Teresa and Arthur Beem resigned from the Adventist denomination in 2002.  Their resignation letter was made public and was widely discussed in cyberspace.  Since then, they have written a book to let people know about their experience in, and leaving, the Adventist movement.  This is their continuing saga.

Their book, "It's Ok Not to be a Seventh-Day Adventist", covers the problems with Adventist theology that need to be dealt with by those leaving, as well as those who remain.  Adventism clearly needs a reform - from its practices regarding abortion, to the Sabbath, to theology that even its leaders admit can't be confirmed using the Bible alone, which they claim is their standard.

This is the cover:



Available from Amazon and published by Booksurge.

They also have a blog with the same name.

For those who have left Adventism and feel guilt; for those Adventists who have family members who have left Adventism and wonder about the sincerity involved, and even whether or not their family members are still Christian; for those contemplating leaving; or simply for those who just want to know more about this religion ... this is definitely worth reading.

From the Seventh-Day Adventist to Roman Catholic blog, I got the following info:

Adventist church membership grew from 10,939,182 at the beginning of 2000 to 13,936,932 at the end of 2004, according to Bert Haloviak, director of Archives and Statistics for the world SDA Church.

And for every 100 people joining, 35 left.  That's up from the 24 leaving for every 100 joining reported in 2000.

Brandon's comment: "I believe that more and more, people are turning away from the negative carcitures of other Christians and the focus on legal requirements rather than the gospel of Christ."

I believe he's spot on.  Enough is being said about the legalism surrounding health and the Sabbath, and about other teachings that are contrary to the Bible.  Adventism does seem to be changing towards a less aggressive attitude to other Christian faiths, and perhaps that is fuelling the exodus.  Adventism changes slowly, members realise their error in this regard faster, and because Adventism remains vocally opposed to other faiths, there is more awareness of the problem with not enough change, and people leave.

Here is an interesting - and detailed - letter of resignation from the Adventist church.  Tesa Beem's Letter of Resignation

Most of you know by now that Arthur and I have removed our membership from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This has caused much pain for us as we have gone through the process. We are also aware of the disappointment and hurt it has caused you, our dear family. For this we are truly sorry and we hope that you will continue to pray for us. The official letter is attached at the end.

It discusses Adventism's positions on everything frm abortion to the Sabbath to the Clear Word Bible.

Dennis Embo is a Catholic who was once Catholic, then joined the Worldwide Church of God, and then returned home to the Catholic faith.  He and I have exchanged e-mails over the last few years, and now a brief version of his story has been published on Catholic Exchange.

"When I left the Pasadena, California-based Worldwide Church of God (WCG) in early 2000, barely a year prior to my return to the fold of the Catholic Church, Catholicism wasn’t even an option on my “OK, what next?� list. I’d left Catholicism almost thirty years prior in order to follow the WCG’s nearly 70-year-old founder, an ad-man-turned-televangelist named Herbert Armstrong."

Dennis has a website where the full version, in book form, is available for purchase.

It can also be found on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or as an e-book from IUniverse.

The Journey Home - EWTN Prime Programming

Dr. Beverly Whelton, former Seventh-Day Adventist, now Catholic, speaks about her conversion to the Catholic Church. May 23, The Journey Home, with Marcus Grodi.

Download here