History of the Seventh Day Adventist Church - Essay Example

Running Head: History of the …. Topic: History of the Seventh Day Adventist Church Order#: 316122 Topic: History of the Seventh Day Adventist Church Some of the leading ideas of William Miller-Great appointment and the greatest disappointment: In 1831, a Baptist Convert by the name of William Miller literally threw a religious bombshell. He began to preach in a Baptist church that the Second Advent of Jesus would happen in 1843-1844. His interpretation was based on Daniel 8:14. Many sects of Christianity such as Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian Connection churches were fascinated by this confident assertion of Miller, and his following grew. He finally announced October 22 as the most probable date for the return of Christ on this Planet Earth. By 1844, over 100,000 people stood behind Miller. They stayed awake late into the night, waiting for the Christ and were totally disappointed when the time between sunset and midnight passed and nothing happened. Miller, later in life, realized that miracle is part of spirituality but miracle is not spirituality! This event, since then, is known as the Great Disappointment. Miller served in the American Army in various capacities and later discharged after the war, on June 18, 1815. He, perhaps, had no inkling that more stirring times in the spiritual field awaited him. Miller’s main concern related to question of death and an after-life. Some bitter incidents molded his thinking over this issue. Firstly, his experiences as a soldier; secondly the deaths of his father and sister! What happens to an individual after death?—this bothered him intensely. He concluded two possibilities—annihilation and accountability. “The inquiring, questioning, restless mind which had begun to reveal itself in early youth was as active as ever. By his own testimony he entered he Army with the hope of find in patriotism one bright spot in a seamy, sinister world. “But,” he said he, “two years in service was enough to convince me that I was in error in this thing also. When I left the service I had become completely disgusted with man’s public character.”(Nichol, p.9) Miller wobbled between two faiths. Initially, he wished to combine both the faiths, Baptist and Deism. Soon, his involvement in the Baptist church became more intense, and he read sermons during one of the local minister’s frequent absences. During one such religious exercise, on the subject of duties of parents, he happened to relate the topic to the character of a Savior. His emotions led him to the internal search of such a compassionate Being, who has the capacity to save humanity from suffering and penalty of sin. That Being is worth adoration and deserves complete surrender, Miller concluded. But Deism had the upper hand again. “Philosophy in its most subtle, skeptical form soon made its appeal to his mind. Deism, that halfway station on the road to atheism, which viewed God as a sort of absentee landlord far removed from and wholly uninterested in His created works…..Miller, who up to this time had evidently lived on the spiritual momentum of his pious mother and other churchly relatives, soon found himself in his new community and among these new and impressive friends, with no firsthand personal conviction to immunize him against the virus of infidelity.”(p.7) At the secular level, “He remembered the simple principle that marriage is a contract and that it takes two to make a bargain.”(p.7) Miller intensely studied Genesis 1:1.He published a synopsis of his teachings in a 64 page tract with the lengthy title: Evidence from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ, about the Year 1843: Exhibited in a Course of Lectures. Miller created a disciplined religious movement that stirred America and beyond. This movement especially caught the imagination of the younger generation. How much impact did Millerism have on the United States? America is a great country collectively, but when it comes to individual peace, it is a lost country. This observation may seem contradictory, but it is true. A good part of the available ‘peace content’ in USA, owes it to Millerism, the Seventh-day Adventist movement. The author describes Miller’s observation thus. “But peace with the world outside seems largely to be dependent on whether there is peace within.”(p.9) The man, whose movement would sweep USA in s big way in the years to come “ described that release in simple yet mysterious language…At length,” he said, “when brought almost to despair, God by his Holy Spirit opened my eyes. I saw Jesus as a friend, and my only help, and the Word of God as the perfect rule of duty.”(p.10) All the social and religious leaders took the birth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as an insignificant happening and that it is a small sect of a few hundred believers sparsely scattered in the north-eastern states of America. Their strange beliefs invited ridicule from the people. The following was mainly from the poor lower class families. Economically, socially and numerically they fared poor. Today, the position has changed much. It is the highly accepted of all Protestant movements. It is the largest missionary society. Its growth within one century is remarkable. In 1874, it was a small community of 6000 believers. By 1980, it has turned out to be a worldwide movement with 3.5 million adult believers (1980) With churches across almost all the countries of the world, is has become a universal church and attracted people from different cultures, language groups and ethnic origins. Even though Christ did not arrive on the date announced by Miller, Millerism proved to by a catalyst and the Seventh-day Adventists irrevocably changed the religious atmosphere in USA. Much of the evangelical influence that one observes in USA is the outcome of the movement initiated by Miller. The failure of the “Second Great Awakening” has paved way for an authentic spiritual revival throughout USA. He succeeded in throwing fresh light on the revelations of the Bible. He provided to the youth of America a sense of direction, discipline and taught them man-making values. His surrender to Jesus, was dynamic, not the abject surrender of the weak. He chartered a course of internal rebellion; the rebellion was without bloodshed that he had experienced to his heart’s content in the battlefields as an Officer commanding his troops. He initiated a religious movement, which the future generations shall carry on until they are victorious! Administration-wise, the Adventist Church is predominantly an American institution. North America continues to dominate the church policies and procedures. But the problems of North America are not the problems of the Third World, where the church is making rapid strides. Church of America can not make decisions for the other churches. America has now realized that the churches of different parts of the world have much to offer to each other. They need to challenge each other to improve and correct each other. What separated John Harvey Kellogg from the Seventh Day Adventist Church and what impact did this have on the Church? John Harvey Kellogg was born into a Seventh day Adventist family. He received the medical degree in 1875. At the age of 24, he was an abdominal surgeon and designated as the superintendent of the Western Heath Reform Institute. He was an ardent votary of vegetarianism. He applied theories about natural living to his medical practice. His association with the Adventist movement was close and his commitment to the cause of health was total. He emphasized good health as a religious duty. He was fascinated with natural remedies and preventive medicines. Even in the religious/spiritual field, personal jealousies play dubious roles to vitiate the holy relationships. Kellogg’s undoing was his great popularity. A good medical practitioner is loved and admired by the patients. He nourishes, and savior of their physical body. Kellogg’s extraordinary inventions of breakfast cereal substitutes, earned a name for him. His novel food products set forth a revolution in the lifestyles of patients and people in general. Profits from cereal sales and from the sales of the book he wrote on food products, fetched lots of wealth for him. With his wealth and popularity, his difficulties with the Adventist leader Ellen White multiplied. According to Benjamin Kline Hunnicutt in Kelloggs Six-Hour Day (1996), "Famous for his energy and untiring work, John Harvey cultivated the image of superman, dictating to secretaries for eight hours at a stretch, performing operations through the night, conspicuously working at meals and on trains. John Harvey expected W. K. to live up to this myth, and berated him for being lazy if he stole some time at home." (John Harvey….) His relationship with his elder brother, also his business associate, was not good. W.K. wished to initiate aggressive advertising campaign for the products. His brother did not give positive response to the proposal. With the financial backing of a wealthy insurance broker of St. Louis, W.K steadily began buying the stocks of the company. He was in control of the company as the major shareholder by 1906. Long, bitter court battles followed between the brothers and they were unable to clear the misunderstanding during their lifetimes. The first 20 year’s association with the Advenist leaders was smooth-going, for Kellogg, as superintendent of The San. Problems began from 1895 and he was criticized by them, particularly White and they all thought that W.K. had become a businessman and was not serving the mission of the church in right spirit. His admission policy at the health institute was criticized. He favored elite guests and common patients, and sick people were rejected. “As he became more interested in the medical reasons why certain foods were bad for ones health, church leaders questioned his faith, since the Adventist diet was determined by the infallible visions of prophetess White, not scientific evidence. There was also concern that Kellogg was hoarding the profits from The San and his cereal ventures to fund medical projects at the expense of evangelical efforts to expand the church.”(John Harvey….)At the height of differences and the clash of interests, W.K. was expelled from the Adventist Church. In the meantime, the Adventist headquarters was shifted to Washington, D.C. He was yet in control of Good Health and The Sun. His American Medical Missionary College in Chicago was merged in 1910 with the University of Illinois Medical School under compulsion. The Sun faced financial problems with the overextended building project. The Great Depression compelled W.K to shut the doors of the sanatorium. The company was in debt to the tune of $ 3 million. The enterprising W.K. continued with his new projects, but his age chased him to the grave, through the acute attack of bronchitis. In 1942, at the age of 91, he died of pneumonia. What factors have made the Seventh Day Adventist Church one of the most consistently growing denominations? For the growth of any institution, the backup of discipline is important. The success story of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, owns sterling details. This is no more an American sect. It is a full blown universal church. “It is a unity of faith and of hope and of spirit, as well as a unity of organization, message and mission. To God be the glory, who has wrought this miracle of modern missions. To Him be long our gratitude and praise, for He is the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; Col. 1:18), the Source of its life, and the Power of its mission (I Cor. 1:27—31; Matt. 28:18— 20).”(Oosterwal….) It has been eulogized as a mission of true evangelism. A mission is known and attains fame by the quality of its followers. Sacrifice and holiness is the way of their life. This church is considered as an instrument of His salvation for the entire humanity. Their surrender to Christ is unconditional and does not demand any evidence of his existence and his ongoing work through the Church. The followers are dedicated and live with a sense of dynamic surrender to the gospel. “The effectiveness of the church’s message and mission is not just determined by its numerical growth and geographical advance, or by its institutional strength and organizational structures, its financial resources and its universal presence in the world.”(Oosterwal….)The will to grow and the moral strength associated with it, is more important. Everyone expects that people need to be basically sound and industrious. But basic conditions also need to be created for the people to become basically sound and industrious. It is like the double-edged sword. People respond when you love them unconditionally. Devotees attend the church with a sense of freedom and liberation. The Church has strived for equality and justice for the people. The seventh Day Adventist church has worked ceaselessly for the restoration of His Kingdom. With literacy campaigns in the form of establishment of schools, colleges and universities, they influence the young minds. Hospitals care for the sick. They specialize in wholesome food factories. “50 publishing houses, nearly 4,000 radio and TV stations used each week, Bible correspondence schools, the work of nearly 7,000 literature evangelists, etc. Millions of people have been brought to God and have found a new meaning in life amidst the turmoil and confusion of our day.”(Oosterwal….) The socio-spiritual activities of the Seventh day Adventist Church need a special mention. The missionaries have worked in the most difficult areas, like reformation and rehabilitation of the prison inmates. Hard-core criminals have been transformed and have opted for a new way of life after their acquittal/release. National health-care programs have been drafted, and without involving directly into politics, this Church has influenced the Government and turned the governing authorities benevolent towards the people. Hungry and orphans have been adopted into families. Their work ethics has contributed to economic growth and prosperity in the region/country they operate. The reasons for the rapid growth of the Adventist churches is not far to seek. Some of the identified factors are, a crisis situation, may be political or social, a mobilized, inspired laity with proper training as per their inherent skills, relevance of the message, i.e. its time value, a wholistic ministry that understands the aspirations and needs of the people, active involvement of the local churches in influencing the surrounding communities, the pastoral leadership, commitment of the believers to Christ, conviction to uphold the truth contributes much to the progress of the Church. The second-generation believers are known to work with more enthusiasm and dedication than the converts who have spent a part of their life practicing other faiths. But it has also been observed that the second-generation converts are losing their initial burst of enthusiasm, and have developed an unenthusiastic approach to the Church. This could be due to the impact of materialistic civilization, deeply impacted by industrial and internet revolutions. Trace the development of and reasons for the present structure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A growing faith is like the flowing river. In the processes of growth it assimilates many novel views and adopts procedures as per the situational demands. That which is not practical, can not be spiritual either. Every spiritual revelation must stand the test of practicability. This process may be difficult for the common people to appreciate and follow. No saint, no religious text has claimed that the path of self-realization or salvation is easy. Rigorous discipline is required. The present structure of the Seventy-day Adventist Church owes it to faith and commitment of the pastors and followers. Rapid progress as for the number of new converts is not of much consequence. The quality of the converts and their subsequent spiritual discipline matters much. An uninspired individual can not inspire others. This is the problem with the second-generation converts. The excitement experienced by the first generation when they were blessed with the grace of Christ, is not found in the second generation. They lack missionary spirit and evangelistic fervor. “It is important to stress here that the members of these “second—generation” churches have not turned away from the Gospel. Neither have they lost their knowledge of the truth, nor do many of them stand up for it when it is challenged and attacked. It is just that they are no longer aroused to action by it; (3T 202) much of the missionary spirit is gone.”(Oosterwal….) The top brass of the Seventh day Adventist is aware of the present challenges facing the Church, and measures are formulated to arrest this downward spiral. Small groups for Bible study, prayer and fellowship are formed. Active programs in the church mean more participation by the people. “…. more than half of the Adventist membership in the world today is under 20 years of age. This fact has immense consequences both for the future of the church, as well as for the church of the future.”(Oosterwal….) What challenges have the success in missions provided for the Seventh-day Adventist Church? The final success of any mission can not be measured by the index of is initial success. Until the 1950s, the thrust of expansion of the Seventh day Adventist church was in North America, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South Africa. The rapid expansion in countries of the Third World followed, but at the same time Western world saw slow growth or even non-growth. Church’s youthfulness is an asset as well as the liability. The combustible younger generation is open to new ideas, asks questions and wants the convincing answers. The challenges are numerous and varied and the influence of the materialistic civilization on the young impressionable minds of the youngsters is not easy to challenge. “This younger church is already questioning the validity of certain inherited Western traditions and is seeking new ways of coping with the particular challenges of its own time and location.” (Oosgterwal…) An oriental philosopher philosophized, “So far as a single dog is hungry in my country, my whole religion is to feed it.” (Anonymous) One can not preach sermons on an empty stomach. This is one of the important issues faced by the missionaries of the Seventh-day Adventist church. In such contingencies the efforts need to be to spiritualize politics, not make spirituality a political issue. Several such concerns confront the Church, and they have to be faced squarely, using the latest management techniques. “New problems include poverty and famine, development and nation-building, the population explosion, the revival of old religions and the rise of new ones, the shift from the age of capitalism to an era of socialism, industrialization and urbanization, the breakdown of traditional family systems, changing technology and the modernization of life.”(Oosterwal….) The missionaries need to develop a new socio-spiritual vision as for the administrative policies and procedures of the church. New programs will have to be chalked out as per the aspirations of the local populace. A sense of belonging must develop amongst the followers so that they take active interest in the churchly activities. ********** References: John Harvey Kellogg: Biography from Answers.com Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (1852–1943) Retrieved on August 18, 2009 Nichol, Francis D: The Midnight Cry:1945: Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C. Retrieved on August 18, 2009 Oosterwal, Gottfried: Article: The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the World Today. Read More