How Adventist Views on Creation/Evolution Affect Retention of Scientifically Educated Members

Executive summary

The Seventh-day Adventist Church officially upholds a literal six-day recent creation (~6,000 years ago) as fundamental doctrine, directly tied to Sabbath theology and Adventist identity. However, this position creates escalating tension with scientifically educated members — biologists, geologists, physicians, and science educators — who encounter overwhelming evidence for deep time and evolutionary processes. Internal debates dating to the 1970s have seen Adventist scientists adopt theistic ev...