Adventist History

Alfred Clinton McClure, North American Division President, Dies

A. C. McClure was president of the North American Division (NAD) of Seventh-day Adventists from 1990 to 2000 recently passed away at his home in northern Georgia. McClure was a native of the south, and the bulk of his ministry before assuming the division presidency was spent in the south. While the traditional news release from the division lists his posts of service, the reality is that very little is known about this church leader who pushed the Net Global Evangelism series and helped the NAD become more autonomous in the hierarchy of the church. McClure had a reputation for being a very formal individual. His sermons and administrative style were planned to the finest details. The memorial service had the semblance of being planned in advance (presumably by McClure). The only departure from this was the unscripted portion of Elder Don Schneider’s remarks where he allowed about 7-8 individuals to briefly remark about what Elder McClure’s ministry meant to them—most of these comments came from church leaders from organizations whose boards he served on, one comment came from Robert S. Folkenberg, and another word of condolence was offered by Ted N. C. Wilson, General Conference vice-president, on behalf of Jan Paulsen and the General Conference leadership. With the large number of church officials present in the Collegedale Church, it was as close as it comes to a “state” funeral. We still know very little about Elder McClure's life. He intended for it to be that way. McClure turned down at least one offer during his retirement to ask him about his earlier life and ministry. It would have been nice to know his philosophy of leadership, why he was willing to try satellite evangelism, and what advice he might have to younger aspiring church employees just starting their careers.

Adventist Theological Society Holds Conference on the Trinity

Over the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest by Adventists in the doctrine of the trinity. A majority of early Sabbatarian Adventists held to a semi-arian view of Jesus' divinity. Ellen White's revolutionary statements about the divinity of Christ in Desire of Ages significantly impacted Adventism and pushed the church toward trinitarianism. Some Adventists have suggested that it would be better for Adventists to return to the views of the "pioneers" by returning to the semi-arianism of Ellen White's contemporaries. Because of this interest, in 2002, John W. Reeve, Jerry Moon, and Woody Whidden (all from Andrews University) co-authored a book entitled The Trinity: Understanding God's Love, His Plan of Salvation, and Christian Relationships.

From March 30 through April 1, 2006, the Adventist Theological Society sponsored a conference that examined various aspects about the trinity from both a historical and biblical perspective. These talks are available as a podcast.

These criticsms seem to be indicative of a restorationist pulse within Adventism. In other words, it seems that a higher priority is placed upon doctrines previously believed instead of upon progressive truth. While it is true that many of our early Seventh-day Adventist pioneers (especially those with strong Christian Connexion roots like Joseph Bates) saw the Trinity doctrine as unscriptural, it is significant that our church believes in progressive truth. Thus, after 1888 when Ellen G. White along with A. T. Jones, E. J. Waggoner, W. W. Prescott, and others began to focus on a more Christ-centered theology of Adventism, our denomination's theology shifted in such a way that allowed for the acceptance of the Trinity doctrine.