Jonathan M. Butler
Encyclopedia
Jonathan M. Butler is an historian
of religion
. He was formerly employed as a lecturer by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
.
.
He worked as an associate professor of church history at Loma Linda University
in California
, and also taught at Union College
in Nebraska
. He was co-editor of the magazine Adventist Heritage.
Other historians have praised his historical writing. The authors of Seeking a Sanctuary
describe:
He authored an article in 1979 claiming Ellen White's endtime scenario was culturally conditioned to the point of being more at place in her time than now. Walter Rea describes it as "a brilliant piece" which "sent shock waves through the church".
Yet like numerous other authors, the church found his writings on Ellen G. White
and other history challenging and difficult to cope with officially. He claimed, "many of the names identified with advances in Ellen White studies" (including himself) are no longer in church employment, "and most of them are no longer active church members." Butler later stopped working as an academic historian.
, charismatic experiences in early Adventism (see: charismatic Adventism
), and others.
Books and book chapters:
Articles:
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. He was formerly employed as a lecturer by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
.
Biography
Jonathan Butler completed his doctorate at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
He worked as an associate professor of church history at Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and also taught at Union College
Union College (Nebraska)
Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska is a four-year coeducational college owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Midwest. It opened in 1891.T.R.M...
in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. He was co-editor of the magazine Adventist Heritage.
Other historians have praised his historical writing. The authors of Seeking a Sanctuary
Seeking a Sanctuary
Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream is a book about the Seventh-day Adventist Church coauthored by Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart...
describe:
- The most valuable contribution to the study of the denomination's formative period is still Jonathan M. Butler's landmark essay, "Adventism and the American Experience," [...]
He authored an article in 1979 claiming Ellen White's endtime scenario was culturally conditioned to the point of being more at place in her time than now. Walter Rea describes it as "a brilliant piece" which "sent shock waves through the church".
Yet like numerous other authors, the church found his writings on Ellen G. White
Ellen G. White
Ellen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
and other history challenging and difficult to cope with officially. He claimed, "many of the names identified with advances in Ellen White studies" (including himself) are no longer in church employment, "and most of them are no longer active church members." Butler later stopped working as an academic historian.
Publications
Butler has authored publications on the debate over the inspiration of Ellen WhiteInspiration of Ellen White
Seventh-day Adventists believe church co-founder Ellen G. White was inspired by God as a prophet, today understood as a manifestation of the New Testament "gift of prophecy", as described in the official beliefs of the church...
, charismatic experiences in early Adventism (see: charismatic Adventism
Charismatic Adventism
Charismatic Adventists are a segment of Seventh-day Adventist Church that is closely related to "Progressive Adventism", a liberal movement within the church.- Music :...
), and others.
Books and book chapters:
- The Disappointed: Millerism and Millenarianism in the Nineteenth Century (Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1987), co-edited with Ronald NumbersRonald NumbersRonald L. Numbers is an American historian of science. He was awarded the 2008 George Sarton Medal by the History of Science Society for "a lifetime of exceptional scholarly achievement by a distinguished scholar".- Biography :...
- "Adventism and the American Experience" chapter in The Rise of Adventism: A Commentary on the Social and Religious Ferment of Mid-Nineteenth Century America, edited by Edwin Scott Gaustad (Harper & Row, 1974)
- Butler with Rennie B. Schoepflin, "Charismatic Women and Health: Mary Baker EddyMary Baker EddyMary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
, Ellen G. White, and Aimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPherson , also known as Sister Aimee, was a Canadian-American Los Angeles, California evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s. She founded the Foursquare Church...
", p337–365 in Women, Health, and Medicine in America: A Historical Handbook, ed. Rima D. Apple (New York: Garland, 1990) - "The Historian as Heretic", introduction to Ronald Numbers, Prophetess of Health, 2nd edn. onwards, p1–41. Reprinted in Spectrum 23:2 (August 1993), 43–64
- Softly and Tenderly: Heaven and Hell in American Revivalism, 1870–1920. Carlson Publishing, 1991
Articles:
- "Theological Roots of Pentecostalism", Church History 58:3 (S 1989), p408–409; a review of Donald Dayton's 1987 book of the same name
- "Thunder and Trumpets: Millerites and Dissenting Religion in Upstate New York, 1800–1850". Church History, 55:2 (1986), p240–241
- "From Millerism to Seventh-Day Adventism: 'boundlessness to consolidation'". Church History, 55:1 (1986), p50–64
- "Prophecy, Gender, and Culture: Ellen Gould Harmon (White) and the Roots of Seventh-day Adventism." Religion and American Culture 1 (1991), p3–29; JSTOR link
External links
- Articles by Butler and about Butler as cataloged in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)