This week in Christian history: Pope elected, radical German preacher captured, Adventist leader born

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, May 14, 2023

Joshua Himes born – May 19, 1805

Joshua V. Himes (1805-1895), a minister who became a prominent figure in the Adventist movement. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Joshua Vaughan Himes, a minister who became a prominent figure in the early Adventist movement, was born in Wickford, Rhode Island.

The oldest of seven children, Himes became a minister in 1827 and was a proponent of women’s rights, temperance and the abolition of slavery during the Antebellum era.

During the 1840s, Himes became a fervent supporter and organizer of the Millerite movement, which had claimed that the Second Coming was going to happen by October 1844.

After the failed prediction, Himes continued to serve as an influential figure in what became the Seventh-day Adventist Church, even as he eventually was ordained in The Episcopal Church.

“Himes was the most influential Adventist leader in charting a path forward,” noted the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. “Himes’ resourcefulness as a promoter, communicator, and organizer, combined with his evangelical fervor and reforming idealism was of singular importance in launching the Adventist movement and shaping its character.”