Most influential Adventist in the 20th Century?

[Stan]

Who was the most influential Adventist in the 20th Century? (other than Ellen White)

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

aside from the President of Adventistan, H.M.S. Richards comes to mind...

[Stan]

I appreciate Robert Folkenberg for making us a Mission Driven Church.  He started Global Mission and other initiatives to grow the Church.

I understand his health is bad, and that he is a thin man, not by choice.  He made a difference, and I value him and his friendship a lot.

[antcreations]

Le Roy Froom

 

[Gregory Matthews]

All of the above suggestions have merit.  I cannot suggest one person as influential.  Rather, I am inclined to think of a list of people. 

From that perspective, I would add to the list  Alden Thompson.

[Kevin Straub]

Yes, as soon as I saw this question I knew the answer. Just as TIME magazine can put in a figure that has done much damage in the world as "Man of the Year," so also could we consider a man who has done more to take Adventism down the garden path than any other, on two counts:

1. His leadership role in the Martin-Barnhouse evangelical conferences and the muddying of the doctrinal waters of standard Adventism, apparent in subsequent changes to SdA publications and the production of QoD, and;

2. His authorship of the 1971 volume, "Movement of Destiny," which is a revisionist history regarding 1888, a rejection of the 2nd call messengers Wieland and Short, and a general capitulation to Protestant Reformationism, which holds that the SdA belief on justification by faith is no more than what the great reformers taught.

LeRoy Froom is my vote.

The late Elder Herb E. Douglass was good friends with Froom. The latter would call him up to chat, often. He would say, "What is happening to our church, Herb?" Herbert tells us in his book, "A Fork in the Road," that he didn't have the heart to tell him that the current mess was a result of what he (Froom) had done.

[Gregory Matthews]

Froom:  O.K.   An interesting choice.

You clearly hold a position on QUESTIONS ON DOCTRINE that I do not hold.  But, I will leave that issue aside.

Is it possible that Froom might also have a very positive effect?

Leaving the QOD issue, I  will suggest that his THE PROPHETIC FAITH OF OUR FATHERS and THE CONDITIONALIST FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.  was a major positive contributions to the life of the  SDA Church.

I am aware the Froom was not a trained historian.  Probably if those books had been written by a trained historian they would have been improved.  But, I do suggest that regardless Froom made a major positive contribution to SDA life and belief.

 

 

 

 

[LifeHiscost]

I would suggest Jesus, in order to give credit to Whom credit is due.

16And he came to Nazareth, where he hath been brought up, and he went in, according to his custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read; 17and there was given over to him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, he found the place where it hath been written: 18‘The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, Because He did anoint me; To proclaim good news to the poor, Sent me to heal the broken of heart, To proclaim to captives deliverance, And to blind receiving of sight, To send away the bruised with deliverance, 19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ 20And having folded the roll, having given [it] back to the officer, he sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing on him. 21And he began to say unto them — ‘To-day hath this writing been fulfilled in your ears.....Luke 4

…2"In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4"And you know the way where I am going."....Jon 14

28"It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. 29"Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.…Joel 2

…16but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 17'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; 18EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy.…Acts 2

God is Love! ~ Jesus saves

[Unchained]

I also agree that LeRoy Froom is a very influential person, yet I don't believe in the wild conspiracy theories regarding Froom. Nope, he wasn't a Jesuit sent by the catholic church to plant the “heresy” of Trinitarianism among us!

Some of those who call themselves “historic adventists” portray Froom in the worst possible light, and to be honest I think it's perfectly clear why someone would want to destroy the reputation of Froom. His four volume work, “Prophetic Faith of our Fathers”, is perhaps the single most important adventist work besides the writings of Ellen White. It's a work which the devil desperately seeks to dissuade us from reading... These four volumes should be in every adventist's personal library!