Bible Conference of 1952

The 1952 Bible Conference was the second of three major twentieth-century Bible Conferences held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.¹ It was promoted as a “great spiritual feast.”² A generation earlier the 1919 Bible Conference was held³; and a generation later, in 1974, another series of Bible Conferences was also held. The 1952 Bible Conference spanned 68 hours⁴ across 82 presentations⁵ given by 25 speakers at the Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church in Takoma Park, Maryland, September 1-13, 1952.⁶ This gathering was unique in that it had at least three representatives from every world division, the largest unit of church polity after the General Conference, of the world church. The official list included exactly 400 delegates which grew to an estimated 450 participants as latecomers or extra guests arrived.⁷ Church president W. H. Branson (1873-1961) characterized this gathering as “one of the most important meetings in our history.”⁸ Adventist scholar LeRoy Edwin Froom (1890-1974) stated it would “unquestionably go down in our history as a conspicuous landmark, a turning point in the onward sweep of the message.”⁹ While attendees certainly recognized it as a significant event, it was the uncontroversial nature of this Bible Conference for which the gathering would be best remembered. However, it is important to note, that several significant presentations contributed to the development of Adventist theology, notably about Armageddon and the covenants.

Background

The 1952 Bible Conference was held soon after World War II (1939-45), which contributed to a major focus upon the interpretation and application of Bible prophecy. As early as 1943 a group of Bible teachers, organized the Bible Research Fellowship. They felt a need for providing a venue for sharing ideas and obtaining feedback about their research. Some specific concerns around World War II centered upon the identity of the king of the north (Dan. 11) and the nature of the battle of Armageddon, notably as taught by Australian Bible teacher, Louis F. Were (1896-1967). Such questions by religion teachers provide a backdrop as to why church leaders felt a need to gather denominational thought leaders together.¹⁰ This would be an opportunity to affirm core Adventist beliefs. Roy Allan Anderson (1895-1985), a leading theologian, delimited that this was not a gathering for merely discussing “moot questions” but instead affirmed “vital principles” that make Adventism unique.¹¹ As Branson reminded delegates, “the General Conference never attempts to settle theological questions by a committee vote or by any kind of pronouncement.” Instead, Church leaders offered the caveat that the denomination was not responsible for any of the studies presented, and thus the papers presented were “purely personal.” For a church that was fiercely anti-creedal, denominational leaders eschewed any official pronouncements or creeds, yet at the same time they also held high confidence those who presented as representing the “best thinking” in the denomination at the time.¹²

At the 1951 Annual Council church leaders “voted to hold a Bible conference immediately preceding the 1952 Autumn Council.”¹³ They also voted on 14 topics for study: (a) the central theme of Adventism; (b) righteousness by faith; (c) imminence of Second Advent; (d) Heavenly Sanctuary and its cleansing; (e) Sabbath; (f) Latter Rain; (g) Covenants; (h) Spirit of Prophecy; (i) Health Reform; (j) reaching the cities; (k) public and personal evangelism; (l) attitude toward moot questions; (m) the need to emphasize preaching; and (n) place of prophecy in our preaching.¹⁴ Review editor Francis D. Nichol (1897-1966) on the evening of the actual conference offered five reasons why this gathering mattered. First, conferees needed to take a break from “the routine business of administrative meetings to refresh our spirits and quicken our fervor by concentrating for a time on the divinely connected pattern of truth that God has given to us.”¹⁵ Second, with “the rapidity of world changes in recent decades, of changed empires and changed ideas,” they needed to examine if any of these changes had “a direct bearing upon a great many of our teachings.”¹⁶ This examination of Adventist eschatology would be hallmark of the conference so soon after World War II. And third, upholding the authority of the Bible. Nichol observed that “when this movement began” most people believed in “the inspiration of the Bible.” Instead, he stated:

There is an attack on the Bible today of which the pioneers knew nothing. The validity of Genesis, for example, is challenged on the ground that there is scientific laboratory proof that Moses was wrong. If we really wish to bring men onto the platform of Bible belief—a primary step in bringing them into the Advent faith—we must do more than merely wave aside the contrary declarations of geneticists and geologists. We must gain some measure of understanding of the issues involved in the controversy. Whether we like it or not ancient bones and rocky strata are involved in the fight over the inspiration of the Bible. . . . The devil once used a serpent to confound our first parents. Why allow the devil to use the remains of the ancient reptile world of dinosaurs and kindred creatures to confound us today? We should never forget that if we are defeated on the battle line of Genesis, it avails us little to attempt to defend the rest of the line from Exodus to Revelation.¹⁷

Nichol believed that this meant that Adventists must take archaeology seriously. Adventists “should do enough digging so that our doctrine of Bible inspiration will be solidly planted on immovable foundations.”¹⁸ Thus one way they could affirm the authority of Scripture at this Bible Conference was to demonstrate how “archaeological evidence for Bible inspiration” and “the relation of science to Adventist faith.”¹⁹

A fourth reason was that Adventists, Nichol believed, needed to study not just prophetic certainties, but unfulfilled prophecy. No matter how bright the light of truth, he noted “there is a twilight zone at the far edges of the circle of light” that must be examined. And finally, Adventists have sought to avoid creedalism by not securing “absolute uniformity” through “precise statements.” He added: “At most we have set down a brief statement of belief, which makes no pretense of settling innumerable questions on which devout men will ever having differing viewpoints.”²⁰ Such a perspective was in harmony with Ellen White’s understanding of “further light” because “God has more light to shed upon His people.”²¹

As time drew nearer, W. H. Branson, church president, served as chair of the planning committee; Denton E. Rebok (1897-1983), president of the Ellen G. White Publications, served as committee secretary. Other committee members included Reuben R. Figuhr (1896-1983), Henry L. Rudy (1901-1982), William Benjamin Ochs (1892-1983), Albert Victor Olson (1884-1963), L. K. Dickson (1890-1963), Roy Allen Anderson, L. E. Froom, Frank H. Yost (1894-1958), Walter E. Read (1883-1976), M. Leslie Rice (1888-1966), Maynard V. Campbell (1902-1987), Edwin E. Cossentine (1896-1984), Everett D. Dick (1898-1989), F. D. Nichol, T. Housel Jemison (1914-1963), Glenn Calkins (1889-1962), and Clifford L. Bauer (1891-1964).²² Rebok noted that this gathering was “not an open forum for a free exchange of extemporaneous or random thoughts and conjectures,” but instead, “outstanding scholars were chosen for their reputation” and asked “to spend a period of three to six months in an exhaustive study” of their topic.²³ Each speaker was asked to submit six copies of their presentation ahead of time for review. F. D. Nichol also observed how “speakers were all carefully chosen and their studies written out and previewed by a committee.” Yet he believed “the speakers [also] represented a good cross section of our ministry, as to office, temperament, training and geography. Nor could it be known in advance what they might say in their papers.” The main task of those previewing each paper was to eliminate duplication of subjects and only in “a few instances” were speakers asked to “eliminate” a “personal view” about “unfulfilled prophecy” or some other “point of Scripture not presently clear.”²⁴

The Takoma Park area with church headquarters was partially selected because of the resources it could provide. Among other things, there were three cafeterias nearby including one at Washington Missionary College, the Review and Herald Publishing, and a third temporary cafeteria established in “camp meeting” style at the college gymnasium.²⁵ Together they supplied “warm, refreshing meals three time a day.”²⁶ Delegates stayed in “Rooming Houses” spread across the Takoma Park area as arranged by J. Adams Stevens (1881-1973).²⁷

The Bible Conference

Delegates were supposed to register in the Sligo Church lobby on Sunday August 31, so that they could be ready. The opening meeting began the next morning at 9:00 a.m. Former church president James L. McElhany (1880-1959) read from Isaiah 40 before offering the opening prayer.²⁸ Church president Branson then gave a “ringing address” to open the Bible Conference challenging those present “to become the ‘most powerful exponents of truth who ever lived.’”²⁹ He affirmed once again why they were there: “The purpose of this Bible Conference,” stated Branson in his opening address, “is to help us all to see how we can present those timeless truths most effectively in these changing times.”³⁰

Each week day consisted of six one-hour lecture periods (usually no more than 50 minutes with a short break) as well as one devotional and revival period.³¹ The “devotional and prayer hour” conducted each day was held just before the noon hour. Some of those who led out were leading evangelists with the denomination, notably Eldine W. Dunbar (1899-1989), William A. Fagal (1919-1989), H. M. S. Richards (1894-1985), and Glenn Calkins.³² “The General Conference Committee,” wrote D. A. Delafield (1913-2003), one of the editors of The Ministry, “did not anticipate that the Bible Conference should simply reaffirm our faith in the great truths of the third angel’s message. They also encouraged, and looked forward to, a great spiritual revival at the meetings that would reach out through the 450 delegates to our churches in all the world.”³³ After each devotional message there was time set aside for “spirited testimony services and wholesome seasons of prayer.”³⁴

The topic that by far received the most time in the overall program was the sanctuary doctrine. Three different speakers each had a three-part series to discuss this core doctrine of Adventism: W. G. C. Murdoch (1902-1983), president of the Australasian Missionary College, spoke about “The Gospel in Type and Antitype.” Then Taylor G. Bunch (1885-1969), pastor of the Sligo Church, presented on “The Cross and the Atonement.” And then finally, H. L. Rudy, vice-president of the General Conference, spoke on “The Mediatorial Ministry of Jesus.” With a series of challenges to the Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary, church leaders strongly affirmed the centrality of the sanctuary motif for Adventist identity. The only minor detail that later generated some discussion was the identity of Azazel, the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, which the review committee afterward made some minor suggestions for clarity.

The second most discussed topic was end-time events and the relevance of Adventist eschatology. Arthur S. Maxwell (1896-1970) presented on “Evidences of Christ’s Imminent Return.” He noted ten lines of prophecy already fulfilled, and ten more signs that point to our day as the time when to expect Christ’s return. Controversially, Maxwell asserted how Israel in 1948, so soon after World War II, had taken over the Jerusalem area “was a very definite sign of the soon coming of Christ.”³⁵ F. D. Nichol gave four lectures, the most of any one person, on “The Increasing Timeliness of the Threefold Message.” He reminded listeners about the increasing relevance of “the threefold message of Revelation 14” and to continue “to preach it with greater courage than ever before.”³⁶ Frank H. Yost gave three studies on the “Antichrist in History and Prophecy.” He showed how soon after the days of the apostles heretical doctrines came into the church leading to universal apostasy.³⁷ Some of the most memorable presentations “that attracted great interest”³⁸ were the talks by W. E. Read, field secretary of the General Conference, who presented on “The Closing Events of the Great Controversy,” including an “enlightening discussion” on Armageddon; and T. H. Jemison, professor of theology at Washington Missionary College, who talked about “The Companions of the Lamb.” This latter message featured a spiritual portrayal of the joy of the 144,000. According to Delafield, the speakers “skillfully placed the Armageddon of the sixth plague [Read] and the 144,000 of the apocalyptic prophecy [Jemison] in the over-all picture of closing events and the coming kingdom.”³⁹ The strong focus on apocalyptic amounted to an updating and streamlining of how Adventists would understand end-time events after World War II. In many ways, this articulation of Adventist eschatology would become normative for the rest of the twentieth century up to the present day within Seventh-day Adventism.

The next topic of importance at the 1952 Bible Conference was the role of archaeology for confirming the Bible. Siegfried H. Horn (1908-1993), who only the year before had graduated with his Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of Chicago, affirmed that despite Bible critics, recent archaeological discoveries “have given us evidence which reveals the accuracy of the historical events narrated in the Bible” as well as proving that the Bible text is reliable. Of special note for Horn were some recently discovered documents that helped Bible scholars ascertain the Jewish calendar, in connection with Ezra 7, that were written in the fifth century B.C. These papyrus documents, which Horn examined at the British Museum, helped confirm that “the years of the Persian kings” began with a fall calendar, and not the Persian system of dating, and this thereby proved “that Nehemiah’s statements concerning the twentieth year of Artaxerxes contain no errors.” This discovery affirming the prophetic date of 457 B.C. was announced by Horn thereby confirming “that we are correct in dating the events in Ezra 7 as having taken place in 457 B.C.”⁴⁰ Another highlight, as Horn recalled, was announcing how “the Dead Sea scrolls unmistakably prove that the Hebrew Bible of the days of Jesus was, without any variations, the Masoretic text.”⁴¹ Horn was a rising star within Adventism and played a significant role by helping Adventists achieve respectability within the wider Christian world.⁴²

If Adventist theology was important, the significance of preaching and evangelism within Adventism was specifically highlighted during the 1952 Bible Conference. M. K. Eckenroth (1914-1975), a professor at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and an evangelist for the General Conference ministerial association, gave a series of three lectures about “Christ the Center of All True Preaching.” “We are not to be mere lecturers who inform, but preachers of the Word, which transforms.”⁴³ Such preaching must also have an evangelistic focus. “The papers presented by W. R. Beach and R. A. Anderson” gave “timely incentives” to encourage participants to reach the goal of completing “the unfinished task of world evangelism.”⁴⁴ Walter Schubert (1896-1980), secretary of the ministerial association for the South American Division⁴⁵, shared insights about how Adventists in Catholic countries had to approach evangelism very differently in order to be effective. These presentations by Schubert, translated by Leona Running (1916-2014), would eventually be mimeographed and left out of the official proceedings.⁴⁶ “We have to take the Catholics as they are and not as we wish they were,” he told delegates. “This means that we must adapt the presentation of the truth in its form and substance to the Catholic mind and even to that of those who do not profess any religion at all.”⁴⁷ He urged Adventists evangelists in Latin American countries, for example, to only make favorable allusions in discourses to the “blessed Virgin Mary.”⁴⁸ Singing hymns by the audience can make people feel “trapped or disgusted” that they had been “tricked into an evangelical meeting.”⁴⁹ A “lack of tact” on the part of some church members “can ruin” the “success of meetings.”⁵⁰ Instead of coming on strong with differences Adventists had with Roman Catholics, he urged that they utilize “Christ’s method alone” (a reference to Ellen White’s quote in Ministry of Healing 143) that would bring true success by meeting the people where they were at. As Adventism was spreading around the world, Schubert and other missionary evangelists, were discovering ways and adapting the Adventist message to make it more appealing to audiences Adventists had previously had difficulty reaching.⁵¹

The most hotly debated topic at the 1952 Bible Conference, according to Frederick Lee (1888-1988), a veteran missionary to China, noted a series of lectures delivered by Edward Heppenstall (1901-1994), who was at the time a young professor at La Sierra College.⁵² He did a series on the law and the gospel. Since Ellen White’s death, the Adventist pendulum had swung toward a more dispensationalist view of the covenants (i.e. the old covenant belonged to the Old Testament). Now Heppenstall argued that both the old and new covenants were part of an everlasting covenant, with his theology overall being a notable shift away from the teachings of another key church leader, M. L. Andreasen (1876-1962), with his views of Christian perfection and Last Generation Theology. At one point a participant stood up at the end of one of Heppenstall’s presentations to protest. W. H. Branson afterward wrote privately that Heppenstall’s presentations caused “considerable unfavorable reaction.” He added that the “basic idea was probably alright + quite sound, but the way he stated himself brought confusion to many.”⁵³ Branson urged that he be given a copy of the Sabbath School Quarterly to help him learn how to explain things in a way that traditional Adventists could understand. Heppenstall later revised his material to make it more palatable, and ultimately his presentations were included in the published proceedings.⁵⁴

The Bible Conference provided several sessions for asking questions that amounted to an estimated six to eight hours of the session (initially four sessions that went between 90 minutes to two hours each). The first “question hour service” included D. E. Rebok, H. L. Rudy, S. H. Horn, M. K. Eckenroth, W. G. C. Murdoch, and T. G. Bunch.⁵⁵ Some of the questions in their original handwritten form have been preserved in the General Conference Archives, although none of these actual sessions were recorded so unfortunately we do not know how speakers responded to questions that were asked. All questions had to be signed and then they were carefully selected by the planning committee providing a very controlled and limited opportunity for feedback. Two questions were deemed significant enough that responses by R. R. Figuhr and W. H. Branson were included in the published proceedings.⁵⁶

Another significant component of the Bible Conference was the music.⁵⁷ It would be long afterward remembered by those who attended the 1952 Bible Conference. Even if the lectures and sermons could be a bit tedious at times, the music provided a welcome relief providing plenty of “diversity in the order of service.”⁵⁸ This great “glorious gospel music” lifted “our spirits” and inspired “devotion to God.”⁵⁹ Of special note were “musical offerings” by Charles Keymer⁶⁰ (1922-1998) and Caris H. Lauda (1908-2004).⁶¹ Also, various instrumental music similarly “brightened our days.”⁶² “The Faith for Today quartet added much to the services, and everyone was talking about the inspiring organ meditations of Bradford Braley (1905-1992), who played for the conference on the electric organ especially installed for the occasion.”⁶³ This organ was a Connsonata cathedral electric organ lent for the conference by the Conn Instrument Company.⁶⁴

Dr. John L. Trever (1916-2006), representing the National Council of Churches, addressed the 1952 Bible Conference.⁶⁵ As part of this presentation, and as a member of the translation team for the Revised Standard Version, he encouraged Adventists to consider using this new updated Bible translation as a resource for the Adventist denomination. His participation later raised questions by church members, some of whom endorsed the King James translation as the only reliable Bible translation, a view advocated by theologian B. G. Wilkinson (1872-1968) during the 1930s. Denominational leaders reminded church members that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has never endorsed any one translation of the Bible. F. D. Nichol later responded to such criticisms that Adventists try to take advantage of the best of biblical scholarship, recognizing the importance of studying the Bible in the original languages, and therefore once again has never “endorsed or denounced any particular version.” He added: “the Advent Movement,” he added, “has been scrupulously careful never to endorse the idea of a special version for Adventists.”⁶⁶ This is because, he argued, so that Adventists can share their beliefs based on any credible translation of the Bible.

A concluding highlight of the 1952 Bible Conference was the communion service Friday afternoon (September 12). They began with a communion service at 2 pm that continued into a testimony time for three hours. “The celebration of the ordinance of humility and the Lord’s supper were a high mark of the conference,” wrote D. A. Delafield.⁶⁷ Then on Friday evening W. H. Branson gave a “revival sermon” urging conferees to experience “the power of God” and “dedicate themselves” anew to the mission of the church. On Sabbath morning former church president J. L. McElhany gave the sermon followed by a final afternoon service that included a “Voice of Prophecy rally,” a program to promote media evangelism, that left participants “with the message ringing in their ears and welling up in their hearts.”⁶⁸

Records and Legacy

After the 1946 General Conference session, the 1952 Bible Conference represents one of the most significant official gatherings to be captured in audio that is still extant. Marion Nyman (1908-1998) and Mary Paul (1902-1985) served as recording secretaries who utilized a “Soundscriber” to create the stenographic records. Other stenographers and reporters included Evelyn Wells (1900-1983), Grace Sampson (1903-1993), Frances Maiden (1900-1981), Mildred Dumas (1910-1981), and Leona Running.⁶⁹ This equipment was loaned to them by the Washington Missionary College Radio Department. Robert Whitsett (1913-1972) oversaw the process with the goal to eventually provide recordings for personal use, although plans to distribute them never materialized.⁷⁰ These official recordings of the 1952 Bible Conference have been preserved in the General Conference Archives. In 2003, thanks to a grant from the James F. Barnard Foundation, the original reel-to-reel recordings were restored and transferred into electronic format.⁷¹

One of the most interesting legacies of the 1952 Bible Conference came about because of a presentation by William A. Fagal, then the founder of the recently founded Faith for Today telecast⁷², who used an early kinescope (an early form of television broadcast) to show one of their programs on the topic of tithing. Although the denomination had long used radio (audio) and moving pictures (film) in earlier gatherings, the widespread adoption of the television in American homes during the early 1950s, meant that Adventist thought leaders realized that this technology had the opportunity to be used for evangelistic purposes as a way to share the Adventist message into the homes of millions of people. The effect of Fagal’s presentation upon participants at the 1952 Bible Conference was a significant catalyst toward moving Adventist media ministries forward within the denomination.⁷³

Before the 1952 Bible Conference was finished church leaders celebrated that “this Bible Conference will go down in our history as one of the great meetings of the Advent movement.”⁷⁴ Church president Branson highlighted the Bible Conference as one of the key events during his presidential tenure at the 1954 General Conference session.⁷⁵ Branson seemed determined to make sure that no controversy was associated with this Bible Conference. Ultimately others agreed that “all speakers held to the affirmative, avoiding all nonessential or controversial questions.”⁷⁶ Former church president W. A. Spicer (1865-1952) sent words of greetings at the conclusion of the Bible Conference challenging participants: “Brethren stay on the mainline and preach the message.”⁷⁷ They hoped the Bible Conference brought “reaffirmation and revival” through Bible study. They drew upon a quote by Ellen White appealing to the church “to stand firm on the platform of eternal truth. The principles of truth that God has revealed to us are our only true foundation.”⁷⁸ It therefore would not be surprising that based on this Ellen White quotation the edited and published proceedings of the 1952 Bible Conference were published under the title, Our Firm Foundation. The two-volume set subsequently became part of the Ministerial Book Club for 1953.⁷⁹ The published version incorporated suggestions from the planning committee.⁸⁰ Ultimately scholars of Adventism would place this conference as essentially “a statement of Adventist thought as it had developed since the alignment with fundamentalism.”⁸¹ This reification of Adventist beliefs was affirmed in a poem summarizing “The Bible Conference of 1952” written by Adlai A. Esteb (1901-1992) as subsequently published in The Ministry.⁸²

One of the goals of the 1952 Bible Conference was to avoid controversy. The specifically uncontroversial nature of the gathering, along with the fact that church leaders tied the impetus for this meeting directly to the much earlier 1848 Bible Conferences, and generally avoided references to the more recent 1919 Bible Conference⁸³, made this gathering appear rather “unremarkable” as one of “the less interesting events in Adventist history.”⁸⁴ Whereas the earlier 1919 meeting was held behind closed doors by a much smaller group (of 65 persons), the 1952 Bible Conference would be held publicly reifying Adventist positions, as well as attended by a much larger group (450 people) including a much larger representation by women (25%) gathered from around the globe. Matthew Lucio, who narrates the Adventist History Podcast, notes that the significance of the 1952 Bible Conference was more about “projecting confidence in a world of doubt.”⁸⁵ In the post-World War II era, as some denominations struggled and divided, the Seventh-day Adventist Church would rally around its core values and continue to advance through evangelism and missions.

The scale and significance of the Bible Conference caught the attention of church critics, notably Edward S. Ballenger (1889-1967), a former minister who left Adventism, who on the one hand commended church leaders for holding such an event. Since questions had to be written out ahead of time and submitted to church leaders for review, and he knew that his questions would not merit consideration at such an event, he decided to publish his own list of questions challenging the denomination. Foremost among his criticisms were how the church taught about Ellen White’s prophetic ministry and the legitimacy of the sanctuary doctrine, teachings he thought were interconnected). “Every feature of the SDA teaching of the sanctuary is error,” as he put it, “and nothing but error. It can’t be corrected, it must be abandoned.”⁸⁶ Church leaders never specifically responded to him, but it no doubt it was on-going challenges by Ballenger and others that caused church leaders to both strongly affirm both Ellen White’s prophetic ministry and the sanctuary doctrine.

A significant outcome from this 1952 Bible Conference was the need for Adventist to pursue advanced training and research in the denomination. In order to meet a changing world it was vital to pursue higher standards for training Adventist ministers. “We live in a different world from that of the Adventist pioneers a century ago,” wrote Nichol. “Today the range of human knowledge has vastly increased and the general level of education of the public has risen sharply.” As a result he “thanked God for our Theological Seminary” that will help the denomination rise to meet this challenge.⁸⁷ It was Nichol who with a number of professors in the nearby Theological Seminary who would collaborate on the most ambitious project in the history of the denomination pursuing biblical scholarship, the development of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (1954-1957) that would be a direct outgrowth out of this meeting. “It reflected an openness to new insights,” wrote Adventist thinker Rolf J. Pöhler, “and a readiness to allow for a certain variety of conclusions on exegetical questions.”⁸⁸ Raymond Cottrell believed that without the 1952 Bible Conference with its ensuing era of openness and freedom the Bible Commentary would not have happened.⁸⁹ Some of the new archaeological discoveries, in particular the affirmation of the 457 B.C. date for Adventist prophetic interpretation, would be published jointly by Siegfried H. Horn and Lynn H. Wood (1887-1976) as The Chronology of Ezra 7 (1952).⁹⁰ Similarly, W. E. Read’s presentations on Armageddon being a spiritual “war” between spiritual powers approached the Louis Were interpretation that had initially concerned Branson in planning for the Bible Conference. And then the presentations on the covenants reflected a more “Christocentric approach.”⁹¹ In sum, the need for the denomination to benefit from the scholarship of Adventist scholars, begun through the Bible Research Fellowship of the 1940s, would by the time of the 1952 Bible Conference, be brought under the administrative control of the General Conference through the Office of Bible Research led by Walter E. Read.⁹² Today the department has morphed into the Biblical Research Institute, which continues as a department of the General Conference up to the present.

Sources

Ballenger, E. S. “Questions That Should Be Considered at the SDA Bible Conference,” circular, 5 pages, c. 1952.

“The Bible Conference in Session.” ARH, September 18, 1952.

Branson, W. H. “Objectives of the Bible Conference.” ARH, September 25, 1952.

Bull, Malcolm and Keith Lockhart, Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream, 2^nd ed. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2007.

Campbell, Michael W. “Adventist Theology Comes of Age: The 1952 Bible Conference.” Adventist Review, June 23, 2011.

Chapman, H. J. “Bible Conference Highlights.” Lake Union Herald, September 30, 1952.

Cottrell, Raymond F. “The Bible Research Fellowship: A Pioneering Seventh-day Adventist Organization in Retrospect.” Adventist Heritage, vol. 5, no. 1 (Summer 1978).

Cottrell, Raymond F. “The Untold Story of the Bible Commentary.” Spectrum, vol. 16, no. 3 (August 1985): 35-47.

Delafield, D. A. “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13.” ARH, October 2, 1952.

Dick, Everett D. “The Unmeasured Outreach of the Threefold Message.” [Sabbath sermon] ARH, September 6, 1952.

Esteb, Adlai A. “The Bible Conference of 1952.” The Ministry, December 1952.

Froom, LeRoy Edwin. “Our Earliest and Latest Bible Conference.” The Ministry, October 1952.

Horn, S. H. “The Basic Date of the 2300-Year Period Confirmed by New Discoveries.” ARH, April 30, 1953.

Horn, S. H. and Lynn H. Wood. The Chronology of Ezra 7: A Report of the Historical Research Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1952.

Horn, Siegfried H. “The Old Testament Text in Antiquity.” The Ministry, November 1987.

Lee, Frederick. “Historic Bible Conference Convenes.” ARH, September 25, 1952.

Lucio, Matthew J. “The 1952 Bible Conference,” part 1 and part 2 (season 2, episodes 33 & 34). August 22, 2021, September 22, 2021.

N[ichol], F. D. “The Bible Conference.” 2 parts, ARH, August 28, 1952; September 4, 1952.

N[ichol], F. D. “Looking Back on the Bible Conference.” ARH, October 23, 1952.

Nichol, F. D. “The New Version of the Bible—Part 1.” ARH, January 9, 1953.

Read, W. E. The Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy, and the Church. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1952.

[Rebok, D. E., editor.] Our Firm Foundation: A Report of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Conference Held September 1-13, 1952, in The Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church Takoma Park, Maryland. 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1953.

Reid, George W. “From an Eyewitness at the 1952 Bible Conference.” ARH, June 23, 2011.

Schubert, Walter. “Addresses Given at the S.D.A. Bible Conference, Takoma Park, Maryland, September 11, 12, 1952: Evangelization of Apostolic Roman Catholics.” Translated from Spanish by Leona Running. Mimeographed manuscript, 28 pp. Washington, D.C.: Ministerial Association, 1952.

“Seventh-Day Adventist Autumn Council Opens September 17 at Sligo.” The Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], August 30, 1952.

Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia. Second revised edition. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1996. S.v. “Bible Conference.”

Valentine, Gilbert M. Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventism 1966-1979. Westlake Village, CA: Oak & Acorn Publishing, 2022.

Webster, Eric Claude. Crosscurrents in Adventist Christology. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1992.

Whitsett, Robert M. “The Second Week of the Bible Conference.” The Ministry, November 1952.

Wood, Kenneth H. Interview transcripts. April 11-12, October 13, and November 22, 2005. Oral Histories, Archives and Special Collections, Heritage Research Center, Loma Linda University.

Notes

1. “Bible Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia [1996] 10:199.↩

2. See advertisement ARH, February 26, 1953, 21.↩

3. Participants were early reminded of this earlier conference by then General Conference president, W. H. Branson. See Our Firm Foundation: A Report of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Conference Held September 1-13, 1952, in The Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church Takoma Park, Maryland. 2 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1953) [hereafter OFF], 1:15.↩

4. F. D. Nichol, “The Bible Conference,” ARH, September 4, 1952, 13; OFF 1:24.↩

5. Chapman estimates there were approximately 80 sessions; later D. A. Delafield specifies there were 82 sessions. Cf. H. J. Chapman, “Bible Conference Highlights,” Lake Union Herald, September 30, 1952, 4; D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 8.↩

6. “Seventh-Day Adventist Autumn Council Opens September 17 at Sligo,” The Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], August 30, 1952, 10.↩

7. Froom estimates there were 400 delegates; Delafield estimates there were 450 delegates. See: LeRoy Edwin Froom, “Our Earliest and Latest Bible Conference,” Ministry, October 1952, 4; D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 1. The official list in the published proceedings appears in OFF 1:36-41. This list includes 304 delegates of which 96 references in the list include the phrase “and wife” making for a total of 400 delegates. Of this list four women delegates are mentioned so with the addition of the spouses this means that at least 100 women were officially listed making 25% of the Bible Conference participants were women.↩

8. OFF, 18.↩

9. LeRoy Edwin Froom, “Our Earliest and Latest Bible Conference,” Ministry, October 1952, 4.↩

10. Raymond F. Cottrell, “The Bible Research Fellowship: A Pioneering Seventh-day Adventist Organization in Retrospect,” Adventist Heritage, vol. 5, no. 1 (Summer 1978): 46. See also Louis F. Were, Armageddon: The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. N.p., n.d.; idem., The King of the North in Jerusalem. N.p., n.d.↩

11. R. A. A[nderson], “’Except as We Shall Forget,’” The Ministry, August 1952, 10.↩

12. OFF, 1:13.↩

13. “High Lights of the 1951 Autumn Council,” ARH, November 15, 1951, 16.↩

14. “A Bible Conference in 1952,” ARH, November 22, 1951, 15.↩

15. F. D. Nichol, “The Bible Conference,” ARH, August 28, 1952, 13.↩

16. Ibid.↩

17. Ibid., 14.↩

18. Ibid.↩

19. Ibid.↩

20. Ibid., September 4, 1952, 13.↩

21. Ibid., 13-14.↩

22. The photograph with the complete list of the planning committee appears in The Ministry, October 1952, 5. See also OFF 1:29.↩

23. OFF, 1:13.↩

24. F. D. N[ichol], “Looking Back on the Bible Conference,” ARH, October 23, 1952, 10.↩

25. Minutes of a Meeting of the Planning Committee for the Bible Conference Held, April 14, 1952, 2. General Conference Archives.↩

26. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 7.↩

27. Ibid. See also circular letter: “To the Presidents of Our Union Conferences and Chairman of College and Medical Institution Boards,” April 24, 1952. General Conference Archives, coll. 21, Box 178, Secretariat General Files, 1951-W to 1952-Bi, fld. “Bible Conference Planning Committee.”↩

28. Frederick Lee, “Historic Bible Conference Convenes,” ARH, September 25, 1952, 1.↩

29. Ibid.↩

30. OFF, 1:16.↩

31. Ibid., 8.↩

32. Ibid., 9.↩

33. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 1.↩

34. Ibid, 6.↩

35. See Kenneth H. Wood, Oral History.↩

36. Frederick Lee, “Historic Bible Conference Convenes,” ARH, September 25, 1952, 10.↩

37. Ibid.↩

38. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 7.↩

39. Ibid.↩

40. S. H. Horn, “The Basic Date of the 2300-Year Period Confirmed by New Discoveries,” ARH, April 30, 1953, 8-9.↩

41. Siegfried H. Horn, “The Old Testament Text in Antiquity,” Ministry, November 1987, 5.↩

42. I am indebted to Matthew J. Lucio for making this point. Matthew J. Lucio, “The 1952 Bible Conference,” part 2 (season 2, episode 34). September 22, 2021.↩

43. Frederick Lee, “Historic Bible Conference Convenes,” ARH, September 25, 1952, 8.↩

44. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 8.↩

45. Silvia C. Scholtus, “Schubert, Walter,” in the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, July 21, 2021. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BGOJ [accessed 12/16/23]↩

46. Walter Schubert, “Addresses Given at the S.D.A. Bible Conference, Takoma Park, Maryland, September 11, 12, 1952: Evangelization of Apostolic Roman Catholics.” Translated from Spanish by Leona Running (Washington, D.C.: Ministerial Association, 1952).↩

47. Walter Schubert, Walter. “Addresses Given at the S.D.A. Bible Conference, Takoma Park, Maryland, September 11, 12, 1952: Evangelization of Apostolic Roman Catholics.” Translated from Spanish by Leona Running (Washington, D.C.: Ministerial Association, 1952), 3.↩

48. Ibid., 4.↩

49. Ibid., 5.↩

50. Ibid., 6.↩

51. Ibid., 9-12.↩

52. Frederick Lee, “Historic Bible Conference Convenes,” ARH, September 25, 1952, 9. Many years later Kenneth H. Wood remembered in an oral history: “Well, I remember that Heppenstall decided to come at the subjects of the covenants in an entirely different way.”↩

53. W. H. Branson to D. E. Rebok, October 18, 1952. General Conference Archives, Collection #21, Secretariat General Files, Box 178, fld. “1952 Bible Conference.”↩

54. This probably explains why in Eric Claude Webster’s analysis of Heppenstall’s theology he notices how these presentations appear somewhat different from the rest of his writings. See Eric Claude Webster, Crosscurrents in Adventist Christology (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1992), 263, fn. 39.↩

55. Frederick Lee, “Historic Bible Conference Convenes,” ARH, September 25, 1952, 10.↩

56. Cf. OFF, 2:689-704.↩

57. “One of the outstanding and long-to-be-remembered features of the Bible Conference was the music.” OFF 1:34.↩

58. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 8.↩

59. Ibid.↩

60. See Dan Shultz, “Keymer, Charles Irving,” in the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, August 30, 2021. Available from: https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8HSO&highlight=y [accesed 12/11/23]↩

61. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 8.↩

62. Ibid.↩

63. Ibid. For an overview of his life, see Dan Shultz, “Braley, Bradford Woodhouse,” in the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, August 28, 2021, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=4HSA [accessed 12/11/23]↩

64. OFF 1:34.↩

65. “Seventh-Day Adventist Autumn Council Opens September 17 at Sligo,” The Evening Star [Washington, DC], August 30, 1952, 10.↩

66. F. D. Nichol, “The New Version of the Bible—Part 1,” ARH, January 9, 1953, 11-12.↩

67. D. A. Delafield, “Bible Conference Closes on Revival Note: Historic Meetings Concluded September 13,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 8.↩

68. Ibid.↩

69. OFF 1:31.↩

70. “Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning Committee for the Bible Conference,” August 1, 1952, 1. General Conference Archives, Collection #21, Secretariat General Files, Box 178, fld. “1952 Bible Conference.”↩

71. The author made the original proposal for audio conservation while serving at the Loma Linda University Heritage Room with special thanks to the James F. Barnard Foundation who provided the funding for this project. For audio recordings, see: https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Audio/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2fAudio%2f1952BC&FolderCTID=0x012000E453BBE545C14E4D828D491531A065A70001B23CF6047D604EA391CD64C319D5EB [accessed 11/29/23]↩

72. William A. Fagal, a pastor in New York City, on May 21, 1950, was selected to begin with 13 telecasts over WJZ-TV at 9:30 each Sunday morning. He used a “parable” format using a story to present an everyday problem and the Bible’s solution. The name for “Faith for Today” is the denomination’s oldest sponsored television program. The ministry was formally organized in 1951 one year before the 1952 Bible Conference so this new media ministry made its first public appearance an official church event at the 1952 Bible Conference.↩

73. Frederick Lee, “Historic Bible Conference Convenes,” ARH, September 25, 1952, 10.↩

74. “The Bible Conference in Session,” ARH, September 18, 1952, 24.↩

75. W. H. Branson, “The President’s Address: May 24, 1954, 7:30 P.M.,” ARH, May 25, 1954, 5.↩

76. H. J. Chapman, “Bible Conference Highlights,” Lake Union Herald, September 30, 1952, 4.↩

77. Ibid.; See also “Greetings from Elder Spicer,” ARH, October 2, 1952, 4.↩

78. Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 2, 51, cited in “The Bible Conference in Session,” ARH, September 18, 1952, 24.↩

79. See advertisement ARH, February 26, 1953, 21.↩

80. The most significant suggestions discussed by the planning committee was revising material pertaining to Azazel. See “Minutes of the Bible Planning Committee,” January 12, 1953.↩

81. Bull & Lockhart note that this was the “last stand” of fundamentalist Adventism in the 1950s before a shift to the conferences with various evangelical leaders that in turn ultimately led to Questions on Doctrine. Cf. Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart, Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream, 2^nd ed. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2007), 32.↩

82. Adlai A. Esteb, “The Bible Conference of 1952,” The Ministry, December 1952, 2.↩

83. Michael W. Campbell, “1919 Bible Conference,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventism, April 21, 2023. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=88Z2&highlight=Bible+Conference [accessed 1/9/24]↩

84. Matthew J. Lucio, “The 1952 Bible Conference,” part 1 (season 2, episode 33). August 22, 2021.↩

85. Ibid.↩

86. E. S. Ballenger, “Questions That Should Be Considered at the SDA Bible Conference,” (circular, ca. 1952), 4. General Conference Archives, coll. 21, Box 178, Secretariat General Files, 1951-W to 1952-Bi, fld. “Bible Conference Planning Committee.”↩

87. F. D. N[ichol], “Looking Back on the Bible Conference,” ARH, October 23, 1952, 11.↩

88. Rolf J. Pöhler, Dynamic Truth: A Study of the Problem of Doctrinal Development (Friedensau, Germany: Friedensau Adventist University, 2020), 239.↩

89. Raymond F. Cottrell, “The Untold Story of the Bible Commentary,” Spectrum, vol. 16, no. 3(August 1985): 35-47.↩

90. S. H. Horn and Lynn H. Wood. The Chronology of Ezra 7: A Report of the Historical Research Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1952).↩

91. Eric Claude Webster, Crosscurrents in Adventist Christology (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1992), 37; see also Gilbert M. Valentine, Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventism 1966-1979 (Westlake Village, CA: Oak & Acorn Publishing, 2022), 56.↩

92. Raymond F. Cottrell, “The Bible Research Fellowship: A Pioneering Seventh-day Adventist Organization in Retrospect,” Adventist Heritage, vol. 5, no. 1 (Summer 1978): 48.↩