Adventist Future Probation
In the late 1860's a number of adventist believers adopted the dual beliefs of future probation and an earthly kingdom of God. The biggest American influence on the group appears to have been George Storrs, one of the leaders of the Millerite movement that splintered after 1844. George Storrs himself was heavily influenced by Henry Dunn of England. Henry Dunn's The Destiny of the Human Race, 2v, 1863 was a landmark publication concerning the two beliefs of probation and earthly kingdom. Jacob Blain published Hope for Our Race in 1871, it was in part an apology for his earlier straight conditionalist writings that had a rather narrow provision of salvation.
Other individuals involved formed the nucleus of future probation believers within the Advent Christian church, but soon left and formed their own publication centers and churches. They include George Stetson, Charles T Russell, John H Paton and Nelson Barbour. Several pro future probation articles were published in the World's Crisis in the late 1860's, but these views went largely unaccepted by the Advent Christian church. George Storr's publication the Bible Examiner was a major outlet for these views starting in 1871. Storrs also published A Vindication of God's Government in 1874. Storrs magazine contained numerous advertisements for the writings of Henry Dunn, he appeared to have an American distributor. The other known American distributor of Dunn's writings was Charles F Hudson, one of the most notable of conditionalist writers of the 1850's-60's. Hudson wasn't an adventist as such, but his writings were central in the list of conditionalist writings that adventists circulated and republished.
In 1877 NH Barbour published The Three Worlds book in collaboration with Russell. Russell also published a separate essay titled The Object and Manner of Our Lord's Return in 1877. These were later followed by a more extensive book by John H Paton titled The Day Dawn in 1880. Each of these men ended up publishing independently during the 1880's, Barbour continuing his paper The Herald of the Morning in Rochester NY, Russell began Zion's Watchtower in Allegheny PA and Paton with his The World's Hope from Almont, MI. The most enduring of the group was Russell's later series titled Millennial Dawn in 6 volumes. A fourth person of note was AP Adams who began a paper called The Spirit of the Word in the mid 1880's. Adams and Paton continued in a style of presentation that appeared strongly adventist and restorationist with a universalist bent, whereas Russell and Barbour held to the a more limited universal restitution but some ultimately being lost. Their rejection of orthodox eternal torment, immortal soulism and limited atonement was uniform and very strongly stated. This of course produced numerous counter attacks from the mainstream side.
All of these were reflective of the higher level theological debates being advocated by some main stream church leaders and writers of the time. A few of those were E.Plumptre, C.A.Row, E.White, I.Dorner, H.Cremer, F.W.Farrar and F.Maurice.
LeRoy Froom in his Movement of Destiny book alludes to a couple among the seventh day adventist church who also leaned in this direction, but those appear to have been the exception to the generally closed and narrow view of salvation common among orthodox denominations.
The general contribution of these adventist elements is generally neglected in histories of the doctrine of future probation. One exception is That obnoxious dogma: Future probation and the struggle to construct an American Congregationalist identity (Massachusetts) Sharon Ann Taylor, Boston College, link at http://escholarship.bc.edu/dissertations/AAI3142885/ in PDF format but it's not free.
Other individuals involved formed the nucleus of future probation believers within the Advent Christian church, but soon left and formed their own publication centers and churches. They include George Stetson, Charles T Russell, John H Paton and Nelson Barbour. Several pro future probation articles were published in the World's Crisis in the late 1860's, but these views went largely unaccepted by the Advent Christian church. George Storr's publication the Bible Examiner was a major outlet for these views starting in 1871. Storrs also published A Vindication of God's Government in 1874. Storrs magazine contained numerous advertisements for the writings of Henry Dunn, he appeared to have an American distributor. The other known American distributor of Dunn's writings was Charles F Hudson, one of the most notable of conditionalist writers of the 1850's-60's. Hudson wasn't an adventist as such, but his writings were central in the list of conditionalist writings that adventists circulated and republished.
In 1877 NH Barbour published The Three Worlds book in collaboration with Russell. Russell also published a separate essay titled The Object and Manner of Our Lord's Return in 1877. These were later followed by a more extensive book by John H Paton titled The Day Dawn in 1880. Each of these men ended up publishing independently during the 1880's, Barbour continuing his paper The Herald of the Morning in Rochester NY, Russell began Zion's Watchtower in Allegheny PA and Paton with his The World's Hope from Almont, MI. The most enduring of the group was Russell's later series titled Millennial Dawn in 6 volumes. A fourth person of note was AP Adams who began a paper called The Spirit of the Word in the mid 1880's. Adams and Paton continued in a style of presentation that appeared strongly adventist and restorationist with a universalist bent, whereas Russell and Barbour held to the a more limited universal restitution but some ultimately being lost. Their rejection of orthodox eternal torment, immortal soulism and limited atonement was uniform and very strongly stated. This of course produced numerous counter attacks from the mainstream side.
All of these were reflective of the higher level theological debates being advocated by some main stream church leaders and writers of the time. A few of those were E.Plumptre, C.A.Row, E.White, I.Dorner, H.Cremer, F.W.Farrar and F.Maurice.
LeRoy Froom in his Movement of Destiny book alludes to a couple among the seventh day adventist church who also leaned in this direction, but those appear to have been the exception to the generally closed and narrow view of salvation common among orthodox denominations.
The general contribution of these adventist elements is generally neglected in histories of the doctrine of future probation. One exception is That obnoxious dogma: Future probation and the struggle to construct an American Congregationalist identity (Massachusetts) Sharon Ann Taylor, Boston College, link at http://escholarship.bc.edu/dissertations/AAI3142885/ in PDF format but it's not free.
posted by J B | Tuesday, January 31, 2006
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