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 ‘Seventh-day Adventism’ in the Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion
Month: December 2018
The Future of Seventh-day Adventism
Early in 1984 I was asked to speak at the annual conference of the Association of Adventist Forums, the umbrella organization for all the Adventist Forum chapters both in the USA and beyond and the publisher of Spectrum Magazine. Since Adventism in the USA had been passing through a series of crises that had resulted…… Continue reading The Future of Seventh-day Adventism
Ghettoization and the Erosion of a Distinct Way of Life: The Seventh-day Adventist Experience
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
Ronald L. Lawson Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Queens College, CUNY 