Church History

Timely applications of the predictions made by biblical prophets often eclipse their timeless qualities. This presentation points to a need to pay more attention to the timeless aspects of biblical prophetic messages, particularly those that relate to the end times. To this end, statements like “the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, the stars will fall from the sky” are surveyed in their original Old Testament contexts and genres. The presentation closes with a call to Adventist biblical scholars to give more attention to the timeless aspects of biblical prophetic predictions.

World War I was a defining moment in world history. It had profound implications for religion, particularly among evangelical Christians. At the same time, it also had profound implications for Seventh-day Adventism. This presentation examines its impact for Seventh-day Adventist theology, particularly in a renewed emphasis upon Adventist eschatology. During World War I the rising fundamentalist movement held a series of prophecy conferences that captured the attention of Adventist church leaders. By the end of the conflict this sense of militarism had pervaded Protestant Christianity with various reactions to the war. This presentation surveys some of those reactions within Adventism, including how this impacted eschatological debates with Adventism and fundamentalism. The focus of this presentation is to survey Adventist eschatology and theological debates from World War I through World War II, leading up to the pivotal 1952 Bible Conference that finally culminated in continued eschatological discussions. This presentation argues that both twentieth-century world wars had a profound impact upon Seventh-day Adventist theology.

The investigative judgment doctrine has always been an intrinsic part of Seventh-day Adventist soteriology. Throughout the history of Seventh-day Adventists, however, the investigative (or Pre-Advent) judgment has been one of the most controversial doctrines, challenged and questioned more than any other Adventist belief. For Adventists, however, the investigative judgment forms an essential part of their theology and cannot be abandoned. This is because their soteriology is locked within a meta-theological paradigm that necessitates the eschatological pre-Advent judgment. Understanding this paradigm may be helpful in explaining the beauty and uniqueness of Adventist soteriology.

Scripture reveals promises that shape biblical eschatology, the advent hope. However, is eschatology being presented in a way relevant to audiences of the twenty-first century? The Hebrew generations who coexisted during the early Persian period can illuminate current challenges on the proclamation of the Advent Hope. An overview of the Hope messages to the audiences of Haggai, Malachi, and Hadassah provides principles that are relevant today. These audiences have many elements in common with modernists, postmoderns, and metamoderns who coexist in current communities. Insights from these biblical texts and their archaeological context illuminate ways that could be used to present Adventist eschatology to contemporary generations.

The historical application of the fourth beast in Daniel 7 has almost exclusively been interpreted by Adventist scholars with the emphasis on the western part of the Roman Empire. This is particularly noticeable when the end of the empire is linked with the territory where the little horn appears. This presentation attempts to demonstrate that taking AD 1453 as the end of the Roman Empire brings an opportunity for a much more historically precise application of Daniel 7 in regards to the fourth beast and a much more complete theological understanding of the identity of the little horn.

Introduction The acceptance of Ellen G. White’s modern-day prophetic gift naturally raises questions about the relationship between her writings and the biblical writings. If the same divine source generated both sets of writings, one may legitimately ask for the authority and finality of Ellen W...

The Reformation and the Remnant: The Reformers Speak to Today’s Church (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2016), 142 pp. Paperback, US$15.99 On the eve of five centuries since Martin Luther circulated his 95 Theses in Wittenberg comes this thoughtful, and at times even provocative, book on the meaning ...

Ecumenism has a history as long as the division of the Christian church. Unity of the body of Christ has been a prayer and a dream since the beginning. Jesus prayed for unity and the apostles struggled to maintain unity. In the history of every church, you will find unity being challenged. The hi...

Glúder Quispe, Merlin D. Burt, and Alberto R. Timm. Legado Adventista: Un panorama histórico y teológico del adventismo [Adventist Legacy: A historical and Theological Overview of Adventism]. Lima, Peru: Universidad Peruana Unión, Centro de Investigación White, 2013, 415 pp. US$20.00. This book—w...

Hans Heinz, Glaube, Macht und Hybris (Mundelsheim, Germany: Basista Media GmbH., 2013), 133 pp. EUR$7.90. Hans Heinz, Th.D., spent forty years in the classroom teaching theology students in Austria (Bogenhofen) and Germany (Marienhöhe and Friedensau). He has published several books and written ma...