Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
&
Music
Special Attention to the
Music of the Indiana Camp Meetings of 1900*
Andr Reis
____________________________________
*A version of this article appeared in Spanish in the book En Espritu y en Verdad (Pacific Press, 2013), 34-50. This paper was
presented at the Andrews University Worship Conference on Feb 27, 2015.
and faith.10 A hymn of praise that rises from a heart filled with
gratitude and thanksgiving is more pleasing to God than any
musical instrument.11 She writes that vocal music is one of Gods
gifts to men, an instrument that cannot be surpassed or equalled.12
She often sang praises when she was alone at home. Her favorite
hymns were Jesus, Lover of My Soul, Rock of Ages, I Will
Follow Thee, My Savior, and When I Survey the Wondrous
Cross.13 The family worship at the Whites home was a moment of
enthusiastic praise.
2. Congregational music. To Ellen White, music in worship
needs to impact the worshiper by three elements: Beauty, pathos
and power.14 She recommends that music in worship be of the
highest quality possible, approaching the harmony of the heavenly
choirs15, and described the music of heaven as rich, perfect16
melodious, perfect, enchanting17 and expressed as a songs of
victory18 in praise and honor and glory to the Lamb forever.19 She
describes the music of the Bible in similar terms.20
Although Ellen White expected music of good quality in the
worship service, she cautioned that music should not be made into
a theatrical display21 or just to charm the senses.22 She preferred
singing that involved the whole congregation,23 and led by a welltrained group.24 On several occasions she asked the congregation
to sing her favorite song, Jesus Lover of My Soul25 and Almost
Persuaded.26
Early in her ministry, Ellen White spoke against cold formality
and stiffness27 in worship and saw great necessity for more energy
in the meetings.28 The service should be holy and joyful and
the music not in funeral notes, but cheerful, yet reverent.29 At one
occasion, she stopped the congregation in the middle of a hymn
because they were singing in disinterested manner. She asked them
to start again, because the angels sing with reverence, feeling and
expression.30
While singing in worship should have energy and expression,
she disliked the long-drawn-out notes and the peculiar sounds
common in operatic singing. 31 This statement seems to put her
against proper vocal technique as expressed in opera; however,
the faux operatic style described here was nothing more than
a distortion of proper vocal technique. Her letter to a brother
Stockings seems to shed light on the root of her criticism. She
described his singing as so loud, so harsh that the softer and more
silvery strains, more like angel music, could not be heard.31 She
clearly preferred soft and melodious singing.
Ellen White appreciated the use of musical instruments in
worship. In the General Conference Session of 1905 she spoke
positively of the musical instruments present there and promoted
the use of musical instruments in the song service, for singing must
be accompanied with musical instruments skillfully handled.32
The above are some of the general concepts of sacred music
reflected in the writings of Ellen G. White. We will discuss other
matters of music and worship in the section about the music of the
Indiana camp meetings in 1900.
2
and confusion. One could not tell what was piped or what was
harped. Some appeared to be in vision, and fell to the floor. Others
were jumping, dancing, and shouting.45 Such excesses put a deep
a stain upon the cause of present truth.46
Ellen Whites criticism to the rambunctious worship style of
these revivals was a major shift from her former days as a shouting
Millerite. One can only surmise that after dealing with a few of these
revivals, she soon realized that things can quickly get out of hand
when too much importance is placed on emotions in worship. And
while these fanatic movements usually went away on their own,
emotionalism in worship continued to threaten Adventist worship
for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
In the second part of the 1890s, the movement known as
Receive the Holy Spirit led by Adventist ministers and Alonzo T.
Jones and Albion F. Ballenger was shaking the Adventist church
in North America.47 This movement advocated a renewal in the
spiritual life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It culminated
in 1899, when a perfectionist movement developed in the state
of Indiana which came to be known locally as the cleansing
message48 and infamously described by external observers as the
holy flesh movement.49
The president and the leaders of the church in Indiana,
dissatisfied with the spiritual condition of legalism and spiritual
indifference of the membership of that time (1898-1900), began
preaching the Laodicean message (see Revelation 3:14-22).50
This message emphasized the need for genuine conversion and a
quest for holiness. However, such emphasis quickly derailed when
some members and local pastors began to spouse the notion that
conversion should lead to a state of absolute physical holiness and
sinlessness.
In order to achieve this, the most fanatical in some of the
churches in Indiana began promoting meetings with long periods
of singing, prayer, dancing in circles and shouting. The emotional
and physical arousal was so intense and prolonged that many
would fall down unconscious. The person who had fallen was then
surrounded by a group that sang, wept and prayed until the person
regained consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, it was
believed that the person had gone through the garden experience.
Like Jesus, the believer was now without sin and had translation
faith.51
In the summer of 1900, the Indiana Conference organized
camp meetings in several cities of the state, where they would
preach the Laodicean message. In the Muncie camp meeting in
September, Stephen Haskell (and his wife) and A. J. Breed, two
officials of the Association General were present.52
Ellen White was informed by the Haskells about the
perfectionistic tendencies and the worship style in Indiana. Haskell
and others saw the meetings in Muncie as a copy of the Salvation
Army method,53 with strong revivalist tendencies, lively songs
and a lot of excitement,54 shouting, prayers, long calls to conversion
and instrumental and vocal music. There is great power that goes
References
Conclusion
In sum we can say that with respect to music, Ellen White
promoted and practiced the fundamental principle that God
wants us all to have common sense, and he wants us to reason from
6
See Western Christian Advocate, December 1848 for a description of one of those meetings.
See James R. Nix, Early Advent Singing (Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald, 2000), 1113.
5
See James White, Life Incidents (Battle Creek, Michigan: Steam Press of the Seventh-Day
Adventist Publishing Association, 1868), 94; James White, The Immediate Coming of Christ,
Review and Herald, Jan. 20, 1853, 140; Ron Graybill, Glory! Glory! Glory! When Adventists
Shouted for Joy, Adventist Review (October 1, 1987): 12, 13; Ibid., Enthusiasm in Early Adventist
Worship, Ministry (October, 1991), 10-12.
6
See the compilation Music on www.ellenwhite.com.
7
Education, 167.
8
Ibid.
9
The Ministry of Healing, 254.
10
Evangelism, 500.
11
The General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1893.
12
Manuscript 5, 1874.
13
See Arthur White, Ellen G. White: The Progressive Years: 1861 -1876, vol. 2 (Hagerstown,
Maryland: Review and Herald, 1986), 292; An Appeal to the Youth, 22, 23.
14
Evangelism, 505.
15
Patriarchs and Prophets, 594.
16
Counsels to the Church, 172.
17
Review and Herald, Feb 27, 1866, 98.
18
Review and Herald, April 18, 1870, par. 18.
19
Historical Sketches of the Foreign Mission of Seventh-Day Adventists, 145.
20
For a description of the music in ancient Israel, see Patriarchs and Prophets, 320; The Desire of
Ages, 448.
21
Manuscript 123, 1899; Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 236; Evangelism, 501.
22
Testimonies to the Church, vol. 9, 142.
23
Ibid., 144.
24
Review and Herald, July 24, 1883; Evangelism 506.
25
Manuscript 80, 1903; Manuscript 27, 1906.
26
Letter 137, 1904.
27
Review and Herald, May 30, 1871.
28
Manuscript 3, 1853.
29
Evangelism, 508.
30
Arthur White, Ellen G. White: The Lonely Years: 1876-1891, vol. 3, 384.
31
Evangelism, 510. See Manuscript 5, 1874 for Brother Stockings letter; Evangelism, 372.
32
Gospel Workers, 357; Review and Herald, June 16, 1905. Ellen White promoted varied methods
of evangelism because not all minds are reached by the same methods. (Testimonies to the
Church, vol. 6, 116). We can safely include music here since not all like the same style of music!
33
Fundamentals of Christian Education, 97.
34
Testimonies to the Church, vol. 4, 645.
35
Counsels to Teachers, 339.
36
Testimonies to the Church, vol. 1, 497.
37
Life and Health, July 1, 1905; Testimonies to the Church, vol. 1, 497.
38
Letter 6a, 1890.
39
Letter 8, 1876.
40
Manuscript 33, 1886.
41
Letter 6b, 1893.
42
Several of these movements surfaced between 1845-1854 in Maine, led by Israel Dammon,
Samuel C. Hancock and Gilbert Cranmer (See Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 39, 40, Testimonies to the
Church, vol. 1, 412; Andr Reis, The Old Spirit of Blind Sammy Hancock: Meeting a Colorful
Early Adventist Preacher, www.spectrummagazine.org, 07/29/2013), and in 1860 in Wisconsin
(See Testimonies to the Church, vol. 1, 229, Selected Messages, vol. 2, 38). James White describes a
camp meeting in Maine in 1844: These were irregular, very lengthy, frequently extending into
hours of intermission and rest, continuing nearly all night, and attended with great excitement,
and noise of shouting and clapping of hands, and singular gestures and exercises. Some shouted so
loud and incessantly as to become hoarse, and silent, simply because they could no longer shout,
while others literally blistered their hands striking them together. (James White, Life Incidents,
157).
43
Manuscript 11, 1850.
44
Testimonies to the Church, vol. 1, 412.
45
Selected Messages, vol. 2, 34.
46
Testimonies to the Church, vol. 1, 327.
47
The Receive Ye the Holy Ghost movement of the late 1890s led by Jones and Albion F.
Ballenger saw itself as an extension of the 1888 message because it emphasized baptism by the
Holy Spirit and other Holiness themes as the means by which obedience of the law would occur.
See Gary Land, Historical Dictionary of Seventh-Day Adventists (Lanham, Maryland: The
Scarecrow Press, 2005), 280.
48
Letter from Stephen N. Haskell to Ellen G. White, September 25, 1900. The sermon on
September 15, 1900 in the Muncie Camp meeting titled The Cleansing Message was preached
by R. S. Donnell (see Muncie Morning Star, September 16, 1900).
49
Ibid. It is important to notice that none of the members of the Indiana leadership called their
revival the holy flesh movement. This expression had been used in the past by Ellen White in
describing other fanatical movements in the 1850s.
50
R. S. Donnell, Indiana, Review and Herald, Oct 23, 1900, 686, 687. In his invitation to the camp
meetings in the Review, Donnell makes reference to a recent article by Ellen G. White in the
Review and Herald in which she called the Adventist people to true conversion. (Review and
Herald, February 27, 1900, 129). The Laodicean condition of the churches in Indiana in this period
is described by Joseph M. Davis as a concern only with Sabbath keeping for salvation. (Letter to
William H. Grotheer, February 20, 1959, Center for Adventist Research, William H. Grotheer
3
4
Collection, Box 5, FLD 23). Haskell describes the members as sincere but not very well read
(Stephen N. Haskell to Ellen White, September 25, 1900).
51
G. A. Roberts, The Holy Flesh Movement, June 11, 1923 (White Estate D. F. #190).
52
Burton Wade described what occurred there in a letter to Arthur L. White (January 12 , 1962).
The visit of the General Conference ministers may have been called for due to strange things that
happened in the Alexandria camp meeting of 1899 as reported by the same A. J. Breed, although
we do not have records of what occurred. See Review and Herald, August 20, 1899, 560-561.
53
Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years: 1891-1900, vol. 5, 102.
54
Burton Wade, ibid.
55
Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years: 1891-1900, vol. 5, 102.
56
See G. A. Roberts, The Holy Flesh Movement.
57
See Hattie H. Haskell, letter to Sara McEnterfer, September 17, 1900. The hymnal Hymns and
Tunes can be seen here: http://www.adventistar- chives.org/doc_info.asp?DocID=31248
58
Viola Hopper, the daughter of Conferences evangelist who was in Muncie added hymnals
Christ in Song (Review and Herald, 1900) and Gospel in Song (published in 1886, non-Adventist).
See letter to William Grotheer, 1965. Center for Adventist Research, William H.Grotheer
Collection, Box 5, FLD 23. The hymnal Garden of Spices is available here: http://archive.org/
details/gardenofspice99nels; Christ in Song is available here: http://archive.org/stream/
christinsonghym00beldgoog#page/ n6/mode/2up, and Gospel in Song, here: http://www.hymnary.
org/hymnal/GS1884a.
59
Hattie H. Haskell, letter to Sara McEnterfer, September 17, 1900.
60
Burton Wade says that the music was faster, which may mean, more energetic. Burton
Wade to William H. Grotheer, February 3, 1965. Center for Adventist Research, William H.
Grotheer Collection, Box 5, FLD 23.
61
Hattie H. Haskell, ibid.
62
Ibid. A local reporter also adds that there were also cymbals.
63
In 1877, James White and John Loughborough faced resistance when they tried to include the
organ in a meeting in California. Loughborough read Psalm 150 and added organ to the list of
instruments. Despite the initial caution, all noticed that the singing improved dramatically! (Gary
Land, Historical Dictionary of Seventh-Day Adventists [Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press,
2005], 205).
64
The issue of this day published the incorrect number of singers as 225 voices; but the platform of
the choir was only for 25 people, according to the same September 17 issue. Hattie Haskell
confirms there were only a few voices Hattie Haskell, letter to Sara McEnterfer, September 17,
1900.
65
The Sullivan Democrat, July 25, 1900.
66
Irvin Metzger, letter to William H. Grotheer, August 4, 1965. Center for Adventist Research,
William H.Grotheer Collection, Box 5, FLD 23.
67
Viola Hopper, letter to William Grotheer, 1965. Center for Adventist Research, William H.
Grotheer Collection, Box 5, FLD 23.
68
Lafayette Daily Courier, September 22, 1900.
69
Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years: 1891-1900, vol. 5 (Hagerstown,
Maryland: Review and Herald, 1981), 102.
70
Letter from Stephen N. Haskell to Ellen White, September 25, 1900. The worship with frequent
shouts of Amen!, Glory to God was described by sister Haskell as painful to the soul. Hattie
H. Haskell, letter to Sara McEnterfer, Muncie, Indiana, September 17, 1900. One witness writes
that at the time of the altar calls, people became so enthused over these calls that some would
collapse at the altar. (Irving Metzger, letter to William H. Grotheer, August 4, 1965. Center for
Adventist Research, William H.Grotheer Collection, Box 5, FLD 23).
71
Stephen Haskell, ibid.
72
In one of the morning altar calls, almost the whole congregation came forward. Muncie Morning
Star, September 15, 1900.
73
Stephen Haskell, ibid.
74
Selected Messages, vol. 2, 43.
75
Lilianne Doukhan, In Tune With God (agerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald, 2010), 59.
76
Letter 132, October 1900.
77
Selected Messages, vol. 2, 41, 42.
78
Ibid., 43.
79
Ibid.
80
Ibid., 41.
81
Ibid., 39.
82
The Great Controversy, 566.
83
Christs Object Lessons, 319. A search for the expression the end is near in the writings of Ellen
White brings up 186 results.
84
Selected Messages, vol. 2, 44; vol. 3, 363-375.
85
Selected Messages, vol. 2, 37.
86
Ibid., 37.
87
Manuscript 39, 1907; Evangelism, 507.
88
Evangelism, 507.
89
Selected Messages, vol. 3, 217; Evangelism, 505.