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Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission - Contents
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    Part Two - The Formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Theology of Mission

    Chapter IV - The Early Development of the Theology of Mission (1844-49)

    In this chapter the aftermath of the second or great disappointment will be discussed in the context of the early development of the Sabbatarian Adventists. From 1845 onward the majority of Adventists began to interpret this Disappointment 1From now on the term “Disappointment” refers exclusively to the second or great disappointment. as another failure in their time calculations. However, for a minority the mistake was not in the time setting but in the prediction of the nature of the event which was to take place on October 22, 1844. From this minority the Sabbatarian Adventists emerged. Therefore special attention will be given to attempts by this group in their search for a biblical rationale for the Disappointment which would vindicate the Seventh Month movement as a vital event in the history of salvation. Furthermore it will be shown how Sabbatarian Adventists integrated the Sabbath doctrine into their 1844 experience, an integration responsible for the unique relation between the Sabbath and the imminent parousia in their theology of mission. Developments in ecclesiological self-understanding gave Sabbatarian Adventists a self-identity which justified their mission among other Adventists. The chapter concludes with a description of the gradual missiological development from a position which confined the outreach to Adventists, toward a view that Sabbatarian Adventists had a future mission to non-Adventists who had not yet rejected the doctrine of the imminent Second Advent. Some of the most influential Sabbatarian Adventists were James White, 2James Springer White (1821-1881), who was largely a self-made man, was recognized as one of the most outstanding leaders among Sabbatarian Adventists and SDA. When he joined the Millerite movement White began a preaching ministry. In the beginning of 1845 he became acquainted with Ellen G. Harmon and was married on August 30, 1846. During the autumn of that year they began to observe the Sabbath. In 1849 he began a publishing work. He founded various periodicals such as PT (1849), AdR (1850), RH (1850), and YI (1852). As long as he lived White was the leading influence in the RH and most of the time he functioned as either editor or corresponding editor. He wrote many articles and a number of pamphlets. Furthermore he wrote or edited several books and produced charts. In the 1850s he took the lead in urging organization among the Sabbatarian Adventists. This culminated in the formation of a General Conference of SDA in 1863. For a number of years he served as the president of the General Conference. See SDAE, pp. 1419-25. his wife Ellen G. White 3Ellen Gould White (1827-1915) was one of the most influential personalities among Sabbatarian Adventists and SDA. At the age of 12 she was baptized by immersion and joined the Methodist Church. In 1843 she and her parents were disfellowshiped because they had accepted Miller’s teachings. After the Disappointment she received what she and some other Adventists identified as revelations from God. In this they recognized the revival of the biblical gift of prophecy which was designated as “Spirit of Prophecy.” As a result the Sabbatarian Adventists considered her statements on spiritual matters to be of great authority. In the theological and organizational developments as well as in the establishment of a publishing work, a medical missionary work, and a mission on a world-wide scope, she had a decisive and guiding influence. She was an extremely prolific writer of letters, manuscripts, articles, pamphlets, and books. Besides this she also traveled extensively through several continents giving lectures and counsel on spiritual matters. See SDAE, pp. 1406-14. (nee Ellen G. Harmon), Joseph Bates, 1Joseph Bates (1792-1872) was a former sea captain, a Millerite preacher, and one of the principal leaders of the Sabbatarian Adventists. He was involved in the Temperance movement before he became an active participant in the Millerite movement. After the Disappointment he read an article on the seventh-day Sabbath by T. M. Preble and decided to observe that day as the biblical day of rest. He was instrumental in convincing J. White, E. G. White, and H. Edson to accept the Sabbath. Hiram Edson, 2Hiram Edson (1806-82) was an Adventist with a Methodist background. He seemed to be responsible for the earliest biblical rationale for the Disappointment, which stressed the validity of the Seventh Month movement in context of a change in Christ’s high-priestly ministry. This view was further developed by his protégé O. R. L. Crosier and published in the DD and DS in 1846. It became the standard view among SDA. and John N. Andrews. 3John N. Andrews (1829-83) was one of the principal leaders of the SDA. In 1846 he accepted the Sabbath doctrine. He was one of the major contributors to the formation of their doctrines, a prolific writer, and one of their best scholars. He functioned both as editor and corresponding editor of the RH. In 1874 he became their first American-born missionary to Europe.FSDA 103.1

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