Adventist History

The Adventist Oxford Movement

This morning I gave a presentation on The Oxford Momvement, a group within the Anglican church during the early 19th-century who responded to change by reasserting church tradition and authority. They focused on the clause in the Creed "I believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church." The movement, also known as the Tractarian Revival, had its roots in the High Church movement of the 17th-century. The Oxford Movement looked back to the church of the first four centuries with an emphasis on the authority of the tradition of the church over that of the Bible. Only the best is good enough for God they reasoned, and emphasized elaborate church furnishings and formal church services.

Part of the movement was a response to on-going change and the failure of the Anglican Church at that time to deal with new challenges posed to society through the Industrial Revolution. Cities filled with impoverished people created new problems for the establishment. In a sense the Oxford Movement was an attempt to answer the question of where the Anglican Church stood with regard to the Reformation. The way they responded to that was that Church of England (Anglican) was nearer the purity of the early church than the Church of Rome and it was a true chruch because their clergy were episcopally ordained and visible within the longer stream of apostolic succession. Thus the authority of the church was guaranteed by its apostolic descent.

Part of the movement was to restore within Anglicanism a sense of reverence through special religious communities, retreats, pilgrimages, the sacrament of confession, reading of devotional books, and a pattern of disicpliend prayer and regular communion for ordinary Christians.

I find this particularly interesting in light of where we are at today as Seventh-day Adventists. I think there are fears of an Adventist version of the Oxford Movement that would return Adventism unsuspectingly toward Roman Catholicism. I think that is why there is a significant fear that through these religious disciplines, perjoratively referred to within Adventism as "spiritual formation" that there are some who would cause Adventism to become more Catholic (and not in the universal sense).

 Over the past year I have sensed quite a bit of concern from people over our church and "spiritual formation." For me it all boils down to an issue of authority. If you substitute tradition for the place of Scripture then these spiritual practices play a role that authoritatively takes the place of Scripture. BUT, it is not the act of praying or reading a devotional book that in and of itself that makes you Roman Catholic. Instead, the real issue has to do with your source of authority. I believe that if we remain faithful to Scripture that we will have nothing to fear from these spiritual disciplines. In fact, if Scripture authoritatively comes first then these practices are governed within Biblical principles. BUT, like the Oxford Movement, if these practices authoritatively trump Scripture through tradition then we run into trouble.

Some times it is easy to confuse the real issue: I know of church members who are afraid to pray because it could become "contemplative prayer." But I think people don't have to ever be afraid to talk to God (!), and the real way to tell the difference isn't to look for conspiracy theories of danger but to deal with the root problem. The real issue at the heart of it all is not the spiritual disciplines themselves so much as to ask yourself to what purpose do spiritual disciplines (i.e. prayer, journaling, etc.) play in the Christian life? Do we have an Adventist "Oxford Movement" taking place through these spiritual practices? Instead of fearing spiritual disciplines perhaps the more important question is to examine and ask ourself what is our authority as Seventh-day Adventists? Anything that lessens our commitment to the authority of Scripture would essentially be an Adventist version of the Oxford Movement. What makes Adventism great is our commitment to the Bible!

Landmark New Work on Development of Adventist Church in South America

A couple of weeks ago I received in the mail a new volume by veteran Adventist educator and historian, Floyd Greenleaf, A Land of Hope: The Growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America (Tatuí, SP: Casa Publicadora Brasileira, 2011. 760 pp. + 23 pp. Index). The book significantly updates his earlier two-volume work, History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Latin America and the Caribbean (Andrews University Press, 1992) but this time the author focuses solely on South America. This project is a superb example of what can happen when a division of the church (through the influence of Alberto Timm) commits to preserving and telling its past. Of course this is made possible thorugh the superb scholarship of Floyd Greenleaf who for those who are unfamiliar with Adventist history made notable contributions with his earlier textbook on Adventist history (Light Bearers) and his history of Seventh-day Adventist education (In Passion for the World).

The lay member will find the narrative approachable and compelling. Adventist historians will appreciate his use of the tools in the historians toolchest that help to make his narrative reliable, too. "The purpose of my book," writes Greenleaf, "is not to prove divine intervention in specific incidents but to review the story of Adventism in South America in light of biblical instruction to take the gospel to the world." Such a discvoery by South Americans has led to "a sense of destiny and gives purpose and energy to those who lead the South American Division" (8, 9).

For those who read Greenleaf's 1992 work will find major additions including the fact that he updates his previous research that ocncluded in 1980 and brings it up to the present. With another decade of historical reflection Greenleaf notes a fresh observation that the church in this part of the world changed from a "foreign mission field" (that reached its peak in the 1940s) to become "a partner in the global organization of Adventism," a transitoin he concludes was completed by 1980.

Watch for a more extensive review to appear in print in the not too distant future! Overall this is a brilliant new work that other divisions of the world church would do well to emulate. It also shows what can happen when a people develop a sense of historical consciousness to preserve their past. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Adventist history or in missions.

Ellen White and the King James Version

I just finished researching and writing a book chapter for a forthcoming volume to be edited by Nikolaus Satelmajer on Adventists and the King James Version. My chapter was on Ellen White's use of Bible translations. Among other things I discovered some fascinating things: first and foremost was that Ellen White's understanding of the great controversy conflict between Christ and Satan included the fact that some copyists of the Bible had distorted the words of Scripture (she wrote that in 1858!) thus anticipating the rise of modern textual criticism (which although had already begun was unknown to her). By the time the English Revised Version appeared in 1885, and still later the American Revised Version in 1901, she utilized the best of Bible tools available to her. In addition to these tools she used other tools, which fascinated me.

The climax of this diversity in her writing appears in her work The Ministry of Healing (1905) with a myriad of Biblical references including marginal readings of the ESV and ASV. Clearly Ellen White was not married to the King James Version as some later adhernets would ahve you believe (and who thus contributed to a very vocal Fundamentalist contingency both within and outside of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who believe in the "King James only" perspective). Such a viewpoint would not have flown with Mrs. White!

Even in spite of this Ellen White clearly admired the King James Version and quoted it heavily up until the end of her life. It remained her translation of choice both in her works, and significantly, in the pulpit. In fact, one of the few extant Bibles is a "preaching Bible" on display in the White Memorial Hospital, which as one might expect, was the King James Version. She admired its prose, and, according to her son, W. C. White, she used it because older listeners in her congregation would not become confused by newer renderings of the text. Ultimately, Ellen White believed in the authority of Scripture and that regardless of which translation that one must not miss the plain and obvious meaning of the Bible.

Best Adventist Historical Resources Over the Past Four Years

If you are playing "catch up" here are some of the best resources that have come out over the past four years that you should be aware of:

1. David L. Rowe, God's Strange Work: William Miller and the End of the World. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008. I've already published reviews of this book, including one on Amazon.com, that since the Millerite revival (1849) and a later pseuo-biography (1895) no one has really written a comprehensive biography of William Miller. This one is done by Dr. Rowe from Middle Tennessee State University where he teaches history. He is not an adherent of any of the surviving Advent traditions, but he presents a compelling while at the same time sympathetic scholarly treatment of the founder of Adventism.
2. Woodrow W. Whidden, E. J. Waggoner: From the Physician of Good News to Agent of Division. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2008. This is the first comprehensive treatment of E. J. Waggoner's theology in addition to examining his life. As such it makes huge strides over David P. McMahon's 1979 biography. Whidden, who taught for many years at Andrews University who recently retired after teaching at the Adventist International Institute for Advanced Studies in the Phillippines and who recently retired did a great service to the Adventist church by tracing not only Waggoner's unique contributions as the Lord's messenger but also the seeds of heretical thought that lead eventually to his departure from Adventism. What this book accomplishes is to apply some consistency about what makes the "1888 message" unique versus theological appendages that have been harmful to Adventism ever since. Interestingly, over the past four years, we have also seen the passing of Robert J. Wieland and Donald K. Short who popularized their own adapatation of Waggoner's teachings (with significant deviations) during the 1980s and the obscuring of the 1888 Message Study Committee.
3. Douglas Morgan, Lewis C. Sheafe: Apostle to Black America. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2010. Sheafe rose to prominence within the Seventh-day Adventist Church during the turn of the early 20th-century and like a comet was a bright luminary helping to give energy into the fledgling Adventist Black work. His rise to leadership highlights racial tensions and struggles within the Adventist Church that unfortunately were not resolved and ultimately led to his departure from the denomination. This meticulously researched and well-written biography deserves to be read by everyone interested in Adventist history. Interestingly, both this and Whidden's biography mark two new biographical works both on people who left the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As the "Adventist Biography Series" continues under the leadership of Dr. George R. Knight I am not sure what this says about Adventist historiography--perhaps that there is a real interest in exploring the boundaries of Adventism?
4. Jud Lake, Ellen White Under Fire: Identifying the Mistakes of Her Critics. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2010. As a pastor one of the places where I have seen our church suffer is through huge hits from anti-Ellen White web sites that proliferate across the internet. I've personally had both church members and friends (especially ones I went to school with) who have simply written the Adventist church off from these negative web sites. Jud Lake does a service to the Seventh-day Adventist Church by distilling and summarizing the chief arguments against White and then provides one of the best defenes of her prophetic life and ministry I have seen yet to date. Two observations come readily to mind: first of all that the vast majority of criticisms are not new but originated with D. M. Canright in the 1890s up through 1919, and second, the lionshare of the problem with why we are suffering has to do with the fact that as a church we have not done a very good job at teaching what is inspiration and a healthy view of Ellen White. As a result many of these so called critics on the web are former Adventists who had a toxic view of Ellen White (i.e. inerrancy) and who flipped to the opposite extreme by rejected her altogether instead of recognizing that a "balanced" picture of Ellen White could have prevented much of the damage done through these negative web sites.
5. Gilbert M. Valentine, The Prophet and the Presidents: Ellen White's Influence on the Leadership of the Early Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2011. First of all I want to note that this is the first of several books to become available from an Adventist publishing house on Amazon.com and through the e-reader, Kindle. This is a major step forward! Valentine is his usual controversial self in this new volume covering the late 1880s up through the end of Ellen White's life (1915). Valentine's book reads like an investigative reporter who spent a significant amount of time going through primary resources to mine a very tumultuous time in Adventist history that few have ventured to write about. In particular he highlights the careers of O. A. Olsen (1888-1897), G. A. Irwin (1897-1901), and A. G. Daniells (1901-1903, transition; 1903-1913 although his career continued to 1922). At its core is the question of Ellen White's inspiration, which he addresses in the final chapter (265-303), where he suggests a model of inspiration that includes "consideration of the personal experience--the emotions, health, concerns, and specific life circumstances--of the writer of the counsel at the same time she wrote" (306).
6. Merlin D. Burt, Adventist Pioneer Places: New York & New England. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2011. This is a much needed volume that updates Paul Gordon and James R. Nix's In the Footsteps of the Pioneers (White Estate, 1990) with GPS coordinates, color pictures, and detailed research. Burt is an Adventist archeologist who has discovered a treasure trove of information from various archives, documents in courthouses, and other newly discovered historical resources that give much needed detail and color into the stories of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is both a fun read as well as a way to learn about the latest "archeological" evidence that has been discovered in recent years.

Coming back!

Just a quick note that after four-and-a-half year hiatus that I am planning to re-launch my blog about Adventist history, theology, and life in 2012. Stay tuned! I'm excited to come back to actively blogging.

About five years ago I sensed God leading in my life to not only have a theoretical knowledge of what I believe but to apply it to my life in a very practical way. Part of this involved stepping out in faith by accepting a call to pastoral ministry. A significant development in my life was the birth of my daughter shortly before this as I re-prioritized my life and realized that in order for me to align my conviction that my family must come first meant transitioning my lifestyle that allows me to prioritize them. That is not to say that you can't do it, but the need to travel combined with the high cost of living at the same made it not possible for us to make it work. And so after deep heart searching I gave up my lifelong dream of working for the Ellen G. White Estate--an organization that I believe continues to have a very important role within our denomination--to live out my convictions to align my priorities in a way that was and still is very practical.

Over the past four-and-a-half years I have been challenged to not only study the nuances of Adventist history and theology, but also to make it real both in my life and in the lives of my church members. I want the Adventist story to become my own story. As part of my journey I have learned and grown in some amazing ways, and I believe God in His grace will continue to do so. And as a result I believe that I have a unique perspective on the story of our church that I can't wait to share on this blog. The story of Adventism remains something I am very passionate about because it is a journey about my personal as well as church identity: it is who I am and I believe that because He is coming back again He will finish that story!

Wayne Hooper: A Celebration of Life

Yesterday afternoon, partly out of curiosity and also because I work for the LLU Archives/White Estate Branch Office, I drove out to Glendale to observe the "celebration of a lifetime" in honor of Wayne Hooper (1920-2007), perhaps the most famous Adventist musician in our denominational history. For me Hooper is a complicated individual who was extremely talented on the one hand and who loved the Voice of Prophecy, but who was far from perfect as highlighted in the memorial service--someone who knew how to pinch every last penny (as Del Delker said yesterday, a "tight wad") and who had a temper. Listening to the service helped me understand some of the things I had heard about him--a paranoia that others in the church were trying to take advantage of his musical talent by not giving him enough money for his royalties, and even my personal experience with him when he changed his mind about doing an oral history because I would try to control or make money off his memoirs (a rather preposterous idea!). Regardless, for those interested in Adventist history, for biographical purposes, a lot could be gleaned yesterday just by watching and listening. Here are a few interesting tidbits:

(1) Hooper was one of the original members of H. M. S. Richards' "King's Heralds" quartet. He was the last surviving member of the original group and his death, according to Lonnie Melashenko, represents the "end of an era."
(2) His musical talent was extraordinary. During the service his songs and photography were demonstrated. One recording featured Hooper singing all four parts. Del Delker couldn't believe that Hooper actually sang the soprano part, a difficult piece to sing--even for her. It is also interesting to observe the relationship between Hooper and Delker, the latter describing the former as her mentor and teacher.
(3) The famous song "We Have This Hope" was composed for the 1962 GC Session and has been played for more than half the subsequent GC sessions (including the most recent one held in St. Louis in 2005).
(4) Hooper's style of quartet arrangement, known as the "Hooper style" reflects his unique contribution to this particular genre of music.
(5) Hooper is probably responsible more than any other single person for the current hymnal sitting in the pew of most churches throughout the Seventh-day Adventist Church (brought out in 1985). He also authored the "Companion to the SDA Hymnal" with helpful commentaries (I've used it on a number of occasions).
(6) Hooper was responsible for over 1500 arrangements and compositions. Several including "We Have This Hope" appear in the SDA Hymnal.

Adventism's Earliest Generation of Adventist Historians

The recent play at Pacific Union College, "Red Books" helps to illustrate the struggle and tension between Adventist historians who try to describe the past accurately and the tension not to gloss over anything. Historians are by their very training critical of sources, and so it is only natural that this can at times create tension. This is illustrated very clearly in "Red Books" although after viewing it I do wonder if the creators of the play aren't coming down unnecessarily hard on church leaders and that what I would consider a more balanced approach to Ellen White (a.k.a. someone like George R. Knight) is not represented more strongly. The purpose of this particular post is to highlight an even earlier generation of historians who predate the catastrophe of the 1970s. They illustrate the awakening of historical consciousness that even predates Everett Dick's dissertation on Millerism that he completed in 1930.

So who were these historians and when did this historical consciousness within Adventism occurred? Surprisingly, in the course of my dissertation research, I discovered that they occurred during the late 1910s. Two individuals in particular, E. F. Albertsworth and C. L. Benson gave presentations on teaching history and historical method at the 1919 Bible Conference.

Clement L. Benson (1882-1934) graduated from Union College in 1905. By 1906 he was serving as the secretary of the "young people's work" in the Central Union. He was the featured speaker at the 1910 denominational educational convention, which marked him as a rising star in educational circles. During the 1917-1918 school year he became acting president of Emmanuel Missionary College when O. J. Graf, his best friend, former college classmate, and brother-in-law became ill. Some time during that school year he was also appointed assistant secretary of the General Conference Education Department. By 1920 Benson had returned to Union College where he continued to teach history. It was while he was here that he earned an M.A. (1921) in history from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. His thesis was titled “The French Revolution and the Church Property: The First Phase.” At the 1923 educational conference he organized the section on teaching history. In his later years he appears to have separated from denominational employment. He may be the same Benson who was teaching history in later years at the University of Arkansas.

The second individual, Edwin Franklin Albertsworth (1892-1980), was at the time of the 1919 Bible Conference a history teacher at Washington Missionary College. He received an M.A. (1916) and Ph.D. (1918) from George Washington University. Soon after the 1919 Bible Conference he was attacked by a group of students for being too liberal. His employment was terminated. He spent the remainder of his career teaching first in Colorado and later at the University of Santa Clara in California. Albertsworth published a number of articles and books on constitutional law and labor relations. He is particularly significant as the first Seventh-day Adventist to earn a doctoral degree in history. He is also the third Seventh-day Adventist to earn a Ph.D. after Mahlon Ellsworth Olsen (who earned a PhD from the University of Michigan in 1909) and Benjamin G. Wilkinson (who earned a PhD from George Washington one year earlier [1908]).

I salute these two early Adventist historians who personify to me in a very tangible way the awakening of historical consciousness that moved beyond apologetics in our church.

Valentine Publishes Book on History of the White Estate

Gilbert Valentine, Ph.D., is the first Seventh-day Adventist to earn a Ph.D. from Andrews University and who studied under the tutelage of George R. Knight. Valentine wrote his dissertation on the life of W. W. Prescott, early Adventist educator and administrator, who was particularly prominent at the 1919 Bible Conference. His dissertation was popularized in book form in 1992 (Andrews University Press), and recently revised again (2005) as part of the Adventist biography series.

About four years ago I first heard Gilbert Valentine give a guest lecture for one of our doctoral seminars at Andrews University (AU) on the history of the White Estate. This was before I joined the White Estate (WHT) Branch Office at Loma Linda University although I was working as a graduate student at the time in the White Estate Branch Office located at AU. I found Valentine's presentation stimulating and probing as he explored the complex relationship between the White Estate and denominational leaders, a complex relationship that originated with Ellen White who held no formal position in the denomination, but at the same time remained very influential. The question remains: what would happen after her death? This new book explores the complex relationship between the White Estate and church leadership focusing specifically on the 1930s. I plan to write a more extensive review once I finish reading the book and post it on this blog.

ASDAH: Days 2 & 3

I love the opportunity to fellowship with other Adventists who are engaged in the field of history. This year's meeting was particularly rich in presentations on Adventist history along with a variety of other topics. I was especially impressed with the quantity of papers engaged in race relations in our denominational history. Papers that I was especially impressed by included: Jeff Crocombe (Helderberg College), race relations in South Africa; Doug Morgan (Columbia Union College), the life of Lewis Sheafe; Seneca Vaught (Niagara University), Adventists and the Civil Rights Movement; and Cliff Jones (Andrews University), the life of J. K. Humphrey (reflecting research from his recent book).

About half of the sessions concerned topics related to Adventist history. ASDAH is more than just Adventist history (as much as like Adventist history myself) so I want to highlights some of the other papers that showcase other areas of interest. There was also a session exploring historians in administration that featured Eric Anderson, Malcolm Russell, and Donald McAdams. Another session on "Tolerance and Intolerance" featured papers by Lisa Clark Diller, Brian Strayer, and Rachel Byrd. I hope that during future ASDAH meetings that more historians who might be Adventist will develop sessions similar to these ones that highlight areas outside of denominational history.

On Friday evening there was a special session on Questions on Doctrine. Paul McGraw and Julius Nam, who have dissertations that overlap somewhat, both gave papers exploring the behind the scenes interactions (Nam) and the impact on evangelicals (McGraw). There was a stimulating discussion time together, and considerable interest was expressed in the upcoming QOD Conference that is being planned at Andrews University this coming October.

On Sabbath morning perhaps the most prolific Adventist historian, Carlos Schwantes (University of Missouri at St. Louis) gave a provocative paper on "The Notion of Time in Adventist History." A historian of culture, Schwantes probed how Adventist identity seems to be far more concerned with time than place. A good example is how time conscious Adventists are whether it is the beginning and ending of the Sabbath to the 2300-day prophecy. Afterward, Gary Land (Andrews University) posed whether a Newtonian sense of time versus the now-accepted theory of relativity had any implications for our understanding of the universe and any implications this might have for Adventist theology. Later that afternoon this was a stimulating time for discussion and fellowship followed by a tour of the historic campus of Oakwood College courtesy of their president, Delbert Baker.

Sunday morning ASDAH had its business meeting. Joan Francis (Columbia Union College) was elected president and Doug Morgan (Columbia Union College) as secretary. They will host the next ASDAH meeting at Columbia Union College in two or three years (at their discretion). Brian Strayer (Andrews University) had been asked to continue another term editor of the ASDAH Newsletter. For others who may be out there who might be interested in receiving the newsletter please contact the Andrews  University history department to have your name added to the mailing list. There are no dues charged to be a member of this loose nit organization for Adventist professionals who are interested in history and related fields regardless of the level at which one may teach or do research. I'm already looking forward to the next opportunity for fellowship in 2009 or 2010.

Last but not least, three historian/bloggers were able to meet up together as a group for the first time (Progressiveadventism, Hobbes and myself). The ability to network and to fellowship with people who think similarly to myself made ASDAH very previous for me.

ASDAH 2007: Day 1

The Association of SDA Historians (ASDAH) has begun their meetings today at Oakwood College. The banquet this evening was a real treat--especially being rejoined with friends and colleagues from across the country who have traveled here for this special event. Warm words of introduction were given by Dr. Ciro Sepulveda, chair of Oakwood's history department, followed by special music and a presentation about Oakwood's history by their president, Dr. Delbert Baker. I'm excited and looking forward to the many papers that are going to be presented. A copy of the program with a few papers can be found online.