George R. Knight

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people with the same name, see George Knight (disambiguation).
George Raymond Knight
BornOctober 16, 1941
Occupation(s)Historian
Author
Teacher
Part of a series on
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
James and Ellen White
History
Theology
Organization

Divisions

Periodicals
Service
Media ministries
People
Adventism

George Raymond Knight (born 1941) is a leading Seventh-day Adventist historian, author, and educator. He is emeritus professor of church history at Andrews University. As of 2014 he is considered to be the best-selling and influential voice for the past three decades within the denomination.[1]

Biography

At age nineteen, George R. Knight joined the Adventist church through an evangelistic series held in Eureka, California, by Ralph Larson.

Ellen G. White Estate, and who had been Knight's first Bible teacher. "He merely exuded the sweet love of Jesus and a firm confidence in his faith," notes Knight. "When he left I told my wife that he had what I needed. That day I met Christ in Robert Olson and my life has never been the same."[3]

Upon his reconversion, after his intellectual departure into agnosticism, Knight taught in the School of Education at Andrews University. He had a number of doctoral students who did biographical studies of early Adventist educators. He gradually developed an interest in Adventist history, that led to his transition to the Church History Department, in the

General Conference Session held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
. In 2005 he announced his plans for retirement that occurred during the summer of 2006. He has already begun work on the first volumes of a devotional commentary of the entire Bible.

Theology

Adventist thinker and former dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Denis Fortin, notes that George Knight's theological interests mirror his summary of the major themes of Ellen G. White's prophetic ministry: (1) the love of God, (2) the great controversy, (3) Jesus, the cross, and salvation, (4) the centrality of the Bible, (5) the second coming of Christ, (6) the third angel's message and Adventist mission, and (7) practical Christianity and the development of Christian character.[4] Fortin notes that "to a large extent" that these major themes also reflect "Knight's theological themes, and he explores them at various levels in his books." Knight's foremost theological contribution relates to his understanding of the doctrine of salvation. He believes that Adventism is at its best when sin, atonement, and salvation are firmly rooted in faith in God, and that the plan of salvation rests solely in His grace. He emphasizes, for example, in his book, The Cross of Christ, on the lack of human involvement. "The simple fact is," according to Knight, "that the plan of salvation is God's work, not humanity's. It was Christ who lived the perfect life as a human being and proved that God's law could be kept; it was Christ who died for every person by absorbing the death penalty that resulted from the broken law; and it is Christ who currently ministers in heaven on behalf of those who believe in Him and accept the merits of His death and resurrection. Atonement is all of God.... Christ's work will stand whether or not any human beings accept it. The Bible never gives humanity too prominent a place in the plan of salvation. The great controversy is between God and Satan, not Satan and humanity. Whether or not any human being ever demonstrates God's power in living a 'spotless' life, the atonement will have been completed through the demonstration of Christ's sinless life, death, resurrection, and heavenly ministry." Such a grace-filled perspective has challenged some Adventists who articulate Last Generation Theology within Adventism.

The most significant theological works by Knight are I Used to be Perfect (1994, 2001), My Gripe with God: A Study of Divine Justice and the problem of the Cross (1990, republished in 2008 as The Cross of Christ: God's Work for us), and The Pharisee's Guide to Perfect Holiness: A Study in Sin and Salvation (1992, republished in 2008 as Sin and Salvation: God's Work for and in Us).

Historiography

Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church one of Knight's most recognized contributions is his historiography. Although he trained in the field of philosophy and education, he guided a series of dissertations on early Adventist educational figures. Knight transitioned to the

Ronald L. Numbers and Walter Rea, there could have been no George Knight, because after all the facts were laid out on the table, Knight was able to become a "moderate voice that was both revisionist and constructive." Brian Strayer, a professor of history at Andrews University, labels Knight as a "revisionist utilitarian historian."[5]

Books published

See also

References

  1. ^ Whidden, Woodrow (2014). Adventist Maverick: Celebrating the Life of George R. Knight. Boise, ID: Pacific Press.
  2. ^ "The Spectrum Blog: QOD conference bulletin two". Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  3. ^ Whidden, Woodrow (2014). Adventist Maverick: Celebrating the Life of George R. Knight. Boise, ID: Pacific Press. p. 231.
  4. ^ Whidden, Woodrow (2014). Adventist Maverick: Celebrating the Life of George R. Knight. Boise, ID: Pacific Press. pp. 134–135.
  5. ^ Whidden, Woodrow (2014). Adventist Maverick: Celebrating the Life of George R. Knight. Boise, ID: Pacific Press. pp. 229, 244.
  6. ISBN 978-0-8280-2012-1
    .
  7. ^ Knight, George R. (2004). Exploring Galatians and Ephesians: A Devotional Commentary. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  8. ^ Knight, George R. (2004). Exploring Mark: A Devotional Commentary. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  9. ^ Knight, George R. (2004). Joseph Bates: The Real Founder of Seventh-day Adventism. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  10. ^ Knight, George R. (2003). Exploring Hebrews: A Devotional Commentary. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  11. ^ Knight, George R. (2001). Organizing to beat the devil: The development of Adventist Church structure. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  12. ^ Knight, George R. (2000). A search for identity: The development of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  13. ^ Knight, George R. (1999). A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  14. ISBN 0-8280-1429-9
    .
  15. ISBN 0-8280-1356-X
    .
  16. ISBN 0-8280-1263-6
    .
  17. ISBN 0-8280-1089-7
    .
  18. ^ Knight, George R. (1993). Millennial Fever and the End of the World: A Study of Millerite Adventism. Boise, ID: Pacific Press.
  19. ^ Knight, George R. (1989). Angry Saints: Tensions And Possibilities In The Adventist Struggle Over Righteousness By Faith. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald. ISBN.
  20. ^ One review is N. Ward Hill, "Adventism's Choices: Monolith or Pluralism? Archived 2010-06-26 at the Wayback Machine". Spectrum 20:4, p62–64
  21. ^ Knight, George R. (1987). From 1888 to Apostasy: The Case of A. T. Jones. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald.
  22. ^ Knight, George R. (1983). Early Adventist Educators. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.

Offline resources

  • "George Knight: Former Pharisee Finds Freedom" in Who's Got the Truth: Making sense out of five different Adventist gospels by Martin Weber
Preceded by Editor of Andrews University Seminary Studies
with Kenneth A. Strand
1988–1991 		Succeeded by
Nancy J. Vyhmeister
and Kenneth A. Strand
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_R._Knight&oldid=1268907150"