The history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church takes its roots in the currents that affected christianity spirituality towards the end of the XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX century.
The believers' wait - particularly in the protestant countries - is a testimony of their desire of a much clearer inner faith. It is at the same time a period marked by a renewal in the study of the Bible.
Thus, the thought becomes eschatologic - it brings the attention of the believers to the sings of the endtime as we know it - It is given top priority in the theological researches. The interest aroused by the Bible teaching on the second coming of Christ is of the highest importance.
Political, industrial and social revolutions, and the hopes of science hope also affect religious circles : for some, the world walks towards peace, justice, thus preparing the coming of Christ; for others, it is a disaster, the empoverishment and the proletarianization of the masses.
It is in this general context, that William Miller started to propagate his biblical convictions. In 1861, the Seventh-day Adventist Church did the same. Both met essential needs.
Big stages:
- Publication of first magazine : 1849, Present Truth. It becomes Review and Herald in
1850
- Between 1860 and 1863, Adventists organized themselves into a denomination. It is in
1861 that the name Seventh-day Adventist Church is finally chosen, Adventist because the
expectation of the second coming of Christ is at the heart of the faith; seventh-day,
because one's relationship with God entails the respect of the commandments, of which the
fourth stipulates the rest of the seventh-day of the week.
- 1874 : Signs of the Times Magazine
- 1876 : Monthly review in French: Signes des Temps - Some pionneers: Joseph Bates, Hiram
Edson, James White, J.N. Andrews, J. Loughborough, Uriah Smith, Ellen G. Harmon, who
became James White's wife in 1846.
Seventh-day Adventist Development .
United States: 1850 - 1873, from New England to California and to Canada.
. Europe :
1864 Piemont, M.B. Czechowski, first Adventist Pastor in Europe.
. Organization of the first important communities in Europe:
1864 : England
1866 : Tramelan, Switzerland
1877 : Valencia, France ; Naples, Italy
1877 - 1895 : Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland
1899 : Jemappes, Liege, Belgium
1885 : Australia and the Pacific Islands
. South America: 1895
. South Africa: 1864
. Africa : since 1894, in Rhodesia
. China : 1888
. Turkey : 1889
. India : 1893
. Russia : Since 1870, First Seventh-day Adventist Church Conference organized in the
Caucasus in 1886.
. 1990 : First Division organized in Moscow, one of the World Organization levels in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, with almost 40,000 adult baptized members.
- First grand assembly in 1888 in Minneapolis (United States), usually called General
Conference Session by the Adventists, indicate an important step in the re-centering of
its interest for the justification by faith doctrine. Beyond names, places, events or
situations, the Seventh-day Adventist Church takes its spiritual and theological resources
in the heart of the evangelical message. The fundamental beliefs that structure its faith
are rooted in the teachings of the Bible.
Seventh-day Adventists are Christians. They believe in a Sovereign God only, Creator; in Jesus, His Son, and in the Holy Spirit.
No creed
The Seventh-day Adventist Church does not have a creed as such. However, its members hold
a number of fundamental beliefs. As the World Council of Churches, the Seventh-day
Adventists accept the fundamental articles of the Christian faith as they were created by
the three ancient symbols of the Church (apostolic symbols, of Nicaea-Constantinople, of
Athanasius).
The Bible and the faith in Jesus-Christ Son of God
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has adopted, unreservedly the Protestant primacy given to
the Bible and the reformed doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus-Christ, Son of God
and His divine nature. The Adventist Church does not intend to unilaterally take the place
of the other Christian churches in the proclamation of the Gospel. Its mission
particularly consists of bringing about the rehabilitation of many important elements of
the Bible doctrines left in the shadow after some historical events, namely:
The Sabbath
God created the world in six days and rested the seventh. The Sabbath (Saturday) is a
memorial of creation. It reminds us of the release from sin, pain and suffering. Finally,
it announces by anticipation the kingdom of God where real freedom will be eternal.
Jesus-Christ, Creator of the world, liberator from sin; and founder of the kingdom, is
Lord of the Sabbath. Therefore Saturday is the day of worship for adventists. It is a
symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification and a foretaste of our
eternal future in God's kingdom.
Baptism
Baptism is the decision to live a new life. Baptism expresses one's faith in the death and
the resurrection of Christ and one's willingness to be united to the body of Christ which
is the Church. Administered by immersion, baptism is reserved to the adults or teenagers
who can comprehend its meaning.
Death
Death is a state where the whole man, spirit, soul and body - remains in a total
unconscious state until the final resurrection. The worship of saints and prayer for the
dead have no room in the religious practices of adventists.
Health
To better serve God and men, Adventists make an effort to ensure a balanced physical
health in following the health principles of natural life inspired by the Bible and
science. Adventists avoid using drugs, tobacco and alcohol. They willingly choose a
balanced way of life exempt from any kind of excess.
The second coming of Christ
The second coming of Christ is the bleessed hope of believers. No one can say when it will
happen. However, precursory signs given by Christ Himself are fast unfolding. They confirm
the Christ's second coming is imminent. Adventists are getting ready to meet Christ and
share this hope with those around them.
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