Advent Christian Church
Encyclopedia
The Advent Christian Church is a "first-day" body of Adventist
Christians
founded on the teachings of William Miller
.
in 1860, the church's formation is rooted in the adventist teachings began by Baptist
preacher William Miller of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
. For many years, Miller studied the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament
book of Daniel
and the New Testament
book of Revelation
. After many calculations, he announced in 1831 that the Second Advent
would occur in 1843 or 1844. Thousands of people believed him, and sold their possessions. His followers, called Millerites
, waited for the coming of Christ and the end of the world, and therefore became disappointed
.
(1796–1879). Rejecting what they believed as a Greek philosophy (immortality of the soul), they taught that though man was created for immortality, that immortality had been forfeited in the fall of Adam. They believed that only the redeemed would receive eternal life; the dead unconsciously would await the resurrection and final judgment. At the time of judgment, the wicked would suffer extinction. These teachings separated them from some within the Millerite movement.
rule of faith and practice, salvation available for all conditioned on repentance, a belief in the doctrine of the Trinity (God as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit), faith & faithfulness to God, and the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of "the unconscious intermediate state of the dead" and "conditional immortality" - We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition which will remain unchanged until the resurrection at Christ's Second Coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be "punished with everlasting destruction;" suffering complete extinction of being - separates them from a some other evangelical denominations and movements. This is commonly called soul sleep. The church accepts two ordinances - water baptism
by immersion, and the Lord's supper.
Advent Christian theologians, such as John H. Crouse, advocated an historicist view of the Book of Revelation
, regarding it as a description of events from the time of the early church up to the second coming.
In ministry, the church cooperates to provide missions, education, publications, homes, and camps. The General Conference of the church meets every three years. Denominational headquarters are located in Charlotte, North Carolina
.
where they have a strong concentration of churches in most states. The church holds membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, and the National Association of Evangelicals.
Adventist
Adventism is a Christian movement which began in the 19th century, in the context of the Second Great Awakening revival in the United States. The name refers to belief in the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was started by William Miller, whose followers became known as Millerites...
Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
founded on the teachings of William Miller
William Miller (preacher)
William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
.
William Miller
Though the first Advent Christian Association was founded in Salem, MassachusettsSalem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
in 1860, the church's formation is rooted in the adventist teachings began by Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
preacher William Miller of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
. For many years, Miller studied the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
book of Daniel
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
and the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
. After many calculations, he announced in 1831 that the Second Advent
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
would occur in 1843 or 1844. Thousands of people believed him, and sold their possessions. His followers, called Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
, waited for the coming of Christ and the end of the world, and therefore became disappointed
Great Disappointment
The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history of the Millerite movement, a 19th-century American Christian sect that formed out of the Second Great Awakening. Based on his interpretations of the prophecies in the book of Daniel The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history...
.
The Albany Conference
The Albany Conference, which began in 1845, was one of the major groups which resulted. It included many major Millerite leaders such as Miller himself. The Advent Christian Church has its roots in this group.Jonathan Cummings
Jonathan Cummings (1817–1894), a disciple of Miller who reset Miller's prediction of Christ's coming as 1854, was also influential on the individuals who founded the Advent Christian Association. A third root of the Advent Christians is found in the rise of the doctrine of conditional immortality among Adventist preachers such as Charles F. Hudson (1795–1881) and George StorrsGeorge Storrs
George Storrs was a Christian teacher and writer in the United States.- Biography :George Storrs was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire on December 13, 1796, son to Colonel Constant Storrs and the former Lucinda Howe...
(1796–1879). Rejecting what they believed as a Greek philosophy (immortality of the soul), they taught that though man was created for immortality, that immortality had been forfeited in the fall of Adam. They believed that only the redeemed would receive eternal life; the dead unconsciously would await the resurrection and final judgment. At the time of judgment, the wicked would suffer extinction. These teachings separated them from some within the Millerite movement.
Beliefs
The doctrine of the Advent Christian Church includes belief in the Bible as the infallibleBiblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...
rule of faith and practice, salvation available for all conditioned on repentance, a belief in the doctrine of the Trinity (God as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit), faith & faithfulness to God, and the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of "the unconscious intermediate state of the dead" and "conditional immortality" - We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition which will remain unchanged until the resurrection at Christ's Second Coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be "punished with everlasting destruction;" suffering complete extinction of being - separates them from a some other evangelical denominations and movements. This is commonly called soul sleep. The church accepts two ordinances - water baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
by immersion, and the Lord's supper.
Advent Christian theologians, such as John H. Crouse, advocated an historicist view of the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
, regarding it as a description of events from the time of the early church up to the second coming.
In ministry, the church cooperates to provide missions, education, publications, homes, and camps. The General Conference of the church meets every three years. Denominational headquarters are located in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
Statistics
In 2006, the Advent Christian Church had about 25,600 members in 293 churches, not very different from the 28,300 it had in 1925, with relatively stable membership during the intervening years. The largest concentration of churches is on the eastern coast of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where they have a strong concentration of churches in most states. The church holds membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, and the National Association of Evangelicals.
See also
- AdventistAdventistAdventism is a Christian movement which began in the 19th century, in the context of the Second Great Awakening revival in the United States. The name refers to belief in the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was started by William Miller, whose followers became known as Millerites...
- Christian revivalChristian revivalChristian revival is a term that generally refers to a specific period of increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or many churches, either regionally or globally...
- Christianity in the 19th centuryChristianity in the 19th centuryCharacteristic of Christianity in the 19th century were Evangelical revivals in some largely Protestant countries and later the effects of modern scientific theories such as Darwinism on the churches; Modernist theology was one consequence of this. In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church suffered a...
- List of religions and religious denominations#Adventist and related churches
- List of Christian denominations#Millerites and comparable groups
- Other movements in :Category:Adventism
- Great DisappointmentGreat DisappointmentThe Great Disappointment was a major event in the history of the Millerite movement, a 19th-century American Christian sect that formed out of the Second Great Awakening. Based on his interpretations of the prophecies in the book of Daniel The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history...
- MilleritesMilleritesThe Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
- William Miller (preacher)William Miller (preacher)William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
- MillennialismMillennialismMillennialism , or chiliasm in Greek, is a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state...
- Second Great AwakeningSecond Great AwakeningThe Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
- Joshua Vaughan HimesJoshua Vaughan HimesJoshua Vaughan Himes was a Christian leader and publisher. He became involved with the followers of William Miller and later became a prominent leader in the Advent Christian Church.- Biography :Himes was born in Wickford, Rhode Island...