ARTHUR PATRICK Contextualising Recent Tensions in Seventh-day Adventism: “A Constant Process of Struggle and Rebirth”? Between 1844 and 1863, fragments of disappointed Millerism developed the land- mark ideas, the denominational name and the basic structure of what is now the Seventh-da y Adventist Church with fifteen million members (2008) in 201 countries . This article contextualises the struggle of recent decades between continuity and chang e in Adventist teaching, suggesting that a score of doctoral theses/dissertations and other studies offer a coherence that is deeply disturbing for some believers, insufficient for some others, but sa tisfying for many . The demands in W estern culture for faith to be shaped by evidence and to offer existential meaning have elicited three stances in relation to traditional Adventist thought: reversion, alienation, and trans- formation. Whereas the consequent tensions may be viewed as evidence of “growth, vitality and increased understanding,” they also constitute an urgent call for effective internal and external dialogue. jorh_897 272..288 Introduction As the Journal of Religious History (JRH) was celebrating its first quarter century, founding editor Professor Bruce Mansfield was facilitating an article on Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) historiography as “the first in a new, occa- sional, series” on sources for the study of religious history in Australia. The article claimed the sources were already on hand for “substantial and accurate SDA history to be written” that would “expose increasingl y the inadequac ies of numerous viewpoints current both within the denomination and beyond its borders.” 1 Two decades later, it seems appropriate to revisit the burgeoning 1. Arthur N. Patri ck, “Se venth-da y Adventist History in the South Pacific: A Re view of Sources, ” Journal of Religious History 14 (1987): 307–26. For a discussion of “Religious History” as defined by JRH , see Arthur Pat rick , “Int roduc tion ,” “Chr isti anit y and Cult ure in Colon ial Austral ia: Sel ecte d Cath olic , Angl ican , W esle yan and Adve ntis t Pe rspe cti ves, 1891– 1900” (PhD thes is, University of Newcastle, 1991), 1–8; cf. J.D. Bollen, A.E. Cahill, Bruce Mansfield, and Patrick O’Farrell, “Australian Religious History, 1960–1980,” Journal of Religious History 11 (1980): 8–44. The 1987 article should be read in the context provided by Hilary M. Carey, Ian Breward, Nicholas Doumanis, Ruth Frappell, David Hilliard, Katharine Massan, Anne O’Brien, and Roger Dr Art hur Pa trick is an Honora ry Se nio r Res ear ch F el lo w of A vondale Colle ge, NSW, Australia. Journal of Religious History Vol. 34, No. 3, September 2010 doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9809. 2010.00897.x 272 © 2010 The Author