True and Free Seventh-day Adventists
Encyclopedia
The True and Free Seventh-day Adventists (TFSDA) are a splinter group of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. The group formed in the Soviet Union
as a result of religious persecution. TFSDA members believed that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had apostatized and had become "Babylon
". The group related its origins to the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement which formed in Germany
during the period of World War I
, when Seventh-day Adventist leaders determined it was permissible for Adventists to bear arms and serve in the military.
Leaders of the TFSDA movement were vigorously hunted by the KGB
(national security agency) and almost without exception, pastor
s and leaders of this church spent many years in prison, their children were taken from them and forced into exile. Three prominent leaders of the TFSDA were V. A. Shelkov, and two brothers named Murkin.
One of the great accomplishments of the TFSDA was to smuggle out of the Soviet Union documents chronicling their persecution, which became an international embarrassment to the Soviet Union.
Key points of doctrine and controversy for the TFSDA were:
The True and Free Seventh-day Adventists continue today in small numbers. The group focuses its outreach on members of the regular Seventh-day Adventist Church and expects to see an imminent return of religious persecution.
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...
. The group formed in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as a result of religious persecution. TFSDA members believed that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had apostatized and had become "Babylon
Babylon (New Testament)
Babylon occurs in the Christian New Testament both with a literal and a figurative meaning. The famous ancient city, located near Baghdad, was a complete unpopulated ruin by 275 BC, well before the time of the New Testament...
". The group related its origins to the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement which formed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the period of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when Seventh-day Adventist leaders determined it was permissible for Adventists to bear arms and serve in the military.
Leaders of the TFSDA movement were vigorously hunted by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
(national security agency) and almost without exception, pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
s and leaders of this church spent many years in prison, their children were taken from them and forced into exile. Three prominent leaders of the TFSDA were V. A. Shelkov, and two brothers named Murkin.
One of the great accomplishments of the TFSDA was to smuggle out of the Soviet Union documents chronicling their persecution, which became an international embarrassment to the Soviet Union.
Key points of doctrine and controversy for the TFSDA were:
- They did not allow their children to attend school on Saturday (Sabbath), while many families in the official Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Soviet Union did
- They did not allow their young people to serve in the Soviet military
- They rejected the requirement for pastors and religious groups to register with the government
- They believed that because the General Conference of Seventh-day AdventistsGeneral Conference of Seventh-day AdventistsThe General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, where it moved in 1989...
did not dis-fellowship those who bore arms in World War I, that the General Conference had officially compromised its principles and had become "Babylon" (Revelation 18:1-5; compare Seventh-day Adventist eschatology) - They believed that because the General Conference continued to accept the official Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Soviet Union as legitimate, the General Conference had become Babylonian
- The group saw itself as a "Remnant of the Remnant" (see: Adventist remnant belief)
The True and Free Seventh-day Adventists continue today in small numbers. The group focuses its outreach on members of the regular Seventh-day Adventist Church and expects to see an imminent return of religious persecution.