From Conservatism To Activism The Evolution Of Seventh Day Adventist Participation In Civil Rights Politics

This study examines the history of Seventh-day Adventist participation in civil rights politics. It also considers the extent to which the denomination's theology influenced the way its members responded to sociopolitical activism in the United States. Irony is not lost on the fact that most Adventists did not participate in the Civil Rights Movement. As Christian fundamentalists, Seventh-day Adventists hold political views that are similar to those of other conservative denominations. Consequently, this dissertation explores why some Adventists became involved in sociopolitical issues while others did not. In doing so, it contends that community awareness motivated some black Seventh-day Adventists to participate in the Civil Rights Movement. For them, community awareness took precedence over philosophical and theological aspects of Adventism that discouraged political activity -- Abstract.