Reddit reviews Finding My Way in Christianity

I completely share your definition of present truth, and it was a driving force that led me to pursue further education outside of Adventist circles! I, too, certainly consider it foundational to Adventist belief. I deeply feel the same dissonance between embracing al-encompassing fundamental beliefs which leave little room for inquiry, and the purported embrace of an endless pursuit of further insight, discovery, and learning!

You make a fantastic point about the Bible Commentary (which has a fascinating history, compellingly portrayed in portions of Herold Weiss' Finding My Way in Christianity: Recollections of a Journey). Because Adventism is sectarian in how it relates to the wider world, this is inevitably reflected in foundational works like a Bible Commentary series. I think you'll same the same phenomenon occur in the upcoming commentary, which believe it or not is in active development! I'm not sure when it will be released, I just know scholars have been working on writing for it since at least 2010, though I've heard it started even in the 90s (maybe there's been a few false starts along the way, political forces in the church perhaps bearing the blame for this!). The Andrews Study Bible is the closest thing we have to a contemporary Adventist Bible commentary.

The funny thing about all this is, while Adventism seems to maintain such a stringent and limited worldview, it is also hard to know when someone is effectively no lo longer an Adventist. For me, it was a decision to make liberal Protestant Christianity my home so that I could experience greater freedoms and versatility in my academic work, but there wasn't necessarily theological reasons for my purported de-conversion (even if I don't embrace the Sanctuary doctrine, agree with substitutionary atonement theology, etc.). I felt like I could always get by as a renegade, I just possibly lack the discretion necessary to maintain my composure in such a stringent atmosphere! I think theologians and biblical scholars are uniquely subject to this sort of scrutiny, while Adventist historians (and a rising generation of philosophers) have always enjoyed ample freedoms, and have also been the ones to try and push the church forward on theological matters. So it makes sense to me that you can call yourself an Adventist, it's just a matter of convincing other Adventists of the same sometimes!