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Church, Sect, and Government Control, a History of Seventh-Day Adventists in Austria, 1890-1975

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Church, Sect, and Government Control, a History of Seventh-Day Adventists in Austria, 1890-1975 Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 1991 Church, Sect, and Government Control, a History of Seventh-Day Adventists in Austria, 1890-1975 Daniel Heinz Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the Political History Commons Recommended Citation Heinz, Daniel, "Church, Sect, and Government Control, a History of Seventh-Day Adventists in Austria, 1890-1975" (1991). Dissertations. 65. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/65 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Beil & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313- 761-4700 800 521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 9129721 Church, sect, and government control: A history of Seventh-Day Adventists in Austria, 1890—1975 Heinz, Daniel, Ph.D. Andrews University, 1991 Copyright ©1991 by Heins, Daniel. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary CHURCH, SECT, AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL A HISTORY OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN AUSTRIA, 1890-1975 A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Daniel Heinz March 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT CHURCH, SECT, AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL A HISTORY OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN AUSTRIA, 1890-1975 by Daniel Heinz Faculty Adviser: D. A. Augsburger Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: CHURCH, SECT, AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL: A HISTORY OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN AUSTRIA, 1890-1975 Name of researcher: Daniel Heinz Name and degree of faculty adviser: Daniel A. Augsburger, Ph.D., Dr. es Sc.Rel. Date completed: March 1991 Seventh-day Adventism, a young American-based denomination, encountered strenuous opposition when it first reached Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century. This was especially true in Austria, where traditional allegiance to Roman Catholicism, linked with a strong emphasis on cultural continuity, constituted the tenor of social life. Although the Adventist church has been present in Austria for almost a hundred years, its influence and size have remained insignificant. Baptists and Methodists have had the same disappointing experience. Austria is 2 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 certainly one of the most difficult countries for evangelical mission outreach in Europe. This dissertation not only describes the history of Seventh-day Adventism in Austria but also examines the relationship of the denomination to its political and religious milieu. How did the Austrian Adventists conduct themselves under the shadow of the predominant Catholic Church? How did they relate to the different forms of government such as monarchy, fascism, and National Socialism? Which missionary methods were employed to counteract the influence of a largely hostile church and state and to adapt to the environment? These and related questions are explored with the anticipation that this study may furnish valuable insights to stimulate further discussion of church-state relationships and to provide a basis for continuing investigation of the dynamics involved in encounters of minority religions with hostile socio-cultural settings. Chapter I sketches the origin and progress of the Adventist mission in Central Europe, dealing with the contributions of missionaries such as M. B. Czechowski, J. N. Andrews, and L. R. Conradi. Chapter IX treats the difficult beginnings of Adventist mission work in Austria-Hungary. Chapter III describes Adventism during the inter­ war period. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 Chapter IV deals with Adventism in the corporative state and its adaptation during the Nazi period. Chapter V discusses the post-war development of Adventism until 1975. In overview, the Adventist church's adaptability from the outset of its existence in Austria facilitated denominational growth. The negative side of this approach was revealed during the Third Reich by the misuse of adaptability in making certain unwarranted concessions and compromises. Today flexibility still seems necessary to meet societal changes in Austria. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. fcj Copyright by Daniel Heinz 1991 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHURCH, SECT, AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL A HISTORY OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST IN AUSTRIA, 1890-1975 A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by Daniel Heinz APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: ^ ** * * —i ^ j * * / u l r i Faculty Adisorviso:r:D aDnaineile lA GAgugsburger Werner VyhmeJster, Dean Professor of Historical Theology, SDA Theological Seminary Emeritus C~ . VVLi< v<-c-c M \e>q/ C. Mei\vyn Maxwell, Professor of Date Approved Churcn history, Emeritus Kenneth A. Strand, Professor of Church History George'R. Knight, Professor of Church History ■ I \ I* Russell L. Staples,,T ,JPTozesi i l i Sessor ' of Lssion James M. Stayer, P£dfessor of History, Queens University Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To those Seventh-day Adventist Christians of the past and present in Europe whose names will never appear in any earthly record, but whose existence is grounded in the love of Christ and in the hope of His soon-coming kingdom. They are the very core of the church. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ......................................... iv ABBREVIATIONS......................................... vii INTRODUCTION ....................................... 1 Statement: of the Problem ...................... 1 Purpose and Justification of the Study ........ 7 Method of Research, Definitions, and Limitations ............................. 9 Chapter I. ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN EUROPE ........................ 15 Development of Mission Awareness ............ 15 Beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission to E u r o p e ........................ 19 Mission Advance in Central Europe .......... 28 Adventism and the European Environment .... 45 Conclusions ................................. 50 II. OPPOSITION AND OPPRESSION: SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS DURING THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN MONARCHY (1890-1918) 53 Political and Religious Backgrounds ........ 53 Adventist Beginnings in Austria-Hungary . 67 The Underground C h u r c h ...................... 85 Organization and Spread of Adventists in the Habsburg L a n d s .................... 98 Mission
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