Saturday, August 28, 2010

Life Lessons from a Leader

The Church leader thought he was defending the essential Adventist faith. After all, he had become a Conference President at a young age when Brinkerhoff and Snook had led a major apostasy from the Adventist faith in Iowa. He vigorously worked with evangelistic fervor and kept the Conference together following their defection. 2 years after being elected Conference President, he was given a ministerial license and 4 months later he was ordained.


During the 1860s and 1870s George I. Butler became one of the foremost Adventist defenders and a supporter of the ministry of Ellen White. From 1872 to 1874 he served as General Conference President while James White was recovering his health. Then he was elected General Conference President again, serving from 1880 to 1888.

While GC President, the first time he was active in raising funds for Battle Creek College (now Andrews University) and the Pacific Press Publishing in Oakland, California. During his second term as GC President he led the Church through the D.M. Canright apostasy.
He also disagreed with Jones and Wagoner on the understanding of Righteousness by faith and the role of the law in Galatians.

“By the time of the famous 1888 General Conference Session Butler called for those who were sympathetic to him to "stand by the old landmarks" or to not give up traditional theological positions. This called forth a strong rebuke from Ellen G. White.”
Following the 1888 General Conference Session, Butler’s health collapsed and with his wife moved to Florida, where he purchased property to raise citrus fruit and recuperate.

In 1901 his wife died and he was elected President of the Florida Conference. The following year, with the encouragement of Ellen White, he was elected President of the Southern Union and the Southern Publishing Association. In 1908 he retired and passed to his rest in 1918, buried in the city cemetery of Bowling Green, Florida.

What his life may teach us, is that we may be energetically and earnestly defending the faith, and still have things to learn. While Butler was calling upon the delegates to the 1888 General Conference Session to “stand by the old landmarks” it was difficult for him to realize that there was still more to learn and more growth spiritually that was needed.

When you have had to defend the Biblical positions of the Adventist faith from the Marion party, Snook and Brinkerhoff, D.M. Canright and others, it is easy to get entrenched and see that any idea different from what you held at the beginning of your ministry must be wrong and you must vigorously resist it.

The concern however, is that God may have additional light and growth for us as a people, as Ellen White has said He does. And when it comes, we may be afraid it is another attempt at apostasy. We may even describe it to our supporters as Satan’s last day deception and announce that the church is being led to its ruin if followed. Every additional spiritual understanding or practice that God may allow to come to our attention before Jesus comes, may not necessarily be a last day deception or apostasy, just because it is not the traditional practice or does not look like we are “standing by the old landmarks.” This does mean, however, that we should, “test all things, hold fast to that which is true.” And it means, as Ellen White has said, that we should carefully consider new light, since, “we have many things to learn and many things to unlearn.”

A second thing his life teaches us, is that even when a leader makes a mistake, and firmly resists the direction God wants to lead His church, that leader is still not beyond usefulness to God when the leader displays a humble and willing spirit for service. What a gracious outcome in Butler’s life, when, under the encouragement of Ellen White, he was asked to serve as the Southern Union President.

Jeanne and I had the privilege, while on our vacation in central Florida to look up the gravesite of George I. Butler. We attended Church in Avon Park, FL, where I grew up, and then drove the 25 miles over to Bowling Green, FL.


After searching the cemetery in this small town, we located his gravesite.


Not far from the cemetery, is the general area where Butlers farm, “Twin Magnolias” was located. And even to this day, citrus is grown in that vicinity.


I am thankful for the life lessons these early leaders in our church teach us. And I chose to be faithful to the Adventist calling, just as they endeavored to be.