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History of the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement

The origin of the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement centres around the decision the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe during World War 1 to commit their members to bearing arms and performing military duties on Sabbath.

Historically, Seventh-day Adventists were unanimous in their views on participation in acts of war and bloodshed.

"Resolved that we recognize civil government as ordained of God, that order, justice, and quiet may be maintained in the land; and that the people of God may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. In accordance with this fact we acknowledge the justice of rendering tribute, custom, honor, and reverence to the civil power, as enjoined in the New Testament. While we thus cheerfully render to Caesar the things which the Scriptures show to be his, we are compelled to decline all participation in acts of war and bloodshed as being inconsistent with the duties enjoined upon us by our divine Master toward our enemies and toward all mankind." Report of the Third Annual General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, "The Review and Herald", May 23, 1865.

During the American Civil War, the Federal Conscription Act of March 3, 1863 contained a provision that drafted persons could either hire a substitute or pay no more than $300 commutation money and thereby be exempt from military service for entire period of that draft. [1] When drafted under the Act, Seventh-day Adventists "were content to pay, or assist each other in paying, the $300 commutation money." [SDA's In Time of War, page 61.] Due to the pressing need for more manpower in Federal armies, this provision was ammended in February, 1864. The ammended Act was more restrictive in the use of substitutes. A substitute had to be a person not liable for draft. $300 could still be paid for an exemption, but the exemption lasted only one round of a draft and for no longer than twelve months. However, the ammended act contained a new provision that allowed an exemption from military duties for those who were "were contientiously opposed to bearing arms or engaging in war" and who were "prohibited from doing so by their rules and articles of faith and practice." Such persons when drafted had three options under the Act: duty in hospitals, the care of freed slaves, or the payment of $300 commutation money to be used for the care of the sick and injured. Seventh-day Adventists claimed this exemption for their members when drafted. However, to satisfy the requirements of the Act, it was necessary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership to provide authorities with letters declaring their position . Church officials wrote the following declaration to authorities at that time:

“The denomination of Christians calling themselves Seventh-day Adventist, taking the Bible as their rule of faith and practice are unanimous in their views that its teachings are contrary to the spirit and practice of war, hence they have ever been conscientiously opposed to bearing arms.” [Letter to Austin Blair, Governor of Michigan, August 3, 1864, (Signed) John Byington, J. N. Loughborough, Geo. W. Amadon, General Conference Committee. (http://www.imssdarm-bg.org/content/view/812/111/)]

Seventh-day Adventists at the time were considered to be as non-combatant as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Members of the Religious Society of Friends declined all participation in war, reflecting a pacifist position.

In contrast to this position was the one taken some fifty years later at the outbreak of World War I. Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in Europe, under pressure from civil authorities who gave no exemptions from military service, made the decision to commit their church members to bearing arms and instructed them "to fulfill their military duties on Sabbath as other soldiers do on Sunday." Written declarations confirming this position were communicated to government authorities.

An article published by the Biblical Research Institute of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has noted, "This position on combatant service, as well as doing duty on Sabbath, stood clearly in opposition to the traditional position taken by Adventists in the past." [Gerhard Pfandl, BRI, http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/Independent%20Ministries/SDA%20Reform%20movement.htm]

A significant number of church members voiced strong opposition to this decision, maintaining that it was a public denial of both the fourth and sixth of the ten commandments. Some proclaimed that this decision constituted an apostasy by the church. Alarmed by the intensisty of the protest, the church leadership took action against these church members, who in some places consisted of entire congregations, and declared them "disfellowshipped". Reports from one German newspaper of the time placed the number of those disfellowshipped at around 2% of the church membership.

1914-1918 Seventh-day Adventist Church Schism (Europe)

The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement came about as a result of the actions of L. R. Conradi and certain European church leaders during the war, who decided that it was acceptable for Adventists to take part in war, which was in clear opposition to the historical position of the church that had always upheld the non-combative position. Since the American Civil War, Adventists were known as non-combatants, and had done work in hospitals or to give medical care rather than combat roles. The Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Europe when the war began, determined on their own that it was permissible for Adventists to bear arms and serve in the military and other changes which went against traditional Adventist beliefs.

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists sent Seventh-day Adventist minister and General Conference Secretary William Ambrose Spicer to investigate the changes these leaders had instituted, but was unable to undo what L. R. Conradi and the others had done during the war. After the war, the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference administration sent a delegation of four brethren,(Arthur G. Daniells who was president of General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, L. H. Christian, F. M. Wilcox and M. E. Kern) to Germany in the hope of achieving a reconciliation. In July 1920, a Ministerial Meeting was held in Friedensau for this purpose. With 200 Pastors and the brethren from the General Conference present at this meeting, G. Dail, L. R. Conradi, H. F. Schuberth, and P. Drinhaus withdrew their statement about military service and apologized for what they had done. The Reform-Adventist brethren were informed of this and the next day commenced three days of negotiations involving the SDA General Conference representatives, 51 members of committees representing the European Adventist Unions affected, and 16 representatives of the Reform-Adventist brethren.

Questions were presented to the SDA General Conference brethren by both the European Adventist brethren and the Reformed-Adventist brethren concerning the issues that led to the schism and its aftermath. Four questions were asked by the Reform-Adventist brethren while nine were asked by L.R. Conradi, representing the European Adventist brethren. Considerable time was spent discussing a number of pamphlets and other published articles by various parties during the war years, some accusing the SDA Church of falling into apostasy. It was clarified which of these pamphlets were authorized by the Reformed-Adventist brethren and questions were asked of them. Among the questions asked, was the Reformed-Adventist brethren's position on the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. It was asserted by the Reformed-Adventist brethren that the institutions of the denomination belong to those who hold to the principles of the denomination.

A.G. Daniels asked, "Your standpoint is that the brethren here," referring to the representatives of the European Adventist Unions, "have departed from the original principles, and you assert that the organization which you represent holds to the principles and for that reason the institutions are transferred to you." E. Doerschler, representing the Reformed-Adventists, replied, "We have not received an answer to our questions. It depends on what answer the General Conference give."

were. w a meeting by the SDA Adventist brethren with representatives of the SDA Reform-Adventists. A. G. Daniells urged them to return to the Seventh-day Adventist church. At this meeting, four questions were asked of Daniels by the Reform-Adventists. maintained that the church leaders had forsaken the truth and the reconciliation failed. Soon after they began to form a separate group from the official Adventist church. A related group which also came about for the same reasons was the True and Free Seventh-day Adventists (TFSDA) which formed in the Soviet Union at this time, whose most well known leader was Vladimir Shelkov.