Advent Christian Church
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The Advent Christian Church is a "first-day" body of Adventist Christians founded on the teachings of William Miller.
History
William Miller
Though the first Advent Christian Association was founded in Salem, Massachusetts in 1860, the church's formation is rooted in the adventist teachings began by Baptist preacher William Miller of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. For many years, Miller studied the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament Book of Daniel and the New Testament Book of Revelation. After many calculations, he announced in 1831 that the Second Advent would occur in 1843 or 1844. Thousands of people believed him, and sold their possessions. His followers, called Millerites, waited for the coming of Christ and the end of the world.Jonathan Cummings
Jonathan Cummings (1785-1867), a disciple of Miller who reset Miller's prediction of Christ's coming as 1854, was also influential on the individuals who founded the Advent Christian Association. A third root of the Advent Christians is found in the rise of the doctrine of conditional immortality among Adventist preachers such as Charles F. Hudson (1795-1881) and George Storrs (1796-1879). Rejecting what they believed was a Greek philosophy (immortality of the soul), they taught that though man was created for immortality, that immortality had been forfeited in the fall of Adam. They believed that only the redeemed would receive eternal life; the dead unconsciously would await the resurrection and final judgment. At the time of judgement, the wicked would suffer extinction. These teachings separated them from some within the Millerite movement. Aurora University (Aurora, Illinois) began as Mendota Seminary in Mendota, Illinois in 1893. In 1900 the church adopted a "Declaration of Principles". A small New England body, called the Life and Advent Union (org. 1863 by John T. Walsh and George Storrs), merged into the Advent Christian Church in 1964.Beliefs
The doctrine of the Advent Christian Church includes belief in the Bible as the infallible rule of faith and practice, salvation available for all conditioned on repentance, faith, & faithfulness to God, and the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of "soul-sleeping" and "conditional immortality" - We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition which will remain unchanged until the resurrection at Christ's Second Coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be "punished with everlasting destruction;" suffering complete extinction of being - separates them from a number of other evangelical Christians. The church accepts two ordinances - water baptism of believers by immersion, and the Lord's supper.
In ministry, the church cooperates to provide missions, education, publications, homes, and a camp. The General Conference of the church meets every three years. Denominational headquarters are located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Statistics
In 1990, the Advent Christian Church had 23,794 members in 329 congregations. The largest concentration of churches is on the eastern coast of the United States in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The church holds membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, and the National Association of Evangelicals.The Seventh-day Adventist Church
When the world did not end in 1844, many of Miller's followers were bitterly disappointed. They abandoned his Adventist movement to form new ones. The largest one - the Seventh-day Adventist Church - emerged about the time of the Civil War. This group continued to stress the doctrine of the Second Coming. But it avoided Miller's inclination to predict the specific time.
The Seventh-Day Adventists believe the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, as taught be Ellen G. White. They abstain from anything that might affect bodily health, including tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee. The Adventists conduct an extensive missionary program because they believe the Second Coming cannot take place until all nations have heard the Gospel.
External links
- [Adherents.com]
- [Advent Christian General Conference]
- [Aurora University]
- [The Advent Christian Church - An Introduction]
- [History of the Second Advent Message and Mission, Doctrine and People] by Isaac Wellcome (1874).
References
- Churches and Church Membership in the United States (1990), Glenmary Research Center
- Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
- Midnight and Morning: The Millerite Movement and the Founding of the Advent Christian Church, by Clyde E. Hewitt
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