Keepers of The Flame
Keepers of The Flame
Keepers of The Flame
Page Contents
2 Schedule of Assignments
3 Course Aim, Objectives, Requirements
4 Grading, Discussion, Attendance, Makeup Work
4 Disability Accommodations, Note to History Majors
6 Midterm Exam
7 Final Exam
8 3 Sample Test Question Responses
10 Selected Books Reading List
15 How to Write Book Reviews
18 Sample Book Review
20 Sample Film Review
22 Sample Article Review
24 Spectrum Journal Articles
47 “Keepers of the Flame: Part I - The Apostasy”
48 “Keepers of the Flame: Part II – The Reformers”
49 “Keepers of the Flame: Part III – The Great Expectation”
50 “Keepers of the Flame: Part IV – After The Disappointment”
51 “Keepers of the Flame: Part V – The Weakest of the Weak”
52 “Keepers of the Flame: Part VI – A Lesser Light”
53 “Keepers of the Flame: Part VII – A Healing Ministry”
54 “Keepers of the Flame: Part VIII – Ellen, The Women”
55 “William Miller” (18 minutes; 1989)
56 “The Midnight Cry!” (1994; 102 minutes)
58 “The Kellogg Brothers: Cornflake Kings” (1995; 50 minutes)
59 “The Cornflakes Story” with Gerrilyn Roberts (24 minutes)
60 “Waco: The Inside Story” (1995; 57 minutes)
61 “Ordination to the Gospel Ministry” (1995; 90 minutes)
62 “The Conscientious Objector” (2005; 101 minutes)
64 “The Red Books” (2008; 90 minutes)
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HIST404 (3 crs.)
Adventist Heritage
11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. MWF
NH214 (Spring 2008)
Instructor: Dr. Brian E. Strayer
Office: Nethery Hall 122B
Hours: 8:30-9:20 a.m., 12:30-1:20 p.m.. MWF. Other times by appointment.
Phone: 471-3612; E-mail: [email protected]
Textbooks: Richard W. Schwarz & Floyd Greenleaf, Light Bearers (2000)
Nancy Vyhmeister, ed., Women in Ministry (1998)
Schedule of Assignments:
January 9—Introduction & Syllabus
11—Schwarz & Greenleaf, 13-22
14—23-34
16—35-50
18—51-68
21—69-82 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
23—83-99
25—100-13
28—114-29
30—130-45
February 1—146-59
4—160-74 [Book Review #1]
6—175-88
8—207-24
11—225-40
13—241-58
*15—Midterm Exam due by 5:00 p.m.[-10% per hour if late]
18—259-72 [Presidents’ Day]
20—273-92
22—332-47
25—348-63
27—364-84
29—385-400
March 3—420-41
5—442-57
7—458-77
10—478-98 [Book Review #2]
12—499-517
24—518-38
26—539-64
28—605-26
31—627-55
April 2—Vyhmeister, 9-43
4—45-74
7—77-114
9—115-54
11—157-86
14—187-209
16—211-55
18—259-311 {All signed & dated H.A.V. brochures must be in by today}
21—313-54
23—355-76
*29—Final Exam due Tuesday by Noon [-10% per hour if late]
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Aim of the Course: "The greatest work of the teacher is to lead those under his charge to be
intellectual Christians."-- Ellen White, ms. release 76, p. 3.
Course Objectives:
1. To develop an understanding of and appreciation for the individuals and forces shaping the
development of the SDA church, its doctrines, mission, and organization.
2. To develop insights into the interchange between a developing social institution and the
milieu in which the development took place.
3. To examine and evaluate the SDA church's claim to uniqueness and special mission as a part
of the last day remnant church.
4. To provide a basis for understanding the roles of selected individuals in the development of
Adventism from 1844 to the present.
5. To seek spiritual lessons from the past experiences of the SDA church for us today.
Course Requirements:
It is expected that each student will study the daily reading assignments, seeking not only to
understand what the authors write, but always being prepared to discuss in class their statements,
evidence and methods. Thirty-five 5-point quizzes will be given over each day’s reading
assignment at the beginning of class. The 5 lowest quiz scores will be dropped at the end of the
semester. Questions will be read three times only. Two take-home essay exams of 100 points
each will be given over readings and lectures. Each student must choose from the following two
project ideas to earn an additional 100 points this semester
(A) Book reviews (50 points each): Choose one or two books from the reading list
and write a critical, analytical five-page analysis of each book's style, sources, biases,
suggested improvements, etc. At least one book review must be completed before the
midterm exam on the date designated. In addition to submitting a hard copy, the first
book review must be submitted via Live-Text, which can be purchased at the AU
Bookstore or by going to http://www.livetext.com/purchasing/membership_student.html.
For information on how to submit assignments through LiveText, go to their website at
http://www.andrews.edu/sed/livetext and click Information for Students. You may also
seek assistance from Andrew Pfeifer at [email protected] or call him at 3872.
(B) Historical Tour of Battle Creek (50 points): Drive to Battle Creek’s Historic Adventist
Village for the Sabbath afternoon tour of pioneer homes, graves, and the Kellogg Museum.
Have your guide sign and date the tour brochure, add your name to it, and turn it in for credit
by the designated date in April (two weeks prior to the end of the semester).
Grading: Your letter grade is based on the composite of all points earned from quizzes, exams,
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and projects as follows.
Class Discussion: This is not a lecture course, so your participation is very important to
your grade and to your enjoyment for the class. Come to class prepared to share your
questions and ideas!
Class Attendance: Attendance is taken every time the class meets. Please be in your
chosen seat when the bell rings as absences will be marked at that time. If you arrive
late, see me after class about changing your absence to a tardiness. The Bulletin allows a
maximum of nine absences for a three-credit class. Exceeding that limit will result in
lowering the grade one letter.
Penalties for Late Work: There will be a discount of 10% per day for all late written work
after the due date has passed (including book reviews) and a penalty of 10% per hour for late
exams. Printing problems will not be accepted as an excuse for lateness as often they are
endemic to procrastination.
Writing Implements: Article reports, book reviews, research papers, and exams must be typed
or computer printed in dark (laser quality) print on 8.5” x 11” paper with one-inch margins.
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No assignments will be accepted by e-mail or electronic attachment.
History Majors: History Majors should keep copies of their graded book reviews in this class.
These will be needed for the portfolio in HIST480 Senior Seminar during the Senior year.
May God richly bless you as we explore the Adventist heritage together!
Brian E. Strayer
Professor of History
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HIST 404 Adventist Heritage Midterm Exam
Directions: Choose any questions so long as their totals add up to 100 points.
Part A: Survey Questions: Write 8 pp. of detailed, analytical prose for each (50 pts.)
1. In what ways did Millerism fit the milieu of reformism in the “Burned Over District” in
which it developed? In what ways was it unique or different from other reform movements?
(Schwarz & Greenleaf, 13-49)
2. What serious problems faced the fledgling Sabbatarian Adventist believers from 1844 to
1863? How did various forms of organization help solve those problems? (Schwarz &
Greenleaf, 69-99)
3. Why were early Sabbatarian Adventists such reluctant missionaries? What organizational
developments and methods helped them develop a more effective outreach to the world by
1900? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 130-45, 207-24)
4. Why might early Adventists be described as “loving legalists” doctrinally? How did the
issues discussed at Minneapolis in 1888 help to correct this image somewhat? (Schwarz &
Greenleaf, 160-88)
Part B: Topical Questions: Write 4 pp. of detailed, analytical prose for each (25 pts.)
1. Why do you think God allowed the “Great Disappointment” of October 22, 1844? What
positive results did it bring in its wake? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 51-67)
2. Why didn’t all Sabbatarian Adventists become eager health reformers before 1863? How did
Ellen White’s visions make a difference to many, but not all? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 100-
13)
3. Given the improvements in public schools during the 1820s-50s, why did SDAs want their
own educational system? Why did leading educators fail to agree on a blueprint for that
system until the 1890s? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 114-29)
4. What purposes did the T & M Societies, city missions, camp meetings, Sabbath schools, and
temperance societies serve in the SDA church? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 146-59)
5. Why did Adventist evangelism progress so slowly in the South? Once begun, which methods
worked best among whites and African-Americans? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 225-240)
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HIST 404 Adventist Heritage Final Exam
Directions: Choose any questions so long as their totals add up to 100 points.
Part A: Survey Questions: Write 8 pp. of detailed, analytical prose for each (50 pts.)
1. What challenges faced the global church in the 20th century? What new approaches were
devised to meet these new problems? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 273-92, 518-62)
2. In engaging with the secular world and Christianity, how has our Church achieved the most
success? The least success? Why? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 420-57)
3. As educated, professional lay people play larger roles within Adventism, how has their
involvement changed the church’s social conscience, health consciousness, and racial and
ethnic dynamics? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 458-516)
4. What are the issues surrounding ordination that causes church leaders either to offer or deny it
to women? (Vyhmeister, 77-96, 101-12, 115-28, 144-52)
5. Why did SDA pioneers, including Ellen White, approve of women playing ministerial and
leadership roles in the church? How has women’s involvement changed the church?
(Vyhmeister, 187-204, 211-29, 235-52)
Part B: Topical Questions: Write 4 pp. of detailed, analytical prose for each (25 pts.)
1. What were the key issues of the “Kellogg Crisis?” Were there faults on both sides? (Schwarz
& Greenleaf, 259-72)
2. What controversies have surrounded the ministry of Ellen White to the church? What do you
see as her legacy to Adventism today? (Schwarz & Greenleaf, 348-63)
3. How have world wars affected the global church both positively and negatively? (Schwarz &
Greenleaf, 364-84)
4. What common themes permeate nearly all Adventist dissident groups or individuals? What
lessons might the church learn from offshoot movements to help understand them better?
(Schwarz & Greenleaf, 607-26)
5. Explain the arguments about male headship and female submission. Do you agree with them?
Why or why not? (Vyhmeister, 259-84, 297-308)
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HIST 404 Adventist Heritage 3 Sample Test Question Responses
Questions B-1: Why were Adventists such reluctant missionaries at first? What witnessing
methods proved most successful from 1868 to 1900 and why?
Response A: The “Listy” Essay (Gives outline of topic, not proofs or connections or reasons
why)
I think SDAs were such “reluctant missionaries” at first, because after the
Disappointment, they held onto the “Shut Door” doctrine, you know, and this kept them from
going into the world. Then too, missionary work is expensive, and they didn’t have the money
for it. Of course, few of them knew any foreign languages either, or had any training for foreign
missions work. Some felt that they could reach other ethnic groups here in North America just
as well and thus fulfill the Gospel Commission. Then too, we were more at ease with White
American Christians than we were foreigners anyway. The mixed results of Czechowski’s
efforts in Europe turned some SDAs off to any follow-up, especially since there were as yet no
trained nationals to assist us overseas. Many countries expressed strong anti-American feelings
in the 1880’s and 1890’s and these probably kept us from going over. Finally, many SDAs felt
they could witness on the job or pass out tracts at home. So, for all these reasons, we are slow
about reaching out to witness. Etc.
Response B: The Narrative/Descriptive Essay ( Gives a few more details, but usually in story
form without analysis or reasons why)
Adventists were so hung up on the “Shut Door” idea in 1844 that they didn’t feel like
going out to witness. Even on Oct. 23, 1844, when Edson walked across the cornfield on a
golden morning, hoping to cheer the brethren in the surrounding hill countryside—I wish I’d
been there!--well, he looked up into the heavens and saw Christ moving from the Holy Place to
the Most Holy Place (in the heavenly Sanctuary, I mean)—well, even after all that, they still
didn’t have the idea of opening a door for future conversions. Of course, Czechowsi in 1864
went on his own—that crafty guy, he preached SDA doctrines while on the payroll of the First
Day Adventists! Imagine that! But he did convert a few people in Switz., France, Italy and
Hungary before he died (dirt poor, I guess, in an Austrian asylum for the insane). His
unfortunate end didn’t help matters much by way of encouraging SDAs to follow up on foreign
missions. But one day, rejoice! J. N. Andrews and his son and daughter sailed from Boston over
the mighty blue ocean in 1874 to strike forth into Switzerland, the first official SDA Church-
sponsored missionary team. What a grand and glorious day that was for our church! Etc.
Response C: The Analytical Essay (Gives specific facts with both breadth and depth of meaning,
cause/effect relationships, logical connections, the Hows and Whys as well as Who, What,
Where, When)
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I think that SDAs were very slow to begin witnessing from 1844 to 1874 because of
certain doctrinal problems stemming from a more restricted view of the Gospel commission
required of them, ethnic biases & religious prejudices. When they did
finally reach beyond N.A., they found tents, tracts, Bible studies, ship ministry and the medical
work to be among the most effective witnessing tools.
After the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844 (when 50,000 Millerites expected
Christ to come to this earth to fulfill Daniel 8:14), many millennialists like William Miller,
Joshua V. Himes, Charles Fitch, James & Ellen White, among others, believed that a door had
been shut in heaven against any further conversions in earth. They believed, according to this
“Shut Door” view, that Christ had entered the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place, closing the
door (veil) behind him so that anyone who had not heard the 1st and 2nd Messages of Revelation
14 (or anyone who had heard them and rejected them) could not be saved. This view logically
conditioned and restricted their sense of mission: Bates, Edson, even the Whites felt that they
need only reach out to the “scattered, torn and peeled people” (as Bates called them) who had
endured the Disappointment but still had “the Blessed Hope” (of Titus 2:13) of Christ’s soon
return. They saw their role more as that of revivalists, to encourage the “Little Flock” (as the
Sabbatarian Adventists called themselves, thus showing their exclusiveness in their name), not as
missionaries to reach out to a dying world. As late as 1851, some SDAs-to-be still held onto this
belief. Bate’s mind was changed by David Hewitt’s conversion in Battle Creek; EGW’s mind
was changed on this from several visions she had in the late 1840's. Adventists began to see that
if God wanted them to publish tracts which would go “like streams of light around the world,”
then they had to broaden their scope of mission. But during the 1840's, most were reluctant to
acknowledge a global mission field.
Most of these early Adventists, of course, were poor farmers and artisans, not trained in
foreign languages nor in sophisticated witnessing techniques. Except for the Bourdeau brothers
and M.B. Czechowsi in the 1860's, few spoke another language than English. While the
Bourdeau brothers enjoyed some success in witnessing to the French in northern N.Y. and
Canada, Czechowski, an ex-Catholic priest of Poland converted to SDAsm, provided a poor
example for SDAs to observe due to his wasting of money, his stubborn refusal to stick to one
field of labor, his neglect of his family and other problems. When he wanted to go to Europe in
1864, the Church just didn’t have the money to send him–nor did they have faith in his abilities.
So he went for the First Day Adventists while preaching SDA doctrines. But he wandered
around too much and sowed gospel seed without staying for the harvest. He died tragically in an
insane hospital in Vienna.
Lack of funds provided a real hurdle to worldwide witnessing. SDAs were deeply in debt
trying to establish a publishing work in the 1850's, administrative organization (conferences,
G.C.) In the 1860's, a health work, sanitarium and college in the 1870's to feel able to devote
their energies to global witnessing. Etc, etc.
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Reading List of Books
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KTA8940.P7.B79 Bryson, John Evil Angels: The Case of
Lindy Chamberlain 1985
HV6541.A82 N6727 1990 Chamberlain, Lindy An Autobiography 1990
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W301.G72 1985 Graham, Roy E. Ellen G. White: Co-Founder
of the SDA Church 1985
BV 676 .W45 1995 Habada, Patricia & The Welcome Table: Setting
Rebecca Frost Brillhart, eds. A Place For Ordained Women 1995
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BX6158.9.A52 L46 Leonard, Harry, ed. J.N. Andrews, the Man and
the Mission 1985
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Siegfried Horn) 1986
LD7501 .U55 S87 1993 Strayer, Brian Where the Pine Trees Softly
Whisper: The History of Union
Springs Academy 1993
**Note: Any of the books being used as textbooks in HIST404 cannot be reviewed for credit in
the course.
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How to Write Book Reviews
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D. May have a title page with name of university at top, book information in middle,
course name near bottom third, and your name and date at bottom
III. Converting Notes into a Book Review
A. Give bibliographic information, author’s thesis,a nd author’s qualifications to
write book in first paragraph (Ex.: “Gordon Prange, in At Dawn We Slept (New
York: McGraw Hill, 1981), states that the U.S. ignored many early warnings of
Japanese hostile intent before the fatal attack on the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor
on December 7, 1941. The author, a WWII veteran and historian fluent in both
Japanese and English, has written several books on WWII subjects…”)
B. Briefly summarize the main ideas, arguments, new findings of the author
1. Could be one or two pages; no more than 2.5 pages of your 5-page
review
2. Should NOT be a “blow-by-blow” detailed description of each chapter
(as in “This chapter is about…then the next chapter states…etc.”)
3. Should devote a short paragraph to each major idea advanced, with the
author’s rational, logical, or bibliographical support
4. Should be concise, crisp, correct—don’t wander, waffle or warp the
author’s point of view
a. “The author asserts that…”
b. “In stating this view, the author cites…as support”
c. “While perhaps correct here, the author overlooks or ignores…”
C. Maximize your analysis or critique
1. this part reveals your depth of thought, breadth of understanding, and
clarity of your analytical powers
2. Be quite specific in analyzing
a. Whether the author is qualified to write the book and why
b. If the author’s thesis is upheld by adequate evidence and sources
c. Types of bias—religious, political, class, racial, etc.; give
examples
d. Attempts at “whitewashing,” covering up, or ignoring issues or
evidence contrary to his/her thesis
e. Sources used: recent or outdated? Archival or published? Primary
or secondary? Biased in some way?
f. Graduate students should include a paragraph on historiography:
how this book and thesis compares with other books in the field, its
interpretations, revisions, new sources, etc.
g. Style: why it is interesting or dull
D. Conclude review with pithy summary
1. Briefly highlight the most desirable features of the book that would
make you recommend it to another reader (and who is the target
audience for this book?)
2. Briefly state omissions or shortcomings of the book which might make a
further monograph desirable
IV. Printing the Review
A. First, read and correct all errors in the rough draft copy
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1. Let the manuscript “cool” a day or so, then re-read and polish it
2. Read final (fourth?) draft aloud to catch awkward prose
a. You are responsible for all errors in the final copy
b. Excessive misspellings, grammar errors, punctuation problems will
lower your grade
c. Re-read final review copy before submitting it; if you find any
errors, pencil in corrections neatly
B. Submit review on time!
1. You may choose to insert it in a plastic jacket or simple staple it together
2. Note whether the review is to be brought to class or to professor’s office
3. Never submit a review late—but if you do, be willing cheerfully to
accept whatever penalty accompanies procrastination
4. Problems with your printer do not excuse late submissions, but usually
indicate procrastination. Plan a day ahead and use a reliable PC and
printer.
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Sample Book Review
In Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream (NY: Harper &
Row, 1989), Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart state: “Seventh-day Adventism is one of the most
subtly differentiated, systematically developed and institutionally successful of all alternatives to
the American way of life” (ix); yet its ambiguous identity—not a Jehovah’s Witness sect yet not
a mainstream Protestant church—explains why Americans have “unjustly ignored” Adventists.
Malcolm Bull, junior research fellow at Oxford University, and Keith Lockhart, a
London journalist, demonstrate how Adventism, rejecting the “American dream” of democratic
materialism and progress, established a parallel “sanctuary from America,” replicating in its
theology and intellectual life, its social codes and administrative hierarchy, an Adventist
subculture.
The authors adroitly highlight this theme of ambiguity through Adventism’s substitutes
for America’s “civil religion” and mainstream Protestantism (Part I); social structures, politics,
health programs, art and music (Part II); and the conflicts in its relations with women, Blacks,
ministers, doctors, and educators (Part III).
Bull and Lockhart’s interdisciplinary approach, scholarly methodology, yet engaging
style will appeal to a wide audience, both lay and academic. Their exhaustive research at several
Adventist college and university libraries and archives and the dozens of interviews with
Adventist leaders, hospital administrators and lay persons have produced a significant
monograph with impressive footnotes (35 pages) and a short but respectable bibliographic essay
(pp. 307-311). Their unique interpretive framework and scholarly style causes one to over look
occasional Britishisms (honour, mould, in hospital, American revolution), stylistic errors
(Sabbath School, masters of Divinity, watch looked, “ad” for “and”) and uncommon word
combinations (anti-intellectual, everimproving, everenlarging) which slipped past the proof-
readers.
Seeking a Sanctuary offers many insightful gems even for the seasoned Adventist
scholar: Gallup Polls, newspaper and popular novels’ revelations about Adventists’ confused
public image; why James White opposed establishing Adventist churches in Seventh Day Baptist
territory; why British Adventists defend Sunday Blue Laws today; how spiritualism, pantheism,
and the Holy Flesh movement are inter-related; and one of the finest analyses of the General
Conference structure and its functions. Bull and Lockhart also present illuminating new
evidence as to why Adventists proselytize successfully among some groups and fail among
others; how early health views were based on natural laws and not the Bible; and how
Adventism, rooted in time, differs from Mormonism, rooted in space. Some readers, however,
will be shocked to learn of their church’s past Jim Crow codes at schools and hospitals,
especially the Ragland affair at EMC in 1905 and the 1960s Alabama incident in which whites
pulled guns on Blacks at an Adventist church.
While Seeking a Sanctuary offers valuable insights into Black-White conflicts, however,
it fails to give equal attention to Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans, many of whom have
experienced real tensions within Adventism. Also, despite its excellent coverage of orthodox
Adventism, the book ignores any lessons to be learned from the various dissident groups and
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individuals (as Lowell Tarling shows in The Edges of Adventism). Moreover, the book overlooks
other significant ways in which Adventism replicates American programs: Sabbath schools,
Vacation Bible schools, Breathe Free, cooking schools, and Pathfinders, to mention a few.
Conservative readers will raise eyebrows at some of the terminology (Ellen White a
mystic, General Conference leaders as bureaucrats, Adventist ads using women as “bait,” and
Ellen White merely parroting Canright’s racial attitudes), but liberal Adventists will welcome the
insightful explication of early Adventist practices: the holy kiss, hugging, footwashing, doctrines
like the Shut Door from 1844 to 1854), and especially their sociological model model in chapter
10 (the “Revolving Door”). While some will quibble over whether Froom is Adventism’s
greatest apologetic historian, if Ellen White’s influence became diluted as her publications grew,
and whether Hiram Edson really had a vision or just an insight, scholars will find very few
factual errors in this book. Two wroth mentioning are that will R. Kellogg, never a baptized
SDA (p. 181), could not “remove” his cereal business from the church, and Sarah A. H. Lindsey
in 1872, not Ellen Lane in 1878, may have been Adventism’s first woman preacher with a
ministerial license (p. 182).
Bull and Lockhart’s Seeking a Sanctuary, following in the tradition of critical,
unapologetic scholarship pioneered by Ron Numbers in Ellen G. White: Prophetess of Health
(1974), is a significant book deserving a broad audience to help Adventists see themselves as
others see them.
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Sample Film Review
20
The use of statistics in the film gave a more accurate picture of the extent of the Advent
movement. The narrator stated that by 1844, one in seventeen Americans (500,000) believed
that Jesus was coming that year. If this is true, this is an amazing percentage of people who
believed that Jesus was coming soon. I also gained a better understanding of the Great
Disappointment. When Jesus didn’t appear as expected, the disappointment was not only great,
but was felt by a vast number of people.
Overall, I think the film was well done using a variety of avenues to approach the viewer.
I think the film could be stronger if the details were compacted into a shorter amount of time.
The attention of this viewer got lost during the length of the film. The strengths of the film
definitely outweigh the weaknesses and I would recommend it to anyone desiring to learn more
about the Midnight Cry and the Advent Movement.
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Spectrum Article Review
The article “Scandal or Rite of Passage? Historians on the Dammon Trial,” was more
about the role that Ellen White played in the Dammon situation than the trial itself. Much to my
surprise, the article never really explored the situations or effects of the trial. The article looked
at the fanatical activities that Ellen White took part in and discussed whether they were a rite of
passage for the Advent Movement.
The Dammon trial, in brief, originated from a religious meeting that was accused of
disturbing the peace. Israel Dammon, who was responsible for the meeting, allowed radical
emotionalism to become rambunctious. He was found guilty, but in an acquittal, was released
and the charges against him were dropped. Ellen White, then Ellen Harmon, was present during
some of these fanatical gatherings. Her involvement in these meetings raises questions of her
authenticity and honesty. These questions are discussed in this article.
The format of this article is different. Four historians discuss the issues on a first name
basis. The Dammon case was never explained, just discussed. It took a lot of interpretive
reading to decipher the story. The article looks more like a script than a scholarly chapter.
I felt that one of the most profound finds of these historians was that Ellen White was
involved in questionable radical religious actions early in her life. In Portland, Maine, about this
time, historians have found a handful of other people who claimed to have had visions.
Ellen was involved in church services where crawling, kissing, and bumping was
common practice. Trances were also common among these people. There were also accusations
that women were taken in to back rooms to do immoral things with the pastors. These claims
were never proved, however. All of these actions could be simply explained from the Bible.
Because so many of these actions could be explained from the scriptures, some historians
speculate that the problem was that these people were obsessed with a kind of biblical literalism.
Others wonder if they were just overtaken by a kind of spiritual ecstasy. I tend to believe that
these people were sincere, but overly emotional.
Many of the people of this time seemed to be overwhelmed by an emotional fanaticism. I
wonder if when this involvement by Ellen was publicized, the Adventist church became stressed
about their prophet. Ron Graybill, a historian formerly employed by the White Estate, claims
that they later published literature denying Ellen’s involvement in these fanatical experiences.
One of the largest issues of Ellen White’s trances or visions at this time was the positions
that she has them in. The accepted position for visions was to stand up and look into the air. In
these earliest instances, however, Ellen laid on the ground prostrate and shook. This gives many
Adventists very uneasy feelings, but I can accept it as being a part of Ellen’s growth process.
The historians brought out the concept of God providing experiences that reflected what
happens in the current environment. With this point of view, as society became more level
headed, Ellen did also. Ellen seemed to play the role she needed to play at the time that role was
appropriate. I have no problem with this point of view because I believe that God can reveal
Himself in whatever way He wants to and in a way that will be most effective to the society.
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The historians looked at the concept of fanaticism. Fanaticism was condemned by Ellen
White in her later years. The question is whether Ellen participated in activities that she would
later define as extreme. The answer to this might be disheartening to many loyal Adventists.
I believe that Ellen was guilty of participating in some activities that she would later
consider radical. This is because Ellen’s experience changed along with that of the people
around her. This does not seem as questionable when she is seen as a real person. Ellen must
have grown in her religious experience just as all of us do. The article concluded that Ellen
White had to go through the fanatical period before she could have matured spiritually. This
period of maturation was in a way a rite of passage for Ellen and the church. I have just as much
respect for Ellen White as I did before reading the article. Of course, I have always tried to view
her as a real person with hangups and difficulties.
1. Full publishing information on the article (author, title, date, issue/volume number cited).
2. Identify the topic under discussion.
3. Give important background details, but be succinct and brief in doing so.
4. Discuss the article’s format and methodology, giving its strengths and weaknesses.
5. What “surprises” (new facts, new interpretations, new sources) did the author(s) present?
6. Analyze and critique, don’t summarize, narrate, or describe at length the content.
7. Give your personal views, but also tell why you hold them.
8. Close with a brief summary that highlights your key conclusions about the article.
23
Spectrum Journal Articles
24
William S. Peterson Textual & Historical Study of Ellen
White=s Account of the French
Revolution
25
Wilfred M. Hillcock Need for Organizational Change in
the Adventist Church
Catherine Lyone An Exquisitely Personal
Relationship
1974
Vol. 6, Nos. 3-4 P. Edward Hare The Age of the Earth: How It
Changed From Thousands to Billions
of Years
Authur J. Peterson The Doctrine of Creation
26
Carl G. Tuland Six Thousand Years
1975
Vol. 8, No. 2 Malcolm Russell & The Church and the War in Lebanon
Anees Haddad
27
Vol. 9, No. 1 Raymond Cottrell Seventh Day Baptists and
Adventists: A Common Heritage
Neils-Erik Andreasen Jubilee of Freedom and Equality
Vol. 10, No. 2 Jonathon Butler The World of E.G. White and the
End of the World
Vol. 10, No. 3 Benjamin McArthur Where are Historians Taking the
Church?
Siegfried Horn Can the Bible Establish the Age of
the Earth?
Vol. 11, No. 1 Tom Dybdahl Court Verdict on Pacific Press Case
George Masters Sanctuary Symbolism in the Book of
Hebrews
28
(Andrews Scholars) Dismissal: Reaction and Response
Vol. 11, No. 3 Donald Casebolt Ellen White, the Waldensees and
Historical Interpretation
-------------------- Must the Crisis Continue?
Vol. 14, No. 1 Fritz Guy Good News from the Heavenly
SanctuaryBGod=s Continuing
Initiative
1983
Vol. 14, No. 2 Ron Williams Walden Must Christians Oppose Nuclear
Weapons?
Eric Anderson The Bishops and Peace
Tom Dybdahl In God We Trust
29
Roy Branson Covenant, Holy War, and Glory:
Motifs in Adventist Identity
1984
Vol. 14, No. 4 Bonnie L. Casey Graybill=s Exit: Turning Point at the
White Estate?
Roy Branson Home to Granada: A Seminary
Professor on His Role in the New
Government
---------------- A Call for an Open Church
---------------- Defining Participation: A Model
Conference Consititution
Raymond F. Cottrell The Varieties of Church Structure
Vol. 15, No. 2 Roy Branson A Church of, By and For the People
Judith P. Nembhard Women Pastors Begin Baptizing
Lowell Tarling Who Killed Azaria? Adventists on
Trial in Australia (Part I)
Edward Lugenbeal The Conservative Restoration of
Geoscience
Richard Hammill Fifty Years of Creationism: The
Story of An Insider
F.E.J. Harder Beyond Arithmetic: The Truth of
Creation
Roy Benton Odyssey of An Adventist Scientist
30
Bonnie Dwyer Right Turn on the Road to the
General Conference
Nancy Vyhmeister Women of Mission
Kermit Netteburg When God Called
James Londis God As WomanBBlasphemy or
Blessing?
1985
Vol. 16, No. 1 Bruce Branson Baby Fae: Loma Linda Says Yes:
Anatomy of a Decision
Ed Christian Eyewitness in Beijing: The Re-
Emergence of Adventism
Vol. 16, No. 4 Roy Branson The Church of the South Emerges at
New Orleans
Bonnie Dwyer City on a Hill: The Pathfinders in
Colorado
Karen Bottomley Pilgrimage in the Rockies: The AAF
Geology Tour
Donald R. McAdams Free College Boards: Toward a
Pluralism of Excellence
Malcolm Russell Break Up the College Cartel
Richard C. Osborne Adventist Academies in Crisis
31
Vol. 16, No. 5 Sarah Oates Smoking Out the Tobacco
Companies
Susan Okie Tobacco Ads Snuff Out Anti-
smoking Articles
Matthew L. Myers Fighting the Good Fight: The
Citizens= Campaign against Tobacco
Berry L. Casey 1985 Annual Council: Female
Pastors Are Not as Equal as Others
Josephine Benton God Called a Woman
Vol. 17, No. 1 Charles Scriven The Real Truth About the Remnant
Mitchell A. Tyner Can Adventists Continue to
Discriminate in Hiring?
Priscilla & James Child Abuse in Adventism
Walters
Brian E. Strayer Adventist TithepayingBthe Untold
Story
32
Vol. 17, No. 5 Terrie D. Aamodt, et al. The Harris Pine Bankruptcy: Too
Much, Too Soon?
Frederick Hoyt, ed. Trial of Elder I. Dammon Reported
for the Piscataquis Farmer
Rennie Schoepflin, ed. Scandal or Rite of Passage?
Historians on the Dammon Trial
Frederick Hoyt We Lifted Up Our Voices Like a
Trumpet:Millerites in Portland, ME
Tim Poirier Black Forerunner to Ellen White:
William E. Foy
1988
Vol. 18, No. 2 Ashley James Notes From the Diary of an Abused
Wife
Wanda Bryant Love and the Colorblind
Robert W. Gardner & Welcoming Back the Divorced and
Gerald R. Winslow Remarried
Tim Smith The Fire This Time: Enrollment
Drops Threaten North American
Academies and Colleges
Vol. 18, No. 3 James J. Londis Waiting for Messiah: The Absence
and Presence of God in Adventism
Malcolm Bull The Medicalization of Adventism
Charles Scriven When the Jailhouse Rocks
Roy Branson Trumpet Blasts and Hosannas: A
Once and Future Adventism
Benjamin McArthur A New Look at the Old Days:
Adventist History Comes of Age
33
Vol. 18, No. 5 Norman H. Young Adventism in the Antipodes
Milton R. Hook The Making of a President; Ellen G.
White & A.G. Daniells in Australia
Peter H. Ballis Early Adventists Plunged into New
Zealand Politics
1989
Vol. 19, No. 1 Gary Chartier Epic Fantasy & Christian Theology
Bonnie Dwyer, et al. Watching the Bouncing Ball:
Interscholastic Sports on Adventist
Campuses (& Sideline Debate)
Harold Weiss The Sabbath in Matthew, Mark and
Luke
James J.C. Cox Baptism, the Lord=s Supper and the
Sabbath
Vol. 19, No. 4 Teresa Beem, et al. The Hardest of the AHard Cases@:
Rape and Saving the Life of the
Mother
John C. Brunt Adventists, Abortion, and the Bible
Timothy Crosby Abortion: Some Questionable
Arguments
Richard Fredricks A Biblical Response to Abortion
George Gainer AThe Wisdom of Solomon?@ The
General Conference Abortion
Statements of 1970-1971
34
Vol. 20, No. 1 Malcolm Bull & The Art of Expression
Keith Lockhart
Glen Greenwalt The Gospel According to Seventh-
day Adventists Believe
Delmer A. Johnson By the Campfire: Red Giants, White
Dwarfs, Black HolesBand God
Fritz Guy Negotiating the Creation-Evolution
Wars
Donna Evans How Do Adventist Students Think
About Creation and Evolution?
Vol. 20, No. 4 Zebronn Ncrube African Adventism=s Quest for Self-
Reliance
Andrezj Zeromski AIDS, Africa, and the Adventist
Church
Richard Schwarz Kellogg Snaps, Crackles, and Pops;
His Last Interivew as an AdventistB2
1991
35
Vol. 21, No. 3 Beatrice Neall The Apocalypse of John: A Presence
of Our Future
Barry L. Casey The City in Modern Apocalyptic
Roy Branson Sacrament of the Second Advent
1992
Vol. 22, No. 1 Daisy Stanley Good News Bursting Forth (Des
Ford)
Roy Branson Two Years After the Revolution:
Germany and Czechoslovakia
Misha Glenny The Massacre of Yugoslavia
Vol. 22, No. 2 Gail Rice Have You Hugged Your Kids
Today?
Steve Daily Where=s Papa? What=s Masculinity?
Monte Sahlin Large SDA Churches: Adventism=s
Silent Majority
Ernest Bursey & The Big Deal About Pork & Jewelry
Greg Schneider
1993
Vol. 23, No. 1 Jerry Gladson Job=s Passion for God=s Presence
William Claiborne & The Making of David Koresh
Jim McGee
Vol. 23, No. 3 Roger L. Dudley & Do Adventist Voters Lean Left or
Edwin I. Hernandez Right?
Iris Yob God=s Feminine Roles
36
Charles Scriven God=s Justice, Yes; Penal
Substitution, No
1994
Vol. 23, No. 4 Gilbert Burnham AIDS Hits Africa:Where Are SDAs?
Harold Weiss Adventism as Both/And, Not
Either/Or
John Berecz HypnosisBYes; SDAs Should Use It
37
Jack Provonsha HypnosisBNo; It May Be A
Sin
Vol. 23, No. 5 Sheryll Prinz-McMillan Feminists, Ecology, and the
Sabbath
Caleb Rosado Multicultural Ministry
Henry Felder Race Matters: In and Out of
the Church
1995
38
James L. Hayward The Many Faces of Adventist
Creationism: 1980-1995
Krista Thompson Smith Adventists and Biological
Warfare
Vol. 25, No. 5 Roland Blaich Nazi Race Hygiene & the
Adventists
A. Gregory Schneider The Methodist Connection to
Adventism
David Larson Wesley Keeps Dad and Me
Talking
Woodrow Wilson Ellen White and John Wesley
1997
Vol. 26, No. 1 Frank Knittel & Merge 14 North American
Colleges
Lawrence Geraty Into Two? Yes--& No!
Charles Scriven The Unembarrassed
Adventist
1998
Vol. 26, No. 4 C. Torben Thomsen Saving the Church=s Pension
Plan
Michael Stepniak The Case for an SDA Prep
School
Sandra NehlsenBCannarella The Immunology of Humor
1999
39
Alden Thompson Review of Messenger of the
Lord
2000
Vol. 27, No. 4 Gary Chartier Loving Friends & Loving
God
Edwin A. Karlow The Metaphor of Design
Vol. 28, No. 3 Sakae Kubo What the Church Today Can
Learn from the Book of Acts
40
Robert Johnston Shapes of Ministry in the
New Testament Church
Sakae Kubo Four Reasons Why Women=s
Ordination Is a Moot Issue
2001
Vol. 28, No. 4 Ron Osborn The Politics of Aging
Roger L. Dudley Why Our Teenagers Leave
the Church
(Editors) Divorce and Remarriage
Study Commission Report
Derek Davis & Charles Building a World That
McDaniels Respects Religious
Differences
41
2002
Vol. 29, No. 4 Gary Land An Ambiguous Legacy: A
Retrospective View of
Prophetess of Health
Herbert E. Douglass Reexamining the Way God
Speaks to His Messengers:
Rereading Prophetess of
Health
Richard Rice How the Church Grows
Vol. 30, No. 2 Ernest Bursey Texts & Trivia: The Denials
of Peter
Sasha Ross As the Court Turns (CUC
lawsuit)
Nicholas Miller & Mitch Debating the CUC Case
Tyner
Vol. 30, No. 4 Bert Haloviak The Perennial Quest for the
Word of Life: SDAs & the
Synoptic Problem
42
Anthony Zuccarelli & Current Creation Questions:
Gerald Winslow the Test of Human Cloning
John Brunt They Said, We Said:
Denominational Statements
on Human Cloning
Keith Lockhart From Antifederalism to
SDAsm
Leigh Johnsen Conscience, Taxes, Coercion:
Isaac Backus & the Adventist
Tradition of Separation
between Church & State
2004
Vol. 31, No. 4 John McDowell Rabbit’s Folly in Pooh’s
Grand Adventure: Reading
the Bible & the Nature of
Inspiration
Stefanie Johnson Questioning Sabbath School
John Polkinghorne Friendship of Science &
Religion
Loren Seibold Whose Church Is It,
Anyway?
Beverly Beem & Pilgrims & Strangers:
Ginger Harwood Adventist Spirituality, 1850-
1863
Vol. 32, No. 1 Gifford Rhamie Encountering the Ethiopian
Eunuch
Gorden Doss God’s Will for the Wealthy
and Poor
Borge Schantz, Reinder ADRA & the Adventist
Missions:
Bruinsma, Bonnie Dwyer Rescued or Kidnapped? (all
3 short articles)
Richard Rice The Great Controversy & the
Problem of Evil
Nancy Lecourt The Great Controversy over
You-Know-Who (Harry
Potter books)
43
Vol. 32, No. 2 Kendra Haloviak Pastor or Prostitute? The
Battle over Mary Magdalene
Brian Bull & Fritz Guy Then a Miracle Occurs
Heather Osborn Sabbath & Sports: Next
Religious Liberty Battle or
Too Hot to Touch?
Vol. 32, No. 4 Roger Dudley & Where Church and State
Edwin Hernandez Meet: Spectrum Surveys the
Adventist Vote
2005
Vol. 33, No. 1 Bruce Manners A Print-Driven Church
Daneen Akers Can Adventist Television
Learn Anything from Oprah?
Ross Winkle Disappearing Act: Hiram
Edson’s Cornfield
Experience
Christ Blake The Other Sanctuary
Doctrine
Norman H. Young Sanctuary: Essence of
Adventism
2006
Vol. 34, No. 1 Keith Lockhart The Myth of Vegetarianism
Chris Blake Are We Guardians of Truth
or Seekers of Truth?
Alexander Carpenter That Embarrassing Voice of
Prophecy
44
Bert Haloviak Ellen White, the Australian
Ministers, & the Role of
Women Preachers
Arthur Patrick Glacier View & the Austra-
lian Ministers
David Thiele Who is the SDA in 2006?
Vol. 34, No. 4 Malcolm Bull & Keith Authority & Identity
Lockhart
2007
Vol. 35, No. 1 Grenville Kent Cybersex, Solipsism, and
Paul’s Notion of the Body
Loren Seibold Pork
2008
45
about Homosexuality:
Toward the Unity of the
Body of Christ
Mitchell Tyner Public Policy Issues Involv-
ing Homosexuality: An Ad-
ventist Response
Vol. 36, No. 2 Malcolm Bull & Keith Adventism in the Present
Lockhart Tense
Benjamin McArthur Point of the Spear: Adventist
Liberalism & the Study of
46
Keepers of the Flame: Part I - The Apostasy”
47
“Keepers of the Flame: Part II – The Reformers”
48
“Keepers of the Flame: Part III – The Great Expectation”
49
“Keepers of the Flame: Part IV – After The Disappointment”
50
“Keepers of the Flame: Part V – The Weakest of the Weak”
51
“Keepers of the Flame: Part VI – A Lesser Light”
52
“Keepers of the Flame: Part VII – A Healing Ministry”
53
“Keepers of the Flame: Part VIII – Ellen, The Women”
54
“William Miller” (18 minutes; 1989)
Dan Matthews
Kit Carson
Samuel Morse (telegraph)
February 15, 1782
Pittsfield, MA
Low Hampton, NY
Lucy Smith
Deists
Baptist
War of 1812
Captain William Miller
Battle of Plattsburg, NY
Lake Champlain, NY
Supreme Being
“In Jesus I found a friend”
1816-1818
2300 Days (Daniel 8:14)
1831
Maple Grove
“Into the grove went a farmer; there came out a preacher”
Dresden, NY
800 lectures (1834-39)
Millerites
Signs of the Times
The Midnight Cry
prophetic charts (Charles Fitch)
sealing wax
“monitory wafers”
Great Tent (3000 people)
“Millerite Humbug”
Tuesday, October 22, 1844
“Ascension Rock”
Great Disappointment
“Present truths”
Rachel Oakes
Washington, NH Church
Seventh-day Adventists
“Catch the Vision”
restoration projects
“Harvest 90”
Justice of the Peace (barrel documents)
December 1849
“…he will come forth at the sound of the last trump.”
55
“The Midnight Cry!” (1994; 102 minutes)
56
John Quincy Adams Buffalo, NY (Lake Erie)
“The Great Tent” Leonard Hastings (NH)
Hiram Munger (tentmaster) potato field
55’ pole; 3-4000 people Ezekial Hale’s woolen mill
125 camp meetings (1841-44) Haverhill, NH
John Greenleaf Whittier Rochester, NY hatmaker
James G. Bennett (New York Herald) mob spirit
“Liars Department” “The Bridegroom cometh!”
“humbug and fool” Jane Marsh Parker
The Olive Branch “They waited quietly”
ascension robes myth “Blasted Hope”
April 3, 1843 Luther Boutelle
March 21, 1843/44 Hiram Edson
Washington, DC (pranksters) “We wept and wept until the day dawn”
comet (February 1843) James S. White
Millerite “orgies” myth “I wept like a child”
Millerite insanity myth Albany Conference (1845)
“voracious harpies in human shape” 3 viewpoints on October 22, 1844
Horace Greeley (New York Tribune) Date right/event wrong
Alexander Campbell Event right/date wrong
Disciples of Christ Spiritual coming in hearts of believers
William Lloyd Garrison (The Liberator) Evangelical Adventists
rise of fanaticism Advent Christian Church
Josiah Litch Ellen Harmon on 1844
Levi Stockman (heresy trial) new sanctuary focus
Chestnut Street Methodist Church potato blight
Robert Harmon family expelled Howard Atheneum
“Come out of Babylon” “Elijah the Prophet” (Snow)
Charles Fitch James and Ellen White
“The Blessed Hope” Seventh-day Adventist Church
Ezekial Hale Marx; Shakespeare; Hemingway; White
March 21, 1844 Elk Point, SD (Himes)
Boston Tabernacle (May 1844) Miller disfellowshiped
“Tarrying Time” (Habakkuk) Miller Chapel
“Midnight Cry” (Matthew 25) “At the time appointed the end shall be”
Parable of the 10 virgins Legacy of the Millerite Movement
Henry Clay v. James Polk Church of God (Seventh Day) = 6000
Washingtonian Society members
Joseph Smith Advent Christian Church = 28,000
“Seventh Month Movement” members
Samuel Sheffield Snow SDA Church = 8,000,000+ members
Exeter, NH camp meeting “Today–until He comes”
August 1844
10th Day of the 7th month
October 22, 1844
Himes and Miller on October 22nd
57
“The Kellogg Brothers: Cornflake Kings” (1995; 50 minutes)
58
“The Cornflakes Story” with Gerrilyn Roberts (24 minutes)
59
“Waco—The Inside Story” (1995; 57 minutes)
60
“Ordination to the Gospel Ministry” (1995; 90 minutes)
61
“The Conscientious Objector: A True Story of An American Soldier” (2004 101
mins.)
62
110-128 degrees F 30 April 1945
“A” Company; “B” Company
“It was like a miracle”
2 May 1945
Doss’ principle of treatment
Doss’ greatest temptation
“Mortars coming down like grapes”
“I couldn’t believe how calm he was”
155 men; 55 retreat off the ridge
double-loop bowline knot
75+ men lowered
“Bullets were flying like bees”
“Lord, please help me get one more!”
“It was like the Lord had His hand on his [Doss’] shoulder”
Japanese gun jams
5 May 1945 (Saturday)
Delay for Doss to read Bible
307th Infantry Regiment holds Ridge
Commander Jack Lover (saved by Doss)
21 May 1945 (Doss wounded twice)
Mercy (hospital ship)
Dos loses his Bible on battlefield
Soldiers risk lives to find his Bible
115,000 Japanese killed
15,000 U.S. soldiers killed
17 pieces shrapnel in his body
President Harry S Truman
12 October 1945
15 Medals of Honor
“You really deserve this! I consider this a greater honor than being President”
100% disabled
Tuberculosis; total deafness
November 1991 (wife Dorothy died)
Frances Doss (second wife)
“He is a man at peace”
“He was one of the bravest persons alive”
Kind of a loner
A man of deep faith, courage and humility
“I’m proud to have known him”
63
“The Red Books” (DVD, 2008, 90 minutes)
As you watch this drama staged by Pacific Union College students concerning Ellen
White and her writings, think about the following questions:
64