Publications and Research Theme of Symposium

Posted on 6 October 2014 by wolferk

The March 24, 2014, Ellen White Issues Symposium explored new research in the area of literary structures including chiastic structures found in the writings of Ellen White; studied the influence of music in the writing of the Desire of Ages by Ellen White; and considered new publications, The Ellen White Encyclopedia and Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts with Annotations 1845 to 1859. The day concluded with the always informative and engaging Current Issues Discussion facilitated by Merlin Burt. This was the tenth annual Ellen White Issues Symposium. It was held in the chapel of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University, in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

Richard Davidson giving a response to Ron du Preez’s presentation at the Ellen White Issues Symposium.

This annual symposium seeks to break new ground in understanding Ellen White and issues relating to her life, ministry, and prophetic gift. Jim Shiels, an attendee, had this to say regarding the symposium: “I want to personally thank you for organizing and sponsoring the Symposium again this year. This year was the third year that I have attended under the category of “other interested persons.” I am thankful it is open to interested laypersons!”
The presenters this year included Mike Oxentenko, Ron du Preez, David Williams, Tim Poirier, Stan Hickerson, Denis Fortin, and Jerry Moon. Three presenters were unable to give their presentations in person. David Williams was called away for the birth of his daughter, Denis Fortin had a conflicting teaching assignment out-of-state, and Jerry Moon had other obligations. Jerry Moon was, however, able to be present for the Current Issues Discussion. Stan Hickerson read David Williams’ paper, and Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon made their presentation via a video recording.

The first two presentations of the 2014 symposium complemented each other in their focus on chiastic and literary structures found in the writings of Ellen White. Mike Oxentenko looked at macro chiastic structures at a chapter and book level. Oxentenko also compared Ellen White’s writings to that of William Foy. Ron du Preez looked at micro chiastic structures on a paragraph and sentence level, mostly in the Desire of Ages. Exploration of the idea of literary structures in Ellen White’s writings is significant to understanding her intended meaning in her writings. There is much that still needs to be studied, but it seems that she sometimes uses chiasms and other forms of parallelism much like biblical writers.

Stan Hickerson kindly stepped in and read David Williams’ paper. In it Williams explored the concept that music inspires us and showed that Ellen White does link worship experience to theology. His research gives evidence that her writings reveal a theology of worship and music rooted in the Great Controversy theme. Williams also explored the influence that music had on the content of Desire of Ages.

A long awaited publication, the Ellen White Encyclopedia, is now available. Via video Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon told the story behind its creation and publication. Work on the Encyclopedia began in 2001 after George Knight conceived of the idea. When Knight retired he passed the baton for running the project to his Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary colleagues Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon. Together they worked with nearly 200 authors and decided to give the manuscript to the Review and Herald Publishing Association for publication. They submitted their work for publication in 2011. They had little idea that the manuscript would take two years to copy edit. It was with great delight that they heard the book was on the printing presses and would be on the shelves for sale in late 2013. The local Adventist Book Center was able to be on site during the afternoon to sell copies of the Encyclopedia at a special reduced Symposium price.

Tim Poirier speaking during his presentation on the Annotation Project of the Ellen White letters and manuscripts.

Tim Poirier, Vice Director of the Ellen G. White Estate, explained how to read the Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts with Annotations 1845 to 1859. After the overview of the new publication, Poirier used a handout with excerpts from the forthcoming book of several letters and manuscripts to illustrate how the annotations are included in the printed work.

Stan Hickerson, current annotation editor for the White Estate, presented how he does his work of annotating the letters and manuscripts. The annotation of volume two (1860-1863) is scheduled to be finished in 2015. Hickerson also included several stories that unfolded during his research.

Martha Purple MD

One example he gave was of Dr. Martha Purple. Ellen White, in Letter 28, 1861, written to her close friend Lucinda Hall, says that her son Edson (about age 12) was very sick and was in the care of Mrs. Purple. Hickerson at first believed this to be an Adventist family named Purple that he knew had lived in Michigan, but later found they were not in the area at that time. After finding a Review and Herald article (“Remarkable Answer to Prayer” April 22, 1862, page 164), he made the connection to Dr. Purple. He was able to find out more about her through census records and other resources. The article states that many of the Adventists had been using the services of Dr. Purple. This was several months before Ellen White’s health reform vision. Hickerson believes that God used the influence of Dr. Purple to help prepare the group of Adventist believers to be more open to health reform. The Adventist group at that time were prejudiced against medical professionals. Their custom was to pray for the sick individual and have faith that God would heal them. Through the influence of Dr. Purple, their prejudices may have been reduced making them more open to the concept of using remedies in the care for the sick.

Attendee listens to Tim Poirier’s presentation during the 2014 Ellen White Issues Symposium.

It is remarkable that we have had so many new publications on Ellen White during the past few years. In addition to the Encyclopedia and the Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts with Annotations 1845 to 1859, 2010 saw the publication of Ellen White Under Fire: Identifying the Mistakes of Her Critics, by Jud Lake. In 2011 The Prophet and the Presidents : Ellen G. White and the Processes of Change, 1887-1913 : A Study of Ellen White’s Influence on the Administrative Leadership of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, by Gilbert M. Valentine was published. Green Cord Dream : Pursuing Ellen White’s Vision of Jesus and His Church, by Alex Bryan was published in 2012. The first two volumes of the Ellen G. White Periodical Resource Collection, compiled by the Ellen G. White Estate, were published near twenty years ago. The final two volumes were completed in 2013. Also published in 2013 was Three Adventist Titans: the Significance of Heeding or Rejecting the Counsel of Ellen White, by Albert Dittes.

A publication coming out in July of 2014 from the Oxford University Press is Ellen Harmon White: American Prophet. The editors of this book are Terrie Dopp Aamodt, Gary Land, and Ronald L. Numbers. We look forward to other publications in the area of Ellen White studies in the next few years including a book on understanding Ellen White edited by Merlin Burt. It will serve as a reader for undergraduate and graduate classes on Ellen White as well as a reliable resource for pastors.

Ron du Preez speaking during the Current Issues Discussion at the 2014 Ellen White Issues Symposium.

Jim Ford, attendee to the symposium, believes the Encyclopedia will prove to be a really important publication because “The availability of the Ellen White Encyclopedia will sweep away a lot of misunderstandings. Now we can know the people addressed and have a better idea of some of the situations she was addressing. Taken together with the forthcoming Annotations volume they will remove a lot of ambiguity about the context of Mrs. White’s messages.”

Mike Oxentenko speaking during the Current Issues Discussion at the 2014 Ellen White Issues Symposium.

Our usual Ellen White Issues Symposium will not take place in March 2015. It will be combined with the “Gift of Prophecy in Scripture and History” Symposium planned for October 15-18, 2015, hosted at Andrews University. This conference is jointly sponsored by the Ellen G. White Estate, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, and the Center for Adventist Research.

The presentations from the 2014 symposium will be printed in volume ten of the journal. Look for further publication notices for purchasing information. The Ellen White Issues Symposium will resume its regular Spring schedule in 2016.

Katy Wolfer, Special Projects Manager / Katy took advantage of being on a University campus and is currently enrolled in Beginning Greek.

Hyveth Williams speaking during the Current Issues Discussion at the 2014 Ellen White Issues Symposium.

Seminary Adventist History Study Tour August 4-11

Posted on 6 October 2014 by wolferk

A bus full of students and a handful of spouses toured Adventist History sites in New York and New England August 4-11, 2014. This is an annual event for students of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. Many find it a way to connect with the roots of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Marc Mettelus reflected on his experience and said, “I was very blessed by the tour, and the ministry that the tour provided to me.”

Seokeon Yoon listens to Dr. Burt at the Mount Hope Cemetery.

In Rochester, New York, the study tour felt like it really started because on this day participants heard a story related to a place while being in that actual place. Previous to this point all the information given had been while traveling on the bus. The first stop was Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. In this cemetery are the graves of Mary Andrews, Angeline Andrews, and Carrie Andrews. Nathaniel White and Anna White are also buried here. The character of John Nevins Andrews, the namesake of Andrews University, was drawn, and highlighted were his dedication to scholarship and personal sacrifice and self-depreciation. Later that same day we drove by the home of John Nevins Andrews in North Lancaster, Massachusetts, as well as visited Founder’s Hall at Atlantic Union College, in South Lancaster, Massachusetts.

On the following day the study tour went to Old Sturbridge Village and sites related to Joseph Bates. Old Sturbridge Village puts people in the mindset of life in the 1830s. A few years earlier than the events we focus on during the tour, but a good place to start for getting a feel for how daily life was lived for our Adventist pioneers.

Joseph Bates, one of the co-founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church, grew up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His childhood home was near enough to see the ocean-going vessels in the harbor and it is easy to understand how Bates developed a longing to go to sea. Bates spent 20-plus years at sea and retired from being a captain of his own ship with a comfortable fortune. The tour went to the home that he built upon his retirement and later sold to fund the spread of the Millerite Advent message. Along the rocky water’s edge where the old Fairhaven Bridge once stood, participants heard the story of how the Sabbath being the seventh day of the week came to Millerites and to Joseph Bates. Bates then wrote three tracts on the Sabbath, one of which James and Ellen White read and were convinced to start keeping the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath.

Merlin Burt at the North Street Cemetery in Gorham, Maine.

The next day the tour went to Maine, and the house was pointed out where James and Ellen White were living when they accepted the Sabbath. This was in Gorham, Maine, while the Whites were living with Ellen’s parents in 1847. Gorham, Maine, is also where Ellen was born. She spent many of her growing up years in Portland, Maine. The tour visited many sites in Portland, but because of a fire in the 1860s and construction of newer buildings many of the sites are uninspiring. For example, the spot where Ellen Harmon was baptized is now a parking lot because the city reclaimed land from the bay.

Rama Jean, Amy Moreno, and Sarah Sinz pose with one of the lighthouses in Casco Bay while visiting Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

The day following Maine was spent in New Hampshire. First, was a visit to the Washington, New Hampshire, Seventh-day Adventist church, which features the Sabbath Trail on its property. After a morning of stories and songs, followed by lunch, a walk along the Sabbath Trail, and taking pictures of the graves of the individuals featured in the stories earlier in the day, the tour went to the childhood home of Uriah Smith and his sister Annie Smith. Annie’s grave is in a cemetery nearby where she is buried near family members.

That evening, the group ate at the Country Life Restaurant in Keene, New Hampshire. This is an independent, Adventist owned, vegan restaurant. Many on the tour considered it to be the best meal of the trip. Christian Ponciano, a Master of Divinity student at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, told the proprietor that it was “the best vegan food I have ever tasted.” It was a learning experience for many who were not familiar with the health ministry of these restaurants. It served as an anchor for the lectures about the health message given to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Sabbath was spent at the William Miller Farm and chapel. Elder Nix presented the story of William Miller in the chapel. With passion and exhortation he described Miller’s conversion. He held up a cannon ball as a visual aid in describing the war of 1812 and the battle in which Miller took part. Later Elder Nix presided over the tour through Miller’s home.

Suh Young Shin, Shin Ju Kim, and Mariesa Tinkham sing, “When He Cometh,” at the Roosevelt Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Sunday morning the group was at the Roosevelt Seventh-day Adventist Church. Dr. Burt had to compress the lectures for the trip because of his need to leave the tour on Sunday night, rather than travel back with the group and lecture on Monday. Because of the time his flight left from Rochester, New York, the time spent at the Hiram Edson farm was shortened and we did not eat supper there but ended up taking it with us and eating it in the parking lot of the hotel.

The last day was characterized by the interstate closing near Buffalo, New York, due to a fuel tanker accident with a cab fire. After the road re-opened we continued on our journey which was interspersed with rain. We were thankful for safe travels and the good weather we had experienced over the last week.

Katy Wolfer, Special Projects Manager / Katy enjoyed the strong musical bent of the participants on the 2014 study tour.

In Their Own Words …

Andria Stewart

“I could not have imagined the blessing this tour would’ve facilitated. I wish every Adventist could take the journey. The most memorable moment for me was the visit to the Washington NH SDA church. It was more than just fun learning and singing the advent hymns. When we were enjoined in the circle of prayer, I felt the presence of God in a profound way and in faith I asked for a specific blessing and it is my testimony it has been received. My prayer request in that moment—when our faith was united—was answered. Beyond the spiritual experience, new friendships were formed; renewed commitment to our Adventist heritage was ignited, and I have a greater appreciation for our Adventist Heritage team. This tour will have lifetime impact. Observing the dedication and passion of Dr. Burt and Elder Nix and recognizing the critical importance of this unique legacy, I have decided to pursue an emphasis in Adventist Studies. My experience as a Seventh-day Adventist has been enriched, making me even more proud of our Heritage.”
Andria Stewart

Anibal Santeliz

“The experience gained through this approach is invaluable. Stories associated with images are difficult to forget, even less when these are real stories, connected with real places, and real buildings. These are wonderful stories, which constitute our own story as a church, and connect us to our past. They are a rich inheritance handed over from one generation to the next generation until our day. This tour imprints an unforgettable and indelible mark on the mind of the student. It gives an assurance that our church is not the result of random chance, nor the will of men, but a creation of the almighty, and omniscient God. He has guided His church through the ages and will brings His people through Heaven’s gates by His power and love and for His eternal glory.”
Anibal Santeliz

Adventist History in the Wild

Posted on 6 October 2014 by wolferk

There are a lot of Adventist History ephemera, photographs, manuscripts, and books that are in archives, libraries, research centers, and vaults of entities that index and catalog. These places can be categorized as “the zoo.” Other items are “in the wild” and are unknown to researchers as of yet. Church basements, family member’s attics, and dusty boxes in used books stores, contain treasures waiting for researchers exploring Adventist history.

Diane Fickett, a church member in the Northern New England Conference, from Friendship, Maine, talked with Merlin Burt and decided to give Adventist historical items in her possession to the Center for Adventist Research. She gave the book “Beautiful Living,” which is signed by S. N. Haskell; a photograph of Charlotte Bourdeau, wife of A. C. Bourdeau; and also a photograph of six unidentified men, possibly related to the Bourdeau family.

Augustin (A. C.) Bourdeau (1834-1916) was a pioneer French language evangelist, conference president, and missionary to Europe. In his early ministry he was closely associated with James and Ellen White.

Stephen (S. N.) Haskell (1833-1922) was an evangelist and an administrator having an impact on many areas including church organization, missions, and education.

“It is exciting to see how many important Adventist historical materials are out in people’s hands. They don’t always appreciate the significance of what they have. I hope that they give thought so that things don’t get lost to posterity,” said Merlin D. Burt, director of the Center for Adventist Research.

Katy Wolfer, Special Projects Manager / Katy enjoys traveling and contemplates in her spare time where she’d go if she had her own sailboat.

History of Compact Shelving at the Center

Posted on 6 October 2014 by wolferk

Shelving is an integral part of any library type collection and this is no different at the Center for Adventist Research. Our diverse collections occupy many miles of shelving in various locations throughout the Center and even spilling over into other James White Library spaces. For a rapidly growing collection such as in CAR, space is always a problem that will arise sooner or later.

One method to alleviate space problems, at least for a while, is the use of what is called compact shelving. This consists of shelving units attached to a carriage that then rolls on a track. Using this style of shelving we can eliminate most of the aisles necessary to access the contents of a row of shelves because an aisle may be opened where it is needed. Typically compact shelving can nearly double the storage capacity for a given amount of floor space compared to the usual stationary shelving commonly found in libraries, warehouses, and other storage areas.
In the mid-1970s, when the James White Library was being renovated and doubled in size, at least two significant decisions were made that relates to what is now the Center for Adventist Research. One was the construction of a proper and large vault to protect the collection. The second decision was to install compact shelving in that vault as well as for the main book stacks of the Heritage Room, as it was called then.

In 2000, when the Center was last renovated, the main book stack compact shelving system was relocated into what is now the Center’s stack area. When Griggs University moved from Maryland to Andrews University in 2011 they had two compact shelving systems that would not work well in their new spaces. The Center had already been talking with University administration about our space needs especially in the University Archives area. When administration became aware of the availability of compact shelving they asked CAR if we could make it work for our needs. For only the cost of moving and installation we were able to add a significant amount of compact shelving in the far back area of our stacks significantly increasing our capacity. About half went for the University Archives and half for CAR storage.

Jim Ford uses the compact shelving in the closed stacks area of the Center for Adventist Research.

As time marches on the Center has largely outgrown its ability to store anything but small additions to the collections. At this point any new large collection will pose a serious problem for us. The nearly doubling of the Center’s space at the 2000 renovation was largely in public areas and in providing adequate passage space between shelves, adding only a modest amount of extra storage capacity. So now we are largely out of space. Combine this state with a new occurrence and we are facing a real crisis in our storage areas. Recently the carriages with our main book collection have begun coming off their tracks. This has occurred repeated times in the past couple of years with more frequent incidents recently. When this happens we usually need to empty the whole range of shelves of all their books. With the lack of empty shelves elsewhere in the Center this is becoming a more difficult proposition. It also makes half of our book collection inaccessible until we can get the carriage back on the track.

We have determined the cause of the derailments to be a combination of the extremely poor engineering design of the compact shelving system combined with a deteriorating support foundation under the rails allowing the rails to sag under the weight. These factors combine to cause the derailments. The solution is to remove the carriages—and the shelves of books—and replace the rail system. However, the compact shelving system is electronically controlled. If you know much about electronics you will know that a nearly 40 year old electronic control is well beyond its reliable and useful lifespan. So we are really looking at needing to replace the current system with a new system, but this is very expensive. Center administration is working with University administration to find a solution to this problem.
We need to replace the malfunctioning system plus we need to expand our storage capacity. The only practical way to do this is to install compact shelving. This will help us for a number of years until we outgrow that. We need either a very large compact shelving system or more likely a multi-phase installation. The Center is likely to continue our heavy use of compact shelving for the foreseeable future.

Jim Ford, Associate Director / Jim enjoys gardening and often brings in the season’s bounty to share with co-workers.

Center For Adventist Research

Author Archives: wolferk

Publications and Research Theme of Symposium

Seminary Adventist History Study Tour August 4-11

Adventist History in the Wild

History of Compact Shelving at the Center