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Last Generation Theology ('''LGT''') is the designation given to a line of theological emphasis connected with the Seventh-day Adventist Church , teaching that Jesus Christ was not only Substitute but Example, insisting that Christians may cease from sin before the Second Coming , and confessing that the close of the age has been delayed by unconsecration in Christians but can be accelerated through their living of holy lives. The LGT viewpoint is significant, since from 2002 it has been a significant influence behind a youth movement renewal within the ranks of the Adventist Church. Origins The development of LGT as here understood begins in the 1830s. ''Note: All of the individuals named under this heading (except William Miller) were (until their death) or are presently members in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.'' William Miller William Miller (1782 - 1849), through a series of events chose to became a Christian, and through an intensive study of Scripture felt led to challenge the then-popular expectations of Postmillennialism . The common expectation in North America at that time was that Christians would steadily improve the moral condition of the world and finally hand it off to the returning Christ after the 1000 years of the millennium had passed. Miller's study seemed to him to confirm the opposite: according to prophecy, a time was coming when Christians must be prepared for the judgment and the literal, physical, personal, audible, visible return of Christ to earth. Christians then, must live lives morally able to stand in the approaching judgment. Christ's return was anticipated in . Ellen G. White Out of the groups that persisted following the disappointment, there arose the Seventh-day Adventist Church . A central figure in the development of Adventism was Ellen G. White (1827 - 1915). Her books ''The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan'' and ''Christ's Object Lessons'' , along with other of her writings, understood by Adventists as being inspired of God, also pointed to the Scriptural ideas Miller had seen, and brought them together into an overarching conceptual structure. This explanatory device, the Great Controversy Motif seeks to follow the battle between good and evil from inception to conclusion, and make evident the reasons for the conflict as well as the goals to be realized at its close. As a founding member of the church and the most influential author in its formative years, Mrs. White's influence in the denomination was never duplicated. M. L. Andreasen By the middle of the 20th century, Seventh-day Adventism had been in existence for a hundred years. Although many in Christendom had turned to a similar view to Miller's (with reference to a literal Second Coming before the Millennium, not necessarily other aspects), some in Adventism began to seek acceptance by other faith groups, and the result was the publishing by the church in 1957 of the book Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine (QOD). This book, while in many respects unexceptional and non-problematic, presented very substantial changes in the church's doctrinal position primarily in the areas of Christology and the Atonement . In the understanding of some, the changes were destructive to the concept that a last generation could, by the power of the gospel, be made holy, could stop sinning. M. L. Andreasen (1876 - 1962), served as president of the Greater New York Conference (1909 - 1910), president of Hutchinson Theological Seminary (1910 - 1918), dean of Union College (1918 - 1922), dean of Washington Missionary (now Columbia Union) College (1922 - 1924), president of the Minnesota Conference (1924 - 1931), president of Union College (1931 - 1938), and field secretary of the General Conference (1941 - 1950). He taught at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary from 1937 - 1949, and was recognized as a leading denominational scholar on the atonement and related topics. As far back as 1937 Andreasen presented the package that took the implications of the Adventist faith to their logical conclusion. In his book, ''The Sanctuary Service'', Andreasen had pulled this all together in the closing chapter, ''The Final Generation''. Andreasen urged that QOD not be published, and for long months labored urgently with church leaders to correct the ideas they eventually placed into print. Eventually QOD was published and Andreasen went public in identifying problematic aspects of the book. In that era, his resistance was viewed almost as treason. Robert H. Pierson Robert H. Pierson (1937 - 1989) served as president of the British West Indies Union (1944 - 1947), president of Southern Asia Division (1950 - 1954), president Kentucky-Tennessee Conference (1954 - 1957), president Texas Conference (1957 - 1958), president Southern Africa Division (1958 - 1962), president Trans-African Division (1962 - 1966), and ultimately, president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from (1966 - 1979). In his sermons he often presented LGT concepts ( Hear Pierson preach ). He was a driving force in the 1973 and 1974 Annual Council Appeals published by the world church for all its members--appeals that have been persistently republished since their first appearance, and which constitute a milepost in official publications by the church in advocacy of LGT concepts. Pierson served longer in the church presidency than all other church President s except A. G. Daniells. Pierson, like Andreasen, was a prolific writer. His biography (''Radiant With Hope'', by Geoffrey E. Garne. ISBN 0-912145-19-6) lists him as author of 28 books, many of them translated into multiple languages, as well as hundreds of articles. H. E. Douglass of Christ will at last come to pass. Douglass served as associate editor of the Adventist Review and wrote a large number of articles and books, including one of the most significant recent volumes produced by the church, Pacific Press's 1998 ''Messenger of the Lord: the prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White'', ISBN 0-8163-1622-8. 586 pp. Dennis Priebe As the 1970s closed, a new crisis faced the church in the form of the teachings of Desmond Ford , a Seventh-day Adventist theologian from Australia. Ford was brought to the United States where he became a theology professor at Pacific Union College in California--where Dennis Priebe (1942 - ) also served among the theology faculty. Ford's teachings presented Adventism with a salvation understanding similar to that earlier advocated in QOD, but Ford came into the open in 1979, stating that he had not believed the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment for the past 20 years. A denominational battle was played out in which Ford finally was disemployed and had his ordination revoked. The matter led Priebe to a careful exploration of the issues involved. Ultimately, he presented to the church his pivotal book, ''Face-to-Face With the Real Gospel'' (1986). Priebe embarked on an itinerant ministry that has continued until the present, presenting his material in churches and meetings. Beside his two decades serving as pastor and theology professor, he has since then presented more than 500 seminar events. Larry Kirkpatrick Priebe, in turn, influenced Larry Kirkpatrick (1962 - ). Certain persistent issues led to the publication by the church of its second (QOD had been the first) authors-not-named publication: ''Issues: The Seventh-day Adventist Church and Certain Private Ministries''. The book provoked Kirkpatrick to study. He concluded that the QOD-echoing theological positions in ''Issues'' were wrong; the real gospel was the one advocated by Miller, White, Andreasen, Douglass, and Priebe. Kirkpatrick entered the pastoral ministry in 1994. By 1997 Kirkpatrick was publishing on the internet. The first item he republished was the 1973 - 1974 Annual Council Appeals that had been presented to the church by the General Conference. In 2002 he lent his support to the then rising revival represented by the Youth Conferences movement in the church. Peter Gregory The primary speakers for the 2002 General Youth Conference (GYC) meeting held at Pine Springs Ranch in Southern California included several advocates of LGT, especially the morning devotional speaker, Peter Gregory (1970 - ). This meeting and the messages proclaimed by Gregory and others marked the beginning of a renewed interest by the youth of the church in Last Generation Theology. The movement that began in 2002 resulted in the spontaneous rise of several regional youth conferences with similar emphases. Some appreciated speakers were Dennis Priebe and Peter Gregory, persistent advocates of the concepts of LGT. ''Cleanse and Close'' Advocates of the concepts of LGT felt that those teachings were often mischaracterized by denominational writers. Kirkpatrick consulted with others and the result was the LGT14, a doctrinal list of 14 points presented as a consensus statement. In 2005 Kirkpatrick's book, ''Cleanse and Close: Last Generation Theology in 14 Points'' packaged the concepts that had been developing since the mid 19th century, and identified them as ''LGT.'' DOCTRINE The Last Generation Theology understanding is best seen in light of the doctrinal development of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Seventh-day Adventists have had four generally recognized statements of belief, prepared in 1872 , 1931 , 1980 , and 2005 . The 1872 and 1931 statements of belief were prepared for use at the informational level, for those outside the movement who desired to understand what Seventh-day Adventists stood for. Adventism is rooted in Reformationism and Restorationism . In the 1950s, a handful of church leaders published the book ''Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine'' (which came to be known simply as QOD). This volume, in key areas such as Christology, Atonement, and Soteriology, was felt by many Adventists to have introduced radical changes in Seventh-day Adventist belief. The book is widely acknowledged as the most controversial book in the history of the Adventist church. Many held that it introduced a "New Theology" incompatible with the last generation aspects of Seventh-day Adventist theology. Others insisted that it merely reflected a maturation of the group as it moved from sect to mainline denomination. The denomination's 1980 statement of belief came into being at the same time the crisis introduced by the teachings of Desmond Ford had peaked. The 2005 statement added a 28th belief not impacting upon LGT aspects. Various theologians and writers within the Seventh-day Adventist Church regularly published works in which they defined and then opposed the teachings of Last Generation Theology. Since no explicit statement of what the LGT concepts were existed, rendering both criticism or promotion of LGT difficult, in 2005 certain ordained, credentialed Seventh-day Adventist workers and proponents of LGT combined their energies through the spring to prepare an LGT Statement of Belief, seven couplets completing 14 points that distinctly mark out an agreed definition for Last Generation Theology. The LGT14 represent a consensus statement developed by current and retired ordained denominational workers and other Seventh-day Adventists. According to its advocates, LGT14 is intended as a reinforcement of the church's official 28 Fundamental Beliefs, an emphasis on neglected ideas related to that list, and not as a replacement statement. OPPOSITION TO LAST GENERATION THEOLOGY Since the mid 1950s, a steady opposition to the concepts of LGT is found in books and articles by notable authors and workers including Leroy Froom, Norman Gulley, George R. Knight, William Johnnson, Roy Adams, Clifford Goldstein, Roy Naden, Woodrow Whidden III, and others. Different aspects of LGT have drawn opposition from the various individuals. Most persistent has been opposition to the Christology of LGT which teaches that Jesus became incarnate in fallen humanity. The Christological problem rises from the preliminary issue of how one defines sin; depending on this definition, one is either guilty because of his nature or because of his choices. Advocates of LGT are united in teaching that Jesus took the nature of humanity after the Fall and that He never sinned. They highlight Christ's role as both Substitute and Example. Those opposing LGT teach that this is an incorrect teaching and that Christ's humanity was actually that of Adam before the Fall or is a synthesis, that Christ took a kind of humanity that is neither wholly pre or post Fall and is thus unique. They emphasize Christ as Substitute for humanity. Another key concern revolves around the relationship of the atonement to the cross and whether Christ's work in the heavenly sanctuary represents a continuation of the atonement or the application of an already finished atonement. Authors opposing LGT view the atonement as having been completed at the cross and the benefits of that completed atonement being applied to the believer presently. Whereas advocates of LGT urge the importance of God making a demonstration of His power through the last generation of believers, opposers of LGT counter that through His sacrificial death on the cross, Christ achieved all the demonstration necessary. Some have especially focused their attention at the meaning and relationship of justification and sanctification to obedience. Writers opposing LGT tend to emphasize justification and understand sanctification as a following fruit of the gospel, not part of the salvation equation. Like the previous point about the atonement, these concerns arise from the foundational understanding: is the gospel predominantly concerned with salvation for man as a legal matter, or is the gospel best understood as a restoration of man to the divine image, a therapeutic motif? Other writers have reserved their attentions mostly for the topic of whether or not God's people have delayed the Second Coming or could, through the way they live their lives, hasten the time of that coming. Writers opposed to LGT say no on both counts, pointing to God's sovereignty. Advocates of LGT counter that since God is sovereign, He is within His rights to include as part of the evidence of His goodness the behavior of those who profess to believe in Him. Character perfection has also been a central point of contention. Whereas advocates of LGT urge that as a result of the gospel men and women will stop sinning before Jesus returns, those opposed to LGT hold that because of the fallen nature, people will continue to sin, at least in nature, until Jesus' Second Coming. It is urged that focus on perfection distracts from Christ. LGT advocates counter that they actually are focused on following Christ as they seek to please Him by ceasing from sin. Although exceptions exist, most official Seventh-day Adventist Church resources published since the late 1970s have opposed the concepts identified as LGT. IN RELATION TO THE LARGER CHURCH The existence and significance of a large group of Seventh-day Adventist believers in LGT is attested by the wide range of Adventist scholars, the publishing of books like ''QOD'' and ''Issues'' which seek to counter their ideas, the counter-publishing of the 1973 and 1974 Appeals , and the persistent historical presence of its advocates in significant church positions (M. L. Andreasen, Robert H. Pierson, C. Mervyn Maxwell, Kenneth Wood, Herbert E. Douglass , Joe Crews , Dennis Priebe, J. R. Zurcher, etc.), and the popularity of the LGT concept in the present youth renewal, testify to the existence of a persistent, significant train of thought within the larger church. The beliefs of a church are often defined on the basis of formally voted policy statements. However, this is but one element in the development of a meaningful understanding of the identity of a religious group. The historical-Theological development of a group is also very meaningful in defining the beliefs of a Church. Last Generation Theology and the discussion surrounding it offers a window to contributory streams of thought that inform the identity of Seventh-day Adventism. APPENDICES References
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