ecently I've become friendly with (and fond of) a "cultural Adventist," someone who, by his own admission, is an Adventist solely because he was raised and educated in the church but who, by his own admission, takes "exception to many of the church's theological beliefs and religious practices." In other words, he's a Seventh-day Adventist, not because of the church's teachings but despite them.

In one of our numerous animated discussions, I talked about my own journey, about how--though immersed in secularism--I had come to believe that truth had to exist and that, were it possible, I wanted to know this truth no matter the cost to myself. I told him that I was eventually led--by a series of miraculous events--to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and that now, so convinced of the truths that the Adventist Church has been given, I've dedicated my life to spreading them.

"That's fine, Cliff," he responded, "and I respect that. But I don't sense that you respect my position as a cultural Adventist."

"You're right," I said, "I don't!"

A cultural Adventist? The concept's incomprehensible to me. Why would anyone want to be an Adventist for the culture? The culture? That makes about as much sense as moving to America only because you want to live in Duluth. If I wanted culture, I'd go to France (and believe me, after the past presidential election, it's tempting. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can hear the saints saying, "We'll buy you the ticket, Cliff." Save your money; my wife and 13-year-old daughter have already offered).

Think about it. What makes a Seventh-day Adventist? It's not ethnicity, not nationality, not politics, not social or economic status, not gender, not age, not language; there is only one thing that makes us Seventh-day Adventists--and that's our beliefs. We're who we are only because of what we believe--period. Get rid of those beliefs, water them down, or push them to the sidelines, and we're left with nothing that justifies our corporate existence. Without our beliefs, we've got about as much mission and purpose as your local Britney Spears fan club.

I'm an Adventist for one reason: the beliefs, the teachings, the doctrines that this church--and this church alone--espouses. If it were not for them, I'd be gone faster than the junk food at church potlucks. The Seventh-day Adventist culture had nothing to do with bringing me here. On the contrary, coming as I did from a secular Jewish background, the culture was the biggest obstacle. I had to be, through God's grace, broken into little pieces and reshaped into something that could jive with Adventism (though even now one could justifiably wonder how good a fit it really is).

Though our beliefs are what make us Adventists, a culture has arisen from those beliefs. One could even argue a good one. Yet, however good, the culture still seems like an incredibly weak reason to be a Seventh-day Adventist (kind of like former U.N. secretary-general and Austrian president Kurt Waldheim saying he joined the SS in World War II so he could ride horses). I can understand (sort of) why a person could love the Adventist culture, and feel comfortable in it; what I can't understand is how that culture would be the only reason for one being a Seventh-day Adventist.

Though their logic remains (to me) incomprehensible, if folks want to be Seventh-day Adventists for the culture only, that's between them and God. However, because they're here solely because of culture, some actively seek to weaken or dismiss teachings they deem embarrassing, irrelevant, or wrong. The only problem is that these are the same teachings that, in many cases, form the precise reason that many people, myself included, are Adventists. As such, we don't intend to loll about and passively watch the teachings that form our raison d'être be nickel-and-dimed away until they're reduced to nothing but traditions, trifles from a heritage that we need to evolve beyond.

The wheat and the tares will grow together until the final alembication of the church. Who's the wheat? Who's the tares? Your answer, I guess, depends on your perspective, whether you're a Seventh-day Adventist out of culture or conviction.

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Clifford Goldstein is editor of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide.