M. L. Andreasen

M.L. Andreasen
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Born	June 4, 1876 Copenhagen, Denmark
Died	February 19, 1962 Glendale, California
Occupation	Theologian, Administrator, Author and Minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Spouse(s)	Annie Nelson (from 1896 to her death in 1948); Gladys Grounds (1950 to ?)

M.[ilian] L.[auritz] Andreasen (June 4, 1876– February 19, 1962), was a Seventh-day Adventist theologian, pastor and author.

He was one of the church's most prominent and influential theologians during the 1930s and 1940s. Andreasen held to the belief that Christians can overcome sin, known popularly as Last Generation Theology, controversial for its views on atonement and salvation. Andreasen became well known for his protests against Adventist church leaders during the last years of his life.

Biography

Andreasen served as president of the Greater New York Conference (1908 - 1910), president of Hutchinson Theological Seminary (1910 - 1918), professor at Union College (1918 - 1922), professor at Washington Missionary College (now Washington Adventist University) (1922 - 1924), president of the Minnesota Conference (1924 - 1931), president of Union College, Nebraska (1931 - 1938), and field secretary of the General Conference (1941 - 1950). He taught at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (now located at Andrews University) from 1938 - 1950, and was recognized as a leading denominational scholar on the atonement and related topics.

Theology

As far back as 1937 Andreasen presented the package that took the implications of the Adventist faith to what he perceived to be their logical conclusion. His dispute with the church was over the theology of the atonement and humanity of Christ that was expressed in the 1957 book Questions on Doctrine (QOD). Andreasen argued that the book established a sinister change in Seventh-day Adventist theology. 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 Andreasen urged that QOD not be published, and argued extensively with church leaders to correct the ideas they eventually placed into print. Eventually QOD was published and Andreasen went public in identifying what he saw as problematic aspects of the book.

The church revoked his ministerial credentials in 1961. Shortly before his death in February of 1962, he reconciled with those whom he had so passionately remonstrated with. His credentials were posthumously restored in 1962.

His hope in the return of Christ is evidenced in the last lines of the farewell message he wrote: "So, dear ones, be faithful and true, even to the end. I shall rest in hope, looking forward to the day of glad reunion."

Books

• Isaiah, the Gospel Prophet (Review & Herald, 1928)
• Man, Here and Hereafter (Pacific Press, 1937)
• The Sanctuary Service (Review & Herald, 1937)
• The Faith of Jesus and the Commandments of God (Review & Herald, 1939)
• The Sabbath, Which Day and Why? (Review & Herald, 1942)
• A Faith to Live By (Review & Herald, 1943)
• Following the Master (Southern Publishing Association, 1947)
• The Book of Hebrews (Review & Herald, 1948)
• The Faith of Jesus (Review & Herald, 1949)
• God's Holy Day (Review & Herald, 1949)
• A Day from Eden (Review & Herald, 1951)
• Saints and Sinners (Review & Herald, 1951)
• What Can a Man Believe? (Review & Herald, 1951)
• Prayer (Pacific Press, 1957)
• Letters to the Churches (Hudson Printing Company, 1959)

Andreasen was also one of the contributors to the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary.

See also

• Seventh-day Adventist theology
• Seventh-day Adventist eschatology
• History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
• 28 fundamental beliefs
• Questions on Doctrine
• Biblical Research Institute
• Teachings of Ellen White#End times
• Inspiration of Ellen White
• Prophecy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Investigative judgment
• Pillars of Adventism
• Second Advent
• Baptism by Immersion
• Conditional Immortality
• Historicism
• Three Angels' Messages
• End times
• Sabbath in Seventh-day Adventism
• Inspiration of Ellen White
• Ellen G. White
• Adventist Review
• Adventist
• Seventh-day Adventist Church Pioneers
• Seventh-day Adventist worship
• Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Seventh-day Adventist theology
• Seventh-day Adventist eschatology
• History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

References

• Reactions to the Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Conferences and Questions on Doctrine 1955-1971, PhD thesis by Julius Nam (chapter 4 describes the interactions between Andreasen and church leaders)

External links

• Without fear or favor by Virginia Steinweg, a biography of Andreasen
• M. L. Andreasen Papers, an index from the Center for Adventist Research