"Christianity is that system of
religion founded by Christ, of which His life and teachings
are the true exponents. Uppermost in His life we clearly see the
principle of devotion to His
Father's will. This will was embraced in two considerations, which
from their nature are
inseparable--
a life of irreproachable holiness, and a forgetfulness
of self in ministering to the
wants of others... If Seventh-day Adventism
does not embrace those principles in theory and in
practice, then it is something distinct from Christianity. And in
that case it is utterly useless and
worse than useless... It is always a great pleasure to find any
article to be just what it pretends to
be. In verity, a NAME is a SIGN of CHARACTER... every man is in
honor bound to make his
NAME a guaranty of integrity and purity. How much more so when we
bear the name of
Christ!... Our aim should not be to obtain the NAME. That is
worthless. But with largeness of
heart let us strive to comprehend the breadth of Christian
principles. The sacred obligations
under which we, by our profession, are placed, do not consist in
contending for a NAME or a sect,
but in the maintaining of
a character that exhibits the fullness of
the graces of Christ. It is better to
have the thing itself WITHOUT THE NAME, than to have the NAME
WITHOUT THE OBJECT... Let our lives, our
characters, give us our names, and be it our best endeavor to
deserve the NAME which means to
the world, Christlikeness. If we
are FAITHFUL TO OUR PRINCIPLES,
Seventh-day Adventism
may mean that."
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Oct. 15, 1895, G. C. Tenney (emphases supplied).
"Christ was a
Seventh-day Adventist, to all intents and
purposes."
Medical Ministry, page 49, Ellen G. White.
"We may claim to be
Seventh-day Adventists,
and yet fail of realizing
how exalted is the standard to which we must attain in order to
deserve this name. Some have felt ashamed of being known as
Seventh-day Adventists. Those who are
ashamed of this name should
never connect with those who feel it an honor to bear this name.
And those who are Christ's witnesses, standing where the truths of
the Bible have placed them, are worthy of the name they bear."
Letter 6, 1903; Ellen G. White.