Belief in the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist church among teachers in Adventist schools in Australia and the Solomon Islands

Abstract

This chapter reports the responses of teachers employed in Seventh-day Adventist schools in Australia and the Solomon Islands to questions relating to their commitment to the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The chapter concludes by saying, “That individuals who live in different parts of Australia and the Solomon Islands, who have different life circumstances, different levels of education, and different levels of responsibility, can agree so widely on a set of beliefs is truly remarkable. Humans will always have differences of opinion, and Australians in particular are well known for their independence. Yet of the 22 Fundamental Beliefs tested in the survey, no fewer than 18 are believed by more than 85% of the respondents (more than 90% assented to eleven of them). It is worth noting that in a couple of these instances, the “bar” for measuring agreement with that belief was set high—prayer was to be daily (Fundamental 11), and the proportion of income given as tithe was set at greater than or equal to 10% of income. On the whole, then, it is plain that teachers in Adventist schools in the SPD believe in the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”