In Defense of the Faith

Began a World Endeavor

It seemed presumptuous for so small a group of people as the Seventh-day Adventists were in the early years of their movement, to undertake a world endeavor. There were only a few of them at first, and for sixteen years they had no church organization, no buildings, no institutions, practically no literature, and but little money. But they had a growing conviction that they had discovered in the Holy Scriptures light and truth which must be given to the world, and with undaunted courage born of faith in God, they began the work. DOF 320.4

The first tracts by Sabbath-keeping Adventists were published in 1846; and in 1849 a periodical entitled The Present Truth was started. The first general meeting to be held by them was called at Rocky Hill, Connecticut, in 1848. This was before they fully realized what was involved in giving a world-wide message. The name Seventh-day Adventist was adopted in 1860, but it was not until 1861 that their first churches were formally organized. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was organized two years later, with delegates present from six State conferences, which had been previously organized. DOF 320.5

In 1874 missionaries began to go out to other countries, and the work soon became established in every continent of the world, from which it quickly spread to adjacent island fields, and in all those lands converts began to appear and churches were established. Paralleling this spread of missionary endeavor was a steady growth of institutional work. Publishing houses were established, scores of periodicals and hundreds of books and tracts began to be printed; schools and colleges were built for the purpose of educating and training gospel workers who could go everywhere with the message; and sanitariums and hospitals were founded for the relief of the sick and suffering, these being operated entirely by Christian physicians and nurses. In seeking to bring their patients under the influence of the gospel, they furnished balm to both body and soul. DOF 321.1

Taking a retrospective view of this movement during the eighty-nine years since it had its first feeble beginnings, we find that its development has been very remarkable, to say the least. In some countries Seventh-day Adventist membership has been doubling every four or five years, and today there is scarcely a land on earth where their work is not established or into which their missions are not being projected. DOF 321.2

From the very character of their message, it is only natural that their appeal is to all men alike. They preach to Jew, Christian, Mohammedan, Buddhist, heathen anybody anywhere who will pause to hear. Thousands of their converts have been made direct from heathenism, and we believe that their mission stations may be found today in more of the heathen tribes of the world than those of any other Protestant church. DOF 321.3

At the close of 1945 they had a total of 14,874 evangelical laborers, 69 union conferences, 137 state and provincial conferences, and 197 organized mission fields. DOF 322.1

They were operating 52 publishing houses and branches, publishing literature in nearly 200 languages, and distributing the product of their presses throughout the world to the value of nearly $10,000,000 annually. The total sales of literature during the eighty-two years since their first paper was established amounts to $161,748,519.50. DOF 322.2

They were conducting 3,189 primary schools and 269 institutions of intermediate grades and higher learning. Of the latter, one is an A-grade medical college, one a theological seminary granting the Master’s degree, and eleven are baccalaureate colleges granting the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. The total student enrollment in primary, intermediate, and college grades is approximately 150,000. DOF 322.3

Sixty-two Seventh-day Adventist medical institutions are in operation, employing 256 physicians and 5,757 nurses and other helpers. The total investment in all these educational and medical institutions is $118,565,591.70. DOF 322.4

Not a dollar of earnings from any institution operated by them accrues to any individual, but any gains made from year to year are either used to extend the work of the respective institutions or are appropriated to the mission treasury to be used in the extension of the work in other lands. DOF 322.5

The ministers of the church are supported by tithe paid voluntarily by the church membership, and the mission work in foreign lands is supported by additional freewill offerings. These offerings to foreign missions now total nearly $8,000,000 annually. DOF 323.1

The membership, comparatively speaking, is not large. In the very nature of the case this is to be expected. The acceptance of the Seventh-day Adventist faith entails a great sacrifice in every land, particularly in civilized countries. The keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath and the non use of tobacco and all alcoholic liquors are points that bring a real test to all would be adherents. But that which has astonished multitudes in the religious world is the fact that only a few hundred thousand people should be able, under God, to maintain such an extensive work, embracing every great country of the entire globe, besides many smaller ones. DOF 323.2

When Mr. Canright separated from the Seventh-day Adventist communion and published his “dumb founder” in 1889, he predicted an early failure of the entire movement. Speaking of the efforts of the Seventh-day Adventists to extend and support their work, he said: DOF 323.3

“It is doubtful how long they can maintain this strain without a crash.”—Seventh-day Adventism Renounced, p. 27. DOF 323.4

On page 26 of his work he gives statistics to show the extent to which the work of the Seventh-day Adventists had grown at that time. Here he says: DOF 323.5

“In 1888 they had 400 ordained ministers and licentiates, 901 churches, 21,112 members, 31 conferences, and five missions.” DOF 323.6

He further states that they sold that year $90,000 worth of books, were issuing twenty-six periodicals in different language, had seven publishing houses, three sanitariums, two colleges, one academy, and several smaller schools, with sixty-two teachers and 1,000 students. He pictures these institutions as being hopelessly in debt, and says the efforts made to meet these debts had drained the pockets of many of their people and discouraged others. It was then that he predicted the “crash.” DOF 324.1

But that was many years ago, and the crash has not come. During this time their work has increased in every land; the number of evangelical workers has multiplied more than thirty five times; their conference and mission field organizations, about eleven times; their principal institutions have increased from 13 to 510; their annual student enrollment has grown from 1,000 to 148,144. Membership gains have been made every year. DOF 324.2

The total funds contributed annually for religious work have increased from something like $200,000 in 1888 to $31,540,935.24 in 1945. At the time Mr. Canright wrote, “It is doubtful how long they can maintain this strain without a crash,” the per capita giving was about $8 per annum. This had increased to $54.72 in 1945, and, strange to say, the crash seems as far off today as it did when Mr. Canright wrote his book. 1n fact, if the writer is any judge of humanity, it would be hard to find a happier and more contented people on the earth than are these Seventh-day Adventists, who are thus contributing more liberally per capita than any other people in the whole world to the support of the gospel work. DOF 324.3

The General Conference sessions of the denomination draw representatives from all over the world. Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, Africans, South Sea Islanders, Egyptians, South American Indians, Mexicans, Europeans-all mingle with their American and Canadian brethren in a fellowship that is expressed in joyful countenances as they tell of the advance of the last gospel message to the far corners of the earth. The “blessed hope” of the soon coming of the Lord to put an end to sin and suffering buoys them up in the face of adversity and discouragement. But there are so many evidences of the providential leading of God in every feature of their work that every setback and Satanic opposition is matched by overruling circumstances that only encourage them to redouble their zeal for the finishing of their world task. DOF 325.1

That Seventh-day Adventists are not unappreciated in other church communions is in evidence from the following excerpt taken from a sermon preached by the pastor of the Tenth Avenue Baptist church. as a broadcast some time ago over Station KTAB: DOF 325.2

“Seventh-day Adventists have become accepted members of the community. Their little churches are nestled among the hills and the valleys. Their hospitals bring welcome ministrations to the sick. They are good neighbors, good comrades, good citizens.... They have given to the world the ministry of healing. They have gone forth, not as fanatics or theorists, but as empiricists, adopting the purest findings of medical and surgical science and reinforcing all this with the sweet spirit. of Jesus of Nazareth. These are the men who unweariedly follow the footsteps of Him who went about doing good. In every case they have striven to blend the healing of the body with the healing of the soul, God bless them. To be a Seventh-day Adventist is to know anew the meaning of the cross. They possess adequate funds to carry on the Master’s work. Why? Because each member obeys the law of the tithe. Their churches are filled with worshippers because they insist on loyalty to the Lord. To the Seventh-day Adventist the peace of Christ, and not the madness of sinful pleasure is the great quest of the soul. You don’t find them in passion-polluted show houses. Their women are not to be seen amid the shameless nudities of the modern ballroom. These men and women are to be found in places where prayer is wont to be made. These people expect the coming of Jesus’, they are waiting for Him, and when the Master comes He will find them where Christians ought to be.” DOF 325.3