Christian faith groups

Seventh-day Adventist Church
Its origin, beliefs, practices, etc.

Sponsored link.

Terminology:

Seventh-day Adventists are also called Adventists and SDAs. The word Adventists is often pronounced incorrectly. The emphasis should be on the first syllable (Ad'-ven-tist).

History:

The origin of the Seventh-day Adventists can be traced to the Millerite Movement of the 19th Century. This movement was largely responsible for what has been called the Great second advent awakening. William Miller (1782-1849) was a farmer who settled in upstate New York after the war of 1812. He was originally a Deist (a person who believes that God created the universe but has not been actively involved since). After two years of private Bible study, Miller converted to Christianity and became a Baptist lay leader. He was convinced that the Bible contained coded information about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Jesus. He also realized that he had an obligation to teach his findings to others. In 1831, he started to preach; the next year, he wrote articles about his findings. In 1833, he published a pamphlet on end-time prophecy. In 1836, his book Evidences from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ about the Year 1843 was published.

One of the key texts that he interpreted was in the Book of Daniel: Daniel heard two angels talking; one asked how long it will take until the destruction of the Temple is avenged and it is restored to its rightful state. The other replied in Daniel 8:14

"And he said onto me, unto 2,300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

Miller believed that the 2,300 days were each of one year duration and that the interval started in 457 BCE. He concluded that the cleansing of the temple (i.e. the Second Coming) would occur sometime between two spring equinoxes: 1843-MAR-21 to 1844-MAR-21. He found other methods of calculating the end time which also seemed to point to the year 1843 CE. In common with all other predictions of the Second Coming, the end didn't happen on cue. Samuel Snow, a follower of Miller, then interpreted the "tarrying time" referred to in Habakkuk 2:3 as equal to 7 months and 10 days, delaying the end time to 1844-OCT-22. That prophecy also did not come to pass. Many believers left the movement in what has become known as The Great Disappointment. Miller himself gradually withdrew from the leadership of the group and died in 1849. His followers called themselves Adventists; the group was often referred to as Millerites by others.

Ellen Harmon (later known by her married name Ellen White) joined with other Adventists, including Joseph Bates, and her husband James White to form a small group of Baptist, Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterian believers in Washington NH. The church was formally organized as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  on 1863-MAY-21. She believed that the 1844 prediction was correct, but that it referred to the start of an Investigative Judgment. This is a time when Christ will judge the dead and the living on earth for righteousness. She predicted that this would soon be followed by the second coming of Jesus. Late in her career, the church voted her the credentials of an ordained minister. However, she was never actually ordained.

Victor Houteff joined the SDA church in 1919. His beliefs deviated from main-line church doctrine. This became obvious when he wrote his book The Shepherd's Rod in which he outlined errors that he found within the church. He left the church and formed a new sect in 1929 called the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. This group split further and eventually led to the organization of the the Students of the Seven Seals, popularly known as the Branch Davidians. In 1993, after a long standoff with the FBI, the Branch Davidian's compound burned down with major loss of life.

The Church Now:

The SDA church has always taken a special interest in health concerns. They have played a major role in health research into the dangers of smoking and of diets rich in cholesterol and fats. Dr. John Kellog, founder of "Kellogg's" and a major supplier of breakfast cereals was a well known member of the church. They promote plans to help people quit smoking and consuming alcohol. They sponsor cooking classes, heart disease teams, narcotics education outreaches and disaster teams. There are 155 SDA hospitals and 276 clinics, dispensaries, etc. in the world. Many congregations have a Dorcas Society which provide food and supplies to the needy. They currently operate 92 post-secondary institutions, almost 1000 secondary schools and over 4000 elementary schools and kindergartens.

The SDA church is a strong supporter of the principle of separation of church and state. They also promote religious liberty, and publish a periodical called Liberty.

As of mid-2000, the Church has about 11 million baptized members, worldwide, who are "of age" and on the "official" roles. The total number of members and adherents is perhaps double that. They have a growth rate of about 11% per year. "Adventists can now be found in 205 of the 229 countries and areas of the world recognized by the United Nations, with 91.6% of membership living outside of North America." ₂₂

By the middle of 2004, the total world church membership reached 13,663,497. The Adventist News Network reports that: "Six of the church's 13 world regions -- Inter-America, South America, East-Central Africa, Southern Africa-Indian Ocean, Southern Asia Pacific and North America -- have memberships of more than 1 million each. The church regions with the largest membership are: Inter-America, with 2.5 million; South America, with 2.3 million; and East-Central Africa with, 2.1 million." ₂₃

Beliefs:

Seventh-day Adventists follow most of the beliefs of conventional conservative Christianity: creation in six days, the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, original sin; the virgin birth; the divinity of Christ; the nature of the Trinity; belief in Satan as a rebellious created being; God's inspiration of the authors of the Bible, the inerrancy of Scriptures as they were originally written; the resurrection of Jesus, salvation by the atonement of Christ, rejection of same-sex marriage, etc. However, they differ on a number of other beliefs:

Practices:

The practice of Adventism varies greatly from congregation to congregation. Some are more conservative; others more liberal. This is seen in their degree of emphasis on the writings of Ellen White, their customary clothing styles, their order of service, choice of music, etc.

Church Controversies:

"In the year 1981 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists enacted a civil law with the United States government, trademarking its name. From that time it has gone forward, taking faithful individuals and ministries to court who could not, in good conscience, either submit to the Conference's strategies or surrender the name 'Seventh Day Adventist,' believing it to be a mark of their faith. Where coercion and threats have failed, force has been employed by the leaders of denominational Adventism to accomplish their aims and 'protect the church' from those it perceives as its enemies.

During 2006-AUG, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center ruled that the CSDA must turn over control of four of its domain names to the General Conference. During 2006-OCT, the General Conference asked that the CSDA turn over control of a domain name in Canada. ₂₄

Sponsored links:

SDA Conscientious Objectors:

Many Seventh-day Adventists refuse to enter the army as combatants, but participate as medics, ambulance drivers, etc. During World War II in Germany, many SDA conscientious objectors were sent to concentration camps or mental institutions; some were executed.

Some Seventh-day Adventists volunteered for the US Army's Operation Whitecoat. The Church preferred to call them "conscientious participants", because they were willing to risk their lives as test subjects in potentially life-threatening research. Over 2,200 Seventh-day Adventists volunteered in experiments involving various infectious agents during the 1950's through the 1970's in Fort Detrick, MD. ₁₄

Books in Print about SDA:

1. Roy Adams, "The Sanctuary: Understanding the Heart of Adventist Theology", Review & Herald Pub Assn., (1994)
2. Everett N. Dick, "William Miller and the Advent Crisis 1831-1844, Andrews Univ. Press (1994)
3. Madlyn Hamblin, "In the Wake of Waco: Why Were Adventists Among the Victims?", Review & Herald Pub Assn., (1993)
4. Erwin Gane & Leo Van Dolson, "This We Believe: An Overview of the Teachings of Seventh-day Adventists", Pacific Pr Pub Assn., (1993)
5. George R. Knight, "Anticipating the Advent : A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists", Pacific Pr Pub Assn., (1993)
6. Mikhail Kulakov, "God's Soviet Miracles: How Adventists Built the First Protestant Seminary in Russian History", Pacific Pr Pub Assn., (1993)
7. Gary Land, "The World of Ellen G. White", Review & Herald Pub Assn., (1987)
8. Walter Martin, "The Kingdom of the Cults", Bethany House Pub, (1985), P. 409-500.
9. C. Mervyn Maxwell, "Magnificent Disappointment : What Really Happened in 1844...and Its Meaning for Today", Pacific Pr Pub Assn. (1994)
10. Ronald L. Numbers, "The Disappointed : Millerism and Millenarianism in the Nineteenth Century", Univ. of Tennessee Press, (1993)
11. Helmut Ott, "Perfect in Christ: The Mediation of Christ in the Writings of Ellen G. White", Review & Herald Pub Assn., (1987)
12. Michael Pearson, "Millennial Dreams and Moral Dilemmas: Seventh-day Adventism and Contemporary Ethics", Cambridge Univ. Press (1990)
13. William Shurtleff, "Bibliography and Sourcebook on Seventh-day Adventists' Work With Soyfoods, Vegetarianism, and Wheat Gluten, 1866-1992 ", Soyfoods Center (1992)
14. Allen R. Steele, "Loud Let It Ring : Adventist World Radio: Twenty-Five Years of Miracles, Pacific Pr. Pub. Assn., (1996)
15. U.S. Government, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Is Military Research Hazardous To Veterans' Health?; Lessons Spanning Half a Century", 103rd Congress, 2nd Session, Committee Print S. Prt. 103-97, (1994-DEC), Section C.
16. Ellen Gould, Harmon White & Phyllis C. Bailey, "The Quote Book : Gems from the Pen of Ellen G. White", (1994)
17. "Seventh Day Adventist Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition", Review & Herald Pub Assn., (1995)
18. Frank S. Mead, "The Handbook of Denominations," 9th Ed., Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, Pages 22-25.
19. "Seventh-day Adventists Believe," Review and Herald Publishing, (1988). This is an official SDA publication and contains a good overview of SDA beliefs.
20. Divorce and remarriage amendment discussions at the year 2000 meeting are covered in: http://session2000.adventist.org/news/data/ and http://session2000.adventist.org/news/data/
21. The Gift of Prophecy at: http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/#17 
22. "Adventist Church growing at record pace," Adventist News Network. 2000-JUL.
23. Mark A. Kellner, "Annual Council: 13.6 Million Are Adventist Members; 2,756 Baptized Daily," Adventist News Network, 2004-OCT, at: http://news.adventist.org/ This may be a temporary listing.
24. "The Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church," at: http://csda.us/
25. David J. Conklin, "An Analysis of the Literary Dependency of Ellen White: We Analyse, You Decide," at: http://dedication.www3.50megs.com/
26. "Fundamental Beliefs: 24. Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary," Seventh-Day Adventist Church, at: http://www.adventist.org/

Internet Resources:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

Copyright © 1997 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2008-MAR-21
Author: B.A. Robinson