It is a query that ought to shake you all the way down to the soles of your comfortable shoes. George R. Knight has been wrestling with this very question for nearly five decades. He says he wasn’t born that way (like some) and isn’t addicted (like others)—hence the struggle.

His dilemma?

The Seventh-day Adventist Church was founded upon an apocalyptic message that needed to be preached to the entire world—immediately and at any cost. But does the church today preach that same message with the same urgency? Has the Adventist Church become irrelevant because it has sought to be more relevant to the world? Does the Adventist Church have any reason for existence if it has lost that which makes it different from all the rest of Christianity?

And if in fact Adventism has neutered itself, is there anything we can do—as individuals and as a denomination—to remedy this shocking condition in which we find ourselves?

Knight challenges us to go back to our roots, to examine the prophecies that fueled the early Seventh-day Adventists’ determination to evangelize the world. Buried within the books of Daniel and Revelation are the only reasons for this end-time church to exist. But beware: you may have to uproot yourself from the pew in order to be truly Adventist.

George R. Knight, Ph.D., is a professor of church history at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and author of many books, including Angry Saints, Anticipating the Advent, The Pharisee’s Guide to Perfect Holiness, From 188 to Apostasy, A User-friendly Guide to the 1888 Message, Millennial Fever, and the four volumes that comprise his Ellen White series, Meeting Ellen White, Reading Ellen White, Ellen White’s World, and Walking With Ellen White.

He is also the general editor of the Abundant Life Bible Amplifier commentary series and the author of the Adventist Heritage Series (A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists, A Search for Identity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs, and Organizing to Beat the Devil: The Development of Adventist Church Structure.)

Although his first love is Adventist church history, he also enjoys writing books on topics and has written two daily devotionals: Walking With Jesus on the Mount of Blessing and Walking With Paul Through Romans.