Shut-door theology
Encyclopedia
Shut-door theology was a belief held by the Millerite
group from 1844 to approximately 1854, some of whom later formed into the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. It held that as William Miller
had given the final call for salvation, all who did not accept his message were lost. The door of salvation was shut, hence the term "shut door". They later understood it was concerning the sanctuary and not the events on earth so abandoned their earlier understanding. As an interpretation of the year "1844", it was connected to the investigative judgment
belief, which forms one of the official 28 Fundamentals
beliefs today.
held a Conference in 1845 in Albany, attended by 61 delegates, to determine the future course and meaning of the Millerite movement. Following this meeting, the "Millerites" then became known as "Adventists" or "Second Adventists". Four groups emerged from the conference: The Evangelical Adventists, The Life and Advent Union, the Advent Christian Church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The largest group organized as the American Millennial Association, a portion of which was later known as the Evangelical Adventist Church.Unique among the Adventists, they believed in an eternal hell and consciousness in death. The Life and Advent Union was founded by George Storrs in the year of 1863. He had established The Bible Examiner in 1842. The Advent Christian Church officially formed in 1861. The Seventh-day Adventist Church officially formed in 1863, so they still were known as Millerites
or as "Adventists" or "Second Adventists" till they organized.
When Jesus did not arrive the Millerites
who held to the 'Shut door' belief felt there was something which had to explain the delay. The understanding of the investigative judgment was given to the members when Hiram Edson felt he was given it after a night of prayer after the Great Disappointment to explain why Jesus had not come: the sanctuary needed to be cleansed and a review of the records in heaven needed to be completed before Christ would appear. Those Millerites
believing in the Shut door theory did not believe it necessary or possible to reach out to the lost, who had rejected Miller's final call. Salvation was only open to those who had accepted the message of William Miller.
The groundwork for the theory came from a William Miller quote published in the December 11, 1844 Advent Herald: "We have done our work in warning sinners, and in trying to awake a formal church. God, in his providence has shut the door; and we can only stir one another up to be patient; and be diligent to make our calling and election sure."
In January 1845, editors Apollos Hale of the Advent Herald and Joseph Turner of The Hope of Israel further developed this thought, eventually coming to believe that on October 22, 1844, every man's destiny was forever sealed, using as their basis. The term "shut door" came from Jesus' parable of the Bridegroom and the Virgins: "and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." The Adventists believed that Jesus' return
was imminent.
An early title the Millerites
or Sabbatarian Adventists (who would become the Seventh-day Adventist Church) used for themselves was the "Sabbath and Shut Door Adventists".
Ellen White early on in her ministry supported the belief in the Shut door as most Millerites
. Despite her earlier belief, beginning in November 1848, she had a vision in which she saw the Three Angels' Messages
"like streams of light... clear round the world." As the Millerite
movement had not been significantly multinational, her vision clearly showed that new converts could be made to the movement.
In a 1849 vision, White heard Christ tell her that the door that had been shut was the door to the Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. However, many of the Millerites
or Sabbatarian Adventists were just hearing of and unsure of Ellen White's prophetic status
, and did not accept the visions as a divinely inspired denouncement of shut-door theory.
Gradually, individuals who had no prior connection with Adventism converted to the church and by 1854, religious leaders and most Adventists were ready to accept that the shut-door theory was not correct understanding.
Robert W. Olson
's 1982 compilation "The 'Shut Door' Documents" (see below) was a major step, convincing many that Millerites
and early Adventists had indeed held this belief. Olson concluded, "While Ellen White's personal beliefs underwent a gradual modification during this period, I find no evidence that she at any time taught theological error in her shut door writings." Similarly, Herbert E. Douglass
has argued that White simply used similar language to reach her peers in their context.
Graeme Bradford defends, "Some would argue that this teaching is an embarrassment to the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. Those who use such an argument should be reminded of the fact that a similar 'Shut Door teaching' was applied by early Christians (including Peter
) for the first 10 years of the existence of the newly formed Christian Church. For the first 10 years they only preached to the Jews as being worthy of God's grace. That is the purpose of the vision given by God to Peter in . All movements raised up by God still have the imperfections common to humanity."
Other:
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
group from 1844 to approximately 1854, some of whom later formed into 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...
. It held that as William Miller
William Miller (preacher)
William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
had given the final call for salvation, all who did not accept his message were lost. The door of salvation was shut, hence the term "shut door". They later understood it was concerning the sanctuary and not the events on earth so abandoned their earlier understanding. As an interpretation of the year "1844", it was connected to the investigative judgment
Investigative judgment
The investigative judgment is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that a divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It is intimately related to the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was described by the church's prophet and pioneer...
belief, which forms one of the official 28 Fundamentals
28 Fundamentals
The 28 Fundamentals are a core set of theological beliefs held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Traditionally, Adventists have been opposed to the formulation of creeds. It is claimed that the 28 Fundamentals are descriptors not prescriptors; that is, that they describe the official position of...
beliefs today.
History
After the disappointment of 1844, the MilleritesMillerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
held a Conference in 1845 in Albany, attended by 61 delegates, to determine the future course and meaning of the Millerite movement. Following this meeting, the "Millerites" then became known as "Adventists" or "Second Adventists". Four groups emerged from the conference: The Evangelical Adventists, The Life and Advent Union, the Advent Christian Church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The largest group organized as the American Millennial Association, a portion of which was later known as the Evangelical Adventist Church.Unique among the Adventists, they believed in an eternal hell and consciousness in death. The Life and Advent Union was founded by George Storrs in the year of 1863. He had established The Bible Examiner in 1842. The Advent Christian Church officially formed in 1861. The Seventh-day Adventist Church officially formed in 1863, so they still were known as Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
or as "Adventists" or "Second Adventists" till they organized.
When Jesus did not arrive the Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
who held to the 'Shut door' belief felt there was something which had to explain the delay. The understanding of the investigative judgment was given to the members when Hiram Edson felt he was given it after a night of prayer after the Great Disappointment to explain why Jesus had not come: the sanctuary needed to be cleansed and a review of the records in heaven needed to be completed before Christ would appear. Those Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
believing in the Shut door theory did not believe it necessary or possible to reach out to the lost, who had rejected Miller's final call. Salvation was only open to those who had accepted the message of William Miller.
The groundwork for the theory came from a William Miller quote published in the December 11, 1844 Advent Herald: "We have done our work in warning sinners, and in trying to awake a formal church. God, in his providence has shut the door; and we can only stir one another up to be patient; and be diligent to make our calling and election sure."
In January 1845, editors Apollos Hale of the Advent Herald and Joseph Turner of The Hope of Israel further developed this thought, eventually coming to believe that on October 22, 1844, every man's destiny was forever sealed, using as their basis. The term "shut door" came from Jesus' parable of the Bridegroom and the Virgins: "and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." The Adventists believed that Jesus' return
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
was imminent.
An early title the Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
or Sabbatarian Adventists (who would become the Seventh-day Adventist Church) used for themselves was the "Sabbath and Shut Door Adventists".
Ellen White early on in her ministry supported the belief in the Shut door as most Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
. Despite her earlier belief, beginning in November 1848, she had a vision in which she saw the Three Angels' Messages
Three Angels' Messages
In Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, the "three angels' messages" is an interpretation of the messages given by three angels in Revelation . The church teaches that these messages are given to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and sees them as a central part of its own...
"like streams of light... clear round the world." As the Millerite
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
movement had not been significantly multinational, her vision clearly showed that new converts could be made to the movement.
In a 1849 vision, White heard Christ tell her that the door that had been shut was the door to the Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. However, many of the Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
or Sabbatarian Adventists were just hearing of and unsure of Ellen White's prophetic status
Inspiration 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...
, and did not accept the visions as a divinely inspired denouncement of shut-door theory.
Gradually, individuals who had no prior connection with Adventism converted to the church and by 1854, religious leaders and most Adventists were ready to accept that the shut-door theory was not correct understanding.
Later and recent commentary
Ellen White was later questioned over her beliefs, and whether she had received them in vision. She denied the latter, writing in 1874:- "With my brethren and sisters, after the time passed in forty-four I did believe no more sinners would be converted. But I never had a vision that no more sinners would be converted."
Robert W. Olson
Robert W. Olson
Robert W. Olson was director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1978 to 1990.- Biography :Olson was the first staff member who was not a direct descendant of Ellen G. White to run her estate and the first staff member to hold a Ph.D. He had a wide variety of pastoral and administrative posts before...
's 1982 compilation "The 'Shut Door' Documents" (see below) was a major step, convincing many that Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
and early Adventists had indeed held this belief. Olson concluded, "While Ellen White's personal beliefs underwent a gradual modification during this period, I find no evidence that she at any time taught theological error in her shut door writings." Similarly, Herbert E. Douglass
Herbert E. Douglass
Herbert Edgar Douglass, Jr. is a Seventh-day Adventist theologian. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts as the oldest of five children to Herbert Edgar Douglass Sr and Mildred Jennie Munson...
has argued that White simply used similar language to reach her peers in their context.
Graeme Bradford defends, "Some would argue that this teaching is an embarrassment to the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. Those who use such an argument should be reminded of the fact that a similar 'Shut Door teaching' was applied by early Christians (including Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
) for the first 10 years of the existence of the newly formed Christian Church. For the first 10 years they only preached to the Jews as being worthy of God's grace. That is the purpose of the vision given by God to Peter in . All movements raised up by God still have the imperfections common to humanity."
See also
- Seventh-day Adventist theology
- History of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchHistory of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White, Joseph...
- Adventism
- Inspiration of Ellen WhiteInspiration of Ellen WhiteSeventh-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...
External links
Ellen G. White Estate website:- "Open and Shut Door" from the Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, second revised edition, 11:249–252
- "The 'Shut Door' Documents" compiled by Robert W. OlsonRobert W. OlsonRobert W. Olson was director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1978 to 1990.- Biography :Olson was the first staff member who was not a direct descendant of Ellen G. White to run her estate and the first staff member to hold a Ph.D. He had a wide variety of pastoral and administrative posts before...
, 1982 - Unusual statements of Ellen White
- Advent Experience by George Ide ButlerGeorge Ide ButlerGeorge Ide Butler was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator, and author. Originally from Vermont, United States, Butler's parents were closely involved in the beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but George expressed leanings to infidelity. In 1853 his family moved to Iowa...
, a reprint of Review and Herald articles - "The Shut Door—A Case Study", chapter 44 in Messenger of the Lord by Herbert E. DouglassHerbert E. DouglassHerbert Edgar Douglass, Jr. is a Seventh-day Adventist theologian. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts as the oldest of five children to Herbert Edgar Douglass Sr and Mildred Jennie Munson...
- F. D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics: chapter 13, "A Sketch of Early Adventist History"; chapter 14, "The Shut-Door Charge Examined"; chapter 15, "Mrs. White Taught That Probation Still Lingers". See also "Appendix H: From Shut Door to Open Door"; and "Section 10: The Open and the Shut Door" from "Appendix J: Deleted Passages Examined"
Other:
- The Shut Door pages at EllenWhiteExposed.com
- Adventist CurrentsAdventist CurrentsAdventist Currents is a discontinued magazine which was published independently by progressively-minded Seventh-day Adventists from 1983 until 1988.- History :...
1:4 (July 1984)