Adventists and the Reformation

Are Seventh-day Adventists "heirs of the Reformation"?

Bern, Switzerland.
APD, CD-EUDNEWS.
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13173273 10153450980562484 459365214879138353 o

The second International Symposium of the Institute of Adventist Studies of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological College in Friedensau, near Magdeburg, ended with an excursion to Wittenberg (the city of Luther). It took place on May 9-12 with the "Perceptions of the Protestant Reformation in Seventh-day Adventism."

The first half of the Symposium focused on the great reformers, the second half was devoted to the tradition of the Anabaptists, the so-called "left wing" of the Reformation. The last day of studies highlighted the influence of the Reformation on the Seventh-day Adventist Church based on two controversial periods in Adventist history.

The Legacy between the Reformation and the Anabaptists

Timothy Arena, graduate student from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA, discussed the salvation doctrine of Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560). Arena provided an intellectual historical line from Melanchthon to Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) to John Wesley (1703-1791) and to Ellen G. White (1827-1915), the founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Adventists were directly or indirectly influenced by Christians, especially Protestant traditions of their time. Dr. Reinder Bruinsma, the long-standing Dutch Adventist Church leader also agreed with the Adventist idea of “church”. However, this influence was not well-informed rather than a result of careful study.

Dr. Michael Campbell, a lecturer at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in Silang, Cavite, Philippines, compared the theology of the Last Supper with Martin Luther and the early Adventists. Adventists seemed more to lean towards the ideas of the Zurich reformer Zwingli rather than to Luther. In this sense they clearly did not follow mainstream Protestantism.

The Anabaptists, or "radical reformers" were the subject of three presentations. Dr. Martin Roth Cone, professor of church history at the Elstal Theological College near Berlin, focused on various groups of Anabaptists in Europe. Dr. Trevor O'Reggio, professor of church history at Andrews University in the US, compared important theological teaching points of Anabaptists with those of Adventists and found that there are significant similarities. Dr. Charles Scriven, Chairman of "Adventist Forum" (Roseville, California), presented the work of the Anabaptist theologian James William McClendon (1924-2000) and its possible importance and thought for Adventism.

Controversy in Adventist History

Dr. Johannes Hartlapp, professor of church history at the Friedensau University, presented the interpretation of the Reformation from the perspective of Ludwig R. Conradi (1856-1939). Conradi was one of the most important leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe in the early 20th century. He was keen on looking for similarities in Luther's understanding of the end times and the Antichrist. However Conradi did not accept Luther's basic theological understanding of the Doctrine of Justification, which led to a mistaken image of the Reformation.

The "The 1888 General Conference Breakthrough" was the topic by Dr. Woodrow Whidden's, retired professor of Andrews University. This Adventist Church Leadership Assembly in 1888 in Minneapolis, USA, was a turning point in the history of the Church. Whidden said that through the influence of Ellen White, the Adventist Church had a clearer understanding of the Reformation principles of Sola Gratia (by grace alone) and Sola Fide (by faith alone).

Dr. Gilbert Valentine, a professor at the Adventist La Sierra University in Riverside, California, in his speech descibed the internal church conflict over the meaning of "justification by faith" as he reported what happened in the 1960s and 70s, especially in Australia and the US. Due to different reactions of the Reformation theologians, a polarization arose that led to violent clashes on the main teachings and mission of the Church and continues to resonate today.

Dr. Rolf Poehler, professor of Systematic Theology at Friedensau, ended the presentations with the topic: Are Seventh-day Adventists "heirs of the Reformation"?. At the conclusion of the symposium, the participants had an excursion to Wittenberg.

The very first International Symposium of the Institute for Adventist studies was in May 2014 and the topic was "The impact of WWI on the Seventh-day Adventist Church."

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