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The Arian or Anti-Trinitarian
Views Presented in Seventh-day Adventist Literature and the Ellen G.
White Answer

by Erwin Roy
Gane

C H A P T E R    I

THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED

From time to time individual Seventh-day Adventists arise who
adhere to an anti-Trinitarian mode of belief. They often quote the
founding fathers of the Church as having been in agreement with
their position. They regard the official Trinitarianism of modern
Adventism as a reversion to paganism, or at best, as Satan�s
counterfeit conception of God, characteristic of Papal
dogma.

I. THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem. It
was the purpose of this study (1) to examine the literature of
Seventh-day Adventists, especially that published between 1844 and
1900, with a view to discovering the extent to which Arian or
anti-Trinitarian views have been held by writers and members of this
church; (2) to gain evidence making possible an explanation of
adherence by the Church to whatever conception of the Deity was
found to have been predominant; (3) to present the Ellen G. White
answer to each of the major positions held by Seventh-day Adventist
anti-Trinitarians.

Importance of the Study. It is
important for Seventh-day Adventists to be informed as to the
doctrinal history of their own Church. It should be possible for
Adventists to be able, in respect to any doctrinal position, to say
whether their present belief is that to which the Church has always
subscribed, or whether Adventist thought on the subject has
progressed beyond certain imperfect and undeveloped concepts. To be
able to demonstrate that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has always
adhered to certain fundamental beliefs is to provide historical
verification that, from its inception, it has fulfilled a
distinctive spiritual role. But to claim that a certain doctrine
held today has always been accepted by the Church, when in fact it
has not, is at best careless, and at worst dishonest. It is,
therefore, important that the history of Adventist thought on the
nature of God be impartially investigated.

II. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED

Adventist. Throughout this
thesis when reference is made to the Adventist Church, the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, as distinct from other Adventist
groups, is intended.

Arian. The term Arian for the
purpose of this thesis has reference to the belief that Christ was
brought into existence by the Father, and that the Holy Spirit is
not a person but a influence. Therefore, an Arian as defined here is
distinct from the liberal, humanistic Arians who represent Christ as
a mere man.

Anti-Trinitarian. The term
anti-Trinitarian is used throughout to refer both to the Arian ad to
other variants from the Trinitarian position.

Monarchianism. The term
Monarchianism as used in this thesis has reference to Modalistic
Monarchianism, a teaching propagated by the Sabellians in the third
century AD. They maintained that in the Godhead the only
differentiation was a succession of modes or manifestations. The one
God revealed Himself as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
They refused to distinguish between these three as distinct
personalities. To them, Christ and the Holy Spirit were other
manifestations of the Father. They held that the doctrine of the
Trinity postulated the existence of three Gods.

Spirit of Prophecy. The term
Spirit of Prophecy is used as a reference to the writings of Ellen
G. White. Although Seventh-day Adventists understand this term to
have a broader application to all divinely inspired prophecy, yet
they consistently use it in a restricted sense to apply to the
prophetic gift as manifested in the life and work of Ellen G.
White.

Socinianism. The doctrine which
makes of Christ a mere man. He is thought to have been created by
God wholly perfect, and endowed with special authority and a
faithful revelation of God�s will. In the United States in the
nineteenth century Socinianism was one branch of Unitarianism.

Unitarianism. The Christian
thought and religious observance which rejects the doctrine of the
Trinity and emphasizes the unipersonality of God. The Unitarian
movement in America in the first half of the nineteenth century was
predominantly Arian. Most American Unitarians at this stage held
that Christ is inferior to the Father, yet more than a mere man,
having been created before the beginning of the world.

III. ORGANIZATION OF REMAINDER OF THE PAPER

The procedure followed in presenting the evidence discovered has
included an examination of all that a particular Seventh-day
Adventist writer presented on the subject, dealing with his
utterances in their chronological order. The writers have been
examined, for the most part, in the order in which they first
expressed themselves on the subject. Thus Uriah Smith is dealt with
before J.N. Loughborough because he first wrote on the subject in
1859. Loughborough first utterance was in 1861. All the evidence in
regard to Uriah Smith�s view is presented in one section, even
though this involves reference to later periods of the Church�s
history. This arrangement makes it possible for an over-all view of
the position of each writer. In each case the writer�s complete view
of the Deity, including the discussion of the Holy Spirit and of
Christ, is examined. The views of Ellen G. White are presented in
the final three chapters of the thesis.

Throughout this thesis italics in quotations are those of the
author being quoted.

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