![]() | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for books .(May 2023) |
This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(May 2024) |
Part of a series on |
Seventh-day Adventist Church |
---|
![]() |
Adventism |
![]() Cover of original, 1892 printing of The Desire of Ages | |
Author | Ellen G. White |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Subject | Establishing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ |
Genre | Religious |
Publisher | Pacific Press Publishing Company |
Publication date | 1898 |
Pages | 153 (hardback) |
The Desire of Ages (DA) is a book about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, written by the Seventh-day Adventist pioneer Ellen G. White. It was first published in 1898.
Written at Sunnyside Historical Home in New South Wales, Australia, [1] DA was first published in 1898. It is in the third volume in a five-part series of her writings called the "Conflict of the Ages," that cover biblical material from Genesis to Revelation. They focus on "the battle raging in the universe between Christ and His angels and Satan and his fallen angels." [2] In the third volume, DA focuses on the life of Jesus Christ and the love of God as revealed through Christ. [3] While not set out chronologically, DA covers the entirety of Christ's ministry; from His pre-incarnation to His resurrection and ascension.
DA's compilation emerges from a gradual expansion of writing beginning in 1858. White, in vision, began receiving revelations concerning "the age-long conflict between Christ and Satan". [4] She wrote them down in what we know today as, Spiritual Gifts, Volume 1 (1858). In 1867 and 1877, White rewrote and expanded upon Christ's life further, forming what we know today as, Spirit of Prophecy, Volumes 2 and 3. In the 1890's, this work expanded still further into three books: Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings (1896) – on the Sermon on the Mount, [5] The Desire of Ages (1898), and Christ's Object Lessons (1900) – on Jesus' parables. [6]
These works, in her own understanding, and in the understanding of many who acknowledge her prophetic gift, were compiled as a result of scenes she was directly shown by God in vision, and from things she was informed to write by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. [4] DA is considered by them to be an inspired book, meaning, a book written under the influence and inspiration of God through His Holy Spirit. While officially, Adventists do not consider White's writings to be on the same level as the Bible, many nonetheless consider them to be inspired by the same Holy Spirit which inspired the writers of the Bible. [7]
While considered inspired by many Adventists, White did not possess linguistic and grammatical perfection, and she herself acknowledged this. [4] She used editorial assistants to prepare her manuscripts for publication, proofing and critiquing them. These included her husband James, when compiling the Spiritual Gifts series, and Marian Davis, her primary editorial assistant in compiling DA. Some consider her use of assistants as a mark against her prophetic gift.
More controversial was her practice of unacknowledged use of material from contemporary writers on the Gospels and the life of Christ in her writing DA and especially in her own pre-DA materials. This became such an issue in the 1970s and early 1980s, that the Adventist General Conference commissioned a major study by Fred Veltman to examine the extent and nature of White's literary dependence in writing on the life of Christ. His full 2,561-page report of the "'Life of Christ Research Project" is available online, [8] [9] along with an abridged [10] and condensed [11] editions. After eight years examining fifteen, randomly selected DA chapters for evidence of literary dependence, Veltman stated, "On an average we may say that 31.4 percent of the DA text is dependent to some extent on literary sources." [12] However, he acknowledged, "But when you add to the literary dependence the similarity of ideas, particularly with reference to … the way in which the arrangement of the subunits of the chapters reflect the same thematic development as found in the sources, it becomes apparent that Ellen White is more dependent on her sources than the actual verbal parallels indicate." [13]
Originally, DA was to be two books: Christ of Bethlehem: Our Brother and Christ of Calvary: Our Sacrifice. [14] It was eventually published as one book, The Desire of Ages. Its title was based on the language of Haggai 2:7: "And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." (KJV).
Since White's death in 1915, the Ellen G. White Estate published or authorized the publication of the following editions or selections from DA: [15]
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, its emphasis on the imminent Second Coming (advent) of Jesus Christ, and its annihilationist soteriology. The denomination grew out of the Millerite movement in the United States during the mid-19th century and it was formally established in 1863. Among its co-founders was Ellen G. White, whose extensive writings are still held in high regard by the church.
Ellen Gould White was an American author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she was instrumental within a small group of early Adventists who formed what became known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. White is considered a leading figure in American vegetarian history. Smithsonian named her among the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time".
The Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s to the 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, Ellen G. White, her husband James Springer White, Joseph Bates, and J. N. Andrews. Over the ensuing decades the church expanded from its original base in New England to become an international organization. Significant developments such the reviews initiated by evangelicals Donald Barnhouse and Walter Martin, in the 20th century led to its recognition as a Christian denomination.
Criticism of the Seventh-day Adventist Church includes observations made about its teachings, structure, and practices or theological disagreements from various individuals and groups.
Uriah Smith was a Seventh-day Adventist author, minister, educator, and theologian who is best known as the longest serving editor of the Review and Herald for over 50 years.
Herbert Edgar Douglass Jr. was a Seventh-day Adventist theologian. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, US, the oldest of five children to Herbert Edgar Douglass Sr (1904–1983) and Mildred Jennie Munson (1908–1988). He earned his Doctorate in Theology at Pacific School of Religion in 1964.
The investigative judgment, or pre-Advent Judgment, is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that the divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It is intimately related to the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was described by one of the church's pioneers Ellen G. White as one of the pillars of Adventist belief. It is a major component of the broader Adventist understanding of the "heavenly sanctuary", and the two are sometimes spoken of interchangeably.
In Seventh-day Adventist theology, there will be an end time remnant of believers who are faithful to God. The remnant church is a visible, historical, organized body characterized by obedience to the commandments of God and the possession of a unique end-time gospel proclamation. Adventists have traditionally equated this "remnant church" with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church holds a unique system of eschatological beliefs. Adventist eschatology, which is based on a historicist interpretation of prophecy, is characterised principally by the premillennial Second Coming of Christ. Traditionally, the church has taught that the Second Coming will be preceded by a global crisis with the Sabbath as a central issue. At Jesus' return, the righteous will be taken to heaven for one thousand years. After the millennium the unsaved cease to exist as they will be punished by annihilation while the saved will live on a recreated Earth for eternity.
The Great Controversy is a book by Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and held in esteem as a prophetess or messenger of God among Seventh-day Adventist members. In it, White describes the "Great Controversy theme" between Jesus Christ and Satan, as played out over the millennia from its start in heaven, to its final end when the remnant who are faithful to God will be taken to heaven at the Second Advent of Christ, and the world is destroyed and recreated. Regarding the reason for writing the book, the author reported, "In this vision at Lovett's Grove, most of the matter of the Great Controversy which I had seen ten years before, was repeated, and I was shown that I must write it out."
The theology of the Seventh-day Adventist Church resembles that of Protestant Christianity, combining elements from Lutheran, Wesleyan-Arminian, and Anabaptist branches of Protestantism. Adventists believe in the infallibility of the Scripture's teaching regarding salvation, which comes from grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The 28 fundamental beliefs constitute the church's current doctrinal positions, but they are revisable under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and are not a creed.
The Seventh-day Adventist baptismal vow is a list of 13 belief statements which a person joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church is given and accepts at believer's baptism. In Adventist understanding, baptism, is associated with officially joining the Adventist church, which is a part of the community of believers in Christ. The vow is explained in the church manual. In 2005 an alternate vow consisting of three statements was approved at the General Conference Session, and the baptizing pastor now has a choice of which set to use. They complement the 28 Fundamentals.
Most Seventh-day Adventists believe church co-founder Ellen G. White (1827–1915) was inspired by God as a prophet, today understood as a manifestation of the New Testament "gift of prophecy," as described in the official beliefs of the church. Her works are officially considered to hold a secondary role to the Bible, but in practice there is wide variation among Adventists as to exactly how much authority should be attributed to her writings. With understanding she claimed was received in visions, White made administrative decisions and gave personal messages of encouragement or rebuke to church members. Seventh-day Adventists believe that only the Bible is sufficient for forming doctrines and beliefs, a position Ellen White supported by statements inclusive of, "the Bible, and the Bible alone, is our rule of faith".
The 1888 Minneapolis General Conference Session was a meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in October 1888. It is regarded as a landmark event in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Key participants were Alonzo T. Jones and Ellet J. Waggoner, who presented a message on justification supported by Ellen G. White, but resisted by leaders such as G. I. Butler, Uriah Smith and others. The session discussed crucial theological issues such as the meaning of "righteousness by faith", the nature of the Godhead, the relationship between law and grace, and Justification and its relationship to Sanctification.
Ellen G. White, one of the co-founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was extremely influential on the church, which considers her a prophet, understood today as an expression of the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy. She was a voluminous writer and popular speaker on health and temperance. Her teachings are preserved today through over 50,000 manuscript pages of her writings, and the records of others.
Steps to Christ is a book written by Ellen G. White, pioneer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She is believed to be inspired by God, and to exercise the prophetic gift. It was first published in 1892 by Fleming H. Revell Company. The copyright was purchased by Seventh-day Adventist publisher Review and Herald Publishing Association in 1892, and was first printed there in 1896. A new first chapter, "God's Love for Man" was added per request of the Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in the United Kingdom in 1893 in order to secure a copyright. This is perhaps the most popular and widely read book by the author, printed in more than 150 languages worldwide. Steps to Christ is considered to define what Seventh-day Adventists believe in subjects such as salvation, the nature of man, and what a Christian’s life should be.
The Conflict of the Ages is a book series written by American religious author Ellen G. White (1827–1915).
Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White, one of the church's co-founders, was a prophetess, understood today as an expression of the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church pioneers were members of Seventh-day Adventist Church, part of the group of Millerites, who came together after the Great Disappointment across the United States and formed the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1860, the pioneers of the fledgling movement settled on the name, Seventh-day Adventist, representative of the church's distinguishing beliefs. Three years later, on May 21, 1863, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was formed and the movement became an official organization.
The Pillars of Adventism are landmark doctrines for Seventh-day Adventists. They are Bible doctrines that define who they are as a people of faith; doctrines that are "non-negotiables" in Adventist theology. The Seventh-day Adventist church teaches that these Pillars are needed to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and sees them as a central part of its own mission. Adventists teach that the Seventh-day Adventist Church doctrines were both a continuation of the reformation started in the 16th century and a movement of the end time rising from the Millerites, bringing God's final messages and warnings to the world.