The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1

James White and the Christian Connection

When the Advent movement arose in the 1830s, it found a ready acceptance among Methodists, “Christians,” and Freewill Baptists. With their emphasis on obeying the Bible message, along with their free style and openness to the leading of the Spirit, they readily listened to the Advent message. Not surprisingly, Adventist worship tended to reflect the more dynamic style of these churches. 1EGWLM 920.3

The account by James White of a Christian Connection conference in 1843 is a typical example. He recalled “a good Brother Clark,” who “ever seemed to have resting upon him a solemn sense of the great day of God near at hand.” As they were singing the chorus of the Advent hymn “You Will See Your Lord a-Coming,” Brother Clark “would rise, strike his hands together over his head, and shout ‘Glory!’ and immediately sit down.” James White noted that “Brother Clark's solemn appearance and sweet shouts seemed electrifying. Many were in tears, while responses of ‘Amen’ and ‘Praise the Lord’ were heard from almost everyone who loved the Advent hope.”⁸ These types of demonstrations became the rule rather than the exception among Adventists, who were often from a “Christian,” Methodist, or Baptist background. 1EGWLM 920.4