(E. Schuyler English was a well-known Evangelical writer of the mid fifties. (He was considered important enough to be placed as chairman of the revision committee of the Scofield Bible.) He was also the editor of "Our Hope" magazine. In the January, 1955 issue of "Our Hope," English mentioned several teachings of Adventists that he considered terrible. In response, LeRoy Froom began a correspondence with him to assure him that concepts such as the one that Christ inherited the human nature of His earthly ancestors was something totally rejected by modern Seventh-day Adventists. This surprised English, and after considerable correspondence back and forth, English published something of a retraction in the November, 1956 issue of "Our Hope. "An excerpt is reprinted below.

But more significant was the article that followed English's retraction, a few pages later in that issue: This was a good-sized article by Walter R. Martin about Seventh-day Adventists, and it was to mark one of the first of Martin's efforts, in print, to make "peace with the Adventists" because of their willingness to repudiate certain earlier doctrinal defects.

Note the timing of all this: Barnhouse's first article announcing the Evangelical Conferences was published in his own "Eternity " magazine in September, 1956. Martin's three "bombshell" articles appeared in the October and November, 1956 and the January, 1957 issues of "Eternity. "In stinking contrast, the first inkling that the Adventists Church gave to its members of what was taking place was in the December, 1956 issue of "Ministry " magazine. And this was a soft-toned announcement, geared to the workers, rather than to the members in the pew.

The heart of all the above-mentioned articles are reprinted in the present documentary that you are now reading.

In the midst of these important several months, Martin's article to English appeared in "Our Hope " magazine in November, 1956. Aside from "Eternity," "Our Hope" was to prove to be one of the only conciliatory Protestant magazines in the controversy over whether Protestantism should accept the Adventist black sheep back into its ranks. To put it another way: All we gained for our sell-out was four Martin articles, on Barnhouse article, and the Martin book. We never were accepted by established Protestantism, but we surely went the second doctrinal mile in our efforts to try to gain that acceptance.]

November 1956

"SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM-by E. Schuyler English, Our Hope Magazine.

. Investigation that has lasted throughout nearly a year has convinced us that we were mistaken, that SDAism has been undergoing a change throughout the past decade .. For after all, any man or woman who holds as essential Christian doctrine the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, the virgin birth and Deity of Christ, the necessity for and completeness of Christ's vicarious atonement for sin, justification by faith, and the personal and visible second advent of Christ, is a Christian in the strictest sense of the word."-'Seventh-day Adventism", Our Hope, November 1956, p. 271.

"SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM TODAY-Here we have an up-to-date appraisal of a misunderstood denomination-by Walter R. Martin, Our Hope Magazine.

.. Through the years that followed 1844 individuals with varying backgrounds strove to find a common basis of agreement, and over this period of time it is a well-known fact that many unfortunate statements concerning doctrinal theology were published by the Seventh-day Adventists, though the overwhelming majority never held to those divergent views. Chief among these views was the teaching: (1) that the atonement of Christ was not completed upon the cross; (2) that salvation is the result of grace plus the works of the law; (3) that the Lord Jesus Christ was a created being, not from all eternity; (4) and that He partook of man's sinful fallen nature at the incarnation. Other fringe views revolved around the concept that the Seventh-day Adventist Church alone constituted the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14, and that all those who did not worship on Saturday bore the mark of the beast of Revelation 13.

"After an exhaustive examination of the history and theology of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination covering a seven-year period, the last year and a half of which have been spent in top-level conferences with officials of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, this writer as a research polemicist has no hesitation whatsoever in stating that those previous positions so widely seized upon by the enemies of Adventism have been totally repudiated by the Seventh-day Adventist denomination for some years. To charge the majority Adventists today with holding these heretical views is unfair, inaccurate, and decidedly unchristian!

.. His [Canright] writings are outdated and cannot be quoted authoritatively in refutation of the great part of contemporary Seventh-day Adventist theology. There are of course some well meaning persons who continue to criticize Seventh-day Adventists on the basis of certain fringe publications, which the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is systematically attempting to control; and there are also some professional detractors or previous defectors from the Adventist faith who circulate a great deal of material quoted mostly out of context and from older publications in an attempt to prove that Seventh-day Adventists are not Christians-which they most decidedly are, as any honest perusal of their literature on the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith will quickly reveal. Relative to the contemporary theology of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, to which the overwhelming majority of the membership of that denomination adheres, the following facts cannot be disputed by any who have thoroughly investigated Adventism. Seventh-day Adventists believe . (12) justification by faith alone; (13) the new creation; (14) the unity of the Body of Christ; (15) salvation by grace apart from the works of the law through faith in Jesus Christ.

. And though there are probably some defectors they are in a decided minority. As an aside, were such defectors to become too vocal regarding their divergences, discipline would rapidly be undertaken by the denomination, as stated in their own Manual of Church Government.

11 . One of the most interesting facts that emerges from a thorough study of Seventh-day Adventist history is the truth that not one doctrine of Seventh-day Adventist history is the truth that not one doctrine of Seventh-day Adventist practice can be ascribed to Ellen G. White.

.. The General Conference plainly states that they do not make belief in Mrs. White's writings a test of fellowship in the denomination, and further, that they never have and do not now place her writings on a parity with Scripture.

. . This, in a concise statement, is the doctrine of the heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment in Seventh-day Adventist theology, and, while admittedly peculiar and at times almost bizarre, it is in no way heretical since it admits the validity of the completed atonement on the cross by Christ alone. The doctrine of the heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment, then, should constitute no bar to fellowship with Seventhday Adventists when it is understood in this light.

.. For just so long, then, as the Seventh-day Adventist denomination does not attempt to legislate Saturday as a form of worship upon other Christians as a symbol of fuller consecration to God, their fellow Christians should not discriminate against them as legalists for worshiping on the seventh day.

.. We may safely say, however, that no single or collective group of doctrines held by the Seventh-day Adventist denomination are unorthodox enough to be heresy or unorthodox enough to prohibit fellowship between Adventists and other evangelicals, once a clear objective view has been obtained through honest investigation. Today in practically every Christian bookstore throughout the United States one may obtain information on Seventh-day Adventism-all of it unfavorable, and over 80% of it filled with outdated quotations, mangled paragraphs, and extreme distortions of the true contemporary Adventist position.

.. There are, of course, many problems which have yet to be solved in Adventist publications, in public relations, in missionary activities and other fields of endeavor. On the whole, however, Adventism today presents a unified picture. Should any doubt the validity of the facts which are herein stated, he is urged to address a letter or postal card to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Department I, Takoma Park, Maryland, and confirmation of the Adventists adherence to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith will be rapidly forthcoming.

.. Since there is no conceivable doctrinal ground, in the light of verifiable evidence, where the fundamental tenets of the historic Gospel are concerned for refusing that outstretched hand, I for one encourage the extension of our hand which will usher in a new era of understanding and spiritual growth among the Church which is Christ's body."-"Seventh-day Adventism Today," Walter R. Martin, Our Hope, November 1956, pp. 274284.

The following article excerpt may seem somewhat parenthetical, but it will help reveal the background setting for the Martin-Barnhouse meetings with our leaders in Washington D.C.

Published in his 'Eternity " magazine in April, 1958, this article indicated Barnhouse's continuing interest in bringing the various churches together.]

April 1958

"FINDING FELLOWSHIP WITH PENTECOSTALS-by Donald Grey Barnhouse, Eternity Magazine.

"Several years ago we announced that we desired fellowship with any members of the body of Christ who desired fellowship with us. If there is separation, we want our spirit to give evidence that the onus is not on us. If God has saved a man, we shall call him brother.

"Since making that announcement, we have talked and prayed with men of the divergent backgrounds. Our fellowship is with all who are our brothers in Christ, no matter how much they may differ from us in secondary matters.

" .. About twelve of the top leaders of the Assemblies of God met with us in one of their beautiful air-conditioned glass and steel buildings. This denomination has some 8,000 churches in the United States and some 770 missionaries in various parts of the world. .

"Our conference began with prayer, and long before the last man had prayed I was convinced that these were Christian brethren..

"During our conversations, we mentioned the fact that Billy Graham had never passed through the 'experience' which the Pentecostals believe necessary to greater usefulness. They admitted that he was mightily used by God even if he had not had the 'baptism.' One brother wondered whether Billy had had the experience without knowing it!! I telephoned Billy and asked him. His reply was that he had never spoken in tongues though he had on several occasions had some very precious experiences in the presence of the Lord. .

"in the summer of 1956 one of the leading men of the National Council of Churches wrote an article in the 'Christian Century' describing his visit to the Caribbean. He found that Pentecostal missionaries in Cuba and elsewhere had led more people to Christ in fifteen years than the old-line denominations had done in sixty years. He concluded by saying that the leaders of the ecumenical movement should get acquainted with the Pentecostals."-'Finding Fellowship with Pentecostals, Donald Grey Barnhouse, Eternity Magazine, April 1958, pp. 8-10.

[Barnhouse and Martin 's "Eternity" magazine articles, "Questions on Doctrine, " and Martin's book, "The truth About Seventh-day Adventism, " constitute the centerpoint of the whirlwind that arose out of the Evangelical Conferences in the fifties.

Here are the "Eternity " magazine articles:

(1) August 1956-Formal announcement that Walter Martin had joined the staff of "Eternity " magazine. He had, of course, been working closely with Barnhouse for at least a year or two prior to this time. The Evangelical Conferences, initiated by Martin and Barnhouse, ran from the Spring of 1955 into the Summer of 1956.

(2) September 1956-This was on the masthead page of this issue and constituted an announcement of the "bombshell" (to use their word) that the accompanying article by Barnhouse would be to many readers.

(3) September 1956-'Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians?" was the title of this article by Barnhouse. It was the first of four articles to appear within this magazine within a span of five months.

(4) October 1956-On the masthead page an introduction is given to the first of Martin's three articles.

(5) October 1956-This is the first of Walter Martin's three "Eternity" articles about Seventh-day Adventists and their beliefs. This article is almost entirely composed of a brief historical survey of the origins and development of the Millerite Movement and the Adventist Church. This study is relatively kindly to Adventists in tone. Two passages, however, should be noted (quoted below) for their theological implications.

The first is to be found in the middle of a statement by Martin about Ellen White. He says "One may disagree with Mrs. White 's interpretation of the atonement.. "There is much meaning in that phrase, for room and Anderson tried to give the impression that Adventists now believe in the "finished atonement" concept and that this was what Ellen White had always taught. But Martin obviously recognized that this was not so.

The second point in the article is a footnote. In it Martin suggests that Canright's objections to Adventism are not necessarily as valuable today in light of the modifications that church has made in their views since his time.

(6) November 1956-By now, no masthead introduction was needed for this second of Martin's three "Eternity " articles.

(7) January 1957-Here we find the third of Martin's articles. Why the articles were not consecutive (December was omitted) we do not know. Perhaps, in view of the torrent of protests that were pouring in to "Eternity " headquarters from Protestant ministers and leaders, Martin had taken time to rewrite this article somewhat. It deals with differences between Adventist beliefs and those of Protestantism at large.

(8) November 1957-Ten months after the last Martin article appeared, Barnhouse published a follow-up postscript, in which he announced the imminent publication of "Questions on Doctrine" by the Adventists. Mentioning that he was soon to expose in a series of articles the errors of Adventism, he concluded with the thought that it would be better for the reader to purchase Martin's forthcoming book about Adventist doctrine, rather than to bother with the Adventist book about their own doctrine.

In summary, let me say that there is quite a bit of information to be found in these "bombshell" articles in ' Eternity . " They should be read with our excerpts from Martin's book, "The Truth About Seventh-day Adventism. "From it all, you will clearly see many things about the whole matter. Among these are: (1) The strong push-almost a veiled threat-was for the Adventists to come to terms in order to receive "unity and fellowship" with the Protestants. This point is especially to be noted in Martin's book. (2) Both Martin and Barnhouse objected to a number of Adventist beliefs, and thought them ridiculous. Barnhouse's lead article (August 1956) especially brings this out (3) Most important of all: Both of them clearly showed that Adventists are now willing to CHANGE their beliefs and are now doing so. (4) The new beliefs of the Adventists are different in several respects from those which they formerly espoused.

Along with this is a related point which you will not find in these articles: Our Church leaders were very willing to start the Evangelical Conferences, continue them for over a year, work our changes in our doctrines, and lay plans to publish a book (QD) which would excuse those changes under the cover of "something we always taught" -and never breathe a word to man or beast throughout the vast majority of the local churches of the denomination-until Barnhouse and Martin told us- what was going on in the pages of `Eternity " magazine! And it may be added that most of the common folk still did not find out what was taking place until someone slipped a copy of Elder Andreasens 's "Letters to the Churches" into their hands. For after the news broke in "Eternity, " our leaders focused their attention on training the Adventist ministry, world-wide, into the new view so they could then pass it on to their church members.]

ETERNITY MAGAZINE

August 1956

"APPOINTED TO STAFF-by Editors, Eternity Magazine.

"The Rev. Walter R. Martin of Paterson, N.J., has been appointed to the staff of the Evangelical Foundation, Inc., as a Bible teacher and writer. Readers of 'Eternity' are already familiar with Mr. Martin's contributions to the magazine in the field of the non-Christian religions and cults. He will continue to serve as a Contributing Editor, and articles by his hand are scheduled for all the coming issues in 1956.

"An ordained Baptist minister, Mr. Martin has spent the last ten years in research in the fields of philosophy, contemporary theology, apologetics, and cults, and is recognized by prominent Christian scholars and leaders as the foremost authority in evangelical circles on cultism. He also serves as director of the division of cult apologetics for the Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, and has introduced the 'Modern Cults Library.' Currently five of these volumes are available.

"At the present time Mr. Martin is pursuing his doctoral (Ph.D.) studies at New York University, having received his Master of Arts degree from that institution in June."-Eternity, August 1956, p. 4.

September 1956

"NOW AND LATER-by Editors, Eternity Magazine.

"The lead article of this month's issue will come like a bombshell to many of our readers who have always viewed Seventh-day Adventists with suspicion. We have no doubt that there will be many questioning letters and perhaps some grave shaking of heads.

"But this manuscript comes from our Editor-in-Chief after many hours of consultation and deliberation extending over months of time. In view of the deep-seated feelings of evangelicals toward cultists and those who hold to deviant views of Christian doctrine, it has taken some courage on the part of the Editors to present this clearer picture of Seventh-day Adventism. We have been comforted by the thought that this is a 'magazine of Christian truth,' and that we have a solemn responsibility as stewards of the truth.

"Actually this article is the introduction to a series of three which will be presented by Contributing Editor Walter R. Martin in the next three months. We ask that our friends consider all the facts before coming to a final decision.

"Walter Martin is emerging as one of the leading authorities of the day in the field of the non-Christian cults. He, like our Editor-in-Chief, has no softness toward heresy or error but strongly feels he has been called to be a defender of the historic faith. That's why what he has to say about Seventh-day Adventists will be significant reading."-Eternity, September 1956, p. 4.

"ARE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS CHRISTIANS?-A new look at Seventh-day Adventism-by Donald Grey Barnhouse, Eternity Magazine.

.. On a second visit he was presented with scores of pages of detailed theological answers to his questions. Immediately it was perceived that the Adventists were strenuously denying certain doctrinal positions, which had been previously attributed to them. As Mr. Martin read their answers he came, for example, upon a statement that they repudiated absolutely the thought that seventh-day Sabbath keeping was a basis for salvation and a denial of any teaching that the keeping of the first day of the week is as yet considered to be the receiving of the anti-Christian 'mark of the beast.' He pointed out to them that in their book store adjoining the building in which these meetings were taking place a certain volume published by them and written by one of their ministers categorically stated the contrary to what they were now asserting. The leaders sent for the book, discovered that Mr. Martin was correct, and immediately brought this fact to the attention of the General Conference Officers, that this situation might be remedied and such publications be corrected. This same procedure was repeated regarding the nature of Christ while in the flesh which the majority of the denomination has always held to be sinless, holy, and perfect despite the fact that certain of their writers have occasionally gotten into print with contrary views completely repugnant to the Church at large. They further explained to Mr. Martin that they had among their number certain members of their 'lunatic fringe' even as there are similar wild-eyed irresponsibles in every field of fundamental Christianity. This action of the Seventh-day Adventists was indicative of similar steps that were taken subsequently.

.. I discovered, however, in our long talks together that these brethren have what I think is a misconception of Calvinism. They would not find it too hard to get along with the modern Calvinism which is held by most evangelical Baptists and Presbyterians today and vice versa. .

"We also disagree on the question of the Seventh-day Sabbath. A great amount of time was spent in our early meetings to spell out the fact that Adventists do not believe in legalism as a part of salvation though everything in their practice seems to indicate that they do. They recognize clearly that some of their teachers have taught the contrary, but they take a position (to us very illogical) that the Ten Commandments are to be obeyed, but that their teaching has no part whatsoever as a down payment or a part payment toward salvation which they and we in common confess to be by Christ alone on the basis of His expiatory death on Calvary.

" . The latter doctrine [the investigative judgment] , to me, is the most colossal, psychological, face-saving phenomenon in religious history! . .

"Now the time has come to make known to the general public the results of the hundreds of hours of labor that have been expended by Mr. Martin and the similar time that has been put forth by many Adventist leaders.

"Mr. Martin's book on Seventh-day Adventism will appear in print within a few months. It will carry a foreword by responsible leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church to the effect that they have not been misquoted in the volume and the areas of agreement and disagreement as set forth by Mr. Martin are accurate from their point of view. All of Mr. Martin's references to a new Adventist volume on their doctrines will be from the page proof of their book, which will appear in print simultaneously with his work. Henceforth any fair criticism of the Adventist movement must refer to these simultaneous publications.

'The position of the Adventists seems to some of us in certain cases to be a new position; to them it may be merely the position of the majority group of sane leadership which is determined to put the brakes on any members who seek to hold views divergent from that of the responsible leadership of the denomination.

"(1) Notably, the Adventist leadership proclaims that the writings of Ellen G. White, the great counselor of the Adventist movement, are not on a parity with Scripture.

"(2) While the Adventists keep Saturday as the Sabbath, they specifically repudiate the idea that Sabbath-keeping is in any way a means of salvation.

.. It is to my mind, therefore, nothing more than a human, face-saving idea! It should also be realized that some uninformed Seventh-day Adventists took this idea and carried it to fantastic literalistic extremes. Mr. Martin and I heard the Adventist leaders say, flatly, that they repudiate all such extremes.

. Further, they do not believe, as some of their earlier teachers taught, that Jesus' atoning work was not completed on Calvary but instead that He was still carrying on a second ministering work since 1844. This idea is also totally repudiated. They believe that since His ascension Christ has been ministering the benefits of the atonement which He completed on Calvary. Since the sanctuary doctrine is based on the type of the Jewish high priest going into the Holy of Holies to complete his atoning work, it can be seen that what remains is most certainly exegetically untenable and theological speculation of a highly imaginative order.

11 .. We personally do not believe that there is even a suspicion of a verse in Scripture to sustain such a peculiar position, and we further believe that any effort to establish it is stale, flat, and unprofitable! . .

"To sum up, I would say that the differences between other evangelicals and the Seventh-day Adventist position are three:

"(1) The unimportant and almost naive doctrine of the 'investigative judgment'

"(2) The more serious doctrine of Sabbath-keeping, which is not sufficient to bar Seventh-day Adventists from the fellowship of true Christians but which makes such fellowship very difficult because of the overtones of legalism that has a tendency to gnaw at the roots of the truth of sovereign grace to unworthy sinners; and

"(3) Finally, the most serious difference, to me, is their belief in conditional immortality (i.e., soul-sleeping and the annihilation of the lost)."-"Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians?," Donald Grey Barnhouse, Eternity, September 1956, pp. 6, 7, 4345.

October 1956
"NOW AND LATER-by Editors, Eternity Magazine.

"In this issue Walter R. Martin begins his series of three arti cles on 'The Truth about Seventh-day Adventism.'

"For several years now Mr. Martin has been making a dill gent study of the non-Christian cults, and he did not start out tc write about Adventists in appreciative terms. However, in the course of his research he came to the conclusion that Adventists should rightfully be included within the fellowship of evangelical ism.. "-Eternity, October 1956, p. 3.

October 1956

"The truth about Seventh-day Adventism-ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT FROM CHRISTIAN ROOTS-What was the true role of William Miller in the great advent awakening movement?-by Walter R. Martin, Eternity Magazine.

. There can be no doubt that Mrs. White was a "born again" Christian woman who truly loved the Lord Jesus Christ and who dedicated herself unstintingly to the task of bearing witness for Him as she felt led. It should be clearly understood that in some places orthodox Christian theology and the interpretations of Mrs. White do not agree; in fact, in some places they are at direct loggerheads, but on the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith necessary to the salvation of the soul and the growth of the life in Christ, Ellen G. White has never written anything which is seriously contrary to the simple, plain declarations of the gospel. One may disagree with Mrs. White's interpretation of the atonement and the scapegoat; one may challenge her stress upon the Seventh-day Sabbath, health reform, and conditional immortality, etc.; but no one can fairly challenge her writings on the basis of their conformity to the basic principles of the gospel, for conform they most certainly do!

. D.M. Canright 1 in his two books on Ellen G. White, has gone into great critical details.

"1 An ex-Adventist leader of great magnitude and a personal friend for many years of Ellen G. White. He left the movement, became a Baptist minister, and wrote much against SDA. His criticisms where they bear upon the Sabbath, soul sleep, annihilation of the wicked, the sanctuary doctrine, the investigative judgment, the spirit of prophecy as manifested in Mrs. White, and health reform in SDA are frequently well taken; however, much has changed since Canright's day and his work must be viewed in the light of current SDA theology."-Eternity, October, 1956, pp. 38, 39.

November 1956

"The Truth About Seventh-Day Adventism-WHAT SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS REALLY BELIEVE-Are the differences between Adventist and orthodox Christian doctrines sufficient to deny them fellowship?-by Walter R. Martin, Eternity Magazine.

. A concise statement of what Seventh-day Adventists do believe from an authoritative source will probably serve to establish their adherence to the basic principles of Christian theology far better than a hundred articles by a non-Adventist Therefore, the following statement, prepared by a group of leading theologians of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, appearing in a new book soon to be released by the Review and Herald publishing Association, covers the subject quite thoroughly and is reproduced here by permission. .

'But with the passage of years the earlier diversity of view on certain doctrines gradually gave way to unity of view. Clear and sound positions were then taken by the great majority on such doctrines as the Godhead, the deity and eternal preexistence of Christ, and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Clear-cut views were established on righteousness by faith, the true relationship of law and grace, and on the death of Christ as the complete atonement for sin.

'A few, however, held to some of their former views, and at times these ideas got into print. However, for decades now the church has been practically at one on the basic truths of the Christian faith.

'The very fact that our positions were now clarified seemed to us to be sufficient. Our teachings, we felt, were clear. And no particular statement of change from those earlier ideas appeared necessary. Today the primary emphasis of all our leading denominational literature, as well as the continuous presentations over radio and television, emphasizes the historic fundamentals of the Christian faith.

'But the charges and attacks have persisted. Some continue to gather up quotations from some of our earlier literature long since out of date and print. Certain statements are cited, often wrested out of context, which give a totally distorted picture of the beliefs and teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church of today.

" 'All this has made it desirable and necessary for us to declare our position afresh upon the great fundamental teachings of the Christian faith, and to deny every statement or implication that Christ, the second Person of the Godhead, was not One with the Father from all eternity, and that His sacrifice on the cross was not a full and complete atonement. The present belief of Seventh-day Adventists on these great truths is clear and emphatic. And we feel that we should no longer be identified with or stigmatized for certain limited and faulty concepts held by some in our formative years.

' .. We are one with our fellow Christians of denominational groups .. '

"It is true that there is still some literature in print and on the shelves of libraries that reflects some of the earlier postions just mentioned, but precautions are being taken to limit further circulation and to present a unified and true picture of Seventh-day Adventist adherence to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith.

" .. Less than 20 per cent of these volumes are now up to date or contain the true Seventh-day Adventist positions as they are stated and published in contemporary Adventist circles.

"My research has uncovered the fact that not only have many unrepresentative quotations cited from earlier Seventh-day Adventist publications been expunged from the current editions .. seemingly to indict the Adventists for holding beliefs that they most strenuously reject.

. The need for abandoning the out-of-print quotations and questionable statements that have been repudiated by the Adventist denomination ought also to be recognized by Christian publishers who wish to present the truth.

.. Should anyone reading this article desire proof of the official Seventh-day Adventist position on these statements they should address a letter or postal card to: The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Department I, Takoma Park, Washington 12, D.C., and confirmation sufficient to convince any honest investigator will be forthcoming immediately. In the early months of 1957 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists will release a new book dealing with contemporary Seventh day Adventist theology, which should supersede individual-author publications on the basis of authoritative theological positions, stating unequivocally the adherence of the General Conference, and of all true Seventh-day Adventists, to the fundamentals of the gospel just stated.

"Seventh-day Adventism in 1956 is a far cry from the Adventism-rightly criticized in certain areas-of Dudley M. Canright in his book 'Seventh-day Adventism Renounced.' Whoever attempts to refute Adventism today by using Canright and by quoting him as authoritative in every area of his criticism of Seventh-day Adventism is tearing down a straw man. Where Canright deals with the divergent views of Adventism as they affect the historic Christian message, he is relevant. However, many of the earlier minority positions in Adventism have either been reversed or revised in line with the convictions of the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination that advancing light and progressive truth make necessary clarification . .

"Dr. LeRoy E. Froom, one of the Secretaries of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, writing in a new theological publication 'to be released early in 1957, clearly states the Seventh-day Adventist denomination's repudiation of all extremist or personal positions of the past that misrepresent the clear teachings of the church and of distorted positions wrongly attributed to them. Writes Dr. Froom:

.. We utterly repudiate the postulate that human works are in any way a ground of acceptance with God..'

"The positions presented in this covering statement by Dr. Froom, speaking as a leading authority on Adventist history and theology, are fully supported by the declarations of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It is one more evidence that Seventh-day Adventists wish to correct all misrepresentations, and any misinterpretations of some in the past, and to fellowship with the other members of the body of Christ. .

"In Edson's mind then, and in the minds of many early Adventists, Heaven contained a literal sanctuary with a first apartment and a second apartment, contructed along the lines of the ancient Hebrew tabernacle."-"what Seventh-day Adventists Really Believe'; Walter R. Martin, Eternity, November 1956, pp. 20,21,38-43.

January 1957

"The Truth About Seventh-day Adventism-ADVENTIST THEOLOGY vs. HISTORIC ORTHODOXY-Are there serious differences concerning cardinal doctrines of Christianity?-by Walter R. Martin, Eternity Magazine.

" .. We are concerned in this article with some of the differences between Seventh-day Adventist theology and the theology of 'historic orthodoxy.' We have two questions: (1) Are there major differences regarding the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith, between Seventh-day Adventist theology and evangelical orthodoxy? (2) Are the other differences that exist an insuperable barrier to fellowship between Seventh-day Adventists and evangelicals?

"Extensive study reveals seven areas of disagreement. We shall note these seven areas, discuss them, and attempt to reach a conclusion based upon all available evidence, bypassing the morass of prejudice accumulating for almost one hundred years.

" .. Thus, say the Adventists, Christ is ministering the benefits of the atonement which He completed on the cross. .

"Contemporary Seventh-day Adventist theology accepts the doctrine in the figurative sense as great heavenly realities, and teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is still interceding for all Christian believers before the throne of His Father. It should be carefully observed here, that this doctrine of the investigative judgment in no way implies, in Seventh-day Adventist thinking, the concept of a dual or partially completed atonement; rather, Adventists emphasize a completed, final work accomplished by Christ alone on Calvary for them as well as all believers. .

"As Dr. Barnhouse pointed out in his article in September the investigative judgment is purely a speculative dogma, inherent within the structure of Adventist theology, and when property understood can offer no real objection to fellowship between Adventists and their fellow Christians.

" .. In the eyes of many it smacks of legalism . .

"Adventists regard the 'spirit of prophecy' counsels of Ellen G. White as counsels to the Adventist denomination, and there is no reason why this view should prohibit Christians of other denominations from having fellowship with Adventists, so long as Adventists do not attempt to enforce upon their fellow Christians the counsels that Mrs. White specifically directs to them.

"(6) Health Reform (unclean foods, etc.).-The ministry of Mrs. White, throughout her many years of association with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, uniformly encouraged what has been called 'health reform.' This term is much broader than the matter of diet. Mrs. White believed and taught that the Scriptures give the best outline for the care of the human body. Throughout her life she gave to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination frequent counsels on health principles, including dietary matters. .

"(7) The Remnant Church.-The last area of conflict between Seventh-day Adventism and contemporary evangelical Christianity is the 'remnant church' idea, espoused by early members of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Still taught, in the denomination, though in a vastly different sense from its original conception the idea is that Adventists constitute a definite part of the 'remnant church,' or the 'remnant people' of God, of the last days. .

"Today, the term involves a time element-the 'remnant church' indicates the great last segment of the true Christian church of the Christian Era, existing just before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Adventists further recognize that God's true followers everywhere, whom He owns as His people E are true members of this 'remnant,' which will constitute the Bride of Christ at His glorious return to usher in the Kingdom of God."-'Adventist Theology vs. Historic Orthodoxy," Walter R. Martin, Eternity, January 1957 pp. 12,12,38-40.

November 1957

`POSTSCRIPT ON SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM-by Donald Grey Barn house-Eternity Magazine.

"The long-awaited 'Answers to Questions on Doctrine,' 'prepared by a Representative Group of Seventh-day Adventist Leaders, Bible Teachers, and Editors,' has come from the press. Ii is the vindication of the position we have taken in recent months and will soon be recognized as such by fair-minded Christians.

.. The volume is an authoritative statement of their doctrines. They say that it is not a new statement of faith, but rather 'an answer to specific questions concerning their faith.' However it is a definitive statement that lops off the writings of Adventists who have been independent of and contradictory to their sound leadership and effectively refutes many of the charges of doctrinal error that have been leveled against them. The writings of those who have in the past attacked Seventh-day Adventism in those areas are now out of date. From now on anyone who echoes these criticisms must be considered as willfully ignorant of the facts or victims of such prejudice that they are no longer to be trusted as teachers in this field.

"At the same time that the Adventists issue their new volume Zondervan Publishing House is releasing Walter Martin's ap praisal and criticism of the Adventist position.

" .. When Mr. Martin went to the Adventist headquarters in Washington, he was given complete access to all their records. The honesty of the Adventists can be seen in their attitude. When Mr.

Martin asked the custodian of their vault to let him see material unfavorable to the Adventists, the man replied, 'My instructions are to give you absolutely anything that you ask on this matter.' All references in Mr. Martin's volume are paged to this Adventist statement. In the front of Mr. Martin's book is a statement signed by an official of the Adventist denomination that they have not been misquoted or misrepresented by Mr. Martin. .

" 'Eternity' lost some subscribers by telling the truth about the Adventists.

" .. In fact, as my already heavily burdened schedule allows, we expect to publish biblical expositions showing some of what I hold to be fallacies in the S.D.A. position. .

"The most serious charge ever made against the Adventists has arisen out of a series of booklets written by one of their former workers and disavowed again and again by the responsible leaders of the church. One writer in particular set forth that Jesus Christ had a sinful human nature. The present volume approaches this statement from several different points of view and repudiates it with horror.

" .. In my opinion she [Ellen White] lacked profundity, accuracy, and scholarship . ."While most of our readers may not wish to attempt the 720 pages of the new Adventist volume, though it is illuminating in many areas, I would recommend that they purchase, read, and circulate Mr. Martin's volume, which renders obsolete every other non-Adventist book that has been written on the appraisal and criticism of Seventh-day Adventism."-'Postscript On Seventh-day Adventism" ; Eternity, November 1957, pp. 22, 23, 45.