Holy Flesh movement

The Holy Flesh movement was a controversy within the Seventh-day Adventist Church over worship from the 1890s till 1901. It was an outbreak of Pentecostal-like phenomena in the U.S. state of Indiana. The reaction to its excesses led Adventist worship away from the charismatic expression of its early years, to a more restrained style.

Beginnings

The pivotal 1888 Minneapolis General Conference Session spurred a revival of holiness. From 1892, influences of the (broader Christian) "Holiness movement" began to appear in sermons by the leading Adventists A. T. Jones and W. W. Prescott. This was despite Ellen White's earlier rebuke of the movement's perfectionism. [cite book
last = Paxton
first = Geoffrey J.
authorlink =
title = The Shaking of Adventism
publisher = Zenith
date = 1977
location =
url = http://www.presenttruthmag.com/7dayadventist/shaking/index.html
id =
isbn = 0930802012
pages =
chapter = Chapter 3 — Off to an Inauspicious Start: 1844-1888
chapterurl = http://www.presenttruthmag.com/7dayadventist/shaking/3.html] [James and Ellen White, "Bogus Sanctification," "Review and Herald", 6 June 1878] This was localized and died out in 1894.

It was picked up three years later by [A. F. Ballenger|A. [lbion] F. [ox] Ballenger] (18??–),"Holy Flesh Movement" in "Historical Dictionary of Seventh-day Adventists", 135–36] who became a leading advocate for renewed emphasis on the Holy Spirit. This emphasis was influenced both by the Holiness movement, and a renewing interest in Pentecostalism in America. It was linked to other thinkers who emphasized personal holiness, including medical doctor John Harvey Kellogg, as well as Alonzo T. Jones and Ellet J. Waggoner who were known for their participation at the 1888 General Conference Session.cite web
last = Patrick
first = Arthur
authorlink = Arthur Patrick
title = Later Adventist Worship, Ellen White and the Holy Spirit: Further Historical Perspectives
work = Spiritual Discernment Conference
publisher = SDAnet AtIssue
date = c. 1999
url = http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/discern/flesh.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-02-15]

Indiana

In Indiana, Ballenger's ideas were picked up by S. S. Davis, a minister and evangelist, who was supported by his Conference president, R. [obert] S. [loan] Donnell (1844–1937). [" [http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH1937-52/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=22 Elder R. S. Donnell] " (DjVu) by Arva Nickless; obituary citation. "The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald" 114:52 (30 December 1937)] Davis was impressed by the enthusiasm of a group of Pentecostals he worked with, and remarked to a colleague,:"they have the 'spirit'; we have the truth, and if we had the 'spirit' as they have, with the truth we could do things." [Davis, as quoted in " [http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/LBTTR/LBTTR1979/index.djvu Light Bearers to the Remnant] " (DjVu), 447]

Donnell believed the church needed the "Latter Rain". They sought sinlessness and immortality, or "holy flesh", and used loud music. One preacher in the Holiness revival was [S. M. I. Henry|S. [arepta] M. [yrenda] I. [rish] Henry] (1839–1900), who was also a pioneer of women's ministry and formerly of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. ["Sarepta Myrenda (Irish) Henry". "Historical Dictionary of Seventh-day Adventists", 132. She authored "The Abiding Spirit" (1899), "Studies in Home and Child Life" (1898), "Good Form and Christian Etiquette" (1900), and others including "The Marble Cross and Other Poems" and "The Unanswered Prayer". http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/called/benton-08.htm See also [http://jewel.andrews.edu:82/search/aHenry+Sarepta articles by Henry] as cataloged in the SDAPI. " [http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH1900-05/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=5 Saved by Families] " by Henry. "The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald" 77:5 (30 January 1900). " [http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH1918-02/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=15 Saved by Families] " (DjVu) by Henry, reprint. "The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald" 95:2 (10 January 1918), p15. " [http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/MIN/MIN1981-06/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=12 My telescope] " (DjVu) by Henry. "Ministry" v54 (June 1981), p12–14. See also " [http://www.adventistarchives.org/documents.asp?CatID=78&SortBy=0&ShowDateOrder=False A Memoir of Mrs. S.M.I. Henry] ", 1900]

Ellen White's critique

In January 1900, Ellen White received a vision about it while in Australia. [S. N. Haskell|S. [tephen] N. [elson] Haskell] (1833–1922) and A. J. Breed were sent to the campmeeting at Muncie to meet this "fanaticism". At the 1901 General Conference Session, Ellen White criticized the Holy Flesh teachings as "error"::"The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.:The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods, in such a bedlam of noise." ["General Conference Bulletin", April 23, 1901. As published in Ellen White, "Selected Messages" vol. 2 (1958), chapter 3, " [http://egwdatabase.whiteestate.org/nxt/gateway.dll/egw-comp/section00000.htm/book04611.htm/chapter04616.htm The 'Holy Flesh' Doctrine] ", p36. The chapter also includes her Letter 132, 1900]

It thus died out by early 1901.

Aftermath

The reaction to the excesses in Indiana led to Adventist music being "constrained". According to historian Arthur Patrick, "There is a subtle fear remaining in Adventism with reference to the Holy Spirit." [Patrick, "Later Adventist Worship..." The word "fear" appears in boldface in Patrick's paper]

The emphasis on Christian perfection was later picked up by such individuals as Robert Brinsmead, M. L. Andreasen and Herbert Douglass (see: Historic Adventism).

See also

* Charismatic Adventism

References

* cite web
last = Patrick
first = Arthur
authorlink = Arthur Patrick
title = Early Adventist worship, Ellen White and the Holy Spirit: Preliminary Historical Perspectives
work = Spiritual Discernment Conference
publisher = SDAnet AtIssue
date = c. 1999
url = http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/discern/holyspirit.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-02-15
* cite book
last = Tarling
first = Lowell R.
authorlink =
title = The Edges of Seventh-day Adventism: A Study of Separatist Groups Emerging from the Seventh-day Adventist Church (1844–1980)
publisher = Galilee Publications
date = 1981
location = Barragga Bay, Bermagui South, NSW
isbn = 0 9593457 0 1
chapter = Holy Flesh movement
pages = ??
* Emmett K. Vande Vere, [Getting holy flesh] . "Lake Union Herald" v68 (29 June 1976), p [3]

External links

* [http://www.adventistarchives.org/documents.asp?CatID=14&SortBy=1&ShowDateOrder=True General Conference Session Bulletins] – minutes for 1901
* [http://library.puc.edu/heritage/bib-HolyFlesh.html Bibliography] by Gary Shearer