Loren Seibold, “Still Disappointed: How Our Founding Story Made Us Who We Are Today”

Описание: 8 November 2025 |

In the autumn of 1844, an important event happened—one that has become the pivotal story of our history. Oddly, this important event wasn’t a victory or an accomplishment. It was a failure. When Jesus didn’t return on October 22 of 1844, Adventists labeled it The Great Disappointment, and told it over and over again until it became our official origin story.

What do you do to recover from a disappointment—indeed, from a great one?

The telling and retelling of that story, with its defeatist title, has created an expectation, not just of Jesus’ return, but of what God expects of us before Jesus returns: a greater commitment, more vigorous evangelism, and new strict behaviors. It still shapes who we are today as we try to address God’s disappointment in us.

Loren Seibold will look at our church’s development, and who we have become, through the lens of The Great Disappointment. Seen as the pivotal shaper of Adventist identity, it becomes clear that Adventists are still, in many ways, a disappointed people, and that disappointment has shaped out identity, and driven our accomplishments, ever since.

Teacher:
Loren Seibold is a retired pastor, and the Executive Editor of Adventist Today magazine and website. He grew up in North Dakota, graduated from Walla Walla University, and earned his doctorate at the San Francisco Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Carmen, live in Columbus, Ohio.