Gerhard Pfandl,
BRI
I. Origin
In
many parts of the world field today Adventists are confronted by an
organization calling itself the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement.
Sometimes this group is designated as the “German
Reform Movement” because it originated in Germany. Frequently,
this organization is quite hostile, although some of its members
have not severed all their emotional ties with the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
From the beginning, Seventh-day Adventists in Europe experienced
a number of difficulties, especially in the realm of Sabbath observance
and military service. Children were required by law to attend school
on Sabbath, and the work-week ended on Saturday afternoon. Adventist
young men who complied with the required military service frequently
went to prison for their refusal to work and fulfill their duty on
Sabbath.
At the beginning of World War I, when the government placed additional
pressure on our leaders, church leaders in Germany buckled and instructed
church members to fulfill their military duties on Sabbath as other
soldiers do on Sunday.
This
position on combatant service, as well as doing duty on Sabbath,
stood clearly in opposition to the traditional position taken by
Adventists in the past. When the German members were confronted with
this new position, many began to protest vigorously. Particularly
in the city of Bremen the opposition became very vocal against the
church’s leadership. This situation caused the leadership
to react with further actions and they disfellowshipped the protesters.
The
disfellowshipped members then began an open war against the Adventist
Church, a war which became very bitter at times. In 1919, before
the disfellowshipped members had determined what stand the General
Conference had officially taken on the matter of military service,
they published 10,000 copies of a pamphlet describing the Adventist
Church as the great apostate woman. In the document they attempted
to prove from the writings of Ellen White that the words “Babylon
is fallen” applied to Seventh-day Adventists, in spite of her
clear statements to the contrary. “When anyone arises, either
among us or outside of us, who is burdened with a message which declares
that the people of God are numbered with Babylon, and claims that
the loud cry is a call to come out of her, you may know that he is
not bearing the message of truth. Receive him not, nor bid him Godspeed;
for God has not spoken by him, neither has He given a message to
him, but he has run before he was sent” (TM 41).
Apparently
the early Reformers were ignorant of this statement. In 1919 the
disfellowshipped members organized themselves into a church body
under the name “International Missionary Society of Seventh-day
Adventists.” Later when they found statements in the Spirit
of Prophecy referring to a reform movement, they saw themselves as
a fulfillment of these prophecies and changed their name to “Seventh-day
Adventist Reform Movement.”
In 1920, Elder Daniells, the General Conference President, traveled
to Germany for talks with the German leadership and the leaders of
the Reform Movement. Although Elder Daniells made it clear that the
German leadership had made a mistake, his attempts to heal the breach
between the two sides failed. Because the General Conference did
not immediately disband the division and disfellowship the leaders
as a punishment for their sins, the Reformers asserted that the General
Conference became responsible for their mistakes.
Since the 1920 meeting, several attempts at reunion have been made,
but they all have failed due to the unbending spirit of the Reform
leaders who believe that Adventists must accept their views in order
to be right with God.
II. Divergent Doctrines
Reformers believe that God called their movement into existence and
that it was prophesied to come. Two events are cited as proof:
(1) In 1888, at the General Conference in Minneapolis,
the church, they claim, rejected the message of Righteousness by
Faith as proclaimed by Waggoner and Jones. God, therefore, raised
up the Reform Movement to proclaim this message in clarity.
(2) The leadership, they say, overthrew the commandments
of God in 1914 when it encouraged members to serve in the army and
fulfill their duty on Sabbath. The Reformers opposed this move, hence
they have the right to exist as a separate movement.
Several of their teachings cannot be supported by either Scripture
or the Ellen G. White’s writings:
Liberty of Conscience – The Reform Movement insists
that the church must spell out and hold up strict and specific standards for
the people to follow. In many cases the members themselves expect the church
to specify every detail of how they are to act in any given situation, e.g.,
military service. Little room is given to an individual’s conscience.
Military Service – Reform Adventists believe that no true believer
could ever join the military, even in medical work. Seventh-day Adventists
hold that church members may serve as noncombatants in the military.
Vegetarianism – They have made the question of vegetarianism
a test of fellowship, despite the clear statement from Ellen White, “We
are not to make the use of flesh food a test of fellowship” (9T 159).
144,000 – They accept this figure as a literal number. Hence
only 144,000 will be redeemed through the preaching of the three angel’s
messages in the period extending from 1844 to the end of time. This provides
a reason for their small number.
Closed Communion – Reform Adventists hold that since Christ
held the Last Supper alone with his disciples, the Communion service is reserved
only for members in good and regular standing.
Divorce and Remarriage – The stand taken by the Reform Movement
on this subject is that no matter what has taken place in a marital breakup,
there is no possibility even for the innocent party to be restored to church
membership if he or she remarries.
The Remnant – It is taught that there are three entities in
Revelation 12:17, the woman, the seed, and the remnant. The woman is seen as
a symbol for the Protestant churches, the seed is the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, and the remnant refers to the Reform Movement.
The Laodicean Message – The warning addressed to Laodicea is
believed to apply to the SDA General Conference leadership and indicates the
rejection of the Adventist Church. In an attempt to find a biblical foundation
for this view, they note that the message is addressed to “the angel
of the church,” which they assume is the church’s leadership.
7/03
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