Essay On The Millerite Movement

#14. How was the growth of the Millerite Movement consistent with the social and religious movements in America during the same period? How do SDA beliefs reflect the values of these social and religious movements?
Cassie Cookenmaster

Prof. Erskine
American History I
HIST-154-B
The Millerite Movement developed during America’s Second Great Awakening. This awakening was a religious revival that carried the country into reform movements. The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller. In 1833 Miller first shared his belief in the Second Advent of Jesus Christ publicly. He believed that Christ would return roughly in the year 1843. The Second Great Awakening had its start in Connecticut in the 1790s and grew to its height in the 1830s to 1840s. Beginning the revolution, the largest denominations were Congregationalists, Anglicans, and Quakers; however, by the early 1800’s, Evangelical, Methodism, and Baptists were on the rise in the nation. During the time of the Awakening in United States history, churches experienced a more complete freedom from governmental control, opening the doors of opportunity to a great spiritual awakening in the American people. This awakening focused on areas of both religious and social issues of the time, which were important to the religious movements and the nation as a whole. The Second Great Awakening was driven by such issues, which included a focus on the increase in “evils” associated with the recent rise of industry and a lack of the political ideals of freedom of choice. On the social front, the Second Great Awakening sprouted to fight these matters and to promote temperance in lifestyle and more equality among people. The religious aspect ...

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... also held faithful and consistent to the doctrines and practices distinguishing the Protestant tradition from Catholicism, maybe even more so. In Craig Blomberg’s book A Case for Historic Premillennialism, he describes Millerites as being a different kind of people than the average. He states, “They never questioned traditional marriage or practiced unconventional sex or altered the church’s historic teachings about the Godhead [the trinity]. Miller did not claim to be a prophet, only a careful reader of Scripture who invited others to check His calculations and come to their own conclusions.” Miller’s stance, especially on scripture, also exceedingly helped to develop the Adventist church that closely followed the Millerite movement. The idea of “Sola Scriputra” or “only scripture” held a very important role.