Sabbath-Keeping Practices and Factors Related to These Practices Among Seventh-day Adventists in 51 Countries
type: CreativeWork
description: Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine Sabbath-keeping practices and factors related to these practices among Seventh-day Adventists on an international level. Method. The Sabbath Observance Exploratory Survey (SOES) was administered to a convenience sample of 3,221 Seventh-day Adventists in 51 countries representing five geographical areas. The SOES was designed to measure beliefs about Sabbath-keeping, practices, motivations, and attitudes. Factor Analysis produced 13 factors based on 99 SOES items. Results. Approximately 60%-90% of Adventists agreed to SOES belief statements of biblical Sabbath-keeping principles. Between 8%-84% reported being "usually" or "always" involved in spiritually nurturing practices (e.g., attend church, fasting); 2%-27% reported being "usually" or "always" involved in leisure (e.g., camping), non-restful (e.g., clean house), and/or routine secular practices (e.g., eat out at restaurants). About 85%-90% reported God-focused intrinsic motivations (e.g., I love God and His commandments with all my heart) as reasons for keeping the Sabbath; 34%-41% were motivated by reasons that are extrinsically people-focused (e.g., People expect me to). Only 4%-11% reported the attitude that the Sabbath is "usually" or "always" a burden and/or a stressor. Generally, demographic characteristics were related to beliefs, practices, motivations, and attitudes about Sabbath-keeping. Regression analysis suggests that lower levels of the Nurture Vertical Relationship (God-Focused) belief factor best predict Non-Restful, Leisure, and Routine Secular Activities, while higher levels of Nurture Vertical Relationship best predict Spiritual Nurturing Activities. The best predictor for Special Relational Activities was Self-Focused Intrinsic Motivation. Qualitative data revealed themes and categories supportive of SOES statements. Conclusions. There is general unity on beliefs in biblical Sabbath-keeping principles among Adventists. Practices of Sabbath-kee…
abstract: Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine Sabbath-keeping practices and factors related to these practices among Seventh-day Adventists on an international level. Method. The Sabbath Observance Exploratory Survey (SOES) was administered to a convenience sample of 3,221 Seventh-day Adventists in 51 countries representing five geographical areas. The SOES was designed to measure beliefs about Sabbath-keeping, practices, motivations, and attitudes. Factor Analysis produced 13 factors based on 99 SOES items. Results. Approximately 60%-90% of Adventists agreed to SOES belief statements of biblical Sabbath-keeping principles. Between 8%-84% reported being "usually" or "always" involved in spiritually nurturing practices (e.g., attend church, fasting); 2%-27% reported being "usually" or "always" involved in leisure (e.g., camping), non-restful (e.g., clean house), and/or routine secular practices (e.g., eat out at restaurants). About 85%-90% reported God-focused intrinsic motivations (e.g., I love God and His commandments with all my heart) as reasons for keeping the Sabbath; 34%-41% were motivated by reasons that are extrinsically people-focused (e.g., People expect me to). Only 4%-11% reported the attitude that the Sabbath is "usually" or "always" a burden and/or a stressor. Generally, demographic characteristics were related to beliefs, practices, motivations, and attitudes about Sabbath-keeping. Regression analysis suggests that lower levels of the Nurture Vertical Relationship (God-Focused) belief factor best predict Non-Restful, Leisure, and Routine Secular Activities, while higher levels of Nurture Vertical Relationship best predict Spiritual Nurturing Activities. The best predictor for Special Relational Activities was Self-Focused Intrinsic Motivation. Qualitative data revealed themes and categories supportive of SOES statements. Conclusions. There is general unity on beliefs in biblical Sabbath-keeping principles among Adventists. Practices of Sabbath-kee…
author: Colon, May-Ellen Netten
keywords: Christian Denominations and Sects, Religion, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
date published: 2003-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:52:41Z
provider: Andrews University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Andrews University