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12-1983
The Political Character of Adventist Rhetoric Until the End of the Civil War
Jeffrey Boyd Smith
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Recommended Citation Smith, Jeffrey Boyd, "The Political Character of Adventist Rhetoric Until the End of the Civil War" (1983). Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects. 944. https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/944
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THE POLITICAL CHARACTER OF ADVENTIST RHETORIC
UNTIL THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR
by
Jeffrey Boyd Smith
This thesis attempts to account for the emergence, development, and function of Seventh-day Adventist apocalyptic rhetoric within its social context. As the title indicates, the argument is that the rhetoric was political in character, having been derived from the apocalyptic rhet- oric of American "civil religion," which originated in the colonial wars with the French during the eighteenth century. After tracing the forma- tion of Adventist rhetoric from William Miller's preaching of the Second
Coming to John N. Andrew's interpretation of the third angers message found in Revelation 141 the author concludes with an analysis of this rhetoric's influence on Adventist behavior in regard to the preeminent political reform of the day: the abolition of slavery.
All primary sources employed will be familiar to historians of Adventism--and to many non-historians as well. The novelty of this study is the manner in which it relates these sources to a wider intel- lectual and social context, of which few who will read this paper will have been aware. For the recovery of this context, the author has relied heavily on several recent studies on American "civil religion," the citations of which may be found in the documentation. LOma Linda University Graduate School
THE OOLITIC'AL CliARACTER OFADVENrIST RHE'IDRIC UNTIL THE ·END OF THE CIVIL WAR by
Jeffrey Boyd Smith
A 'Ihesis in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in History
December, 1983 Each person whose signature appears below certifies that this thesis in his opinion is adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree Master of Arts.
, Chairman ,To an M. Butler Associate Professor of Church History
_Pau essor 61 Church History
Frederick G. Hoyt, Professor o History
ii Acknowledgments
My debt to Dr. Jonathan Butler, who guided me throughout this study,
and also through one that preceded it written at Claremont for under- graduate honors, is indeed large. It was he who steered me to the
growing body of historical literature on American "civil religion" and millenarianism. All that was left for me then was to survey this liter- ature and discern the manifold connections between it and Adventist
rhetoric. 1 hope that this study may eventually bear greater fruit in
Dr. Butler's own research and writing—though even this would by no means constitute adequate compensation.
Thanks are also due to Dr. Paul Landa, whose lectures on Church history equipped me with a background indespensable to the study of a
modern religious movement such as nineteenth-century Adventism. Dr.
Landa also gave his careful scrutiny to the final chapter of this the- sis, which, in its original form, was written as a seminar paper under his direction.
Lastly, Dr. Frederick Hoyt should receive at least indirect credit for whatever good I have here done. For it was his classes on American History, which I took as a freshman at La Sierra, that led me to pursue
whatever vague interests in this most glorious subject that I brought with me from Newbury Park Adventist Academy.
iii Table of Contents
Page I. THE ESCHATOLOGY OF AMERICAN REVIVALISM: THE BACKGROUND OF ADVENTISM 1
The Millennial Hope of the Republic 1 The Development of Civil Millennialism in New England and the Northwest
William Miller's Alternative to Republican Escha- tology 18