BOOK REVIEW

Does The Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism Accurately

Represent the Faith Community? A Review

Michael W. Campbell, Christie Chui-Shan Chow, David F. Holland, Denis

Kaiser and Nicholas P. Miller, The Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day
Adventism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024. xiv, 605 pages. Price: $
178.

By Reinder Bruinsma*

The prestigious series of more than sixteen hundred Oxford Handbooks,

each on a wide range of different topics, now includes The Oxford Handbook
of Seventh-day Adventism. A team of five editors together with Oxford
University Press staff produced an authoritative and comprehensive
resource on Adventism, with a focus on its history, theology and social
aspects. Four of the editors Michael W. Campbell, Christie Chui-Shan Chow,
and Nicholas P. Miller are Seventh-day Adventist scholars, with important
publications to their name, while one of them, David F. Holland, a Mormon
scholar, teaches New England Church History at Harvard University.
The project editors’ statement that they “sought a wide variety of authors
from around the world and from both inside and outside the Adventist
tradition” may perhaps be an exaggeration. Only four of the authors are
non-Adventist and the majority of the authors are Americans or live and
work in the U.S. This does not take away from the fact that the editors
succeeded in lining up a group of expert contributors that produced a
reference book of high quality. Additionally, the writing and editorial process
not having been overseen by any official entity of the Adventist Church, such
as the Biblical Research Committee (BRI) significantly adds to the credibility
of this new resource. The Church’s involvement would have probably led
some to question whether the faith community was sufficiently distant from
this project to avoid a biased selection and treatment of the topics to be
covered.

Outlining the book’s content

The Handbook consists of 39 chapters of roughly equal length, each written
by one author—with the exception of three chapters which are co-authored.
These chapters are clustered into seven major parts of the book and follow
the same pattern: a historical introduction, a presentation of the main
issue(s) and a critical conclusion followed by a section of endnotes and
suggestions for further reading.

Part I (chapters 1-4) starts with a section on the roots and religious context
in which Adventism arose. It starts, as is to be expected, with a general
survey of the Second Great Awakening as the context for the Millerite
movement, and the “varieties of Adventism” (38-40) that emerged from it.
The essay of Nicholas Miller about the philosophical and theological roots of
Adventism is particularly enlightening. It not only points to the doctrinal
heritage from several denominations, but also to the Scottish common-
sense philosophy as a basic trait in early Adventism.

Part II (chapters 5-7) examines the Adventist commitment to the central role
of the Bible as well as its relationship to Ellen G. White’s writings. The
chapter, by Holland, provides a framework for the other two chapters in this
section about the Adventist views of the biblical canon and of the inspiration
of the Bible and White. Holland—whose book Sacred Borders: Continuing
Revelation and Canonical Restraint in Early America is referred to in several
chapters—paints the religious background of the early 19th century in the
U.S., in which the possibility of contemporary prophetic phenomena and
their relationship towards the biblical canon became a pressing issue—
especially for Latter-day Saints and Adventists. It is rare, but very useful, to
find a survey of this broader context in which White began to exercise her
prophetic gift. “A full understanding of the Seventh-day Adventists’
prophetic messaging requires some sense of the ways issues of inspiration,
revelation and Scripture were conceived of in White’s time and place” says
Holland (61). He comments further, “Seventh-day Adventists would have to
curve out, over the coming decades, a particular theology that made room
for the specific combinations of commitments required of a prophetic
movement that also sought to uphold its Protestant biblicist bona fides” (74;
or does Holland mean: sola fides?).

In the thoughtful and concise overview by Denis Kaiser of Adventist views

regarding inspiration and the canon, I miss some remarks about current
developments—especially about the role of Seventh-day Adventist Church
President Ted N.C. Wilson and his entourage’s stress on the “plain-reading”
approach to the Scriptures. Recent studies concerning the use of White’s
writings for apocryphal messages also could have been mentioned.

In his essay about White’s influence on the development of Adventist beliefs

and practices, Denis Fortin, a professor of historical theology in the seminary
at Andrews University (AU) suggests that her status and impact may be
compared to that of Martin Luther and John Wesley in Lutheranism and
Methodism respectively (105). Unfortunately, to me this reflects a measure
of wishful thinking, rather than the current views of a major part of
Adventist Church members.

Part III (chapters 8-16), which deals with Seventh-day Adventist theology,
forms the core of the book. It contains chapters about the doctrine of God,
eschatology, the Sabbath, the sanctuary and the judgment, soteriology (sin,
justification, and sanctification), and creation. Professor of Theology and
Christian Philosophy at the seminary at AU, John C. Peckham’s piece about
God is perhaps the most technical part of the book, as it demonstrates why
Peckham is perceived as one of Adventism’s most qualified systematic
theologians. Even though he briefly mentions Open Theism (119), I was
surprised not to find any of Adventist religion professor and author, Richard
Rice’s books about this alternative view in the list of suggested further
reading at the end of the chapter.

Sigve Tonstad’s chapter on the Sabbath is particularly noteworthy because

of his shift from the traditional emphasis on the time and the rightness of the
seventh-day Sabbath to the meaning of it. Dean of the theological seminary
at Bogenhofen Seminary, Austria, Martin Pröbstle offers a good overview of
the Adventist theology of the sanctuary and related topics, but there is very
little that moves beyond traditional standpoints. He fails to respond to
recent—and not so recent—voices that disagree with some traditional
elements of the sanctuary teachings and no longer affirm the reality of an
investigative judgment. Retired pastor and professor, John C. Brunt follows
with a chapter on soteriology and is more open about the existence of the
diversity of opinions among Adventists. He points to the influence of
Desmond Ford, who denied the reality of the pre-Advent judgment and the
role of Ford, Edward Heppenstall and some others in giving renewed
emphasis on salvation by faith and the assurance of salvation (190ff). Brunt
also indicates the influence of Adventist late theologian, pastor, and author
M.L. Andreasen, and others who strongly promoted a “last-generation”
theology (193).

The chapter about creation by denominationally sponsored Geoscience

Research Institute (GRI) employee, Timothy G. Standish also deserves special
mention. While writing his essay, Standish was aware of the fact that his
colleagues, and in particular, the church’s top administrators, would critically
examine whether he expresses the official creationist views of the church.
He masterfully sketches historical developments and gives insights on the
views of some other denominations before he lists the main representatives
of the GRI in past and present. He indicates how they complemented and
contrasted. I wonder, however, whether his conclusion is fully defensible
that “ultimately, greater nuance and sophistication of both theological and
scientific expressions has been achieved, while no meaningful change away
from the recent six-day creation belief has occurred in official church
statement.” (207) The latter part of this statement is evidently correct, but
the first part is debatable.

Foremost in the final chapter, Adventist Church historian George Knight

deals with Adventist lifestyle issues. He points out that in the past, as well as
in the present, there has often been an emphasis on strict rules rather than
on underlying principles. The result has too often been “a legalistic mindset
rather than a holistic grace-empowered call to holiness” (230). Four specific
case studies illustrate this: the practice of stewardship, the eating of unclean
foods, the time of beginning the Sabbath, and the issues around “jewelry”
and dress. With regard to the latter, Knight concludes that “the traditional
position of Adventism on jewelry has progressively eroded over the past few
decades.” (238). This may be true in much of the West but certainly not in
many areas of the developing world.

While I recognize that not all facets of Adventist theology could get
extensive treatment, I wonder why Adventist ecclesiology (with such
elements as ecumenism and the remnant) did not merit a chapter.
Part IV (chapters 17-19) examines Adventist worship and ritual practices.
Particular attention is given to praise, hymnody, and music. Chapter 18 by the
AU seminary’s David A. Williams begins with a historical overview of early
Adventist worship and contains much information that is not readily
available elsewhere. Williams makes clear that, as Adventism spread around
the globe, it was mostly western music that “set the tone.” Indigenous
music was usually viewed with suspicion and even today many indigenous
church leaders tend to favor imported western worship forms (270).

Part V (chapters 20-24) focuses on the structure, activities, and institutions

of the Church. Wendy Jackson, who teaches at Avondale University, writes a
chapter on church organization and makes two points that are especially
relevant. One is the question of authority in the church: Where does it
reside? Is it with the top leadership or in the lower echelons like the local
church? The lack of clarity on this point has serious repercussions. It affects
the second point, namely the ongoing debate about ordaining women to the
gospel ministry. The fact that Church policy continues to stipulate that
women cannot be ordained restricts the possibility for women to move into
leadership positions, as ordination is a policy requirement for becoming a
president of a conference or union. “The overwhelming male structure
makeup also has implications for the decision-making at all levels of the
church” (302). Chapter 23 was a surprise to me and it may be for many
readers as well. Lawrence T. Geraty, a leading biblical archeologist, reveals
how Adventist archeologists, primarily Siegfried Horn, have made “a
disproportionately large contribution to the discipline of biblical archeology”
(337).

Part VI (chapters 25-31) takes the reader across the globe and shows how
the Adventist Church developed into a worldwide movement. In chapter 25
Chigewezi N. Wogu, a Nigerian scholar of missiology who currently works in
Germany, provides a good overview of the development of Adventist
missiology. In the following chapters the development of Adventism in the
various continents is described: North America, Europe, Australia and the
Pacific, Africa, Latin America and Asia (including China). The authors of these
chapters succeed in describing the often slow and cumbersome beginnings
and the subsequent more rapid expansion in particular areas. They also
clarify that the Adventist missionary expansion was often limited to certain
geographical areas and to particular ethnic groups. Relevant issues, such as
the tie between mission and colonization, the role of migration and the need
for inculturation of the Adventists message, are discussed in chapter 31 by
Christie Chui-Shan Chow, a native of Hong Kong and world Christianity
researcher who earned her PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Part VI (chapters 32-38) reviews the Adventist attitude towards and

involvement with race, gender, sex, war and peace, politics, and culture and
the arts. Chapter 32, about the struggle for racial equality within Adventism,
is written by African-American historian Benjamin Baker. As a white male, I
read this honest but very informative chapter with shame in my heart from
what I have seen in my own country, the Netherlands, as well as other parts
of the world. I agree with Baker that “racial harmony remains elusive for
Seventh-day Adventists” (478). And although Baker limits his survey to
North-America, South-Africa and the United Kingdom, his findings also apply
elsewhere.

Heide Olsen Campbell writes about “women in Adventism” and relates the
lack of progress—and in some ways the reversal—regarding equality and
opportunities for women in the church, focusing on the recent debates
about women’s ordination and the current state of affairs. Unfortunately,
“having a woman as a founder did not guarantee that the Seventh-day
Adventist Church would promote equity of the sexes” (505).

In chapter 34, Ethicist Zdravko Plantak deals with some of the main ethical
issues Adventists faced in their early history such as slavery as well as later
problems the church confronted as it grew like racism. In recent times the
church must find answers to questions around the sanctity of life at its
beginning and at its end, gender and sexuality, and social and environmental
challenges. Separate chapters deal with Adventism and the military,
Adventists in politics, and the wider culture around them.

A final chapter by Alec Ryrie, a history of Christianity professor at Durham

University, England, provides food for thought, as he asks questions about
the place the faith community occupies “in the wider history of
Protestantism” (573). Ryrie opines that “the Protestant heritage is a vital
part of Adventism’s self-image, and if one of the crucial dynamics of
Protestant history is that between orthodoxy and radicalism, Adventism
offers a textbook example of why radical movements need to be seen as a
part of the main story” (573).

The role of Ellen G. White in Adventism

A short review cannot do justice to a rather voluminous Handbook of some
600 densely printed pages, but it appears to me that I must briefly point to
one particular element that runs as a long, uninterrupted thread through the
entire book. As someone with a lifelong experience in academic and
administrative roles in the Adventist Church, I am very much aware of the
important place of White in Adventism, and I closely follow the discussions
concerning the nature of her inspiration and other aspects of her ministry.
Reading through every chapter, it struck me even how almost all authors
emphasize the role of White, not only with respect to confirming the
doctrinal discoveries of her fellow leaders in budding Adventism, but also in
the crucial contributions she made regarding the development of the
Adventist lifestyle, the establishment, and the development of specific
ministries.

I wonder if for readers without a basic knowledge of Adventism, White

emerges from this book as somewhat of an enigmatic figure. She is almost
everywhere. Enough is mentioned by various authors to indicate that many
aspects of her life and ministry have been, and currently are, the topic of
much study and debate, with significant polarization between those who
regard all her writings as relevant and those who mostly ignore them—and
various views in between. The issues surrounding the nature of her
inspiration are not ignored in this book, but it might have been helpful—
both for Adventist readers and others—if there had been a chapter
especially dedicated to this topic.

Final remarks and critiques

If there is one phrase in the book that I object to, it is the constant returning
to “Adventists believe” or the use of similar terms. In many cases these
words need to be qualified as “many Adventists believe” or “the traditional
view of Adventists is.” Where authors use the term “Adventists believe”,
they are in most cases undoubtedly aware that many church members in
fact, hold an alternative view.

Each chapter in the handbook has endnotes—some more than others. Space
limitations, no doubt, led to fewer notes. Inevitably, some statements that
do not have a source reference need one. Two examples are: On page 37 I
would have liked to see a source for the statement that a person called
Calvin French predicted Christ’s second coming on April 3, 1843. Then on
page 70 mention is made of a charismatic figure by the name of R.C. Corgas,
who refined the previous prediction by stating that it would be at 3:00 am.
Again, I would have liked to see the source for this interesting detail, which I
have never heard before.
An index is an important element of a handbook, however, the 20-page
index, which combines names and topics, is far from complete. It surprised
me to see my name in the index, but not the names of recent and
contemporary church leaders like Neal C. Wilson, Jan Paulsen and Ted N.C.
Wilson, despite being listed in other areas. And while the index includes M.L.
Andreasen and Desmond Ford, there is no reference to Edward Heppenstall
or Raoul Dederen. This is a consistent trend as many names are mentioned in
the book but omitted in the index.

While, overall, the authors demonstrate that they have an excellent

knowledge of the available literature, both out and inside the church,
inevitably informed readers will miss certain important titles in the list of
proposed further reading at the end of each chapter. Three examples are:
theologian, Samuele Bacchioochi’s book on the origin of the Sabbath (at the
end of chapter 10 or 11); the late science historian, Ronald Number’s well-
known book The Creationists (at the end of chapter 14); and the late
professor and Institute of World Mission director, Gottfried Oosterwal’s
seminal book Mission Possible (at the end of chapter 26).
The creators of this handbook did set a high standard, which is clear in its
organization, content, and editorial attention to detail. Among the very few
typos I noticed the misspelling of the name of Gottfried Oosterwal, which
was spelled as Oosterval in the index and on p. 396. It would also have been
nice if theology and religion researcher, Chigemezi Nnadozie Wogu would
not have been listed as a PhD candidate, since he already successfully
defended his thesis in 2022 from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. But,
having said this, one can only have admiration for a job so well done.

With a retail price of $178 the book is not likely going to be a success in terms
of huge sales. It will be bought mostly by libraries and by some individuals
who not only have a special interest in Adventism but also a healthy budget.
On the other hand, some who are not wealthy and consider the book
extravagantly expensive, may compare its price with what they would have
to spend to purchase four or five monographs on separate aspects of
Adventist history, beliefs and practices.

The book will not only appeal to religious scholars and other professionals in
church and academy who are looking for trustworthy information on
Adventism, but also Adventist church members, eager to view their
denomination through another lens.
Finally, one might ask whether the book perhaps gives an overly positive
assessment of the Adventist Church or is, in other places, possibly too critical
or negative. After carefully reading the book I have concluded that it
provides a remarkably balanced picture of Adventism. In multi-authored
books, the academic quality and literary level can often be uneven. Although
some stylistic differences are detectable, various chapters’ historic
introductions overlap, and the writing is at times a bit denser than the
majority of the chapters, these minor flaws do not tarnish the book’s
content Moreover, the book avoids a public relations approach, which
constantly emphasizes the great accomplishments of the church while de-
emphasizing the problematic aspects of Adventism in the past and present. I
believe, The Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism succeeds in
positioning the Adventist tradition as a serious, and important player in
Christianity, and in showing that—in spite of its challenges and
imperfections—the Adventist Church makes a meaningful, and increasingly
global, contribution to the Christian mission in today’s increasingly secular
world.

*About the author: A native of the Netherlands, Reinder Bruinsma retired in

2007 after a long career in pastoral, editorial, teaching, and church
leadership assignments in Europe, the United States, and West Africa. After
receiving a BA from Newbold College and an MA from Andrews University,
he earned a BDiv with honors and a doctorate in church history from the
University of London. Before retiring, he was president of the Netherlands
Union.

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