The Doctrine of the Trinity in Southern African Seventh-day Adventism: A Historical-Theological Study, 1887-1974

The Topic The doctrine of the Trinity in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has often been viewed with suspicion, largely because many early Adventist pioneers expressed seemingly anti-Trinitarian sentiments. However, a review of Seventh-day Adventist publications reveals that early Adventists actually rejected Modalism, a misunderstood variation of Trinitarianism, rather than the biblical concept of the Trinity. When Seventh-day Adventist missionaries arrived in Africa in 1887, the earliest converts had a Dutch Reformed background and were already Trinitarian. Seventh-day Adventists found that their understanding of the Trinity aligned with these converts’ beliefs, and thus, they never needed to correct an erroneous view of the Trinity. The Purpose Anti-Trinitarians frequently claim that the Trinity was introduced into Adventist theology only after the deaths of the first generation of Seventh-day Adventists. However, a historical survey of the doctrine of the Trinity in Southern African Seventh-day Adventism indicates that the Trinity was present from the very beginning of missionary work in Africa in 1887. Although the scope of this research extends beyond the deaths of the first generation of pioneers, the evidence shows that what was taught in Southern Africa regarding the Trinity remained consistent with the beliefs held by Seventh-day Adventists at the time the church was founded on the African continent. The Sources This study is documentary-based, relying primarily on the main literary organs used for doctrinal instruction in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Southern African Divisional papers, which communicated important doctrinal and informational updates to its constituency. At times, secondary sources were consulted for background information on individuals and church constituencies. However, only primary documentation was used to trace the development of the doctrine of the Trinity both in the global Seventh-day Adventist Church and within the Southern African context. These primary sources include periodicals available from the General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. Conclusions The study resulted in the following key findings: (1) Seventh-day Adventist pioneers rejected Modalism, not the contemporary Adventist doctrine of the Trinity. Contemporary Seventh-day Adventists can affirm every objection the pioneers raised against Modalism. Early Adventists struggled to articulate their understanding of God, but they knew they could not align with either Arianism/Unitarianism or Modalism. (2) Seventh-day Adventists believed in the divinity of the Son and the existence of the Holy Spirit. Until 1887, there was no unanimous agreement on the extent of Christ’s divinity. However, between 1887 and 1914, a clear shift occurred, with Adventists expressing a unified belief in both the deity and eternity of Christ. (3) The earliest Southern African Seventh-day Adventist converts were already Trinitarian. They were never discouraged from their Trinitarian beliefs. On the contrary, they continued to develop and strengthen their Trinitarian beliefs consistently from the start of Adventist missionary work in Africa in 1887 until the last available publication in 1974.