Adventist History

A Tale of Two Societies

Every November the weekend before Thanksgiving there are a host of professional meetings that are held at a large American venue. This year those meetings were held in the Washington, DC, area. Some of the larger groups include the American Academy of Religion, the Society for Biblical Literature, the American Society for Oriental Research, and the Evangelical Theological Society. There are a large number of Seventh-day Adventist scholars who attend and participate in each of these groups.

In 1979 a group of these Adventists formed the Adventist Society for Religious Studies (ASRS). The group was held as a subgroup of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) (which up until next year have always been held jointly together). Last year, with the proposed split of the two organizations which will meet separately for the next four years, and then meet together again, ASRS voted to meet in conjunction with SBL.

In 1988 a second society for Adventist professionals emerged. The Adventist Theological Society, as the SDA Encyclopedia (1996 ed.) points out, was largely the brainchild of Jack Blanco, author of The Clear Word and dean of the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University. In my own conversations with Blanco he pointed out that a growing body of Adventist theologians began to feel uncomfortable with the more liberal positions of those who dominated ASRS. As a result they left. This society has also been very active with the Evangelical Theological Society, which is also a group of conservative Christian theologians who decades earlier (1949) fealt uncomfortable with some of the positions held by more liberal scholars in SBL and AAR.

So, 18 years later, Adventist theologians can belong to one, or in the case of some, both of these societies. After attending the recent ASRS and ATS meetings I also sense that the number of those who feel comfortable going back and forth between the two groups is growing: a younger generation of leaders seems to be coming to the fore in both organizations who are less rigid in their views (perhaps this shows the influence of postmodernism among Adventist intellectuals). This begs the question: do two theological societies need to continue to exist separately? While I don't see the division going away any time soon, I do hope that there can be greater cooperation between these two groups. This seems to be the hope of Jan Paulsen who has recently begun the tradition of holding a dinner on the Friday evening when these meetings are held. While this meeting is restricted to those who are full-time professors/professionals, I do think that this meeting is helping to create opportunities for communication and cross-fertilization of ideas. It is the broader community of engagement among Adventist theologians that is ultimately truly important. This is why I was really glad to hear Jan Paulsen, at the dinner this year, state to the effect that it is more important how we treat each other than it is to necessarily be correct on every point.

The Burial of Ellen

I appreciate the recent post on Hobbes Place about recent criticsms about Ellen White and the obelisk on their family plot in Oak Hill Cemetery. Like Hobbes, the fact that there is an obelisk does not bother me. They were, in fact, quite common during Victorian America. The only thing that is known is that by the time of her death this obelisk was on the family plot. Similar artifices from about the same period appear to be quite common throughout the rest of Oak Hill Cemetery (a fun Sabbath afternoon stroll if one has the opportunity to take a tour along with nearby Historic Adventist Village).

What is particularly interesting is that Hobbes noticed that Ellen White's third and largest funeral held in Battle Creek, Michigan (she had an earlier service at her home in Elmshaven and at the California campmeeting before her body was freighted east), held on July 24, 1915, and interred on August 26. Hobbes cites an e-mail written by Bill Fagal in 1999 where he mentions this. Several years ago I did some sleuthing and came across this fact without knowing about Fagal's e-mail. The source, a memo in the White Estate document file by Arthur L. White, who seems to have been as surprised as Hobbes was in 1974 to discover this ("Ellen G. White Death--Question of Deferred Burial, Memorandum by Arthur L. White, 11/4/74," DF 757B). Up until that point Arthur White had relied on a statement in the "In Memorium" booklet published to commemorate the death of Ellen White (it contained the funeral address and other details about her death).

Arthur White mentions that up until that point he had denied rumors that there had been a delay in her burial. Part of this reason, as the rumor went, was to "prevent possible exuming by the curious, particularly by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, for an examination of her brain."

So what changed Arthur White's mind? A letter that he read written by James Edson White to W. C. White dated October 15, 1915. In the letter, Edson writes to his brother:

"There were some matters mentioned in your letter of September 17 which I have not answered. You asked in regard to mother's burial. I think I explained this to you fully, stating that we went to the grounds about three weeks after the funeral and we saw her placed in the grave that had been prepared for her. Of course her face had changed considerably, and yet she was preserved as well as I could expect. When we went to the cemetery Sister Israel took me over in her auto, and we were glad to meet Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Gardner, Mrs. E. B. Jones, and Mrs. L. V. Barton. They are all our people and happened to be at the grave just at the time the change was made from the vault to the grave. Everything went off smoothly and occupied but little time. In regard to the expense of this, I asked the sexton to render the bill through Mr. Farley, the undertaker, who had all these matters in hand, and I presume it had reached you through him."

Unfortunately, like the obelisk, there is no information about why her body was not interred until three weeks later.

Adventist Health to Sell Paradise Valley Hospital

On Monday of this week, Adventist Health signed a letter of intent to sell Paradise Valley Hospital. I just confirmed with the marketing department of Paradise Valley Hospital and they have issued a press release.

This is the most recent in a string of Adventist hospitals that have closed in the past couple of decades (New England Medical Center ,and last year, the hospital at Madison come readily to mind). While some closings should be expected (population shifts), the reason for this particular sale is a re-investment of capital into other, more medium sized health care facilities. The reason given does make one wonder if Adventist Health has lost its vision? In other words, why do Adventist hospitals exist? The typical answer (for me) is that Adventist medical institutions exist to further the healing ministry of Christ. Thus Adventist health care is directly tied to outreach. Ellen White, in helping to found this institution, saw this particular health care facility as a providential opportunity for Adventists to reach out to a significant area of the country.

This seemed to be part of why Paradise Valley Hospital (or Sanitarium) was originally founded. There are some terrific stories associated with the founding of this hospital 102 years ago (just two years ago we were celebrating the centennial of the institution at the Paradise Valley Church). The institution was founded first by Dr. Anna Longshore Potts who purchased the property in 1883, and in 1888 opened a sanitarium. A long drought forced her to close the institution. A nearby Adventist physician, T. S. Whitelock, discovered the property from a patient, John Boal. Ellen White visited the property in September, 1902, and encouraged Whitelock as he negotiated. Unfortunately the California Conference was saddled with too much debt which made the purchase seem impossible. Going out on a limb, Ellen White contacted a friend of hers and personally borrowed $3,000 to be able to help Whitelock make an offer of $4,000 for the property. Fortunately for him, the offer was accepted.

One of the most famous stories connected with the sanitarium concerned water. E. R. Palmer, who was placed in charge of the sanitarium, was encouraged to employ the services of an Adventist well diger, Salem Hamilton, to dig a well on the southwest corner of the property. After digging down eighty feet, Mr. Hamilton asked Ellen White if she was sure that the Lord had shown her this property. Mrs. White replied that she had. "All right," he replied, "The Lord would not give us an elephant without providing water for it to drink." The phrase became the basis for the book, Thirsty Elephant: The Story of Paradise Valley Hospital (Riverside, CA: La Sierra University Press, 1994), and continues to illustrate the providential founding of this special healthcare facility.

Adventist Resources in Africa

Calling all Adventist historians and archivists who live in Africa (or have an interest in the story of Adventism in Africa): The Association of SDA Librarians will be meeting on the campus of Helderberg College June 18-23, 2007. The pre-session, known as the Adventist Resources Section, is a time to specifically look at historical resources. Are there any others who might be interested in participating in such a session? If so, please contact me as we prepare for next summer's session.

The Amazing Story of Hannah More

Another recent dissertation on Adventist history, defended just over a year ago by newly appointed Adventist Review editor, Bill Knott, highlights the amazing life and ministry of Hannah More (1808-1868). This dissertation can also be obtained digitally as a large PDF file by downloading it for $30 from University of Michigan microfilms. (when searching the title is: "Foot Solider of the Empire: Hannah More and the Politics of Service"; it was done through George Washington University). Up until Knott painstakingly worked through obscure sources and transcribed illegible letters, most Adventists (if they had her name at all) knew that she was the missionary woman who visited Battle Creek during the summer of 1867 and who was not welcomed thus bringing on strong reproofs by Ellen White for their uncharitable and unfriendly attitude. Dejected, Hannah More left Battle Creek for nothern Michigan and died that following winter.

It is important not to confuse this Hannah More with another antebellum Hannah More (1745-1833) who is much better known. While Adventists have known for a number of years about Hannah More's conversion to Adventism, her earlier years of service as a missionary in Africa (1850-1856; 1862-1866), and before that, as a missionary to native Americans in what is now Oklahoma (1841-1847) have not generally been known. Knott made a significant discovery while doing research with Tim Poirier at the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., main office that clued him in about additional sources. Knott gradually began to piece the puzzle together which included additional sources from other archives and relatives of More that has finally culminated in such a masterful and revealing portrait of her life. She was a zealous reformer who spent her life in a variety of reforms (i.e. her connection to Oberlin) that finally culminated in Sabbatarian Adventism during the 1860s.

An interesting side note is that Knott was also able to locate an original photograph through the family that he believes is that of Hannah More. A couple of years ago I went to try and find Hannah More's grave. It is located in Leelanau County, Michigan, in a small cemetery. Her gravestone reads: "In Memory of Hannah More, Missionary to Africa 59 Years and 3 Months, To be with Christ is far better. Phil. 1:23"