Adventism
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Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It includes a grouping of historically related denominations which trace their origins to William Miller, a Baptist preacher during the Second Great Awakening who publicly taught and predicted that the Second Coming would occur sometime between 1843 and 1844. Followers of William Miller were known as Millerites. After Miller's predictions failed following the Great Disappointment, the Millerite movement fractured, with some returning to their previous churches. The groups which continued the Millerite movement became known as the Adventists.
Although Adventists share the same Millerite heritage and key doctrinal positions, their theologies vary significantly on several beliefs including whether the intermediate state of the dead is unconscious sleep or consciousness, whether ultimate punishment of the wicked is annihilation or eternal damnation, whether the wicked are resurrected after the Millennium, whether the day of rest and worship is on the seventh day (Saturday) or the first day (Sunday), and whether Ellen G. White was inspired and a prophetess.
The largest Adventist denomination is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Other significant churches include the Seventh-day Adventist Remnant Church, Reformed Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventist Church (Kelloggite), Adventist Church of God, the Free Adventist Church, Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God, and the First-day Adventist Church.
History
- See also: Millerites and Great Disappointment
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Adventism began as an inter-denominational movement. The Millerites were the earliest and most recognizable pre-Albany Conference Adventists. Led by William Miller, a Baptist lay preacher from New York, the Millerites believed that Jesus Christ would return to Earth between 1843 and 1844 based on Miller's exegetical interpretation of prophecy in Daniel 8 (the 2,300-day prophecy). After several failed predictions, on October 22, 1844, when Jesus did not return as expected by the Millerites, the day and event became known as the Great Disappointment. The event triggered an existential crisis for the movement. Some Millerites returned to their previous faiths, others attempted to predict new dates, and others abandoned their faith completely. A segment of Millerites continued to conduct Bible studies in order to make sense of the Great Disappointment, leading to the development of the modern Adventist movement. William Miller himself did not join any of the post-Great Disappointment Millerite groups, and died shortly after in 1849.
Those who remained within the movement had varying views on the October 22 date. The majority abandoned any biblical or prophetic significance to the date, yet they remained convinced that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was imminent. Of those who retained the October 22 date, a significant group held that Jesus had not come physically, but had come "spiritually". The majority of these Millerites joined the Shakers while a minority formed their own religious groups. Another minority held that a literal event occurred on October 22, but that it had been misinterpreted. The latter group eventually developed into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the largest Adventist group today, alongside its subsequent splinter groups.
Albany Conference (1845)
The Albany Conference was a meeting held in 1845 that sought to address the meaning and future of the Millerite movement. There was a total of 61 delegates in attendance. Although the Millerites became officially known as the "Adventists" following the meeting, four main groups emerged from the conference due to several disagreements over theological points: the Evangelical Adventists, the Life and Advent Union, the Advent Christian Church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Subsequent developments
The largest group organized as the American Millennial Association, of which a portion of its membership later became reorganized as the Evangelical Adventist Church. Compared to the majority of other Adventists, the Evangelical Adventist Church held the mainstream Christian belief in eternal damnation for the wicked in an eternal hell, consciousness in death, and immortality of the soul. The church declined in numbers, and later merged with the Adventist Church of Christ to form the present-day Adventist Church of God.
The Life and Advent Union was founded by George Storrs and John T. Walsh in 1863, who taught that the wicked would not be resurrected, and that resurrection was reserved solely to the righteous. The church eventually merged with the First-day Adventist Church in 1957.
The Advent Christian Church formed in 1861 and was initially the fastest-growing Adventist denomination during the 19th century. It remained the largest first-day body in the Adventist movement by the 20th century. Originally based in the Northeast Union, the church reorganized as the First-day Adventist Church in 1919 following an exodus to Superior in the wake of the Northeastern Revolution.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church formed in 1863. It teaches the sanctity of the seventh-day Sabbath as a holy day for worship and that its co-founder Ellen G. White was divinely inspired by God with the gift of prophecy. It became the largest Adventist body by the beginning of the 20th century. The church's beliefs were highly influential in the Adventist movement and elsewhere, influencing the development of New Anglicanism from within Anglican churches in Sierra. Internal disagreement over the degree of authoritative and prophetic command of White, as well as doctrinal debate over the Trinity, Last Generation Theology, relevance of October 22 date, and the investigative judgment, resulted in church reform and schisms. The Reformed Adventist Church formed in 1888 Minnesota General Conference after the church leadership refuted Arianism and Semi-Arianism in favor of Trinitarianism. The church consisted of former Seventh-day Adventists who held semi-Arian views on the Godhead. The Seventh-day Adventist Church (Kelloggite) was founded in 1903 after John Harvey Kellogg was disfellowshipped over his purported beliefs in pantheism and support for the creation of an autonomous Adventist state. The Seventh-day Adventist Remnant Church was founded in 1951 in reaction to the 1950 San Francisco City General Conference when the Seventh-day Adventist Church condemned certain Adventist fundamentalist beliefs including Last Generation Theology. The Church of God and the Three Angels' Messages formed in 1980 following disagreement with the 1980 Saint Anthony General Conference over the church's adoption of the 27 Fundamentals, abandonment of the investigative judgment teaching, and the perception that the church leadership was distancing itself from the writings, teachings, and ministry of Ellen G. White in order to appease progressive Adventists.
The Continental Revolutionary War left a lasting effect on Adventism. Numerous Adventist groups, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, emigrated to the Western North American states as refugees. Adventist sects and churches which remained in the Eastern Bloc countries were subject to the anti-religious policies of the early Continentalist regime, especially under the leadership of Seamus Callahan. The most notable Adventist group which developed in the United Commonwealth was the All-Union Continentalist Adventists, an independent Adventist congregation with nominal ties with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and organized along a congregationalist polity.
Denominations
Adventist Church of God
The Adventist Church of God (ACG) was founded in 1963 after two Adventist churches: the Evangelical Adventist Church and the Adventist Church of Christ, merged together. In 2021, it had an estimated 34,384 members and 408 churches. It is a "first-day" body of Christians which traces its heritage and beliefs to William Miller. It teaches in an eternal hellfire for the wicked, which will occur following the second resurrection. Similar to other Adventists, it believes in unconsciousness in death during the intermediate state. It is a member of the International Evangelical Association of Churches. It is organized under a congregational polity.
Assemblies of Jehovah
The Assemblies of Jehovah (AOJ) was founded in 1875 by Horatio Rutherford, a former Evangelical Adventist who began teaching a modified interpretation of William Miller's 2300-day prophecy. Rutherford and other followers also denied the Trinity as a biblical concept, and promoted a dispensationalist approach to biblical history and prophecy. In contrast to most Adventists, the Assemblies of Jehovah believe that the Second Coming will result in the restoration of humanity on Earth to Edenic "perfection", and that end-time humanity will have a choice between serving God or not during a literal 1000-year millennium reign of Christ. Central to Assemblies of Jehovah's teachings is the sanctity and importance of the name "Jehovah" for the Abrahamic God. It is a first-day Adventist body with approximately 253,000 members in 2021. The Bible Students movement emerged from the Assemblies of Jehovah, and ex-Assemblies of Jehovah members who were disfellowshipped eventually founded the Jehovah's Witnesses, a non-Adventist body.
Christadelphians
The Christadelphians are a religious group with significant Adventist influences, and sometimes included by religious scholars as an Adventist denomination, although others, including Christadelphians themselves, reject this categorization. Founded in 1848 by John Thomas, the Christadelphians believed in unitarianism as opposed to the Trinity and viewed Satan or the Devil as a metaphor for evil, rather than a distinct, spiritual being. According to Christadelphians, the Second Coming will herald the return of Jesus to Earth as ruler, restoring the Kingdom of Israel as it was under King David and King Solomon. Christadelphians are organized into several, disparate fellowships, or groups of ecclesias. The largest fellowship is the Central Fellowship, consisting of over half of today's Christadelphians. As of 2021, there was approximately 25,000 Christadelphians worldwide.
First-day Adventist Church
The First-day Adventist Church (FDA) is the largest first-day body in Adventism and regards Sunday as the Christian Sabbath. It was originally founded as the Advent Christian Church in 1860 by Johnathan Cummings, and was influenced by the teachings of conditional immortality and annihilationism by Adventist preachers Charles F. Hudson and George Storrs. It was highly concentrated in the Eastern United Commonwealth and Northeast Union in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Northeast Revolution and larger Continental Revolutionary War disrupted church activities, leading to a large portion of its membership base to emigrate to Superior, where they reorganized as the First-day Adventist Church. It is organized as a congregational polity, with local churches organized together as circuits. As of 2021, it has over 500,000 members and 14,680 churches worldwide. It is part of the Worldwide Evangelical Federation.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is the largest Adventist denomination. Founded in 1863 by Joseph Bates, James Springer White, and Ellen G. White, it taught the sanctity and importance of the seventh-day Sabbath. The Seventh-day Adventist Church taught a number of distinctives, including an emphasis on health (as exemplified through the church's encouragement of a vegetarian-based diet) and a unique eschatology centered around the Great Controversy theme between Jesus and Satan, and the belief that Ellen G. White was a modern-day prophetess divinely inspired by God. By the 20th century, the Seventh-day Adventists became one of the fastest-growing denominations in North America, and its teachings were highly influential within Adventism and beyond.
Following White's death, the Church experienced tensions between three camps: the conservative/historic Adventists, the progressive Adventists, and the charismatic Adventists. Of the three, the former two dominated church politics. The conservative Adventists held early Adventist teachings such as Last Generation Theology and the fallen nature of Jesus, while the progressive/evangelical Adventists sought to align the church closer to Evangelical Christianity. After 1950, Historic Adventism was condemned by the Church, resulting in a schism, and by the 1980s, Progressive Adventism prevailed within the church leadership, which resulted in another schism among more conservative Adventists. Since 1980, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is defined by its 27 Fundamentals, maintains one of the world's largest education and health systems, and is a member of the Worldwide Evangelical Federation.
In addition to being the largest Adventist denominations, it is one of the largest Christian denominations in the world, with over 30 million members and 200,000 churches. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is organized according to a modified presbyterian polity. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization and is based in Riverside, Inland Empire and is divided into 13 world divisions, which are further subdivided into unions and conferences.
Church of God and the Three Angels' Messages
The Church of God and the Three Angels' Messages of the Seventh-day Adventists, often shortened to the Church of God and the Three Angels' Messages (COGTAM or COG3AM) is an offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was founded in 1980 by Seventh-day Adventist pastor Chung-Ho Kim over disagreement with the outcome of the 1980 Saint Anthony General Conference. Kim and a number of conservative Adventists believed that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had become too worldly, claiming that it had departed from the guidance and counsel of the Seventh-day Adventists' co-founder and prophetess Ellen G. White. The Seventh-day Adventist Church of God and the Three Angels' Message (later shortened to its current name in 2004) formed as a continuation of pre-1980 Conference Adventist beliefs, which included belief in the significance of the heavenly sanctuary, the Three Angels' Messages, the October 22, 1844 date, and the gift of prophecy as expressed through the ministry of Ellen G. White. It also continues the traditional Seventh-day Adventist eschatological belief in a global Sunday law and that the papacy is the Antichrist. At the time of the schism, nearly a third of Adventist leaders in attendance at the General Conference defected, most of whom were part of the conservative/historic Adventist camp, in contrast to the Progressive Adventist camp. Several church divisions, including the Northern Asia-Pacific Division and the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, joined the Church of God and the Three Angels' Messages.
In 2021, the church comprised 6 million members and over 40,300 congregations. It is headquartered in Seoul, Korea. It is organized as a presbyterian polity and is headed by the Church of God and the Three Angels' Messages General Conference.
Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Church (DSDA), also known as the Shepherd's Rod and its practitioners, Davidians, is a conservative Adventist church which was founded in 1950. In addition to traditional, pre-1950 General Conference Seventh-day Adventist teachings, the Shepherd's Rod bases its beliefs and teachings on the writings of Victor Houteff. According to Houteff, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was in need for reformation, and he introduced new revelation regarding the identity of the 144,000 in the Book of Revelation as well as his interpretation of Isaiah 54–66. The Seventh-day Adventist Church disfellowshipped Houteff and other Adventists who accepted Houteff's claims during the 1920s, although they remained nominally affiliated until 1950 when they formally organized under Leon Tkach, in protest of the 1950 General Conference. According to Davidians, the DSDA represents the true continuation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, while the present-day General Conference has become part of Babylon. The church maintains that it is the remnant church responsible for delivering the Three Angels' Messages to the world in accordance to traditional Seventh-day Adventist eschatology.
Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Church, also known commonly as the Branch Davidians, is an Adventist church which was founded in 1972 by Michael Frazier. It views itself as the spiritual successor to the original Seventh-day Adventist Church, in which all other Adventist bodies, including the modern-day Seventh-day Adventist Church has apostatized alongside the rest of Christendom. The Branch Davidians share similar beliefs with its parent church, the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, but differ on the Branch Davidians' unique interpretation of Isaiah 11:1 regarding a "branch" and Zechariah 3:8, 6:12. In addition, it practices multiple marriages and polygamy. The Branch Davidians are based primarily in the Deseretian area of Emery, with additional churches throughout the Deseret and Southeast Sierra. Their original headquarters, the Mount Carmel Center, is based in Alamo, Clark where it housed the family of Michael Frazier and his closest followers. It has been described as a religious cult by some Christians and non-Christians.
Reformed Adventist Church
The Reformed Adventist Church was founded in 1870 following disagreement with the Seventh-day Adventist Church over the doctrine of the Trinity. The Reformed Adventists believed in Semi-Arianism, holding that Jesus was a created being who was inferior to the Father as the Son of God, and were of similar substance (homioousios) rather than the same substance (homoousios). Its founder, Josiah Mason, established a Reformed Adventist church in Manitoba, where he and his followers settled in contrast to the rest of the Adventists in Superior who had fled the United Commonwealth in the aftermath of the War of Contingency. Despite efforts at reconciliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, by 1888, the schism became permanent when the Seventh-day Adventist Church adopted an explicitly Trinitarian position. Although the Reformed Adventist Church maintained an official semi-Arian position into the early 20th century, it allowed several other non-Trinitarian views including Modalistic Monarchianism and social Trinitarianism, which persisted until 1925, when the church officially declared semi-Arianism as the only acceptable view on the Trinity within the church.
It is a seventh-day body of Adventists which rejects the inspiration of Ellen G. White, whom it regards as solely a good Christian woman whose fallible nature caused her to err. As the two churches diverged, the Reformed Adventist Church's eschatology began to adopt elements of British Israelism and also prohibited the celebrations of secular and religious holidays including Christmas. As of 2021, it has a worldwide membership of 4.5 million and over 33,000 churches.
Free Adventist Church
The Free Adventist Church is an offshoot of the Reformed Adventist Church, founded in 2005, following disagreement with the Reformed Adventist Church's rejection of charismatism within the church. In 2001, Reformed Adventist pastor Chuck Greenly began an evangelistic series that promoted Modalistic Monarchianism, a historic theological position the church took, and that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience verified by the presence of glossolalia. After a church elder filed a complaint with the regional conference, the case was elevated to the General Conference level after Greenly continued to preach continuationist and charismatic messages at his congregation. Greenly was then censured and was threatened with having his ministry credentials removed if he continued in defiance. Other congregations and pastors joined Greenly in opposition to what they perceived as an overreach by the General Conference. In 2003, the General Conference voted to rescind Greenly's ordination and sought to replace him at Greenly's church. He was subsequently disfellowshipped although Greenly continued to minister as a self-identified Reformed Adventist. The General Conference of Reformed Adventists subsequently filed a legal lawsuit against Greenly, claiming Greenly's unauthorized use of church trademarks, including its name and logo, were copyright infringement. The Supreme Court of Sierra ruled in favor of the General Conference of Reformed Adventists, and injuncted Greenly to abandon use of the church's trademarks. The Free Adventist Church was founded by Greenly thereafter in response to the injunction.
As of January 2022, the Free Adventist Church has 1.2 million members and 1,700 churches. It is headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, Inland Empire and operates with a connexional polity.
Seventh-day Adventist Church (Kelloggite)
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church (Kelloggite) (commonly known as the Kelloggites) was founded in 1903 by John Harvey Kellogg, a Seventh-day Adventist leader, scientist, doctor, and co-founder of Kellogg's. Kellogg was a close associate with James Springer White and Ellen G. White, and had been the administrator of the Loma Linda Sanitarium. Tensions between Kellogg and the Whites, as well as the rest of the church administration grew over concerns that Kellogg had placed overemphasis on the business aspects of the Sanitarium. Kellogg's theology had also come into question after he tried to publish a series of books which appeared to promote pantheistic views on God. Kellogg also aspired for the creation of an Adventist polity within the Kingdom of Sierra, similar to Mormons in the Deseret, where Adventists would be able to self-govern themselves according to biblical principles and healthy living.
Kellogg was disfellowshipped in 1903 after he refused to recant beliefs held heterodox by the church. Kellogg continued to self-identify himself as a Seventh-day Adventist and founded his own church in Loma Linda, where he continued his ownership and control over the Loma Linda Sanitarium. Kellogg and the Seventh-day Adventist Church became embroiled in legal disputes over the name "Seventh-day Adventist", which Kellogg won after the Supreme Court ruled that the term "genericized" due to the existence of other "seventh-day" Adventist churches. In order to distinguish between the original Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church under Kellogg's leadership, the parenthetical "(Kelloggite)" was amended at the end by the Ministry of Culture, an appellation Kellogg refused, but critics including the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists embraced. Followers became known by others outside the church as "Kelloggite Seventh-day Adventists" or simply "Kelloggites", while adherents within the church itself continued to describe themselves simply as "Seventh-day Adventists".
Apart from leadership differences, there were little theological distinctions between the Kelloggites and Seventh-day Adventists. However, as the church histories diverged, the Kelloggites placed greater emphasis on the Adventist health message. The Kelloggites began teaching distinctive eschatology that placed the church at the center of end-time biblical prophecy, declaring that it would establish the millennialist Kingdom of God prior to the Second Coming of Jesus. This view represented a departure from the premillennialist tendencies of other Adventists. Following Kellogg's death, church teachings continued to diverge significantly from traditional Seventh-day Adventist beliefs under the presidency of Edward Hadley.
The modern Seventh-day Adventist Church (Kelloggite) has over 700,000 members and 1,650 churches. It is headquartered in Pomone, Gold Coast and is governed under a presbyterian polity. The main administrative body is the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (Kelloggite).
Seventh-day Adventist Church (Devonite)
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (Devonite) (commonly known as the Devonites) are an offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Kelloggite). The movement was the result of a schism among the Kelloggites following controversy over the leadership and doctrinal changes under the presidency of Edward Hadley, who succeeded the church's founder, John Harvey Kellogg, after Kellogg died in 1958. Led by Kelloggite pastor Richard Devon, the Devonites sought to "restore" the present truth in the church, and held that Richard Devon was another prophet called by God to correct wayward teachings and had received new revelation. Thames taught that the identity of the 144,000 in the Book of Revelation represented 144,000 literal Jews who would be converted to Christianity following the restoration of the Temple of Solomon in the Free City of Jerusalem. Contrary to traditional Adventist understanding, Thames taught that the Antichrist would be an Islamic caliphate, which would engulf and conquer the European continent, and wage a holy war against Christendom. The mark of the beast would be Friday observance and the recitation of the Shahada. Devon held that only Seventh-day Adventists would be sealed against destruction and that the religious war would end upon the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, after which there will be a hierarchy of believers, with other Adventists and Christians ranking below the "true" Seventh-day Adventist Christians. The former would be called to serve God, the angels, and the saints, while righteous Seventh-day Adventists would become saints who will inherit the Earth as co-rulers with Christ. Apostates and unbelievers would be annihilated.
The Devonites were condemned by the Kelloggites and the schism became official in 1962. After founding the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (Devonite), Devon published On Armageddon, which further elaborated Devon's understanding of biblical prophecy as well as his own claimed visions from God. As of 2022, there were 300,000 Devonites worldwide and 800 churches. Due to its teachings on Islam, it has been banned in several Muslim-majority countries, including Hashemite Arabia and the Trucial States.
Seventh-day Adventist Remnant Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Remnant Church (SDA Remnant or SDAR) is an offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It represents the largest Seventh-day Adventist body which holds historic Adventist beliefs, including Last Generation Theology, semi-Arianism, the investigative judgment, Jesus inheriting Adam's fallen nature as a man, an incomplete atonement that was not finished on Calvary, and a stronger emphasis on entire santification over justification. It also holds Ellen G. White in high esteem, viewing her as an infallible prophetess whose ministry and writings are inerrant, as chosen by God. Although the Seventh-day Adventist Remnant do not view White's writings as equal to the Holy Bible, it has stated that her writings are the "lesser light" to the "greater light" of the Scriptures, and contends that fully understanding Scriptures "requires" reading White's writings. The Seventh-day Adventist Remnant Church was founded in 1951 after a significant number of historic Adventists left in protest from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They objected to the results of the 1950 San Francisco City General Conference when the Seventh-day Adventist Church endorsed Questions on Doctrine, a treatise between Adventists and mainstream evangelical Christians, which sought to dispel evangelical misconceptions of the church, as well as condemn a number of historical Adventist teachings as unbiblical. The historic Adventists viewed the General Conference session as a radical departure from Adventism and tantamount to apostasy. It views itself as the remnant church with the special role in Christendom to teach the Three Angels' Messages and believes that the mark of the beast will be Sunday observance, which will be enforced by a global Sunday law imposed by an alliance between the papacy and Protestants.
As of 2021, there were 105,000 members and 600 churches worldwide. It is headquartered in Walla Walla, Olympia, Astoria and administered by the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Remnant.
Seventh-Day Church of God
The Seventh-Day Church of God (7CoG) is a name referring to several so-called churches of God (Seventh-Day). These churches represent a line of Sabbatarian Adventists which rejected the teachings of Ellen G. White and denied her claims of visions prior to the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Gilbert Cranmer led the group of dissenting Sabbatarian Adventists and formed the General Conference of the Church of God in 1884. The church experienced division starting in 1913 following the disassociation of Herbert W. Armstrong, who had begun teaching British Israelism and the observance of new moons and ancient Hebrew feasts, in addition to the seventh-day Sabbath. The Seventh-Day Church of God splintered into three different churches, each holding onto the same name, differentiated only by the conference where their base of operations lied: Phoenix, Seattle, and Toscouné. The reasons over the splinter included disagreement on Christology, the Godhead, observance of holidays, and tithing. Similar to Seventh-day Adventists, the Seventh-Day Church of God prohibits the consumption of unclean meats such as pork or shellfish, and promotes a holistic approach to healthy living such as a vegetarian-based diet.
As of 2021, the Seventh-Day Church of God (Phoenix Conference) represents the largest of the Seventh-Day Churches of God. It has over 4 million members, while the other two each have 2 million respectively. Other smaller seventh-day churches of God have memberships no more than 500,000 each. The Phoenix and Seattle Conferences are organized as presbyterian polities while the Toscouné Conference is congregationalist.
Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God
The Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God (also known as the Armstrongites) is a church of God (Seventh-Day) which was founded by Herbert W. Armstrong. It is considered the parent church to a number of Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God offshoots which adhere to the teachings of Armstrong, also known as Armstrongism. According to the Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God and other Armstrongite churches, much of mainstream Christianity's doctrines and teachings are based on traditions, rather than biblical understanding. Armstrong taught in British Israelism, the observance of new moons, high Sabbaths, and feast days, the existence of a God Family, Binitarianism, and that non-believers had the future opportunity for salvation after the second resurrection. After Armstrong's death, the Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God splintered in several churches, each with varying degrees of affinity to Armstrong's teachings, with some realigning to mainstream Adventist Christian beliefs or non-Adventist evangelical Christian beliefs.
Collectively as of 2022, the Seventh-Day Reformed church of God and Armstrongite churches had a total membership of over 1 million adherents internationally. The majority of Armstrongite churches are governed as "servant-leadership ministries", representing a hybrid between a presbyterian and episcopal polity. During Armstrong's leadership of the Seventh-Day Reformed Church of God, he governed the denomination as its sole leader in a top-down fashion.
Other minor Adventist groups
- Adventist Church of Grace, a Charismatic Adventist church influenced by Pentecostalism
- Church of the Lord Jesus, a first-day Adventist church which teaches Christian univeralism
- Presbyterian Advent Church, a first-day Adventist church with Presbyterian and Calvinist theology
- United African Adventist Church, an Afro-Caribbean offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the West Indies
Other relationships
Bible Students movement
The Bible Students movement was founded by Charles Taze Russell who had close connections with the Millerites and was strongly influenced by Adventist leaders including George Storrs and Joseph Seiss. The Bible Students movement itself arose as an offshoot of the Assemblies of Jehovah. The largest group of the Bible Students movement are the Jehovah's Witnesses. Both the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses do not identify as a part of the Millerite/Adventist movement, or other denominations. However, some Christian theologians and religious scholars have categorized these groups as Adventist due to these groups' teachings regarding an imminent Second Coming, as well as their employment of specific dates regarding biblical prophecy. The Jehovah's Witnesses have over 10 million worldwide as of 2021, while the various independent Bible Students collectively have 50,000.
Western Apostolicism
Adventism influenced the development of Western Apostolicism (also known as New Anglicanism), an offshoot movement among Anglican and Methodist churches in North America. Western Apostolic churches incorporated the Adventist beliefs of an imminent Second Coming, Christian mortalism, and annihilationism, as well as the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, while maintaining traditional Anglican conceptions of apostolic succession, an episcopal structure, the maintenance of liturgical worship, the veneration of saints, and infant baptism. The syncretism of Adventist−Wesleyan and Anglican beliefs resulted in the creation of a new denominational family known as Western Apostolicism, which developed in Astoria and Sierra. Internationally, there are over 20 million Western Apostolics and New Anglicans, with the mother churches being the Church of New England in Sierra and the Apostolic Church in Astoria.
See also
- List of Christian denominations#Adventist
- Seventh-day Adventist Church
- Other movements in Adventism:
- General
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