Research has shown that over time many religious sects reduce the tensions between themselves and surrounding society, and thus move from sect towards denomination. For a millenarian sect to follow this process, its apocalyptic must become less urgent: it must become less rejecting of the present society and put down roots there. However, the dynamics…… Continue reading The Fragmenting of Apocalypticism within a Denominationalizing Sect: The Case of Seventh-day Adventism
Category: Apocalypticism
The Persistence of Urgent Apocalypticism Within a Denominationalizing Sect: The Case of Seventh-day 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 The Persistence of Urgent Apocalypticism Within a Denominationalizing Sect: The Case of Seventh-day 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
Ronald L. Lawson Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Queens College, CUNY 