Spes Christiana 31.2, 2020, 25‒46 The 1872 Declaration of Fundamental Principles On the Contextual-Theological Significance of Adventism’s First Statement of Beliefs Stefan Höschele Abstract The 1872 Declaration of Fundamental Principles is a milestone in the de- velopment of Adventist theology in several regards. It still enshrined the denomination’s thinking of the period in a Millerite framework yet also indicated its move away from their Adventist competitors. It pre- sented the movement’s beliefs in a unique structure and thus became an important tool for Adventist dogmatic self-reflection; at the same time, it canonized the anti-creedal paradox of rejecting norms second- ary to Scripture while producing precisely such a normative state- ment. Overall, the Fundamental Principles are a crucial witness to the contextuality of 19th century Adventist theologizing. From its very beginning, Christianity was a confessional religion.1 Followers of Jesus the Messiah declared their adherence to their Master with formulae which were, in effect, mini-creeds: e.g., “Jesus is Lord” or, even shorter, “Jesus Christ” (i.e. Jesus [is] the Messiah). It was logical, therefore, that the earliest Christians soon developed a set of items to be professed by neophytes as well as by those belonging to the believers’ community already – the regula fidei. This “rule of faith” formed the basis of Christian theology, expressed it in nuce, and later developed into the well-known creeds – the Nicene, the Ath- anasian, and the Apostolic creed. 1 For a thorough interpretation of the meaning and variety of credal texts, see Pelikan 2003; this book accompanied his (and Valerie Hotchkiss’s) massive collection Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition (2003, 3 vols.). Stefan Höschele Seventh-day Adventists arose in one of the most intensely anti-credal eras of Christian history, the 19th century in America, and adopted the critical stance towards creeds, confessions, and dogmas of their Baptist, Connection- ist, and Millerite forebears. It may seem somewhat ironical that Seventh-day Adventists never shed this anti-creed rhetoric of the past but developed a well-defined and clearly demarcated set of “Fundamental Beliefs” them- selves. Of course this did not happen overnight: the 1980 Fundamental Beliefs had their precursors in a less elaborate statement with the same name of 1931; and the 1931 text had replaced a Declaration of Fundamental Principles orig- inally published in 1872, which was written by an individual and was later used in denominational self-portrayals. This paper2 analyzes and interprets the Fundamental Principles of 1872.3 So far no separate publication exists on this text, only a few papers that deal with its content in connection with other Adventist statements of belief.4 The most comprehensive discussion is found in a comparative article by Denis Fortin (1998) that includes reflections on the 1845 and 1869 statements of faith of the non-sabbatarian Advent Christians and Evangelical Adventists. Fortin’s eval- uation focuses on the doctrinal similarities and differences as well as the gen- eral evangelical tenets of faith (and in particular the 1846 basis of the Evangelical Alliance) and the texts that those two alternative Adventisms had produced (56–60; 63–66).5 The focus of this paper, besides a close look at the historical context, is (1) the theological emphasis of the 1872 Declaration, which is also visible (2) in 2 I would like to express my gratitude to two anonymous reviewers, whose expertise in Adventist history, theology, and statements of beliefs helped sharpen some formulations and add a few important references; see footnotes 10 and 16. 3 The publication details are: [Uriah Smith,] A Declaration of the Fundamental Principles Taught and Practiced by the Seventh-Day Adventists (Battle Creek: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1872), 14 pp. The full text is included in section 4 below. 4 S. Joseph Kidder’s (2009) attempt to situate the text in the enfolding Adventist discourse on creeds and statements of belief devotes only one page to the Fundamental Principles (112–113). Michael Campbell (2016) interprets the statement as a response to friction with other Adventists (100–103) and compares the 1872 Fundamental Principles with the “Fundamental Beliefs” of 1931 (105–108). 5 The impetus for the present article mainly arose from discussions and reflections on the devel- opment of Adventist doctrine in general, as found in Rolf Pöhler’s 1995 dissertation at Andrews University, “Change in Seventh-day Adventist Theology,” now republished (Pöhler 2020). 26 The 1872 Declaration of Fundamental Principles its (hitherto neglected) structure, (3) the importance of the text in the devel- opment of Adventist theology, and (4) its significance as a witness of Advent- ism’s contextual nature. Needless to say, this is not a full interpretive treatment of each section found in the Fundamental Principles; however, since little is available so far in terms of in-depth discussions on these Adventist statements of faith, the article may serve as a basis for further debate. 1. Historical Context The Seventh-day Adventist Church came into being in the early 1860s. After the ups and downs that its forebears experienced in the apocalyptic-inspired and revivalist Millerite Advent Movement from the late 1830s onward, dele- gates of the then 3500-member group of sabbatarian Adventists chose the de- nominational name in 1860. During the following years, they formed regional organizations called “conferences” and, in 1863, a General Conference, i.e. a leadership structure with a committee that was to direct the new church and organize its ministry and expansion. These earliest Seventh-day Adventists were united by their experience in the Advent Movement, distinctive prac- tices and beliefs (notably the Saturday Sabbath) and trust in God’s special guidance through the prophetic gift of Ellen White. What they did not have was an official confession of faith. This was a rather typical situation among several of the most vigorous reli- gious movements in 19th century America.6 The anti-credal stance of the vari- ous Restorationist groups and (to a large degree) the Baptists had left strong marks upon the Millerites, and Seventh-day Adventists proved to be true to their Millerite heritage. The slogan “no creed but the Bible,” which was popular in most of the American-born denominations of the period, essentially mirrored a disdain for tradition accompanied by individualism, mistrust of established authorities, and a mixture of biblicism and common sense reasoning.7 It is in such a context that the early Seventh-day Adventists found them- selves developing an organization, an expanding network of congregations, institutions of various kinds, and an increasingly fixed body of doctrine. Their founders’ earliest moves away from the Millerite Adventist mainstream in the latter half of the 1840s had proven to be both innovative (in terms of teaching) 6 For a comprehensive study on this period, see Hatch 1989. 7 See ibid., passim, especially 40–46 and 162–183. 27 Stefan Höschele and painful (with regard to brotherly relations). By the mid-1850s, a stable body of believers had developed around shared convictions, the periodical Advent Review and Sabbath Herald and a few leaders, notably James and Ellen White. Yet even in the 1860s, the self-image as God’s end-time “remnant,” a transitory organizational entity before the approaching parousia, implied that a well-formulated dogmatic statement was not deemed necessary. These sentiments changed when the movement entered its second gener- ation. The rather disorganized but close-knit spiritual community of a few dozen in the late 1840s had developed into a recognizable denomination two decades later. Their leaders were no longer in their twenties but had raised children up to adulthood. The non-credal stance coupled with a constant sola scriptura emphasis continued to determine the Adventist rhetoric, but the church had clearly developed traditions of its own, which its members sought to propagate, defend, and pass on to the next generation. It is in this context that the first comprehensive statement of Adventist doc- trine was drafted by a person whose authority was undisputed. Uriah Smith, 40 years old at the time, was among the leading personalities in the movement and is remembered mostly for his more than three decades of service as the editor of the leading denominational paper, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. Yet Smith, who also served as secretary of the General Conference in 1863 and for four further one-year terms, actually preferred scholarly work and writing to top leadership. Together with his brother-in-law John N. Andrews, he was one of the two most important theologians of the early denomination. If there was a specific occasion that prompted or facilitated this 1872 publi- cation, it is not known. The first references to the existence of the pamphlet appear as mere mention of the title in March in the “Books, Pamphlets, Tracts, &c” and “Important Works” sections of the denominational paper.8 Unlike for other publications, no more extended discussion of the brochure seemed nec- essary, presumably because it was deemed merely a summary of what all Sev- enth-day Adventists agreed upon anyway. The text clearly refers to other Advent believers as the primary frame of reference; the introduction asserts that “there are many who call themselves 8 See, e.g., “Important Works,” Advent Review and Herald of the Sabbath [sic; the name went through several changes over the decades], March 19, 1872, 112, and March 26, 1872, 120. 28 The 1872 Declaration of Fundamental Principles Adventists who hold views with which we can have no sympathy.” It is pos- sible that less-than-friendly exchanges with Miles Grant, a leader of the Ad- vent Christian Church, contributed to the formulation of the 1872 “Funda- mental Principles,” as Michael Campbell suggests (2016, 102–103).