Adventist History

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.

Paradise Lost; Historical Materials Preserved

I have spent the past two days gleaning through historical items at Paradise Valley Hospital (PVH). Late last year Adventist Health, the corporate headquarters for the 21-hospital system, announced the sale of PVH to Prime Healthcare for $30 million. The deal was done quietly and despite a rival bid by a group of PVH physicians and numerous lawsuits, the state attorney general in the end allowed the sale to go through (PDF document).

After spending two days at their facilities, from talking to several people involved in the deal, the sale was a decision that Adventist Health was reluctant to make, but with increasing financial losses, it was a decision they had to make. Last year they were starting to amass losses close to a million dollars a month, and that amount was beginning to approach two million a month as the deal was postponed. Aging equipment desperately needed to be replaced, and in the mid-range future, millions of dollars were needed to retrofit the hospital to meet new earthquake standards. I do not envy administrators at PVH who had to grapple with this difficult decision to sell PVH. According to one source, PVH administration had a surplus of $25 million back in 1989, but over the past 17 years those reserves have been exhausted as state laws for reimbursement for the uninsured and underprivileged have changed.

The sale of PVH reminded me of some things I read this past week in the new book of collected essays by George R. Knight, If I Were the Devil (Review and Herald, 2007). While the bulk of the book contains edited versions of articles that Dr. Knight has presented as papers or published elsewhere in denominational publications over the past 15 years, several essays impacted my thinking (again). The one idea that hits home for me is his sociological analysis using Moberg’s five stages of institutional growth. The place where our church needs to be is the third stage, optimum growth. Adventism, if I understand Dr. Knight correctly, exists for the purpose of mission. If I apply this paradigm to recent events at PVH, the tragedy of what has occurred at PVH is not that the church has lost one of its hospitals, but rather, it has lost an opportunity for mission. This is particularly sad in light of the stipulation in the sale that Adventist Health would never again compete with Prime Healthcare in that market. What hurts the worst for me as a church member (as a mere observer) is that not only have we failed to make one particular institution financially viable, but we have given up our chance to ever re-enter that market using the medical arm of our church as an “entering wedge.” Now a for-profit hospital is taking over, making drastic cuts, and it still waits to be seen whether they will be able to turn things around (last week one employee told me that fifty people were fired, and this week another fifty were let go).

What I am grateful for is that as an archivist and historian is the opportunity to save some of PVH’s valuable historical materials. These include an original letter by Ellen White, and the original book with stock certificates that document people like Josephine Gotzian, John Burden, Ellen White, and many other early Adventists who sacrificially gave the funds to not only start an Adventist healthcare facility, but to advance the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in San Diego. These historical materials are being placed into the Archives & Special Collections at Loma Linda University where they will, once processed, be available for researchers. While the sale of PVH is truly a tragedy, perhaps by saving some of these historical materials the amazing and providential story of PVH can continue to inspire future medical missionaries to continue to advance the mission of the church in other parts of the world, and help instill a sense of caution that no Adventist health institution, no matter how old or revered, is safe to simply exist.

Recent Travels

For those who might be wondering at my recent tardiness at placing posts on my blog, our family has been traveling. We recently celebrated the birth of our daughter by taking some time to visit relatives in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. On Sabbath afternoon we had my close friend and mentor, Jud Lake, dedicate Emma to the Lord. It was a short but poignant moment in which we symbolically recognized the gift of life entrusted to us and our public expression to God to ask him to help raise her through his grace. On Sabbath afternoon I gave a presentation to the Southern Union chapter of the Adventist Theological Society on the 1919 Bible Conference summarizing some of my dissertation research.

The Passing of Wayne Hooper

This past week saw the passing of Wayne Hooper, age 86, after an extended struggle with cancer. The official church news organization, Adventist News Network, issued a release, as did the Voice of Prophecy (read their article), an Adventist organization Hooper had close ties to for many years. Hooper's connection to the famous "King's Heralds" singing group that worked closely with H. M. S. Richards and his composition of the Adventist hymn, "We Have This Hope," brought him a sort of celebrity status within Adventism.

Back to Blogging

Dear friends: After a hiatus of about two months I am returning to blogging! In the interim I've finished writing the text of my dissertation and our first child was born. I plan to get new posts on my web page right away.

New Horizons for 2007

Julius Nam's recent post about upcoming events inspired me to list out some of my own upcoming goals and dreams for 2007 (in addition to improving the quality of articles on Wikipedia about the Seventh-day Adventist Church).

Some upcoming events include:

The birth of our daughter who we expect any day now!

The Association of Seventh-day Adventist Historians (ASDAH) that was revitalized in the 1990s by Ben McArthur, chair of the history department at Southern Adventist University. In 2004 ASDAH was held at Pacific Union College, in 2001 at Andrews University, and in 1997? at Southern Adventist University. This year's agenda looks to be promising already and I love the fellowship with other Seventh-day Adventists who are historians (regardless of whether they write or are interested in Adventist history or not).

It was very interesting that in doing my own doctoral research I came across an appeal at the 1919 Bible Conference for an association of Adventist historians. That individual, E. F. Albertsworth, was one of the first Seventh-day Adventists to hold a Ph.D. and earned it in the field of history from George Washington University. I will be presenting a paper on this fascinating individual and then comparing and contrasting early attempts to develop a historical consciousness with the "coming of age" of Adventist historians during the 1970s. This upcoming conference at Oakwood, to be held from April 19-22, appears like it will be a good one.

A second major event for this coming New Year is the upcoming 50th-anniversary conference on Questions on Doctrine. The meeting will be held at Andrews University from October 24-27, 2007. In addition to working on trying to finalize my dissertation (and hopefully defend it in the near future) a lot of my "free time" is going into this meeting. The goal for this conference, from my perspective, is to respectfully reflect (from a variety of viewpoints) upon the history and theology of this important book (and to carefully look at its impact and give some thought toward the future). I'm sure Julius and I will both have more to say about this meeting as the year progresses on our blogs.

A third major project that I am very excited about is re-joining the board of Adventist Heritage Ministry, which owns and maintains Adventist historic sites such as Historic Adventist Village (Battle Creek, Michigan), the William Miller Farm (Low Hampton, New York), the Hiram Edson Farm (Port Gibson, New York), and their most recent purchase, the Joseph Bates home (Fairhaven, Massachusetts). This is an organization that has been close to my heart for a number of years. I'm also looking forward to two tours of New England Adventist Heritage sites during the fall of 2007.

Last but not least, I'm looking forward to the Adventist Society for Religious Studies' meeting in conjunction with the Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion (which will be meeting separately for the next several years). The ASRS meeting (Nov. 14-17) precedes the SBL/AAR meetings  (Nov. 17-20). This is a great time for fellowship and I love the stimulating dialogue with others who are probing Adventist culture, history, and theology (not to mention the main other faith traditions that enrich my life).