................... 56 6 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER THREE A SDA Confessional Framework and Pastoral Care 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 61 2 Seventh-day Adventism and a confessional framework .................................................. 62 2.1 A confessional approach and its view and use of Scripture......................................... 64 2.1.1 A conservative orientation ................................................................................... 67 2.1.2 A moderate view of Scripture: A Christological approach .................................. 76 2.1.3 A progressive (liberal) orientation: View and use of Scripture ........................... 78 2.2 The importance of “truth” and “present truth” in Adventist theology ......................... 84 3 The implications of a confessional approach ................................................................... 87 3.1 A confessional approach and its implications for pastoral care ................................... 87 3.1.1 Adventism, eschatology and imminence ............................................................. 88 3.1.2 An apocalyptic-focused eschatology ................................................................... 90 3.1.3 The remnant idea.................................................................................................. 92 3.1.4 Proclamation: The SDA mission ......................................................................... 94 3.2 A confessional approach and ecclesiology .................................................................. 99 3.3 Seventh-day Adventism and anthropology ................................................................ 101 3.3.1 Anthropological orientations ............................................................................. 101 ii 3.3.2 SDA anthropology? ........................................................................................... 103 3.4 An applied theology and Adventist pastoral care .....................................................
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