You Can Love the Church and Still Demand Better From It
Too often, Adventism mistakes loyalty for silence. Speak up about mistakes, question leadership, or challenge policy, and suddenly your love for the church is called into doubt. “If you cared, you wouldn’t say that,” we are told—as if love is measured by obedience rather than integrity.
This is a false loyalty test. It teaches members that devotion is passive, that faithfulness is quiet compliance, and that criticism equals betrayal. It creates a culture that rewards conformity and punishes conscience.
But loving the church doesn’t mean turning a blind eye. It means caring enough to insist on truth, fairness, and compassion. Accountability is not opposition—it’s devotion in action. It’s a refusal to accept harm or injustice in the name of tradition or convenience. It’s a commitment to the community’s highest ideals, even when that commitment is inconvenient or uncomfortable.
Jesus modeled this perfectly. He didn’t abandon the temple or the synagogue; He confronted hypocrisy, challenged the status quo, and called religious leaders back to the values they claimed to uphold. His critiques didn’t come from bitterness—they came from love.
The church grows stronger when its members are brave enough to speak honestly, offer critique with humility, and hold leadership to account. This isn’t disloyalty. It’s care at its deepest level.
Adventism doesn’t need silent followers.
It needs engaged, honest, courageous hearts.
You can love the church and still demand better from it.
And doing so might be the truest form of devotion the world has ever seen.
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