The first section of the April 2025 doctrinal survey for active Advent Christian pastors, retired pastors and anyone holding ministerial credentials from an Advent Christian conference examined beliefs regarding doctrines related to the nature and character of God and of the Trinity.
Of the 107 survey takers, 105 affirmed the statement: “Do you believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, that God exists in three persons: three co-equal and co-eternal persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — one in essence, nature, power, action and will?” Only two people answered “no” to that question.
Affirmation of the second question — “Do you affirm the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus Christ?” — was equally overwhelming, with 99.1% of respondents answering “yes.”
Question three — “Do you believe that God is sovereign over all creation?” — was one of the few questions with unanimous agreement. All respondents affirmed that God is fully and completely in control over all that he has made.
The next question — “Do you believe that Jesus was God’s first and highest creation?” — revealed some dissonance or confusion about the nature of Christ. While 105 respondents (98%) affirmed Jesus as co-eternal and co-equal, only 84 (78.5%) answered “no” to this question. Seventeen (15.9%) answered “yes,” and six were unsure. This statement contradicts the earlier affirmation: If Jesus is co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, then he is uncreated and eternal, having always existed. Historic Christian orthodoxy denies any statement declaring Jesus a created being. The belief that Jesus was created is more consistent with historic Arianism.
The next question addressed the nature of God: “Do you believe God can learn and grow in knowledge?” It was affirmed by five respondents (4.7%), while four (3.8%) were unsure. The orthodox position — that God cannot grow in knowledge — was held by 97 respondents (91.5%). If God is infinite in being (Exodus 3:14), power (Jeremiah 32:17) and knowledge (Psalm 139:1-4), then there is nothing he does not know. Therefore, he cannot grow in being, knowledge or power. Further, a God who grows is not immutable and unchanging, as the Lord is presented in Scripture. As he said through the prophet Malachi, “For I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6), and as the author of Hebrews wrote, he is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The belief that God can learn or grow aligns more with process theology or open theism than with biblical orthodoxy.
The question “Do you believe Jesus was fully and physically resurrected?” was affirmed by 105 respondents (98.1%), with two answering “no.” It was somewhat surprising that belief on this issue was not unanimous.
The final question focused on belief in the Holy Spirit. The statement was: “I believe the Holy Spirit is:” One hundred three respondents (96.3%) selected “a co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial member of the triune Godhead,” affirming a historically orthodox view of the Spirit and the Trinity. Four answered “a power or force proceeding from the Father.”
The results from this section indicate that nearly all (98–99%) of the pastors surveyed hold to a biblically and historically orthodox view of God and his triune nature.
Next week, we will review the results from the section dealing with Scripture and revelation.
