Chapter 1 – The Dynamic Nature of “Present Truth”

Both Joseph Bates and the White family had a dynamic concept of what we call "the

present truth." For each of these, the light of the devil had different nuances, but in the end, we

can say that there were some themes that made up this concept: the Sabbath in the context of the

three angels of Revelation 14, sanitary reform and righteousness by faith.

As to the creation of a possible church creed, they all considered that the rigidity of such

a belief in favor of the revelation of God in the course of time would eliminate the possibility for

the church to have a living word that would bring them closer to the truth.

Ellen White says that including our doctrines may undergo some changes over time if it is

proven that the truth is different. Not long-standing certain agreements give it authenticity, but

our walk and our closeness to God.

Chapter 2 – Adventism Wasn’t Born in a Vacuum

The Adventism movement had a past and the roots of it we can see in North American

Protestantism, nineteenth century as a child of the sixtheenth century Reformation (Martin

Luther, Jean Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli). The salvation by grace come from this root, but other

aspects, like baptism at maturity or separation between religion and state, come from Anabaptism

movement. Another group from that period with Anabaptism was Restorationism (they put

accent on the New Testament teachings – Sola Scriptura – James White and Joseph Bates came

from a branch of this movement called Christian Connexion). Christian Connexion brought at

least two ideas later in Adventist church: Sabbath and anti-trinitarianism. The third influence in

Adventism movement was Methodism (Ellen White grew up in that church). Main ideas of

Methodist that we toked later was: free will, rather predestinated will, prevenient grace by God’s
Spirit or sanctification. The fourth influence for Adventism was Deism (William Miller), in sense

of using reasons. A fifth influence for Adventism was Puritans in sense of the importance of the

law, specially to the Sabbath.

The Millennial vision influenced a group of people to gather for a better understanding of

the final events. The Lisabona earthquake was a good push to start studying. They believe in a

millennium that could start three years from 1930s. Miller believe that the millennium is after.

Chapter 3 – The Millerite Theological Fundation

William Miller believed differently from the millennium point, but most of the message

was the same with those premillennialists. The biggest difference was that he thought Jesus will

come at 1843. This idea wasn’t known. Several other believed and even tried to predict a certain

year. Miller was well known as a Deist, but somehow, he became Christian and now he prepared

for The Second Coming. His advantage was knowing the history and compare it with the aspects

from the Bible. By comparing scripture with scripture, a person could unlock the meaning of the

Bible. In year 1818 he concluded that in about 25 years (1843) kingdom of the Messiah will

come. In this way, Miller interpreted correctly the 1260 day-year prophecy and also the 2300

days from Daniel 8:14. Other passages that help understanding the prophecy was Mat. 24 and 25,

Revelation 14:6-7. The parable of ten virgins was saw a reference to the mankind in general and

the „midnight cry” (Matt. 25:6) was also a very important aspect for Miller.

Another man that promoted with great voce this movement it was Charles Fitch who

identify the antichrist both the Roman Catholics and Protestants who refuse to leave Babylon.

The great disappointment made Adventists spread people from initial movement or attack

each other.
 Chapter 4 – What is Adventist in Adventism? (1844-1885)

The understanding of the parable of ten virgins brings in discussion the expressions “open

and shut down doors labels”, and first who came with this was the Millerite movement over the

passage in Matt. 25:10. Joshua V. Himes was the promotor for the idea of “open door” in

Adventists because he understood that nothing happened in 1844. Others understood that the

calculated of 2300-day prophecy was correct, but the nature of the event was wrong. The last

group come with the understanding that this event must be linked with the cleansing of

Sanctuary and this event is not the Second Coming.

People gather to understand what is the role of the Bible and the role of others sources

that could make them knew the truth and most of them concluded that only scripture has the

authority to lead them. They called the people of the Book and rejected many other influences:

tradition, authority of the book or other aspects. The understanding of the Sanctuary doctrine was

understood better when Crosier wrote an article and Joseph Bates empowered that idea. After

this episode Ellen White had a vision that that harmonize with Crosier development of Sanctuary.

The relation of heavenly place with earth was important.

The Sabbath and the Third Angel’s Message was another understanding that Adventists

saw crucial for any believer. Joseph Bates developed this idea more.

Another doctrine that Adventists understood was conditional immortality and with the

passing of the time they refining the First and Second Angel’s Message. They also updated some

other teachings, but the essence was the same.

In 1847 we can say that the founders of the Second-day Adventist Church had the pillars

of their beliefs: Second Advent, Sabbath, Sanctuary and the state of the dead.
 Chapter 5 – What is Christian in Adventism? (1886-1919)

The Seven-day Adventist Church was formed from two categories: 1) those who believe

in faith by righteousness and put accent only on this, and 2) those who had this understanding

and the four pillars. Because of this understanding that Adventists promote, other Christian

churches lost the connection with them.

Because of the 4 pillars that our church made us different for other people understandings

and in the same time hard to work together. In 1888, at Minneapolis, Alonso T. Jones and Ellet J.

Wagoner came with a new understanding of the law in Galatians, but Gorge I. Butler and Uriah

Smith oppose them. Because of these new ideas a protest cam out and the problem of authority

was rise because the leaders of the General Conference tried to punish those rebels. Ellen

White’s position for these conflicts was to turn back to the Bible and no method or man position

should be accepted until is proved with the Scripture. Her conclusion was that God gave a

special blessing through Waggoner and Jones, but she didn’t agree with all the details that these

two men promoted. The idea that these two preachers said about the sanctification by faith in

Christ wasn’t something new, “but a step further to what Reformers said”.

The sanctification was understood differently and some of Adventist (Smith or Butler)

build the ideas on text like Rom. 3:25, but with the wrong translation (KJV). So, Smith was

legalist and didn’t wanted to give up to the idea that Jesus was the end of the law. The key word

for first tam was “obedience” and for Waggoner and Jones was “faith”.

Chapter 6 – What is Fundamentalism in Adventism? (1919-1950)

In Seven-day Adventist Church we can see two pronounced problem until 1919: 1) Great

Disapointment, and 2) 1888 Minneapolis meating and the approach to other churches.
 Other category we can split Protestant churches was conservative and liberal. The first

category sustains the verbal inspiration of the Book, but the liberal way of view thing rises the

scientific or critical study of the Bible.

For Adventist church of that time, the liber position wasn’t a tempted approach and the

direction was more and more fundamentalism. But Ellen White didn’t understand that Bible was

inspired verbally, but rather in thoughts. This position was embraced by Daniells and Prescott.

A issue hat we can see after 1920 was that many people put equal sign between Bible and

Ellen White’s writings. Some said that her writing should be the only filter to understand the

Bible. Often president Daniells tried to convince others that Bible interpreted itself, but most

Adventists didn’t fallow this truth.

After Ellen White death Daniells was responsible to make compilation from her books on

certain topic, and in that period righteousness by faith knew a revival. In this sense, others like

Loughborough mentioned the 1888 Conference but didn’t explained the episode of John and

Waggoner.

Ideas of M. L. Andreasen on the topic “Last Generation”, that can be resume as

fallowing: 1) the necessity of a cleansing (Day of Atonement); 2) a last generation of saint

without Mediator; 3) God will come when people reproduce his character; 4) Jesus was with

sinful tendencies; 5) Jesus will be proud of the achievements of the last generation. The

weakness of Andreasen arguments can be seen better in the fifth argument, that God must

produce a man like him, otherwise He lose. There are many others weaknesses in his theology.

In contrast with this way of thinking, there were others ideas that wanted to make

Adventism more softly. Some tried to go back to anti-Trinitarianism or Jesus tendencies to sin.

All of these explanations have lack of proving other text that combat them.
 Chapter 7 – Adventism in Theological Tension (1950 - )

Seven-day Adventist Church had to pass three challenges from it starts until 1950: 1)

Great Disappointment; 2) late of 1880s, and 3) fundamentalism in 1920.

The years that follow after this concentrated on humanity of Christ. Andreasen was on the

same position with Jones, Waggoner or Prescot, but not with Ellen White. On the other side,

against Andreasen we find Edward Happenstall. Edward believe that sinful nature dominates

human, but not Jesus who was affected only by his body necessities. During years, an old

problem was questioned, and that was righteousness by faith and justification. This idea was

debated by Ford, Palmdale and Robert Brinsmead in different forms.

Some old topics came in debate again and the year 1888 was reinterpreted in 1950s. We

can enumerate here L. H. Christian, A. L. Hudson, Jack Sequeira or Wieland and Short. The last

two believed that the concept of righteousness that Jones and Waggoner brought was bigger than

the Reformers, but even Waggoner and Ellen said that this was not true.

Other problem discussed after 1970 was the authority of Ellen White and the claims of

plagiarism.

The last problem that people tried to explain was a new theory of inspiration that starts

after 1980.

Chapter 8 – What Does All This Mean?

As a conclusion to the book, this chapter was written to be a lesson for what history

presented from Adventist Church. First lesson is that we should never do theology to fight our

neighbors. George Knight present a strong argument when he recommends this: fear pushed
many times others to fight each other, instead of operating whit love. The author reuses the first

chapter idea of “present truth” that is a development, not something unmovable.

Another idea that may be dangerous is that every generation tried to bring something new

and the part where is dangerous is that many of those who came with new ideas tried to force

those on others. We must put accent on themes also that are common with other people beliefs:

Godhead, the divine inspiration of the Bible, the problem of sin, substitutionary death or

resurrection of Jesus. We can reinforce the teachings of advent because this doctrine was the

reason that we are here as Seven Day Adventists.