Elaine,

I can't share your cynical perspective on this issue.  Most Adventists throughout our history have not been bent on purifying the church - although the very vocal minority made it look that way.  The same is true of how we were taught.  More often than not, those who had that bent were from three backgrounds:

1.  Those who came from a very "worldly" point and swung to the opposite part of the pendlum and wanted to do all that they could to live a changed life that would glorify God.

2.  Some who, when we graduated from the Seminary, wanted to go all out to be the very best clergy we could possibly be and who acquainted that with the  very rigid perspective of M.L. Andreasen and his spiritual progeny in the church.

3.  Many of the rest of us were damaged people who entered the ministry to try to find some kind of healing.  Research and experience have both shown that damaged people are very focused on control - to save themselves from being hurt in the future.