Seventh-day Adventists developed a distinct way of life and then reinforced it by forming geographically segregated communities, or “Adventist ghettos,” around institutions such as colleges, hospitals, and publishing houses established by the church. However, as the external environment became less hostile, and Adventist institutions became themselves less distinctive while at the same time they provided…… Continue reading Ghettoization and the Erosion of a Distinct Way of Life: The Seventh-day Adventist Experience
Seventh-day Adventists in Conflict: A Nineteenth-century Religious Movement Meets the Twentieth Century
Introduction – 2018 During the first half of the 1980s, conflict within Seventh-day Adventism received a great deal of attention in the press. The titles of some of the articles included “The Shaking up of Adventism?” [Christianity Today, 1980a]; “Theologian Told to Defend his Views” [Los Angeles Times, 1980a]; “Seventh-day Adventist Controversy: Plagiarism Found in…… Continue reading Seventh-day Adventists in Conflict: A Nineteenth-century Religious Movement Meets the Twentieth Century
Urgent Apocalypticism in Adventism
October 22 this year (2018)1 was the 174th anniversary of what Adventists know as “The Great Disappointment.” It also means that Adventists have been proclaiming urgently that Jesus is returning “soon” for 174 years. After that many years, what does “soon” mean? How soon is “soon”? If the delay is the result of the need…… Continue reading Urgent Apocalypticism in Adventism
Encyclopedia of Millennialism: Apocalypticism in Seventh-day Adventism
Seventh-day Adventism had urgently apocalyptic origins: as pre-millennialists, Adventists preached that the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world was imminent. Although the urgency of the belief has moderated with the passage of time, they continue to cling to the doctrine that the Second Coming will take place “soon,” and this remains…… Continue reading Encyclopedia of Millennialism: Apocalypticism in Seventh-day Adventism
Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism: Seventh-day Adventism
Seventh-day Adventists trace their roots to the Millerite Movement during the early 1840s, which attracted upwards of 50,000 followers in the American Northeast. When the prediction of Baptist lay-preacher, William Miller [1782-1849], that Christ would return on October 22, 1844 proved false, his movement shattered. One fragment, whose leaders included a young visionary, Ellen White…… Continue reading Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism: Seventh-day Adventism
A Watershed for Seventh-day Adventism
For PDF click here: A Watershed for Seventh-day Adventism Ronald Lawson Over 2,500 delegates from 184 countries participated in the quinquennial General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indianapolis, July 5-14, 1990. The session was marked by impassioned debates and dramatic, unexpected election results. By its close it was clear that Adventism had…… Continue reading A Watershed for Seventh-day Adventism
Seventh-Day Adventist Pluralism: Celebration and Challenge at The General Conference Session in 2000
For PDF click here: 2000 GC Session Ronald Lawson, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Queens College The City University of New York This paper was written at the request of Christian Century Seventh-day Adventists met for their quinquennial General Conference Session in Toronto from June 29-July 8, 2000. Two thousand delegates representing Adventists in 205 countries in…… Continue reading Seventh-Day Adventist Pluralism: Celebration and Challenge at The General Conference Session in 2000
