Handbook of Adventism #2

[Gregory Matthews]

The Oxford Handbook of Adventism is a recent addition to the Oxford Handbooks that has been produced by the Oxford University Press. Amazon is currently selling it for the lowest price. For a critical review of it by the Adventist Scholar and Administer, Reinder Bruinsma, see:

https://spectrummagazine.org/culture/books-film/does-the-oxford-handbook-of-seventh-day-adventism-accurately-represent-the-faith-community-a-review/

Detailed information about it may be found at:

https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/56488

It is edited by five people, four of whom were Adventist scholars. Thirty-seven scholars contributed to writing it. Thirty-three of them were Adventists. It contains thirty-eight chapters which are divided into Seven major sections.. Those sections are as follow:

Part I: History of Adventism, 4 chapters.

Part II: Scripture, Inspiration, and Ellen G. White, 3 chapters.

Part iii, Theology, 9 chapters.

Part IV, Worship, Preaching, and Ordinances, 8 chapters.

Part V, Organization and Ministry, 5 Chapters.

Part VI, Global church, 7 chapters..

Part VII, Culture, Ethics, and Politics, 7 Chapters.

In my initial approach to the book I went to the areas that I considered myself to be well informed about. In all cases, I found additional information of which I had not been aware. I have been further impressed by the depth of the discussion and its balance. In some cases, I might have taken more of a position, but, the book is fairer in presenting the diversity that exists within Adventism.

The purchaser of this book will want to read the detailed review by Dr. Bruinsma. At the end of his review, he says: 

“After carefully reading the book I have concluded that it provides a remarkably balanced picture of Adventism. In multi-authored books, the academic quality and literary level can often be uneven. Although some stylistic differences are detectable, various chapters’ historic introductions overlap, and the writing is at times a bit denser than the majority of the chapters, these minor flaws do not tarnish the book’s content Moreover, the book avoids a public relations approach, which constantly emphasizes the great accomplishments of the church while de-emphasizing the problematic aspects of Adventism in the past and present. I believe, The Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism succeeds in positioning the Adventist tradition as a serious, and important player in Christianity, and in showing that—in spite of its challenges and imperfections—the Adventist Church makes a meaningful, and increasingly global, contribution to the Christian mission in today’s increasingly secular world.”