Seventh-day Adventists, because of their unique lifestyle, are among the most researched groups in the world. The more than 250 scientific papers that have been published since the 1950s as the result of this research have demonstrated that Adventists live longer and suffer less from heart disease and cancer—the leading killers in Western countries—than the general population.
Two studies conducted by Loma Linda University from 1960–1982 involving 60,000 California Adventists concluded that "… for all causes of death combined, Adventists were found to have death rates one-half that of the general population."1 Adventists live longer. Why have Adventists been so blessed?
Ellen White, one of Adventism's founders, received several visions during the mid to late 1800s, outlining health principles which, when followed, have proven to be the best formula for health and longevity. In 1905, 90 years ahead of the modern scientific knowledge available to us today, Ellen White wrote, "Tobacco is a slow, insidious, but most malignant poison."2 Today many of the health principles that Adventists have advocated for almost a century have been scientifically verified.
One of Adventism’s unique emphases is its understanding of the nature of humanity. The mental, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of human nature are not separate, but are interconnected and interdependent on each other for our total health and well-being. The Bible teaches that our bodies are the temple of God, and that we should present them to God as "living and holy sacrifices." "Whatever injures the health, not only lessens physical vigor, but tends to weaken the mental and moral powers."3 For Adventists, a healthy lifestyle is more than a healthy choice, it’s a spiritual mandate.
Adventists believe that Christ’s teaching and healing ministry is an example for reaching the world today. This conviction has largely shaped the Adventist philosophy of mission. Ellen White called medical missionary work the "right arm" of the Adventist message.
In 1866 at the fourth session of the General Conference convened in Battle Creek, Michigan, Ellen White urged the need for a health institution where the newly advocated health principles could be publicly demonstrated. Thus the Western Health Reform Institute—which evolved into the Battle Creek Sanitarium where John Harvey Kellogg joined the staff as medical director in 1875—was established in Battle Creek in 1866.
In 1900, following instructions from Ellen White, property was purchased in Loma Linda, California, on which a sanitarium was established. In 1910, the College of Medical Evangelists (CME), offering a full medical course, was established. In 1961, CME became Loma Linda University, the denomination’s largest institution offering professional curriculums in medicine, dentistry, allied health professions, public health, and nursing. Thousands of health evangelists, graduates from Loma Linda, have gone around the world, establishing clinics, hospitals, and health education centers, following in the footsteps of Jesus.
The church—its medical institutions, personnel, and members—has not always followed the divine counsel given to it more than a century ago. But when the inspired counsel has been followed, blessings have resulted, providing a healthier and happier life on this earth in addition to the blessed hope of eternal life in the earth made new.
1. David C. Nieman, The Adventist Healthstyle, Review & Herald Pub. Assn., 1992, p. 39.
2. Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1942, p. 327.
3. White, p. 128.
Ann Fisher is the Lake Union Herald managing editor.
