Carol Kinney Student ID 928059 ICS 3215DE
Seventh-day Adventist Movement: Cult, Not Denomination
The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church is a relatively new cult of Christianity that began in the second half of the nineteenth century in America. There has been much debate in recent years as to the label of cult versus denomination, yet the term “cult” is more appropriate since some of the teachings of the group lean toward the classic definition. Ruth Tucker says that “when the distinctive doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventists are not strongly emphasized, most Protestant evangelicals would probably find themselves far more at home in an Adventist church . . . than in a liberal . . . one (116).” Walter Martin, author of the classic cult handbook Kingdom of the Cults, warns that although the very roots of the organization could be seen as a “non-Christian cult system,” it should be carefully remembered that the Adventism of today is different in not a few places from the Adventism of 1845 (409).” Even though many doctrinal changes have occurred within the movement that has moved it closer to orthodoxy, the organization still holds onto some of those “distinctive doctrines” from the early days which clearly defines the movement as cultic. A look at the Seventh-day Adventists church would not be complete without prefacing its history which began with a group called the Millerites. The setting was mid-nineteenth century New England, and the current hot religious topic of the day was the Second Coming of Christ (Slick). Matt Slick says that a dominate voice in this discussion was William Miller, a former deist turned Baptist turned prophet, who claimed to know the exact day on which Christ would return to Earth to save the faithful followers. Slick adds, since this particular topic was already so popular, Miller did not have too difficult a time locating followers to accept his claims that Christ would reappear to humankind on March 21, 1844. This prediction was a result of Miller’s interpretation of Daniel 8:14, which Miller claimed he had uncovered the exact calendar
formula from that scripture, after predicting other dates which Miller had not proven his claim (Slick). When March 21st came and went without incident, Miller “adjusted his findings” to the date of October 22 of that same year which again Miller’s prophesy and calculations were found unfullfilled (Slick). It would appear that Miller did not know the words of Jesus at Matthew 24:13: “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour (NRSV) (c.f. Matt. 24:36). It was at this point that Miller’s followers, the Millerites, called it quits, and the time that followed became known as “The Great Disappointment” (Slick). This overwhelming disappointment felt by the thousands of Millerites was only compounded by the fact that they no longer had a strong leader to comfort them and to assure them in their faith, especially after so many had sold all of their possession, including their homes and businesses (Doblemeir). Additionally, because they had abandoned all earthly possessions, they were not prepared to face the coming winter months without stored food, shelter or proper clothing (Vance, 21). Joshua Himes, devout follower of Miller, organized humanitarian aid to the Millerites in order to keep the group unified, and in April of 1845, “Miller, Himes and other Millerite leaders” reorganized the group in Albany, NY and also used this meeting to “distinguish and distance themselves” from groups that “were emerging from the rubble of The Great Disappointment” (Vance 21-22). One such member of one of these other groups was a teenage girl named Ellen Harmon. Ellen Harmon was born November 27, 1827 in Maine to devout Methodist parents. The Millerites were not the only ones who were swept up into the Second-Coming of Christ mania of the early 1880’s; Miller had much influence on Christians from all denominations, including Ellen Harmon and her family. Plagued with ill health stemming from having a rock thrown at
her head, Ellen and her family were encouraged by Miller’s preaching of the Second-Coming of Christ because it gave them hope that their daughter would no longer be affected by her ill health (Vance 23). Their Methodist church was not pleased with the Harmon’s adaptation of Miller’s theology and asked them to leave or be excommunicated. The Harmon family chose excommunication and joined the Millerites in 1840 (Vance 23). When the day of The Great Disappointment had arrived on October 23, 1844, Ellen Harmon and her family were part of the mourners. Charles White, Ellen’s great-grandson, says Ellen’s initial reaction was to “cry all night”. But Ellen would not be mournful for long, as she joined the new movement organized by Himes and Miller. Ellen was convinced that Miller was not wrong, that Christ was soon coming again, and in fact she had proof. She claimed to have received this knowledge through a vision received from God in which she saw all of the people who believed in the impending second coming and who had been disappointed, “the advent people,” on a journey into heaven (White, E. 58.3). And so for the next two years she spent her days preaching, teaching, and encountering more visions from God, promoting Miller’s reorganized message. In 1846, Ellen became influenced by Joseph Bates, who introduced her to the theology of the “true Sabbath” and this caused Ellen to claim another vision from God, reinforcing Bates’ notion of observing the Sabbath on Saturday, rather than Sunday (White, E. 85.5). According to Ellen, she was shown that the “precious promises of Isaiah 58:12-14” were given to those who restored the “true Sabbath,” this was a “commandment of God,” and that the received vision was a warning from God to all those who were not adhering to this “commandment.” A result of Bates’ influence and the vision was the beginnings of a new movement called Seventh-day Adventism, led by Ellen and her new husband, James White. It
was this adaptation of Sabbath theology by the now named Ellen G. White, that was the last straw for Himes, who was already “distressed by the ‘visionary nonsense’” (Tucker 101) which caused a rift between White and the Millerites, however it was not until 1863, “nearly two decades after the Great Disappointment that the Seventh-day Adventists were organized as a church (Tucker 103) who set themselves apart from other Christians by worshipping on Saturday. Dale Ratzlaff, a former SDA pastor, cautions that the SDA understanding of the Sabbath observance is unbiblical. The SDA’s website says that they observe the Saturday Sabbath because the law is “unchangeable” and requires obedience to the “fourth commandment.” Ratzlaff explains that the SDA observance of the Sabbath prohibits work of any kind, as well as any activity that is enjoyable such as sports (118). The SDA church teaches that Christians who do not observe the Sabbath on Saturday will receive the mark of the beast and that salvation depends upon observance (Martin 472). The current SDA president, Ted Wilson, said “God raised up the Seventh-day Adventist movement. We have a mandate from heaven to preach the everlasting Gospel . . . to boldly proclaim the fall of Babylon’s apostate religion, and to warn the world not to receive the mark of the beast but instead be sealed with the seal of God’s everlasting mark of authority-----the seventh-day Sabbath.” Aside from this condemnation of every Christian, except SDA’s, the Seventh-day Sabbath does not jibe with scripture. Once Ratzlaff began to thoroughly study scriptures apart from the teachings of Ellen White, he discovered the law of the Sabbath Saturday no longer applied since “no longer was the law the focus” and “now Christ alone was at the center of theology and life (121-122).” The scriptural basis that Ratzlaff was using in his study on the Sabbath was taken
from Galatians, John, Romans and Hebrews. Hebrews 7 speaks of the change of the law and priesthood from that which was under the Law of Moses to the priesthood of Christ. Verses 1819 says “there is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual (for the law made nothing perfect); there is on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope through which we approach God (NRSV).” This is the basis in which the SDA is incorrect in keeping their Sabbath doctrine; it remains focused on the laws given to the nation of Israel, rather than focusing on the “better hope” of Jesus Christ. Keeping their Sabbath doctrine negates the fullness of Christ, and since the law no longer applies to God’s people, the mark of the beast given to those who worship on other days than Saturday is preposterous at best. Another doctrine of the SDA church that denies the fullness of Christ is the Investigative Judgment. Out of all of the teachings of Ellen G. White’s, this is the one that sets Seventh-day Adventists apart from Christian denominations. It is a doctrine that greatly contributes to defining the movement as cultic and one that has ignited much controversy within the church itself. While it would take much more time and space than this paper has room for, it is important to take a look at this doctrine. The Investigative Judgment doctrine that Ellen White taught sprouted out of the Great Disappointment. Realizing that so many had relied upon the accuracy of Miller’s date timing of Christ’s Second Coming and so many were left without hope, Ellen felt the need to defend Miller’s work, and so the Investigative Judgment was born. The Investigative Judgment, based upon Miller’s dating of the “end of the prophetic period of 2300 days” says that “Jesus entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry (Tucker 110)” on October 22, 1844, the date of Miller’s second coming, and although we could not see him, it
was the time when Jesus entered into the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse the sins of believers (Martin 475). In other words, Christ’s work on the cross was not finished on the cross. To further understand this doctrine, it is essential that White’s own words should be read. White wrote an explanation of the workings of the doctrine in her book The Great Controversy. “He comes to the Ancient of days in Heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be given him at the close of his work as a mediator. It is this coming, and not his second advent to the earth, that was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844. Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God, to engage in the last acts of his ministration in behalf of man,—to perform the work of investigative Judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. In the typical service, only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin-offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the day of atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative Judgment, the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period (480).” Martin, who was fair to the movement in his book regarding misconceptions of interpreting SDA doctrines1, is not so non-prejudicial to the doctrine of Investigative Judgment. He writes, “John 5:24 . . . deals a devastating blow to the Seventh-day Adventist concept of Investigative Judgment (476).” Since White preached that before Christ came again, he would “serve as advocate for . . . professing believers” (Tucker 110), this is in direct opposition to the John text that says “I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. The will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed 1 It is important to note that at one time Walter Martin, along with Donald Grey Barnhouse, wrote a book called The Truth About Seventh-day Adventism (1960, Zondervan), declaring that based upon his study of the organization’s Questions On Doctrines, which were responses to Christians about the validity of the organization’s beliefs, the SDA was not a cult. According to Adventist historian, George R. Knight, his was highly controversial, as expected, and is the truthfulness of the SDA in the QOD is still questioned today, http://qod.andrews.edu/docs/01_george_knight.pdf.
from death to life (NLT).” Similarly, Colossians 2:9, 10 speaks of the “fullness” of Christ in terms that it is something that has already happened, instead of something that still needs to happen. There are two other parts of the Investigative Judgment that are highly questionable compared to the Bible: the SDA’s understanding of the “Sanctuary,” and soul sleep as taught by White. In response to questions about the Investigative Judgment, the SDA church responded in Questions On Doctrine that the “the death of Christ on Calvary’s cross provides the only sacrifice by which man can be saved” (Martin 428), however they need to qualify their response with “the acceptance of Christ at conversion does not seal a person’s destiny (Martin 429).” In other words, the cleansing of sins was not finished at the cross, but at the time in which Jesus entered the holiest of holies, or the Sanctuary, “synchronizing with the period of the proclamation message of Revelation 14, . . . a time of investigative judgment; . . . This investigative judgment determines who of the myriads of sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the firm resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation.” In referencing the Sanctuary, the SDA has gone from Miller’s interpretation of Daniel 8:14, skipped over the entire life of Jesus Christ on Earth, his death, resurrection and ascension, and went straight for prophesy. If they had not done this, then Ellen White and the SDA could see in Hebrews 9 that the need for a sacrificial sanctuary place had been done away with by Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension. Hebrews 9: 28b: “He will come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting him (NLT).” That one verse denies the need for Christ to enter the sanctuary again to cleanse our sins. Both the Investigative Judgment and the Sanctuary doctrine of the SDA have been refuted by scripture; this leaves the doctrine of soul sleep.
Simply put, soul sleep is when at death, “the spirit of man lapse into unconsciousness pending the resurrection (Martin 454).” Martin asserts that the Adventists list eight scriptures to base their beliefs of soul sleep on, yet take them out of context and misinterpret the scriptures to make it fit their belief. He says “it is the strong conviction of mine, based upon Scripture, that the doctrine of soul sleep cannot stand in the light of God’s revelation (455). He uses Matthew 10:28 to justify this scriptural basis in which the soul is “more than ‘body and breath’ as the Seventh-day Adventism teaches, for He said, ‘Fear not them which can kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul!” Based upon Scripture, Bible scholars feel that “it is the doctrine of investigative judgment more than anything else that separates the Seventh-day Adventist from mainline evangelicals (Tucker 112).” In the 1980’s, even Adventist pastors were questioning the scriptural basis for the doctrine and when more than one-hundred of them questioned it, they were “ostracized from the church they sought to reform (Tucker 110).” Ratzlaff explains why Investigative Judgment is so important to the church: to deny this building block of the organization is to reject the teachings of Ellen White and that “would completely undermine the authority of Ellen White, causing the unique teachings of Adventism to fall like dominoes (97).” Although the Adventists deny that the authority given to Ellen White is akin to the authority of the Bible, they do believe that she was a prophetess for this age, “whose writings are continuing and authoritative source of truth (Tucker 109). Martin says that this is one area where critics of the movement have blown the emphasis of White’s teachings within the organization out of proportion (Martin 437-447), however the basis for the reaction is due to the findings in the 1970’s when accusations of plagiarism committed by White, long since
brewing since the beginning of the organization, finally came out into the light (Tucker, Martin 437-447). The claims of plagiarism would not have been so serious, as it was common practice in White’s time to borrow from other writers, but the real issue was that the borrowed material surfaced in the visions of White, which she readily claimed to be divine revelations from God (Tucker 109). Ratzlaff describes how the findings were exacerbated by the organization with an attempt to hide the facts. Ratzlaff relates a story about Walter Rea, one of the chief pastors who uncovered the truth, saying that when Rea learned the truth of the matter he went to the White Estates for a “secret meeting,” but the meeting could not be taped so that the evidence would stay hidden (66). Needless to say, the information did not stay hidden and Pastor Rea, along with Desmond Ford and other leaders began to write to Adventists via the “Adventist Underground” so that the truth would be heard by all (Ratzlaff 73-78). Eventually all of these leaders were either expelled or willingly resigned from the organization (Martin, interspersed throughout 409-500). It is the official stance of the SDA today to regret the way that the situation in the 1970’s to 80’s was handled. Niels-Erik Andreasen, President of Andrews University says “Early on, without intending to, we managed to turn many of our people away from God’s will as revealed in His law. Ellen White spoke of that in 1888. At first we listened and changed, but then we forgot what we had learned. We have no one but ourselves to blame for this state of affairs somehow, during nearly 100 years of ministry we as pastors and teacher managed to preach about the law of God and in the same breath as we spoke of God’s judgment, especially the so-called investigative judgment, or pre-advent judgment. Is that not so? I really do not think that all of us intended to do it that way, but somehow we did, and we managed to frighten many of our members with the judgment. We made them fearful that they would surely be lost during the end time, because they had failed (as we all have truly failed) to obey the law of God (2002).”
While Andreasen’s mea culpa on behalf of the SDA could be seen as admirable and a step in the right direction for the organization to move closer to orthodoxy, it cannot be ignored that Andreasen was not actually denying the investigative judgment in the SDA. Additionally, while some of the doctrinal issues that Tucker confronts, such as the “scapegoat theory” (112), has been rectified by the organization in recent years (Martin 482), the SDA cannot be considered another Christian denomination because they still hold onto beliefs that Ellen White taught which are inconsistent with Scripture. They may have a sincere worshipful attitude as Tucker claims, perhaps even more so than Christians in mainline denominations, however this does not negate the fact the Investigative Judgment and the doctrines that are tied to it are not biblically sound. The Investigative Judgment is at the top of the list of false teachings, right along with their basis for the Seventh-day Sabbath. While the SDA claims sola scriptura, their persistent hanging onto the teachings of Ellen White clearly says the opposite about their organization. It is obvious that they still believe that the teachings of the prophetess Ellen White are equal to or more important than God’s Word on matters. Until the SDA renounces these unbiblical doctrines, it will have to live with the label of cult, as opposed to denomination. “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman . . . who calls herself a prophet –to lead my servants astray. . .” Revelation 2:20 NLT
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