The A to Z of the Seventh-Day Adventists

434 Pages·2005·2.28 MB·English

by  Gary Land

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The A to Z of the
Seventh-day Adventists
Gary Land
The A to Z Guide Series, No. 43
Published by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.scarecrowpress.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2005 Gary Land
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data
The hardback version of this book was cataloged by the Library of Congress as follows: Land, Gary 1944–
Historical dictionary of Seventh-Day Adventists / by Gary Land.
p. cm. — (Historical dictionaries of religions, philosophies, and movements ; no. 56)
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Seventh-Day Adventists—History—Dictionaries. I. Title. II. Series.
BX6153.L36 2005
286.7'32'03—dc22 2004022979
ISBN 978-0-8108-6826-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8108-6342-2 (ebook) The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Editor’s Foreword by Jon Woronoff
Acknowledgments
Reader’s Note
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Chronology
Introduction
THE DICTIONARY
Bibliography
About the Author
Editor’s Foreword
The Seventh-day Adventists form one of the more recent Christian
denominations, only reaching back less than two centuries to their occasionally
tumultuous founding. In that relatively brief span they have created one of the
most dynamic churches in nearly every respect. Most obvious has been the sheer
growth in numbers, expanding at an exceptional pace and, most unusually, not
even predominantly among older Christian groups or in their country of origin
but abroad, often enough in what is called the “Third World.” This alone has
done much to reshape them in many ways. But they were also reshaped with
regards to doctrine and theology as different ideas and theories contended and
found greater or lesser acceptance, sometimes also resulting in breakaway or
splinter groups. They have also periodically reinvented themselves
organizationally, going from an almost total lack of structure to a fairly complex
yet comparatively open and democratic one. Alongside the many religious
currents, the Adventists have also been pioneers in secular areas such as health
care and health reform, education, and use of the media. Still, despite their
continuing efforts to be better known, they remain a mystery to sectors of the
general public.
This Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-day Adventists will hopefully
remove some of the mystery since, although compiled by someone who knows
the denomination extremely well from inside, it is written in terms that can be
readily understood by outsiders as well. This starts with a brief chronology,
tracing the SDA’s unexpected emergence and rapid expansion. It continues with
a broad introduction covering most basic aspects of its history and functions.
Then there are numerous dictionary entries on specific features of its history and
development, its structure and organization, its theology and practical activities.
These include brief biographies of key persons, since they shaped the
denomination, and particularly helpful synopses of the situation in each country
or region to which it has spread. The bibliography includes books with very
different views on occasion and will certainly be useful for anyone who wants to
explore further.
This volume was, as indicated, written by a member of the church, and one
with particularly useful experience and a broad perspective. Among other things,
since 1970 Gary Land has been teaching at Andrews University, a major SDA
educational institution, with an emphasis but hardly exclusive interest in
Seventh-day Adventist history. He has written widely on Adventism, including
articles and papers, while also acting as editor and/or coauthor of three major
works on the denomination’s history. He has also contributed to several SDA
journals and newsletters and has served as coeditor of Adventist Heritage and as
a member of the board of Spectrum. Moreover, Dr. Land is a member of the
Association of Seventh-day Adventist Historians. With this sort of background it
was not surprising that he has done such a thorough job of providing both the big
and little pictures which makes this encyclopedia such a useful tool.
Jon Woronoff
Series Editor
Acknowledgments
In addition to the many published and unpublished sources from which I have
obtained information, several individuals have given information and/or have
read various entries. These include Samuele Bacchiocchi, Greg Constantine,
Delmer Davis, James Ford, Øystein LaBianca, Linda Mack, Scott Moncrieff,
Dale Ratzlaff, Ciro Sepulveda, and Dan Shultz. Russell Staples, Floyd
Greenleaf, Brian Strayer, and Michael Campbell kindly read the entire original
manuscript. Although these individuals have saved me from making several
mistakes and have made many helpful suggestions, any errors of fact or
interpretation are, of course, my own responsibility. In addition, series editor Jon
Woronoff has helpfully guided the development of this project, making many
suggestions regarding both content and approach. Finallly, I am grateful to Debi
Everhart for her help with formatting the book when my computer skills proved
inadequate and to Terri Calkins, who entered a large portion of the bibliography
into the manuscript.