YRE 05

Denominational
History
By
Theodore N. Levterov

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ®

 The World of Adventism
• Adventism did not arise in a
vacuum
• A movement that appeared in
the 19th Century in America
and was influenced by that
particular time and culture
 The World of Adventism
1. Positive Impact:
a) Growth of human knowledge
b) Better understanding of the Universe
c) New inventions
d) Greater productivity
e) Faster traveling
The World of Adventism
2. Negative Impact:
a) Urbanization
b) Few people getting
rich
c) New focus: (from God
to money)
The World of Adventism
• The religious tone of the day was
influenced by the social and political
factors and visa versa.
• Example: New ways of traveling –
affecting the spreading of the Advent
message.
 The World of Adventism
1. New Interest in Biblical Prophecies:
a) The French Revolution (1798)
b) Josiah Litch’s prediction of the fall of the
Ottoman Empire
c) As a result people started to have renewed
interest in Biblical prophecies
The World of Adventism
2. New Interest in Biblical
Prophecies:
a) The Second Great
Awakening
b) Growth among “free will”
churches
The World of Adventism
3. Time of Optimism:
a) Optimism about America
b) Creation of Reform Movements
c) Puritanism (Anglo-American form of
Calvinism) and its influence on
religious thinking
 The World of Adventism
4. Dominance of the “Common
Sense Philosophy”
a) Common people could study
the Bible and understand it
b) Scientific approach of
studying the Bible
The World of Adventism
5. Renewed Interest in the Second Coming of Jesus
and the Millennium
a) Two views of the Millennium
i. Post-Millennialism (1000 years before Christ’s
Second Coming)
ii. Pre-Millennialism (1000 years after Christ’s
Second Coming)
 Millerite Adventism
through 1844
• The French Revolution
revived the expectations of
the soon coming of Christ
• The Advent Awakening
made its major impact in
North America
 World-wide Second
Advent Awakening
1. Johann Bengel taught that:
a) The Bible was a progressive revelation of God’s
plan for man’s salvation
b) 666 = 1260 days would end in 1836
c) Christ would reign with the believers 1000 years
on earth
 World-wide Second
Advent Awakening
2. Johann Bengel taught that:
a) First made the connection
between the 70 weeks and
2300 days
b) Calculated that the 2300 days
would end in 1847
 World-wide Second
Advent Awakening
3. Joseph Wolff:
a) Became Catholic and later Anglican
b) Expected Christ to return in 1847
c) Traveled and preached about the
Second Coming
 World-wide Second
Advent Awakening
4. Manuel de Lacunza:
a) He was a Jesuit priest from
Chile
b) Believed that the Second
Coming was the focal point of
all history
 World-wide Second
Advent Awakening
4. Manuel de Lacunza:
c) Believed that the Millennium would
occur after the Second Coming
d) Write a book, The Coming of the
Messiah in Glory and Majesty (1812)
 Millerite Adventism
through 1844
5. Edward Irving :
a) He was influenced by
Lacunza’s book
b) Became one of the most
famous preacher in London
preaching about the Second
Coming of Christ
 William Miller
1. Early Years:
a) Born – on Feb. 15, 1782, in Low Hampton, NY
b) Early evidence of intellectual ability
c) Married to Lucy Smith, June 29, 1803 –
moved to Poultney, VT
 William Miller
1. Early Years:
d. Public service of Miller:
i. Was a deputy Sheriff
ii. Served as a Justice of Peace
iii. Captain and Lieutenant –
War 1812
 William Miller
2. Acceptance of Deism:
a) Miller, who was from a Christian home was
not satisfied with Christianity and its beliefs
b) Deism – a skeptical belief that rejects the
miracles and the supernatural revelations of
the Bible and emphasizes reason
 William Miller
3. Rejection of Deism:
a) The War in 1812 - made
him reevaluate the
meaning and purpose of
life
b) Battle of Plattsburg
 William Miller
4. Return to Christianity:
a) This happened in his church while he was
asked to read a sermon by Alexander Proudfit,
“Practical Godliness in Thirteen Discourses.”
b) That is when he realized his need of Jesus and
his need of a Savior
 William Miller
5. Systematic Bible Study:
a) First period:
1816-1818
b) Second period: 1818-1823
c) Third Period:
1823-1832
 William Miller
6. Application: What can we learn
from Miller?
a) Serious Bible student
b) Open to new Biblical truth
c) Humble
d) Repentant
 Joshua V. Himes
a) Background:
i. Influential pastor of the Chardon Street
Chapel, Boston
ii. Recognized leader of interchurch
movement for social and personal
reform in order to bring the millennium
 Joshua V. Himes
iii. Himes met Miller in Exeter, New Hampshire,
Nov. 1839 and invited him to hold meeting in
his church
iv. Himes accepted Miller’s message and became
the main organizer, publicist, and promoter of
Millerism
v. Himes’ concern
 Joshua V. Himes
b) Himes used several means to spread the
warning of the Second Coming of Christ
i. Printing work
ii. Organizer of General Conferences
iii. Organizer of Adventist Camp Meetings
iv. Worldwide Outreach
 Josiah Litch
a) First minister to accept
Millerite message of the
Second Coming of Christ
b) His most famous work: The
Probability of the Second
Coming About A.D. 1843
 Josiah Litch
c) Litch also was chosen to be the
general manager of the publishing
committee of the Millerites
d) He visited Fitch, to encourage him
not to give up the Millerite message
 Charles Fitch
a) Most known for his
sermon: “Come Out of Her,
My People”
b) Background of the sermon
c) The Content of the sermon
 Charles Fitch
d) Fitch’s Appeal to the Millerites
e) The Reaction of the Millerite Leaders towards Fitch’s
call
f) Notice: A Shift in the Millerite Development
g) Fitch – died eight days before the Great
Disappointment believing that in a few days he will
be resurrected
Other Millerite Leaders

a) Joseph Bates

b) James White

c) William E. Froy
The Great Disappointment
1. The First Disappointment (1843-1844)
a) Miller NEVER set a date for the coming of
Christ
b) Miller sets a time period but not a particular
date
c) The Passing of Time: The First Disappointment
 The Great Disappointment
2. The Seventh Month Movement / The True
Midnight
a) There was a new hope for the Millerites at
the Exeter, Camp Meeting
b) The Reaction to Show’s message
c) Application for Today
The Great Disappointment
3. “The Great
Disappointment”
a) The Great Expectation
b) The Pain
c) The Reaction of William
Miller
The Great Disappointment
3. “The Great
Disappointment”
d) The Consequences of
the Disappointment
e) Application /
Conclusions
 The Beginning of
Sabbatarian Adventism
A. The Fragmentation of Millerism after
the Great Disappointment:
1. After the Disappointment
2. Three main groups emerged out of
the Millerite movement
 Distinctive Doctrines of the
Sabbatarian Adventists
1. The Second Coming –
This doctrine was
accepted from Millerism
2. The Sanctuary Doctrine –
was redefined
Distinctive Doctrines of the
Sabbatarian Adventists

3. The Gift of Prophecy

4. The Sabbath

5. Conditional Immortality
 Conclusion
1. By the 1848 – the Sabbatarian Adventists had
agreed on five distinctive doctrines
2. In these five doctrines, the Sabbatarians saw
their uniqueness
3. The Sabbatarian Adventists were determined
to take their messages to “every nation,
tongue, and people”
Steps Towards Organization
A. Most Early Sabbatarians were
against any kind of church
organization:
1. Factors that influenced the
Sabbatarian anti-
organizational attitude
2. Factors leading to a need of
organization
 Formal Organization of the
Sabbatarian Adventists
1. Sabbath Conferences: 1848-1850
a) The first conference was held in Rocky Hill,
Connecticut, in 1848
b) Major leaders of the Sabbatarian
gatherings were: Joseph Bates, James
White, Ellen White
Formal Organization of the
Sabbatarian Adventists
c) Purpose of the conferences:
i. To unite the believers
ii. To establish the believers in
their faith
iii. To clarify “the present truth”
and the Sabbatarian distinctive
 Publications
a) Initial Publications of the Sabbatarians:
i. Joseph Bates published two booklets
ii. In 1847 appeared the first joint
publication of the Sabbatarians
b) A Major Transition in the Publishing Work
of the Sabbatarians
 Rapid Growth of the
Sabbatarian Group
a) By 1852 there were concerns for “gospel
order” among the believers since the
group grew in numbers
b) Early Problems
c) First significant discussions regarding
“Gospel Order” took place in the early
1850s.
 Financial Crisis

a) By 1856 there was a

major crisis for the
support of ministry
b) “Systematic
Benevolence” plan
(Sister “Betsy”)
Final Steps of Organization
a) Early 1860s
b) 1860 - “general conference.”
c) 1861 – the organization of the first Conference(s)
of Seventh-day Adventists
d) In May, 1863 the General Conference of Seventh-
day Adventists was officially established
 Further Development
A. Lifestyle Issues:
1. Health Reform
a) Early Heath Reform Developments
b) The Health Reform: Becomes Essential
Part of Seventh-day Adventism
c) Notice
 Military Issues
1. The question of military
service came as a result of
the civil war in America
2. There emerged three major
Seventh-day Adventist
views concerning the
military question
 Educational Issues
1. “No need for education” period
2. In the mid-1850s some Adventists tried to
establish independent Christian schools
3. The First Official Seventh-day Adventist School
– The Battle Creek School was organized in
1872
4. Ellen White’s Role in the Development of Life-
Style Issues
 Time of Crisis and
Educational Reform

A. By 1888 - SDA had their:

i. Doctrines
ii. Organization
iii. Distinctive lifestyle
 Time of Crisis and
Educational Reform
B. The Minneapolis General Conference:
1. The Context of 1880s
2. The Growing Crisis: (1886 – 1888)
3. The 1888 message: NOT a “New Light”
4. The Years After Minneapolis
 Time of Crisis and
Educational Reform
C. Educational Expansion and
Reform in 1890s:
1. Turning point of Adventist
education began in 1891
2. Establishment of Avondale
College in Australia
 Time of Crisis and
Educational Reform
3. Emphasis on Elementary Education
during 1890s
4. It is important to note that the reform
in the Seventh-day Adventist education
was related to the Minneapolis events
 Reorganization and
Internal Crisis
A. Context of the Coming
Re-organization
B. 1901 General
Conference: The Start
of Re-organization
 Reorganization and
Internal Crisis
C. 1903 General Conference: the Continuation
of Re-organization
1. The Kellogg’s Crisis
2. 1903 General Conference
3. As a result of the crisis Kellogg left the
church
 Reorganization and
Internal Crisis
D. Dispersion from Battle
Creek– a New Beginning
for Adventism :
1. 1901 – The move of
the Battle Creek
College
 Reorganization and
Internal Crisis
2. The fires and the move of the Medical and
Publishing work from Battle Creek
3. Under Ellen White’s advice the General
Conference Headquarters also moved
from Battle Creek
4. The Rise of Self-Supporting Institutions
Becoming a Global Church
A. Mission Developments of
Seventh-day Adventists:
1. No Mission people
2. Gradual change to “Open
Door” understanding
Becoming a Global Church

3. The Broadening of the Mission

Understanding – The door opens
fully (1863-1889)
4. Becoming a World-wide Church
(1889 – present)
Growth of Seventh-day Adventism
Among Black Americans

1. During 1870s and

1880s there was a
sporadic work among
the Black Americans
living in the South
Growth of Seventh-day Adventism
Among Black Americans
2. During 1890s Ellen G. White became
particularly concerned about the Adventist
work among Black Americans
3. The work of Edson White and Will Parmer in
the South
4. Further Developments
Other Important Events
in the Twentieth Century
1. The Passing of Ellen White
2. Ellen White also made
provisions for her writings
3. Political and Theological
Crises Affecting the Global
Adventist Church
 The Contribution of Female
Ministers in the SDA Church
A. Ellen G. White - the most influential minister in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
B. Other licensed women ministers
1. Sarah Lindsay 2. Minnie Sype
3. Lulu Wightman 4. Jessie W. Curtis
 The Contribution of Female
Ministers in the SDA Church
C. The church did not take a
formal stand regarding
ordaining these and other
licensed women.
D. Other women - serving in
other capacities
 Challenges
A. Organizational Issues
1. Reorganization – Do we
need reorganization?
2. Relationship between
Seventh-day Adventists
and other Christians
 Challenges
B. Doctrinal Disagreements
1. Although we have 27
fundamental beliefs, there
are still many issues that
bring disagreements
between Seventh-day
Adventist believers
 Challenges
B. Doctrinal Disagreements
2. Questions to be considered:
• The role of Ellen G White in Adventism
• Nature of Christ
• Christian Perfection
• The delay of the Second Coming
 Challenges
C. Cultural / Life Style Issues:
1. One of the major challenges
of the SDA Church is its
multi-cultural facet
2. Questions to be considered
 Conclusion
1. The tremendous possibilities of
the Church despite its challenges
2. Two Quotations:
• Steps to Christ, 117, 118
• Life Sketches, 196
 YRE 05
Denominational
History
By
Theodore N. Levterov