A BRIEF LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL PRECEDENT AND PRESENT REALITY OFCHARISMATIC SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM

Greg Howell

1. Introduction

The Seventh-day Adventist Denomination of the present day is

not a group that we would easily label as Charismatic or

Pentecostal in either praxis or theology. At the same time they

are not a cessationist group by any means, as they very clearly

still teach that the gift of prophecy and prophetic discernment

functions within their congregations. Even in studying through

their official teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the

role they play within the church you will not find overt

statements which would preclude the manifestation of healings,

prophetic words, or even speaking in tongues (though mainly in a

xenoglossy sense).

Still, in an on-the-ground sense, the weekly services of a

Seventh-day Adventist church will typically not include any of

the overtly charismatic manifestations found in Pentecostal

circles. This paper will explore both the historical and

theological heritage which lead to this di-synchronous attitude

towards the gifts of the Holy Spirit as well survey several

current day Adventist groups which have made the jump to a

clearly charismatic theology and worship experience.

The method of research consists of an examination of earlier

primary source material both within the official periodicals and

literature of the denomination as well as personal interviews and

first-hand accounts of present-day Adventists leading charismatic

congregations which are technically no longer a part of the

official church structure.

2. Historical Precedents in Early Seventh-day Adventism and LaterPseudo-Cessationist Tendencies

Any discussion of Pentecostal or Charismatic elements in the

present-day Seventh-day Adventist church must first look at the

historical precedent and later almost universal repudiation of

anything Pentecostal. To say that early Seventh-day Adventism was

completely antagonistic to Pentecostal phenomena would be

inaccurate, despite the denomination’s present-day rejection of

the various Christian charismatic expressions such as speaking in

unintellible tongues. According to Arthur White the charismatic

expressions experienced by early Seventh-day Adventists included

the following; 1) Physical prostration, 2) shouting the praises

of God, 3) speaking in unknown tongues, 4) prophetic visions and

dreams.

An early charismatic experience was reported by one of the

later founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen G.

White, sometime immediately prior to 1844.

I bowed trembling during the prayers that were offered. After a few had prayed, I lifted up my voice in prayer before I was awareof it...I praised God from the depths of my heart. Everything seemed shut out from me but Jesus and His glory, and I lost consciousness of what was passing around me. The Spirit of God rested upon me with such power that I was unable to go home that night.1

An even stronger account is given later on in the same

report.

This [physical prostration] was a trial to some who had come out from the formal churches… Many could not believe that one could be so overpowered by the Spirit of God as to lose all strength…Wehad appointed evening prayer meetings in different localities of the city to accommodate all who wished to attend them. The familythat had been most forward in opposing me attended one of these. Upon this occasion, while those assembled were engaged in prayer,the Spirit of the Lord came upon the meeting, and one of the members of this family was prostrated as one dead. His relatives stood weeping around him, rubbing his hands and applying

1 Ellen Gould Harmon White, Testimonies for the Church, 9 vols., vol. 1. Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Association, 1855. 31.

restoratives. At length he gained sufficient strength to praise God, and quieted their fears by shouting with triumph over the marked evidence he had received of the power of the Lord upon him.2

At other times there are accounts of spiritual shouts and

uncontrolled praises being offered within the early Seventh-day

Adventist meetings.

Our conference at Topsham was one of deep interest. Twenty-eight were present; all took part in the meeting. "Sunday the power of God came upon us like a mighty rushing wind. All arose upon theirfeet and praised God with a loud voice; it was something as it was when the foundation of the house of God was laid. The voice of weeping could not be told from the voice of shouting. It was atriumphant time; all were strengthened and refreshed. I never witnessed such a powerful time before.3

Rather than a one off experience, various other reports from

the time describe similar circumstances. During a special time of

prayer for a sick child, Ellen’s husband James described the

worship service in the following terms. “The babe was sick and

Ellen anointed and prayed for him. The power came down more and

more, and we all shouted and praised the Lord as much as we were

a mind to.”4

2 Ibid. 44,45.3 A.L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Years, 1827-1862. Washington Dc, Review And Herald Pub. Assoc., 1985. 195.4 James white letter to Leonard Hastings, Jan. 10, 1850

The gift of speaking in tongues was also reported among the

early experiences of the Seventh-day Adventist movement. The

earliest experience on record is reported in an affidavit signed

by several early SDA believers after witnessing the event during

a meeting in North Paris, Maine.

We also, can testify to the manifestation of the gift of tongues.While at a meeting in North Paris, Maine, we think in the year of1847 or 1848. It was a general meeting. Brother and Sister White were present, also Brother Ralph and Chamberlain, from Connecticut, and others. While the meeting was in progress, the Spirit of God was manifest in a special manner. Brother Ralph spoke in an unknown tongue. His message was directed to Brother J. N. Andrews;--that the Lord had called him to the work of the gospel ministry, and he must prepare himself for it. Brother E. L. H. Chamberlain immediately arose to his feet and interpreted what he had said."--Mrs. S. Howland, Mrs. Frances Howland Lunt, Mrs. Rebeckah Howland Winslow, N. N. Lunt, Battle Creek, Michigan.5 (In E.G. White Estate document file, #311.)

This early manifestation, though uncommon, was never

repudiated by any leaders at the time or afterwards. Through

tacit acceptance and acknowledgement the movement accepted the

charismatic manifestation, and eventually the recipient of the

message, J.N. Andrews became a leading theologian within the

denomination.

5 Mrs. Frances Howland Lunt Mrs. S. Howland, Mrs. Rebeckah Howland Winslow, N.N. Lunt, "Affidavit of Witnesses," in Document Files #311 (E.G.White Estate, Silversprings MD, 1850).

A final report of speaking in tongues was prominent enough

that it was placed in the leading periodical of the church in the

summer of 1851. The experience related was said to have taken

place in East Bethel, Vermont and was accepted for publication by

the editor of the Review and Herald. A sister F.M. Shimper reported

that the Lord had recently baptized a Brother Morse who was then

“set apart by the laying on of hands, to the administration of

the ordinances of God's house. The Holy Ghost witnessed by the

gift of tongues, and solemn manifestations of the presence and

power of God. The place was awful, yet glorious. We truly felt

that 'we never saw it in this fashion.'”6

With this variety of experiences can be seen the essentially

Revivalistic and Pentecostal phenomena that existed within the

early Seventh-day Adventist groups. However, later statements

condemning extreme cases of charismatic expression became the

norm for the denomination, and even in the early days such events

were many times viewed with suspicion and hesitancy by the

leadership. In an effort to emphasize an intellectual

hagiography, later generations of this group would minimize or

6 F.M. Shimper, "Dear Bro. White," Review and Herald, Aug. 19 1851.

overtly ignore these early attestations of charismatic experience

within their own movement.

In Ellen White’s later years the stories of these early

Revivalistic experiences were no longer welcome in the

denomination, and she relates as much in a personal interview

given to D.E. Robinson on August 13, 1906.

We used to have some very powerful meetings. But it is not all out there, and I don't know as there is any need of putting it out…[Once in a meeting] I heard a noise like a groan [and] I saw that Elder Brown was as white as human flesh could be, and he wasfalling out of his chair. I suppose my interested look to him called the attention of Stockman, and he looked around, and he [Brown] was ready to fall on the floor. He [Stockman] turned around, and said, "Excuse me," and took him in his arms, and laidhim down on the lounge. He was one that did not believe in these things, and he had a taste of it right there…We had a great deal of this, but we never can tell it.7 [Italics supplied]

White’s final assessment of the church’s then-present

sentiment towards charismatic experiences was both enlightening

as well as pragmatic. Such things as spiritual prostration and

boisterous worship had been at least generally acceptable early

in the church’s history, but as the church developed through the

years she felt that it no longer accepted, or even necessarily

needed, such manifestations. What led this church from a place of7 Ellen Gould Harmon White, Manuscript Releases from the Files of the Letters and Manuscripts Written by Ellen G. White, 10 vols., vol. 17. Washington, D.C.: E.G. White Estate, 1981. 95.

acceptance to a less than tolerant one by August, 1906? There

were several factors ultimately, some related to internal

divisions and others related to the general tenor of other

churches’ reactions against early Pentecostalism.

An early internal issue that seems to have turned sentiments

against charismatic experiences comes from the so-called “holy-

flesh movement” led by an Adventist minister named Albion F.

Ballenger. Ballenger began to preach what he called a “cleansing”

message which called for a strong emphasis on holy living, and

personal sanctification. His call for holy living spread through

many Adventist camp meetings around the country through the early

1890’s, and when he was finally given a chance to speak at the

Church’s main General Conference session of 1899, he stated his

case like this:

Brother: I have gone from Massachusetts to California: arid from California to Texas: and I have told our people to either clean up or get out from the church of God. Brother: I dare do that; I dare talk just that plain to my people, arid thank the Lord: some are getting clean: and some are getting out I must have a clean church to invite the people into, before I can stand before the people to give the loud cry in all its glory…Let us commence to pray that God clean the unclean birds out ofthe church: for it mars the loud cry…The Lord says we cannot

have the baptism of the Holy Ghost until we get the victory over every besetting sin.8

Ballenger’s message was readily received at the time as the

church was also beginning to accept an emphasis on personal

health and victorious living (ie. Vegetarian diet, abstinence

from alcohol, tobacco and even dress reform combined with an

exercise regimen). Such a practical call to personal

sanctification, and in Ballenger’s case a sanctified perfection

within the earthly lifetime, became a hallmark of this growing

movement within Adventism.

Eventually several other ministers picked up Ballenger’s

“holy-flesh” concept, and in southern Indiana two ministers named

S.S. Davis and R.S. Donnell became major proponents of his

teachings. They began to print papers calling for their readers

to prepare themselves for the “cleansing message” which would

eventually culminate in the Holy Spirit being poured out as it

was at Pentecost. Davis wrote The Two Adams and the Two Covenants9

which made the claim that the triumphant Christian life had to be

experienced in a personal holiness similar to that of Adam before

8 A.F. Ballenger, "The Loud Cry: Sermon by A.F. Ballenger," The Daily Bulletin of the General Conference, February 23, 1899 1899.9 S. S. Davis, The Two Adams : And Their Relation to the Two Covenants. Logansport, Ind.: L.F. Elliott, 1898.

the fall, completely cleansed of all sin and its tendencies.

Eventually Davis began several congregations throughout southern

Indiana which incorporated decidedly Pentecostal worship

elements. According to Stephen Haskell, an upper-level

administrator sent by the church to check out the groups’

proceedings, it was a complete copy of the worship music and

services found in the Salvation Army.10

According to Arthur Patrick, the followers of Davis’ message

would “dance in a large circle, shouting and lifting up their

hands…[during their] services, they would preach and shout and

pray until someone from the congregation would fall from

unconscious from his seat…finally the individual would revive,

and he was then among the faithful who had passed through the

Garden.”11 These Pentecostal experiences, combined with the

teaching on perfection brought down a great amount of concern

from church leaders, and eventually was spoken against by all

including Ellen White. During the 1901 General Conference

session, strong denunciations were made and the general sentiment

10 Stephen Haskell, Personal letter, September 25 1900.11 Arthur Patrick, "Early Adventist Worship, Ellen White and the Holy Spirit: Preliminary Historical Perspectives," http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/discern/flesh.htm.

towards such experiences seems to have been decidedly negative

regarding this movement.

Later publications were written against speaking in tongues

and exuberant excitement within worship services. This is an in-

direct result, for certain, as the “holy-flesh” movement in

Indiana was initially focused on a perfectionistic theology which

led adherents believe they could achieve a sinless state. But its

worship experiences and attending Pentecostal leanings

contributed its overall repudiation by church leaders. Despite

the resurgence of later “holy-flesh” teachers such as Walter

Brinsmead and his “Awakening Movement” in Australia (1959-1969)

and later similar emphases on perfectionism found in the

teachings of M.L. Andreasen (1957-1962) there has been a strong

denunciation against such beliefs. Again, according to Patrick,

“The Indiana offer of a short cut to translation was so well

countered by the Church's prophet at the 1901 General Conference

session that Adventist perfectionism in its Holy Flesh mode had

to become more subtle. But the memory of this vibrant movement in

Indiana is still deeply embedded in the Adventist psyche,

providing bad news for both the Holy Spirit and drums.” (At Issue

– Spiritual Discernment)

3. Recent and Present-day Charismatic Adventism

The Adventist Church of the last 40 years has continued the

general disparagement of Pentecostal expression on the level of

both praxis as well as theology. This can be somewhat surprising

do to the church’s official stance on the gifts of the Holy

Spirit, especially the emphasis on the gift of prophecy as

believed to be active in the ministry of Ellen G. White.

As the church has taken a pretty clear stance on the primary

issue of speaking in unintellible tongues, or prayer languages,

it is not surprising that Adventists who practice or experience

such phenomenon would immediately be viewed with suspicion and

dis-enfranchisement. One such early group was the Adventist

Church of Promise in Brazil. Founded in 1932 by pastor John

August Silveira as a split-off from the Seventh-day Adventist

church this group is both Sabbatarian Adventist and classical

Pentecostal in their beliefs. Doctrinally they are very similar

with their parent church, but overall they also include belief in

baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second blessing for believers,

initial evidence of speaking in tongues, and the availability of

divine healing in the same magnitude as practiced by the early

Apostolic church.

Though a current membership figure is somewhat hard to

validate. As of 1977 they claim to have had around 25,000

members, 500 congregations and 86 ordained ministers. (ref that

pamphlet) Today’s numbers estimate 200,000 members (reference)

and are found primarily in South America, with congregations in

Africa, North America and Europe as well.

This particular strand of Adventism, though not an official

part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is still functionally

and doctrinally very similar. Though official history of the

group is somewhat scant, the founding pastor of the group holds

much in common with other South American churches which have

accepted Charismatic theology and practice, and incorporated it

into an existing church infrastructure and theology.

The Adventist Church of Promise is definitely an anomaly as

far as charismatic Adventists are concerned. They are one of the

only outstanding examples of a successful multi-national

charismatic off-shoot to date. However, they are definitely not

the only groups within Adventism to attempt to incorporate

charismatic styles or beliefs.

Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s there was a strong move within

some denominational churches to incorporate music and worship

styles which had been popularized by such congregations as Willow

Creek Community Church and Saddleback Church. Some Adventist

churches attempted to move from more traditional hymns and a

pretty set order of service to more progressive styled praise

songs from groups such as Windsong. They used visual slideshows

or drama to draw the participants into the experience more, and

many of these services where characterized with loud singing and

raised hands throughout the service. Though mundane by current

Adventist standards even, at the time these congregations were

pushing acceptable limits by many denominational standards. Many

churches split over issues of music and worship style as various

groups attempted to update what they felt was a passionless form

of church. Though not overtly charismatic in terms of evidences

of the gifts of the Spirit, the music and worship style advocated

in these congregations was distinctly charismatic in style.

One such congregation that attempted to incorporate such a

change was the Centerville Seventh-day Adventist church in

Centerville, OH. This church, under the leadership of Pastor Bill

Cochran, had just completed a large church building project and

had their Consecration service on May 17, 1986 (ref Centerville

site). Within the first year or two Pastor Cochran, along with a

group of musicians and praise music enthusiasts brought a

proposal to the church board. They proposed that the church add

in a variety of praise music options, including a specific praise

team that would sing to a backdrop of electric guitars,

tambourines and a drum set. Their repertoire would vary between

remade hymn favorites and newer styled songs similar to those in

use at Willow Creek. The praise teams would lead out in worship

for a trial period of 6 months, according to Dennis Howell

(reference dad), after which time the church could reassess

whether or not it wanted to continue with the new style.

Initially the reaction of the congregation was mixed, and as

the 6-month trial period got closer Cochran resisted bringing the

discussion back to the table for the Church Board to discuss.

Eventually he simply informed the board that this was going to be

a permanent fixture of the service, and there was no need to

revisit it. Naturally this escalated into an all-out divide

amongst the congregation and inflammatory rhetoric quickly

overrode any semblance of true discussion or compromise. For a

time the church attempted to have a two service setup with one

being the more conservative, and the other being the more

progressive. But eventually this proved not to be a solution, and

one morning Pastor Cochran informed the congregation from the

pulpit that if there were those who did not like the style of

worship being advocated then they were welcome to attend

elsewhere.

This specific case-study, though not necessarily the norm,

was in many ways repeated throughout the denomination at this

time. It became such a hot-button issue that one of the

denominational magazines at the time felt it necessary to send

out several upper-level administrators to get a feet-on-the-

ground report of what these “celebration churches” were doing. In

an article titled, “Is It Safe to Celebrate?” these

administrators visited three of these churches and reported on

what it was like. The opening of the article gives a semblance of

the angst that was being stirred up in opposition to these

congregations. “Are the celebration churches, as some would say,

prairie fires that soon will spread and engulf all of Adventism

in a conflagration of Pentecostalism?...Do celebration churches

lull listeners into believing they have received the Holy Spirit

when in reality they have only had a flesh-based ecstatic

experience?” (ref Ministry article)

The administrators then describe their experiences when

attending the Celebration Center in Colton, CA, the Milwaukie

church in Oregon, and the Buffalo Church in New York, all of

which were denominationally recognized Adventist congregations.

They noted that the use of instruments during the worship service

included piano, organ, accordion, guitars, flutes, trumpets,

trombones and drums. Singers led out the service with

contemporary praise music and two of the congregations included a

“Garden of Prayer” time where worshippers came down to the front

as a group for special prayers and blessings. They noted that a

“common theme” found in those asked about the service was that

people mentioned a general feeling of acceptance by everyone

present, and each church downplayed the use of the phrase

“Seventh-day Adventist” in their official church name and

signage. Finally they mentioned that though these churches

definitely have a more up-beat feel to their services, this is

not inherently a negative thing and has for many years been a

hallmark of African American Seventh-day Adventist congregations.

Ultimately, the things that these “celebration churches”

were advocating became the norm and as a result the “celebration

church” concept was discarded for newer monikers and motifs. But

one particular church during this time took a decidedly more

aggressive approach towards Charismatic renewal within its

Adventist congregation.

Pastor Steven Daily had already been a chaplain and faculty

member at La Sierra University, a Seventh-day Adventist

institution in Southern California. He became the pastor of a

“celebration” styled church in the early 90’s called Celebration

Center SDA Church in Redlands, CA. In 1992 Daily published a book

called Adventism for a New Generation in which he detailed out his

vision for how the Adventist Church could address its 50% loss of

youth after school ages. He covered a variety of topics which,

within the Adventist world, would have been considered very

unorthodox and in some cases anti-Adventist. He attacked the

church’s issues with legalism, Sabbath observance, the church’s

prophetic understanding and the prophetic role of Ellen White.

All of these things had been discussed before in various

quarters of the church. But Daily’s critiques and attendant

solutions rattled many, and got him placed on several “black-

lists” of the more orthodox groups within the church. He

definitively advocated for a shift to more dynamic worship, or

celebration model, but even beyond that pushed for great

ecumenism with other denominations and their unique theological

understandings. Towards the end of the book he states, “Somehow,

we’ve ignored [Jesus prayer in Gethsemane that all the believers

be one] and pretty much kept ourselves separate from other

denominations. Such behavior will no longer do. The young

generation is not hung up on denominational labels. Any

redefinition of Adventism which will include our youth must be

open, not necessarily to institutional ecumenicity, but certainly

to spiritual ecumenicity." (chap 3?) He variously quotes authors

from Pentecostal circles, including John Wimber, whom he calls,

“one of the leading revivalists in the world today.”

This clear interest and openness to charismatic sentiments

was transformed when he attended the Anaheim Vineyard Fellowship,

several years prior to writing New Generation. He describes a

worship service where thousands “were worshipping God with a

passion that I had never witnessed in any other church. Some were

standing, some were lifting up their arms, others were clapping,

some were sitting quietly in prayer or meditation, a few were

jumping, and several were kneeling, but they all seemed to be

actively worshiping God.” He goes on to say that he has repeated

his attendance many times and wishes that such an experience

could be found in an Adventist congregation.

Naturally these sentiments created a lot of controversy in

the denomination at the time of publication. As Daily himself

admits, “Many readers praised the book for its candor…while

others considered it too critical…and some even questioned my

loyalty to the denomination.” (kingdom Adventists, p7) Ultimately

Daily found his opportunity to live out a more inclusive style of

church and after only five years at the Celebration Center he

left the Adventist denomination to found the non-denominational

church, Kingdom Life Fellowship in Redlands, CA. He fully

embraces a charismatic worship experience, advocating expressions

of the gift of tongues, divine healings, and lively musical

experiences. His break from the Seventh-day Adventist

denomination is on the level of both theology as well as

sociologically. Daily fully embraces an ecumenical mindset that

welcomes all faiths, and even encourages his members to attend

other denominational churches as part of the “kingdom mindset”

which he believes fosters connection with “all who put Jesus and

what He said and did concerning the King of God first before

denominational identity.” (ibid p9)

The Kingdom Life Fellowship itself retains a Seventh-day

Adventist outlook in its observance of Saturday as the Sabbath,

but does not make it a high point of doctrine or a necessary

belief as its parent denomination does. This wide open ecumenical

outlook and the encouragement of charismatic phenomena has

widened the gap between Daily and his old denominational

colleagues, but he maintains that he still has strong affinity

for the church he was a part of for so many decades.

4. Conclusions

The present-day reality within the Seventh-day Adventist

Church is that charismatic experiences on the whole are not

beyond the bounds of their understanding of the gifts of the

Spirit, but are definitely not something that they are

comfortable with. Both historical precedent and a very sincere

desire to not be deceived by “every wind of doctrine” (bible

reference) is at the heart of these inhibitions. But at the same

time this reticence regarding charismatic phenomena has also

created a situation where the church has become more comfortable

with a dearth of Pneumatic expression than with an abundance.

Caleb Henry, an associate pastor at the Carmichael Seventh-day

Adventist Church in Sacramento, CA describes the typical

Adventist reaction to the supernatural as similar to his own and

even Biblical figures; fear. There is a general fear of being

labeled “Charismatic” or “not Adventist” (from Caleb’s article in

spectrum) which leads him to surmise that the only real antidote

to fear to experience God’s love and acceptance.

In light of early Adventist experiences and the eventual

supression of charismatic phenomena, there is a very real risk

that the denomination who so highly prizes the gift of prophecy

in its midst will be unable to recognize other manifestations of

that same Spirit. Coming to grips with the reality of their own

history and developing their Pneumatology in a way that allows or

at least considers the possibility of the Holy Spirits continued

work, beit known or unprecedented, will be a major factor in how

it attempts to function in an international community of

believers that very clearly has accepted such occurences as

theophanic in nature.

Bibliography

Ballenger, A.F. "The Loud Cry: Sermon by A.F. Ballenger." The Daily Bulletin of the General Conference, February 23, 1899 1899, 24.

Davis, S. S. The Two Adams : And Their Relation to the Two Covenants [in English]. Logansport, Ind.: L.F. Elliott, 1898.

Haskell, Stephen. Personal letter, September 25 1900.

Mrs. S. Howland, Mrs. Frances Howland Lunt, Mrs.Rebeckah Howland Winslow, N. N. Lunt. "Affidavit of Witnesses." In Document Files #311: E.G.White Estate, Silversprings MD, 1850.

Patrick, Arthur. "Early Adventist Worship, EllenWhite and the Holy Spirit: Preliminary Historical Perspectives." http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/discern/flesh.htm.

Shimper, F.M. "Dear Bro. White." Review and Herald, Aug. 19 1851, 7.

White, A.L. Ellen G. White: The Early Years, 1827-1862. Washington Dc, Review And Herald Pub. Assoc.,1985.

White, Ellen Gould Harmon. Manuscript Releases from the Files of the Letters and Manuscripts Written by Ellen G. White [in English]. 10 vols. Vol. 17, Washington, D.C.: E.G. White Estate, 1981.

———. Testimonies for the Church [in English]. 9 vols. Vol. 1, Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Association, 1855.