ATSS: Rolf Pöhler, “Future, Past, and Present: Adventist Apocalypticism Facing the Times”
12 March 2025 |
From its inception, Seventh-day Adventism has relied on an apocalyptic worldview derived from Millerism and the apocalyptic passages in the Bible.
While these ideas still shape Adventist teaching and evangelism, in recent decades critical questions have been raised regarding the biblical validity, theological potency, and contemporary relevance of this apocalyptic imprint.
This presentation reviews Adventist apocalypticism in terms of its strengths and weaknesses by looking at
- The future prospects of the world and of Adventist belief,
- The past, especially the early Christian and Adventist church, to show how understanding them provides insights for today, and
- The present, where apocalypticism is facing its litmus test.
Apocalyptic realism entails a radical hope that is implied in Scripture, and that is in keeping with the times.
Teacher:
Rolf J. Pöhler was born into a German Adventist pastor’s family. He studied theology in Darmstadt and the United States, earning a Master of Divinity degree in 1975 and a Doctor of Theology degree from Andrews University in 1995. His 600-page dissertation on “Change in Seventh-day Adventist Theology” was republished in 2020 by Friedensau Adventist University under the title Dynamic Truth: A Study of the Problem of Doctrinal Development.
Dr. Pöhler has worked as pastor, departmental director, and church president in Germany. Since 1992 he has taught at Friedensau Adventist University in Germany, as a Professor of Systematic Theology. His main areas of interest are dogmatics and hermeneutics. He has authored and edited several books and numerous articles. For more details, see https://www.thh-friedensau.de/
Moderator:
Gerald Lofthouse is a retired physician who lives in Chicago. He teaches Sabbath School at his church, and restores classic cars.
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YouTube channel:
You can see all of our previous ATSS recordings here.
Coming up:
- Bryan Ness
- Roland Blaich
- Maury Jackson
- Steve Case
