| This qualitative study is based on the interviews of 30 people in their 30s, all of whom attended Seventh-day Adventist schools from grades 1 through 16. Each candidate defined a Seventh-day Adventist and stated his or her current relationship to the church. Six of the 30 no longer claim to be Adventists. The Valuegenesis studies' emphasis on the importance of home, church, and school provided the foundation for questions about those influences. The interviews also explored the relative function of the search for truth in the candidates' decisions concerning the church. The discussion of the interviews includes observations about the church, the school, the home, the religion teacher, grace, and the nature of truth. Key principles that emerge from the study are the significance of mentors, especially at the college and young adult age, and the importance of allowing for, encouraging, and guiding age-appropriate questioning and exploration. |
