A Brief History of Seventh-Day Adventists (Adventist heritage series) by George R. Knight

by George R. Knight

George Knights gives the history of the Seventh day Adventist church .

Genres: History, Christianity, Theology, Religion

Unknown Binding

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Ed Zirkwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The SDA church, at least in its early years, was like a mystery novel, many twists and turns
no doubt keeping the early members guessing how it would turn out. Officially established in 1863 and being formed by survivors of the "Great Disappointment" of 1844, until the 1890s they were not much interested in mission outreach. The health movement that was taking place in the USA was something SDAs were followers of initially as a body until after 1876, influenced by EG White and John Harvey Kellogg, began to institutionalize a health focus. The early 1900s saw the SDA church, still a small movement of less than 100,000, faced major financial crises and decisions on organizational structure.
Today, ..."Not only do we see signs that the denomination's massive organizational structure needs to be trimmed, but some (especially in North America) question Adventism's hierarchical structure and urge a congregational polity." This church continues to struggle with its own identity.

[Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Read

This volume proved to be a good introduction to Seventh-day Adventism. Providing easy reading, it is fairly well balanced. A criticism that can be leveled against the author is that he falls into the trap of being American-centered. Given - as he demonstrates in figure 2 in the last chapter - that for a major segment of the history the church, the membership outside of the States is greater and that this gap will continue to widen, it would have been more relevant to the topic and title of the book if greater focus and attention could have been paid to the history outside of the USA.

He is not alone in this shortcoming, as most Adventist historians do the same, e.g. Schwartz, Floyd and Greenleaf, Froom, etc.

However, despite this shortcoming, it is a positive contribution to Adventist historiography.

[Powell Omondi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a history

This was excellent, it gave a good brief history of the church reminding us of the true calling of the Adventist Church. The author has clearly articulated the key points that shaped the history of seventh day Adventist. Onto the next book on understanding Ellen G white

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Condensing over 170 years of history of a religious movement and denomination into a readable 156-page book seems daunting and the recipe for a sketchy history. Yet George R. Knight, one of the foremost historians of the Seventh-day Adventist church, produced a very readable summary of the Sabbatarian Adventism in A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists that is meant for an Adventist audience of both long-time members and those new.

Knight divides the book into 8 chapters that focus on different eras starting with the pre-Great Disappointment Millerite Roots of Seventh-day Adventists and with the maturity of the Church from 1955 to the present day with its achievements and challenges. Focusing on high-points, both good and bad, and trends in each “historical” era, Knight gives the reader a barebones yet informative look at history and those who influenced the Church on both large and small ways. Given the audience Knight is writing for, the book is filled with Adventist nomenclature but Knight ensures that newer members of the Church have an understanding of the terminology that is even helpful for those that have been Adventists all their lives.

If one is looking for an in-depth look at doctrinal developments and how the Church was structurally organized, this is not the book. While both elements are discussed as part of the overall history, Knight makes it clear at the beginning of the book that those looking for emphasis on either need to turn to the other two book of the “Adventist Heritage Series”, A Search for Identity and Organizing for Mission and Growth. Yet this book is an excellent first read to understand how each of those specific topics tie into the history of the Church in an overall scope.

A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists does not pretend to be more than it is. George R. Knight gives the reader an overview of the history of Sabbatarian Adventism in a very readable and quick format. However, Knight does not leave those readers wanting more information hanging as at the end of each chapter he provides numerous books that go more in-depth in relation to the topics covered. This is a highly recommended book for Seventh-day Adventists interested in understanding how the Church came about.

[Omar Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists by George Knight is a very well-written and lucid book. I was reading the third edition, and I found the writing style to be incredibly simple and easy to follow. From what Knight wrote, I believe he gives a solid overview of the contours of Adventism (though I am no historian in that I don’t know what should or shouldn’t have been included in such a volume as this). He does a great job highlighting the key aspects of the church’s history, focusing primarily on two major themes: the development of doctrine and the growth of the church’s organisation and mission.

One thing that really surprised me was learning that the church actually struggled with evangelism in its early stages. But as more people joined the movement after the Great Disappointment, they began to see that the shut-door theory wasn’t entirely true as they had thought (pp. 47-50, 64-67).

Overall, this is a great book. As Knight himself recommends in the preface, I’d suggest it to both Adventists and non-Adventists looking for a simple, lucid introduction to the history of the church. It’s a very readable and enjoyable book that captures the key themes of Adventism really well.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and reviewed this book previously (2015). This May my husband and I read this book aloud together. (For some reason the paperback edition shown here is a Spanish translation-- there is no English paperback edition shown-- I am using the Spanish paperback edition as a stand-in for the English paperback.)

I like George R. Knight for his sometimes slightly irreverent look at history of the Adventist Church, and his relevance in the church today: he supports women's ordination from the stance of a church historian, a Biblical scholar, an academic, and someone who truly appears to see women as having equality in the priesthood of believers.

I must have some sort of block for "brief" histories that are basically a list of names of people influential for the founding and development of the church in the past but with not a lot of incredible new and novel information about them to stick in my Internet-doused brain.

I do come away from this book with a greater respect for Ellen White's place in the history of Adventism.

[Joshua Nickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview and introduction

Well-written, enjoyable book for any fan of church history (bearing in mind that church history often turns into organizational history). It is written by an insider who loves his church, but who is also a historian who writes with clarity and, it seems to me, honesty. Key leaders, power struggles, critical decisions and turning points are covered. The key teachers and books are covered but not quoted at any great length, but there are many suggestions about what to read next if you are interested. Focus is on telling the story, not defending the doctrines.

[Howard Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good read

I chose this rating because it was easy to understand . The book was not voluminous but the necessary details of the Adventist church history were covered. Another advantage to reading this book are recommendations for further study
I recommend this book to all who desire to gain an understanding of the S.D.A. history.

[Charles R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventists need to know their history, and this is the perfect book to know about it!

The book helps me understand the purpose of the church and what we still need to do. I love how it doesn't make anyone a bad guy and tells the story in a non-bias way. It does highlight issues that the church faced.

[Ronaele Whittington, D.S.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative overview

A graduate student in seminary recommended this book which summarizes the growth and development of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Beginning with people who carefully studied their Bibles, Advent groups deliberated and debated the pillars of fundamental beliefs. Today a global network spreads the good news of Jesus’ soon return.

[ed chumley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but very thorough and accurate view of Adventist from the beginning to the modern day Advent movement. Very fast and interesting read.

A very brief but thorough history of Adventist from the 1800's to our modern day. Very fast and interesting read

[Vinícius Luz · Rating 5 out of 5]

o livro entrega o que promete. leitura boa e informativa. uma obra ótima pra introduzir a denominação a quem quer saber: O que é o Adventismo. aqui teremos as crenças, estruturas, reformas e atitudes tomadas numa história que atravessa 3 séculos com o poder da fé a o foco em uma missão

[Charles Roldan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect! Made me look at the church in a more positively and sobering way. If you are struggling with works and faith in the SDA church, investigate the truth through history.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read from another reviewer, this book is really for "insiders"-- those who have been born into Adventist families, attended Adventist educational institutions, or found-- and studied inside-- an Adventist community/church family. Dr. Knight gives a well-organized, no-frills outline of Adventistism from its Millerite beginnings to the present, with a nod to the future. Every one of the eight chapters encourages a possible much more complex exploration, for which he provides a bibliography.

This book worked for me. I wanted some of the information, having not grown up in an Adventist family or community, and yet, having been Adventist for long enough to have heard the names "Jones and Waggoner" bandied about. I don't have the time -- or maybe the inclination--to digest historical information in great detail, and the information that was given here was interesting enough for me to put some of it on the back burner or to do some googling for youtubes. For example, I found a great (for me) presentation by a pastor on the issues around Ordination of Women. Find it at: Here In Dr. Knight's book I was interested to read that the ordination of women pastors has been on the larger agenda for several decades.

I will read more of Dr. Knight's writing to get a catch-up on much of what I have missed, historically, and want to know. I'm donating this copy to our Church Library. It's important for all of us to have a fairly good idea about where our family "came from".

[betanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title says, this book is a brief history. Because it is brief, Knight focuses on the development of the Seventh-day Adventist church first theologically, then organizationally. This is a natural progression as those who eventually found the church did not set out to start a new denomination.

Knight's writing is very accessible while maintaining an intellectual quality. Striking this balance, Knight does not leave less experienced readers behind while still appealing to more experienced readers.knight does not shy away from the conflicts the church has faced. Rather he addresses the issues as seen by both sides of the conflict, treating all parties with respect regardless of the outcome of the conflict.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the Seventh-day Adventist church and how it became the world-wide organization it is today. This is a great introduction to Adventist history that is nicely complemented by Knight's "A Search for Identity".

[Calum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mate, what a slog.
I appreciate that the 170 odd years which this book covers has been condensed to a 150 page history. I did in truth learn a fair amount from the contents of this book, but knowledge is not the sole factor determining whether a book is worth the while. A book also must be enjoyable - which this was not. It was cold hard facts, with no embellishment and no drive. I recognise that this is an historic recount after all, but come on. It was dreadfully bleak and focused primarily on the issues and short comings of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The two stars come however from one core truth that the book continued to reveal; this being that the religion is after all very human and the book (to its credit) does nothing to hide this fact. The history of the church is brimming with mistakes, but is it evident that Gods' hand is still working with the SDA people in a major way, to share the message of a God who loves with a world which could use a bit of loving.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provides a fairly useful overview of the main points of Seventh-day Adventist history. Nevertheless, it book is clearly written from an insider's perspective for insiders to Seventh-day Adventism. Knight, for instance, goes out of his way to justify the lack of missionary focus during the first few decades of SDA's existence. He also occasionally glosses over complex theology, assuming his readers know what he's talking about. He also doesn't discuss any of the controversy, even among Adventists, surrounding the status of Ellen White as a prophet.

[Annabelle Bigs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative

[Dawn]

Very good book. Gives you a very good insight into how the Seventh-day Adventist church got started

[Gerald Du preez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume proved to be a good introduction to Seventh-day Adventism. Providing easy reading, it is fairly well balanced. A criticism that can be leveled against the author is that he falls into the trap of being American-centered. Given - as he demonstrates in one of the tables in the last chapter - that for a major segment of the history the church, the membership outside of the States is greater and that the his gap will continue to widen, it would have been more relevant to the topic and title of the book if greater focus and attention could have been paid to the history outside of the USA.

He is not alone in this shortcoming, as most Adventist historians do the same, e.g. Schwartz, Floyd and Greenleaf, Froom, etc.

However, despite this shortcoming, it is a positive contribution to Adventist historiography.

[Lovely Kamfwa]

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