Those wanting to look at a little bit of Adventist history might find this resolution by the Battle Creek Church in 1870 interesting. It set up a purge of that church, each of the members being examined by two representatives from the General Conference, and most being removed from membership. Out of around 250 members only 12 were left after the trial of each member.
In view of the state of backsliding which has become so established in the Battle Creek church during the years of Bro. White's sickness, the following resolutions were adopted by that church just before the assembling of the General Conference in March last :
" Resolved,
That all who have really become children of God, have received as an assurance of acceptance with him, the gift of the Holy Spirit as a Comforter; even the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba Father. That it is the privilege and duty of the Christian to have this sweet assurance from day to day ; and that it is not safe to trust in past blessings, but that a present, living experience is indispensable. That those who are truly converted, will bear the fruit of the Spirit; that they will have a deep and lively interest in the things of God, and that they will ever be ready to bear testimony for Jesus, and will esteem it a privilege to labor for the conversion of souls, and to sacrifice for the prosperity of the cause. That those who do not possess the character delineated in the foregoing resolutions, lack a genuine Christian experience, and should seek with all the heart for immediate conversion. That those who are not accepted of God are not his children, and should not belong to the church. That we, as a church at Battle Creek, have for a long time been in a backslidden state, fitly described by the message to the Laodiceans. That we have in this condition of blindness and waywardness committed great and grievous sins that have brought dishonor upon the cause of God, and almost destroyed the prosperity of the work here.
That the principal cause of our wicked and reckless course of conduct has been that we have disregarded the testimonies given through the gift of prophecy; many having treated them with indifference, and some even with contempt. That the only way of escape from our present deplorable condition lies in a heartfelt confession of our wickedness in the past, that we have set at naught this voice of God to us; and in a strict compliance from this time forward with all which that voice requires. That the salvation of this church depends upon immediate and decisive action, to the end that each of its members give good evidence of conversion, or be promptly disfellowshiped. That unless the church shall be thus thoroughly renovated, it will be unsafe for the Publishing Office or the Health Institute to remain longer in this place. Resolved, furthermore, that as God has repeatedly shown that not only faithful, but picked, men are needed at the heart of the work, we recognize the necessity of the removal from this place of all such persons as are not qualified in both mind and heart to bear the responsibilities peculiar to the post. That, in view of this fact, we do hereby severally pledge ourselves to cheerfully submit to the action of the General Conference, in our individual cases, whether it be decided that we ought to remain in, or remove from, this place."
For more information on these events you can see this article from the Adventist Theological Society:
www.perspectivedigest.org
An interesting quote from the article:
George Washington Amadon lost his job at the
Review office when he was disfellowshipped. Similarly, after Dr. Horatio S. Lay was cut off, he was subsequently fired from the Western Health Reform Institute on May 1, 1870. By contrast, and for reasons unknown, Uriah Smith retained his church positions of
Review and Herald editor, General Conference secretary, and Michigan Conference president after being disfellowshipped.
