Seventh-day Adventist hymnody

Historical Background: the Millerite Roots In the midst of the 19th-century religious revival in the USA known as the Second Great Awakening (see Great Awakenings, USA*), William Miller, a New England farmer whose studies led him to believe that Christ’s coming was imminent (1843-1844) began preaching and writing in the 1830s. This preaching, coupled with the organizational skills of Christian Connection minister Joshua V. Himes and other disciples, spurred thousands to study the Bible more closely and to look for Christ’s return. Millerites initially stayed with their original churches and therefore sang from those hymnals, but by the time of the 1842 ‘Great Tent’ meetings, the movement...