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William Miller and the Rise of Adventism WILLIAM MILLER AND THE RISE OF ADVENTISM WILLIAM MILLER AND THE RISE OF ADVENTISM George R. Knight Pacific Press® Publishing Association Nampa, Idaho Oshawa, Ontario, Canada www.pacificpress.com Cover design by Gerald Lee Monks Cover resources: © Review and Herald® Publishing Association. Artist: Russ Harlan Inside design by Aaron Troia Copyright © 2010 by Pacific Press® Publishing Association Printed in the United States of America All Rights Reserved The author assumes full responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations as cited in this book. You can obtain additional copies of this book by calling toll-free 1-800-765-6955 or by visiting http://www.adventistbookcenter.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Knight, George R. William Miller and the rise of Adventism / George R. Knight. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (pp. 291–321) and index. ISBN 13: 978-0-8163-2432-3 (pbk.) ISBN 10: 0-8163-2432-8 (pbk.) 1. Miller, William, 1782-1849. 2 Millerite movement. 3. Adventists—History. I. Title. BX6193.M5K65 2010 286.709—dc22 2010034678 10 11 12 13 14 • 1 2 3 4 5 Contents A Word to the Reader ..........................................................................................................7 PART I: Moving Toward the Year of the End Chapter 1: Millennial Passion ...........................................................................................13 • Revival of the Study of Prophecy • Millerism and the Second Great Awaken- • Millennial Conflict ing Chapter 2: The Making of a Millennialist: William Miller’s Early Years ........................21 • Not Always a Rebel • An Enthusiastic Bible Student • The Deistic Years and the War of 1812 • To Preach or Not to Preach • Back to Christianity Chapter 3: Miller’s Mission to the World .........................................................................38 • A Profile of Miller the Man • A Profile of Miller’s Results • A Profile of Miller’s Message Chapter 4: Enter Joshua V. Himes: Mission Organizer ...................................................56 • Meet J. V. Himes • Organizational Strategist • Himes Meets Miller • Himes Under Criticism • “The Napoleon of the Press” Chapter 5: More Millennial Missionaries ........................................................................78 • Josiah Litch Joins the Adventist Mission • Additional Millerite Leaders • The Millerite Camp Meetings • Black and Female Lecturers • The Zealous Charles Fitch PART II: The Year of the End Chapter 6: Entering the Year of the End .........................................................................105 • Progressively Focusing on the Time • Non-Millerite Responses to the • A Year of Expectancy and Evangelism Arrival of the Year Chapter 7: Coming Out of Babylon ................................................................................119 • “Boundary Crisis” • Toward Millerite Separatism • Growing Resistance to Millerism • “Babylon Has Fallen” Chapter 8: The Spring Disappointment ..........................................................................134 • A “Final” Evangelistic Thrust • But Christ Did Not Come Chapter 9: The Tarrying Time .........................................................................................141 • Persevering in “the Work” • Fanaticism in the Ranks Chapter 10: The “True Midnight Cry” ............................................................................159 • A New Message • “Real” and “Perceived” Fanaticism • New Leaders in the Seventh Month • Older Leaders Join the Seventh-Month • Moving Toward October 22 Movement Chapter 11: The October Disappointment .....................................................................184 • Immediate Reactions • The Shut Door and the Forming of • A Leadership in Turmoil the Battle Line • The Scattering Time PART III: Moving Away From the Year of the End Chapter 12: Adventism’s Radical Fringe .........................................................................209 • The Rise of the Spiritualizers • The Shaker Temptation • Aberrant Adventism • “Who Is We? ” Chapter 13: The Albany Reaction ....................................................................................228 • Up to Albany • From Albany to Miller’s Death • Albany • The Albany Denominations • Immediately After Albany Chapter 14: The Sabbatarian Disentanglement ..............................................................251 • Born in Confusion • The Third Angel • New Personalities • The Gathering Time • New Doctrines: The Answer to Confusion Chapter 15: Millerism at 170 ...........................................................................................277 • The Changing Shape of Adventism • And What of the Passion? • The “Why” of Success NOTES ............................................................................................................................291 INDEX .............................................................................................................................327 A Word to the Reader illiam Miller has been called “the most famous millenarian in Amer- ican history.”1 Between 1840 and 1844, his message that Christ would W come “about the year 1843” swept across the United States and beyond. Although seen as a harmless aberration at first, by 1843 Miller’s teaching polarized individuals and churches as they faced the year of the end of the world. After the passing of the year of the end, several Adventist denominations arose out of the ranks of the disappointed Millerites. The most significant of those denomina- tions were the Advent Christians and the Seventh-day Adventists. William Miller and the Rise of Adventism provides a historical overview of Miller- ism. Part 1 deals with the personalities and ideas that shaped Millerite Adventism as it approached the time of the expected Second Coming. Part 2 examines the events and tensions of that climactic year. And part 3 treats the development of Adventism after the passing of the expected time for Christ to come. Thus a first purpose of this book is to set forth a comprehensive overview of Mil- lerism. While several books have appeared on the topic, none thus far have sought to be comprehensive. William Miller and the Rise of Adventism seeks to fill that gap. A second purpose of this volume is to explore possible reasons for Millerism’s surprising success. Beyond the usual sociological explanations that highlight external factors for that success, the present work argues that the vital internal dynamic that thrust the Millerites into the flow of history was a deep certainty, based upon concen- trated study of the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, that Christ 7 William Miller and the Rise of Adventism was coming soon and an impelling con- saw the publication of five significant viction of personal responsibility to warn studies on the history of Millerism: Clyde the world of that good yet fearful news. E. Hewitt’s Midnight and Morning In short, the Millerites were mission driven (1983)4; David L. Rowe’s Thunder and because they saw themselves as a prophetic Trumpets: Millerites and Dissenting Reli- people with a message that the world desper- gion in Upstate New York, 1800-1850 ately needed to hear. That certitude appears (1985)5; Michael Barkun’s Crucible of the to be the internal mainspring that led the Millennium: The Burned-over District of Millerites to dedicate their all to their New York in the 1840s (1986)6; Ruth Al- task. den Doan’s The Miller Heresy, Millennial- Such a deeply held conviction seems ism, and American Culture (1987)7; and to be a precondition to success in all types the volume edited by Ronald L. Num- of millennial movements. Without that bers and Jonathan M. Butler entitled The prophetic certainty and its accompanying Disappointed: Millerism and Millenarian- sense of urgent responsibility, millennial ism in the Nineteenth Century (1987).8 movements begin to atrophy. With their My own work on the topic was first mainspring absent, they lose their dy- published in 1993 as Millennial Fever namic for vitality and growth. and the End of the World: A Study of Mil- Scholars largely neglected serious lerite Adventism.9 I was indebted not only study of Millerism until the 1980s. For to those scholars listed above, but also to decades that study was largely frozen be- the unpublished work of many other stu- tween the poles of Clara Endicott Sears’ dents. Of special value were the unpub- Days of Delusion (1924)2 and Francis D. lished research of David Arthur10 and Nichol’s The Midnight Cry (1944).3 While Everett Dick.11 Two other informative the first of those books was anecdotal and studies have been P. Gerard Damsteegt’s critical, the second was scholarly but ad- Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist mittedly apologetic. In spite of its defen- Message and Mission12 and the fourth vol- sive flavor, Nichol’s work did much to ume of LeRoy E. Froom’s The Prophetic correct misconceptions about Millerism Faith of Our Fathers.13 While those last in scholarly works touching upon the two focus more on Miller’s system of pro- topic. phetic interpretation than on the history The 1980s witnessed a flurry of book- of Millerism, they provide students of length studies in this neglected area of Millerite history with an abundance of in- American religious history. That decade sight unavailable in other secondary works. 8 A Word to the Reader Needless to say, the volumes and re- the doctoral dissertations of Alberto search listed above have greatly increased Timm19 and Merlin Burt.20
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