APL Purpose

Purpose of APL

Reaffirm Our Roots

The Adventist Pioneer Library committee began its work after personal study led us to see a need to reaffirm the foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist church. We perceived a lack of easy access to the original source material left for us by those who went through the founding time. We discovered many calls by Ellen G. White to reprint the words of the pioneers, that is, her contemporaries that lived in the 1840's to 1860's. Here are seven examples of such calls:

Calls to Republish

The record of the experience through which the people of God passed in the early history of our work must be republished. (Letter 105, 1903)

The experience of William Miller and his associates, of Captain Joseph Bates, and of other pioneers in the advent message, should be kept before our people. (Letter 105, 1903)

The standard-bearers who have fallen in death, are to speak through the reprinting of their writings to bear their testimony as to what constitutes truth for this time. (CWE32)

Let those who are dead speak by reprinting their articles. (MS62, 1905)

Rehearse the experience of the men who acted a part in the establishment of our work in the beginning. (MS129, 1905)

The history of the early experiences in the message will be a power to withstand the masterly ingenuity of Satan's deceptions. (Letter 99, 1905)

Repeat the words of the pioneers in our work, who knew what it cost to search for the truth as for hidden treasure, and who labored to lay the foundation of our work. (RH 5/25/05)

Three Reasons to Reprint

These multiple calls around 1903-1905 appear to be given for these reasons:

The pioneers were dying and their living, eyewitness accounts were being lost. Uriah Smith died during this time period.
New church members were unacquainted with how the Lord led in the founding of the church. A new generation had arisen who had not lived through those early years.
The devil was bringing in deceptions that an understanding of the foundations would expose. Blindness (that came from rejecting the advancing light of righteousness by faith) was resulting not merely in failure of the "house" being finished, but in open attacks on the foundations.

Other References

See article "The Importance of the Pioneers", in Lest We Forget, Vol. 1, No. 1 (complimentary issue).

See "Preface to the 1992 Edition", in The Great Second Advent Movement.

You can download a more complete list of quotations calling for republishing pioneer writings. Also go to our Periodical page and download Lest We Forget Vol. 11, No. 4 through Vol. 12, No. 2 for extracts of 24 documents calling us to "Reaffirm! Reprint! Retell!"

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Adventist Pioneer Library
P. O. Box 1844
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Updated 13 February 2005
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Reaffirm Our Roots
	The Adventist Pioneer Library committee began its work after personal study led us to see a need to reaffirm the foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist church. We perceived a lack of easy access to the original source material left for us by those who went through the founding time. We discovered many calls by Ellen G. White to reprint the words of the pioneers, that is, her contemporaries that lived in the 1840's to 1860's. Here are seven examples of such calls:
Calls to Republish
	The record of the experience through which the people of God passed in the early history of our work must be republished. (Letter 105, 1903) The experience of William Miller and his associates, of Captain Joseph Bates, and of other pioneers in the advent message, should be kept before our people. (Letter 105, 1903) The standard-bearers who have fallen in death, are to speak through the reprinting of their writings to bear their testimony as to what constitutes truth for this time. (CWE32) Let those who are dead speak by reprinting their articles. (MS62, 1905) Rehearse the experience of the men who acted a part in the establishment of our work in the beginning. (MS129, 1905) The history of the early experiences in the message will be a power to withstand the masterly ingenuity of Satan's deceptions. (Letter 99, 1905) Repeat the words of the pioneers in our work, who knew what it cost to search for the truth as for hidden treasure, and who labored to lay the foundation of our work. (RH 5/25/05)
Three Reasons to Reprint
	These multiple calls around 1903-1905 appear to be given for these reasons: The pioneers were dying and their living, eyewitness accounts were being lost. Uriah Smith died during this time period. New church members were unacquainted with how the Lord led in the founding of the church. A new generation had arisen who had not lived through those early years. The devil was bringing in deceptions that an understanding of the foundations would expose. Blindness (that came from rejecting the advancing light of righteousness by faith) was resulting not merely in failure of the "house" being finished, but in open attacks on the foundations.
Other References
	See article "The Importance of the Pioneers", in *Lest We Forget, Vol. 1, No. 1 (complimentary issue). See "Preface to the 1992 Edition", in The Great Second Advent Movement. You can download a more complete list of quotations calling for republishing pioneer writings. Also go to our Periodical page and download Lest We Forget* Vol. 11, No. 4 through Vol. 12, No. 2 for extracts of 24 documents calling us to "Reaffirm! Reprint! Retell!"