Battle Creek Revisited: Lessons from the lives of pioneers

 

SDA World Church leaders at Battle Creek's 'Historic Adventist Village"
 for Annual Spring Meeting marking the 150th anniversary of the organized church 

"In the end, it seemed fitting that an archivist -- in this case, David Trim of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists -- would encapsulate two days of presentations about a variety of topics related to the 150-year anniversary of the movement's formal organization.

"This is a historian's dream," the waistcoated Trim said the afternoon of Sabbath, April 13, 2013, before an assemblage of world church officers  "Church leaders sitting down for two days listening to history -- may it happen many more times!"

The two days of programs were not, however, merely an academic exercise. Instead, the presentations were designed to help delegates to the movement's Spring Meeting, one of two bi-annual business sessions, understand the roots of present-day Adventism as well as to draw lessons from the lives of pioneers, early believers and even apostates.

The fervor of early Adventists sometimes faded: Moses Hull was one of those who suggested the name "Seventh-day Adventist Church," but later apostatized into Spiritualism. John Harvey Kellogg, leader of the church's early health and education departments, built the famed Battle Creek Sanatorium, but later wrested it from church control, and in 1907 was dropped from membership  because of his advocacy of pantheistic ideas. Towards the end of his life, reported Bill Knott, editor and executive publisher of Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines, Kellogg acknowledged his errors, at least privately, but declined rebaptism for fear of igniting controversy.

Sadly, though, Knott said, "Kellogg's story ended well before his death," because of his separation from the movement ..."

Read more: http://www.adventistreview.com/article/6223/archives/issue-2013-1510/10-cn-adventist-leaders-hear-fresh-perspectives-on-early-church-history