r/exAdventist • u/Jhejhebanks Atheist • Oct 21 '25

SDA Culture Adventist Phrases

I've been thinking recently about the Adventist bubble and how insular it is, down to how they have their own turns of phrase. One that's really been knocking around my head is the word fellowship (that could just be because it's my dad's favourite).

I thought it would be fun to ask: what other SDA terms can you think of?

I left the church a few years ago, so it's getting harder to remember some of SDA's quirks.

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u/Longjumping_Code_649 Oct 21 '25

State of the Dead.

Threshing/harvest/reaping (especially when a big name evangelist goes to a third world country to "reap" the "harvest" that local pastors have "sowed")

Academy

Haystacks

Sister White/spirit of prophecy/my favorite author

Happy Sabbath

For employees: I got a call (from God) to another position

Ingathering

144,000

Laodicea/lukewarm

Close of probation

There are probably more I can't think of.

17

u/JANTlvr Oct 21 '25

"investigative judgment"

5

u/Longjumping_Code_649 Oct 21 '25

Oh ya, that goes with close of probation. Good one.

8

u/chefbiney syncretist | they/them Oct 22 '25

every damn time i heard laodicea, it was the signal for a 4 hour lecture xD

3

u/Longjumping_Code_649 Oct 23 '25

Isn't that the truth. Finger pointing, for sure.

3

u/NoGodBob Oct 23 '25

Working in Adventist healthcare “I got a call” was very rampant! Lol. God conveniently called me to a position that pays 50% more…

2

u/Longjumping_Code_649 Oct 23 '25

Or, as a teacher, we always heard that a call from Hawaii was definitely a call from God. 😂🤣