The Story of Adventism in the United States of America is, in the Beginning, the Story of Adventism Itself.

Although the Seventh-day Adventist Church developed in the United States, the story of the church extends back to the time of Creation. The “regional” development of Adventism, in regard to the individual who is completing this assignment, would address concerns that are specific to the “South,” specifically the area contained within the Southern Union Conference.

Some unique difficulties attended the “Southern Work” among African Americans. The commencement of Seventh-day Adventist Missionary work after the Civil War was retarded by fears that white Southerners would become enraged by any effort (especially by outsiders) to improve the lives and prospects of the millions of recently emancipated slaves. Ellen White herself urged caution, and advised an incremental evangelical effort in the South. But contemporary black leaders were not satisfied by this cautious approach. In a summary of history of black Adventism by Jacob Justiss titled “Angels in Ebony,” the writer links the attitude of Ellen G. White to that of Booker T. Washington. Both advocated the slow road to improvement in the lot of Southern blacks. Any attempt to put pressure on, or to try to bypass the entrenched “aristocracy” of the South and their blindly obedient minions was a dangerous procedure. When the promises that were made as a result of Northern victory in the Civil War were finally partially fulfilled a century later, there would be plenty of violent resistance. The Freedom Riders of 1961 faced unknown perils when they journeyed into the perilous South. In 1894 James Edson White completed construction on his small steamboat, the “Morning Star.” He, too would face unknown perils in the deep South (but as a Caucasian, his peril could never equal that of an African American who may have happened to be “in the same boat”). Here are some excerpts from a summary of that portion of “Angels in Ebony” that describes part of Ellen White’s son’s missionary venture down the Mississippi River:

Ellen G. White wrote her speech “Our Duty to the Colored People” in 1891.This work inspired many to seek to evangelize Southern blacks, including her son Edson White. Author Jacob Justiss relates an anecdote that highlights Edson’s sometimes irritable nature. In relation to Adventist Southern work, R.M. Kilgore is mentioned briefly as being creator of an educational primer geared toward potential black converts (he was director of Adventist activity in the South throughout his career). In 1895 Edson built a boat, the “Morning Star,” stocked it with primers and some white associates, then headed down the Mississippi in an attempt to promulgate some good works. Soon he was teaching blacks how to read and how to understand the Bible. In five years he started 50 churches. Along the Mississippi River he placed many schools in Vicksburg, Yazoo city, Nashville, and other places.

The South was in a particularly nasty mood in the 1890’s, and vicious attacks upon blacks and their white supporters were common. Edson managed to ruffle a lot of feathers, and was not universally beloved by the white residents of the places that sowed, planted, and watered the Word of God. Edson and crew managed, despite opposition, to plant up to 50 schools, and founded a publishing house in Nashville. An article about Edson White by Janelle Phillips (from the Oakwood archives) concludes with this anecdote: His success, unfortunately, was not universally admired.  One angry white man was prevented from beating one of Edson's assistants to death only when a more friendly white man drew a gun and protected him! By 1900 racism was so rampant that whites could no longer work for Blacks.  Providentially, through Edson White, God had raised up Black Adventists to bring the third angel's message to their own race.

A Post About Ellen Gould White

On a December Morning, a Few Months After the Disappointment, Ellen Harmon Has Her First Vision

The great apostolic doctrine of Christ’s second coming, the revival of interest in this event by the reformers, and the signs that indicated its nearness, formed background for the preaching of the second advent early in the nineteenth century. This introductory statement from the Church Heritage Manual set the stage for the arrival of the “Spirit of Prophecy” upon the scene to offer guidance and insight to those who expect the soon reappearing of Jesus Christ.

Ellen White was not the first prophet sent by God, but she proved to be the most durable of the trio that was sent, and beyond doubt the hardest working. The signs, portents, and wonders had occurred. The first of the three angels had already spoken, and the second continued to speak to the inhabitants of the earth. October 22, 1844 (the “Great Disappointment”) had come and gone. Some divine guidance was needed by the group of believers who would soon be called Seventh-day Adventists.

John (the “Revelator”) had been a conduit of the “Spirit of Prophecy” back on Patmos when he wrote Revelation. The Spirit was revived in the nineteenth century, first in the person of William Ellis Foy. He experienced a vision that revealed the ultimate victory of the saints, and a subsequent vision that enigmatically featured three platforms. After the “Disappointment,” he drifted away from the Advent movement.

A second prophet, Hazen Foss, was granted the same “platform” vision that Foy had witnessed, and was admonished by a messenger of God to “use it or lose it” (the “Message Bible” version). Foss, apprehensive about the potential difficulties the work of a prophet entails, dropped out of the prophecy business, and God chose to use a frail teenage girl to replace the uncommitted pair of pioneers.

This young girl, seventeen years old at the time of the “Disappointment,” experienced her first vision a few months later in 1844. Her biographer, Arthur L. White (grandson of the subject of his researches), will be quoted often in the exposition of these ten “factors” regarding Ellen White (his short biography of his grandmother is available on the Ellen G. White Estate website). He informs us that, with regard to the First Vision: the power of God rested on Ellen she witnessed in vision the travels of the Advent people to the city of God. Also: the 17-year-old girl reluctantly and tremblingly related this vision to the Adventist group in Portland, [and] they accepted it as light from God. The Church Heritage Manual states that the content of the First Vision was that the coming of Jesus was not as near as they had hoped. The troops would just have to keep soldiering on.

“Elmshaven,” Mrs. White’s last address, half a mile from an Adventist Sanitarium

The Victorian style edifice that Ellen White would name “Elmshaven” was 15-years-old when she purchased it in 1900. She would occupy it for another 15 years. She may have been advanced in age, but was in no way diminished in capacity, for she continued to write prolifically while living at Elmshaven, and still continued to make frequent road-trips. Wikipedia describes her end game: “In 1915, White tripped while entering her study room and broke her hip. Her health subsequently began to decline, and she died on July 16, 1915. After three funeral services, she was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery [back in Battle Creek] with her husband.”

Visions

The First vision that Ellen White received, at age 17, has been described. There were many subsequent visions, both great and small. Her grandson Arthur selects two of these visions to highlight in his brief biography of his grandmother. The first of these “great” visions, one concerning the “Great Controversy” theme, will be reserved for the section labeled “Lovett’s Grove, Ohio…”

The “Health Reform Vision” is the second of the “great” visions to be described by Arthur L. White. This event transpired on June 23, 1863. The vision was not only significant for the Adventist denomination (which wisely heeded and embraced it), but for the entire world (which is in the process of embracing it). Here are a few comments from a synopsis of a sermon on this topic presented by a member of Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta: Dr. Tracey Wallace attended Loma Linda University. He is an enthusiastic evangelist for the Adventist Health Message [the “Health Reform Vision”], first revealed in 1863. He described it as being 150 years ahead of its time. It was concurrent with now obsolete medical practices such as ‘bleeding, purging, and poisoning.’ Dr. Wallace touted the accuracy and wisdom of scriptural prescriptions for healthy living, with an emphasis on dietary law. He remarked upon Ellen White’s prescient recognition of the bad influences tobacco and meat has upon the constitution. He referenced the Blue Zone phenomena [areas of the world where people enjoy exceptionally long lives; Loma Linda, California is one of these zones] with regard to the Adventist lifestyle and its beneficial contributions to longevity. It works! The test of a true prophet is whether they are right, or whether they are wrong. Ellen G. White (as was Saul, for just a moment) can definitely be counted “among the prophets.”

On November 26, 1827 in Gorham, Maine, the daughter of a hatter was born

Wikipedia ominously reveals that the person who would eventually be named Ellen Gould White’s father, Robert Harmon, was a farmer who also made hats using mercuric nitrate (the very substance that can potentially render one “mad as a hatter”). Much of Ellen's youth was spent in the pursuit of her father's hat making sideline. Ellen learned the simplest part of it, which was shaping the crown of the hat. This is a lot like Henry David Thoreau helping his father to make pencils. A few years subsequent to her birth, father Robert, mother Eunice, and the rest of the eight children relocated to the big city, Portland, Maine. She was long gone from Gorham when the most significant event of her childhood occurred. A classmate lobbed a rock at her head, and she was in a coma for three weeks as a result of this incident. The victim’s nose was literally “out of joint,” and her formal education came to an abrupt end. She accepted Jesus at age 12, and was baptized into the Methodist Church. But this is all Portland stuff. Gorham was where Ellen White was born, and this fact may be all that recommends Gorham to our notice.

The Messenger of the Lord

This sobriquet is frequently attached to Ellen White by others. It is also a valid description that she herself readily accepted and proclaimed: For half a century I have been the Lord’s messenger, and as long as my life shall last I shall continue to bear the messages that God gives me for His people she wrote in a letter in 1909, six years prior to her death. When she reached the end, she would have been more than justified to declaim Second Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

“Messenger of the Lord” is the title of a biography of Ellen G. White that was written by Herbert Douglass, and published by Pacific Press in the seventies. It focuses upon the prophetic gifts of its subject. Chapter 16 of this work, titled “Ellen White’s Self-awareness as a Messenger,” reveals that Ellen White did not like to be called a prophet, and much preferred the less pretentious title of “Messenger of God.” She writes that is all I have ever claimed.

The “Conflict of the Ages” Series

This “boxed set” of works by Ellen G. White manages to encompass the entire history of the universe (at least those parts that are worthy of our regard). It consists of five volumes:

Volume 1- Patriarchs and Prophets: from the rebellion of Satan in heaven to King David.

Volume 2- Prophets and Kings: covers events from King Solomon to Malachi.

Volume 3- The Desire of Ages: covers the life and ministry of Jesus.

Volume 4- Acts of the Apostles: covers from the Great Commission to John the Revelator on Patmos.

Volume 5- The Great Controversy: covers the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem, through Church History, to the end of sin and the recreation of the earth.

The Ellen G. White Estate, Incorporated

The Ellen G. White Estate, Incorporated, is an organization created in 1933 that acts as the custodian of the voluminous writings of Ellen White. The headquarters is located at the General Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland.  It is independent of the GC, but receives an annual allocation just like other departments of the world headquarters. The White Estate has branch offices and research centers.

The stated purpose of the White Estate is to promulgate Ellen White's writings, translate them, and provide resources for helping to better understand her life and ministry. In 2015, 100 years after the death of Ellen White, the White Estate publicly released all of her unpublished writings.

Lovett’s Grove, Ohio, the “Great Controversy” is revealed!

At a funeral service held on the afternoon of March, 1858, in the hamlet of Lovett’s Grove, Ohio (later to be renamed Bowling Green), at a public school, a vision of the “Great Controversy” theme (the conflict between Christ and Satan, assisted by angels in both opposing camps), was given to Ellen G. White. Two days later Satan tried to kill the prophetess, fearful that she might reveal to the world the level of mischief that he was responsible for. His machinations are more effective when his intended victims are not forewarned. God preserved young Ellen White, and strengthened her as she jotted down everything that had been presented to her. The book that was fashioned from these notes was titled The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels. It was first published in 1858. Grandson Arthur L. White describes the world’s reaction to this enduring work: The volume was well received and highly prized because of its clear picture of the contending forces in the great conflict, touching high points of the struggle but dealing more fully with the closing scenes of this earth's history.

“Sunnyside,” a home away from home (a type of “Patmos,” if you please)

There in the vicinity of Cooranbong, Australia, down the street from her son’s enterprise, the Sanitarium Health Food Company, and her own labor of love, Avondale College, Ellen G. White resided in an ample, but relatively unadorned (for an age that overindulged in architectural ornament) wood frame house. In 1960, the Australasian (now South Pacific) Division acquired and restored “Sunnyside.” Here is an excerpt from page 332 of “Ellen White: Woman of Vision.” Ellen White was making plans as to how to properly develop the huge parcel of the outback that had just been purchased for $3 an acre:

She planned to leave some of the land as woodland, use some for grazing, and some for orchard and garden. Of course, a choice spot would be selected for the home site. For some time she had felt that she should have her home in a location more conducive to her writing than the large rented house at Granville. There it seemed inevitable that she must run what seemed to be a “free hotel,” with people coming and going almost every day. Now she determined to build a little cottage where such demands could not be made upon her. Sometimes the residence of a writer can become so filled with distractions, they build a little shack in the backyard that they can retreat into, just in order to be able to concentrate. It is a shame to have to refer to him, but this is what Philip Roth did. The idea of an “annex” or “sanctum” also seems to be what “Sunnyside“ represented to Mrs. White.

Akin to John’s letters “To the Churches of Asia” are E.G. White’s “Testimonies”

Here is an entry from the website of the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.: Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 1885. 758 pp. Counsel from Ellen White containing spiritual guidance of a general nature and covering a wide variety of situations-including many letters written personally to members of the church. Volume One comprises Testimonies Numbers 1-14, written from 1855 to 1868, and a 100-page biographical sketch of the author.

Volume One is revealed to contain 758 pages… and this is just Volume One! There exists a total of Nine volumes in this compilation of the writings of Ellen White. The entire set spans the years 1855 through (possibly) 1909. The subject matter is diverse, and the output is prodigious. A few sections deal with specific subjects. Volume One, as noted, contains many personal letters from Ellen White to members of the church. Volume Seven includes a large section dedicated to the publishing enterprises the church operated (and continues to operate). Volume Eight includes a refutation of Pantheism. To read the entirety of the testimonies would be as big a task as reading Proust’s l À la recherche du temps perdu, but infinitely more edifying.

The Southern “Black” Conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are Born

African American Adventist perceived (quite correctly) that they were not receiving an equitable level of treatment by “white” Adventists. An action committee, formed at DuPont SDA Church in Washington, DC put heavy pressure on an upcoming denomination-wide assembly in Chicago. The president of the GC, James McElhaney, was a staunch ally in this effort. On April 10, 1944, the General Conference approved the formation of “black” conferences, under black leadership. The formation of two Southern Union black conferences was recommended, and it was proposed that they receive some financial help from the GC. The GC was low on funds, so the venture would be delayed until the end of World War II. On December 4, 1945, about 300 delegates from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida met at Berean SDA Church in Atlanta. This group amicably hammered out the details of the South Atlantic Conference, which would be headquartered (as was the Southern Union) in Atlanta, GA. H.D. Singleton was elected to be its first president. The official launch of these entities was slated for January 1, 1946. The president of the Southern Union wrote the following benediction a few weeks before the startup: …we wish for them and their leaders God’s richest blessing. The way before will not always be smooth, but as they keep close to their Great Leader and keep in step with the remnant church who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, there is before them a bright and glorious future.

Jacob Justiss Describes the First Five Exclusively African American SDA Churches.

Angels in Ebony, an informal history of the African American in Adventism, dedicates a page to describe how the first black church, located in Edgefield Junction, Tennessee, came into being. A short notice is provided for each of the next four exclusively black churches to be founded. Justiss states that the pre-war suppression of the black church in the South resulted in a leadership vacuum among the 4,000,000 liberated blacks. After the Civil War, the first efforts to convert Southern blacks were undertaken by laymen such as Silas Osbourne (a white Kentuckian who inaugurated the work in 1871). Silas Osbourne was a layman, but was an effective preacher, and was often addressed as “reverend” by people who were not sticklers about the use of this honorific. The author states that Osbourne was eventually ordained. E.B. Lane came from Adventist headquarters to evangelize people in the Nashville area, also in 1871. His work led to the establishment in 1883 of a company of black Adventists in Edgefield Junction, Tennessee. One of the first members of this congregation, Thomas Allison, had two sons who continued in the faith, Thomas H. Allison (a musician and evangelist to the South and West) and Jonathan W. Allison (also an evangelist). A second black Adventist church was started in Louisville, Kentucky in 1890 by Alonzo Barry, a man who was inspired to do this by reading the Review and Herald.  First Church of Washington, DC was founded a year previously, in 1889, but it was integrated, and not all black. Since Edgefield junction is out of business, this makes A. Barry’s Louisville church the oldest black Adventist church still in operation. It was formerly called Magazine Street Temple Seventh Day Adventist Church, but the use of the term “Temple” has fallen out of fashion, and it is currently named Magazine St. SDA Church. A third black Adventist church was started in 1891 in Bowling Green, Kentucky (famed as home to the assembly plant of the “Bowling Green Bomber,” AKA the Chevrolet Corvette). Fourth in the list was New Orleans in 1892, one connected with C.M. Kinney, who happens to be the first ordained black Adventist minister in history. A fifth church was created 8 miles away from the first (Edgefield Junction) in Nashville, in 1894.

Southern Union Evangelism Director Roger Hernandez on the Concept of Making the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination More Relevant to the “Real World”

Here are a few excerpts from the biography of Roger Hernandez, lifted from the Southern Union website: Roger Hernandez, Southern Union Ministerial & Evangelism Director, has served in ministry for over 20 years. Some of his passions have included church plants, small group, youth ministries, and evangelistic work. Pastor Hernandez is a motivational speaker, and has presented at the division, union, and conference levels.  He has also presented for camp meetings, leadership conventions and evangelistic crusades… Roger is fully bi-lingual, and the author of eight books.  His most recent book is titled Everyone Welcome.  He was born in Cuba. Pastor Hernandez recently combined his concern for the victims of domestic abuse with a second concern for the inward, as opposed to the outward focus of the Adventist denomination. The sermon that was a result of these twin topics was presented at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta. As Evangelism Director at Southern Union, he is concerned with making newly-baptized members feel welcome in their new church homes, and he rebukes those cold and judgmental Adventists who seem determined to throw freshly-caught fish back into the river. Here are a few comments by Hernandez gleaned from his informative, edifying, and frequently humorous sermon: We cannot minister to a future generation with the things of the past! The problem is not racial tension. The problem is racism. Racial tension is merely symptomatic. The root of the problem is racism. We need to deal with a system that shoots first, and asks questions later. We argue about who has the keys to the kitchen, or has control of the church property, while 500 Christians are being killed. I have believed for a long time that, as a church, we have had a big mouth and a small hand. One of the best ways to be effective is to align your anger with that of God. God is angry with injustice; take that out of the Bible, and you have little left. The Sabbath is a doctrine of equality! During the week, some contribute more, and some contribute less, but on the Sabbath, we are all the same. And finally, one for the road: How many times do we come to church, and miss Jesus? Often church is like a coronation without a king.

The Concept of the “Investigative Judgment,” as Revealed to Hiram Edson

Before even commencing research into Hiram Edson, it is easy to deduce the level of his involvement in the early affairs of the Adventist faith, as James and Ellen White named one of their sons after him. It was Hiram Edson who received the famous “cornfield vision” that serves to dispel the confusion (for those who accepted the existence of prophetic gifts) that followed in the wake of the “Great Disappointment” in October of 1844. The important vision God granted to Hiram Edson deserves to be partially restated: I saw distinctly and clearly, that instead of our High Priest coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth [at the expected hour], He for the first time entered on that day the second apartment of that sanctuary, and that He had a work to perform in the Most Holy before coming to this earth. A published report of this vision came to the attention of James and Ellen White through reading a periodical called Day-Dawn. They paid a visit to the prosperous Methodist farmer, converting him to a belief in keeping the seventh day as the true Sabbath. Hiram Edson shall always be remembered in Adventists circles as the originator of the concept of the “investigative judgement,” which is descriptive of Christ’s present activity in the heavenly sanctuary. This is a judgement of those who profess belief in Christ. Hypocrisy is exposed, and grievances get redressed in the course of this continuing assessment. It is not an impossibility to achieve a high standard of conformance with the commandments of God. Perfection may be impossible, but this inability to attain perfection should not deter Christians from striving to come as close to perfection as is possible. Successful application to this pursuit of excellence is known to other denominations as the “process of sanctification.”

Sanitarium Health Food Company

Here is more good information from the Church Heritage Manual: Ellen White sailed for Australia and remained there for nine years. This period includes several months spent in New Zealand. While in Australia, she founded Avondale College, and encouraged the establishment of health food factories. As a result, the Sanitarium Health Food Company was established in 1898. Today it is a very successful major supplier of health foods in the South Pacific, as well as a big financial backer of the South Pacific Division. Just like Little Debbie, and (sort of) Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, the Australian/New Zealand enterprise currently known as Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company is indeed (as the Heritage Manual puts it) “Very successful.” The Wikipedia article displays a photograph of one of the several factories the company operates in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia. The article does not state that this factory happens to be located in the same neck of the woods as Avondale College. Ellen White’s son, Willie, who accompanied her on her nine-year mission (or exile, if you prefer) to Australia convinced one of the bakers of Battle Creek that worked for Kellogg’s, Edward Halsey, to join him down under. The baker, who presumably knew all of the techniques required for the production of breakfast cereal, arrived in 1897. In 1900 he relocated to New Zealand. The Aussie and New Zealand companies are separate endeavors, but don’t mind cooperating with each other if the need should arise. Neither branch pays tax on the profits from their sales, as they are owned by religious organizations. Despite criticism by many regarding this exemption, the companies assert that all of their proceeds are directed toward charitable causes (rather like the “Newman’s Own” brand in the USA). They do well to offer the inhabitants of this corner of the world some healthful alternative foodstuffs, and they do well to dedicate the profits into charitable causes.

Norsk Bokforlag

Here is information culled from an Oslo, Norway business directory: Currently operated by the Norwegian Union Conference in Oslo, Norway, a publishing house was organized July 27, 1882, under the name Den Skandinaviske Forlags-og Trykkeriforening (The Scandinavian Publishing and Printing Association), later changed to Den Skandinaviske Bokforlags (The Scandinavian Publishing House). For some years it was listed in the Yearbook as the Christiania Publishing House. Books and periodicals were printed for Sweden and Denmark, as well as for Norway. Since 1940 the institution has been named Norsk Bokforlag and prints for Norway only. Seventh-day Adventist publishing work in Norway began in January 1879 when J. G. Matteson published “Tidernes Tegn” (“Signs of the Times”). Matteson, a well-educated native of Denmark, lived from 1835-1896. He emigrated with his family to Wisconsin when he was 19 years old. He was saved in 1859, and proved to be an effective speaker for the Baptist denomination. In 1863 he became a Seventh-day Adventist. He delivered a six-month long series of presentations about his new denomination to members of his old denomination, and managed to convince a large number of them to join him in the Adventist faith. The preparation, in America, of literature destined for Europe was a prelude to the establishment of printing facilities in Denmark itself (as described in a preceding paragraph about the Danish-language publication Advent Tidende) and Norway. Matteson’s knowledge of the languages of Scandinavia made him a heaven-sent emissary from the Adventists of the New World to the future Adventists of the old. Like Uriah Smith, Matteson was a man of parts, and of great assistance in efforts to establish Adventism as a global denomination.

Dime Tabernacle

It is interesting to consider (if you should happen to be a part of the Adventist South Atlantic Conference, that is), that the capacity of the main assembly hall at South Atlantic’s River Oaks Convention Center, and the capacity of the Dime Tabernacle in Battle Creek (for a season the “mother church” of Adventism) are almost identical: both could/can accommodate around 4,000 people. The facility in Battle Creek can no longer accommodate anybody, as it burned on the third day of 1922. Dime Tabernacle was erected in 1876. It gained its name due to the fundraising technique that was employed in order to accumulate the money required for its construction. James White suggested that all members of the church contribute 10 cents a month for a full year to raise the necessary amount. This is similar to the method whereby enough money was raised to pay for a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. Schoolchildren were instructed to save their pennies, forsaking penny-candy for whatever period was required to raise the required amount. A second digression is this one: the whole Protestant Reformation was substantially motivated by objections about the practice of selling indulgences. The proceeds from these sales were earmarked for the construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Adventists were not so ambitious, but doubtlessly came to regret that they did not spend a bit more on Dime Tabernacle in order to render it more flame-resistant. The architectural style of Dime Temple was like a “Queen Anne” inflected version of Gothic. Assembly halls built in the nineteenth century are typically compromised by interior columns should they attempt to accommodate 4,000 people. The massing of the roof of the Dime Tabernacle is reminiscent of that of a gothic cathedral, indicative of a central nave flanked by side aisles. This arrangement would result in plenty of intrusive interior columns, but folk of that bygone era who wished to gather in large numbers, indoors, were forced to accept this condition. Should they wish to be sheltered from the sun and rain at a baseball game, they were also obliged to accept the inevitability of a few slender columns blocking their view.

Battle Creek Sanitarium

A sentence in the Church Heritage Manual tersely states that when John Harvey Kellogg left the Adventist faith, he took the sanitarium with him.  It is well-known that Kellogg’s pantheistic theology was considered to be unsound by more “orthodox” Adventists. In fact, when the big sanitarium burned down in 1902, Ellen White ordered the doctor to abstain from rebuilding it. Kellogg rebuilt anyway, and despite the continued ownership of the facility by the denomination, Kellogg managed to take control of the hospital board. A book he wrote in an attempt to finance the rebuilding of the sanitarium, one entitled “The Living Temple,” was severely criticized by Ellen White, and Kellogg was “dis-fellowshipped” in 1912. That was the “middle” history of the institution. Back at the beginning, the establishment of the facility was the result of a vision granted to Ellen White. It was started in 1866 as the Western Health Reform Institute. The Church Heritage Manual further notes that It was paid for by personal pledges. James White and J P Kellogg gave 500 dollars each. It was the first of what was to become one of the largest chains of medical institutions in the world. Doctor Kate Lindsay helped start a school of medicine at Battle Creek in 1883. Kellogg assumed leadership in 1876, and his brother kept the books. The large structure that contained the “sanitarium” (a freshly-coined word that was a variation on an English term that designated health resorts for soldiers) was erected in 1878. This was the building that burned in 1902. 7,006 patients were served by the sanitarium in 1906. The Great Depression hastened the demise of the historic institution. The US Army bought a portion of the complex in 1942 (a very bust time for the Army) and created a military hospital within it. The sanitarium closed in 1953, but the denomination continued to operate a psychiatric institute on the property through the 1970’s. In 1986, the main building was demolished. It had a good run, and for a season was all the rage. The sanity of the Adventist approach was somewhat obscured beneath an overlay of J.H. Kellogg’s eccentric notions.

Avondale College

In 1891 the leadership of the Adventist Church was getting a lot of grief from Ellen G. White, who was critical of the denomination brass. She felt that the theology of the church was not paying a sufficient amount of attention to He who was central to Christian theology: Christ Himself. A Wikipedia article on Ellen White (doubtless prepared under the auspices of the denomination) states that the leaders “sent” her to Australia (a former penal colony of Great Britain, the reader will recall) as a missionary in order to keep her at arm’s length. She spent nearly nine years “down under.” One of the least perishable fruits of her Australian work was the founding of Avondale College. This had been preceded in 1892 by the creation of a small Bible school in Melbourne. Ellen White preferred a rural location, as opposed to relatively populous Melbourne, so she scouted locations and decided on a patch of “poor, sandy, and hungry” land 75 miles north of Sydney (near Cooranbong). The Australian mission had practically no funds at their disposal, so the low price of this remote, barren parcel ($3 an acre) was a determining factor in its acquisition. This site was bought in 1895, and two years later Avondale School for Christian Workers was ready to accept students. In 1911 it was renamed Australasian Missionary College, and in 1964 it assumed the name by which it is currently designated. The rural institution now has a more urban branch located near the Sydney Adventist Hospital. Education, theology, and healthcare are the primary fields of study at Avondale. It is currently applying for “university” status from the Australian government. While the Australian branches of the Adventist faith are thriving, there exists some unofficial animosity toward the denomination among the citizenry. The college was intended to supplant that former bedrock of higher learning, the “classics,” with a far superior bedrock: the Holy Bible. PhD’s have been offered since receiving government approval to award these advanced degrees. The official name of the institution was changed again in 2010 to Avondale College of Higher Education. It is interesting to note that until 2008 that college had a branch that taught aviation. Missionaries to the far-flung islands of the Pacific Ocean are much more productive if they know how to fly an airplane.

Selected Periodicals Published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church

The “Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald”


Five years after the “Great Disappointment,” a group who advocated the observation of the seventh day of the week as the true Sabbath began to publish a paper called the Present Truth. This was founded by James and Ellen White.  By 1850, they had also published six issues of The Advent Review. The papers were merged in November of that year, and the combined endeavor was christened Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. Today it is simply called the Adventist Review. The Church Heritage Manual is very insistent that future Master Guides be cognizant of the fact that the Adventist Review is the general church paper, but its unfailing arrival in every member’s mailbox, every month is the best reminder of this periodical’s preeminence.  As previously noted, the printing facility that published this periodical when it was headquartered in Battle Creek burned to the ground in 1902. It is currently printed at the Review and Herald Publishing Association in Hagerstown, Maryland. In the beginning of this journal’s history, a few thousand copies would be printed. In the 1950’s circulation exceeded 50,000. In the 1990’s over a quarter million readers subscribed to this Adventist “house organ.”

The “Advent Tidende”


The English-language version of the Danish site of the Adventist Church provides some detailed information about the Danish-language periodical Advent Tidende (the “tidende” part simply means “journal.” In an irrelevant digression, it may be noted that Soren Kierkegaard lambasted the stagnation of the Danish church of his era with countless pseudonymous diatribes published in Danish “tidendes”). Adventism reached Denmark in 1872 by means of issues of the Tidende. It was initially published by John Matteson for Scandinavian immigrants living in the United States. Matteson sent the magazine to Denmark in response to letters received from people interested in keeping the Sabbath. Over a thousand copies had been shipped prior to 1875, when a Danish printer, M. A. Sommer, asked Matteson for permission to include articles from Advent Tidende in his own monthly journal. Matteson, an enthusiastic evangelist for the faith, readily assented to this. In 1877 he wrote to General Conference president James White asking to be sent as a missionary to Denmark. Thus he became the first Adventist missionary to northern Europe, just three years after J. N. Andrews went to Switzerland. Matteson’s efforts were blessed by God. In 1880 Matteson helped organize the Denmark Conference with seven churches and 120 adherents, the first Adventist conference outside North America. Currently, the denomination only contains about 2,500 members out of a total population of over five million, and this number is diminishing. This is not a reflection upon Adventism, as all faiths in Europe are experiencing a similar decline. The website maintained by the Adventists of Denmark requests that you pray for Denmark.

 

“Les Signes des Temps” en francais… en anglaise, c’est  “Signs of the Times”


People who are not born and bred to the Adventist Church may involuntarily recall the popular song titled “Sign of the Times,” performed by Petula Clark, and released in 1966. This song was temporarily banned by Clear Channel Communications in the wake of the 911 terrorist attacks (the salient features of which Ellen White had accurately prophesized) as being inappropriate. Signs of the Times was first published in 1874 by James White as a weekly newspaper, therefore making it one of the “longest running, continuously published, religious subscription magazines,” as the Wikipedia article on it notes. This article also states that it was influential in the founding of Pacific Press. The White family scouted west coast locations for the establishment of a sanitarium and publishing house in 1872. Due to a lack of ready money, the start of this venture was delayed for two years, but a meeting held in California in 1874 an amazing $19,414 was raised from only 500 attendees, a fortune back in those days. A facility was soon erected in Oakland with these funds. In the 1980’s it was determined that the cost of doing business in the Greater San Francisco area was getting ludicrous. Pacific Press was therefore relocated to Idaho, which is not nearly as close to the Pacific Ocean as Oakland. Here is a statement from the official website of Pacific Press regarding its mission: Its sole purpose is to uplift Jesus Christ in communicating biblical teachings, health principles, and family values, in many languages, through various types of printed materials, video products, and recordings of Christian music. The Sign of the Times was first printed in the French language in Basil, Switzerland in 1876. This is still important to Haitians, French-Canadians, and perhaps the dwindling number of Adventists who actually live in France itself. The former French colonies in Africa and Polynesia are also edified by their copies. Spanish language Adventists are recipients of their own Pacific Press periodical. Here is a very brief note about the history of this version from the website of El Centinela (The Sentinel): Pacific Press publicó “El Centinela” desde julio de 1919 hasta junio de 1921 en Mountain View, California; desde julio de 1921 hasta marzo de 1953, en su sucursal de Panamá en Cristóbal; desde abril de 1953 hasta septiembre de 1959, en Brookfield, Illinois; desde octubre de 1959 hasta septiembre de 1984, en la sede de Pacific Press en Mountain View; y desde ese entonces en la planta actual de Nampa, Idaho. The periodical was published in Panama for a short period, this statement reveals. Spanish is the future (should the Lord delay His coming), and Pacific Press is keeping up with “the times,” or as Spaniard would say, “el tiempo (“des temps,” en francais, s’il vous plait).

“Liberty” magazine

Due to their inconvenient habit of keeping the Lord’s day on the true Sabbath, Adventists have historically suffered a measure of discrimination and persecution at the hands of the “first day” majority in the United States. The protection of the minority was a consideration of the framers of the Constitution, but it is far from perfect at affording much beyond minimal safeguards. The seed of the knowledge of the “Sabbath truth” was planted by Mrs. Rachel Oakes, a Seventh Day Baptist who came to an early Adventist assembly in Washington, NH bearing tracts upon this topic, thereby creating what was, in effect, the very first “Seventh-day” Adventist congregation. The “grand old man” of the Advent pioneers, Joseph Bates, was an early and vehement advocate of this teaching. James and Ellen White were not initially impressed with the importance of the Sabbath doctrine, but soon (largely through the effort of Captain Bates) came to see the truth. It was even ratified later in a prophetic vision granted to Ellen White. A desire to worship God in the manner one chooses is important to the preservation and perpetuation of the Adventist Church. Having experienced a measure of persecution as a result their observation of the Sabbath, and not Sunday as the correct day for rest and worship, the denomination is subsequently in the forefront of a continuing effort to ensure the right of other to worship as they see fit. The freedom of the SDA Church is linked to the freedom of all of the citizens of this nation (the USA) and of the world. Here is the two sentence ”history” of this publication, taken from the Liberty Magazine website: Founded in 1906, Liberty magazine continues to be the preeminent resource for matters of religious freedom. Published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Liberty currently maintains a circulation of just under 200,000. The second of the three guiding principles listed on the site reads as follows: Religious liberty entails freedom of conscience: to worship or not to worship; to profess, practice and promulgate religious beliefs or to change them. In exercising these rights, however, one must respect the equivalent rights of all others. Salvation is a matter of choice, and cannot be imposed upon people. It must be willingly accepted. “Liberty” is dedicated to the removal of state-sanctioned barriers to these individual manifestations of free will. Church and state should maintain a respectful distance from each other. When the state does delegate responsibilities to the churches (or mosques, or synagogues), it must not favor one over the other (this last statement is a recognition that Adventists in the United States currently accept federal money for their social programs, assuming there are no doctrinal “strings attached” to these funds).

 “The Medical Evangelist Magazine,” back in action after a 45-year hiatus

The high quality of healthcare, and the exceptionally high ethics (merely Biblical precepts at work) of the Adventist medical establishment often comes as a revelation to patients and patrons who have never before experienced healing mercies administered in a manner that Christ Himself would approve of. Here is a sample from Wikipedia regarding Porter Hospital: In the early 1930s, Denver businessman Henry Porter fell ill while traveling in California. His treatment at two Seventh-day Adventist sanitariums inspired him to build a hospital in Denver that embraced the Seventh-day Adventist philosophy of caring for the whole person. In 1930, he donated land and money to build Porter Adventist Hospital. It is a noble work, and for a season boasted its own periodical titled The Medical Evangelist Magazine. The Southern University archive notes that Medical Evangelist was published from 1908 through 1923. It then re-emerged in 2011 (a misprint, as the archive includes a first issue from 2007), and is still being published today (2016). The revived publication, a product of the Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (a.m.e.n.) is described on the “amen” site: The original Medical Evangelist journal was published in the early days of Loma Linda College of Medical Evangelists [now Loma Linda University] to promote the principles of health reform and share graduate experiences. It also states the choice of name for the revived magazine was “no accident.” It may be viewed online. The “mission statement” of this journal reads: The Medical Evangelist is the official publication of the Adventist Medical Evangelism Network.  The purpose of the publication is to equip physicians and dentists to be effective medical evangelists. A quick peek at some of the 1908 through 1923 editions (with a doomed attempt to home in on the editions that coincided with America’s participation in World War I) reveals that the first periodical was discontinued in 1962, and not 1923. Loma Linda University, the archivists for this manifestation of The Medical Evangelist has not yet enjoyed sufficient leisure to digitize every edition. Curiosity as to what Adventist medical missionary attitudes were toward the mass carnage of “the war to end all wars” will not be satisfied by the Loma Linda archive, for there is a huge (and, as yet, unexplained) gap in the record of the publications concurrent with World War I. The earlier archived issues are slim, perhaps to save on postage when shipping them to remote locations like Borneo and Sumatra.

 “Present Truth”

The same Loma Linda archive that contained a most truncated collection of the periodical The Medical Evangelist also contains an archive of Present Truth magazine. It cites the duration of this journal to have extended from the years 1884 through 1950. A recent (2016) guest pastor at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta continuously referred to “present truth” in his various presentations. As the speaker was practically a septuagenarian, his perception of the images and denominational associations these two words evoke was shaped by his constant exposure to the term as a youth. The term “present truth” It has a long, long history, and is pregnant with meaning for older Adventists, but is no longer “au courant.” Here is a sentence recycled from the preceding paragraph that described the “Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald:” Five years after the “Great Disappointment” [1844], a group who advocated the observation of the seventh day of the week as the true Sabbath, began to publish a paper called the “Present Truth.” This was founded by James and Ellen White. This antebellum manifestation of Present Truth seems to have quickly morphed into the Review and Herald. At look at the first copy from the much more durable 1884-1950 run reveals that it was produced in Great Grimsby, England, under the aegis of the International Tract & Missionary Society. The front page features an article by Ellen G. White titled Search the Scriptures. This lays the groundwork for a second article by John N. Andrews that states some basic Adventist beliefs. Anyone who had stopped reading Present Truth in order to read the Bible, as Ellen White had previously implored them to do, would be in a good position to verify that the points outlined by J.N. Andrews in his article, Seventh-day Adventists, were not “cunningly wrought fables,” but are rather based on the Word of God. This edition represents the “alpha” of the run. Leaping ahead 66 years to the “omega” issue (now titled The Bible and Our Times) from 1950, the cover features a herald, ringing a hand bell, dressed in Georgian era garb. The lead article decries the fact that a proposed nation-wide festival would be closed on Sunday, as the organizers of the event were on record as declaring this day of the week the “Sabbath.” The incipient demise of this periodical is not announced in what is (presumably) the last issue to be published. A representative edition from the portentous (for Great Britain, and, ultimately, for the entire world) of 1939 (volume 55, number 26) still retains the original title of the magazine. It cannot avoid a focus on the mounting tensions in Europe. The lead article refutes the views of evolutionists like Thomas Henry Huxley, who perceived creation to be morally neutral. Current events were betraying the hand of Satan, who is most immoral. A quote from the apostle Paul was borrowed in order to assist in illustrating the ominous disposition of planet earth: [the] whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together.

“Youth’s Instructor”

This is from the “Church Heritage Manual: The magazine that is named the “Youth’s Instructor,” begun in 1852 by James White, has evolved into several age related magazines, in order to better meet the needs of the youth. Today, the church publishes “Insight,” “Guide,” “Primary Treasure,” “Our Little Friend,” and “Sabbath Lesson Quarterlies” for all age groups. But Youth’s Instructor led the pack. James White edited the journal for the first two years of its existence, and then passed the torch to his sister, Anna in 1854. Anna died that same year of tuberculosis, so James White resumed leadership until 1858, when G.W. Amadon (Martha’s husband, and John Byington’s son-in-law) took over. The main Adventist archive site states: The “Youth's Instructor” was a paper intended for youths aged sixteen to thirty. The paper was published monthly until demand led to a weekly edition starting in 1879. In 1970, the magazine's duties transferred to Insight magazine, which is still published today. Even the very first edition is available online. A lead article proclaims that the new endeavor is designed to plug a regrettable gap in the knowledge of most young people, a knowledge of “the religion of Christ.” The author of this article insinuates that many adults who profess to follow the Lord are not doing a particularly spectacular job at this. Youth’s Instructor was aimed straight at their children, whose souls might be in jeopardy as a result of their parents’ ineptitude. The author, of course, declares this in a very diplomatic way. An illustration in the first number portrays each of the ten commandments as fruits on a tree. Two large supplementary fruits are labelled with the two commandments Jesus emphasized: (1) Love God, and (2) Love your neighbor. The final issue of the Youth’s Instructor prior to its integration into Insight is dated April 28. 1970. This is a year in which over 300,000 American soldiers were fighting in Vietnam. The lead article in the final issue was simply titled May 9, 1970. It did not glamorize war, but urged that Christian literature be provided to those who were serving in the military. A biennial offering for this very purpose would be collected on the date named in the title of the article. The article admitted that soldiers who were Adventists were in a difficult position (“Thou shalt not kill”), but should try to represent Christ as best they could while in uniform.

“Southern Tidings,” the voice of the Seventh-day Day Adventist Southern Union

Over 90,000 people read Southern Tidings magazine every month. It has been around more than a century, but it was not always named Southern Tidings. Here is a statement taken from the Southern Union website: “The ‘Southern Tidings’ was first published in 1907 as ‘Report of Progress;’ from 1910 to 1932 as ‘Southern Union Worker;’ then merged with ‘Field Tidings’ to become ‘Southern Tidings.’ All issues of these magazines are available online…” The first issue was printed in Nashville, TN (presumably by the Southern Publishing Association, an Adventist press, and successor to the Gospel Herald Publishing Company which was founded by Ellen White’s son, Edson. Like the “Review” factory in 1902, an abandoned Nashville building that once housed Southern Publishing burned as well in 2011). The lead article in this July 2, 1907 edition of Field Tidings states that previous attempts to make another periodical, the Watchman, serve as both a missionary tract and a conference newsletter were most unsatisfactory. Thus was the Report of Progress born. The masthead of this first issue features a reaper holding a sickle and a basket of grain. This could have been intended as a reference to the fact that, at that time (1907), the South was still predominately an agricultural region. It is also highly appropriate for representing the act of harvesting souls for the Kingdom, but the lead article belies this interpretation by affirming the delegation of evangelical material to the Watchman. But assisting the Spirit to reap souls is a business that everyone is admonished to be engaged in. The periodical assumed a more communicative name, Southern Union Worker in the September 7, 1911 issue. The redesigned masthead of this issue brackets the title of the periodical with two images; a sower on the left, and a reaper on the right. On March 30, 1932, the name of Southern Union Worker (perhaps a result of the animosity displayed by most plutocrats to the incendiary word “Union”) was modified to Southern Tidings (a kind of homage to the original name of the publication, Field Tidings). The new look of the newsletter was very spare, and it was assembled in Collegedale, TN. Perhaps as a result of having been published during the Great Depression, this issue does not contain a single illustration. One lonely and forlorn advertisement offers the reader a sample box of the “best Oatmeal Cookie on the market,” if you should care to send a dollar to P.O. Box 481, Birmingham, AL.

The Reorganization of 1901, and the Battle Creek Fires of 1902

The Reorganization of 1901

The 1901 General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church readied the denomination to respond more quickly to circumstances that might arise at home and abroad. This was accomplished by delegating what had hitherto been decisions that could only be made “at the top” to layers of authority that were lower down in the hierarchy. The next four sentences come straight from the Church Heritage Manual, and list the basics; 1: The General Conference Committee was enlarged, and made more representative. 2: The Union conferences/missions and local conferences/missions became the pattern of organization. 3: The conferences were to share their tithes and offerings with the missions. 4: Various independent organizations, representing various interests of the denomination, became departments of the General Conference. The “reorganization of 1901” laid a good foundation, enabling the church to enjoy a remarkable growth rate in the next 115 years of its history (initially at home, and subsequently, as in today, abroad).

 

The 1901 GC was held in Battle Creek. It was an organizational triumph, but a personal letter describing the conference, written by Ellen White two years late, reveals that she considered it a spiritual defeat. She was focused on issues that were more significant than charts and departments: The result of the last General Conference has been the greatest, the most terrible sorrow of my life. No change was made. The spirit that should have been brought into the whole work as the result of that meeting, was not brought in because men did not receive the testimonies of the Spirit of God.” This analysis by the most “significant” of Adventist pioneers represents a pretty “significant” feature of the 1901 conference. To paraphrase Dickens, it must have been both the best and worst of times for the denomination. But the creation of conferences at the Union and local level, and the delegation of a measure of authority to these “lesser lights” (lesser that the GC, at any rate) was a wise move. Current Master Guides, and any aspiring Master Guides that lurk about Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church in Atlanta, GA, are inhabitants of the “Kingdom” of the General Conference, the “Phylum” of the North American Division, the “Class” of the Southern Union Conference, the “Order” of the South Atlantic Conference, and the “Family” of Berean Seventh-day Adventists.

Battle Creek Fires of 1902

Ellen White had warned (not her words exactly, but redolent of her meaning) that the denomination was dangerously “putting their eggs in the same basket.” In the era before stringent building codes were extant, most buildings were like disasters waiting to happen. In 1871, over 300 people perished when the Great Fire overtook Chicago. In February of 1902, the main Sanitarium (or “hospital,” in modern parlance) in Battle Creek burned up. This tragic start of the year was mirrored at its end when the Herald and Review factory was destroyed by fire in December. Here is a concise and informative statement from the Church Heritage Manual revealing the fallout from all of this catastrophe: In 1903, Ellen White’s advice to move the headquarters east was heeded, and property was purchased near the national capitol, Washington DC.

The General Conference of 1888, the “Righteousness by Faith Conference”

A provocative statement appears in the Church Heritage Manual regarding the General Conference of 1888: A full, and well documented study of this meeting has been published under the title “Movement of Destiny.” It was written by Leroy Edwin Froom, and published by “Review” in 1971. Some preceding passages reveal two of the concerns that were addressed by this “milestone” event: During the 1860’s and 1870’s, Adventist evangelists were so busy proving that God’s law had not been abolished at the cross, that they gave little attention to the faith of Jesus, and rather stressed the commandments of God. There were also still some who held Arian views of Christ, and did not believe in the Trinity, or the personality of the Holy Spirit [this issue is still around in the advent universe, but not within the church itself]. The relative importance of “faith” verses “obedience” (or, alternately, “works”) was ostensibly resolved at the 1888 conference. A very important presentation by E.G. Waggoner enjoyed the support of Ellen G. White. A publication based on Waggoner’s message was produced in 1890 titled Christ and His Righteousness. Waggoner managed to multitask in his presentation, as he not only emphasized that our righteousness consists solely of the “righteousness of Christ” (not by works, lest any man boast), but he so magnifies Jesus that he manages to leaves those who presume to consign the Son of God to play “second-fiddle” in the heavenly ensemble (without any valid arguments as to why they are right, and the rest of the world is wrong. Arius, the renegade responsible for the creation of the hard-to-kill heresy that bears his name, merits a mention in Waggoner’s statements. Arius, like Satan, seasoned his “big lie” (a reference to Hitler, as I am confident the reader is aware of) with just enough truth to make it seem plausible, thereby deluding many. He was a selective student of scripture, as are many others.

John N. Andrews, the First “Official” Seventh-day Adventist Missionary (1874)

These next few sentences are recycled prom a parallel mini-bio about J.N. Andrews: In 1867, he became the third General Conference president. In 1869 he became editor of the “Review and Herald.” His young wife died in 1872. Two years later, he and his children travelled to Europe as the first “official” Seventh-day Adventist missionaries to that highly influential part of the world. In order to give due credit to Michal B. Czechowski, his name must now be linked to that of J.N. Andrews. Considered unreliable and inexperienced by Adventist leadership, he left for Europe on his own initiative in 1864. The message he preached in various European countries was the doctrinally correct. His work helped to prepare the ground for J.N. Andrew’s arrival 10 years later. Here is the very concise Church Heritage Manual entry concerning this mission: John Nevins Andrews was appointed the first official missionary, and was sent to Switzerland. His 17-year-old son Charles, and his 13-year-old daughter Mary sailed with him. Soon after his arrival, the European Mission was organized. Andrews also reached Prussia in 1875, and reported finding a group of 46 Sabbath keepers there [there because of Czechowski, no doubt. This discovery by Andrews is analogous to the discovery by Marco Polo of “Nestorian” Christians in the Gobi desert on his journey to China). Prior to his death from tuberculosis in Switzerland in 1883 (at the relatively young age of 54), three of his children had also died of tuberculosis.

Health Reform Begins (1863)

Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church Elder Tracey Wallace, M.D. often gives presentations that refer to the amazing accuracy and efficacy of Ellen G. White’s insight into the importance of the proper maintenance of what Paul describes as “the temple of God,” our bodies. Dr. Wallace attended Loma Linda University, a medical school that is currently the heart of denominational health affairs. He is an enthusiastic evangelist for the Adventist “Health Message,” first revealed in 1863. He describes it as being 150 years ahead of its time. It was concurrent with now obsolete medical practices such as “bleeding, purging, and poisoning.” Dr. Wallace notes that Ellen White’s prescient revelations are founded upon Scriptural prescriptions for healthy living, with an emphasis on dietary law. The evils of tobacco and meat were apprehended early in the history of the church. Recent observers note that “the world has gone after” the health message in this day and age (much of the world, but regrettably not all of it). Here is a long quote from a recent article on health reform from the Adventist Review: Ellen White, while explaining her vision of 1863, did not have or need scientific credentials. Indeed, the science of the day would have hindered rather than helped. Instead, she laid out a number of simple ideas that were at the time fairly revolutionary as a package, although not individually unique. Contemporary Adventist scholar Leo Van Dolsen once summarized these simple health principles—nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest, and trust—in terms that were easy for most people to understand.

The Adventist Church is Incorporated (May 21, 1863)

Section Four of the “Church Heritage Manual” commences with this statement: The Seventh-day Adventist Church did not come out of the 1844 movement with a structure and corporate identity. The scattered believers took nearly twenty years to develop the components that would finally bring about the need for a structured approach to fulfilling its mission. In 1853, identity cards were issues to every minister of what would be soon termed the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a type of “certificate of doctrinal purity.” Also in 1853, tent meetings under the direction of Elders J.N. Loughborough, and M.E. Cornell were conducted, and Sabbath Schools made their first appearance. This was a novel idea at the time. Also in the 1850’s James White decided that publications would be sold, as opposed to simply being given away. In 1855 James and Ellen White moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, which would become the epicenter of Adventism for the next 48 years. A high level of disenchantment by many church members (such as George Storrs) to the idea of any formal organization of the newborn denomination was a result of some bad treatment by the churches that they had formerly belonged to. These “organizations” were not comfortable with the Advent message. But the need for some type of basic organization was undeniable. A structure started to develop. The systematic collection of funds, based upon scriptural precepts, was inaugurated. In 1860 the designation “Seventh-day Adventist” was made official. In 1861 the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association was officially formed. An effort to nail down specifics in a “General Conference” was initiated in Michigan, the state that included the newly established denominational headquarters at Battle Creek. This meeting ran from May 20-23, 1863. John Byington was elected as the first president, and a constitution of nine articles was adopted. The new enterprise boasted 3,555 members, 120 churches, and 22 ministers.

The Great Disappointment (October 22, 1844)

Daniel 8:14 was the verse in the Bible that William Miller and others considered to be indicative that Christ would reappear in 1843 (amended to 1844). Miller was not mistaken in regard to the significance of this date, but rather in the manner with which Jesus would manifest Himself when it rolled around. There was, to be sure, an extreme level of “disappointment” when Jesus did not physically return to earth as scheduled, and the majority who had been following Miller abandoned him after this “no-show.” But a core remained loyal, including the Harmons (the maiden name of Ellen Gould White). The riddle as to what may have actually transpired on October 22, 1844 was revealed to Hiram Edson. He was granted what is designated the “Cornfield Vision,” wherein it was revealed that this day, instead of marking the “cleansing of the earthly sanctuary” (the return of Jesus to earth), instead marked the transition of the Son of God into the inner chamber of the heavenly sanctuary. There, He began what is referred to as the “investigative judgment.” The loyal core of the Advent movement had faith in this vision of Edson, and maintains this faith unto this day.

 

Hiram Edson

Before even commencing research into Hiram Edson, it is easy to deduce the level of his involvement in the early affairs of the Adventist faith, as James and Ellen White named one of their sons after him. It was Hiram Edson who received the famous “cornfield vision” that serves to dispel the confusion (for those who accepted the existence of prophetic gifts) that followed in the wake of the “Great Disappointment” in October of 1844. The important vision God granted to Hiram Edson deserves to be partially restated: I saw distinctly and clearly, writes that instead of our High Priest coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth [at the expected hour], He for the first time entered on that day the second apartment of that sanctuary… He had a work to perform in the Most Holy before coming to this earth. A published report of this vision came to the attention of James and Ellen White through reading a periodical called Day-Dawn. They paid a visit to the prosperous Methodist farmer, converting him to a belief in keeping the seventh-day as the true Sabbath. Hiram Edson shall always be remembered in Adventists circles as the originator of the concept of the “investigative judgement,” which is descriptive of Christ’s current activity in the heavenly sanctuary. This is a judgement of those who profess belief in Christ. Hypocrisy is exposed, and grievances get redressed in the course of this continuing assessment. We can, with due diligence, meet Christ’s criteria. It is not impossible to achieve a high standard of conformity to the commandments of God. Perfection may be impossible, but this inability to attain perfection should not deter Christians from striving to come as close to perfection as is possible. A growing commitment to the pursuit of moral excellence is known to other denominations as the “process of sanctification.”

A Significant Setback for the Millerites, but Daniel’s Prophecies are Validated by a Vision God Grants to Hiram Edson (a subject that shall be revisited directly)

Part of Daniel 8:14 reads “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Rather than reserving the happy ending to what is a temporarily sad story, this brief commentary will commence with the news that Miller was not wrong about the significance of the year 1844 (a modification of the prior identification of 1843 as being the date indicated by Daniel). Some selected quotes from the Church Heritage Manual will now be provided that document the vision that Seventh-day Adventists accept as a very satisfactory explanation as to why Jesus did not physically return to earth in 1844. These quotes will be prefaced by Psalm 126:5: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

The day of Christ’s return arrived, but Christ did not appear. To say that the followers of Miller, including young Ellen Harmon (the future Ellen G. White) were “disappointed” sounds like an extreme understatement. They were crushed! They were devastated! But level-headed Hiram Edson had this to say: “There is a God in heaven. He has made Himself known to us in blessing, in forgiving, in redeeming, and He will not fail us now. Sometime soon this mystery will be solved.”  On the morning of October 23, 1844 (the proverbial “morning after,” as the Lord was due back on October 22) Edson and one of his brethren decided to talk a walk through his cornfield. God granted Edson a vision there. The Heritage Manual writes: “He seemed to see the sanctuary in heaven, and Christ as High Priest going from the Holy Place of the sanctuary into the Most Holy. I saw distinctly and clearly, writes Edson, that instead of our High Priest coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth on the tenth day of the seventh month, at the end of the twenty-three hundred days, He for the first time entered on that day the second apartment of that sanctuary, and that He had a work to perform in the Most Holy before coming to this earth. This cleansing of the sanctuary marked the beginning of the investigative judgment.” William Miller was an assiduous and insightful student of scripture. He had been right about the date, but misguided as to its manifestation. But all’s well that ends well. The Bible remains inerrant.

Millerite minister S.S. Snow had been the man responsible for pinpointing the exact day for Christ’s return, October 22, 1844. A witness to the reaction of Adventists to the non-events of that day was pioneer Washington Morse. He had this to say about temporary setback: “True believers had given up all for Christ, and had shared His presence as never before. The love of Jesus filled every soul; and with inexpressible desire they prayed, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly;’ but He did not come. And now, to turn again to the cares, perplexities, and dangers of life, in full view of jeering and reviling unbelievers who scoffed as never before, was a terrible trial of faith and patience.” The “Great Disappointment” resulted in the desertion by most, but not all, of the followers of William Miller. Miller died in 1849, but his legacy endures, enshrined in Adventist doctrine.

The 2,300-year prophetic period that can be found in the book of Daniel is clearly understood, and a consideration of it is not amenable to extensive commentary, for it is unambiguous to those accept that a “prophetic day” is equal to a year. This correspondence is revealed in Numbers 14:34, and also in Ezekiel 4:5-6. Daniel 8:14-17 reads as follows: And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The “end” was not the end of the world, but rather (to borrow a phrase from Winston Churchill) the beginning of the end.

The work of Uriah Smith (whom I am not, yet I am riding on his coattails at present), Daniel and the Revelation, describes the heavenly sanctuary. This description is based on its earthly counterpart. Smith describes the annual cycle of sacrifice that distinguished the earthly sanctuary, but cites Hebrews 7:25 when writing of the heavenly sanctuary: Instead of being repeated year by year, on grand cycle is allowed to it, in which it is carried forward and finished forever (p. 185, 1944 edition). Smith makes an impassioned plea: Reader, do you now see the importance of this subject? He emphasizes the significance of what occurred in October, 1844: Do you see that if it can be ascertained when the work of cleansing begins we shall know when salvation’s last mighty hour has come…

Here is Uriah Smith’s comment about the “Great Disappointment,” and its effect upon the Advent movement: The disappointment, however, was no evidence that the Lord was not in the movement, for in the tenth chapter of Revelation He anticipates this very experience, and in the last verse points His people to a task of world-wide extent He had yet for them to perform prior to His glorious appearing, for their work has not yet been finished. “Their work” (yours and mine) is to share the three angels’ message with the world. Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come…