>Adventists and the Military

These essays, books and films speak to Adventist history relating to both war and peace:

• A Brief History of US Adventists & Military Service (PDF). I wrote this paper in 2009 for the seminary class Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution. The bibliography to that paper provides many resources for further study.
• History Lecture Slideshow – Adventists and War. Jeff Crocombe, a professor in South Africa, included more international information in his lecture than I included in the above class paper.
• A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists in Times of War. Ronald Osborn, the new leader of Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF), wrote this brief account. Doug Morgan, who has books and essay listed below, was the previous head of APF.
• Adventist Peacemaking Heritage. These are a number of historical resources posted at Adventist Peace Fellowship (a new website is under construction). See also Peace Messenger, the APF blog.
• Should I Fight? Essays on Conscientious Objection & the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I have not read this book yet. It is a collection of papers presented at the Should I Fight? conference in Canada in 2008.
• Osborn, Ronald E. Anarchy and Apocalypse: Essays on Faith, Violence, and Theodicy. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010. Chapters 5 and 6 address Adventist history.
• Morgan, Douglas. “Following the Prince of Peace in a Time of War: How the Adventist Pioneers Dealt with Issues of War, Peace, and Military Service.” Adventist Review, June 14, 2007.
• Morgan, Douglas. “The Beginnings of a Peace Church: Eschatology, Ethics, and Expedience in Seventh-day Adventist Responses to the Civil War.” Andrews University Seminary Studies 45, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 35-43.
• Morgan, Douglas, ed. The Peacemaking Remnant: Essays and Historical Documents. Silver Spring, MD: Adventist Peace Fellowship, 2005.
• Morgan, Douglas. Adventism and the American Republic: The Public Involvement of a Major Apocalyptic Movement. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2001.
• Scriven, Charles. The Promise of Peace: Dare to Live the Advent Hope. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2009.
• Wilcox, Francis McLellan. Seventh-Day Adventists in Time of War. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1936.
• Phillips, Keith and Karl Tsatalbasidis. I Pledge Allegiance: The Role of Seventh-day Adventists in the Military. 2007.
• The Conscientious Objector (2004, film). This is the story of Desmond Doss, the first of three conscientious objectors to receive the Medal of Honor. His experience of being a medic in WWII can also be read in The Unlikeliest Hero by Booton Herndon (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press, 1967).
• For Conscience Sake (film). This film is not yet released. A preview can be seen at the link provided.

More thought-provoking Adventist writings–Adventist Activism Resources.

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