THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Bible Conference, 2015Gil Valentine

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Pioneers and Anti-Trinitarian Beginnings

Connectionist Roots

Trinity was “unscriptural” Believed in “one living and true God, . . . who is un-originated, independent, and eternal”. Christ was not.

Holy Spirit - “the power and energy of God . . . holy influence”

Joshua V. Himes, Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge

(1835) 363

Sabbatarian Anti-Trinitarians

James White Joseph Bates J.N. Andrews M.E. Cornell J.H. Waggoner J.N.

Loughborough

Uriah Smith A.C. Bourdeau D.T. Bourdeau R.F. Cottrell A.T. Jones W.W. Prescott

“Did all the Fathers sin?” (A. W. Spalding to L. E. Froom, 1947)

Sabbatarian Pioneers - I

James White “old unscriptural trinitarian

creed” (1846) “the old trinitarian absurdity

that Jesus Christ is the very and Eternal God” (1852)

“inexplicable trinity” (1877) 16th C reformers should have

continued to reform and included Trinity in cleanup (1856)

Sabbatarian Pioneers - 2

John N Andrews “the Son of God . . . At some point

in the eternity of the past” had a “beginning of days.” (1869)

Christ’s immortality was “derived” (1874)

M E Cornell “a fruit of the great apostasy”

Sabbatarian Pioneers - 3

Uriah Smith – semi-Arian “first created being . . .before

any other created being” (1865) “God alone” is “without

beginning”. (1898) Christ appeared due to “some

divine impulse or process.” (1898)

Fundamental Beliefs (1980)

2. The Trinity

There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal persons.

4. The Son

God the Eternal Son . . . Forever truly God . . .

5. The Holy Spirit

God the Eternal Spirit . . . He . . .

Students of the Development

Erwin Gane (1963)Russell Holt (1969)LeRoy Froom (1971)Merlin Burt (1996)Woodrow Whidden (1998) Jerry Moon (2003)

Ellen White

An Episcopalian Methodist

Articles of Religion 1: Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.“There is but one living and true God . . . And in unity of this God-head, there are three persons of one substance, power, and eternity;—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America ~ (1798) (Thomas Coke and Francis

Asbury)

Ellen White’s Difficulty

“There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, . . . And in unity of this God-head, there are three persons of one substance, power, and eternity;— Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

(Articles of Religion 1: Of Faith in the Holy Trinity).

Reasons for Rejecting Trinity

Spiritualized God too much – made God “unreal”

How could “immortal” God die on Cross and still be immortal?

More Reasons . . .

Thought the Trinity made the Father and the Son identical.

Misconception that “Trinity” means the existence of three Gods.

“Son” of God means more recent origin for ‘Son.”

The Ambiguous Ellen White

Troubled by “without body or parts.”

Anti-creedal.

No explicit anti- or semi-trinitarian statements.

The Ambiguous Ellen White

No traditional trinitarian expressions. No “trinity.” No “unity of the God-head.”

Statements can be read either way.

EGW Godhead Terminology

The three great powers of heaven.

Three living persons of the heavenly trio.

Three holy dignitaries of heaven.

(Evangelism 616)

Our Question

Why and How did things change?

In stages.

Gil’s View of the Stages

1. Dominant Anti-T: 1846-1888

2. A paradigm shift at the core: 1888 -1898

3. Widening Realignments: 1898-1913/14

4. Slow Decline of Anti-T 1913-46

5. Dominance of Trinitarianism 1946-80

1888 - A Watershed

“A Paradigm Shift”

Jesus at the Center of Adventist Theology

Not law!

The “Paradigm Shift”

How? Who?When?

How ?

Ellen White?or ?

A Story of How and Why

1888

1893Adventist Preaching

meets Jesus

The Letters . . .L. E. Froom & A. W. Spalding

askH. Camden Lacey

(1945 & 1947)

Corroborated by W. W. Prescott, A. G.

Daniells & W. C. White (1893 – 1897)

1895 Developments

Prescott travels to Australia.

Assignment: A year-long SS lesson series – to begin 3rd Qtr 1996.

Studies Gospel of John.

1895 Developments

Prescott reads NeanderPreaches gospel-centered sermons in Melbourne

Apologetics and Christology

Semi-arianism offends. SDAs perceived as “cult.”

1895 Developments

Workers Meetings - Melbourne

Study of Holy Spirit

1896 Developments

Two strands of development converge.

Melbourne to Cooranbong

An “Institute” – March/April 1896

1896 Developments

Literary Project

Difficulties with “The Life of Christ”

Prescott to read “critically”

Change Agents

Cooranbong 1896

Clearer Views of Jesus

“It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, "I AM THAT I AM. . . . Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Ex. 3:14. This was the pledge of Israel's deliverance. So when He came "in the likeness of men," He declared Himself the I AM. . . .

Clearer Views of Jesus

And to us He says: "I AM the Good Shepherd." "I AM the living Bread." "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life." "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." John 10:11; 6:51; 14:6; Matt. 28:18. I AM the assurance of every promise. I AM; be not afraid. "God with us" is the surety of our deliverance from sin, the assurance of our power to obey the law of heaven.” (DA 24.3)

Clearer Views of Jesus

“Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection, and the life." In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. "He that hath the Son hath life." 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life.”

(DA 530)

John Cumming

Sabbath Evening Readings on the New Testament: St John (1854).

Cumming was minister of a Church of Scotland

congregation in Convent Garden, London.

Published approximately 180 books during his lifetime.

One of the most virulent anti-catholic preachers of his

day.

Clearer Views of Jesus

1898

Andrew Murray

The Spirit of Christ (1888)

Andrew Murray

“It is generally admitted in the Church that the Holy Spirit has not the recognition which becomes Him as being the equal of the Father and the Son, the Divine Person through whom alone the Father and the Son can be truly possessed and known . . .”

The Spirit of Christ p 20

The Spirit as “Person”

Institute Bible Studies

(March/April 1896)

“Holy Spirit in our Schools.” EGW first time in print uses “He”

(May 10, 1896)

Clearer Views of the Spirit

“The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.”Special Testimonies for Ministers

and Workers, 25, 37(1897).

Clearer Views of the Spirit

“The mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power.”

Desire of Ages. 671 (1898)

Clearer Views of the Spirit

“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.”

[Avondale] (MS 66 1899.)

Implementing a New Consensus

New Summary of BeliefsF. M. Wilcox – 1913 - Inclusive

Revising the books – 1914-15

Bible Readings Thoughts on Daniel/Revelation

Implementing a New Consensus

Theology and Adventist Hymnody

1941 Hymnbook: No 73: “Holy Holy Holy” but no

“Trinity” No 45 “The Sun is on the Land

and Sea”last stanza “All Glory to the Trinity”

Implementing a New Consensus

Theology and Adventist Hymnody

1985 Hymnbook: No 73: “H, H, H,” with “Blessed

Trinity” Six others on theme of Triune God

The Processes of Change

Encounters with God – love and grace

Clearer views of Jesus Apologetics Study of Scripture Inadequacy of previous

explanations Change Agents

CLEARER VIEWS OF JESUS

Enriched our understanding of GodEnlarged our horizons of mission

Are still the need of the church

End

Sources

Jerry Moon. “The Adventist Trinity Debate, Part 1: Historical Overview” (AUSS [41:1] Spring 2003, 113-129); and “The Adventist Trinity Debate, Part 2: The Role of Ellen G. White” (AUSS [41:2] Autumn 2003, 275-292).

W. Whidden, J. Moon, J.W. Reeve. The Trinity: Understanding God’s love, His plan of salvation, and Christian relationships (RHPA 2002), 190-231.

Gilbert Valentine. “A slice of history: How clearer views of Jesus developed in the Adventist Church” Ministry , May 2005, 14-19

Gilbert Valentine W. W. Prescott (RHPA, 2005) 119-124; 277-284.

Merlin Burt, “Demise of Semi-Arianism and Anti-Trinitarianism in Adventist Theology, 1888-1957.” Unpublished Paper, Andrews University Research Center (1996)

Correspondence: H Camden Lacey to L. E. Froom, 1945, H Camden Lacey to A. W. Spalding, 1947. General Conference Archives.

George Knight, Search for Identity, (RHPA, 2000) 17-32, 110-117, 152-154, 196

2nd Gen Adventists

E. J. Waggoner Christ in position of equality

with Father but there was a time when he “proceeded forth” from the father. (1890)

Stages in Development

1. Dominant Anti-T: 1846-1888

2. Dissatisfaction with Anti-T: 1888 -1898

3. Paradigm shift: 1898-1915

4. Decline of Anti-T: 1913-46

5. Dominance of Trinitarianism 1946-80

Jerry Moon