ISSUES WITH D.M.CANRIGHT AND HIS REJECTION OF ADVENTISM

In the mid to late 1880's D.M.Canright, a once faithful Seventh-day Adventist, decided to renounce his faith in the Advent message and leave the church to join the fallen churches. He then in 1888 had a book published called 'Seventh-day Adventism Renounced.' Many an ex-Seventh-day Adventist have been influenced by this book and have also left the Advent faith. But on this page I want to show you just a couple of examples of his contradictions between what he wrote as an Adventist and what he wrote in his 1888 book renouncing Adventism.

The first issue I would like to draw your attention to is the title given to D.M.Canright in his book - REV. D.M.Canright - See the original 1888 version HERE to see this. So he leaves the Adventist faith and now calls himself 'Reverand' just like the clergy of the fallen churches of Babylon. This throws up a big red flag straight away. Even the apostles of Jesus Christ were only called by their first name. But D.M.Canright now wants to be honored like the clergy of the fallen churches.

In his book, D.M.Canright lays out reasons as to why he renounced the Advent faith. But just a few short years prior to this, he wrote a number of articles in the Review and Herald AGAINST those 'murmurers' who would speak against or leave the Advent faith. Look at what D.M.Canright said:

"DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS; It is a sad, but well-known fact, that during the whole history of this message from the first to the last, there have arisen here and there, now and then, among our own brethren and sisters, those who have taken occasion to murmur and complain, and find fault with various things in the work. Quite generally this murmuring has centered upon Bro. and Sr. White, or their labors in some way. Several times even little parties of these disaffected ones have been formed in opposition to the body, and have drawn off by themselves ... We are willing to assume, then, for the present, that the objections and difficulties which trouble you so greatly are real to you, and that you hold them honestly. Sometimes in the past, I myself have been troubled with these same things, and I have come near stumbling over them; but I am thankful to say, that after years of careful investigation, and a more thorough acquaintance with the work, these things are now all very clear and satisfactory to my own mind, so much so, that it seems to me that, with a fair chance, I can make any believer in the message see it." (D.M.Canright, Review and Herald, March 15, 1877, p.84)

So D.M.Canright goes from 'near stumbling' to being very clear and satisfied with the Advent message after years of careful investigation, even writing to those 'murmurers' of the message to set them straight, to outright renouncing the message just a fews years later himself. Sounds like someone without an anchor, who is blown about by every wind of doctrine.

In his book, D.M.Canright even attacks the character of Ellen White, saying ... "she has a harsh, uncharitable spirit, and begets this in all her followers" (p.52). And yet we see a VERY different attitude towards the character of Ellen White just a few years prior when D.M.Canright wrote the following in an Advent Review article:

"As to the Christian character of Sr. White, I beg leave to say that I think I know something about it. I have been acquainted with Sr. White for eighteen years, more than half the history of our people. I have been in their family time and again, sometimes weeks at a time. They have been in our house and family many times. I have traveled with them almost everywhere; have been with them in private and in public, in meeting and out of meeting, and have had the very best chances to know something of the life, character, and spirit of Bro. and Sr. White. As a minister, I have had to deal with all kinds of persons, and all kinds of character, till I think I can judge something of what a person is, at least after years of intimate acquaintance..."

"I know Sr. White to be an unassuming, modest, kind-hearted, noble woman. These traits in her character are not simply put on and cultivated, but they spring gracefully and easily from her natural disposition. She is not self-conceited, self-righteous, and self-important, as fanatics always are. I have frequently come in contact with fanatical persons, and I have always found them to be full of pretentions, full of pride, ready to give their opinion, boastful of their holiness, etc. But I have ever found Sr. White the reverse of all this. Any one, the poorest and the humblest, can go to her freely for advice and comfort without being repulsed. She is ever looking after the needy, the destitute, and the suffering, providing for them, and pleading their cause. I have never formed an acquaintance with any persons who so constantly have the fear of God before them. Nothing is undertaken without earnest prayer to God. She studies God's word carefully and constantly. I have heard Sr. White speak hundreds of times, have read all her testimonies through and through, most of them many times, and I have never been able to find one immoral sentence in the whole of them, or anything that is not strictly pure and Christian ; nothing that leads away from the Bible, or from Christ ; but there I find the most earnest appeals to obey God, to love Jesus, to believe the Scriptures, and to search them constantly." (D.M.Canright, Review and Herald, April 26, 1877, p.132)

What a complete contradiction between his glowing character report above to his attack in his book!

These are just a couple of points which shows there are major issues regarding D.M.Canright's renouncing of Adventism. Our pioneers even wrote an Advent Review periodical in December 1887 replying to D.M.Canright's attacks and show even more inconsistencies regarding his new views. You can download the original periodical HERE.