The Great Controversy Theme (GCT) is the principle hermeneutic and worldview of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. It is the lens through which they read the entire bible. They claim it is not something that was discovered by them, but something uniquely given to them, by God, through Ellen G. White—who they believe was divinely inspired and corrects inaccurate interpretations of scripture.
Ultimately, it is the glue that binds all SDAs together, regardless of where they may land on the “conservative” and “liberal” spectrum within the movement.
The GCT is the paradigm and central hinge of Seventh-Day Adventist theology and one cannot fully understand Adventist theology without first understanding the GCT. It defines all theological terminology in their system such as the gospel, salvation, justification, sanctification, etc.
