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THE GREAT COMMISSION and the Educational Imperative THE GREAT COMMISSION and the Educational Imperative hristianity is primarily a But the Great Commission of flying in midheaven, with an eternal mission movement. And Matthew 28 is only one of at least gospel to proclaim to those who C the Seventh-day Adventist five mission commissions in the New dwell on earth, to every nation and Church exists for only one Testament. tribe and tongue and people.” reason: Mission, especially end-time • A second is in Acts 1:8: “‘But There are several interesting things mission as Planet Earth moves to- you shall receive power when the about these five gospel commissions. ward the long-awaited eschaton. Holy Spirit has come upon you; and The first is that they imply education When Adventism loses its mission-to- you shall be my witnesses in Jeru- and teaching, a fact made explicit in the-world orientation, it has lost its salem and in all Judea and Samaria Matthew 28 with its command to only reason for existence. and to the end of the earth.’” “teach” all things that Christ had • A third mission imperative is im- commanded. The Great Commissions plied in Matthew 24:14: “‘And this A second thing to note is that the When we think of mission, Mat - gospel of the kingdom will be first three of those commissions have thew 28:18 to 20 generally comes to preached throughout the whole been undertaken by the Christian mind: “‘All authority in heaven and world, as a testimony to all nations; Church in general. But the last two in on earth has been given to me. Go and then the end will come.’” Revelation 10 and 14 have been therefore and make disciples of all • The fourth commission is found sounded only by the Seventh-day Ad- nations, baptizing them in the name following the bitter experience of the ventist Church, which has put the of the Father and of the Son and of opening of the little book of Daniel in preaching of the end-time apocalyptic the Holy Spirit, teaching them to ob- Revelation 10:11: “Thou must prophesy package and the three angels’ mes- serve all that I have commanded you; again before many peoples, and na- sages at the very center of its identity. and lo, I am with you always, to the tions, and tongues, and kings” (KJV). In other words, Adventism has never close of the age’” (RSV).1 • And the fifth is found in Revela- viewed itself as merely another de- tion 14:6: “Then I saw another angel BY GEORGE R. KNIGHT 4 The Journal of Adventist Education • April-June 2017 http://jae.adventist.org nomination, but as a called-out move- cation “bug” had firmly implanted it- ment on education (“Proper Educa- ment of prophecy with a unique mes- self in the Adventist mentality. tion”) for the new school, was in full sage to teach to the ends of the earth. James White’s reply is of interest, harmony with that aim. “We need a That understanding has pushed Ad- since he argued in answering Ball school,” she penned, “where those ventism around the world, making it that “the fact that Christ is very soon who are just entering the ministry the most widespread unified Protestant coming is no reason why the mind may be taught at least the common body in the history of Christianity. should not be improved. A well-disci- branches of education, and where plined and informed mind can best they may also learn more perfectly the The Adventist Journey From Anti-mission receive and cherish the sublime truths of God’s word for this time.”7 and Anti-education truths of the Second Advent.” His Meanwhile, by 1873 James White Modern Adventism views (or wife was of the same opinion.5 and other denominational leaders were should view) its massive educational Early Adventists were both anti- realizing that the 1872 school was in- system as a major arm of its missio- mission and anti-education. That adequate and that “there is no branch logical endeavor. But that wasn’t al- would change in the early 1870s, of this work that suffers so much at the ways so. In fact, early Adventists were nearly 30 years after the Millerite dis- present time as the proper education of both anti-mission and anti-education. appointment. By 1872, the church was men and women to proclaim the third The earliest Seventh-day Advent - not only growing, but also needed angel’s message.” He noted that the ists firmly believed that they had no ministers. Those who had come into church needed to prepare “young men mission to the world. As they saw it, the church from Millerism were aging, and women . to become printers, the door of probation had been shut and the church needed to think seri- editors, and teachers.” In addition, in October 1844, and future mission ously about training future leadership. they needed to be taught the “living was impossible. Their only task was Beyond that, by the early 1870s the languages” (rather than the dead clas- to comfort one another and seek to church was earnestly considering its sical languages), since we have “a mes- wake up backslidden Millerites until responsibility toward foreign missions. sage . that is to be proclaimed be- the soon-expected end came.2 It was with those concerns in mind fore many nations and tongues and Only very gradually did they give that the General Conference estab- peoples.”8 up their Shut Door to mission theol- lished the School Committee. The com- By early 1873, the recognition that ogy in the early 1850s. Slowly, very mittee reported in May 1872 that “there the denomination needed to send slowly, they began to understand that are persons all through our ranks, who men and women overseas also was they had a wider mission. But even as have come to years of maturity, who becoming intense. Thus, in April late as 1859, Uriah Smith put forth the have convictions that they ought to do 1873, John Nevins Andrews could ed- idea that since the United States was something to directly forward the glori- itorialize in the Review and Herald composed of people from around the ous and important cause in which we that “the calls that come from every world, the message of the three angels are engaged. To this end, they want im- quarter, from men speaking other lan- to every nation could be accomplished mediately to acquaint themselves thor- guages, must be answered by us. We if one person from each country as oughly with the teaching of the Bible cannot do this in our present circum- found in the United States heard the in reference to those great truths which stances. But we can do it if the Lord message. Thus, he wrote, it needed to pertain to this time.” At the same time, bless our effort in the establishment be preached to one German, one Aus- the committee noted, those people of our proposed school. We have de- tralian, one African, and so on.3 Even needed instruction in general knowl- layed this effort too long.”9 20 years after the Millerite disappoint- edge so that they would be more ef- The year 1874 witnessed a major ment, the idea of world mission had fective in speaking and writing. As a shift in Adventist history. In that year not registered in the minds of our result, the denomination was establish- the denomination sent its first official early leaders to any significant degree. ing a school in Battle Creek so that missionary—J. N. Andrews—to a The same can be said about Ad- church members could be “prepared to foreign land and opened its first col- ventist education. Most believed that wield those weapons for the advance- legiate institution—Battle Creek there was no need for it. It was that ment of the cause.”6 College. Those two events must not mentality that led W. H. Ball in 1862 There was no doubt in the minds be seen as two separate events, but to ask if it is “right and consistent for of the denomination’s leadership in as one. After all, the foremost pur- us who believe with all our hearts in 1872 that the purpose of the school pose of the denomination’s early edu- the immediate coming of the Lord, to they were establishing was to train cational enterprise was to train men seek to give our children an educa- people to spread the gospel. Ellen and women to spread the three an- tion?”4 Note that that question was White, writing her first major state- gels’ messages. being asked 18 years after the Mil- The year 1874 with both its send- lerite disappointment. The anti-edu- ing of Adventism’s first foreign mis- http://jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • April-June 2017 5 sionary and the opening of its first he spread of Adventist college indicate the close tie between mission and education. The strength of that unity would be reinforced in education during the the 1890s. That decade would wit- ness two parallel explosions in the T 1890s was directly re- dynamics of the development of Ad- ventism. The first related to mission and the second to education. And, as lated to the spiritual revival in the in the 1870s, the two moved together. It is important to realize from the outset that the mission enthusiasm of denomination’s theology in 1888 the 1890s was not restricted to the Ad- ventist Church.
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