CHRISTOPHER HUFF T&D Staff Writer
Sep 27, 2018
Orangeburg resident Kaleb Eisele is the editor of the Humans of Adventism Facebook page and recently published a special magazine issue.CHRISTOPHER HUFF, T&D
Orangeburg resident and Seventh-day Adventist Kaleb Eisele said there’s mistrust and misconception of his church by many people outside of it.
“Being sort of a more of minority religion, we tend to be distrusted by society. And that distrust fuels fear by Adventists of other people,” he said.
“So there’s this cycle where we have this parallel existences almost, but we’re not talking to each other.”
A member of Orangeburg Seventh-day Adventist Church, Eisele is seeking to bridge the gap as editor of the Facebook page,
Humans of Adventism. Inspired by Humans of New York and similar pages, Humans of Adventism posts photos and short profiles of Adventists from all walks of life, in their own words.
“Humans of Adventism is specifically focused on my faith, my denomination,” Eisele said.
The posts are meant to show others that Adventists aren’t that different than anybody else and to spur interaction with non-Adventists. Adventists have the same concerns, the same hopes and fears, the same struggles and triumphs as anybody else.
“It’s just people talking about their life. I talk to people – it’s a different person every day, just ask them specific questions about how they view the world and their experience. And we share them, and we share a picture of them.”
The 25-year-old said he attended a public college, the College of Charleston, rather than an Adventist-affiliated institution, and it has given him insights that he might not have otherwise received in a more insular situation.
“Relationships with anyone, Adventist or not, are very important. So what I wanted to do is go the very opposite route, make us as public as possible,” he said.
