Pirates Attack Sabatarian Group

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

http://atoday.org/sabbatarian-missionaries-attacked-by-pirates/

[Gregory Matthews]

In actual fact, the situation in Germany, during the time of Hitler is understated by the above quote.

NOTE:  My comment relates to the time of Hitler, while the issues go back prior to Hitler and to about 1914.

These issues (related to WW II and Hitler) are little understood today by SDAs.

As I recall, Dr. Ronald Lawsen, now retired, of the City College of New York was the one who did much work, some years ago, to bring the situation, during the time of Hitler, to current knowledge.

Later

[Gregory Matthews]

I had to go to respond to a service person who had arrived at our home.

Earlier I commented on Dr. Ronald Lawson, in a post entitled "Dr. Ronald Lawson Speaks,"  in a thread entitled Appreciating Adventist  History.

Dr. Lawson has published on a number of Adventist related issues, as well as in other areas of knowledge.  One can Google his name and come up with some of these.

Unfortunately, I can not find on the Internet his writings as to the issues that arose in Germany during the time of Hitler. 

[Gregory Matthews]

Now, leaving Dr. Lawson, and going to the SDA Reform Movement.

NOTE:  It should be noted that the group of Reform SDAs that owe their beginnings to events that occurred during WW I & WW II, have split and there are two (maybe three) divisions of that group that exist today.   In my post here, I am not going to get into that.  Therefor I will generalize.

The charges that the SDA Reform Movement make against the SDA denomination today as to events that occurred in Germany during WW II are generally true.  Yet, their members today have little actual knowledge of those events.   

The bottom line is that both sides in that set of events sinned.  There is major fault on the part of both sides.  In actual fact, the sin of the SDA Reform Movement is probably as great as that of the official SDA denomination during the time WW II.

With WW II in progress, the General Conference could not travel from the U.S. to Germany to make any attempt to resolve the issues and heal the wounds.  Following the end  of WW II the GC attempted to heal and bring the respective parties together.  That failed.

While I do not have an exact date, in recent times the leaders of the SDA Reform Movement have met with German leaders and attempted to bring about healing and reconciliation.   In this effort, both sides have asked the other side to forgive for wrongs that have been done.  As a result, major healing has taken place and people once divided have come back together.  But, that had not been total.  Some separation still remains and in the U.S.  the SDA Reform Movement and the official SDA denomination remain separated.

Today, in the U.S.,  the separate groups seem to co-exist.  This is different from a time, a little less than 60 years ago when I  first became aquainted with their clergy. 

Previously, when I lived in the Metro-Denver area, a regional HQ of the SDA Reform Movement had been established. I often drove by their HQ.

If I were to briefly sum up the difference between the SDA Reform Movement and the official SDA denomination, it would be this:  The conservative branch of Adventism of quite liberal in comparison to the SDA Reform Movement.

 

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Dr. Ronald Lawson has written on a number of issues related to the SDA denomination.  The following provides references to some of such writings as well as information about him.  However, the following does not reference what I have been posting about SDAs and Hitler during WW II.

But, if you are interested, you will find the following to be interesting:

http://calltorepent.com/sdas-in-war-detailed-history/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-lawson-88862062

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=791

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ronald_Lawson/publications

http://www.academicroom.com/article/church-and-state-home-and-abroad-evolution-seventh-day-adventist-relations-governments

http://www.sdadefend.com/WolvesinFleeces/World-Adventist-I.htm

Ronald Lawson, Ryan T. Cragun, Fritz Guy, ‘Mormons, Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses: Three “American Originals” and How They’ve Grown’, Spectrum, Summer 2013, pp. 59-73.